'A theft case? Would the Eight Point Nest care about such things?'
At night, inside a moving carriage on Tivian Street, Dorothy was currently sitting in the compartment, looking at the words Grego had written back on the """wen hai hang zhi""" in her hand, thinking curiously to herself.
'What exactly does this group from the Eight Point Nest want to do? Why would they suddenly care about two petty thieves? Is there anything special about them?'
Dorothy mused with a hint of confusion in the carriage. Then, she picked up her pen again and began writing on the contact page with Grego.
"Are you sure you've thoroughly investigated the identities of those two thieves? There really isn't any problem?" After Dorothy finished writing, she waited quietly for Grego's reply. A short while later, his handwriting quickly appeared before Dorothy.
"The Eight Point Nest also asked me a question like yours. I've looked through all the files on those two thieves, seen them with my own eyes, tested them, and even contacted the police station in their hometown. I can be 100% sure that they are just two ordinary people with no hidden background. The theft case they were involved in also showed no signs of anything hidden. I don't really think they are some """Shadow""" masters specifically trying to deceive me."
Grego's handwriting appeared before Dorothy's eyes. After scanning it, Dorothy was slightly silent, then picked up her pen again and wrote.
"Could you tell me a bit about the case they were involved in?"
"Yes, the case they committed can be said to be relatively common in Sitivian, where logistics turnover and warehousing are located. It's internal theft. According to the police investigation, these two people worked at a warehousing and logistics company in Sitivian and had long liked to steal some relatively valuable goods. During their work, after finding out what valuable goods were in a batch of cargo, they would open the packaging to steal them and then privately take them to the market to sell.
"To avoid being discovered, the goods they stole were usually bulk goods like high-grade spices, tobacco, tea, etc., which are difficult to count individually and can only be weighed. After stealing some goods from the cargo boxes, they would get some inferior goods of the same type to fill the boxes, mixing them with the original goods left in the boxes to reach the original weight. Because they acted carefully and cautiously, the amount of goods replaced and stolen each time was not large, so it was difficult to discover. They had been doing this for about a year but had never been caught, and very few consignees noticed any abnormality.
"However, some time ago, they got greedy when stealing a batch of high-grade dyes. Driven by greed, they were not satisfied with their previous petty theft and stole too much of that batch of dyes at once. The inferior dyes they replaced them with were also much more than before. This caused a relatively serious abnormality after the consignee received and used the goods. The consignee, whose business reputation was affected, quickly contacted the warehousing company to complain. The warehousing company also quickly conducted an internal investigation, found those two guys, and reported it to the police. The local district police station quickly arrested both of them, and they are still being held now."
Grego's handwriting recounting the case quickly appeared before Dorothy's eyes one by one. After quickly reading through it, Dorothy wrote back to Grego.
"Have you checked all those goods?"
"I've checked them. They are all ordinary dyes, with no traces of the extraordinary on them."
"Did the Eight Point Nest have no follow-up after getting your investigation report?"
"Yes, after submitting the report, I haven't received any further instructions. I think... perhaps they just wanted to confirm that these two people have nothing to do with the hidden extraordinary."
Grego's reply appeared directly before Dorothy's eyes. After reading it, Dorothy nodded slightly and then finally wrote.
"Okay, thank you, Black Dog Mr., for your information. We will continue to pay attention. Now, please give us the detailed information about that case. We will also organize an investigation into it afterward."
Dorothy replied to Grego like this. Afterward, Grego provided the further information about the theft case, including where the two perpetrators were currently held, the information on the detective handling the case, and so on.
After that, Dorothy told Grego to be more careful recently, and then they said some brief goodbyes and ended this contact.
After learning some information from Grego, Dorothy sighed slightly. Then, she looked at the night street scene outside the carriage window. After closing her eyes and resting for a while, she began to flip through the """wen hai hang zhi""" in her hand again, turning to another contact page.
Tonight, Dorothy had planned to contact not only Grego but also someone with a deep connection to the Eight Point Nest.
"Good evening, Devonshire Madam, are you there now?" Dorothy wrote on the page, contacting the noble knight she had helped in the past. A short while later, a line of neat handwriting appeared before her eyes.
"Good evening... I have been waiting for a long time, Rose."
"You can just call me Scholar."
