Meanwhile.
At the Golden Rose Hotel, the crime scene.
Ms. Cecil sat regally in a high-backed chair.
In the dim light, her expression was so cold it seemed capable of freezing the very air.
Standing before her in a rigid line were two rookie investigators.
These two "rookies," both merely at Scale One and having only recently entered the profession, were currently enduring the spiritual pressure radiating from a high-tier transcendent.
Cold sweat slid down their foreheads, dripping onto the blackened carpet; they didn't even dare to wipe it away.
“Who discovered this clue?”
Ms. Cecil frowned, her gaze sweeping over their faces like a razor.
Between her two fingers, she held an extremely tiny metal fragment.
Engraved upon the fragment were intricate but now broken miniature patterns.
The unlucky fellow who had previously gone to the White Bank Hotel to deliver news to Ms. Cecil swallowed hard.
In the suffocating silence, he tremulously raised his hand like an elementary school student called upon by a teacher.
“Where was it found?”
Ms. Cecil's voice betrayed no emotion.
“In...”
The young investigator stammered, “St-stuck in the folds at the bottom of the curtains.”
“Oh?”
Ms. Cecil's eyes narrowed slightly, and a playful, cold sneer curled at the corner of her mouth.
To the two rookies, this smile was more terrifying than if she had simply pulled a gun and shot them.
“It's one thing for those good-for-nothings at the Old Palace Yard to miss it.”
“Even that detective Brian, who claims to have a nose sharper than a Hound, didn't find it after crawling around on the floor for ages.”
Ms. Cecil suddenly raised her voice, slamming the metal fragment onto the table beside her.
“So many people walked back and forth in this small room countless times, practically wanting to flip the carpet over to look.”
“None of them found it.”
“How is it that you two greenhorns, who can't even maintain Spirit Vision properly, happened to find it?”
The young investigator trembled violently under the rapid-fire questioning, his head shrinking into his shoulders as he didn't dare respond.
“Ma... Ma'am!”
The partner beside him, unable to withstand the pressure, spoke up with forced courage.
“Actually... actually, this mystery lock fragment was already very small, only about the size of a fingernail.”
“When Luke found it, it was stuck deep within the innermost folds of the heavy curtains.”
“The angle was tricky. It's actually quite normal that others didn't notice it...”
His voice grew smaller and smaller as he felt the surrounding air temperature drop sharply.
Ms. Cecil said nothing.
She simply turned her head coldly, casting a piercing gaze that carried the heart-stopping spiritual pressure of a high-tier transcendent.
The investigator promptly and sheepishly shut his mouth.
“The original plan was for me to go to the Old Palace Yard first and take over all their scene investigation data...”
Ms. Cecil rubbed her aching brow.
She could only temporarily suppress this matter that felt bizarre at every turn and explain the current dire situation to the investigators present.
To be honest, she didn't believe in such a "coincidence" for a second.
The police at the Old Palace Yard were indeed useless, but that detective named Brian was no amateur.
That guy had been sniffing around this scene like a retriever for so long, not even missing the dust in the floorboards. How could he have missed such a tiny metal fragment?
Was that reasonable?
Although this metal fragment, which had lost its spiritual luster, was just a piece of scrap metal to ordinary police and held no value as court evidence...
It was at least an "abnormal" item that didn't belong in this room!
How did it just happen to be picked up by these two Scale One fools with exploding luck?
There was only one truth.
Either someone had done it intentionally.
Deliberately leaving this fragment in a tricky corner where a meticulous person might find it, hoping to divert the Seventh Agency's attention and muddy the waters.
Or, the killer had accidentally dropped it in a panic.
In Ms. Cecil's view, the former had a ninety-nine percent probability.
As for what this fragment actually was?
A mystery lock.
A precise, alchemical mechanical device imbued with supernatural power.
Generally used specifically for storing and transporting extremely classified document boxes.
It required specific spiritual fluctuations or complex mechanical puzzles to open.
If one attempted to use brute force to destroy it, the miniature array inside would instantly incinerate the documents.
That's right; this tiny mystery lock fragment had fallen off the top-secret document box that went missing from the attacked confidential carriage!
And now it had appeared here.
It could basically be concluded that someone had used a powerful method to crack or destroy the mystery lock.
Furthermore, they had successfully taken the contents.
As for the current clues in the Golden Rose Hotel case.
Ms. Cecil was now one hundred percent certain.
That fellow named Martin Miller was John Baker!
That damned thief among the spawn of the Raging Sea!
He had died at the hands of a formidable character who could skillfully use high concentrations of negative spirituality as a means of attack.
All the characteristics matched perfectly.
