Lord of Mysteries:The Good Witch

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Chapter 37: The Investigation

It was already afternoon when Angel returned to Zoetland Street by public carriage. The slanting sunlight had a tinge of dusk, as if it had spread a layer of gold dust over the streets.

With her left hand tucked inside her coat sleeve, gripping the dagger left by the "Assassin," she carefully jumped off the carriage. This posture could easily lead to self-injury, but she couldn't brandish a weapon on public transport. That would get her kicked off within two stops, or worse, attract the attention of patrolling officers.

She quickly made her way from the carriage stop to the Black Thorn Security Company. The main door was half-open, just as it had been when she left at noon, with faint voices coming from inside.

In the reception room, Sigah Theorn sat on the sofa, her white hair contrasting with her dark eyes. She held a palm-sized notebook in one hand and a pen in the other, scribbling notes. Across from her sat Rosalyn, looking somewhat exasperated. She had apparently just been pulled onto the sofa, with a steaming cup of tea still on the reception desk.

Seeing Angel enter, Rosalyn jumped up from the sofa as if she'd seen a savior, exclaiming excitedly, "Angel's back! Why don't you just ask her directly?"

Before Sigah could react, Rosalyn darted back behind the reception desk, shrinking into her large chair, unwilling to move.

Angel looked at the white-haired lady in confusion. Sigah put down her notebook with a sigh and explained, "I just got back from Hoy University and heard from Rosalyn that you and Mr. Moretti took on a commission, even using divination to solve the problem. Well... I thought it would make for an interesting novel idea, so I wanted to ask about the details."

A novel idea? Looking at the notebook on the table, Angel recalled Brett's mention of "novel research" during their earlier lunch conversation, and understood.

"Detective work, divination, deduction - these elements combined would surely make for an engaging story. And if you add a thrilling battle at the end, it would be perfect," Sigah's eyes seemed to sparkle as she talked about novels.

"If it's convenient, could you tell me about the divination process? I've never quite understood the principles behind it, and old Neil is always so mysterious about it..."

"Of course, but I need to see the captain first. There are some things I need to report to him," Angel replied, finally understanding Rosalyn's earlier exasperation, as a similar expression appeared on her own face. "If there's time later, I'll discuss it with you in detail."

The excited writer studied her for a moment, confirming that Angel wasn't just brushing her off, then nodded. "Alright, business comes first."

She pointed towards the room divider. "The captain is in his office, possibly resting. Remember to knock."

"Thank you," Angel nodded in gratitude.

As she approached Dunn Smith's office door, Angel paused to collect her thoughts, recalling the events from receiving the commission to escaping the warehouse in the dock area. She organized her thoughts, ensuring she hadn't missed anything.

"Come in, the door's unlocked," Dunn's deep voice came from inside.

I haven't even knocked yet...

Angel was startled but entered the room.

Dunn Smith was sitting behind his desk, his coat hanging on the chair back and his hat casually placed on the desk. He looked somewhat relaxed. Seeing Angel, he nodded and asked, "Is the commission complete, or have you encountered some difficulty?"

"You already know..." Angel had prepared her report, but Dunn's first words threw her off balance.

"Rosalyn told me," Dunn said, his grey eyes twinkling with amusement. "As long as it doesn't interfere with your primary duties, I don't object to new members taking on simple commissions to help them integrate into the work. However, it's best to consult with others before taking action."

He then changed his tone. "But a commission worth 120 pounds would tempt even me, so it's understandable that you couldn't resist."

It seems he's not upset with me...

Angel breathed a sigh of relief. She pulled the dagger from her sleeve and placed it on Dunn's desk.

"The commission has been completed. Mrs. Green... the client, her information was correct. Thanks to Mr. Kleyne Moretti's precise divination, the process of recovering the ring went smoothly, but..."

She skipped the preparatory details that the captain likely already knew and began her account from entering the warehouse.

"In the Labor Mutual Aid Society chairman's office, I found a notebook recording various illegal activities of the society. Besides some traditional 'gang activities,' there was evidence suggesting they were involved in human trafficking. As I was about to leave with the notebook, I was attacked by an 'Assassin.' Not in the literal sense, but a Beyonder who had consumed the Assassin potion..."

Angel described their battle in detail.

When she produced the dagger, Dunn Smith's relaxed demeanor vanished. He sat up straight, listening intently to Angel's narrative, his expression growing increasingly serious.

"Are you certain that the hooded individual was a Beyonder who had consumed the 'Assassin' potion, and not just an exceptionally skilled ordinary person?" he asked with furrowed brows after hearing about the attack. "This is crucial, as it determines whether we hand this over to the police or handle it ourselves."

"I'm certain. Even if he hadn't verbally confirmed it, his abilities gave away his identity. Like this," Angel demonstrated, gripping the dagger with both hands, drawing it back to her chest. She stood with her feet apart, knees slightly bent, and demonstrated the Assassin's "Power Strike" in front of Dunn.

