"Hey, Allen, I haven't seen you for a long time." On the dry lawn, Talim Dumont held up the tennis racket in his hand and waved his arms enthusiastically towards Allen, who was walking in the distance.
Across a net, reporter Mike, who was standing on the other side of the field, also nodded slightly, put down his racket and walked over quickly.
"There have been more patients recently." Alan Kress, who was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, tall and thin, and relatively indifferent, forced out a smile and waved like two friends he hadn't seen for a long time.
"I heard that you have been very lucky recently and have become one of the most popular doctors in the West District." Talim, who was born in the aristocracy, patted Allen's shoulder affectionately, with a heartfelt smile under his short brown curly hair.
.
Mike, who had put away the sports equipment, also picked up the topic and said with interest:
"It seems like another authoritative doctor is going to appear in our club?"
Being teased by two friends, even Allen, who was used to being indifferent, couldn't help but feel a little shy and shook his head frequently.
He called the waiter to prepare tea on an excuse, and then talked seriously about the banter between the two friends.
"It's just that there are more patients."
"If I really want to achieve results in medicine, I have to overcome at least a few difficulties, or a major surgery that has not been overcome..."
"Besides, Mikasa is pregnant recently, so I can't spare the time to prepare for such an operation."
pregnant!
Talim and Mike looked at each other sideways, and both saw the surprise in each other's eyes.
As senior members of the Clagh Club, they all knew that Allen's wife was a gentle black-haired beauty. The couple had a harmonious relationship and already had a child.
But their child was blessed by the goddess of the night and was born before they joined the club. When they heard for the first time that Allen was going to become a father again, both Mike and Talim, who were already married, were surprised.
"It seems that you have been really lucky recently." Mike opened his mouth exaggeratedly and touched his forehead.
Talim, who had brown hair, also nodded frequently, but compared to Mike, his expression was much more awkward.
"This is indeed something to be happy about..."
The waiter preparing the tea came from outside the house. Three cups of steaming Earl Gray black tea were placed on an octagonal plate with the cup handles facing outward.
Seeing that Allen, who had always been reserved, was not very good at dealing with this topic, Mike did not go to get his own cup of black tea, but instead pointed at Mike and joked:
"By the way, Ellen, now that there are two people here who have experienced the beauty of marriage, maybe we should give some valuable life advice to the gentleman who is still single."
Hearing Mike's words, Talim suddenly blushed, while Allen, who was confused, frowned slightly and put down the warm black tea.
"Mike, this is Talim's own business."
It is easy to understand that a noble whose financial situation is not in good condition cannot find a suitable partner, but if you mention this matter carelessly in front of the other party, it often means being rude in the reserved Loen society.
Mike gave a faint smile and said mysteriously:
"Maybe he himself wants to hear our advice."
Without waiting to hear what Allen and Talim were saying, the reporter showed good professional habits and cleared his throat.
"To put it simply, our Talim recently met a girl who made his heart beat, but due to some reasons he was unable to successfully win the girl's heart..."
At the end of the sentence, Mike drawled meaningfully, picked up the teacup, and took a sip.
"It seems that I have indeed missed a lot of things." Allen, who looked cold and indifferent, showed a rare interest.
He looked sideways at Talim and noticed that the young man's face was suddenly stained with an abnormal blush, and immediately added:
"Although we are happy to share our experiences, love is always private, and it depends on how you feel."
"Oh, no, my friend, don't be so nervous," Talim, whose cheeks were covered with crimson, swayed slightly, lowered his head as his breathing became heavier, and the shadow cast by his short brown hair covered his eyes.
"I'm just a little panicked and don't know how to face it. After all, in addition to feelings, there are many insurmountable factors that stand between us."
He slowly raised his head, and under the concerned and worried gazes of Allen and Mike, he gently touched the blue-violet gem pinned to his right chest with a loving look on his face, and crimson took up most of his face.
With blurred eyes staring at a non-existent viewpoint, as if looking into the distance, Talim stopped breathing under the gaze of his two friends.
...
"died!"
In the Red Rose Manor on the outskirts of Queen Backlund, a girl with a round face and long, soft and shiny black hair shouted in surprise.
Her slender, plain hands held a puppet with missing facial features tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. She was so surprised that she didn't even realize that her nails had been completely submerged in the cotton wool.
After a moment of silence, the black-haired girl trembled all over, her slender eyes filled with anger, and she angrily ran towards a full-length mirror placed in the corner of the room.
A cluster of black flames suddenly rose from the palm of her hand and quickly touched the surface of the mirror. The girl, who had a beautiful face, but her sweetness was ruined by anger at this time, stared at the mirror with all her concentration, waiting silently.
She waited for one second, two seconds, three seconds...and counted until ten seconds, but she didn't see any change.
The mirror placed in the corner was still dim. The solid surface did not turn into illusion, nor did it show any images or words. It just stood there quietly.
The sweet-looking black-haired girl stepped back, fear replaced anger in her eyes, and a hint of coldness appeared on her back.
