absurd deduction game.

Qu Xianqing quietly slipped out and landed in a corner where a few miscellaneous items were piled up.

It wasn't very quiet here, so she cautiously made her way forward and soon heard hushed conversations around a corner.

She pressed her body against the wall and touched it casually. The wall was rough rock, as if it had been converted from a natural cave or abandoned cellar.

Qu Xianqing remembered her route and would walk it again when she returned to the surface, then she would know which underground space this place was.

She concealed herself and quietly peeked out.

Two people wearing large black cloaks with hoods covering most of their faces were standing at the crossroads of a passageway, talking in hushed tones.

Their attire blended seamlessly into the gloomy environment, and they emanated a cold and obscure energy fluctuation that was completely different from that of the Church of the True God.

They are living esoteric practitioners.

Qu Xianqing remained calm and focused all her attention on hearing.

“…It’s really weird. His head just fell off out of nowhere.” One of the men in black robes said with a slightly hoarse voice, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible fear. “There was no warning at all. He was even saying that he would bring his favorite youngest son to the church at the next gathering.”

"Tch." Another man in black robes, whose voice was higher and more shrill, sneered disdainfully. "Come on, Barton. What favorite youngest son? Everyone knows his family is so poor they can barely afford to eat. That brat is too young to do any heavy work; he's just a freeloader. He's just reluctant to part with the food and wants to give it to the church in exchange for some benefits. He makes it sound so noble."

“Hmph, that’s true.” Barton, his voice hoarse, seemed convinced, but then lowered his voice again, with a hint of sinister curiosity, “But… how exactly did he die? The High Priest examined him himself and said that none of us present did it.”

"I heard..." the shrill voice whispered mysteriously, "The high priest said that he was cursed with a very strange curse. His head and neck had actually separated a long time ago, but he didn't know it and no one reminded him. He thought he was still alive and well! Tsk tsk, it's really scary."

"There's such a curse?" Barton's voice was filled with astonishment and a hint of greed. "If only I could master this power..."

"Stop dreaming. The High Priest has already given orders for us to keep a close watch and find out the source of this curse." A shrill voice interrupted his reverie. "If we can find the source and bring it back to the High Priest, that would be a great achievement!"

Barton seemed somewhat worried: "But... now that so many Utopia investigators have come to town, will our actions......"

"What's there to be afraid of?" The shrill voice sounded dismissive. "The investigators from the Ideal Kingdom may have high status, but they're not like those rigid, orthodox churches. They're only responsible for investigating incidents; they might not bother to meddle and attack us. Maybe... in some ways, we can even cooperate? After all, some 'materials' are only available to us..."

Just then, a voice called out from the other end of the passage: "Barton! Hawke! It's about to start at the black market, hurry up and come over!"

The two men in black robes immediately stopped talking.

"Coming, coming!" came the high-pitched voice called Hawke. The two hurried toward the direction from which the voice came, their footsteps fading into the distance.

Qu Xianqing remained hidden in the shadows around the corner, a slight ripple stirring in her heart.

The "he" these two cultists were referring to was clearly not the headless vagrant, but rather a cult member who died during a gathering.

In other words, turning around is not an isolated case, but a phenomenon... The high priests within Tantric Buddhism call it a "curse"?
A curse that causes a person's head to detach from their body without their awareness, while the person remains completely unaware and continues to function normally.
This sounds more terrifying than any direct monster attack, mainly because the trigger conditions are unknown. Just like the most troublesome rule-based ghosts in the absurd dungeon, you can easily get hit if you're not careful.

Moreover, judging from the conversation between the two esoteric practitioners, they did not seem to be entirely hostile to the investigators from the Ideal State, and even harbored some potential illusions of cooperation.

Qu Xianqing did not act rashly.

She had stumbled upon a gathering place of the cult by chance and even overheard important information, but this was far from enough. This place was clearly just the tip of the iceberg of the cult's network, and taking rash action would only make them immediately abandon this stronghold and cut off all clues.

She needs more detailed information to get further clues.