Thinking of this, Ms. Cecil felt a literal headache.
She truly hadn't expected that after she had set up such an extensive surveillance network in Rockaway City...
It turned out that before she had even finished her setup, this guy had already made a run for it to Hope County and died miserably in this run-down hotel!
No wonder he couldn't be found!
He was already dead!
“Now, Branch Manager Guardian has personally taken the main force to track the faint clues left by this fragment.”
Ms. Cecil stood up, her high heels clicking sharply on the wooden floor.
“We absolutely cannot split up now.”
She looked around at everyone in the room.
“The remaining personnel will conduct one final carpet search of this crime scene!”
“Everyone, stay ready for instructions and contact from Branch Manager Guardian at any time!”
“As for you two...”
Ms. Cecil's gaze fell once more on the two trembling rookies, and then she turned and shouted:
“Finn!”
“Here!”
A lean, capable figure immediately lunged out from the nearby shadows.
It was Finn, who had previously been beaten black and blue. Under the treatment of the Seventh Agency's logistics personnel, he had fully recovered his vigor.
“Take these two lucky boys and do another sweep of the surrounding blocks.”
“Although the case happened a month ago, it seems someone is still paying attention to this place,” Ms. Cecil commanded coldly.
“If Branch Manager Guardian sends word that he needs reinforcements...”
“You are to immediately take them both and head to the Lily of the Valley Convent at full speed to stand by.”
Upon hearing that name, Finn immediately straightened his back.
“John Baker's body was buried there by the police.”
A hint of gloom flashed in Ms. Cecil's eyes.
“Once you arrive, your only task is this.”
“Pry open the coffin and bring that body back to the branch completely intact!”
“The killer's spiritual residue is still on that corpse. We need to perform a second autopsy on him!”
“Yes, ma'am!” Finn shouted his acknowledgement.
...
Time flew by.
Soon, it was an afternoon filled with the scent of steam and coal ash.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city.
After the Rockland siblings' reunion lunch at noon, Arthur had once again headed to work.
This led Elias to feel that while the investigative skills of the Old Palace Yard weren't great, they certainly had more work than they could handle.
But it was the Spark Festival, after all, and the police security of every district in Hope County required their protection.
Elias was currently following closely behind his sister, Charlotte.
They planned to head to a newly opened tavern in the West District to meet with Charlotte's friends.
He never expected that even after traveling to another world, he would still be pressured into a blind date.
Naturally, he hadn't agreed to it initially.
But he couldn't win against them.
During lunch, Charlotte had complained about him to Arthur.
Arthur had nearly brought out that section of the belt left behind by their father.
It was better to just go along with their wishes.
Besides, he had to accompany Charlotte out anyway.
The two walked along the relatively wide cobblestone streets.
The air was filled with various noisy sounds.
The entire district was overflowing with a near-frenzied holiday atmosphere.
There were clearly twice as many carriages and horses on the streets as usual.
In the distant, wide square, one could already see massive floats and parade groups preparing for tonight's Great Torchlight Parade.
What caught Elias's eye the most were the buildings on both sides of the street.
Almost every household had an exquisite star lantern made of glass hanging from a brass hook in front of their windows or under their eaves.
The gas hoses for these lanterns were already connected, just waiting to be lit when the midnight bell tolled.
However, what felt jarring to Elias as a modern person...
Was that the design of these star lanterns was entirely "inverted," with the large head facing down and the tip pointing up.
They looked like countless meteors falling from the night sky, frozen in mid-air.
This design, which exuded a sense of eerie religious aesthetics, intrigued Elias greatly.
Although the memories belonging to the original owner in his mind had a vague impression of the Spark Festival and these hanging lanterns...
It was like looking at scenery through a screen; it lacked any sense of reality.
This was the first time since his transmigration that he had seen such a grand, otherworldly folk spectacle with his own eyes.
It was quite a fresh experience.
As he walked, he tilted his head back and looked around.
“Why are you looking like that?”
Deep in his mind, Old Ed finally couldn't stand his wide-eyed, provincial look and asked in confusion.
“Haven't you seen a star lantern before?”
“I have,” Elias replied casually in his mind, his gaze still fixed on a massive brass star lantern on a second-floor balcony.
“Then why do you look all curious like a complete idiot?” the old man mocked heartlessly.
“I was wondering whether a young armored knight would actually encounter a peerless medieval girl,” Elias said, talking complete nonsense with a straight face.
“What kind of rubbish are you spouting now?!”
“Changing the subject, are we?”
Old Ed couldn't help but complain, “I'm starting to feel like you're a fake resident of Hope County!”
Rate on N.U.
