Garden Pavilion.
Wayne lay on the bench, closed his eyes, and immersed himself in nature to capture more elemental light points.
Last night, Veronica called, and Wayne could sense her uncontainable joy between the lines, thinking that things were settled, and her father had managed to sort out that big shot.
But it wasn't the case. Veronica asked Wayne to wait a little longer. Mr. Lando had been busy with this matter, but unfortunately, there hadn't been any breakthrough progress.
Things are always faster when asked; they'll be fine soon.
Wayne felt helpless. He asked Veronica to convey his gratitude to Mr. Lando for his tremendous help. He promised that whenever Mr. Lando needed his help, he wouldn't hesitate.
Why Veronica was so happy, Wayne didn't ask, but he guessed she probably graduated successfully.
Damn geniuses, they can enjoy now while they can. Laugh as much as you can now because when I, Wayne, make it big, you won't be laughing anymore.
Wayne had everything he needed in Enold Town. He had food, shelter, a luxurious mansion, top-notch food, fancy cars for going out, and maids and butlers at home. He had no rush to return to Lundan.
Now, he only wanted three things: meditation, meditation, and more meditation!
Even if that big shot didn't intervene, he still had his teacher's restraining magic on him. Since he couldn't return to Lundan anyway, he might as well put all his energy into practice.
Apart from that, Wayne was quite embarrassed about his long-term freeloading behavior at the Lando household. They took care of his living and even helped him settle matters with the big shots in the city. Mr. Lando treated him so well, and if he didn't develop a father-in-law relationship with him, Wayne didn't know how to repay his kindness.
"Master Wayne, there are two detectives at the door, they introduced themselves as Wesley and Hood," the butler, Flah, came to the garden and bowed outside the pavilion.
The butler addressed Wayne as "Master," all because of Hefei. The lady of the house valued Wayne greatly, considering their relationship as that of a teacher and a student. If it were just a regular teacher-student relationship, Flah wouldn't have changed his title. But Hefei had specifically instructed to treat Wayne with the same respect as the members of the Lando family.
The Lando family didn't have many members, excluding some distant relatives. There were only three heavyweight figures: the master, the mistress, and the young miss. So, calling Wayne "Master" was appropriate. Wayne had tried to get Flah to change it, but it didn't work, so he just went along with it. Master was fine; he wasn't a lord.
"What are they here for?" Wayne stopped his meditation, pondered for a moment, thinking that yesterday's case might have some hidden truth.
"Do you need me to send them away, Master Wayne?" Flah asked respectfully.
"No need. Let them in," Wayne shook his head slightly. He was willing to bet on Abin's nose that the culprit was the middle-aged man. The taste was unmistakable.
Wayne suspected there might be discrepancies between the method of the locked-room murder and his deduction. The middle-aged man wasn't hiding behind the door but standing behind the curtains. The two detectives came to inform him of the truth and exchange investigation experiences with this outstanding detective.
"Master Wayne, the two gentlemen have arrived," Flah bowed and retreated, instructing a maid to bring a pot of tea.
Wesley and Hood looked at the mansion, worth a fortune, and heard the butler's address to Wayne. They fell into a brief silence. The joys and sorrows between people were not shared; they only felt that Wayne's demeanor suddenly turned ugly.
Damn rich young master!
Hood knew whose villa this was, the number one capitalist in the area, the highly esteemed Lando family of Lundan. Wesley also knew; he saw the Lando family crest at the entrance, but he didn't expect Wayne to be a member of this family.
Three hundred years ago, before the Windsor Kingdom underwent constitutional monarchy reform, the royal family had a direct tulip legion, all noble knights, an epitome of elegance and power.
Times had changed. The once tulip legion was disbanded, evolving into fourteen families scattered across the Windsor Kingdom, collectively referred to as the Tulip Family.
The crests of these fourteen families all featured a tulip as the main element, adorned with shields, long swords, scepters, or slight modifications to the flower shape, but overall maintaining a unified style.
According to hearsay, regardless of prosperity or decline, even if only one member of the family remained, the fourteen families would unconditionally pledge allegiance to the royal family, always adhering to their knightly duties.
The Lando family was one of the Tulip Families, also one of the few actively engaged in public life. Their achievements were moderate; they ran a small bank in Lundan, collaborated with other banks to establish the Lundan Bill Exchange, monopolizing bill exchange operations, and thus controlling all small and medium-sized banks in Lundan.
Apart from banking, the Lando family also invested in real estate, military industries, and public welfare businesses, conducting some minor trades with foreign counterparts.
The head of the family, Austin Lando, had served as the mayor of Lundan Financial City. Privately, he owned several newspapers and radio stations, boasting substantial industrial assets. He had a significant social status throughout the Windsor Kingdom.
So, what did Master Wayne mean? Mr. Lando had an illegitimate child? (x2)
Both detectives simultaneously came up with a ridiculous idea, suspecting they had stumbled upon a big secret of the Lando family. Wesley believed it outright. He had seen Austin Lando himself at a party, surrounded by various socialites.
That's not the point. The point is that Austin Lando and Wayne share the same hair and eye color, enough to prove a blood relationship.
Detectives are adept at analyzing and reasoning. One by one, they had wild ideas. Wesley and Hood exchanged glances and began to backpedal.
Master Wayne is rich, very rich. He could inherit unimaginable wealth without doing anything and lying flat. Inviting such a person to participate in a highly risky detective investigation has a very slim chance of success.
Rich people value their lives.