Silently, she returned along the same route as she had come, once again using her superb stealth skills to avoid the giant rat monster that was still gnawing on her, and disappeared back into the cold, filthy sewer, retreating towards the wellhead she had come from.

This infiltration yielded far more results than expected.

They not only confirmed the cult's activity in the slums and learned of the existence of that strange "curse," but also found a possible location leading to their internal gatherings and black market.

However, Qu Xianqing did not leave this intricate underground pipe network immediately.

Having discovered a gathering place for cultists, she decided to strike while the iron was hot and see if she could find more similar dens. With her exceptional senses and stealth abilities, she continued to explore the dark and filthy pipes like a silent hunter.

After spending considerable time at another relatively remote pipe junction near the edge of the slums, she indeed discovered another trace of artificial alteration.

It was a more hidden entrance, leading above to an abandoned shack that had once provided short-term jobs for the poor.

The entrance was more concealed with cover and simple warning runes, but it was empty at the moment. There were only some scattered old items with esoteric symbols and long-extinguished candlesticks, indicating that the place had been used before, but seemed to have been idle recently.

Qu Xianqing carefully explored the area, memorizing the paths, layout, and possible entrances and exits.

Only after doing all this did she return to the ground.

The sky was still dark, and dawn was still some time away. She didn't choose to return immediately, but continued patrolling the shadows of the slums. Since she was already there, the more contribution points she could accumulate, the better; her ranking had already been overtaken by Carlos!
Over the next two or three hours, she easily cleared out many more low- to mid-level monsters—the process was relatively uneventful. For someone as experienced as her, it was more like a tedious cleaning job, one kill at a time.

As the eastern sky finally began to lighten and the first rays of dawn started to dispel the deepest darkness of the night, Qu Xianqing, covered in night dew and a faint smell of blood, set off on his way back to the firm.

On the system panel, her contribution value rose again, quietly overtaking Carlos and returning to second place on the leaderboard.

……

"...That's roughly it." Qu Xianqing finished the last sip of water, ending his account of the previous night's trip to the slums, and roughly pointed out the specific locations where the two strongholds of the secret cult were discovered. A brief silence fell over the living room.

Zeng Lai rubbed his arms, clearly disgusted by the descriptions of "curse" and "losing one's head." His soul was unstable, and he was most afraid of similar instant-death rules. Carlos, on the other hand, rested his fingers on his chin, lost in thought.

Yi Qing broke the silence first, fanning himself with his fan and exclaiming, "The curse of the headless, the even more serious monster infiltration in the slums... How chaotic! How interesting!"

“Indeed.” Carlos picked up the conversation, regaining his elegant and composed demeanor. “Are we splitting up again today? Captain, what do you say?”

With Yu Xing present, the team's actions were naturally planned according to Yu Xing's instructions. Other team members would only offer suggestions or propose some changes based on the action plan.

So all three of them—including temporary team member Zeng Lai—looked at Yu Xing.

They all felt comfortable following orders from someone who perceived himself as not being human. If Zhao Mou were present, he probably wouldn't dare open his eyes, fearing it might be an illusion.

But Yu Xing didn't have this awareness. He felt that his tree was very reliable, so he instructed, "Xiao Ququ, you and Zeng Lai go to the church. On the one hand, report to the church about the 'incidents' that happened in the slums last night, especially the headless curse, and see if the church has any similar records or reactions. On the other hand, also sound out whether there are any people in the church who had an accident last night like the Defit Claude family."

He paused, then added, "Zeng Lai's dice should come in handy in situations where a bit of luck is needed to obtain information or to judge whether the other party is being honest."

It's like playing a tabletop role-playing game.

Upon hearing this, Zeng Lai puffed out his chest confidently and said, "No problem, leave it to me!"

Qu Xianqing nodded, having no objection to the arrangement. Dealing with local forces and obtaining official information was an essential part of the investigation.

“As for Carlos and me, let’s continue running the firm during the day,” Yu Xing said.

Carlos looked at Yu Xing, a sly smile playing on his lips. "A 'client' is scheduled to visit soon. Perfect, let you get familiar with the job first."