Looking at Misha's words, Dorothy wrote straightforwardly. Misha Devonshire, a former member of the An Yin Bureau, Miss from the Pritz noble Devonshire family, and Prince Harold's knight. Months ago, Dorothy saved Misha from the Eight Point Nest's assassination and helped her escape through feigned death. After getting rid of the Eight Point Nest's surveillance, Misha began secretly contacting members within the An Yin Bureau and Pritz nobility who noticed something unusual, actively investigating the Eight Point Nest. Now that Dorothy had returned to Tivian to confront the Eight Point Nest again, it was natural for her to see if she could get any useful information from her side.
"How is it? How have your recent actions progressed, Devonshire Madam?" Dorothy began writing again on the contact page of the """wen hai hang zhi""", asking Misha about the situation. Misha also quickly replied by writing.
"Not very well... I originally wanted to select trustworthy individuals among the An Yin Bureau and Tivian nobles, reveal my true identity to them, and gradually build a force to secretly resist the Eight Point Nest after gaining their trust. However, after thinking about it, given the extent of the Eight Point Nest's infiltration into the upper echelons of Pritz, it's really difficult for me to discern who can truly be trusted. Revealing my identity rashly carries a high risk, so I haven't shown my true identity to anyone yet."
"Now, I only contact potential allies through various secretive methods after observing and confirming them. I also try to win them over indirectly, but because I myself am unwilling to expose my identity and have always contacted them using an alias, it's difficult for me to gain trust. So, currently, there aren't many people I've truly won over."
On the page, Misha recounted her recent situation to Dorothy. After reading through it, Dorothy then picked up her pen and wrote.
"Recently, the Eight Point Nest seems to be making big moves in Tivian again. Do you have any relevant rumors on your side?"
"Big moves? I'm sorry, I'm afraid I haven't received any relevant news on my end. Lately, I've been focusing on collecting clues and evidence of the Eight Point Nest's corruption of the upper echelons of Pritz."
"I learned from the informant I developed within the An Yin Bureau. Recently, the Church also seems to have paid attention to the situation in Tivian. A special team has arrived from Holy Mountain to investigate the An Yin Bureau. I used this opportunity, through that informant, to provide them with some clues about the An Yin Bureau's corruption that I had collected over the past few months, hoping they can find the source of the corruption."
Misha replied to Dorothy on the page like this. Looking at Misha's handwriting, Dorothy also understood what was going on; this was Atcherly's doing.
Since learning about the problems in Tivian in Igwinte, Bureau of Secrets Atcherly immediately rushed to Tivian without stopping, arriving in the city much earlier than Dorothy, who was slowly taking the train to conserve Spirituality. She then immediately began her investigation.
In her previous communication with Grego, Dorothy already knew that the petite saint had begun leading people to investigate the situation in Tivian. The primary target of the investigation was the An Yin Bureau. Pritz being suppressed like that on the hidden front by the Eight Point Nest was inextricably linked to the An Yin Bureau being riddled with holes from infiltration. Investigating the An Yin Bureau directly was definitely correct.
"Providing clues to the Church people... that's fine. Perhaps the Church can really help find the origin of the Eight Point Nest's infiltration and corruption of Pritz? Turning the An Yin Bureau into their own backyard is not something that can be done overnight. Having the Church help investigate is indeed possible..."
"Besides these, do you have any other valuable information on your end?"
Dorothy wrote to Misha on the contact page of the """wen hai hang zhi""" like this, and Misha quickly replied by writing again.
"Valuable information, I don't have any now, but I might have some in a while."
"In a while? What do you mean?" Seeing Misha's reply, Dorothy also wrote curiously, and a short while later, she received an answer.
"Through the introduction of a friend I developed in the noble circle. I found an important person who might be able to unravel the mystery of the Eight Point Nest's corruption. After a period of contact, the other party is willing to meet with me. From him, I might be able to get more useful information."
"Important person? Interesting... Who is he?" Looking at Misha's words, Dorothy couldn't help but write and ask with interest, and a short while later, Misha's reply appeared before Dorothy's eyes.
"His name is Sofokes. He is the current Chief Court Physician of the Royal Hospital. He used to lead a team to treat the Despenser royal family in Tivian. Three years ago, he was suddenly transferred from his original post and is now a professor at Crown University School of Medicine."
