absurd deduction game.

"Alright, then I'll pretend I was waiting here on purpose." The entertainer readily agreed. "So, how about we come and take a look at some old books?"

Yu Xing stopped in her tracks.

He turned around, facing the bookstore entrance, a faint, almost aloof smile on his face, but his eyes remained calm and unwavering: "I have no interest in old books, especially the ones you have."

His gaze swept over the book in the actor's hands, and over the dappled light and shadow on the bookshelves deep inside the bookstore.

They weren't the only ones in the bookstore.

A middle-aged man with slightly curly, disheveled hair and wearing gold-rimmed glasses sat behind the counter, engrossed in repairing the spine of an ancient book.

Several other men and women, who appeared to be quiet and scholarly or like students, were scattered throughout the bookstore, browsing the bookshelves in silence, with the occasional very faint sound of pages turning.

Yu Xing and the musician's conversation at the door should have caught their attention, but they didn't even flinch, as if they hadn't heard the conversation at the bookstore entrance at all. Clearly, the musician had deliberately kept their presence there.

The actor wasn't surprised by Yu Xing's veiledly sarcastic refusal; instead, his smile deepened, and a glint appeared in his eyes. "What a pity. But..." he changed the subject, lowering his voice, "I just discovered a small clue... perhaps related to our 'work assignment,' tucked among these old papers. Doesn't Xing want to take a look?"

Yu Xing raised an eyebrow and lingered for two seconds on the performer's flawless smile.

Send a clue?
That's fine then. Ever since he stopped showing rejection to the actor's deliberate attempts to disgust him with "goodwill," the actor has started to offer real benefits instead. He can more or less guess what kind of thoughts are running through the actor's perverted and filthy mind. However, all of these thoughts can only be realized if the actor finds a new way to influence and control his emotions.

As long as he doesn't let himself be led by the nose, the actors can't do anything about him now.

Speaking of which...

Yu Xing felt that with his current growth rate, he already had a great chance of winning if he really went head-to-head with the actors.

The price of killing actors is nothing compared to their hatred; even mutual destruction is not something they find hard to accept.

If it weren't for the arrival of the Yin-Yang City instance, which involves the origin of the absurd deduction system and determines the fate of all deducers, thus having to be the top priority... Yu Xing wouldn't have had the patience to listen to the musician anymore.

The actors themselves must have known this.

Yu Xing suppressed his thoughts, put his hands in his pockets, tilted his head and asked, "Is there really a clue?"

“Of course, why would I lie to you?” The performer’s brows relaxed, and he stepped aside to make way. “Come on.”

"Row."

Yu Xing calmly strode into the bookstore, his leather shoes making a soft sound as they stepped on the old but clean wooden floor.

He walked to where the actor had just stood, his demeanor calm, as if he had simply accepted a routine data sharing session, and glanced around the bookshelf.

This is the used book section. There are many books that have been turned over, and most of them even have yellowed covers. There are also stacks of faded newspapers on the bottom shelf.

Yu Xing's gaze swept around before finally settling on the performer's hand.

The actor's smile deepened, seemingly pleased with Yu Xing's reaction. He handed over the thick, old book with a slightly tattered spine: "Here you go."

The cover is dark brown leather, and the gold lettering is somewhat blurred, but the words "Far-off Travels: Thirty Cities" can still be barely made out, with the author's name listed as "Edgar White".

“This is a travelogue published thirty years ago. The author is a local from Yolikev. I searched for a long time and this was the only copy I could find. I also asked the bookstore owner, and judging from his reaction, the book hardly sold and he didn’t even remember it,” Lingren said.

"So the copy I found might be a unique one." The performer smiled. "If I don't give it to you, you... and your teammates will miss this clue, so remember to thank me after you've read it, okay?"

Yu Xing ignored him and didn't respond, not giving the actor the opportunity to use verbal promises as a means of causing consequences.

