On the noisy morning streets of Wokan Town, Dorothy stood by the roadside, turning her head to look at the shop signs beside her, her expression focused as if deep in thought.
'Photography studio? Yes... in this world, which resembles a modern foreign country, photography studios are specialized in this era.'
Dorothy thought to herself. In her original world, taking a photo was a casual matter, whereas in this world, it was still a luxury. Dorothy had never taken a single photo since she was a child.
At this moment, looking at the photography studio before her and recalling the contents of the two letters she had seen earlier, some ideas began to form in Dorothy's mind.
Thinking of this, Dorothy slowly walked up to a black bread shop on the street and asked the owner.
"Excuse me, how long has this photography studio next door been open in town? Is their technique good?"
"Ah, Henry? It's been open in town for almost ten years. Their technique is top-notch. If you have spare money, you can't go wrong with taking a photo there."
Having received the bread shop owner's feedback, Dorothy nodded thoughtfully.
"It seems necessary to take one..."
Muttering to herself, Dorothy walked into the photography studio. The Light inside the studio wasn't very good. A bald old man wearing glasses was sitting behind a long table, concentrating on repairing a large camera, with a pile of various parts scattered on the table.
When he saw Dorothy enter, a hint of doubt appeared between the old man's brows. While he was still trying to determine if the young girl before him was a homeless child begging, Dorothy had already placed several coins in front of him.
"Mr. Henry? The studio can take photos now, right..." Looking at the old man whose eyes were gleaming, Dorothy said with a smile, and the old man also replied with a smile.
"Heh heh... Of course, Miss, you can take a photo anytime."
"Mm... good. Then, may I ask? Do you have any props for taking photos here?" Looking at the old man, Dorothy continued to ask.
"Of course, we do. Our shop has a variety of costumes and backdrops to choose from. I see that your features, Miss, are very good. If you dress up a bit in the clothes I have, you'll definitely have the look of a Count's daughter... No, no, a Duke's daughter!" Looking at Dorothy before him, the old man said quite confidently, while Dorothy waved her hand and responded with a smile.
"No need for clothes or anything like that. Do you have ropes and cloth strips here?"
"Ropes... and cloth strips?"
Looking at the young girl with a smile, a hint of doubt appeared in the old man's eyes.
...
Unlike Dorothy's previous life, taking photos in this world was quite troublesome. The exposure time was long, and the photos needed to be developed afterward. It often took several days to get the photos after taking them. However, because Dorothy used the skill 'Add Money', this time was greatly shortened.
After taking the photo, Dorothy strolled around the street twice more, had lunch, and bought herself a change of clothes. By then, it was afternoon.
Returning to the photography studio, under the somewhat strange gaze of the owner, Henry, Dorothy retrieved the photo she had taken that morning.
Walking on the street, Dorothy opened the envelope containing the photo and took out the picture to look at it. It showed a young girl tied to a chair, her mouth bound with cloth strips, looking at the camera with a hateful expression. The girl's flowing hair was extremely pale white, a color that was evident even in this black and white photo.
This was the photo Dorothy had taken at the photography studio in the morning. She had pretended to tie herself up with ropes and wrapped cloth strips around her mouth before sitting on the chair for the photo. The owner, Henry, had watched her actions with a strange look the entire time.
Putting the photo back into the envelope, Dorothy continued walking on the street. After constantly asking for directions, she wandered around Wokan Town until she reached the edge of Vokan, a street called 'North Street'.
At the corner of a crossroad, she silently observed a distant ruined house that appeared completely charred, seemingly from a fire. Counting the house numbers along that row, it happened to be number 24.
Dorothy looked around and saw a homeless man begging on the street. She then walked over with a smile, took out two coins from her pocket, and dropped them into the broken bowl in front of the homeless man.
"Ah... hehe... May the Holy Mother protect you, kind Miss..." Seeing the coins in the bowl, the disheveled homeless man raised his head and smiled at Dorothy, revealing a mouth missing several teeth.
Seeing this, Dorothy smiled slightly, then took out two more coins and jingled them in front of the homeless man. After his eyes widened, Dorothy took out the envelope containing the photo and handed it to him.
"Put this into the mailbox in front of number 24, and then these two coins are also yours."
Seeing this, the homeless man nodded vigorously, then grabbed the envelope and ran towards the distant ruined house. After he stuffed the envelope into the mailbox, he quickly ran back. When he returned to his original spot, he found that the young girl who had instructed him was gone, and there were two more coins in the broken bowl he had left behind.
After quickly leaving North Street, Dorothy wandered around the town again. After finding a general store, she bought a bottle of ink, a fountain pen, several sheets of letter paper, and an envelope. By the time she finished shopping, it was almost dusk.
Carrying the things she had bought, Dorothy walked in the twilight of the setting sun. She found a restaurant with a decent environment, ordered a large steak for dinner, and sat in a quiet corner.
While waiting for dinner to be served, she placed the paper and pen on the table. After filling the fountain pen with ink, she began to write on the paper. After writing, she felt dissatisfied, crumpled it up, and wrote again on a new sheet, making an effort to make her handwriting a bit messy, suppressing Dorothy's original writing habit.
Finally, after writing several drafts, Dorothy finally produced a satisfactory one. She held the letter paper up to her eyes and examined it carefully.
