In a luxurious manor, Gordon sat upright, explaining his purpose with a serious face to the beautiful woman across from him.
The woman had lovely blonde curls, a fair complexion, and wore an expensive gown. A beauty mark at the corner of her right eye added a unique charm.
But most striking was the necklace around her neck, featuring a nearly flawless emerald.
"I understand what you mean, Mr. Gordon."
The woman listened to Gordon's statement and shook her head lightly.
"But I'm sorry, I cannot accept your proposal."
"Why? Ms. Samantha, Phantom Thief Kid has likely targeted your necklace!" Gordon frowned.
The woman was Samantha Vanaver, the sole heir of the Vanaver family, currently unmarried.
The Vanavers were an ancient noble family. Long before Gotham was built, before the name "Gotham" even existed, they had been developing this land. They were one of the most influential families in the city.
If Bruce Wayne's great-great-grandfather, Alan Wayne, hadn't founded Wayne Enterprises and dominated the city's urban planning, making the Wayne family unprecedentedly powerful, the Vanavers might be Gotham's number one family today.
The Vanaver family had always kept a low profile, rarely appearing in public. However, things had changed recently.
As the sole heir, Samantha suddenly announced to the media that the 150th anniversary of the Vanaver family business was approaching. She decided to host a grand banquet at her private manor, inviting all of Gotham's dignitaries.
A few days ago, Darren had seen Samantha promoting the banquet and decided on the spot to make her emerald necklace his next target.
After thinking for a few days, Darren wrote the notice and delivered it to Gordon along with the Goddess's Tear, which he had grown tired of looking at.
Through the content of the notice, Gordon realized Kid's target was an emerald and quickly linked it to the high-profile Samantha.
He came personally to ask Samantha to let the police take the necklace into protective custody for the time being.
Unexpectedly, Samantha flatly rejected the proposal.
"I trust your intentions, Mr. Gordon, but this necklace was the favorite accessory of the Vanaver founder. It is the symbol of the family heir. I must wear it to the banquet."
"Can't you find a similar necklace to replace it?"
A trace of displeasure flashed in Samantha's eyes.
"You want me to wear a fake? Putting aside that the guests would easily spot it, as a Vanaver, I absolutely cannot agree to such a plan."
"Then... at least allow the GCPD to assist with security at the venue?" Gordon compromised.
"That is acceptable, but I do not want to see anyone in police uniforms in the banquet hall. I don't want to startle my guests."
Samantha's attitude was firm.
"Alright. Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Samantha."
Having reached this point, Gordon could only agree.
After Gordon left, the expression on Samantha's face changed instantly.
"Phantom Thief Kid. I heard he stole the Goddess's Tear from the museum? A petty thief dares to covet my necklace. Investigate him."
She ordered the empty room.
The next second, a respectful voice responded, "Yes, Mistress."
Then, the room returned to silence.
Gotham Clock Tower.
Tim and Barbara were gathered, both holding identical white cards.
It was Kid's notice.
"If it's an emerald, the Vanaver family necklace is the most likely candidate no matter how you think about it. Not only is it priceless, but rumor has it the necklace carries a terrible curse—everyone who wears it dies an unnatural death."
"It fits 'Cursed May Stone' perfectly."
Tim stated his opinion seriously.
"Agreed." Barbara nodded. "Tim, how much of this notice have you solved?"
"Pretty much all of it. Only the last sentence escapes me." Tim answered with a frown.
"Let's hear it. See if it's the same one I'm stuck on."
Barbara looked at Tim inquiringly. He didn't hesitate and began his deduction.
"'When Skoll and Hati cross paths for the thirteenth time,
The fragile mistletoe shall be stained with blood.
I will step upon the shaking heavenly road,
Ascend to the eternal feast of Valhalla,
And take away the Cursed May Stone.'"
"First, the 'May Stone' in the last line is almost certainly the Vanaver necklace. The line before it, 'eternal feast of Valhalla,' clearly refers to the banquet Samantha Vanaver is about to host."
"Starting from the first line: Skoll and Hati are the wolves in Norse mythology that chase the sun and moon. Every time they cross paths, it marks a cycle of day and night. The thirteenth crossing means thirteen days later."
Barbara nodded approvingly and picked up the thread. "'The fragile mistletoe shall be stained with blood' also refers to a Norse myth. Mistletoe, seemingly fragile and weak, was the only weakness of Baldr, the God of Light."
"Under the scheme of the trickster god Loki, Baldr was killed by his blind brother Hodr using a mistletoe dart. The ordinary plant was stained with the blood of a god."
"So, mistletoe stained with blood presages the death of Baldr. Baldr's death brings eternal darkness to the earth. Kid obviously doesn't have the power to plunge Gotham into eternal night, so this phrase likely refers to the moment the sun sets and night falls."
Combining their deductions, the message was: "Thirteen days from now, Kid will appear at the Vanaver Memorial Banquet after sunset to steal Samantha's emerald necklace."
Essentially, the lines they had decoded provided sufficient information: time, location, and target. Deploying security based on this was feasible.
Only one sentence remained, which neither Tim nor Barbara understood.
"'I will step upon the shaking heavenly road'... The shaking heavenly road refers to the Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge that connects the realms in Asgard, right? What does that mean in this context?"
They were baffled.
"Do you think Kid has a superpower to travel through space like the Bifrost, and this line describes his method?" Tim asked uncertainly.
"If he had such a powerful ability, why didn't he use it when stealing the Goddess's Tear?" Barbara countered.
"Then does it mean literally that Kid will create a rainbow-colored bridge?" Tim rested his chin on his hand.
"Or are we overthinking it, and this line actually has no practical meaning?"
- - - - -
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
Visit > Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations