City of Silver, in a cramped room.
Derrick Berg was sitting by his bedside, quietly recalling the information regarding the seven gods that he had received.
The names of the deities that he had never heard of and the vague ancient myths all indicated to him that there was a new world outside which was completely different from the City of Silver.
Is that a piece of land that hasn't been forsaken by the gods? Or perhaps, it's a land that is protected by new gods? Derrick sat in the dark, motionlessly. Lightning flashed from time to time outside the window, bringing with it intense light.
He slowly focused his thoughts on the different powers that were concentrated in the hands of the seven gods, and he compared them with the ancient gods such as the Dragon of Fantasy, Ankewelt.
The so-called God of Combat is very similar to Giant King Aurmir. The Lord of Storms wields power similar to the Pixie King, Soniathrym. The Evernight Goddess appears to be the fusion of the King of Demonic Wolves, Flegrea, and Vampire Ancestor, Lilith. As for the Eternal Blazing Sun, Mother Earth, God of Knowledge and Wisdom, and God of Steam and Machinery, I can't find anyone corresponding to them...
Regarding the mythical legends, I wasn't too attentive in class and missed out a lot...
Phew, since there's no patrol duty during this period of time, I should head to the spire's library and read up on them.
Derrick stood up and did as he planned.
The problem he faced was shared by the majority of the residents in the City of Silver. When they were being educated with general knowledge, their focus was all on the practical courses such as Devil Studies, Monster Classification, Charms, and Beyonder Foundations. They were all focused on the knowledge that could be used to deal with monsters in the dark and increase the production of edible plants. As for supplementary classes like Myth Studies, they often didn't pay much attention.
If the history regarding the City of Silver hadn't been able to make the residents more united, raise their sense of honor, or heighten their sense of mission, and how the six-member council was very strict in this regard, Derrick believed that he could at most remember what had happened in the last two or three decades.
Carrying the Axe of Hurricane, Derrick walked out of his house, following the clean, simple, but old and mottled stone road until he reached the twin towers on the north side of the city.
One of the spires of the twin towers served as the City of Silver's library, an exchange spot where merit points could be exchanged and daily necessities could be distributed. The dome was where the six-member council resided and was rumored to contain a mystical item which had sustained the City of Silver for more than two thousand years, as well as a repository for formulas and ingredients.
Entering the spire, Derrick went straight up to the third floor and, according to his recollections, found the shelves where materials regarding mythology and the corresponding ancient books were stored.
Just as he was about to take out a book related to the creation myth, a slender, fair-skinned, and good-looking palm rushed forward and took the book away from him.
Derrick traced the arm, and after a single glance, he lowered his head, pressed his hand to his chest, and said in a low voice, "Greetings, Elder Lovia."
The one who had taken the book from him was one of the members of the six-member council, Shepherd Lovia.
She wore a long black robe embroidered with mysterious purple patterns. Her silvery-gray hair was thick but curled up slightly.
Her face was smooth and fair, her appearance gorgeous. She looked to be in her early thirties, and her pair of light gray eyes seemed to be able to pierce through one's soul.
Lovia tersely acknowledged Derrick's greeting and gently nodded her head without saying anything else. She silently took the ancient book and left the space between the two bookshelves.
Elder Lovia seems to have returned to normal. She's not like before, always switching between different temperaments at random—sometimes crying, sometimes sneering, sometimes grunting angrily, sometimes indifferent... Such a thought subconsciously flashed across Derrick's mind.
Suddenly, he felt an inexplicable sense of fear.
It was because Elder Lovia was acting normally...
Normal...
...
After reading through the entire dossier, Klein found no record of any animals.
It was obvious that the original investigation had overlooked this problem.
Yea, I have to remember my earlier considerations. I can't rashly perform my own investigations. Without talking about how I don't have the special means or confidence to avoid a Devil's intuition towards danger, just the possibility of me meeting a Nighthawk would be a very troublesome matter. My goal is to always take an auxiliary role. My job is to analyze the case and suggest conjectures and determine if a clue is authentic... Klein considered what he needed to do.
After understanding the abilities of a Devil, he temporarily didn't dare to hand over the matter of investigating whether or not the previous suspects had pets to Stuart. That would have a high chance of injuring Stuart.
It's only in the preliminary stage of investigations without any direction. It's likely Stuart wouldn't encounter any problems. A Devil isn't like those bunch of lunatics from the Aurora Order. He wouldn't proactively expose himself. Tomorrow or the day after, Stuart will definitely hand in a report. Perhaps there might be clues that others might not be able to detect. Klein stood up and stuffed his hands into his pockets as he paced around the activity room.
Now, his dilemma was on how to get the main investigation body to include animals under their radar.
I definitely can't mention it directly, as that would attract the suspicion of others. It would be the same if I attempted to guide them in the dark... Klein thought carefully as he weighed the matter seriously before finally deciding on a plan.
He pulled out a letter, grabbed a fountain pen, and wrote:
"Dear Mr. Stanton,
"I thought of a problem. Previously, when the detectives were in discussion, they all found the murderer's actions skilled without any hint of inexperience. They believed that he couldn't be born with such skill and that he must've had a lot of experience to build up his foundation. Examples of such people can be surgical students from med school or a butcher.
"Back then, I thought he might have done something like this before. It's a direction for investigation, and it's what I'm paying the most attention to right now.
"But after thinking about it over and over again for the past two days, I don't think it's comprehensive enough. Perhaps, he didn't rely on killing people to gain experience.
"Is it possible that he practiced with poor animals? Different kinds of living animals.
"The number of animals that die in Backlund daily is innumerable, and those that disappear in the sewers are also unknown. Therefore, these are very good training targets.
"This is my inchoate opinion. I hope to communicate with you.
"Sherlock Moriarty"
Klein didn't directly mention that the murderer might have been an animal that had turned into a Devil. He also used the reason of practice, hoping that Isengard Stanton would take note of the neglected "animal world," thereby reminding the official Beyonders responsible for the case.
While he was writing, he suddenly felt that this was also a direction.
The reason why the Devil hadn't been caught all this time was because it had been hunting animals most of the time.
And the hunting of animals wasn't something worth paying attention to.
Well, let's hope it will inspire them... Klein folded the letter and dressed up to deliver it to the mailbox at the end of the street.
Fifteen minutes later, Lawyer Jurgen, who saw Detective Sherlock passing by his oriel window again and again, finally couldn't stop his urge to open his door and asked politely, "Mr. Moriarty, did you forget your key?"
"Uh, sort of." Klein squeezed out a smile.
"Why don't you come to my house as a guest? After dinner, you can go back after dark. I know that you private detectives are very good at climbing." Jurgen invited him in with a serious expression.
Seriously? Klein was stunned for a second before he smiled sincerely.
"It's my honor."
After all, Lawyer Jurgen's grandmother had the standard of a capable chef!
And he could also tease the cat while he was there!
...
When it was completely dark, Klein, having had his fill, rested for a while at home before leaving Minsk Street with his cane.
He planned to make another trip to Rose Street, on the south side of the bridge, and ask Bishop Utravsky about the origin of the Master Key.
With the help of Dowsing Rod Seeking, he successfully arrived at the Harvest Church in the dead of night and sneaked in through the same route as before.
However, Bishop Utravsky wasn't repenting in the cathedral's hall tonight. There were only rows of pews in the silence and gloom.
"He's resting?" Klein felt slightly puzzled as he walked towards the living area at the back of the hall.
As he rounded the corner, he saw the tall, giant-like Bishop Utravsky walking up the basement stairs. The heavy stone doors situated there were being banged on by someone.
Who did he detain in the basement? Klein instantly thought of a series of warped ideas.
Bishop Utravsky looked up and saw Klein disguised the same as before. He was also surprised as he asked, "Haven't you found your way home yet?"
... Do I look like someone who's been lost for so long? Klein forced a smile.
"Father, I'm not lost."
"You think that the formula is fake? That's impossible..." Bishop Utravsky frowned and stopped midway up the stairs.
As a result, he was at the same height as Klein.
"No, it's genuine," Klein answered honestly.
At this moment, the basement's stone door was thumped again with ever-increasing intensity. Along with the thumps was a male voice that shouted, "Let me out."
"This is?" Klein couldn't help but ask.
Bishop Utravsky smiled warmly and said, "A vampire."
As soon as he finished, the man in the basement shouted, "What's wrong with being a vampire? Do you think vampires should be locked up here? Do I have to listen to your nagging and scripture recitals every day? Bullshit, I'm a noble Sanguine, so don't use such a vulgar name to describe me!
"Let me tell you, I worship the moon, and I'll absolutely not convert to a believer of Mother Earth! Give up, you damned priest!"
It was Klein's first time meeting a real vampire, so he couldn't help but ask, "Father, where did you catch him?"
Bishop Utravsky gave Klein an odd look before saying, "He is the original owner of the Master Key.
"One day, he got lost and entered this cathedral."
... Klein seriously considered the dilemma of whether he should carry the Master Key with him in the future or not.
It's a good thing that I can divine... he thought thankfully.
"It just so happened that he had entered a state where he thirsted for blood, and I had discovered his abnormality," Bishop Utravsky added with a smile.
"Bullshit, don't talk about blood! What I need is the blood of a beautiful young girl, not the blood of a dirty old man like you!" The vampire in the basement suddenly became enraged.
Bishop Utravsky explained without a trace of anger, "When he craves blood, I will give him some of mine."
Klein nodded and looked again. He found that the heavy stone door in the basement was engraved with the Sacred Emblem of Life and many mysterious symbols, forming a complete seal.
During the day, when more and more people start praying, it would be impossible for the sound to even reach the outside... Klein made a preliminary judgment.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" at that moment, Bishop Utravsky asked.
Klein answered frankly, "I want to know where the Master Key first came from."
"You'll have to ask him." Bishop Utravsky pointed to the basement.
The vampire inside suddenly became quiet before he leisurely laughed and said, "Friend, I can answer your question.
"But the condition is that you rescue me first."