"According to the results of previous investigations, we suspect that the Eight Point Nest's corruption of the upper echelons of Pritz and the An Yin Bureau might be related to the Despenser royal family. Professor Sofokes was once responsible for the health of the capital's royal family, so he is very likely to know something. I successfully contacted him recently and indirectly corresponded with him for a while in the form of the Craftsmen's Guild. During our contact, he implicitly revealed to me that he indeed knows something about the current situation in Tivian and is willing to exchange information with me through a face-to-face meeting. The meeting time is tonight. I told him I would visit at ten o'clock."
Misha's replying handwriting appeared before Dorothy's eyes one by one. After reading it, Dorothy thoughtfully stroked her chin.
'A Despenser court physician? Such a person might indeed know something. It's really good luck to be able to find him...'
Dorothy thought this to herself. Then, she immediately wrote back to Misha.
"The meeting is tonight. So that's why you just said you might have information in a while... Devonshire Madam, if you don't mind, could you also bring our people to meet this professor?"
"You also want to meet him in person?"
"Yes, after all, after hearing the other party's information, some questions can be asked face-to-face. This is a critical juncture, and we need to ensure the timeliness of our information gathering." Dorothy wrote to Misha like this. Misha seemed to consider for a while before writing a reply to Dorothy on the page.
"Okay, then you need to set off quickly and come find me at the designated location. We should try not to arrive too late."
"Alright, we will arrange for your old friend to meet you." Dorothy wrote back to Misha one last time. Then, after seeing the address Misha had written, she controlled the Corpse Puppet driver to turn around, temporarily stopping the journey back to Green Lawn Town, and drove towards another location in the vast city in the dark night.
'Phew... Looks like I'll have to work a little overtime tonight...'
Looking at the constantly passing night street scene outside the carriage window, Dorothy couldn't help but sigh to herself. After continuing to drive for a while and the carriage's location approached the place Misha mentioned, Dorothy got out of the carriage, found a safe and hidden spot, and released another one of her Corpse Puppets, Edrick.
The Corpse Puppet man, wearing a trench coat, a short top hat, and with a hooked nose and deep-set eyes, walked towards the designated location after bidding farewell to Dorothy. A short while later, he arrived at the place agreed upon with Misha, before a cemetery near the city outskirts. There, Dorothy could see the figure of a woman wearing a cloak and hood through Ed's eyes.
"Good evening, Devonshire Madam, we meet again."
Looking at Misha ahead, Ed extended his hand with a smile to greet her. The other party, after shifting her gaze over and examining him for a couple of seconds, spoke directly.
"Long time to see, hope you've been well, Detective Mr."
"It's a pleasure to be working with you again. So, without further ado, where should we go now? Where does that professor live?" With a polite smile, Ed said as he walked ahead of Misha. Misha, after glancing around, seemed to confirm there were no followers using some method, then spoke.
"Come with me."
Then, Misha, wearing her hood, covered her face and walked towards another edge of the cemetery. Ed also decisively followed behind her. Finally, after following Misha to a hidden corner, Ed saw a carriage parked there.
Misha told Ed to get into the carriage. Ed immediately did so without hesitation. After seeing Ed seated, Misha also went to the driver's seat, started the carriage, and drove forward all the way.
Near the northeastern suburbs of Tivian, after a period of bumping, Misha's carriage finally stopped in front of a slightly remote mansion. After parking the carriage in front of the mansion's iron gate, Misha got out of the carriage with Ed.
"Is this the Professor's house?" Just having gotten off the carriage, Ed stood where he was in front of the gate, looking at the mansion behind the iron gate, across a courtyard, where the lights were still on, and said. Misha, who had already arrived at the gate, also nodded in response.
"Yes, this is... No..." Just as Misha was about to say something, her brows furrowed slightly, and then she looked at the house in front and said seriously.
"There's the smell of blood inside!"
Hearing Misha's words, Dorothy, who was some distance away, also paused, and then had Ed move closer to Misha's position to sniff, and indeed, he also smelled the scent of blood coming from the front.
Realizing that something was wrong, Dorothy immediately controlled the bird corpse puppet circling in the sky for vigilance to fly towards the mansion below. After descending onto the roof of the mansion, Dorothy detached more miniature Corpse Puppets from the bird corpse puppet and dispersed them inside the mansion for reconnaissance, subsequently witnessing a bloody scene.
