Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Reading

Time passed, daylight faded, and night approached.

As night fell in Igewent, the shadows of darkness gradually covered the entire city. In some corner of these shadows, an urgent meeting was being held.

In a dim and spacious room, a long table with lit candles was set up. The core members of the Crimson Eucharist sat silently on both sides of the table. This time, there were no bloody dishes placed in front of them, and their number was one less than the last gathering.

The atmosphere at the table was heavy, and everyone wore serious expressions, very different from the scene when they usually gathered for meals.

“Burton is dead. According to the information from the An Yin Bureau, he died at his home. None of his subordinates survived,” said the middle-aged man Buck, who had a thin mustache and a gaunt face, sitting in the seat closest to the main seat. Hearing this confirmation, the hunchbacked elderly man across from him exclaimed in shock.

“Then, that guy really died? Didn’t you notify him to evacuate, Buck? How could he still be killed by the hunters?” Colif said loudly. Buck slowly replied.

“It wasn’t the An Yin Bureau. According to the information, the hunter was already eliminated before reaching Burton. He died a tragic d*ath. Now, even the An Yin Bureau is wondering who could have beaten them to killing Burton,” Buck continued seriously. Hearing this, Colif was momentarily stunned.

“What… Someone beat the An Yin Bureau to it? Who did this? Who in Igewent has the guts and ability to do such a thing? Could it be the Gray Hill?” Colif said incredulously, while Buck slowly shook his head and continued.

“No… Although the Gray Hill dislikes us, he is absolutely someone who adheres to rules. He would not violate the neutral rules of the White Artisan Guild. This time… It seems a new secret force has entered Igewent…”

“A new force… Could it be related to what happened with Albert last time? Is this also a secret society?!”

“Yes… I suspect that the Edric who reappeared as mentioned by Burton was indeed recruited by them. Although we don’t know what spirituality they follow, it’s clear they are opposing us…” As he spoke, Barck angrily pounded the table, causing a resounding noise.

“The strength to clear Burton’s hideout and eliminate everyone, including Burton, in a short period of time is extraordinary. I suspect those guys mobilized at least two to three Extraordinary Beings. Otherwise, the actions wouldn’t be so swift.”

Barck continued seriously, and hearing this, Colif seemed a bit flustered.

“Other societies opposing us? At least two to three Extraordinary Beings? Hey hey… I say, Buck, this is a big deal. With both Albert and Burton gone, we need to urgently inform the mentor and ask him to take charge!”

Colif said anxiously to Buck. After all, the Crimson Eucharist had suffered severe losses in just a few weeks in Igewent for the first time.

Listening to Colif, Barck was silent for a moment, then turned his gaze to the young man with dark brown hair who had been silent until now.

“Buck, the situation has become serious. Can we go and inform the mentor?”

“No, the mentor said he is in a critical period for his advancement, and nothing should disturb him…” The young man named Bill responded calmly. Hearing this, Colif became even more anxious.

“A mysterious society allied with the An Yin Bureau is watching us like tigers, and we’ve lost two people! This concerns the entire society, Bill! Can’t we see the mentor?” Colif said urgently, but Bill shook his head and continued calmly.

“No, the mentor has said he will handle everything himself. Is that all your abilities? Didn’t he leave the precious divination opportunities for you?”

While speaking, Bill looked at Barck across from him, and Colif also shifted his gaze to him.

“Yeah… Divination! The mentor left divination opportunities! Buck, hurry up, this is the time for divination! Let’s find out who those secretive fellows are and give them a taste of their own medicine!”

Sitting in his seat, Barck pondered for a few seconds after hearing Bill and Colif’s words, then slowly nodded.

…

A little time earlier, back to this evening’s twilight.

Taking advantage of a day off, Dorothy, who finished her “extracurricular activities” in the morning, didn’t want to waste this valuable time off. After completing the aftermath, she spent the afternoon sightseeing around the city. When it was close to her usual school dismissal time, she finally took a carriage home.

Beside Nanyang Flower Road, Dorothy got off the carriage leisurely, paid the fare, and slowly walked up the stairs to her front door. After unlocking the door with her key, she found the living room empty, and Gregor was nowhere to be seen.

‘Ah… Brother isn’t here. I guess so, with such a big case today, he can’t avoid working overtime tonight…’

Looking at the empty room, Dorothy thought, still feeling relaxed, with no guilt for adding more work to her brother.

After confirming that Gregor was not at home, Dorothy began to act recklessly. She placed the cake and sweets she bought beforehand on the coffee table, took off her shoes, and lay down on the sofa. She didn’t call Mrs. Hack downstairs to prepare dinner for her and instead ate snacks and sweets for dinner while lying on the sofa, occasionally stretching lazily on the soft sofa.

“Ugh~ It’s so comfortable being alone at home. Maybe I should create more trouble for Gregor to work overtime…”

Stretching, Dorothy sighed, then took out a deep blue-covered book from her bag and leaned lazily against the sofa, eating sweets while reading.

This book was the “Secret Transmission” seized from Burton’s house. Taking advantage of Gregor’s absence, Dorothy directly studied the cultish material in the living room while lying on the sofa.

However, she also kept an eye out by placing a crow doll from her bag on the windowsill to watch downstairs for her.

With the aid of her speed-reading ability, she quickly read through this not-too-thick “Secret Transmission” and finished reading its contents.

The title of the “Secret Transmission” was “Sealed Identification Notes.” It was written by an Extraordinary Being with the “Stone” spirituality. This Extraordinary Being was a gemstone craftsman and appraiser, so this was a guidebook teaching how to initially identify cult items. It taught people how to recognize spiritual objects and how to identify ritualistic artifacts, as well as how to search for treasures among seemingly ordinary antiques.

‘It’s rare. This isn’t some “Cup” secret transmission. I thought the secret transmissions found in the Crimson Eucharist members’ homes were odd things. There are actually such proper ones… Where did that guy get this…’

Thinking about it, Dorothy flipped through the book again carefully and eventually found a dedication on the cover page.

“December 6, 1240, given by Andre to Audric, may our friendship endure.”

Seeing this dedication, Dorothy couldn’t help but twitch her lips slightly, imagining Audric’s smiling face, and then muttered to herself in her heart.

‘Huh… I wonder how much money that guy sold Mr. Andre’s friendship for.’