Chapter 309

Chapter 278: Amniotic Sac

Inside the box at the Flying Soaring Theater, the detective exposed Byron’s crime, causing him to kneel on the ground in front of everyone, his emotions out of control as he clenched his fists and loudly explained his motives for committing the crime to the surrounding police.

According to Byron, he was originally a playboy who spent his days pursuing women. Relying on his wealth, he frequently changed girlfriends and often frequented nightclubs.

At one performance, Byron fell in love with Adelle, the star dancer. Despite his status and wealth, it was still difficult for him to get close to her. Thus, Byron decided to approach Adelle through other dancers who were part of her entourage, learning about her preferences and movements. His target was ultimately Maria.

Through becoming Maria’s patron, Byron managed to seduce her. Under his influence, Maria, who was naturally flirtatious, fell in love with him. They frequently met in secret, including during the intermission of this performance in the restroom.

Byron had intended to use Maria as a stepping stone to get closer to Adelle. However, he did not expect that Maria would cling to him so tightly. When Byron tried to leave her, she began to insist on marriage and threatened to reveal all his secrets if he refused. Their conflict in the restroom escalated, leading to Byron killing Maria in a moment of emotional turmoil.

“It’s all that wh*re’s fault… If she hadn’t been so persistent, I wouldn’t have had to do it. It’s her fault… We were just playing around, but she insisted on marriage. It’s her fault. If she hadn’t forced me, I wouldn’t have… I wouldn’t have…”

Kneeling on the ground, Byron trembled as he muttered these words. Beside him, Douglas and the other policemen silently observed the scene.

This was a typical case of passion-driven m*rder! Including Douglas, the on-site police all defined the case in front of them as such. They had seen similar situations before.

“Playing with desires will eventually lead to being ensnared by them. Each of us should follow the Holy Mother’s teachings, be faithful to each other, respect love and marriage.”

Seeing the scene before him, Ed summarized and responded. Douglas nodded in agreement beside him.

“Oh… Brother Ed is right. People like you who like to toy with others’ emotions will eventually get tangled up themselves. I didn’t expect Brother Ed to not only excel in solving cases but also to have studied the Sacred Text,” Douglas said immediately after hearing Ed’s words, patting Ed’s shoulder as he spoke. The tone was much friendlier than before, which made Dorothy feel somewhat uncomfortable.

“Come on, Brother Ed… This officer’s attitude changes quite quickly.”

“Haha, Mr. Officer overpraises me. As a detective, it’s only natural to understand a bit of everything,” Ed replied. Then he looked at Byron again and continued.

“So, Mr. Byron, why did you frame Miss Adelle with bl**d letters after killing Miss Maria?”

After Ed finished speaking, he silently stared at the kneeling Byron. After a moment of silence, Byron spoke again.

“Yes, it was because of hatred… After I killed Maria, I realized Adelle was even further away from me. I killed for her, yet she doesn’t even know my existence… I truly love her, but she hasn’t even given me a second glance. I may never win her true heart. This feeling is like having ants gnawing at my heart.”

“So, I started to hate her. I wanted to bring her down, to give her the title of a murderer, to make her less prominent! To make her pay for ignoring me!”

Byron excitedly recounted his story, his rich emotions making the police present feel a deep sense of sympathy.

“Hmph, a madman driven by emotions. Even though I’m seeing this for the first time, take him away!”

Douglas ordered, and the surrounding police rushed forward, taking Byron away. Seeing Byron led out of the box, Douglas turned to Ed with a smile.

“Haha, Brother Ed, I didn’t expect you to solve this case within the deadline. Your observation and deduction skills have really opened my eyes.”

Douglas praised Ed. Regardless of whether they played a major role in this significant case, they deserved some credit for its quick resolution.

“There’s nothing special. I could solve the case so smoothly thanks to your trust and cooperation, Officer.”

Smiling, Ed responded to Douglas. Afterwards, Douglas and Ed began chatting, and he continuously showed goodwill towards Ed, a stark contrast from his previous attitude.

“Alright, now we need to send the criminal back to the police station. Since the real culprit has been caught, there’s no need to keep the news under wraps. Brother Ed, you can look forward to tomorrow’s newspaper.”

After saying a few more words to Ed, Douglas stood up and left. After the police left, Dorothy controlled Ed to leave immediately. Soon, he arrived at a familiar door, entered Adelle’s room, and found her sitting on the sofa, smiling at him as he walked in.

“Oh, the great detective has returned. Thank you for clearing my name,” Adelle said to Ed, then continued.

“I never imagined that Mr. Ed is not only an excellent detective but also a skilled playwright and actor. If you ever decide to leave detective work, come to me. I think you could become a great screenwriter or actor.”

Adelle said this, and Ed raised his eyebrows slightly.

“Seems you know quite well about our situation…,” Ed replied.

“Of course, this is my territory. I have some tricks up my sleeve. I saw everything you did earlier.”

“To be honest, the performance you orchestrated was quite good. A madman driven by emotion… An interesting character. His final lines really touched me. I almost believed him. If someone really had such strong feelings for me, I would definitely respond. What do you think, Detective?”

Adelle said with a playful expression, seemingly hinting at something. Ed responded calmly.

“Given your charm, I believe many people might feel the same way. I just put myself in their shoes to understand their situation. Empathy is essential for a detective.”

Ed said this, subtly rejecting Adelle’s advances. Seeing that Ed didn’t react, Adelle continued smiling.

