Chapter 178

Chapter 178: Message

“Spider… and… the Moon?”

Dorothy muttered strangely as she looked at her notes and photos. The entire passage described things vaguely, making them incomprehensible, leaving only room for guessing.

‘I’ve heard of Razor Mountain Range. It’s a remote mountainous area in the north of Northshore County. It’s said to be perilous with inconvenient transportation, where some mountain folk who have not been much affected by the Industrial Revolution live. Due to the high development costs, neither the royal government nor the capitalists seem willing to develop that place.

‘From the content of the notes, this was a small team of Hunters sent to investigate the Razor Mountain Range and they discovered some strange events. There were ruins related to the moon and customs and beliefs about spiders. What secrets are hidden deep within those mountains?… Judging from these bloodstains, this team seems to have met a bad end. The Alster branch must have realized something serious before deciding to send this information to the headquarters…

‘That extraordinary being named Kim must have had a purpose to prevent the headquarters from obtaining this information. He chose to ambush the branch officials on the train. Looks like there’s quite a secret involved here…’

Dorothy pondered inwardly. She didn’t intend to unravel all the mysteries; although strange, it wasn’t directly related to her. With the An Yin Bureau handling it, she didn’t need to worry. All she needed to do was find a way to deliver these materials to the Anonymity Headquarters.

‘Since I don’t need these notes and photos, I’ll just return them to the Anonymity Headquarters. Hopefully, they will give me some reward as Sodod mentioned.’

Continuing her thoughts, truthfully, the confidential cargo contained only documents and no useful extraordinary items, which disappointed her. If there were powerful extraordinary items, she wouldn’t mind intercepting them.

However, she did gain something. These photos and notes had certain poison recognition abilities, equivalent to a secret transmission. At least, she could increase her spirituality.

Thinking this, Dorothy began extracting spirituality. The notes and photos combined gave her 2 points of “Shadow,” 1 point of “Cup,” and 1 point of “Enlightenment.” This combination of spirituality surprised her.

‘The nature of the content in these notes and photos is “Shadow” and “Cup”? I wonder which parts are “Shadow” and which are “Cup.”‘

After extracting the spirituality, Dorothy began organizing her current spiritual state. “Enlightenment” hadn’t been overused, so it didn’t count. Mainly, “Cup.” Dorothy used two bl**d-Eating items and overloaded her ring, spending a total of 3 points of “Cup.” Summarizing the spirituality gained from the documents and her existing reserves, Dorothy’s current spiritual state was:

11 Cups, 10 Stones, 3 Shadows, 4 Lamps, 3 Silences, 15 Enlightenments, with the storage item gaining 1 point of “Cup.”

Looking at her current spiritual state, Dorothy couldn’t help but frown.

‘Ah… Indeed, once the “Generous Donation” of the Holy Communion is gone, the “Cup” reservoir drops visibly. “Cup” and “Enlightenment” are my main spiritual expenditures. Consuming “Cup” so quickly isn’t a good strategy. I wonder if there’s a society in Tivyán that can “donate” some “Cup” to me…’

Having finished her thoughts, Dorothy packed everything on the table into the magic box and changed into her sleeping clothes, lying down on the bed. She slowly fell asleep listening to the rumbling and vibrations of the train.

…

The moon set and the sun rose.

A night soon passed, and in the morning, passengers on the train woke up one by one. After breakfast, they quietly waited another morning until the train finally reached its destination, Tivyán.

On both sides of the train, the originally vast wilderness gradually filled with towering buildings, becoming increasingly dense. Looking out the window, one saw brick and stone houses flying past.

Converging with many other rail tracks, the steam train gradually slowed down and entered a massive steel frame dome, finally stopping at the platform. By then, several policemen and reporters from various news agencies were waiting. The police were there to take over the case, while the reporters wanted to get the latest news first.

“The m*rder Case on the Train to the Kingdom Capital” would likely attract a lot of attention when printed in the next edition of the newspaper.

After the train stopped, the conductor walked to a compartment and knocked respectfully on the door before saying, “Mr. Ed, we’ve arrived at our station. The police and reporters are waiting outside for the case.”

The conductor knocked on the door but received no response. Frowning, he knocked again, yet still received no answer.

Seeing this, the conductor tried turning the door handle and found it unlocked. He opened the door and found the compartment empty. The space was bright and tidy, with the bedding neatly folded, and a note on the table.

The conductor picked up the note and realized it was left by the detective, Ed.

…

“Respected Conductor, please forgive my abrupt departure. Do not question how I left the train while it was still moving. As a detective, I have my ways.

“I do not wish to interact too much with the police and especially the reporters. I do not want to be surrounded by a noisy flock of turkeys asking endless questions like interrogators trying to pry every secret out of you. So, I left early, and I ask the crew members to explain last night’s tragedy to the outside world. Whether or not I am present doesn’t matter; you can take full credit for catching the criminal. I won’t mind.

“I am merely a detective pursuing truth and justice, fame is just an unnecessary burden for me. I sincerely hope you receive generous rewards from the police bureau and the Kingdom Railway Company.

—Detective Ed”

…

In the compartment, the conductor stared silently at the note on the table for a long time before letting out a long sigh.

“A detective who pursues truth and justice, disregarding fame? Truly a noble person…”

The conductor sighed. Then, seeming to make a decision, he pocketed the note and walked out of the compartment towards the front of the train, looking at the train attendants.

“Gentlemen, Mr. Ed has already left. He is a wise and virtuous gentleman who values humility and does not seek the glory that should be his. Instead, he wishes to let us take credit for apprehending the true culprit.”

After the conductor finished speaking, he looked at the train attendants, whose reactions varied—some were shocked, others disappointed, and some pleased.

Scanning his subordinates’ reactions, the conductor’s expression turned serious. He continued, “Gentlemen, the company’s rewards are tempting, but I believe we should emulate Mr. Ed, renouncing vanity and seeking a higher moral ground. Since he is a gentleman, we should also be gentlemen.

“I think we should honestly report the events of last night to the police and reporters, allowing the journalists to document Mr. Ed’s entire investigation process and publish it in the newspapers for everyone to see. We should emphasize not only his wisdom but also his character. In this age of greed, he will be a role model for many of us.”