In the previous simulation, on the night of July 21st, Freya and Captain Nolan had spotted a person suspected to be the boss of Obsidian at the dilapidated warehouse. This meant that cargo was being unloaded on that exact day, and the Obsidian boss had likely come in person to check on it.
And now, the current time was the night of July 22nd (in the simulation). With the cargo already unloaded and no other matters to attend to, this boss naturally had no need to come by every day.
Freya mused in her mind. This also meant that once she missed the night of July 21st in reality, she would lose her previous 'clear method' of 'Nolan dying and the Mobile Squad arriving.'
But then again, losing it didn't matter. She hadn't planned on using that 'clear method' from the very beginning anyway.
Seeing Freya remain silent, Euphemia thought she was a bit dissatisfied with today's lack of progress and said, “As a detective, patience is one of the most important qualities when investigating a case. Don't worry, we still have plenty of time. That guy will show his hand eventually.”
“Yeah.” Freya nodded and said, “I know. I'm not in a rush, I was just thinking about some things just now.”
Euphemia said, “Alright, alright, it's late. Go get some rest. I'll read a bit more and keep watch for a while longer.”
Freya said, “You should get some sleep early too.”
She then stood up and headed to her room. After closing the door, she stripped off every single piece of clothing that had been restricting her all day. Crawling under the covers, she hugged a portion of the blanket between her legs, let out a comfortable mumble, and quickly drifted off to sleep.
The next day, Freya woke up precisely to her internal biological clock. She rubbed her eyes, sat up, and stretched. The blanket slipped off her shoulders, revealing quite a bit of skin.
She had to admit, she could somewhat understand the mindset of those Earth Pathway devotees now. The feeling of being free from any constraints was indeed very comfortable. Even so, she still properly put on her clothes.
“I'll just treat this as a luxury for sleeping. During the day, I definitely still need to dress properly.”
Entering the living room, Freya saw Euphemia still sitting in the same spot as yesterday, reading her book. She didn't seem to have moved at all. The morning sunlight spilled through the window onto her, and with Euphemia's serene and quiet demeanor at this moment, she looked so beautiful she could have stepped right out of a painting.
Freya was taken aback. “Did you... not sleep at all?”
Euphemia looked up at her and said, “No, I just woke up rather early. Three hours of sleep is already completely sufficient for me. The rest of my time is naturally spent reading more. This is also the fastest way to grow stronger on the Scholar Pathway.”
Afterward, Freya went into the kitchen to whip up a simple breakfast using yesterday's leftover ingredients. After eating, she threw on her Invisibility Cloak and prepared to head out. She wasn't entirely sure what she was going to do, but whatever it was, it would definitely be better than sitting idle in the rented apartment.
And so, during the morning, Freya began to wander and patrol aimlessly across the city, trying to see if she could run into the Obsidian boss. Normally, searching for a single person in a city was like looking for a needle in a haystack. However, Freya had Heart Perception, which allowed her to observe the situation of several streets at the same time, making it somewhat easier to search.
At noon, she went to the Church of the Earth to exchange information with Bishop Pantheon and see if the church had made any progress. After grabbing a free meal, she continued her patrol in the afternoon.
Finally, she returned to Euphemia's rented apartment in the evening, chatted with the lady detective, tasted the dinner her host had meticulously prepared, and then stripped down to enjoy a wonderful night's sleep in bed.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a week had passed. However, neither Freya, the Church of the Earth, nor Euphemia, who was keeping watch on the warehouse, had any good news. On the contrary, during this period, Freya had encountered nearly twenty extraordinaries of the Devil Pathway.
Some of them were committing crimes, while others were simply walking down the street doing nothing. Without exception, all of them were casually bound by Freya with vines, which could be considered reducing some of the pressure on the Special Service.
As for how the Special Service members reacted every time they arrived at the scene only to find the criminals bound like 'vegetables,' that was none of Freya's concern.
