Duncan's pondering was naturally fruitless because he didn't know where to find a second breathing Sunist to test his deductions.
This kind of thing depends on fate and plenty of luck.
Pulling himself up, Duncan scanned the room and paced in a circle, causing the green torches to sway at his every step.
Believers who believe in their gods and receive a blessing may be seen by the ghost fire as a "supernatural object", then… what about ordinary people?
Does it have other effects than lighting up a room when lit on a mortal? If not, how much blessing must a god give the mortal before they are spiritually changed? Will it also work on the good god disciples?
Duncan calmly glanced at the ghost lights in the room and formed a faint and eerie smile.
"But they are still people…." Stopping here before his theories got out of hand, Duncan didn't want to cross a line of no return in his worldview.
This flame was a powerful force that could warp even the most dangerous of entities in this world. If he didn't keep reminding himself of this fact, he might actually lose awareness that he too was human and shouldn't think any less of his fellow man. Otherwise, what difference would he have from those monsters that treat others as mere sacrifices? That's a bridge of depravity he doesn't want to cross.
Exhaling softly to get his mind back in order, Duncan waved his hand to dismiss the green fireball that was floating in the air. Afterward, the environment in the basement quickly returned to normal as well, giving the guy a proper picture of the carnage that just took place in the hall.
More importantly, it also gave him room to think of what to do next.
The eccentric girl named Shirley was gone after using some special means of escape, and now he doesn't know where to look. A regrettable outcome since he still had a lot of questions he wanted to ask.
But no manner, instincts told Duncan they would eventually meet again. He was in search of information, and Shirley was also in search of information. Since their goals aligned, there's no way they wouldn't bump into each other. Besides, that Dark Hound called Dog didn't seem to be the type of character to stay quiet.
As for the mess here, Duncan had no interest in helping with the cleanup duty.
He picked up the golden mask and casually cleaned the soot off with his sleeve. This would make a fine trophy aboard the Vanished for further investigation.
"But it's a little bit too big to carry around…." Duncan muttered, then weighed his options, "In any case, an expert would probably recognize the item immediately. It may even draw the Storm Church's attention knowing they have some weird detection means."
I better not bring this back to the antique shop then. Even if I hide it, Nina might find it during her cleaning. By then, I won't be able to explain the mask's origin. Best to send it to the Vanished right away.
With that thought in mind, Duncan shifted his gaze over to Ai, who had been resting on his shoulder, and cocked his head to signal her to move it.
Reading his thought, the dove promptly chirped a counteroffer: "Big hammer is eighty, small hammer is forty!"
That irked Duncan a bit since he never thought about bargaining with his own pet: "Just work the overtime. When we get back, I'll figure out a way to make you some French fries aboard the Vanished. I want to see if you can bring the mask back on your own without my company."
The dove immediately flapped her wings and drew a circle in the air like some overjoyed pixie. "I wanted to refuse, but the offer you gave is too tempting!"
Then before the sentence was done, Ai had already transformed into her undead form and carried off the mask into the void. Duncan was still connected with the bird, of course. Right now, Ai's energy signature had appeared inside the captain's bedroom aboard the Vanished.
Damn, the delay is less than a second! SHE'S FAST! TELEPORTATION?
Duncan just sighed in his heart at how capable the bird was. Then before the ghost captain could think more, the boney undead bird had returned following a whisk of distorting air.
"Teleportation success!" The bird flapped her wings and chirped triumphantly.
In the following minutes, Duncan confirmed no blood had caught onto his clothes or the crime scene. He had never touched anything since entering for fear of leaving a fingerprint, so the extra precaution wasn't necessary. Then carefully prying open the iron door with his clothes as a cushion, he returned to the outside following the stairs.
By this hour, the sun, bound by the double rune ring, had gradually begun to set on the horizon, soon to be replaced by the giant crack in the night sky. This signaled Duncan to call it for the day. Nina would return home soon, and it wouldn't be good to snoop around at night and act all suspicious.
Besides, the kid's "Uncle Duncan" had just gotten better, so he needed to act the role of a good uncle did he not?
Quickly leaving the abandoned factory behind and taking the same route, the man soon found himself walking through sewage-smelling alleys until he heard the faint sound of traffic. He could still catch the last bus down to the lower sector if he hurried.
But Duncan stopped.
At the intersection not far ahead, he saw four men in uniform standing there. The first two wore dark blue police uniforms with epaulets on their shoulders. In contrast, the last other two wore slightly ecclesiastical black outfits in the shape of trench coats. However, the latter had another conspicuous thing hanging around their waists: a lantern decorated with runes, apparently used for night patrols.
This left Duncan stunned for a moment until he understood they were changing shifts for the night and not out to get him.
The police maintain order during the day, and the guardians protect the peace at night. This was a unique scenery to this world during the interchanging of day and night.
Knowing he hadn't been caught, Duncan casually marched over like a regular person. The less weird you behave, the less likely you would be suspected.
Eventually, a church guardian carrying out the handover finally noticed the figure coming toward them. Then raising a hand out in a stopping motion: "Citizen! It's getting dark. Go home as soon as possible. It's not safe outside."
"Gentlemen! I'm here to make a report," Duncan said sincerely as he walked over, quickening his pace during the last bit. "I heard a lot of movement in the abandoned factory over there. There were a lot of sneaky guys coming in and out of there earlier…"
Speaking of this, he paused and added: "I read in the newspaper before, saying that everyone should actively report suspicious gatherings and abnormal noises around them…"