"Don't tell him the truth, Lex! He's testing us, this pig in clothes. We should roast him over a fire, it'll definitely taste good, won't it?"
The person behind Lewis's sofa bent down, his head hidden behind the officer. Under the crimson moonlight, only black strands of hair could be seen blowing and dancing in the wind.
Lex said, "I'm not."
Then, with a hint of confusion, "What is a Beyonder?"
The Inspector, completely unaware that his face was being held by a pair of hands, closed his notebook after a brief record. "Don't worry about that question. Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Lex."
He stood up, put on his soft hat, and adjusted his glasses. "Good night, I wish you good dreams."
Lex mechanically stood up and saw the Inspector out. After the door closed, the person in the white shirt and dark pants stood with his back to Lex, one hand pressed against the door.
"Are we just letting him go? This rude pig, we should twist his neck, cut open his belly, and pull out all his internal organs. Don't you think that would be a wonderful thing?"
"Let's do that, Lex? Next time he comes to the door like this, we'll kill him, hahahahahahahahaha…"
The man with his hand on the door laughed hysterically. In that frantic laughter, Lex lay down on the bed, pulled up his covers, and fell peacefully asleep.
When he woke up in the morning, Lex stretched contentedly, feeling refreshed and spiritually active.
When he came to the dining room, he saw his father, Bison, holding a copy of "Enki Town News," which was Enki Town's weekly newspaper.
There wasn't much worth reporting in the Town.
"How was your sleep last night?" His mother, Amelia, was spreading butter on Joe's bread. Seeing Lex, she asked with concern.
"I slept very well, Mom, don't worry." Lex sat down in his seat and noticed that his sister, Harribel, had not come for breakfast.
"Yesterday, we were invited by the Town Chief to attend his luncheon. The Town Chief hoped we could donate a sum for municipal funds."
Bison put down the newspaper, ran a hand through his hair, frowned slightly at his receding hairline, then smiled and asked, "Lex, what do you think about this?"
Lex first took a sip of milk, thought for a moment, and said, "Instead of donating municipal funds, it would be better to establish a 'Municipal Construction Fund'."
Bison was slightly surprised. "Municipal Construction Fund?"
"Yes."
Lex nodded slightly and took some bread for himself, spreading butter on it. "I've noticed that our Town's hard-surface roads are limited to Golden Champagne Avenue, Memorial Square, and the vicinity of the Town Chief's office."
"However, Mermaid Road, Kingston Road, and other areas are still primarily gravel roads. The underground drainage Systems for these roads are almost non-existent, and during the rainy season, it's muddy everywhere, with all sorts of filth flowing around, causing great inconvenience to the lives of the people in the Town."
Bison nodded gently and encouraged, "Go on."
"If it's just a simple donation, it's naturally easy and straightforward. But Father, will the Town Chief tell you where your donated funds are being used?"
Lex said with a smile, "I guess not. In that case, why don't we manage it ourselves and clearly specify where these funds will be used?"
"For example, we can convert the gravel roads in the Town into hard-surface roads and improve the Town's underground pipeline network. If we do this, first, people's lives will be greatly improved, sanitation will become better, and the incidence of diseases will decrease."
"Secondly, the image of our Enki Town will be enhanced, which will help us improve our competitiveness in choosing vacation destinations. Once the flow of people coming to the Town for vacations increases, it will undoubtedly help increase the income of the residents in the Town, and our family's businesses will also benefit."
"Finally, and most crucially, this will help enhance your image, Father, improve your reputation, and lay the groundwork for your future career."
Bison laughed heartily. "Excellent, Lex, I like your suggestion. It seems today, I'll have to find time to visit the Town Chief and have a good talk with him about this matter."
After speaking, the Baron said with emotion, "Lex, you have indeed changed a lot, matured considerably. I am very pleased."
Lex smiled without speaking, picked up the buttered bread, and took a bite.
Thump, thump, thump—
Sebastian, the butler with a classical face and graying beard, walked into the dining room and bowed slightly. "Sir, Kaosi has arrived."
"Oh? So early, is he here to have breakfast with me?" The Baron joked and stood up. "Have him wait in the hall, I'll be right there."
Sebastian's gaze shifted to Lex. "Kaosi said he hopes to meet with Young Master Lex."
"Me?"
Lex was a little surprised. He picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth and said to Bison, "I'll go with you, Father."
Entering the hall, Lex saw Kaosi, who was portly and wore a wedding ring.
Besides him, there were three other officers wearing black and white checkered uniforms and soft hats with badges. Their epaulets all had six-pointed silver stars; one of them had three silver stars on his shoulder, while the other two had two stars each.
These were three Inspectors.
Among them, the Inspector with three stars on his shoulder seemed vaguely familiar to Lex, though he couldn't recall where he had seen him.
This was a middle-aged man, mature and steady, with a square face, large nose and ears, slightly heavy forehead lines, and nascent nasolabial folds.
He wore a pair of black-framed glasses and had a scholarly demeanor. If he weren't in a police uniform, Lex would have almost mistaken him for a university professor.
The other two Inspectors were a man and a woman.
The man looked to be in his early thirties and was shorter in stature. Perhaps because of the higher temperature, he had taken off his hat, revealing soft, curly hair.
His skin was unusually pale, as if he had been hiding in a room for years, unwilling to go out. Although relatively young, he generally gave off a gloomy feeling.
The last female officer was very young, about twenty-three or twenty-four, with long eyelashes, a beautiful face, and enthusiastic, reddish-brown wavy long hair.
Her uniform seemed a bit ill-fitting, forcing her to unbutton the top two buttons, exposing her deep cleavage to the air.
When Lex saw her, she was taking a small iron box from her pocket, pouring out a colorful candy from it, and popping it into her mouth.
"Good morning, Mr. Bison."
Kaosi's voice attracted Lex's attention. The Police Station Chief, who was already sweating profusely even while sitting, stood up and greeted Bison, then introduced the three Inspectors.
"These are three Inspectors sent by the Desi County Police Department, here for those few bloody cases. Allow me to introduce you, this is Inspector Lewis—"
So the 'experts' have arrived. Are they Night Watchers of the Church of the Night Goddess, or Enforcers of the Church of the Lord of Storms, or do they belong to the 'Mechanical Heart' of the Church of Steam?
Lex guessed with great interest. This was the first time he had come into contact with what might be official members of an official organization since he came to the world of mysteries.