As Karina, the Crimson Queen, and Lionel Lockhart, William's father, made their unexpected visit to the Silver Prism Motherbase, a wave of surprise rippled through the entire facility. Max and Kotu, in whispers to each other, expressed their astonishment at seeing the Crimson Queen for the first time.
William, anxious and concerned, addressed his father, "Father... What has happened to Scarlett?!"
Lionel Lockhart, visibly perturbed, replied, "William, I'm not entirely informed about the situation. This is all new to me... The Queen herself will provide the details."
Crimson Queen Karina stepped forward, commanding the attention of everyone present. "Silver Prism," she began, her voice commanding, "my daughter, Princess Scarlett Winstanley, has been abducted. I discovered her absence from her chambers and received a message indicating her kidnapping."
Her words hung heavily in the air, causing an unsettling silence to envelop the room as the gravity of the situation sank in.
Crimson Queen Karina nodded gravely, her concern evident in her voice. "I am willing to offer any sum you require to retrieve my daughter safely."
Eliza contemplated for a moment before responding, "Your Majesty, if you could share the details of the message with us, we might be able to ascertain the situation more clearly."
Karina, the Crimson Queen, nodded in agreement. "I shall forward the message to you immediately."
Asher, taking the initiative, proposed, "Your Majesty, perhaps it would be prudent for us to conduct our investigation at your palace."
"Indeed, that's a prudent suggestion," agreed the Crimson Queen. "Very well, let us convene at my palace."
At the Empire of Crimson Land
As Joseph, William, Asher, Felix, Lionel, and Crimson Queen Karina arrived at the Empire of Crimson Land, they began scouring the chamber for clues.
Joseph called out, "I found something over here!"
"What is it, Joseph?" William inquired.Joseph showed them a torn cloth.
"Looks like some sort of crest," Crimson Queen Karina remarked.
Felix suggested, "Perhaps checking the recorded footage from the CCTV might give us more insight?"
"Agreed, let's head to the security room and review the CCTV footage," responded Crimson Queen Karina.In the security room, they watched the footage revealing Scarlett desperately running through the chamber, pursued by mysterious figures. She grappled with them, managing to tear a few pieces of cloth from their attire in a struggle before grabbing a knife.
As they delved deeper into the footage, the CCTV suddenly went dark. "Tskkk! The CCTV's been hacked!" William exclaimed, frustratedly smacking the table.
Joseph swiftly contacted Eliza. "Boss, any information on this?" he inquired.
Eliza's reply came regretfully, "Unfortunately, nothing at the moment."
Joseph pressed on, "We've found a clue," showing the torn half of the crest that Scarlett had managed to rip off.
"Hmm... that's good. What about the other half?" Eliza asked.Felix played the recorded footage for Eliza, who watched intently. "I see... this should be enough. You've done well," she commended.
Then, a sudden realization struck Eliza. "Hold on... Asher, zoom in closer."
Asher adjusted the footage, zooming in on a specific area. "Scar... from the cheek and chin... perhaps we can identify this suspect," Eliza deduced.
Eliza commanded, "Return to the Motherbase right now!"
Back at the Motherbase, Eliza instructed the team, "I want you to scour the black market for any information about this guy."
Joseph, William, Asher, and Felix readied themselves in disguise. Joseph donned his typical attire as a junk part collector. Asher and Felix, disguised as merchants, wore turbans and altered clothing. But when they noticed William's choice of attire, things took an unexpected turn.Joseph quipped, "What are you wearing? People are going to notice!"
William retorted, "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?!"
Joseph continued, "In your royal attire, you'll stand out!"
William joked, "Then I want you to be my slave."
Asher stepped in, offering William different clothes. "Here, try this."
William, having changed, protested, "What is this?!"
Asher replied, "Isn't it great on you? A pink shirt and yellow slacks."
William grumbled, "So you want me to be a flower boy?!"
Felix chimed in, "It's not a flower boy, it says 'bad boy' on the back. A bad boy suits you."
William scoffed, "i m not a bad boy! And I don't like pink!"
