Chapter 463: Clue
Somewhere near the Feiteng Theatre in the East District of Tivyán.
At noon, in a high-end bar along the street, Adele, wearing sunglasses and a stylish wide-brimmed hat, having undergone a simple disguise in a fitted dress, sat in a private booth by the street. On the table lay an open magazine and a small plate of delicately arranged dessert cake, while in Adele’s hand swayed a small glass of red wine.
“Oh dear… looks like someone is here to find me again…” Staring at the words appearing on the pages of the magazine, Adele took a sip from her wine glass and murmured softly.
‘It’s not long since the last time you asked for my help, and now there’s another issue. This detective lady really seems to have quite a high probability of encountering trouble…’
Adele thought to herself. After pondering for a moment, she took a small pen from her handbag and began writing on the magazine’s page.
“Of course, I can help. However, given that it seems like I’ve been assisting you a bit too much lately—you know, smuggling supplies and helping out with your teacher’s memories… have you considered offering some form of compensation? Dear detective…”
After completing her note, Adele smiled as she awaited a response. After a while, clear and ordered text appeared again before her.
“Compensation is certainly possible. I have lots of information regarding the Goddess of Abundance faith, which is somewhat related to your teacher and your extraordinary path. It might help you in your exploration and advancement. I can provide you with this information if you need it.”
“Of course, this information requires poison recognition, but our society possesses secret methods to efficiently resist poison recognition. I can request to teach you this method, allowing you to easily review various secret transmissions with poison recognition and swiftly grasp various extraordinary knowledge.”
Such words appeared on the text Adele was reading. After seeing it, she pondered with interest for a moment, took a bite of the cake on the plate, and continued to write.
“Information on the Goddess of Abundance and the secret methods to resist poison recognition… that truly sounds like a tempting reward for me. However, such methods must be quite precious to your society; you’re promising to give them to me so readily. Are you so sure you can convince your society’s upper echelons to grant this method to an outsider?” Adele wrote, her meaning clear; could someone like Doro, a high-ranking member of the Rosy Cross, actually persuade the upper echelons 100%? If not, these secret methods couldn’t simply be promised as compensation.
“Don’t worry, since I’ve made this promise, I am confident in persuading them; there’s no need for concern here.” In a distant hotel, Doro quickly wrote back to Adele, secretly thinking that essentially, the divine upper and middle management of the Rosy Cross were all her, so whatever she said was what it was.
In the bar, Adele read the new message written by Doro on the magazine, her eyes shimmering with contemplation, and then continued to write.
“I see… Since you, dear detective, have assured me so, it would be quite unkind of me to have further doubts. Alright, I promise I’ll help you with this. Ah… what a pity, though—if you can’t come up with any compensation for me right away, I specially prepared another form of repayment for you…”
Adele wrote this on the page before her, and shortly after her message was complete, a puzzled reply from Doro appeared.
“Special repayment? What is that?”
“Nothing much. If you don’t have any form of compensation later, we can discuss it then. The priority now is for me to assist you with your requests. You want me to help find a few foreigners in the East District, right?”
Brushing off Doro’s question, Adele wrote on the magazine, and soon, Doro responded.
“Yes, they are a few people from Northern Ufeiga. They should have just arrived in Tivyán not long ago. Last night, they broke into a wealthy household in Yínlán District and kidnapped someone. Since the only way for people from Northern Ufeiga to come to Tivyán is by sea, they must have been active at the port in the East District, and Yínlán is also in the East District. You have considerable influence in the East District, so I thought you might assist a little.”
Doro wrote this, then listed the clues inferred from the Boyle Mansion one by one. After reading Doro’s well-summarized series of traits, Adele nodded slightly and wrote back.
“A few from Northern Ufeiga, huh… There are quite a few foreigners in the East District, but those from Northern Ufeiga are rather rare. The clues you’ve provided are quite sufficient; if they’re all accurate, then with my connections, finding these people shouldn’t be a problem.”
“In that case, I’m counting on you. I’ve also mobilized some police forces to help find them. If they have any leads, I’ll notify you immediately. Please try to be quick; our goal is to save a person.”
Doro wrote sternly in the magazine, and soon, she received a response from Adele.
“Of course, I’ll hurry. Once I receive news, I’ll inform you right away. Don’t forget to keep the lines of communication open, dear detective.” Inside the bar, after completing this message, Adele put away her pen, closed the magazine, drank the rest of her red wine, and stowed both the magazine and the pen in her handbag before getting up and leaving the booth.
…
Iwig, Adria.
By the church square, on the sofa of a hotel suite, Doro breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Adele’s last response in “Navigation of the Literary Sea.” With Adele’s assistance, she felt significantly more at ease.