At this moment, inside the mansion, several men and women dressed as servants were lying on the ground, their expressions horrified, in pools of blood. The flowing blood stained many parts of the mansion red.
And within this mansion, a young man wearing a suit and covered in blood was wandering with a cold, indifferent expression, carrying a bloodstained short sword, seemingly searching for something. The people lying on the ground appeared to have all been killed by him.
Corpses, a murderer, bloodstains... all these elements were present within the mansion, forming the scene of a bloody murder. However, besides this, there were other elements at the scene. Dorothy's Corpse Puppet found a middle-aged man hiding in an attic, trembling. This seemed to be a survivor!
"Someone has been killed inside the house. The killer might be a young man with slicked-back hair, wearing a black suit and holding a short sword. He's still inside the house now. Currently, we can confirm there's also a survivor hiding in the attic, roughly fifty years old..."
"We need to rescue the person, and it's best to capture the killer alive!"
Using Ed as her mouthpiece, Dorothy spoke to Misha. After hearing these words, Misha first paused, then immediately rode a strong wind and rapidly attacked the mansion in front. After shattering the window glass, she directly broke into the mansion, appearing before the young man with the cold expression.
Upon seeing Misha's sudden appearance, the young man's expression turned fierce. Holding the short sword, he rapidly attacked Misha. His speed was very fast, confirming he was not an ordinary person, possessing at least a first-order """Shadow""" level. He seemed to be a """Shadow""" Apprentice.
Facing the young man's attack, Misha, as a Chalk """Shadow""", easily dodged his initial assault. Then, like a ghost, she circled around to the young man's rear, aimed at the back of his neck, and delivered a precise hand chop, directly knocking him unconscious. The killer youth instantly lost the ability to resist, slumping forward and falling.
After falling to the ground, the young man began to tremble violently, emitting sounds of epileptic shaking, and finally foamed at the mouth completely.
"Ugh... Ugh... Pain... Pain..."
Just like that, under Misha's surprised gaze, the young man lay on the ground trembling at a high frequency. After a short while, he directly lost consciousness, lying motionless on the ground.
After seeing that the young man had completely lost the ability to resist, Misha slightly breathed a sigh of relief. Then she began to carefully observe the young man's appearance, subsequently speaking softly with some disbelief.
"This is... Viscount Arty..."
...
Late at night, inside the mansion which had become a murder scene, in a clean and spacious room, a young man covered in blood was tied securely to a chair, his head tilted back motionless, staring blankly at the ceiling, his eyes vacant, his face stiff.
Ed, wearing a trench coat, was standing in front of this young man at the moment, carefully examining him, observing his pupils, mouth, and various other areas. Occasionally, he would affix talismans or check his pulse, using both extraordinary and mundane methods to ascertain the young man's current condition.
"How is it? Can you confirm what's wrong with him now?" Standing on the carpet not far away, Misha couldn't help but ask with some concern as she watched Ed's actions. She remembered that when she struck him, she had used restraint, only enough force to knock him unconscious. He shouldn't have been directly struck into a vegetative state, knowing nothing.
"He's finished..." After completing the examination, Ed took a few steps back and delivered the final conclusion about the young man before him. Misha, however, spoke with great surprise.
"Finished... Impossible... The force I used just now shouldn't have..."
"It's not your problem. This is probably a method used by the Eight-Pointed Nest to prevent us from obtaining information, a preventative measure they've taken," Ed said, then lifted one of the young man's arms and pushed up the sleeve, revealing a small mark with a spider pattern drawn on the arm.
"Before he lost the ability to move, an immense amount of pain was transmitted to him through some hidden means from this mark. The intensity of this pain far exceeded the tolerance of ordinary people, and even as an Apprentice, he was far unable to cope. This ultra-high-intensity pain stimulus directly destroyed his mind. He was in so much pain at once that he became a vegetable. We cannot obtain information through his original will by means of hypnosis or summoning spirits."
Ed analyzed this to Misha. Dorothy could recognize that the mark on the young man's arm at this moment had similarities to her own puppet mark, which could be used as a receiver to accept a distant extraordinary ability. This young man must have received extreme pain through it, which directly burned out his brain.
"Pain... destroyed his mind? I didn't expect Viscount Arty would encounter such a thing, I didn't expect... he would actually be someone from the Eight-Pointed Nest..."
