absurd deduction game.

The clatter of hooves echoed, with a steady, mechanical rhythm.

The actor stared at the receding shadows of the trees on both sides, his eyes devoid of warmth. His mind kept replaying all the scenes on the altar until the invisible hand belonging to the Mother Goddess of Harvest pushed him away, completely severing his chances of obtaining the experimental materials.

The returning magician is such a nuisance.

In this way, all he got from this dungeon run was a fragment of Edgar's heart, a fusion of flesh, machine, and divinity. Although he didn't get nothing, it was still unpleasant to watch his prey slip away.

The actor hadn't felt this frustrated by being outmaneuvered in a long time, especially since the person who outmaneuvered him wasn't either A-Xing or Hua-Su-Bai.

It's an eyesore, so very eyesore.

A deep, violent emotion was surging within him, and the coachman's back was like a target. He could easily crush this unimportant NPC into a pile of minced meat with just a wave of his hand, which would be some consolation.

But the actor did not make a move.

The negative emotions in his heart came from the ghostly darkness. Only this tree could amplify those negative desires, causing those who possessed His power to lose control, and all their actions to obtain nourishment.

The actor, of course, would not allow his emotions to be controlled by a tree. Killing a marginal NPC was merely a display of impotent rage.

He closed his eyes slightly, leaned back in his uncomfortable seat, and tried to put aside his gains and losses to analyze the biggest reason for this failure.

...Is it because he wanted to create a false memory of being allies with the young master?
Was it because he was soft-hearted and didn't interfere with the relationship between "Magician" and Ah Xing that the two got along better and better, making it much more difficult to deal with?

Or was it because he gave up the ticket competition the moment he discovered that Yu Xingye had entered the instance in the second phase, so he was very lazy throughout the entire instance process and did not carry out many of his plans?
That makes it seem like it's his own problem.

Thinking of this, the actor chuckled softly and looked at himself with a hint of mockery.

Forget it, never look for your own fault when something goes wrong; that's a rule he set a long time ago.

So, it really is the magician's fault, isn't it?
Without Carlos, everything would have gone much more smoothly... Even if the Magician is Ah Xing's teammate in this timeline and an important fighting force after going to Yin Yang City... he should still pay some price.

The actor opened his eyes, his light amber pupils filled with an almost inorganic indifference. His slender, calloused fingers tapped lightly on the side of the carriage seat, and then he made up his mind.

Right there in the carriage, he spread a parchment on his lap and took out a bottle of ink and a fountain pen from a functional offering that could carry many props.

Paper and pen are normal tools, but the ink is contained in an exquisite glass bottle. Through the clear glass, one can see that the ink is a deep green that immediately evokes images of poison. The murky liquid is mixed with bubbles and black flocs, resembling a witch's freshly brewed poison.

He dipped his pen in ink and wrote on the parchment:
"This should be the first time I've contacted you since we exchanged tokens."

"Time flies. As you said, if we want to cooperate, you will help me within your capabilities. Coincidentally, I have found someone who, like you, is strongly bound to time. He is in my way, and I hope you can cause him some trouble."

As if he had just thought of something, the performer's expression suddenly brightened.

"The Magician is an escaped convict from the time rift, while you, Miss Witch, are a prisoner trapped in time. Are you jealous of him?"

"In any case, I look forward to a pleasant collaboration."

The ink spread across the paper with a dark sheen, then completely seeped into the surface. The actor first put away the pen and ink, then picked up the parchment, rolled it up casually, and tossed it into the air beside him.

The air rippled almost imperceptibly, and the parchment scroll vanished without a sound.

Just then, they passed a farm outside the town of Yolikev. The actor's lips curled into a smile. He peeked out for a moment, then called out, "Mr. Coachman."

The driver turned his head slightly to look at him, and seeing that he seemed to be in no hurry, turned back to look at the road, while replying, "What is it, Mr. Investigator?"

The actor asked, "How many investigators in town haven't been taken away yet?"

Without hesitation, the driver replied, "I'm not too sure. Headquarters will arrange it." The headquarters was very capable. Although he, as a driver, didn't know who the capable people at headquarters were, they could always ensure that they would be notified when it was time to set off.

Therefore, if no other investigators want to leave the town, no other carriages will depart.

Essentially, he came specifically to pick up this... somewhat eccentric Eastern investigator.

"Alright." The performer smiled and said nothing more.

Just then, another carriage came from the opposite direction. The coachman yawned and looked over, exchanging glances with the coachman of the carriage carrying the actors.

"It is you."

"Um, you're on the night shift too... yawn."

The two drivers happened to know each other and exchanged a friendly greeting as they passed each other.

The entertainer watched as the carriage gradually drove away and approached a certain point outside the town, when the system appeared with a strange hissing sound.

[The deduction game "Yorikf's Investigation Notes" has ended]

How accurate is the reconstruction of the case's truth?

[Increase in personality alienation level: 0]

[Rating: S]

[Contribution Ranking: 4]

……

[Rating: S]

[Contribution Ranking: 2]

[Because you ranked second in the Utopia contribution rankings, in addition to the basic system rewards for completing the game, you also received a letter and package from Utopia headquarters.]

As dawn broke, Yu Xing boarded the carriage that led her away from the instance.

Nothing happened along the way, and he arrived safely at the "edge of the map" and received a system notification.

The shielding against the system had long since disappeared. Yu Xing guessed that the system itself must have already noticed the anomaly and was spying on it. He was too lazy to expose it and focused on checking the level completion settlement before his consciousness returned to reality.

Unlike the carrier pigeons Carlos encountered in the central square, the settlement letters were directly transferred by the system.

To the Investigator:

We are delighted to hear of your safe return. We were deeply concerned upon hearing of the Old God-level disaster that struck Yorikef, but thankfully your abilities exceeded our expectations. We hereby announce that, effective today, you have become a legendary investigator who has made contact with the Old Gods! Your investigations and explorations during the mission have provided us with invaluable documentation, for which we are extremely grateful.

The package enclosed with this letter contains a reward from us. We look forward to you returning to headquarters at your leisure, as we would like to discuss some matters with you privately.

In short, take a good rest and make sure you are in a normal and healthy mental state. If you experience any unusual symptoms, please contact headquarters immediately for evaluation and treatment.

Good night. —The Ideal State (End of Chapter)