Above the eternal gray fog.
"Everyone, a series of serial murders has occurred in Backlund recently. I wonder if you've heard of them."
Mr. Fool's reading time had ended. After communicating transaction information, [Justice] Audrey could not wait to bring up a topic.
Behind the long bronze table, the members of the Tarot Club reacted differently.
Serial murders... Oh, right, the case involving Devil worship rituals.
Sitting at the head of the table, [The Fool] Klein quickly recalled the details from the newspapers. He was somewhat curious why this matter would attract Justice's attention. Was it because it happened in Backlund where she lived?
"I've heard something about it at sea as well."
[The Hanged Man] Alger said in a deep voice. He had been at sea recently, only receiving news about the capital when he occasionally docked. "What, they haven't caught the killer yet?"
"So far, no."
Audrey shook her head. The large emerald gold pendants hanging from her earlobes swayed gently, complementing her emerald green eyes.
"That's a bit strange. The official Beyonders of Backlund shouldn't be this incompetent, right?"
Alger frowned.
[The Sun] Derrick listened to their exchange with a look of confusion.
Backlund seemed to be the capital of the kingdom called 'Loen.' A capital was the largest city of a city-state... From what they were saying, a case was happening there now...
He struggled to understand, relying on the knowledge the members had previously shared with him.
"...However, I now have a piece of information obtained from a secret channel. It's related to this case, but it might not be accurate."
At that moment, [Justice] Audrey suddenly threw out a rather enticing topic.
"If we want to know, is there a price to pay?"
Alger asked, his eyes flickering.
"No need, because I can't guarantee the information is completely accurate."
Audrey looked around and said, "There might be two killers in the serial murder case. One of them is named Lanevus."
Lanevus!
The moment he heard that name, Klein felt a boom in his mind.
Isn't that the guy who tried to create the spawn of an Evil God in Tingen?
He's in Backlund now too?!
In an instant, Klein recalled his days in Tingen, his colleagues at the time, and the Captain.
Involuntarily, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if he were smiling.
"Is there anything special about this name?"
Alger asked in confusion.
"He is a wanted criminal. In the official reports, he is described as a cunning swindler who, under the guise of starting a steel company,"
"nearly cheated people out of ten thousand pounds of property," Audrey said. "I don't know what happened to him, but the women killed by him were all burst open from the inside out by distorted lumps of flesh."
After the incident ended, she had naturally checked the name mentioned by Lu Ze and quickly found the wanted criminal of the same name. Based on the results, the photo of the wanted criminal was identical to the face she had seen on the lump of flesh that day.
Several days had passed since the incident at St. Elizabeth's Hospital. Due to her noble status, the official Beyonders did not make things difficult for Audrey; they only questioned her about the situation at the time. With the help of her potion, Audrey lied that she had fainted from fright and saw nothing, easily fooling them.
However, when Audrey's Mother found out she had ventured out, the usually gentle Countess Hall became very angry,
and directly grounded her temporarily. She was not allowed to go out for a short period and could only stay at home obediently, studying etiquette, grammar, philosophy, and other courses.
I just learned a big secret, and it's the critical time to start an investigation...
[Justice] Audrey thought with no small amount of regret. It seemed she could only entrust the matter to Xio and Fors.
Actually, she also wanted to take the opportunity to ask the members of the Tarot Club if they knew which Pathway a Beyonder who was good at manipulating flesh and could hide in the shadows belonged to. But thinking of that man's eerie and crazed state, and the agreement not to reveal his information, she hesitated and ultimately did not speak up.
"Everyone, I mentioned this today because I want to investigate Lanevus and would like some advice from you. Lanevus is a cunning swindler and is wanted by the authorities. Why would he commit a series of murders and use such a method?"
Audrey asked.
Alger crossed his arms and pondered for a while.
"I've heard of rituals involving Devil worship that involve murders targeted at specific individuals. This matches Lanevus's behavior, but as for the lumps of flesh in the victims' bellies, I don't know."
He said hesitantly.
Tap, tap.
Just then, at the head of the long bronze table, Klein lightly tapped the edge of the table with his finger.
Swish. The three of them stopped talking simultaneously and looked toward that distant and lofty figure at the head of the table.
They heard Mr. Fool say softly from behind the hazy gray fog, "True Creator."
True Creator?!
The expressions of the three changed slightly.
If that's the case, Lanevus's case actually involves an Evil God!
"Mr. Fool, are you saying that the shadow of the True Creator is behind this matter?"
Alger bowed his head respectfully to show his deference.
"Lanevus carries the aura of the True Creator."
Klein replied with a light chuckle. He wasn't lying; after all, Lu Ze had cast the Evil God's divinity into that guy's belly... Speaking of which, he wouldn't actually be pregnant, would he?
Thinking of the eerie and ridiculous image of a man being pregnant with the spawn of an Evil God, he didn't know whether to laugh for a moment.
The group fell silent for a while.
"If you launch an investigation into Lanevus, I hope you can inform me of the results in a timely manner."
Alger looked at Audrey and said seriously, "I can pay for it."
"I understand, I will."
Audrey also nodded slowly. She was a bit hesitant about whether she should entrust the matter to Xio and Fors; could they handle it?
Right, as long as I have Mr. Fool... She hurriedly turned to face Klein.
"Mr. Fool, if there is progress or if a situation arises that I cannot control, may I pray to you?"
Audrey saw with pleasant surprise that the lofty figure nodded slightly after a moment of silence.
"You may."
Klein also wanted to know the news and was worrying about how to bring it up. Though a bit guilty, he still maintained his mysterious and unfathomable image.
If all else fails, I'll contact Mr. Azik.
He said to himself inwardly.
Noisy sounds came from outside the house, waking the muddled Lu Ze.
Opening his eyes, he found himself sitting on the living room sofa, his sister nowhere in sight.
The shouting from outside continued. It was a girl's immature yet forcedly firm voice, sounding somewhat familiar, as if it came from his new landlord. Besides her voice, there were more coarse curses from men.
Trouble so soon?
Lu Ze looked down, used his teeth to bite open the leather strap restraining his arm, then used his freed hand to unfasten the straitjacket and stepped out the door.