Joseph intervened, offering William another costume. "Fine, try this one."
As William tried on Joseph's suggestion, he questioned, "Are you serious about this!?"
Joseph teased, "Again? What?"
William relented, "Do you really want me to wear this costume?!"
"Hmm... a wolf costume... it suits you," Joseph remarked.
William agreed with a resigned "Okay."
As the team finished their preparations, Eliza arrived to inspect their disguises. "Good job, everyone. And the wolf costume... an interesting choice," she murmured to herself, finding it cute.
However, without skipping a beat, she continued with a serious tone, "Anyway, the Crimson Queen will be providing support for this investigation. Remember, don't disappoint me."
As they reached the black market, William, donned in his wolf costume, reminded the team, "Remember, we need to gather information and clues."
"Sure thing," replied Joseph. However, his attention was quickly diverted by a new, intricately designed machine meant for junk part collection. His love for machinery made him lose focus on the investigation."Joseph! Come on, focus!" exclaimed William, exasperated.
Suddenly, a group of kids approached him."Hey, it's a wolf!" one of the kids remarked.
"Oh no! Asher, Felix, it's up to you now. Go gather some information!" directed William.
"Seems like unexpected things happen," Asher remarked. "Alright, we'll try our best to gather some information."
"Whenever you find an opportunity, assist us too," Felix added.
Having walked through the black market for four hours already, Felix observed, "Brother, it's been four hours and we haven't found any clues."
"Yeah, you're right. Let's take a break first. It's scorching outside; a drink would be perfect," Asher agreed.
Felix nodded. "Yes, a cold drink might help."
They stepped into an inn bar, taking seats as the bartender inquired about their drink of choice. Both Asher and Felix ordered the same refreshment—a cold soda.
As Asher and Felix sipped their cold sodas, the bartender slid them the receipt with a note: "You're not from around here, right? I overheard their conversation."Surprised, Asher and Felix exchanged a glance and replied quietly, "We see..." muttered Asher.The trio, the bartender included, listened to the conversation. The bartender scribbled another note on the receipt: "My instincts tell me you're seeking something. Seems like they might know about Princess Scarlett."Whispering, Asher and Felix inquired, "Who are you, old man?"The bartender responded with yet another note, "The Queen once saved me. In gratitude, I wish to assist."Understanding, Asher nodded.The mysterious figures finished their conversation, approached the bartender, and paid their tab.The Bartender hastily wrote another note for Asher and Felix: "Hurry, follow them discreetly."
After Asher and Felix finished their drinks, they discreetly started tailing the mysterious figures.Midway, the figures abruptly halted. Sensing the suspicion, Asher and Felix swiftly diverted their attention, pretending to engage with a nearby merchant.
Without warning, the mysterious figures dashed off. Felix, ready to pursue, felt Asher's hand halt him in his tracks. "Wait... if we chase after them, they'll know we're onto them. Act casual... let's not raise any alarms."
As Asher and Felix shadowed the mysterious figures to a specific location, they opted to hide behind a nearby wall to eavesdrop on their conversation. Unexpectedly, one of the figures detected their presence. "You there! Reveal yourselves," the figure commanded.
Reluctantly, Asher and Felix emerged from their hiding spot, only to find themselves facing the barrel of a gun wielded by one of the figures. "Where did you come from?" demanded the mysterious group.
Surrounded and pressured, Asher and Felix remained silent, prompting the figures to issue an ultimatum. "I'll count to three. If you stay silent, death will be your only answer."
"Okay, fine, we're not from around here!" Asher responded to their query.
The mysterious figure, still aiming the gun, pressed further, "Where did you come from?"Before Asher could reply, the figure changed the focus, pointing the gun towards Felix.
"I don't want to hear your answer. I want his," indicating towards Felix.
Quickly, Asher intervened, "He's unable to speak due to a disability," fabricating a response.
The figure, undeterred, remarked, "Not able to speak? We had someone who can understand that," as the mysterious figure calling out his sign language interpreter.
Asher muttered under his breath, "Ah, damn."