"No need to be restrained. This isn't my home. Just like you, I'm also a guest here," Master Wayne said.
Wayne asked, "Is it about yesterday's locked-room poisoning case? Did my reasoning go wrong?"
When it comes to being a bastard, you can't just reveal your identity directly. Wesley nodded and replied, "Indeed, it was yesterday's murder case. But Mr. Wayne's reasoning was flawless. You're a very skilled detective. Your attention to detail makes Hood and me feel inferior. We came to visit you today for another matter."
"Please, go on."
"Mr. Wayne, have you heard of the Earthheart Sect?"
Wayne hadn't heard of the Earthheart Sect, but he knew about the concept of the Earthheart. There was a minor friction between Copernicus and the Pope over it.
After some contemplation, Wayne shook his head and said frankly, "This is the first time I've heard of the Earthheart Sect. Is it a conservative sect in Windsor?"
"It's a sect that has only recently begun to spread. They not only advocate that the Earth is the center of the universe, but also believe that there is a giant continent inside the Earth, and that human civilization originated from the world within the Earth..."
"The surface and the Earth have passages, and the North and South poles are the largest entrances to the inner Earth world, where there are many extinct prehistoric creatures..."
Wesley talked about some of the Earthheart Sect's beliefs, and finally said, "According to my investigation, the Earthheart Sect initially developed from Enlode Town, attracting a large number of believers and has now grown in scale, even affecting Londan."
Hood nodded and continued, "Yesterday, Professor Vincent, who died in the hotel, was invited by the Earthheart Sect. He was a famous geology professor. The Earthheart Sect found a passage to the inner Earth world in Enlode Town and wanted Professor Vincent to investigate and publish an academic article to attract more followers."
"The professor was killed, poisoned by his own student. According to the perpetrator, it was a crime of passion."
A crime of passion?
What does that mean? Did the professor and the student have a romantic relationship, or did the student sleep with the professor's girlfriend, or maybe the student slept with the professor's wife?
Can you explain in detail? My friend wants to gossip.
Wayne was puzzled and asked, "You've said so much, but you haven't said why you've come to find me. Can you get to the point?"
"We've hit a dead end in our investigation of the Earthheart Sect and wanted to ask for Mr. Wayne's help. Your abilities far surpass ours," Wesley said bluntly.
Originally, they had planned to ask for help, but upon learning that Wayne was a bastard of the Lando family, they snuffed out this unrealistic idea.
As expected, Wayne shook his head and refused their request, saying politely, "I'm honored to have the recognition of two colleagues, but I have more important matters to attend to. I'm sorry I can't help."
Wesley and Hood were not disappointed either, expecting this outcome. After a bit of mutual praise, they bid farewell to Wayne.
"Oh, and if Mr. Wayne encounters followers of the Earthheart Sect, please don't believe their sweet words..." Wesley looked around and whispered, "The organization that entrusted me with investigating the Earthheart Sect is not an ordinary one. It's from an official intelligence agency in Londan. I can't disclose the specifics, but you should know that the Earthheart Sect is not a legitimate sect."
Wayne nodded. He didn't trust the goddess of legitimate sects, let alone a cult full of contradictions. Before saying goodbye to the two, he casually asked, "Mr. Wesley, do you know which deity the Earthheart Sect worships? The Earth God?"
"On the contrary, the deity worshipped by the Earthheart Sect does not come from underground, but from above..."
Wesley shrugged. "The deity worshipped by the Earthheart Sect comes from the universe, named the Lord of the Void."
"The Lord of the Void..."
Wayne muttered the name to himself. He always felt that the Chosen Continent was strange, filled with an indescribable smell.
Knowledge that drives people crazy, entering the gate of truth and gradually losing their sanity until they lose their lives, the more you think about it, the more bizarre it becomes.
If this universe is truly as indescribable as he imagines, and if the deity worshipped by the Earthheart Sect, the Lord of the Void, is indeed a super big shot at the cosmic level...
Offering sacrifices to you, the gratifying god of knowledge!
Wanting to attract the attention of a super big shot and obtain powerful abilities from them, the difficulty and scale of the sacrifice can be imagined.
Wayne probably understood why the Earthheart Sect was so eager to develop its followers - they lacked sacrifices.
Before Hood and Wesley left, he had the butler Flah send them each a business card. If they encountered anything strange, he would be willing to offer a little help.
He might not be able to stop it, but his teacher, Shifi, could.
"The Earthheart Sect..."
"The Lord of the Void..."
Wayne returned to the garden pavilion, wishing the two detectives—no, wishing the two investigators—a smooth journey and a safe return, preferably without any incidents, and hopefully to ascend to the ranks of legendary investigators.
If they could bring back taboo items like the Necronomicon, that would be even better.
Wayne knew he didn't have the courage to look at such things. He was living just fine and didn't plan on becoming a fool at such a young age. But if such forbidden books really existed in this world, they could provide him with a more profound understanding of the current world.
Wayne lay in the garden, swallowing a pill to sharpen his mind, then focused on his meditation, holding his breath.
The earth element continuously strengthened his bones, muscles, and organs, and he could feel himself getting stronger. The feeling of power was intoxicating, and the process of gaining strength was even more exciting. He was somewhat addicted and just wanted to continue like this forever.
On March 24th, Wayne captured five thousand elemental light points, but still hadn't touched the essence of his life.
"Three months might not be enough. My meditation results are too poor. My teacher is too good at comforting people, seeing through but not saying anything. She's really something!"