A hint of regret flashed in the actor's eyes. He didn't even try to hide this expression from Yu Xing, clearly showing that he had just set a trap and didn't mind being seen through.

"Well, it seems I won't get anything out of this." He just looked at Yu Xing with his smiling eyes, indicating that Yu Xing could look at the book herself.

Yu Xing lowered her head, opened the cover, and her gaze fell on the pages of the travelogue.

The pages were yellowed and brittle, exuding a strong smell of old paper. He quickly flipped through them, his eyes scanning the lines of text describing the local customs and traditions of various places.

As the musician said, most of the content recorded here is a typical travelogue, recording the author Edgar White's observations from his travels thirty years ago. The writing is fluent and the observations are meticulous.

However, descriptions of remote villages, ancient ruins, or untouched natural wonders are occasionally interspersed with unusual and chilling details.

For example, the eerie sacrificial dance of villagers in a secluded mountain village; the howling that comes from the depths of a forest at night, unlike any known creature; the furniture that always moves on its own and the inexplicable scraping sounds in an abandoned castle... The author usually records these experiences in a curious or self-deprecating tone, attributing them to his own imagination or the superstitions of the locals, but the occasional lingering fear revealed between the lines suggests that things are not so simple.

This book is very thick; an average person would take two or three days to finish it. But Yu Xing flips through the pages very quickly, his brain processes information with extremely high efficiency, and countless invisible branches are thinking along with him.

His gaze froze when he described his experience of traveling to the northern ice fields to see the aurora borealis in a certain chapter.

In this chapter, the author mentions that he did not travel alone, but with a friend—an astronomer at Yorickfield University (whose name is not given in the book). [...James—please allow me to call him that, it's a pseudonym—was almost obsessive about his love of the stars. On the night of the aurora, he was as excited as a child, braving the cold, constantly adjusting his precious telescope, muttering to himself about terms I didn't understand, like 'frequency,' 'echo,' and 'peeping.' I laughed at his madness, and he only returned my gaze with even more fervor, saying: 'Edgar, you don't understand, I saw it! It's so beautiful, and...it must have seen me too!']

The aurora borealis that night was indeed breathtakingly beautiful, but I felt James was a bit too excited. Sure enough, after returning to town, he was like a different person. He resigned from his university teaching position and locked himself at home all day, calculating and observing day and night, his mind filled with his 'celestial intuition' theory. I visited him a few times, trying to persuade him to go out for a walk or see a doctor, but he just grabbed my hand with a fanatical look in his eyes, repeatedly saying, 'They're there, watching us!' His family was worried and told me privately that they were afraid he would violate church taboos and be treated as a cultist if he continued like this, advising me to stop associating with him to avoid being implicated. Although I couldn't bear it, I... alas, in the end, I could only helplessly accept their advice.

[As I write this, I haven't seen him for a week. I don't know if he's alright, but at least there's no news of the Mother Goddess Church arresting the former astronomer in town, so nothing serious must have happened. Anyway, the aurora borealis on the northern ice sheet is absolutely magnificent. I don't know if the problem lies with the aurora or with my friend. I myself am fine. If I have the chance in the future, I think I'll go to the ice sheet again... with some questions.]

The travelogue here carries a touch of genuine regret and melancholy, but it ends abruptly without any follow-up.

Yu Xing flipped through the pages again.

The section on the ice field is located in the last three-quarters of the entire travelogue. Further on, until the end of the book, there is no mention of the author's experience of returning to the ice field.

He closed the book and tapped the rough cover lightly with his fingertips.

An astronomer at the University of Yolikev… went mad and fanatical thirty years ago after observing the aurora borealis, researching forbidden knowledge and possibly even venturing into the realm of sorcery…

The timing, the occupations, and the symptoms all have a subtle connection to the town's current monster-related outbreaks. This is indeed a clue worth investigating.