Yu Xing raised an eyebrow at his expression: "What client?"

“A beautiful lady troubled by love,” Carlos said casually. “Mrs. Fernaire. She asked me last week to investigate whether her husband was unfaithful.”

Upon hearing this, Yi Qing seemed uninterested in such worldly gossip. With a flicker of his body, he passed through the wall like a wisp of smoke, clearly going off to watch the excitement on his own.

Yu Xing remained noncommittal about Carlos's unusual fondness for beauty, especially for beautiful women, and asked with the intention of understanding the details of the commission, "What exactly is the situation?"

Carlos shrugged, his smile somewhat subtle: "This lady is not a local, but the daughter of a wealthy businessman from out of town. When she was twenty, she fell in love with Anthony, a university professor in Yolikev, and married him here with a large fortune. But now, eight years later, she claims that her love for her husband has long since vanished. She can tolerate her husband becoming more and more indifferent, but she cannot accept that he keeps a mistress outside, especially since that mistress is suspected to be her husband's student."

"My preliminary investigation shows that her husband, Anthony, who has now been promoted to professor in the paleontology department, did indeed have an ambiguous relationship with one of his female students. They went out together on multiple occasions under the guise of field research and academic seminars, behaving in a manner far more intimate than that of a typical teacher and student. However, more conclusive evidence, such as more intimate photos or witnesses, has not yet been obtained. Therefore..."

He drawled out his words and blinked: "We'll have to see Mrs. Furnell's attitude and how many pounds she's willing to pay for the 'truth' to decide whether we need to, and whether it's worth, to invest more effort in digging deeper into this matter."

"The rest, you'll probably understand when you meet Mrs. Fernal in person."

Qu Xianqing and Zeng Lai rested for a while before setting off for the Harvest Church. About half an hour later, they heard the sound of a carriage coming to a stop and a soft doorbell ringing outside.

Carlos stood up, straightened his collar, flashed a perfectly professional smile, and stepped forward to open the door to the agency.

"Good morning, Mrs. Funer, welcome." He bowed slightly, his movements elegant and graceful.

A lady walked in gracefully.

Her appearance seemed to instantly brighten up the room filled with mysticism and magic props.

This is an extremely beautiful young woman, who looks to be no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

She has a head of dazzling golden hair, as if woven by sunlight, which is carefully styled into an elegant yet lively bun. A few slightly curled strands of hair playfully fall beside her fair and slender neck. Her eyes are a clear and transparent azure blue, like the purest glacial lake, filled with a gentle smile, and sparkling with brilliance in every glance.

With just one glance, Yu Xing narrowed her eyes.

Is this Mrs. Furnell?

This lady's features were as exquisite as those of a goddess in a classical oil painting. She had a high nose bridge, full lips, and applied just the right amount of rose-colored lip gloss. When she smiled slightly, two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks, making her look sweet and charming.

Her figure was even more slender and charming. She wore a well-tailored lake-blue silk dress with dark patterns in the same color embroidered on the hem. The neckline and cuffs were decorated with delicate lace, which not only highlighted her excellent figure but also made her look noble and elegant, making her skin appear even whiter than snow.

A light white chiffon shawl was casually draped over her arm, adding a touch of femininity to Furner. She also wore a pair of small pearl earrings and a simple diamond necklace, and her entire outfit exuded good taste and considerable wealth.

Compared to her, the young girl Felia I met yesterday, though youthful and beautiful, lacked the stunning charm and mature allure that comes with the wisdom and confidence that comes with age.

Can--

Such beauty seems a bit too much in this kind of Cthulhu-themed dungeon.

As is well known, in this worldview, the more outstanding one's appearance, the more likely one is to be associated with esoteric religions or ancient gods. However, he did not sense any hidden eerie aura from the lady in front of him.

Either she really has no problem and just won the genetic lottery, or she's hiding it even more secretly than the old nuns in the church.

Yu Xing muttered to herself, noticing that behind Madam Funel followed a middle-aged maid, her head bowed and dressed in a respectable maid's uniform. (End of Chapter)