Aside from that, what struck Freya the most during this time was that Euphemia's cooking was genuinely getting better and better. On the first day, right after buying a cookbook and doing some basic study, she had made a meal that was barely edible.
By the second day, her skill was already very close to Freya's. On the third and fourth days, she had completely surpassed her. Now, on the seventh day, looking at the incredibly exquisite breakfast presented before her, Freya took a bite, rested her right cheek in her hand, and couldn't help but let out a blissful expression. Because... it was truly too delicious.
Is this the learning capability of the Scholar Pathway?
Watching Freya eat continuously in small, cute bites like a little hamster, Euphemia felt a great sense of accomplishment. Seizing the opportunity, she suddenly suggested, “How about you take a rest today? Give yourself a day off, skip the patrol, and accompany me for a stroll. Let's go shopping, what do you say?”
“Well...” Freya showed a hesitant expression. It was true that she was a bit tired after a week of high-intensity patrols. Seeing her waver, Euphemia continued to persuade her, “Just think of it as keeping me company, alright?”
Then, Euphemia pulled three coins out of her pocket and said, “How about I do a divination for you? If the divination says today is suitable for resting and shopping, you'll accompany me out, deal?”
Freya tilted her head slightly, a strand of hair falling across her forehead. “Sure?”
“Great!” As she spoke, Euphemia tossed the three coins in her hand, repeatedly muttering under her breath, “Please, let there be some good luck!”
Clink, clink, clink~
With the sound of the coins hitting the floor, Euphemia noted the heads and tails, then picked them up to toss again, repeating this process six times. Recalling the results of the six tosses, she wore a thoughtful expression and began to silently interpret the hexagram.
Then, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she smiled at Freya. “The divination says that today is extremely suitable for going out shopping, and something good will happen!”
Although Freya had absolutely no idea how this divination worked, nor did she know if the other's interpretation was real or just a trick to fool her, none of that mattered. She smiled and said, “Alright, I'll listen to you then. I'll take a rest today.”
Euphemia immediately packed up her things and changed her clothes. A moment later, she emerged wearing a dark blue wide-brimmed hat adorned with a blue ribbon bow. On her upper body, she wore a short blue coat over a white shirt, paired with black trousers and a pair of high-heeled ankle boots, making her entire look appear capable and refreshing.
Euphemia giggled, spinning her cane in her hand. “How's this? Do I look handsome?”
Freya nodded. “To be precise, you look both handsome and beautiful.”
However, seeing that Freya was about to walk toward the door right after giving her evaluation, Euphemia immediately stopped her. “Wait, wait, wait! Are you going out dressed like that? Aren't you going to change?”
“I dressed up so meticulously, it's a bit unfair if you don't do the same, right?”
“Hmm...” Freya pondered for a moment and said, “Alright, wait for me a bit.”
With that, she returned to her bedroom. In truth, the clothes she was wearing now were long past what she had worn seven days ago. Freya herself wasn't afraid of getting dirty now, but her clothes still were. So on the second day, she had taken some time to return to her own home to bring over all the new clothes she had bought at the clothing store in reality.
Freya took off her clean shirt and shorts and looked at the wardrobe. She didn't have many clothes to begin with, so there wasn't much to choose from. In the end, she picked out a light blue dress and put it on.
Actually, when she bought this dress, she had also purchased a matching pair of shoes, but of course, she didn't need them now. After changing, she returned to the living room, gently holding the edges of her skirt with both hands, spun around, and asked Euphemia, “How about this?”
“So pretty!” Euphemia quickly walked over to Freya, unable to resist reaching out to pinch her cheeks. “So fragrant and soft, you're really too cute!”
However, before heading out, they still had to drape the Invisibility Cloak over themselves, only taking it off once they left Sanheng Street. This time, Euphemia didn't call a carriage. Instead, she held Freya's dainty hand, and the two of them walked and stopped, chatting along the way.
