East Borough, in a terrace house in a narrow alley.
The gang leader, Darkholme, who controlled many beggars and thieves, was throwing darts at a target on the wall in boredom as he waited for his servant to serve dinner.
The door creaked open.
Darkholme looked in the direction of the sound, and just as he was about to reprimand his servant for being too slow and causing him to starve, he realized that the person who had walked in from the bedroom's door wasn't his beautiful maid, but an unfamiliar man with a unique wide chin and dark green eyes.
"Who are you?" Darkholme asked, about to take out his revolver from his holster.
But before he could finish his actions, he suddenly felt an unimaginable pressure. He felt as if an electric current was running through his mind, forming a barbed whip that constantly lashed at his soul.
This "feel" was painful and numbing, as though it came from deep within the brain, making it impossible to resist. All he could do was tremble as his knees buckled.
Therefore, Darkholme immediately knelt down.
At that moment, he felt that facing this man was like facing the increasingly powerful Arbiter, Xio Derecha…
No, he's much more terrifying than Xio! At the very least, Xio wouldn't kill anyone. As for the person in front of me… I have a nagging feeling that he's going to eat me up…
As his thoughts raced, the gang leader, who always had an amiable smile on his chubby face, immediately lowered his eyes and said in a sycophant manner, "Lord, is there anything you need of me? Just instruct me."
In the dark environment, the man aimed the black, digestive glove on his left hand at Darkholme and slowly asked,
"Who got you to investigate the missing tramp?"
Darkholme heaved a sigh of relief and replied without hesitation,
"It's a bounty hunter named Arbiter, Xio Derecha."
"Bounty hunter? Why would a bounty hunter care about a tramp from East Borough?" The man snorted and walked towards Darkholme. The feeling of being beaten in the soul descended once again.
"I don't know… She gave me 10 pounds for the investigation fee… I was just doing something with the money…" Darkholme didn't dare to lie, and he quickly revealed all the missions Xio had assigned him.
The man fell silent for a moment before pressing with a hoarse voice,
"Tell me in detail about the bounty hunter and her residence."
Darkholme had no intention of hiding the truth for Xio. He answered honestly,
Xio Derecha is a very famous Arbiter in East Borough, the dock area, and the factory district. She's trusted by everyone from the poor to the factory owners. Even when many gangs have disputes, they would hire her to be Arbiter…
In addition, she has a close relationship with Backlund's Hero Detective, Ebner Bryan. They often have breakfast together…
"Also, there are rumors that she has already become an official secret agent… But this is just gossip, and I can't guarantee that it's true. As for where she lives… I really don't know… Perhaps she's living with that Hero Detective?"
"Hero Detective… Secret Agent? Is it MI9?" the man muttered to himself. Then, with his black-gloved left hand, he patted Dwayholme's body and said emotionlessly, "Very good, very honest."
Darkholme heaved a sigh of relief, believing that he had just been saved by being sensible.
At least he managed to survive this time.
But at that moment, he suddenly saw the man spread open the fingers of his left glove. A mouth had opened up in the middle!
Darkholme's thoughts froze, and his body instantly turned into a lump of flesh as he threw himself into the mouth.
After a while, the maid who had fallen asleep for some baffling reason served the newly heated dinner in fear.
She thought she would be severely punished, but when she pushed open the door, she didn't see the owner. There was only a pile of clothes scattered on the floor.
…
Tingen City.
At half past seven in the evening, Klein, who had successfully borrowed the Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem and made two Flaring Sun Charms, finally arrived at Zouteland Street and handed over Sealed Artifact 3-0782.
After confirming that the Captain didn't notice anything unusual, Klein left the Blackthorn Security Company in a good mood and returned home before eight.
He took out his keys and opened the door to see an unfamiliar figure.
It was obviously a young girl who wasn't even in her twenties. She was wearing an old gray dress and was wiping the dining hall with all her might.
She had black hair and brown eyes. Her eyes were small, her nose wasn't sharp enough, and her facial features were very ordinary.
Who is it? Klein was taken aback at first before he realized that she might be a maidservant who was here to try out her chores.
At this moment, Benson lowered his newspaper and looked at his brother. He said with a smile,
"A company that doesn't allow employees to leave work on time is annoying."
"But the salary it pays will heal this injury," Klein replied with a smile.
After receiving the 300 pounds that Mr. Tower had sacrificed, Klein felt a lot more confident. He leaned his cane, took off his top hat, and walked to the living room. Then, he looked around and asked curiously,
"Where's Melissa?"
"She has a gathering tonight. Just now, Miss Elizabeth and Miss Selena sent someone to pick her up… Don't worry, I've already confirmed that it's fine. Besides, she won't be back too late. You have to leave some space for your sister to socialize," Benson replied with a chuckle.
Is it a girls' gathering… Klein nodded slightly, but he was still a little worried. Hence, he took off the silver chain inside his left sleeve as an excuse to head to the bathroom. He let the topaz pendant hang steadily and silently.
"Melissa is currently in danger."
…
After seven times, he opened his half-closed eyes and saw the topaz pendant spinning counterclockwise.
There's no danger… Klein immediately heaved a sigh of relief.
Following that, he removed the wall of spirituality and walked out of the bathroom in a relaxed mood for dinner.
Benson watched as his brother forked a piece of mashed potatoes, pork, and sausages with a fork. He said thoughtfully, "Klein, you've been going to the washroom quite frequently recently… I suggest you go to the hospital to take a look…
Klein nearly threw his fork away when he heard that. After a moment of silence, he raised his voice and emphasized, "Benson, I'm very healthy."
"I heard from a friend that the powder sold at a folk herb store on Vlad Street is quite effective… If you don't want to go to the hospital, you can try it there." Benson ignored his brother's emphasis and continued suggesting.
Vlad Street? Isn't that a herb store suspected to be run by Beyonders? But the last time I checked, the store had already changed hands… Could it be that the person who took it is also a Beyonder? Yes, I'll check it another day.
Despite having such thoughts, Klein said perfunctorily, "The original owner of that herb store is no longer around."
"So you've already been there." Benson was enlightened.
Klein suddenly felt that he couldn't explain himself, so he could only change the topic. "Why did Melissa and the rest gather?"
"It seems like a new teacher came to the public school where Miss Elizabeth and Miss Selena studied. Oh, it's a lady… They were welcoming the teacher, and Melissa was invited as a friend.
"Heh heh, I heard that this lady is also from Backlund, but she's different from the person named Kapusky from Melissa's school. It's said that this teacher is very skilled, and she won the affection of most of the girls in public schools in less than a day," Benson replied after some thought.
So that's how it is… Klein nodded slightly and then put the mashed potatoes and pork sausages to his mouth and took a bite.
At the same time, in a restaurant on Tingen Howes Street, a group of young girls raised their cups and said in unison,
"Welcome to Tingen, Teacher Lena."
"I hope Teacher Lena will forever be young and beautiful."
"Ms. Lena, cheers."
A beautiful, scholarly lady sitting at the head of the table watched this scene with a smile. She raised her cup in greeting before downing the beverage.
…
Backlund. After having a meal with Miss Fani, Ebner returned home with the stack of Roselle's manuscripts at Cherwood Borough's Kingst Street.
When he returned to his bedroom, he first got Mrs. Skade to prepare some beverages and dessert before he settled himself comfortably on the sofa.
Then, he pulled out a page from the stack of diary pages, took a sip of his beverage, and began reading.