Adele was essentially like a local tyrant in the East District of Tivyán, where countless mundane gangs were controlled by the Scarlet Heart she led. Adele’s influence extended throughout various sectors in the East District, and if one wanted to find someone there, asking Adele was undoubtedly the right move.
On another front, Doro had also utilized Gregor to enlist assistance from some police forces in the East District to search for the group. With both the underworld and overground acting together, Doro believed they would surely find the five foreigners with such distinct characteristics.
‘In a sense, I have the best of both worlds…’
Sitting on the sofa of the suite, Doro thought to herself that she wasn’t worried about not finding those individuals. Instead, she was more concerned about what might happen to Nunut before they found him.
The reason this group kidnapped Nunut was for that golden scepter—the key to opening the Boyle family’s secret room. After seizing Nunut, they might put him through severe torture; however, considering Nunut’s loyalty to Davis, he likely wouldn’t divulge information through ordinary torture, which could buy them a considerable amount of time.
Yet, this group wasn’t just ordinary robbers; they were Extraordinary Beings of “Silence.” For an Extraordinary Being of “Silence,” uncovering a person’s deeply hidden secrets didn’t require intensive interrogation; directly asking the soul was far simpler.
Yes, what Doro was worried about now was that Nunut might be killed and then have his soul summoned. If those treasure thieves opted for such an efficient method, it might already be too late; Nunut might be dead, and the robbers could have learned the secrets of the Boyle family through Nunut’s soul.
For Doro, this was the worst-case scenario, as if Nunut died, obtaining Davis’s remaining notes would become difficult.
‘Phew… Anyway, there’s been some progress. I’ll need to inform Neve about the situation…’
Taking a deep breath, Doro opened the contact page for Nephnis, preparing to update her on the current situation; after all, since she was investigating a case, the family had the right to know.
On the contact page with Nephnis, Doro wrote about the current progress of the investigation, sharing the identity and purposes of the robbers as well as the clues and advancements she’d gathered so far.
Nephnis, who had been anxiously waiting in her hotel room since receiving urgent news from home, finally breathed a small sigh of relief upon receiving Doro’s reply. Seeing that the power of the Rosy Cross had intervened in the matter brought her a modicum of comfort.
Immediately, Nephnis responded with her text, thanking Doro for her efforts. However, regarding the possibility of Nunut already being killed and summoned, Nephnis had her own insight. She proposed in her response to Doro that Nunut’s soul might not be easily summoned.
“What? You mean Nunut’s soul is protected?” Doro was puzzled as she read Nephnis’s words in “Navigation of the Literary Sea.” She had never heard the notion of a protected soul before.
“Yes, this is what I read in my grandfather’s notes. According to him, treasure thieves from Northern Ufeiga frequently deal with dangerous ruins and tombs, encountering various threats like traps, creatures, undead, and curses…
“Though all four are lethal, they differ in nature. Traps and creatures are deadly but generally do not harm the soul. After encountering grave traps and tomb creatures, souls usually descend normally into the netherworld, heading toward the end they call the Great Soul. However, if one encounters undead or curses, the situation changes. Those are not only deadly but can also harm the soul…
“Undead in ancient tombs often consume the souls of treasure thieves after killing them. Thieves who d*e from curses have their souls enslaved by the curse itself, binding them in the tomb as anchored undead, suffering endless torment. Furthermore, during conflicts among treasure thieves, there is a custom of summoning each other’s souls. Thus, ‘Silence’ Extraordinary Beings developed many methods to protect their souls through accumulated experience over time.
“Treasure thieves hope that even if they unfortunate d*e on a given day, their souls won’t be tortured or toyed with but can descend like normal people to the netherworld, reaching a place they refer to as the end.
“My grandfather was an exceptional treasure thief; of course, he understood these methods. In his notes, he claimed to have learned how to create a soul-protecting mark; someone bearing this mark, upon d*ath, would have their soul protected, ensuring it sinks deep into the netherworld and makes summoning nearly impossible.
“These marks were developed specifically for treasure extraordinary beings, leveraging the extraordinary being’s power, making them less effective for ordinary individuals or other extraordinary beings but significantly effective for those of ‘Silence.’
“Nunut’s grandfather was also a ‘Silence’ apprentice. Since my grandfather could use such marks, he would have used them on more than just himself; faithful Nunut’s grandfather definitely has one too.
“So, Miss Doro, you needn’t worry. As long as this mark remains, Nunut’s grandfather’s soul will be protected. Even if those robbers k*ll him, they would find it impossible to summon his soul. They would need to remove the mark before killing him to summon his soul; however, one of the reasons to create this mark is due to the custom of summoning each other’s souls among treasure thieves, so it wouldn’t be so easily undone. Therefore, I believe Nunut’s grandfather should still be alive right now!