Looking at the young man on the chair with vacant eyes, Misha said directly with some disbelief, while Ed raised his eyebrows slightly and asked Misha directly.
"It seems you know this person's identity?"
"Mm... I suppose I do... He is Viscount Arty, a member of the Despenser royal family on the fringes who lives in Tivian. I've seen him at banquets before. Although I don't know much about him, I at least have some impression. I didn't expect him to have a connection with the Eight-Pointed Nest, and why was he sent to kill Sophocles?"
Looking at the vegetable-like person in front of her, Misha said directly. After hearing her words, Dorothy also paused slightly, then had Ed speak directly.
"As for that, we'll have to ask the victim himself."
Saying this, Ed slowly walked out of the current room. Misha also followed Ed's footsteps. After crossing a corridor, Ed arrived in another tidy room. Inside, a middle-aged man with somewhat grey hair was sitting on the sofa, his body involuntarily trembling slightly.
"Professor Sophocles, hello..."
Looking at the mansion owner sitting on the sofa, clearly still shaken, Ed asked directly. The man named Sophocles, after hearing these words, raised his head and glanced at Ed and Misha, who was still masked, and spoke in a low voice.
"Ah... it... it's you. Thank you... Thank you for saving me..."
"You're welcome, Mr. Professor. Since you previously agreed to share information with us, we naturally wouldn't easily let you be harmed. You don't need to panic now; with us here, you are safe." Looking at the nervous Sophocles, Misha said comfortingly. Then she changed her tone and spoke.
"Before asking you for the specific information, could I understand the details of your attack this time? Why... did Viscount Arty attack you?"
"Well... I'm not too sure either. Viscount Arty clearly, clearly just visited me not long ago, asking me some questions about symptoms of mental listlessness. After I received him and answered his questions, he left... But who would have thought he would come back after a while! He was completely like a different person, cold and indifferent, full of killing intent..."
"The servant who went to receive him was killed, and then he killed everyone he saw as he broke towards my study. I took the opportunity when my bodyguard went to stop him to directly hide in the attic. Until you rescued me..."
Still with a slightly trembling tone, Sophocles said. After listening to his words, Ed asked again out of curiosity.
"You said Viscount Arty came by earlier? Specifically, when?"
"Around... hmm, around ten o'clock. I didn't expect him to come at that time. At that time, everything about him was very normal, without any abnormality at all, just like an ordinary normal person. After I saw him off, I didn't expect him to come back again and start killing like he was even crazier... Indeed... indeed, in the Despenser bloodline, there are elements of madness..."
While recalling the terrifying scene from not long ago, Sophocles spoke while trying to calm his emotions. After listening to his statement, Ed asked directly.
"Despenser... the bloodline of lunatics? What exactly is going on? Can you tell me more specifically?"
Listening to Ed's words, Sophocles did not respond immediately. Instead, he continued to glance at Ed and Misha, then spoke softly and somewhat mysteriously.
"You... are the so-called... Wind Vigilantes, right? Claiming to save Prit in secret and protect the royal family. I'm telling you... there's definitely something wrong with the current Prit, the current upper echelons of Tivian, especially within the royal circle! After seeing how things in Tivian have been getting more and more wrong recently, I knew that one day I would be targeted for elimination. That's why I also wanted to contact you, hoping to exchange the information I have for your protection. As expected, my judgment was correct! I have brought a killing disaster upon myself, and you arrived in time to save me..."
With a tone of relief, Sophocles said this. Dorothy knew that the so-called Wind Vigilantes he just mentioned was the name Misha had been using recently while operating secretly in Tivian, contacting the An Yin Bureau and other Prit noble systems. Tonight, he was originally planning to secretly meet Misha in this mansion, and Arty's appearance was clearly an accident.
"Don't be nervous, Mr. Professor. Now please start from the beginning and tell us slowly. What's this so-called 'madness' about? And why did you think you would be silenced?"
At this moment, Misha continued to comfort Sophocles as she spoke, and Sophocles took a slight breath before continuing.
"This whole matter needs to start from three years ago. Three years ago, I was still the Chief Court Physician, serving the Despenser royal family for over ten years. At that time, I always thought I would stay in this honorable position for a few more years before retiring gloriously, but unexpectedly, I encountered an unforeseen situation."
"I remember it was in February three years ago. Within the near lineage of the Tivian royal family, several cases of unconsciousness and mental confusion suddenly appeared. Count Luke, Count Victor, Viscount Vansen... many older nobles with the Despenser bloodline showed signs of mental abnormality."
Sophocles recounted as he recalled, while Misha spoke directly as if she had remembered something.
"I heard that Count Luke passed away from illness three years ago, but the announced cause of death at the time was a common cold. I didn't expect it to be a mental issue?"
"Yes, it was indeed a mental illness. At first, it was just daze and babbling, but later it gradually turned into unconsciousness, mental confusion, becoming increasingly aggressive, and even showing signs of madness. Similar symptoms appeared simultaneously in multiple elderly nobles with the Despenser bloodline within a short period. I tried every method, but it was difficult to cure. As time passed, these conditions began to spread, and some younger nobles started showing symptoms."
"Because these illnesses had a clear blood relation and the possibility of being a family hereditary disease, I, as the Court Physician at the time, used my authority to review the royal case histories from various eras recorded by successive Court Physicians, but found nothing."
"No case files... so these aren't hereditary diseases?" Hearing Sophocles' words, Misha asked, and Sophocles continued to answer.
"That should be the case. If this madness was a hereditary disease, previous Court Physicians should have recorded it, but I couldn't find any records. So, this should be an illness that has appeared recently due to some other reason. Perhaps it's a new type of infectious disease that can target the inherent defects of the royal family."
"After realizing that this illness was unusual, I immediately reported it to His Majesty the King. I wanted His Majesty the King to pay more attention to this illness targeting the royal bloodline and allocate more resources for me to carry out prevention and research," Sophocles said slowly. Then his expression changed, and he spoke again, changing the subject.
"But what I never expected was that after hearing my report, His Majesty the King not only didn't give me resources to prevent this disease, but also strictly ordered me not to continue researching it. Not only that, he secretly ordered a lockdown on the news of this mental illness's existence, confiscated all my early research materials on this disease, and for all the nobles who died because of this disease, he secretly ordered their cause of death to be rewritten. This is why you heard that Count Luke died of a cold... He actually didn't die of a cold at all, but of a mental illness! The mad sickness!"
With a hint of excitement, Sophox spoke frankly, gesturing with his hands, while Ed supplemented from the side.
"So... during that period, Charles IV was always committed to blocking the news of the mad sickness's existence?"
"Yes, you are right. His Majesty the King seemed to be afraid that this disease would be known to outsiders, using every possible means to conceal it vigorously. I was even forcibly transferred from my position as Court Physician. Before leaving the palace, I was also summoned by His Majesty alone. He told me to remember not to mention the existence of this disease to anyone.
"To be honest, I had never seen His Majesty the King suddenly turn into that state. At first, I thought His Majesty just considered the spread of mental illness among the royal family and related nobles to be a scandal, which was why he concealed it like this. Although I felt some injustice after being transferred, I also followed His Majesty's decree and dared not say much.
"After I was transferred, His Majesty appointed a new Court Physician. Her name seemed to be Corina. I didn't know her; she had no reputation in Tivian's medical circles before, yet she was suddenly promoted to such an important position. At first, I was a little unconvinced and wanted to see how she would handle those mad sicknesses. I knew these diseases wouldn't disappear just by concealing the news.
"But to my surprise, after that Corina took office, the mad sickness symptoms that had begun to spread seemed to genuinely get better. At least from my channels, I could learn that in the following period, there were no signs of the disease spreading."
Sophox spoke slowly, then took another sip of water. After resting and recovering for a while, he continued speaking.
"At this point, although I felt injustice, there was nothing more to say. After all, the disease seemed to have been truly cured. So I slowly began to adapt to my new position, but it wasn't long before something else happened.
"When I was transferred from the position of Chief Court Physician, I wasn't the only one who left my original position. There were also my assistants and some other Court Physicians who were responsible for the mad sickness with me. They were all transferred to different positions and were also required to keep the secret.
"But recently, these assistants and former colleagues of mine have started disappearing one by one! Just a few months ago, they gradually lost contact with me one by one. I went to look for them, but found that they had all vanished without a trace! This made me feel more and more afraid! I believe they must have met with some misfortune!