"Finished reading?" The musician, who had been standing quietly to the side, his gaze fixed on Yu Xing's fingers turning the pages, finally spoke with a smile, his tone as composed as ever. "Very interesting, isn't it? A scholar who may have glimpsed the secrets of the stars and gone mad... His research, his whereabouts, whether he left anything behind... Perhaps it can explain many things."

He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice to a whisper, carrying a hint of seduction: "I'm planning to investigate the whereabouts of this 'Mr. James' and the travel writer Edgar White. After all, thirty years have passed, things have changed, and the investigation will likely take some effort. Ah Xing... want to come along? Considering I offered the clues, give me the chance to go with you?"

Yu Xing raised her eyes and met the actor's smiling eyes, which concealed endless darkness within.

He suddenly smiled, his expression undisguised sarcasm.

“Actor,” he said lightly, as if stating something perfectly natural, “I wouldn’t feel the slightest guilt about betraying you after using you. So, the chance to travel together?” He chuckled softly. “No.”

The actor's smile remained unchanged, not even his gaze wavered, as if he had expected this answer. He even nodded in agreement, his tone still gentle: "That's true."

He took a step back, maintaining a polite distance, as if he had never said that almost-invitation: "In that case, I'll go and scout ahead myself. If I find any interesting clues... I'll still let you know."

He paused, looked into Yu Xing's eyes, and his smile became somewhat meaningful: "Of course, as for how much of the news is true and how much is false, or when to tell you... that depends on how much 'trust' you still have in me, A-Xing."

After saying that, he nodded slightly, said no more, turned and walked towards the counter, seemingly intending to buy the rare travelogue. His demeanor was elegant, as if the undercurrent of the confrontation had never happened.

Yu Xing stood there, watching the performer's retreating figure, the smile on her face slowly fading, leaving only a deep calm.

Trust? He had absolutely no trust in the actors.

But the clues are real, and that's enough.

As for the investigation... he naturally wouldn't really wait for the actor to "tell" him. Carlos's network of contacts was well-suited to handling this matter. With established offices, they could conduct any investigation under the guise of a commission, making it less likely to alert the enemy.

He turned and walked out of the bookstore, which reeked of old paper, without a second thought, leaving the actor and the travelogue that recorded his strange past behind in the dim light.

The afternoon sun shone on the streets, and Yu Xing squinted, already having a new plan in mind.

Let's go to Yolikev University first and find out the real name and identity of that astronomer.

……

3pm.

The afternoon sun bathed the somewhat plain stone portico of Yolikev University in a warm golden light. Unlike the tense atmosphere in the town, the university seemed to maintain a relative tranquility and order.

Through the wrought iron gate, you can see groups of students carrying books moving between the main buildings. Occasionally, a professor in a long robe walks by hurriedly, his brow furrowed, as if he is pondering profound academic questions.

Yu Xing and Carlos arrived at the gate side by side.

In stark contrast to the private and refined atmosphere of the Flowing Light Gallery, the university gates appear more open and practical, but also carry a slightly rigid and serious feeling unique to academic institutions.

An elderly security guard dressed in black stepped forward and politely but firmly stopped them: "Gentlemen, do you have a visit pass from a professor or teacher if you wish to enter the school district?"

His gaze swept over Carlos's slightly flamboyant attire and Yu Xing's outstanding face, with a hint of barely perceptible wariness—there had been far too many unfamiliar faces entering and leaving the university recently.

Carlos flashed an impeccable, warm smile, raised his hand to show off the silver enchanted ring worn over his white gloves: "Good morning. We are investigators from the Ideal State."

Upon seeing the ring, the security guard's expression immediately softened, even showing a hint of respect. However, duty called, and he still asked, "So you are the investigators. May I ask what brings you to the university today...?"

“We received a private commission.”

Carlos's tone grew slightly somber: "As you've probably heard, three unfortunate students recently met with misfortune on their way back to school at night… They were reportedly killed by an unknown monster. The family of one of the students is devastated and entrusted us to investigate, hoping to find that lurking, dangerous monster, avenge them, and prevent further tragedies." (End of Chapter)