Euphemia said, “Freya, aren't we already very close? So... can I call you by a more intimate nickname? Like... Fufu?”
“Sure.” Freya didn't mind this nickname at all; after all, many people called her that. She said, “Then what should I call you? Euphy?”
“That works!” Euphemia said. “Hmm~ investigating a massive case with a super cute, beautiful girl by my side... how could there be such a happy thing? Am I dreaming?”
“It's not that exaggerated.” Freya paused. Looking at the happy lady detective in front of her, she suddenly thought of something and said, “Euphy, do you have any little secrets? The kind that... very few people know, and if someone else were to say it, it would instantly earn your trust.”
Euphemia looked puzzled. “Why ask this all of a sudden?”
Freya immediately deployed her ultimate weapon. Pressing her hands together next to her cheek, she tilted her head slightly and acted cute. “Tell me, pretty please?”
Without a doubt, Euphemia was instantly sunk. Clutching her chest, she took half a step back. “Alright, alright, let me think...”
After thinking for a moment, Euphemia said, “Hmm, in the summer of the Epoch Year 1150, which was about a year ago, my family originally planned for me to take the Law Pathway potion and send me to work at the Special Service. But at that time, I was incredibly obsessed with detective novels. My head was completely filled with the desire to become a private detective, solve all kinds of bizarre cases, and experience different walks of life.”
“So I didn't drink that Law Pathway potion. Instead, I secretly fed it to one of my family's parrots. Normally, animals have a high probability of dying if they drink a potion, but that parrot must have been exceptionally gifted. Not only did it survive and thrive, but the first thing it did after drinking the potion was fly out and slap me in the face.”
Freya's mouth parted slightly, her face filled with bewilderment and shock. “Th-then what happened?”
Euphemia continued her tale, “After that, of course, my parents found out, and I got a double beating. But my grandfather was extremely good to me. Upon learning about my ideas, he ignored my parents' objections and gave me the Scholar Pathway potion, along with a bunch of extraordinary items.”
“I got my wish to come out and train as a private detective, but the price was that my parents wouldn't offer me any help; I had to make my own way. Well, that being said, my grandfather still frequently sneaks a bunch of good things to me.”
“Only my parents, my grandfather, and that parrot know about this. It should fit the requirements you just mentioned, right? If a stranger I met for the first time told me this, it would probably earn my trust.”
Freya said, “Although I had already guessed that you must be a young noble lady, Euphy, is your family actually able to provide something like a potion?”
Euphemia said, “In fact, the vast majority of reputable nobles hold some potion formulas in their hands. This is extraordinary power, after all—who wouldn't desire it?”
Freya nodded in understanding. However, this also meant that the class divide between nobles and commoners in this world would be even more massive. It was a chasm called power.
Once Freya finished her questions, Euphemia said, “So, since I've shared my little secret with you, Fufu, why don't you share yours with me too?”
Freya said, “But I don't have any secrets. I really am just an ordinary person.”
Euphemia put one hand on her hip. “I don't believe you. If you were truly just an ordinary person, how could you possibly know about an impending disaster, and how could you possibly advance four ranks in a single morning?”
Freya thought for a moment. “Regarding the former, I can't say. As for the latter, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself. I just wanted to visit the Church of the Earth to ask for their help, but as soon as I stepped through the door, I was treated as the Saintess. They said I had a blessing on the scale of tens of millions of people on me, and then they arranged a full set of potions for me.”
Euphemia was stunned. “A blessing on the scale of tens of millions? How old are you? Even if you started helping people from the day you were born, you couldn't possibly have helped that many, right?”
Freya nodded. “Exactly.”
Euphemia fell silent for a moment, then looked at Freya with shining eyes. “I feel like this must be an earth-shattering secret! How about I help you investigate it? If I uncover the truth, I feel like there's an eighty percent chance I can instantly digest the Scholar potion!”
Rate on N.U.