“The robbers wanting to obtain the secret of the scepter would either need to torture Nunut’s grandfather severely or remove the mark before killing him to summon his spirit. However, both require a significant amount of time. Miss Doro, I believe we have enough time!”
On “Navigation of the Literary Sea,” Nephnis’s handwriting quickly appeared before Doro’s eyes. As she read these words, Doro nodded subtly and felt a wave of relief wash over her.
‘Soul-protecting marks? That makes sense; “Silence” Extraordinary Beings excel at manipulating the souls of others, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they knew how to protect their own souls too…
‘According to Nephnis, Nunut should still be alive. In that case, I need to hurry and find him… I must rescue him before the mark is removed or before his will can’t hold up any longer…’
Doro thought to herself. That said, since she wasn’t currently in Tivyán, there was nothing she could do other than wait, awaiting news from Adele and Gregor.
…
Time flew by, and soon a day had passed. The sun and moon took turns in the skies over Tivyán, and day and night constantly shifted without pause. A day’s time quickly passed in the blink of an eye.
To coordinate and manage the work on Tivyán’s side, Doro, who originally planned to go out for fun, had to stay in the hotel for the entire day, keeping a close eye on “Navigation of the Literary Sea,” monitoring the continuous messages sent to her from both sides. There’s no denying that the efficiency of both the underworld and the police working together was extraordinary; in about a day and a half, Doro gathered plenty of valuable information regarding the robbers.
First, the police in East Tivyán, following Gregor’s suggestion, went to the port area to investigate information related to the five people from Northern Ufeiga. Eventually, they found relevant clues at the dispatch point of a taxi company in the port area.
According to a coachman at the dispatch point of the taxi company, he had seen foreigners matching that description at noon five days prior. The five of them rented two carriages and took a large bag of tools toward the neighborhoods near Yínlán District. The coachman couldn’t understand most of what they were saying; only one could speak Prit and had a heavy accent. The coachman complained about one of them, who was irritable and caused a ruckus inside the carriage, seemingly grumbling about the air and temperature. The coachman’s carriage door was scratched by the tools they carried, but seeing how big and irritable one of them was, he dared not confront them, only swallowing his grievances.
After this, following the informant’s intelligence, the police went to the neighborhood where the foreigners got off. After an investigation, they indeed found similar foreigners buying thicker clothing in a clothing store. Near that clothing store, the police found the inn where those individuals had stayed; however, the innkeeper stated that although they had stayed there for a few days, they checked out two nights ago and never returned. This was two days before the day of coronation, when the Boyle family had been robbed.
Thus far, the police hadn’t found any more clues from nearby, which Doro saw as to be expected, for this group of treasure thieves would definitely not choose to openly stay at an inn after kidnapping someone. Whether interrogating Nunut or removing the mark, they would need a safe and discreet location, which wouldn’t be exposed to the public eye.
On another front, since they hadn’t yet gotten their hands on the golden scepter, they wouldn’t leave Tivyán, but rather hide somewhere, waiting to acquire specific information regarding the scepter from Nunut before returning to the Boyle mansion.
With the group’s movements becoming increasingly secretive, it would take time for the police to find more clues. Therefore, Doro relayed the information gathered by the police to Adele, asking her to have her subordinates search the area where the group had disappeared.
Adele, leveraging her connections on the surface, quickly pinpointed the whereabouts of the group. In the area they vanished from, there was a small gang called the Fast Car Gang, which operated unregistered taxis. Usually, they helped transport hidden goods or take people to dangerous places that ordinary coachmen wouldn’t dare to go, acting as part of the expansive smuggling network throughout the East District; there were many similar black taxi drivers in Tivyán.
Upon receiving word from Doro that this group was trying to transport a kidnapped person, Adele directly had her subordinates signal a bigger gang to confront the taxi gang in that area—the Fast Car Gang. The members of this small gang, overwhelmed by the larger gang, honestly disclosed all their recent dealings.
Among these dealings was the last couple of days when they were hired by a group of dark-skinned foreigners to transport a bag containing a struggling captive. Out of professional ethics and due to the hefty sum they were offered, they didn’t inquire further but simply transported that cargo along with the five of them to a specified location on Blackwater Street in the South District.
That area was one of the most chaotic parts of an already troubled South District, and was among the least regulated spots in Tivyán, ideal for hiding illegal items or engaging in under-the-table activities.
…
Ah… tomorrow is the start of the month, and it’s the Labor Day holiday. Looking at the perfect attendance for the month, it’s a perfect time for a break.
Recently, my writer’s block has been quite severe, so I’ll take a holiday for a breather like before; I hope everyone understands.
So, I’ll take one day off tomorrow and come back as soon as possible the day after. Lastly, I wish everyone a happy Labor Day!