...
Esteemed Mr. Edrick:
The plan has changed, but the transaction continues. However, the time and location need to be altered.
The transaction location will be changed to the middle of the woods west of Vokan. The time will be around 12 AM on April 10th, which is tomorrow night. We will be waiting for you there with the reward we promised to give you. This reward can allow you to take a big step forward the moment you enter the extraordinary domain.
Additionally, we need to remind you that we seem to have been targeted, not by the An Yin Bureau or the Church. The origin and purpose of the other party are currently unclear, but their methods are extremely strange and very dangerous. This is also the reason we temporarily changed the plan. Therefore, please be extra careful when you come.
Finally, may you and we enjoy a feast at the same dining table in the future, sharing the wonder bestowed by the Great Blood cup.
...
After reading the short letter she had written, Dorothy nodded with satisfaction, then put it into the envelope. At this moment, the steak she had ordered earlier also arrived.
After enjoying a steak with a knife and fork, which she was unaccustomed to using, Dorothy left the restaurant with her belongings and then walked straight towards the outskirts of Wokan Town.
In the quiet outskirts, Dorothy first used the matches on her person to burn the drafts she had brought out from writing the letter. Then, she found the place where she had hidden the Corpse Puppet last night.
Looking at the lush pile of weeds before her, Dorothy extended her hand. With the activation of the Corpse Puppet Ring's power, a figure stood up from within the weeds.
Clad in damp, dark clothes, with a pale face and lifeless eyes, this was the body of one of Edrick's subordinates that Dorothy had manipulated the previous night.
Walking up to the body, Dorothy extended the envelope in her hand forward, and the Corpse Puppet reached out and took the envelope.
...
The sun set, the moon rose, and night fell.
Wokan Town welcomed the night once again, and the streets became deserted once more.
Due to limited lighting resources, not all houses in the town were lit. Few places could remain brightly lit throughout the night, and the police station in Wokan Town was one of the few.
The police station in Wokan Town was located near a crossroad slightly east of the town center. At the entrance of the police station, a police officer wearing a helmet and a black uniform, with a baton attached to his waist, stood guard under an electric Light. His gaze swept across the quiet, deserted street before him, and he occasionally yawned.
"What time is it? It should be time for the shift change..."
With drowsy eyes, the police officer on guard grumbled. After rubbing his eyes once more, he saw a figure appear on the dark street in the distance.
At first, the police officer didn't pay much attention, thinking it was a loafer or someone working late returning home. But after a while, he noticed that the figure was getting closer and closer to him.
He seemed to be walking towards him...
Seeing this, the police officer on guard began to become slightly alert. When he noticed that the figure's speed was increasing and its target was clearly himself, the police officer had already gripped the baton at his waist.
"Hey! Stand still! Where are you from? What do you want to do?"
The police officer drew his baton and pointed it at the figure, who was already very close to him. At this point, he could clearly see the figure's appearance.
It was a man, wearing dark trousers and a shirt, with a sturdy and robust build, tattoos on his hands, a pale face, and lifeless eyes.
Seeing the figure before him clearly, the police officer was startled, then blurted out cautiously.
"You, you're Ed the Mad Dog's thug, Wood?! What are you doing here? Did that guy, the Mad Dog, send you?!"
Facing the man before him, the police officer was a little nervous. After all, Ed the Mad Dog was quite notorious in this town.
The man named Wood did not answer the police officer's words. He quietly looked at the police officer before him with dull eyes. Just as the police officer felt that something was wrong, Wood's mouth suddenly twitched, revealing a stiff and eerie smile.
Immediately after, Wood fell forward stiffly like a piece of wood, directly towards the police officer.
"Ah!"
Facing the horrifying scene before him, the police officer was so scared that he directly jumped back. After calming down slightly, the police officer wondered if the other party was drunk and had fallen down. So, he swallowed, bent down, and reached out to check the other party's breath. Then, his pupils suddenly contracted.
"D-dead..."
The police officer on guard's legs went weak, and he sat down on the ground, quickly shuffling back a distance, desperately moving away from the strange corpse. After taking a few deep breaths, the police officer stood up using his baton, turned around, pushed open the door behind him, and entered the police station.
A few minutes later, several police officers came out of the police station, looking at the corpse lying at the entrance with astonishment.
Among them, a middle-aged police officer without a hat, who was leading the group, spoke with a solemn expression after examining the situation before him.
"It really is Wood... How did he die..."
"N-no idea, Captain! He was just alive a moment ago! He walked over from over there... from over there, walked right up to me, didn't say a word, smiled at me, and then just fell down dead! This... this... this is absolutely horrifying! Ah... Saint Father above..."
Beside the Captain, the police officer on guard explained excitedly, gesturing wildly. By the end, he was starting to become incoherent. Seeing the police officer on guard in this state, the Captain frowned.
"So strange... Could it be..."
The Captain's expression grew even more serious. After thinking for a moment, he instructed the police officers around him.
"Guard the scene. Don't touch anything..."
After giving the instructions, the Captain walked straight into the police station, went up to the telegraph operator who was dozing off, and woke him up.
"Confidential matter. Immediately contact the Igwinte An Yin Bureau. Tell them to have the Hunter Squad near Wokan come over quickly..."
"Just say... there's a confidential incident... involving a death..."