"After discovering that they were disappearing one by one, I started looking for help. At first, I reported it to the police, then went directly to the An Yin Bureau, and even applied to meet His Majesty directly, but it was all in vain. Although the police and the An Yin Bureau said they would investigate, there was absolutely no result. After several months, I haven't seen any progress at all...
"I went to request a meeting with His Majesty, but His Majesty said he was busy with the exposition and hadn't shown up for a long time. I couldn't see him at all.
"At this point, I realized Prit's situation was becoming increasingly strange. To prevent myself from suddenly encountering misfortune like my colleagues and assistants, I tried to contact you, because I really cannot trust the official power of the Kingdom government anymore..."
Sophox said this, while Dorothy in the distance listened carefully to every word he said, then let Ed speak frankly.
"So, you think the disappearance of your colleagues and assistants was due to them being silenced in secret..."
"Yes! Like today, if you hadn't arrived in time, wouldn't I have disappeared soon too?" With a hint of lingering fear, Sophox said frankly, while Ed changed the subject and continued speaking.
"You think the reason you were to be silenced is because you knew about the existence of Despenser's mad sickness, and the one who made you keep it a secret before... was Charles IV, so you think Charles IV specifically sent people to silence you..." With a hint of solemnity, Ed looked at Sophox as he spoke, while Sophox, after swallowing a mouthful of saliva, nodded and spoke.
"I spent a considerable amount of time with His Majesty, and I understand His Majesty's character. Normally, he is by no means a cruel and merciless monarch. He is majestic and just as a ruler, never a tyrant.
"However, after the mad sickness appeared three years ago, His Majesty seemed to have become a different person. Not only did he himself become more reclusive and secretive in his movements, becoming increasingly unfamiliar, but he also suddenly wanted to spend a lot of money and effort to hold some Kingdom Exposition...
"I don't think the original His Majesty would do such a thing to us, but the current His Majesty... I can't say for sure. I always feel that for the past three years, he seems to have been bewitched by something..."
With a bold guess, Sophox spoke frankly to Ed and Misha. After hearing Sophox's words, Dorothy in the distance couldn't help but softly murmur.
"Charles IV...?"
"It seems all clues now are pointing to this King of Prit... If the Spider Queen's corruption of Prit's upper echelons has a source... is it him?"
Dorothy thought this within her heart, then fell into deeper contemplation.
...
Prit's east coast at night, the far outskirts of Tivian.
Prit An Yin Bureau headquarters, within the heavily guarded Gale Fortress, in a brightly lit large office, the Kingdom's Prince, Harold, the head of the Prit An Yin Bureau, sat at his desk, dealing with the large pile of documents stacked before him.
"Hoo..."
Finally, seemingly due to fatigue, Harold rubbed his temples, then picked up a cup of tea beside him and slowly sipped it. He then placed the tea back on the desk. In the tea at this moment, a few pieces of strangely colored floating light were swirling.
Just as Harold was about to lean down to continue working on the documents, the door to his office was suddenly pushed open. Several figures in black clerical robes quickly walked in from behind and quickly took their positions throughout the large office.
Looking at the figures that suddenly flooded in, the somewhat tired Harold couldn't help but frown slightly, then spoke frankly.
"Clerics of the Bureau of Secrets, what brings you to visit so late at night? Have you encountered any difficulties in your investigation within the Bureau that require my help?"
"More or less... Our investigation is hitting a bottleneck, and we indeed need His Royal Highness's assistance..."
At this moment, a clear voice sounded, coming from behind the door. A petite figure, a black-haired girl wearing a loose cloak, slowly walked in and stepped forward to Harold's desk. Upon seeing the girl's figure, Harold immediately stood up.
"Ah... So it is Lord Bureau Chief in person. I apologize for not coming out to greet you sooner... Please forgive me...
"Please command whatever investigation you need me to cooperate with. I will fully cooperate with you to find out everything you want to know about the An Yin Bureau, from top to bottom." Facing Atcherley, Harold walked directly from behind his desk to the open space in the office, then knelt on one knee and bowed deeply, speaking with a grand salute. Atcherley silently glanced at Harold before her, then spoke indifferently.
"There are many things I want to know... For example, the Eight-Pointed Nest cult is performing blasphemous rituals throughout Prit, yet you clearly received information but took no countermeasures? For example, why are the confidential intelligence of your An Yin Bureau always openly sold on the black market? For example, when you conducted large-scale cleanup operations last year, why was it almost impossible to truly clean up a key Eight-Pointed Nest stronghold? To capture a key figure? For example, one of your Captains was directly ambushed and killed at the prison gate a while ago, and you haven't found a single clue after investigating until now? For example, my people have just started investigating you, and there is already a large pile of anonymous reports from all walks of life in Tivian?
