Several days had passed since the incident at the festival in the City of Divine Grace.
Order had been restored to the Central Plaza, and the entrance to the main temple was as crowded as ever. Believers could be seen everywhere in the plaza, coming to worship or visit, but compared to the lively atmosphere after festivals in previous years, there was now an indefinable sense of caution in the air.
Several more groups from the Imperial Inquisition had arrived, and many temple guards had been temporarily reassigned from their original posts. A new Imperial decree was posted on the bulletin board at the end of the main street, stating that the Empire would station personnel to assist in the subsequent management of the City of Divine Grace.
This was the will of the Imperial Emperor—Yukafeni Basal Kevinlit. The City of Divine Grace was to become an important city of faith and culture for the Empire.
As an excellent monarch, he would not let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away. Although he didn't know exactly what had happened, there was no doubt that the temple’s influence had waned. After a period of investigation, he had decisively sent people to move in.
Up until now, the temple's response remained flat, as if they didn't care about the Empire's "overstepping" or were even actively cooperating in some aspects.
The document was phrased very politely, using euphemisms like "assist," "progress together," and "will not interfere," giving off a strong impression of "we're just here to help."
However, everyone in the city knew that it was no longer possible for the City of Divine Grace to be completely self-governed by the temple as it was before. The best outcome would be a negotiated joint rule between the Empire and the temple.
For the people who had always lived here, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing—mostly because the Empire's taxes were significantly lower than those of the City of Divine Grace.
Consequently, a few days after the document was posted, everything returned to normal, aside from the initial flurry of discussion.
In the morning, an inconspicuous carriage stopped outside the dilapidated residential area in the West District. A pair of siblings stepped out of the vehicle.
The man looked to be about nineteen years old, with long black hair tied back and wearing the grey-black casual clothes common in the Inquisition. The woman was slightly younger, her long black hair falling behind her shoulders. Her expression was calm, but her gaze was exceptionally sharp.
They weren't wearing formal Inquisition uniforms, but both had a temporary Imperial Inquisition passage badge hanging from their waists.
Noah Allen looked up at the narrow alleyway in front of him before looking down to confirm the address in his hand.
“This should be the place.”
Leah Allen nodded, her gaze sweeping over the houses on both sides of the alley.
“Inquisitor Vina's records are very clear. Mokotoba and Ramina live in the last house of the third row in the Weaver District of the West District.”
“Let's check the situation first.”
“Mhm.”
The two walked inside along the dirt road.
This residential area was a far cry from the main street in the center of the city. The low houses were packed closely together, with washed clothes hanging from the edges of the roofs and several wooden basins placed by the doors.
Children were crouching on the ground playing with stones by the roadside. Seeing two strangers approaching, they immediately fell silent, staring unblinkingly at these two “big shots” in their fine clothing.
Noah paid no mind to these gazes. He walked to the low house at the very end and raised his hand to knock.
The door was quickly opened, and Mokotoba poked his head out. Seeing two strangers standing outside, a look of vigilance appeared on his face.
“Who are you looking for?”
Noah took out his Inquisition badge and spoke in a calm tone.
“Mr. Mokotoba, we are from the Imperial Inquisition. Regarding the follow-up investigation of the festival in the City of Divine Grace, we have some questions we’d like to confirm with you and your sister.”
Hearing the words “Inquisition,” Mokotoba's expression relaxed slightly. He glanced at the badge, hesitated for a moment as he looked back into the house, and then opened the door.
“Please, come in.”
The house was still simple, but it had a bit more life than before.
The loom by the window had been re-threaded, and several unfinished headscarves lay on the low table. Ramina was sitting by the bed organizing fabric, and she looked up when she heard the commotion.
Her complexion was much better than when she had first returned from the temple, though she was still somewhat pale.
Noah and Leah explained their purpose to the siblings.
Of course, they didn't directly say they were there to track down the person who had impersonated a Royal Inquisitor.
The official story was that the Imperial Inquisition was following up on the administrative integration of the City of Divine Grace into the Empire. They needed to verify the specific events that occurred on and before the day of the festival to record the entire case-handling process for the Imperial archives.
The siblings weren't lying about this—this part was indeed meant to be recorded in the archives.
After listening, Mokotoba expressed his willingness to cooperate. He then recounted everything: how he had been driven away from the temple entrance, how he had met the man claiming to be an Imperial Inquisitor in the alley, and how he had brought the man home to explain the situation.
Ramina couldn't provide much information.
She only remembered being selected by the temple. After drinking the medicinal soup prepared by the temple, everything was a blank. When she woke up, she had already been sent out by the temple staff.
Leah recorded every word and asked a routine question.
“Did that Inquisitor introduce himself by name at the time?”
Mokotoba nodded.
“He said his name was Li Yuan.”
“What about his appearance?”
“He looked to be in his twenties, very... good-looking, and spoke very gently.” Mokotoba thought for a moment and added, “But at the time, I felt... he didn't really seem like someone from the Inquisition.”
Leah looked up at him, puzzled.
“Why do you say that?”
Mokotoba scratched his head and replied a bit sheepishly.
“I’ve never met an Inquisitor before, but Lord Vina and Lord Baron look like people who know how to handle cases. But that Mr. Li Yuan... he felt more like a traveler.”
Noah and Leah exchanged a glance. This description matched the records provided by Vina and Baron.
They asked about the identity badge, the content of their conversation, the arrangements for the day of the festival, and the direction Li Yuan eventually left in.
Mokotoba didn't know much. Everything he said was just a repetition of what had been recorded before, with no new information.
An hour later, the siblings left the house.
Leah closed her notebook and said softly, “Everything he said is consistent with Inquisitor Vina's records.”
Noah nodded.
“Ramina isn't lying either. This is supported by reports from Intelligence and some of the believers.”
“Then we can only look at the time itself.”
Noah looked toward the distance.
“Let's go to the alley where Mokotoba met that man first.”
The small alley was not far from the main temple.
It was somewhat secluded, with few people passing by. One side of the alley was a low wall, and the other side was piled with several old wooden crates.
This was where Mokotoba had hidden to observe the activity at the temple entrance, and it was also where he had first truly met Li Yuan.
Noah stood at the mouth of the alley, took out the records provided by Vina, and checked the time.
“Five days before the festival, late afternoon, right here.”
Leah looked around.
“The area isn't large. The consumption won't be too high.”
Noah nodded and walked to the low wall. He slowly brushed his right hand over his eyes, and a faint golden light emerged deep within his pupils.
【Time Retrospection】—this was a talent that allowed him to see everything that had ever happened within a designated area. Everything recorded by time would have nowhere to hide before this talent.
To put it simply, it was like... watching a movie replay.
The surrounding streets and alleys quickly lost their color in his eyes, and the figures of pedestrians emerged and dispersed like reflections on water. The traces left by time of everyone who had passed through here over the last few days began to overlap bit by bit.
Noah closed his eyes for a moment to filter out the irrelevant images, recalibrating the time and location. With specific information, finding the target wasn't difficult.
Soon, a small, thin figure appeared at the corner of the alley—Mokotoba.
The Mokotoba in the time projection was peeking toward the temple, half his body hidden behind the low wall, just as he had described.
Mokotoba hid by the wall for a while, seemingly muttering something to himself. Then he suddenly looked back, shrinking away in fright and bumping his head against the wall.
Noah's eyes narrowed—because in his field of vision, there was... nothing in front of Mokotoba.
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