Chapter 609

Chapter 436: Inquiry

Upon arriving at her destination, the woman decisively stepped down from the carriage, paid the coachman, and entered the neighborhood. After walking for a while among the sparse blooming greenery, she arrived at an apartment building. Stepping over the soil piled up in front of the building due to pipeline work in the flower beds, she went inside.

Following the stairs, the woman quickly ascended to the fourth floor. Upon reaching a door, she skillfully took out her key and unlocked the door.

Entering the room, she immediately closed the door behind her. Leaning against it and sighing with relief, she removed her hat, revealing her chestnut short hair. After hanging the hat on a coat rack, she prepared to put away the items she had just bought in the kitchen. However, before she could take more than a few steps, a voice suddenly rang out.

“Oh, you’re finally back.”

Hearing this voice, the woman was startled and then swiftly turned toward the source of the sound. She saw a strange male figure sitting on the sofa in her living room.

It was a handsome young man with short hair, dressed in well-fitted clothes. At that moment, he was comfortably seated on the sofa, sipping a steaming cup of tea. There was an opened tea canister on the coffee table, and the woman could tell it was one of hers.

“Who are you?! How did you get into my house! Get out, or I’ll call for help!”

Facing the unexpected guest who had suddenly intruded into her home, the woman stepped back several paces, grabbing a nearby kn*fe and shouting at the man on the sofa. Her eyes showed clear signs of fear.

“Don’t be so hasty to make me leave, Miss Wuyan. My name is Brandon. I’m here specifically to understand some matters with you. Since it’s inconvenient to discuss these things on the street, I decided to visit your home and talk at length. Don’t worry, I have no ill intentions.”

Looking at the woman whose expression was still unsettled, the young man named Brandon spoke directly. Hearing the young man mention her unknown alias, the woman paused slightly before continuing with caution.

“You… know my name… Are you also someone above board?”

“Of course. Like you, I am a Secret Researcher, though I come from outside. Since I’ve just arrived in this city and don’t know anyone around here, I wanted to find a local person to understand the situation. So please, bear with me.”

With a faint smile, Brandon said to the woman in front of him. Listening to his words, the woman continued cautiously.

“You say… you’re from somewhere else? Then how do you know I’m involved in secrets? How did you know my title? And how did you know where my home is?”

“How did I know you were a Secret Researcher… It’s simple. You previously bought night-fluorescent grass at an old pharmacy in the western part of the city. Your body has the scent of dried fish powder and ruby fruit. These two ingredients, combined with the night-fluorescent grass, can make a calming tea to alleviate the symptoms of poison recognition. This kind of tea is only used when someone needs to absorb secret knowledge. That’s why I concluded you were a Secret Researcher.”

Sitting on the sofa, Brandon looked at the woman and spoke calmly. After hearing his words, the woman paused momentarily, then widened her eyes and continued.

“You were following me? You were there at the time?! No, wait, there were no two people at the pharmacy. You shouldn’t have been there.”

“Aa… ‘following you’… While it may be true in nature, I prefer the term ‘paying attention to you.'”

“Paying attention to me?”

“Yes, after noticing your involvement in secrets, I kept an eye on you. I saw you attend the monthly Secret Meetings, watched you chat with fellow members, and heard your title. On your way home, you stopped a taxi and mentioned your address. When I heard your address and realized it was close to where I was, I came ahead to wait for you.

“As for how I knew exactly where your house was… I noticed that your shoe soles had soil with petals of the Holy Mother stuck to them. I checked all areas in this neighborhood and found that only one apartment building had both fallen petals and accumulated mud. So I looked around here and smelled familiar medicinal odors. Then I waited for you to arrive and decided to come in, sit down, and have some tea.”

Sitting on the sofa, Brandon smiled as he looked at the woman. After hearing his words, the woman’s initial fear gradually turned into astonishment.

“You… You said you were near this neighborhood and paid attention to me when I hailed a cab in the west? This is… an Extraordinary Ability! Not only are you involved in secrets, but you’re also a true Extraordinary Being with the ability to use Extraordinary Abilities!”

The woman exclaimed in astonishment to Brandon. Without saying anything, Brandon smiled silently. Confirming that the person in front of her was indeed an Extraordinary Being, her hostility almost vanished. She knew that showing hostility to an Extraordinary Being would be foolish.

“Mm… Mr. Brandon, please forgive my rudeness earlier. It is my honor to have such a distinguished visitor like yourself at my humble abode.”

Releasing the kn*fe she had been holding, the woman respectfully addressed Brandon. Her expression changed from fear to anxious apprehension, clearly understanding that a true Extraordinary Being was beyond her provocation.

“Heh, you don’t need to be so tense. As I said before, I have no ill intentions towards you. I just came to Trua recently and wanted to find a local person to gather some information.”

As he drank his tea, Brandon spoke. Listening to his words, the woman continued.

“Gathering information? What would you like to know? If I know anything, I will surely answer…”

“Well, actually, I just want to ask if you know about the White Stone Craftsmen Guild…”

“The White Stone Craftsmen Guild… I know about that. It’s an Extraordinary Organization that Mr. Jie Shi belongs to. Mr. Jie Shi is a highly renowned Extraordinary Being in Trua. According to what he said before, he is part of the White Stone Craftsmen Guild. He organized several Extraordinary Gatherings in the city, and I had the privilege of attending one of them.”

In response to Brandon’s question, the woman replied straightforwardly. Meanwhile, far away, Dorothy listened to the woman’s reply and thought to herself.

‘Jie Shi… belongs to the White Stone Craftsmen Guild, organizing low-level Extraordinary Gatherings in the city. It feels like Audric’s role in Igewent. Do they have a tradition of organizing gatherings?

‘And it seems that Jie Shi should have held a gathering today, but there hasn’t been any activity. I wonder what happened. They emphasize contracts and reputation in the White Stone Craftsmen Guild, so they wouldn’t easily cancel a gathering…’

Dorothy pondered internally, then continued controlling Brandon to speak to the woman.

“Miss Wuyan… Do you know where the White Stone Craftsmen Guild’s base in Trua is located?”