"What idea are you brewing in your head now that violates school rules or might even break federal law?"
Wednesday narrowed her eyes keenly; she knew Victor too well now, and this guy's thought process never followed the usual path.
"Ever since we made the police department lose face at the last dance—"
Victor curled his lip, his tone a bit disdainful.
"The already fragile cooperation between us and those bureaucrats has completely snapped. They still haven't given us a reply on the DNA analysis report for that crucial Hyde claw."
"The investigation is at a complete standstill. So—"
He snapped his fingers, a crazed light flashing in his eyes.
"I've decided not to play this inefficient traditional detective game with them. I'm going to... use a cheat."
"Use a cheat?"
Wednesday raised an eyebrow at the gaming terminology, but based on the context, she roughly understood it meant 'cheating.'
"Just watch, dear."
Victor gave her an exaggerated wink, full of confidence.
"Let me show you the essential difference between an ordinary player and a pay-to-win... er, a cheating player."
After saying that, he turned and carefully 'plucked' the Little Wolf Girl, Wednesday, who was still swinging on Venom's tentacle, and placed her on the ground, then squatted down to look her in the eye.
"Hey, my dear little wolf nose."
Victor looked at Wednesday with a smile, his tone coaxing.
"Mind doing your Uncle Victor a small favor? A small favor that only your very special little nose can do."
Wednesday's clear big eyes, inherited from the wolf clan, blinked, and her little eyebrows quirked cleverly, looking both innocent and cunning.
She reached out her small hand, her thumb and index finger expertly rubbing together in a universal gesture for 'payment.'
"Of course, my dear Uncle Victor~"
She said in a cloyingly sweet little milky voice, but her eyes were full of the shrewdness of a little merchant.
"But that depends on the specific details of the'small favor' and... well... you know."
Victor immediately burst out laughing:
"Ha! You little rascal! You really won't take even the slightest loss! Alright, alright!"
Victor reached into Venom's body and pulled out an extremely magnificent crown that shimmered with a dizzying light in the sun!
The crown was densely inlaid with countless perfectly cut diamonds and various brilliant gemstones; the craftsmanship was exquisite, exuding an ancient and noble aura.
"Whoa!" Wednesday's eyes instantly bugged out like two shiny glass beads, her little mouth forming an 'O' shape.
Even Wednesday Addams, who wasn't that interested in shiny things, had her gaze drawn to that overly dazzling crown for a moment.
"The Queen of England's crown?"
Enid, who knew quite a bit about jewelry, recognized it and gasped.
"This... this craftsmanship is amazing! Is it a museum-grade replica? It looks so real!"
Wednesday's reaction was even more direct.
She carefully took the heavy crown, and without even glancing at the brilliant gemstones, she leaned in close.
Wednesday twitched her exceptionally sensitive little nose, carefully sniffing the extremely faint traces of time and scent lingering on the gold, the metal joints, and the crevices between the gemstones.
A few seconds later, she snapped her head up, her eyes widening even further, filled with unbelievable wonder:
"Cool! It's real! It's the actual one! It even has the smell of Queen Victoria's hair oil on it. Uncle Victor, you're too amazing! How did you get your hands on it?!"
Victor's face immediately contorted into an expression of extreme pain, as if a large chunk of his flesh had been cut off; he exaggeratedly clutched his chest:
"Don't mention it! For this, I used a whole crate of limited edition, out-of-print, super deluxe chocolate that money can't buy to trade with a bunch of blue-overalled, noisy, technical geniuses called Minions who I couldn't even understand! My heart is still bleeding!"
Victor resumed his smiling expression and said to Wednesday:
"Now, it's yours, little princess. So, with the payment made in advance, can you help me with that'small favor'?"
Wednesday tightly hugged the crown, which was several sizes larger than her head, her little face flushed with excitement as she nodded vigorously.
"Of course! Tell me, Uncle Victor! What do you want me to smell? Even if you want me to track a scent from a hundred years ago, I'll try!"
Victor carefully took a sealed transparent evidence bag from his pocket, which contained a small section of a twisted, hideous dark yellow claw—
The key evidence left behind by the Hyde monster.
"Here, smell this." He took out the claw and held it in front of Wednesday's nose.
"Then, help me find the person who has the most similar and intense...'scent' to this claw. I believe this will be a piece of cake for you, my dear super little nose."
Wednesday confidently puffed out her little chest, hugged the crown, and brought her nose close to the Hyde claw, taking a deep, professional breath.
Her tiny figure and the nature of the task formed a strange kind of 'gap moe.'
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