“Yes, there are many such people… It’s a pity that Detective isn’t among them. By the way, Detective, let’s talk about the real matter. The police have taken the flesh puppet Byron to the police station. What are your plans after this? You can’t manipulate him forever, right?”

“Of course not. Soon, Byron will ‘commit s*icide’ on the carriage heading to the police station. In a state of despair, the murderer will use poison hidden on his body. That d*ath aligns with his true cause, don’t you think?”

Ed replied casually. Adelle held her wine glass and responded.

“Very thoughtful, Detective. I’m glad you’re on our side tonight…”

“Alright~ This time, we owe you a lot. You wanted to ask me questions, didn’t you? Go ahead, I’ll try my best to answer.”

Adelle said to Ed. Earlier, she had promised to cooperate if they could find the true culprit. After thinking for a moment, Ed asked his first question.

“These Wolf bl**d Association members, after failing to assassinate you, wanted to tarnish your reputation. For an extraordinary being like you, are these mundane matters really that important?”

“They are indeed important. They involve my spiritual accumulation, not just mundane affairs,” Adelle replied lightly. Dorothy felt a slight surprise at her words, and then she controlled Ed to speak.

“Spiritual accumulation? Do you accumulate spiritual energy through reputation?”

“In fact, it’s not reputation but performances, desires. My main method of spiritual accumulation is the Desire Dance Method. Simply put, it’s a method to gather desires to obtain the Cup.”

“The Cup represents desires derived from biological instincts, especially hunger and lust. The convergence of desires forms the Cup. When I perform on stage, I become the object of desire. When the audience’s desires converge on me, my spiritual energy grows,” Adelle responded to Ed. Dorothy instantly understood the principle.

“Gathering desires can form the Cup, so becoming the focus of many desires can help accumulate the Cup? Interesting.”

Dorothy thought to herself. This seemed to confirm that reputation was indeed important to Adelle. Due to the impact of the m*rder, she might not be able to perform as she used to. Being labeled a “murderer” would certainly result in a loss of popularity, severely affecting her spiritual accumulation.

“Collecting the audience’s desires to grow the Cup? Interesting. With your high popularity, your performances are always packed. Your spiritual energy must accumulate quite fast, right?”

Dorothy asked Ed to probe Adelle, and her response was straightforward.

“Naturally. With my current popularity, the spiritual energy gained from performances is much faster than eating people. No wonder those guys targeted this aspect.”

Adelle responded casually. Dorothy then continued with her next question.

“Next question, what exactly is your society? And what grudges or enmities does it have with the Amniotic Sac Sect and the Wolf bl**d Association? Why do they go to such lengths to target you?”

“What grudges or enmities? Oh, Detective, you’re not one of our Cups, are you? You seem unaware that in today’s world where bl**d consumption is prevalent, the enmity among our Cups doesn’t require reasons. To a practitioner of the bl**d Food Method, the most delicious meal is always another Cup.”

Adelle said seriously, and Dorothy felt a chill. According to this logic, the Wolf bl**d Association was coveting Adelle’s body, especially in terms of food.

“A few years ago, the Wolf bl**d Association attacked other Cup societies in Tiwian to hunt for food, nearly destroying them all. Out of the remnants of these societies, a new society formed to counter the Wolf bl**d Association. That is us, the Scarlet Heart. I can be considered an important member here. I caused them a lot of trouble, and many of them would love to see me on the menu.”

Adelle continued, and Dorothy recalled what Moisans had mentioned earlier. Under the threat of the Amniotic Sac Sect and the Wolf bl**d Association, many non-bl**d-consuming Cup societies joined forces. Now it seemed clear that this was the Scarlet Heart.

“From what you say, the Wolf bl**d Association’s influence in Tiwian is quite large…”

Ed remarked, and Adelle nodded in agreement.

“Certainly, not just in Tiwian, but throughout Prite, the Wolf bl**d Association has influence. Among the three major factions of the Amniotic Sac Sect, the Wolf bl**d Association holds the largest power in Prite.”

“Three major factions? There are multiple organizations like the Wolf bl**d Association within the Amniotic Sac Sect?” Dorothy frowned upon hearing Adelle’s words, controlling Ed to speak seriously. Adelle looked at Ed unexpectedly.

“Don’t you know? It seems Detective still needs to improve his knowledge of the Secret World. Since that’s the case, let me briefly explain.”

Looking at Ed, Adelle extended three fingers and slowly explained.

“The Amniotic Sac Sect originally revered the Cup Mother. However, due to the lack of divine revelations from the Cup Mother since the beginning of the era, the actual worship object shifted to the numerous divine offspring of the Cup Mother. Among these divine offspring, three are the most powerful, reaching the level of deities.

“They are the Lord of All Beasts, the King of Hunting and Gluttony, the Eternal Feral Master of Hunger, Gluttonous Wolf. The personification of the Tide, the God of Waves and Tides, the Eternal Thirster revered by all sailors, Abyss Serpent. And the Wing of Pestilence, the symbol of disease and decay, the Everlastingly Filthy Devourer, Plague Vulture.

“Gluttonous Wolf, Abyss Serpent, Plague Vulture… They correspond respectively to the main and auxiliary paths of the Cup, the Beast Path which mainly supports the Cup and secondarily the Shadow, the Tide Path which mainly supports the Cup and secondarily the Lamp, and the Plague Path which mainly supports the Cup and secondarily the Silence. In the current Amniotic Sac Sect, the primary objects of worship are these three.”