"Where do you want to go?"
The coldness that was not like human body temperature touched the smooth surface of her back. The girl felt the soft touch that gradually came closer to the back of her neck. She endured the dryness in her mouth and said:
"Did you kill Talim?"
"How could he die if you didn't try to manipulate him into falling in love with you?"
The charming and pure female voice was amplified several times in the quiet room. The girl's hair stood up as she listened, her limbs stiffened as if she had lost power, and she was frozen in place like a clay sculpture. No matter how hard she tried, she could not do anything except breathe. More action.
The soft coldness slowly slid up the girl's forearm from the back, and the warm breath sprayed on the back of the neck, making the girl tremble again, feeling that there was a giant python wrapped around her throat, waiting for Tightly bound.
The woman who looked like a snake and python gently slid over the girl's forearm and stroked the blue-purple ring on her little finger. Her delicate voice became more respectful.
"Triss, Trisschik, why not follow the destiny set for you by the 'original'?"
"This is a good opportunity to merge with the gods and obtain divinity. Why do you want to resist? Just because you need to accompany that idiot prince to fall in love, do you feel aggrieved and insist on running away?"
The female voice was seductive and teasing the girl's nerves as if it were real.
The warm breath gradually faded away, and the cold soft touch on Triss's forearm suddenly exerted force, and the seductive words changed and became tinged with a faint threat.
"We are both daughters of the 'original'. As a sister who is a few years older than you, I am happy to help my little sister go astray."
"But unfortunately, recently I not only have to abide by the 'original' oracle, but I also have to satisfy Her Highness's weird little requests. Her temper is not very good~"
The long-drawn-out sweet voice became more and more tired, and the catkins lacking warmth faded from her forearms. The black-haired girl Tris stared at the emptiness in front of her in horror, and the coldness pressed against her neck.
The moment before, he nodded imperceptibly.
The coldness was fleeting, and the terrible feeling of pressure disappeared. Triss, who was standing there like a clay sculpture, still maintained her ridiculous posture, but her nerves had relaxed a lot.
Picking up the faceless doll on the ground, and letting the black flames devour the stand-in that had established a mystical connection with Talim through its blood, Triss squatted down blankly, like a real, wronged girl.
Like, tears welled up in his eyes.
The sound of heavy footsteps became heavier and heavier, and there was a muffled "bang" sound. Edsac Augustus, who was dressed in a uniform similar to the standard military uniform and with a round face, swept towards the depths of the room solemnly and noticed that he was like a baby bird.
Triss curled up on the ground.
The seriousness on his face didn't last for more than a second before the rigidity inevitably softened. Edsac hurried towards Triss who was squatting on the ground and hugged her.
At the open door of the room, the meticulously dressed housekeeper took everything in his eyes, and silently nodded four times on his chest as if he didn't see anything.
It was a hanging cross.
...
"News Andre?"
Klein repeated a name on the list in surprise, and Dunn looked at him and said:
"What's wrong with this guy?"
Klein, who frowned slightly, shook his head and expressed his doubts.
"I once saw this name in an article. If the address on the information is correct, I remember that he should have disappeared at least a month ago?"
After the last detective seminar convened by the Eucalyptus the Ripper police, Klein had learned about a commission from Detective Essinger. It was also during the investigation of this commission that he happened to discover the secret of the Abraham family.
"It's okay for you to remember. He has indeed been missing for a long time." Leonard's voice interrupted slightly.
For some unknown reason, this member of the Red Gloves, who had no job at the moment, took the initiative to apply to join the two detectives. Although Carlson tried to tact him several times, it had no effect. He is a model who doesn't look at people's faces.
The informants of the God of Steam and Machinery and the guards of the Goddess of Night act together. What a deal!
After cutting his messy black hair to both sides, Leonard took a few steps back, looked at the reactions of "Moriarty" and "Yin Wensi", and recited the words familiarly:
"Although Mr. Andrei has indeed been missing for a long time, various previous investigations on him have basically denied his suspicion."
"But..." Leonard deliberately dragged out the word, his green eyes narrowed into a slit, "We later investigated in our dreams a young lady who hired a private detective to find him, that is, he
's fiancée."
"I was surprised to find that this young lady has some traces of ritual magic left on her body. Although it looks harmless, I at least proved that her fiancé is not as innocent as he showed."
Perhaps because he had experienced a tragedy related to an unmarried couple, Leonard couldn't help but bring some personal emotions into his statement.
"Later, we borrowed some sealed objects to re-examine Andre's house. Unfortunately, he prepared sophisticated anti-divination methods, and the month-long window also blocked the possibility of psychic communication..."
"But what does this have to do with Mr. Andre and the new Eucalyptus the Ripper?" Dunn interrupted the other person's next words, frowning.
"Of course, because during the follow-up investigation, we found traces of Andre, who had disappeared long ago, and it happened to be near the discovery site." Leonard's handsome face was stained with a trace of displeasure.