"Your Royal Highness, I have seen many incompetent secret police, but I have never seen incompetence to this extent before... The results of my subordinates' investigations over the past few days have truly opened my eyes..."
Looking at Harold, who was performing the salute before her, Atcherley spoke coldly and frankly, with obvious chill in her tone, while Harold responded calmly.
"Lord, what you just said is all true. The occurrence of such serious situations is, firstly, due to my poor management. Secondly, there are highly placed spies who have infiltrated the Bureau, which is why various situations frequently occur."
"Highly placed spies? Oh..." Listening to Harold's words, Atcherley nodded slightly with a cold smile, then slowly spoke.
"Then I am very curious, just how high must the position of this spy be, that whenever matters involving the Eight Point Nest are concerned, your large An Yin Bureau is always like headless flies, completely unable to find the head and bumping around everywhere? Could his position be as high as yours?"
Staring at Harold before her, Atcherley said coldly. At this moment, Harold's previously lowered head slowly rose, and he looked at Atcherley, responding without changing his expression.
"As for that, it has also been very confusing for us..."
As Harold spoke softly, the white of his eyes, which was originally white, gradually began to creep up with dark red colors, finally forming eight sharp points radiating outwards with the pupil as the center.
And just as the strange shape in Harold's eyes formed, a hint of dark red also appeared in Atcherley's eyes, but it quickly dissipated and faded away.
"Heh... The Pain Lady's influence is really strong in your Bureau..." Looking at the change in Harold's eyes, Atcherley said with a cold smile. Having been tricked similarly once before, she would not be tricked a second time.
Seeing that Atcherley resisted the erosion, Harold, who was originally kneeling, suddenly erupted. At close range, he swung his hand, slashing out a huge wind blade towards Atcherley. Atcherley, however, extended two fingers together, enchanted them with "Shadow", and lightly sliced, cutting the wind blade that was coming towards her. The two halves of the huge wind blade struck diagonally above and behind Atcherley, bursting out of the office amidst the sound of shattering glass and crumbling bricks and tiles, and rushing out of Gale Fortress. One half affected a distant watchtower, cutting it in half.
After resolving Harold's attack with almost no effort, Atcherley directly thrust her hand forward, directly piercing Harold's shoulder as he was trying to dodge. Atcherley coldly grabbed Harold's bone, firmly controlling him.
Just as Harold cried out in pain, and Atcherley was about to personally cripple Harold's ability to act, Harold's previously pained expression suddenly became vacant. Then, several translucent illusory tentacles extended from his head, lashing out towards Atcherley. Seeing this, Atcherley immediately dodged, easily evading them.
'This is... an Inner Realm illusory body?'
After temporarily forcing Atcherley back slightly, the illusory tentacles wrapped around Harold's entire body. Then, Harold himself also began to become translucent and quickly disappeared in a distortion.
Seeing this, Atcherley immediately pulled out a rune seal and slapped it onto herself. Then, Atcherley herself also turned into a translucent state, and extended her hand to grab the illusory tentacles that were about to disappear. Then, Atcherley was pulled by the tentacles and disappeared directly from the office, leaving not a trace.
When Atcherley reappeared, she was already in a colorful and dreamlike Woodland. The grass was vibrant and colorful, the trees were tall and towering, and the tree crowns were endlessly dark. As Atcherley's body entered the fantastical space in an unstable flickering state, she immediately began to look around for traces of Harold, but instead saw another scene that surprised her.
In the mid-air of this colorful Woodland, between the huge trees, a figure was currently suspended.
It was a "person", a "person" who was completely naked, with yellowish-white skin, an extremely thin torso, a bald head, large and lifeless eyes, looking deformed and grotesque.
The "person" was covered in fine hair, pure yellowish-white, with emotionless eyes gazing downwards. Behind the "person", a pair of colorful and mesmerizing moth wings were spread open, seemingly causing dizziness and disorientation just by looking at them.
Countless smooth light tentacles extended from the tail of that "person", and on one of the tentacles, a white cocoon was wrapped.