Shiller selected the "Literature Research" skill for himself. It was a skill specifically designed for reading theological texts and abnormal literature, and since his attributes leaned more towards physical strength, exploring literature and deciphering clues seemed a more suitable fit for him.
Unsurprisingly, Batman and Night Owl likely chose skills related to physical strength; they were the main source of physical damage, and currently, he could not discern the other individuals' tendencies.
"What did you just hear?" Primary Universe Batman asked.
Shiller repeated the sentences he had heard, and Batman, deep in thought, said, "This could be a clue from the Wanderer. He comes with the snow, which could mean that this character only appears on snowy days, and it has indeed been snowing these past few days."
"How did you deduce that?" Shiller purposely asked.
Primary Universe Batman glanced at the fireplace and said, "You can tell by the amount of firewood."
That was in keeping with his character—after all, the Primary Universe Batman also played the role of a survival expert. Many survivalists enjoyed challenging themselves in extreme climate conditions, so his knowledge of wood-burning and heating in extreme weather was perfectly normal.
Shiller turned to look at the fireplace. A pile of firewood filled the entire wall next to it. If the weather hadn't been so harsh, there would be no need to bring so much firewood inside.
If that was the case, then the mud on the feet of the corpse didn't make sense. If it had been snowing continually, the detectives arriving at the location recently couldn't possibly have dry mud on their shoes.
"Did you see any footprints when you went out just now?" Shiller looked towards Primary Universe Batman, though he clearly wasn't holding out much hope, given that any footprints would have been covered by the heavy snowfall.
Primary Universe Batman shook his head as expected.
"Then, this place might not be the original crime scene." Shiller said, "The detective wasn't murdered here. He might have been dragged to this spot by something."
"But there are no drag marks on his body." the Pale Knight moved to the other side of the corpse and observed, "Even if he was wearing thick clothes and they prevented scratches on his skin, there would surely be marks on the clothing. But there are none; his clothing is in good condition."
"What if the perpetrator could fly?" Greed posited.
Silence fell among the group, and Shiller sighed, saying, "If the body was likely killed by the Wanderer, and if the killer could fly, then he shouldn't be called the Wanderer—he should be called Iron Man."
Greed didn't respond, as he wasn't the typical detective type and had little interest in pursuing these kinds of deductions.
He walked over to the head of the corpse but suddenly let out a cry of surprise, pointing to the head and saying, "Look at this."
The others followed his finger, and Shiller leaned in for a closer look, though he noticed nothing particularly special until he crouched down and looked at the top of the corpse's head.
There was a distinct bloodstain on the top of the head.
Of course, in its current state, there was blood everywhere on the body, but the top of the head was especially gruesome.
The upper half of the body had been split right down the middle, naturally including the scalp, which was now divided. The flesh on the very top of the head appeared abraded and bloody. Among the torn skin and tissue, there were traces of dirt and little stones.
A picture flashed through Shiller's mind.
"He was walking upside down," Shiller suddenly said.
Shiller's response was too quick—in the time it took for the others to form a concrete image in their minds, he made a startling revelation that took everyone by surprise.
Previously, it was noted that the body was in an X-shape, with only a small part in the middle still intact, and his feet had dry mud on them. In a place that had been experiencing heavy snowfall for several days, such mud should have been impossible—which meant his feet might not have touched the snow.
But if you turned the X-shape upside down, meaning the corpse was using its split upper half as legs to walk, then it would easily explain why there was no snow on the feet, but severe abrasion on the scalp.
Staring at the ghastly face of the deceased, everyone was silent. This so-called abnormality was even more brutal than they had imagined.
"Why would it do that?" Shiller muttered, "If it could control a human's movement, why wouldn't it walk in a normal posture?"
Shiller recalled the sentences he had heard beside the body: emerging with heavy snow, wandering by the window, never stopping, until descending like the God of Death.
He faintly sensed a connection among the words, but still couldn't quite comprehend it fully. Although not much time had passed, Shiller was already starting to miss his innate talents.
"It looks like the first abnormality we have to deal with is him," Joker said grimly, "There's another question, though: Why did he come here?"
Everyone looked at the body lying on the ground. Indeed, it was a good question—if this wasn't the original crime scene of this detective's murder, why did something within his body compel him to come here?