She first engaged her leg muscles, transferring the energy to her waist, then combining it with the twisting energy of her torso muscles, channeling it through her shoulders to her arms holding the dagger. Finally, the thrust of her arm muscles. All her joints worked in unison, concentrating the explosive force on the short dagger, striking out like lightning.

This is why Assassins need to lunge forward with their entire body when executing a "Power Strike."

Of course, Angel had no intention of stabbing her captain and subsequently being hunted by the entire Nighthawks.

After demonstrating the Assassin's ability, she stepped forward with her right foot, stomping on the floor with a "thud," halting her body's forward momentum just in time.

At this point, Dunn belatedly jerked his head back, as if preparing to dodge an attack.

"I see..." he settled back into his seat, raising an eyebrow. "Is it possible that this 'Assassin' had also received Mrs. Green's commission and just happened to run into you?"

"No, he was specifically after that notebook," Angel shook her head, refuting Dunn's suggestion.

"He was willing to risk injury, even death, to snatch the notebook from under my gun. He didn't care about any other valuables in the room, didn't even ask about them."

"In that case, the most likely scenario is that he's also involved in the Labor Mutual Aid Society's human trafficking?" Dunn analyzed. "Their chairman has been gone for a week, possibly in trouble or on the run. He came to retrieve the evidence."

"That's what I thought too, and there might be an even larger organization behind him. He's probably just an executor for the organization, not a participant or leader in the human trafficking," Angel added.

"If I were just trying to destroy evidence of my own crimes, I should flee when facing life-threatening danger, not continue to risk my life to retrieve evidence. Being wanted by the police means at worst leaving Tingen, or even going to another country. But if there's an organization above me, that's a different story."

She tried to think from the perspective of her opponent.

Dunn Smith nodded approvingly, "A very reasonable analysis."

"A Beyonder's superior is likely to be a Beyonder as well. If we can find this Assassin, we might be able to take down the entire illegal organization behind the human trafficking operation in one fell swoop," Angel continued, encouraged.

"I remember his appearance and can draw a sketch. This dagger might also provide some clues through divination. If..."

Dunn smiled and gestured with both hands, causing her voice to gradually lower.

"I'm sorry, I got a bit excited," she apologized.

"It's alright, that's not a bad thing. I was the same when I was young, but now we have to consider more factors," Dunn said, his eyes narrowing as if recalling something. After a moment, he continued, "The dock area is under the jurisdiction of the 'Mandated Punishers .' According to convention, we should hand this case over to them. However, since we discovered the lead, I'll try to keep it in our hands, or at least arrange for joint action."

"You mentioned earlier that most of the trafficked individuals came from the Intis County? This will also require cooperation from the local police there to investigate how many people are missing, and they'll need to issue the wanted notices. First, draw a sketch of the Assassin and give it to the police to print wanted posters. We'll let old Neil handle the divination. I'll take the dagger to him shortly, hoping he can find more clues."

"Since this case likely requires assistance from other jurisdictions, I'll have to report it to the Cathedral, and they'll decide whether to take action and when."

Dunn's deep, steady voice gradually calmed Angel down. She realized just how many aspects were involved in cases concerning Beyonders.

After all, even in this city of less than 200,000 people, there were three church Beyonder forces. Although nominally part of the same system as the police, they usually operated independently. Handling small cases on their own was fine, but once cooperation was needed, coordination between them became a headache.

Fortunately, there were higher-ups to deal with these problems...

Realizing this, Angel felt relieved.

She took the pencil and paper Dunn handed her and spent a few minutes sketching the "Assassin" from memory. Although Angel had never studied drawing in either of her lives, her memory and physical abilities enhanced by the potion allowed her to produce a decent likeness.

Handing over the sketch, which bore a 90% resemblance to the young Assassin, along with the recovered dagger to Dunn Smith, Angel had completed her mission. She was about to leave when, on a whim, she asked:

"By the way, Captain, do we need to hand over half of the other items obtained during the commission?"

She pulled out Mrs. Green's lost ring and the other jewelry she had found from her pocket, placing them on Dunn's desk along with the stack of old banknotes worth about twenty pounds.

Dunn Smith looked at these "spoils of war" in silence for a moment, then said with a smile:

"You could have kept these items, actually. Generally, other valuables obtained during a commission don't need to be handed over unless they involve supernatural powers."

"But since you've shown such team spirit, I'll pass these on to Mrs. Orianna. She'll estimate the value of these items and keep half as funds for the team's activities."

Rosalyn didn't mention this earlier...

Angel opened her mouth, somewhat tempted to take back the items on the desk, but ultimately resisted.

The remaining half is still worth 60 pounds, which is more than enough!

She consoled herself inwardly.