He took another deep look at "Yin Wensi" and asked Klein sideways:
"Detective Moriarty, did you find anything else when you investigated him before?"
Klein, who had been silent all this time, rolled his eyes in his mind, but in reality he shook his head seriously.
What did I discover? Can I say what I discovered directly?
I can’t say that I entered his house in my spirit state, peeked into the letters between him and his fiancée, and killed the spirit servants he summoned through the “demon” ritual...
Besides, I was wearing the talisman given by Will Asceptin at the time, so the church's sealed artifacts probably didn't notice me at all. In your eyes, it's impossible for me to have appeared there.
"But I think we can start with this gentleman." Although he couldn't reveal the clues due to various factors, Klein still took the initiative to participate in the topic.
Rather than being with the official Beyonders at all times, and even running into acquaintances like Ms. Dai Li from time to time, it would be better to choose to investigate outside with Louis Yin Wensi and Leonard.
Anyway, with Leonard's current sequence, it's almost impossible for him to detect my disguise...
Leonard, who was unaware of Klein's mental activities, thought for a moment and quickly agreed to the proposal.
He looked at Dunn and said:
"I will now go to Captain Sost to apply for investigation permission."
Captain Sost... Dunn pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, looked at Klein aside, and caught a glimpse of his own confusion in the reflection of the other person's glasses.
...
"Old man, did you see anything else just now?"
Walking quickly inside Silveras Stadium, Leonard frequently looked sideways at the sights around him, tilting his head as if waiting for someone's answer.
"How do I know? The most I can tell is that those two people used means corresponding to the 'Soothsayer' Sequence 6 'Faceless Man' to disguise their appearance." After a long silence, Pales's old voice came out.
Chi, the tone sounds a little strange.
"Is it possible that this disguise will not be discovered?" Leonard deliberately slowed down his pace. Seeing that no one was paying attention around him, he suddenly turned a corner, preparing to find Captain Sost from another farther route.
Pales, who was floating in the outer layer of the spirit, said "Hey".
"Have you forgotten what I said again? Although some mid-sequence abilities are not high-level, they are difficult to detect even if a demigod is not paying attention. What's more, your captain is only sequence six."
"I can see through it just because the 'parasite' is special."
"The Faceless Man"... was related to the Secret Order again... All kinds of bad memories came to his mind. Leonard frowned unconsciously, and the bright red on his hands clenched into
Tight fist.
"Then can you try to pray to the goddess through me and draw the appearance of those two people?"
The serious poet student thought about it for a while, and the more he talked about it, the more he felt that his idea had good practicality.
"Can't you see through their disguise?"
A somewhat excited Leonard tilted his head, and even his frown relaxed a lot.
It was just that he waited for a long time, walked through the long corridor in front of him, and immediately saw the room where Sost was, but the old voice in his head did not ring again.
"Old man, old man?"
Recalling his shock when he first met the so-called "detective duo", Pales said angrily.
"Have you forgotten the nickname of your goddess?"
If she just saw the two people resurrected from the dead, it would only make her a little surprised at most. As an angel who has lived for more than 1,500 years, she knows several ways to achieve similar results. One of them
This is still the specialty of old colleague Zaratul.
But she really couldn't ignore the auras surrounding those two people. In front of the thick traces left by the angels belonging to the "Origin Castle" and the "God of Mystery", Pales just wanted to pretend to be dead silently.
This is too unkind to the hearts of the elderly.
"Red Moon...Mother of Fear?" Leonard asked tentatively.
Pales did not answer, but instead dropped the topic and said:
"Although your goddess has acquiesced in my behavior of parasitizing you, it does not mean that she wants me to have more contact with her here."
"And I am just an old and ordinary 'parasite'. I can only barely see through their disguises. I don't have the extra energy to reveal their true appearance to you."
Leonard wanted to say more, but as soon as his green eyes adjusted, he saw Sost walking out of the room that served as a temporary discussion room, and he happened to meet his gaze.
"Is there a problem?"
The "Soul Master" looked up and down at the sloppy team member in front of him and said doubtfully.
"Captain, it's like this..."
...
Backlund Bridge area.
Walking in the damp sewer, News moved slowly in the direction of the man's finger in his hand. He felt that the thick air nearby was very unfriendly to his wounds. He had only been deep into the sewer for less than ten minutes, and he was already feeling it again.
To the excruciating pain of the curse burning the flesh.
"To build a 'nest' here..." He put the "broken limb pointer" made using a ritual under his arm and pulled out Backlund's sewer map with one hand.
Relying on the strong criminal intuition brought by the "criminal", News quickly found his position in the sewer network. At the same time, he reasoned backwards as to why those suspected "ancient 'demons'" existed to build the "nest"
In a place like this.
Under the Backlund Bridge, at the junction of the Tasok River and the sewer outlet... This is already close to the edge of the Backlund Bridge area. Going outward will only be washed downstream by the river, and you cannot go up immediately.
On the ground, you can't move at all.
And this is about to enter the scope of the East District...
Staring at the obvious cross design on the map, News frowned.