Is there anything special about this small cabin?
"Let's explore separately," the Primary Universe Batman said, "but be cautious — walls have ears."
His gaze fell on Bruce and Night Owl, obviously warning them not to say anything superfluous.
Although the cabin seemed isolated, it was unclear if there were others in the other rooms. If they spoke carelessly and failed to gain trust later, it would be troublesome.
Several people began to search for clues in the living room.
The cabin's furniture was sparse, with only a carpet, sofa, lounge chair, fireplace, bookshelf, and kerosene lamp — nothing more.
Shiller focused on the bookshelf, which had only two books, one on bait-making guides, and the other on last century's warships and weapons.
Both books showed obvious signs of use; the cabin's owner was possibly a fishing enthusiast and military fan.
There were two drawers below the bookshelf. Shiller opened the unlocked one, found a candle, and pocketed it.
The other drawer was locked, and without a Lock Opening Skill, Shiller could only shout to see if anyone else had the skill. Surprisingly, Greed did.
"I'll do it!" Greed stepped over the body and began using his Lock Opening Skill. He rolled the dice and failed. He tried again and failed once more.
Shiller stood behind him, holding his forehead in despair. There was no choice but to look for the key.
Next to the lower right of the bookshelf was a small cabinet, thankfully unlocked. Shiller found a broken hairdryer, plastic bags, a box of rusty screws and strange parts, and a pile of buttons inside.
Remembering the bait-making guide he had read, Shiller thought these could be materials the owner collected to make fake bait. The hairdryer could have been used to dry glue.
No key was found here, but soon Night Owl called out. He raised his hand, showing the key he found under the carpet.
It clearly wasn't the key to the bookshelf drawer, as the size differed. It looked like the key for the kitchen door.
The group moved to open the kitchen door, while Shiller continued to search for the drawer key. Finally, he found a small key behind the kerosene lamp.
With the key, the lock opened without the need for a dice roll. Inside the drawer was a diary.
"16th, the weather is clear, a bit cold. Some disturbance in the village — seems someone's goat went missing. I'm not too interested in that. I want to catch a big fish before the stream freezes over."
"It's devilish! Usually, there would be plenty of fish at this time, but what's happening today? Not a single catch! Could it be my skills have waned?"
"17th, it's overcast, feels like it's going to snow. The missing goat was found — it will probably become delicious mutton soup soon. I'd love a bowl... but better not. I know I'm ugly, they all dislike me. Better not to bother them."
"18th, Old Aug came to see me, terrified, though not of me. He avoided my gaze, insisting I visit the village tomorrow. I'm not sure I should go, but with no fish caught, I need to buy some food."
"19th, it's snowing. I heard dreadful news; they say a Wandering has come to our village. When I first heard this, I was shocked. How could a Demon visit such a remote place?"
"20th, the snow gets heavier. Those who drank the mutton soup have gone mad. I warned them, but they didn't listen. I should be used to it; an ugly person doesn't get liked, but the little girl is only six... I think I must write to my old friend, ask him to come over and see..."
"24th, I shouldn't have written that letter; it's just added an innocent victim. Raven, if you're reading this diary, remember, leave this village, it's beyond saving. You can seek help from the Church, but whatever you do, leave quickly, faster than him..."
The diary ended there. Shiller understood this was likely the reason the corpse on the ground came here.
As Shiller expected, the cabin's owner was an ugly, reclusive fisherman or perhaps just a fishing hobbyist. Maybe his frightening appearance was the reason for his isolated existence, living off fishing.
He noticed something amiss in the village on the 16th but didn't take it seriously and went fishing instead. However, two days later, the villagers came looking for him. He visited the village, but seemingly to no avail.
Days passed, and the situation appeared to worsen. He decided to call his friend to have a look. Days later, he regretted calling his friend because he felt the situation was out of control.
And in the end, the diary's owner vanished, while the detective he called lay here.
After reading all this, Shiller realized that the diary's owner — the strange, unsightly hermit — might have encountered strange phenomena and escaped death. He could even be a professional in such supernatural events.
Otherwise, it was inexplicable why someone would seek his help after abnormalities appeared, or why he would think to call his friend for help. Average people wouldn't know experts in such matters.
Things were getting more interesting, Shiller thought.