The incident was not complex, and it took only about a quarter of an hour to listen to the subordinate's account.
But Shandela sensed a strong feeling of strangeness.
Where exactly was the problem? Was it the disappearance of the corpse itself? She pondered for a moment and suddenly knew where this odd sensation was coming from—she raised her head and looked towards Shidong, "Do you think they were really pirates?"
Shidong expressed his confusion, "Your Excellency, they indeed looked like pirates... and did what pirates do. If I hadn't stopped them, the four of them could've let the village..."
"But the key point is that you appeared," Shandela interrupted him, "A Magnificent Castle patrol team, equipped with rifles and armor, outnumbering them. Where did that band of pirates get the courage to confront you head-on?"
"Uh... this..." Shidong was suddenly at a loss for words.
The aide-de-camp also realized, "Yeah, how could they dare?"
Even the most elite in the military might lose morale when faced with a certain-death situation, but what did the pirates do?
According to Shidong, they drew their weapons, charged at the enemy, and ultimately all died in battle!
No one surrendered.
No one ran away.
It was as if from the moment they landed, they had no intention of turning back.
Pirates could certainly not do that.
They may seem extremely fierce and brutal in their methods, but that's against the weak who fall into their hands. If these people really had more mettle than the army, then they would have been ruling Magnificent Castle by now.
"There is another kind of person who does not fear death," Shandela said after a moment of silence, "Or rather, they no longer know what death is."
As soon as she said this, the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.
"You mean... cultists?" the head of Section Fourteen, Dalrum, gasped, "Of the Hidden Mist Sect?"
"You've also heard the rumors?" Shandela looked at her subordinates.
"Yes," the other spoke candidly, "Since the outpost city has been getting closer to completion, such news has been increasing."
Rumors say the Sect of Hidden Mist worships the mist that doesn't dissipate on the new continent, hoping that it will forever shroud the world from above. Any action to dispel the mist would be hated and opposed by the followers of Hidden Mist.
"I cannot judge yet since cultists come in many varieties; heaven knows which faction they belong to," Shandela shook her head, "But in my view, all those who engage in evil have something wrong with their minds and cannot be treated as normal."
"Your Excellency..." Shidong swallowed, "Actually... before this incident, someone knew that pirates would appear on the southern outskirts of the city."
"What do you mean?" Shandela and the aide-de-camp asked in unison.
"In the old city's West District, there's a divination house." He honestly told them about the divination.
"Why didn't you mention this at all in your report!?" Dalrum said angrily.
Shidong hung his head, not daring to retort.
"Because this is not something that must be included in the report," the commanding officer waved it off, signaling an end to the discussion. "I will investigate later, but right now there's something more important to do. Dalrum, go get the weapons and take Shidong with you, we're heading to the old city immediately."
"Understood."
As soon as the two had left the office, Woody immediately started to help his superior don her armor, "How many people should we bring?"
"There's no need to gather the troops, just the four of us, and the sooner the better."
"Isn't that too risky?" Woody asked in surprise, "This could be related to cultists..."
"That's exactly why we need to catch them off guard."
"Do you suspect the city guard..."
"I'm not doubtful," Shandela picked up her side sword, stopping him from continuing, "but it's better to be cautious at times like these. Besides, with my skills and agility, what's there to worry about?"
Ten minutes later, the four of them arrived at the location of the divination house.
But there was nothing in the alleyway.
"This... How is this possible?" Shidong looked at the empty alley entrance, his face full of disbelief, "I clearly had a divination done here; it was a shabby shack with a sign hanging above it!"
"Are you sure you didn't get the place wrong?" Dalrum challenged.
"I swear! It was right here, there's no mistake!" he said anxiously, "That's right, that's right, there must be other people who have seen the divination house, we just need to ask around here..."
"My lord?" The deputy instinctively looked towards the commander, only to find Shandela squatting at the entrance of the alleyway.
"Someone has indeed been here, there are footprints on the ground as well as marks left by tables and chairs being pressed into the dirt," the latter said in a low voice, "These footprints are not from passersby, but from someone lingering many times."
"I can't make anything of it..." the deputy cautiously approached her, careful not to step on the scene.
"When you reach my level, you will naturally see things differently," Shandela said with a grave look on her face.
"Is there something wrong?"
"There are no drag marks, no debris from dismantling... not even sawdust. It's as if the shack had never existed."
"But you said there were signs of human activity here... and even furniture like tables and chairs..."
"That is exactly the problem, don't you see?" Shandela sighed, "If people were here, but the house wasn't, what state was Shidong in when he was talking to the diviner?"
The thought of this scene was eerily unsettling.
The deputy's face stiffened; knowing that seeing concrete and detailed illusions, followed by a clear recollection, was a precursor to hysteria.
As for the so-called "diviner," they could very well be the culprit causing hysteria.
No one dared underestimate the seriousness of hysteria.
Current medical research on hysteria was still in its early stages, but one thing was certain: if left unchecked, hysteria would gradually transform into madness. At its lightest, the victim might harm themselves unto death; at its worst, it might bring disaster to those around them.
Indeed, hysteria wasn't merely a mental illness; it not only spread contagiously but also slowly affected reality.
The corpses seen by officers and pirates encountered by villagers could perhaps be understood as aftershocks of hysteria.
If a diviner could induce hysteria in a well-trained soldier, then his lurking presence in the city would inevitably become a ticking time bomb.
Even though it was unheard of for hysteria to be triggered by a person, who's to say it wasn't possible?
After all, it was a power beyond normal comprehension, and even the Great Cathedral, blessed by the divinities, was unable to cure those who had fallen into madness.
What's worse, the individual in question might be a member of a heretical cult.
Although many heretical cults had claimed this power as their own, there wasn't a single case to prove this. However, Shandela wasn't sure that things would always remain the same, just as the entire world was constantly changing.
"Seal off this district. Question every single resident and find out how many have seen this Wonderful Divination House. If anyone knows the whereabouts of the diviner, they will be handsomely rewarded," she instructed.
"I'm on it," was the prompt reply.
This was merely routine procedure. Considering that the West District's primary demographics were the lower-class citizens and gang members, Shandela didn't hold high expectations for the forthcoming inquiries.
She turned her head and looked towards the evening skyline tinted with a dim yellow glow, letting out a silent sigh.
It seemed the city was in for trouble.
...