The man who'd lost all hope in life leaped from the second floor. His head struck the hard ground, and he died on the spot.
Aside from providing Silas with fresh potion materials, the greatest effect of his death was giving the bar's drunks something to talk about over their drinks.
As for the woman he'd been so obsessed with, she quickly put him out of her mind and moved on to other men's arms.
After buying his materials and using the black vial Ms. M had given him to collect the resentment, Silas returned to the Blackthorn Security Company.
Pushing open the door, he saw Leonard and Klein sitting on the sofa in the main hall.
A large stack of files lay spread across the table, and they were examining several pages.
"Just got back from that small town, and you're already back to work. Real dedication."
Silas remarked.
Hearing this, Klein unconsciously touched his pocket, where he'd hidden the "Sun Talisman" he'd just managed to make in the town.
Silas didn't notice his subtle expression. Instead, he walked to the table and picked up one of the files to look at.
It was a death report from the police station. A man from the lower streets had died suddenly from an illness while working.
According to his family, he'd had similar health issues before.
"Isn't this just a normal death?"
He asked, puzzled.
"It is indeed a normal death, but the problem is that there are too many of them."
Leonard replied, pointing to the large pile of files nearby.
"Recent death cases have suddenly increased, far higher than the same period in previous years. The police department contacted us to investigate."
Silas flipped through the files. Sure enough, they contained all kinds of death reports, including the case of Viscount Dorset prominently among them.
"Speaking of which, I encountered one today too..."
Silas said thoughtfully, describing what he'd witnessed at the bar earlier.
"Then I'll add this case to the record as well."
Leonard said.
For the rest of the time, they reviewed and analyzed these numerous death cases, but didn't find anything particularly noteworthy.
"Let's visit the scenes tomorrow." Near the end of the workday, Leonard said while rubbing his eyes. "We might find other clues at the actual locations."
"Good luck with that."
Silas said. He needed to get home on time to prepare for his advancement.
"Silas, don't forget that tomorrow night you're on duty watching the Chanis Gate."
Leonard called out behind him.
---
Opening the door to 6 Daffodil Street, Ms. M was waiting for him on the sofa.
Cecilia was working on her homework at the table, looking distracted. Seeing Silas enter, she stood up.
"You've been very cooperative. The auxiliary materials have all been prepared."
Ms. M said with a smile. Through the eye she'd left on Silas, she'd seen everything he'd done today.
Silas didn't answer her. He held his sister's shoulders and pressed her back into her seat, then took out the auxiliary materials and placed them on the table.
"No need to be so wary of me," Ms. M said. "As long as you cooperate with me, I'm very willing to help you.
Like those numerous death cases today, your investigation is heading in the wrong direction..."
"Did you do it?"
Silas looked up sharply to ask.
Had she deliberately killed so many people just to provide potion materials?
"Of course not."
Ms. M smiled. "As soon as I arrived in Tingen, I came to your house. Besides, if I'd done it, I wouldn't have been so clumsy about it."
Hearing this, Silas stopped questioning her. On matters like this, Ms. M had no reason to lie to him.
"Alright, since everything's ready, let's begin." Ms. M rose from the sofa and said to Silas, "Clean the iron pot in your house thoroughly and bring it here."
So it's finally come to this.
Silas took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He turned and entered the kitchen.
Following Ms. M's instructions, he scrubbed the iron pot until it was spotless, then carried it along with the materials, following Ms. M up to the second-floor bedroom.
Cecilia remained in the first-floor living room, watching him with worry. He smiled at his sister before closing the door.
Taking the potion was now inevitable, but Silas still held onto a sliver of hope because he had a special advantage inside his body.
That phantom ocean tide had blocked mental corruption from various evil gods for Silas multiple times.
Without it, Silas would have long since collapsed and lost control.
Initially, Silas had also considered forcibly consuming the potion and relying on his advantage to resist the True Creator's ravings.
However, this wasn't something he could test in advance. If his advantage gave out halfway through, he'd be finished. So he'd decided to prioritize safer methods.
But the current situation left him no choice. Silas could only hope that the ocean tide would be effective enough to block all of the True Creator's ravings.
"Let's begin."
After entering the room, Ms. M turned to Silas and said, "Be careful. After all, you're the one who has to drink the potion."
Silas set down the iron pot, arranged the materials, steadied his emotions, and began preparing the potion.
Following Ms. M's instructions, he poured 70 milliliters of distilled water into the pot, then sprinkled in 8 grams of wolfsbane powder and added 2 drops of viper venom.
When the herbal powder was poured into the water, it just formed a clump without dissolving.
But after the venom was added, the colorless liquid quickly dissolved the powder, turning the liquid in the pot a deep green.
Silas carefully picked up the main ingredient of the potion. The moment he touched it, rustling sounds rang in his ears, making him irritable and unable to concentrate.
"Plop."
The black ear was tossed into the water and immediately began dissolving, turning into black liquid.
"Bubble, bubble..."
The water's surface began to boil ceaselessly.
Rising bubbles constantly burst, like countless mouths opening to shout, appearing eerie and terrifying.
Really wicked stuff...
Silas cursed under his breath and picked up the last material on the table, the deceased's resentment contained in the black vial, pouring it into the potion.
Opening the bottle, a wisp of semi-transparent gas drifted out, filled with extreme emotions of resentment and unwillingness.
The gas initially floated upward, but suddenly, as if attracted by the potion, it turned downward and was forced to drill into the potion.
Those opened mouths absorbed the resentment with satisfaction, then sank back down. The potion began to calm and eventually turned a lifeless iron-gray color.
"Congratulations, it looks like you've succeeded."
Ms. M smiled.
Silas glanced at her and used a ladle to scoop up the liquid, pouring it into a cup. The liquid flowed together seamlessly, leaving nothing behind in the pot.
He picked up the cup and looked at its contents. He couldn't help feeling some hesitation and fear.
"Silas, what are you still waiting for?"
Ms. M asked with a smile, her slender, beautiful fingers seemingly moving unconsciously.
If she wished, with a snap of her fingers, Cecilia downstairs would explode and die.
To hell with this!
Silas gritted his teeth and tilted his head back, drinking down the potion.
The cold, stinging liquid surged down his throat into his stomach, quickly spreading throughout his body. Soon, he felt cold all over.
This chill made his consciousness increasingly clear, able to precisely perceive all of his body's sensations: sight, smell, hearing...
Yes, his ears suddenly became incredibly sensitive, even more sensitive than all his other senses.