The Fairy: From the Traveling Merchant

Chapter 969 Danger Perception
If Zhao Chen had only doubts about the "protagonist's" identity before, he is now almost certain.

After all, a name like "Sherlock Moriarty," just like "Conan Edogawa," was probably chosen casually when creating a fake identity.

Zhao Chen had good reason to guess that the "big bearded man" in this story was a "time traveler"!
Because this detective Moriarty was highly inspired and likely had a "golden touch," Zhao Chen didn't pay too much attention to him. Instead, he observed each detective present as the great detective Esinger Stanton introduced them.

“They are mostly ordinary people, with only two or three possibly being extraordinary individuals…” Zhao Chen made this judgment in his mind.

—For extraordinary individuals who have fully digested the potion, the spiritual fluctuations they emit are not obvious, and even divine sense cannot see through them directly.

Most of the detectives in the living room had heard of Su Xuanbing, or rather, the reputation of the "Elsa Suffer" she played, and were quite enthusiastic and admiring of her.

As for Zhao Chen, he was tacitly considered a follower and didn't receive much attention, except for the "bearded" detective Moriarty who would occasionally glance over.

After his assistant poured everyone a cup of coffee or black tea and distributed the materials, Eisinger sat down in his armchair, took out his pipe, and slowly stroked it, saying, "I think none of you are unfamiliar with this recent serial murder case. Do you have any thoughts? Share them so we can discuss them."

A detective named Stuart raised his hand and spoke first: "I just looked through the files and found that the police didn't even start their investigation with the victim's identity."

"I don't think the criminal could recognize that the victim was a prostitute just by looking at her. He must have had contact with them. This is a very important clue, and the police missed it! God, this is unbelievable!"

But the criminal was most likely identified by sight... All the extraordinary individuals present muttered to themselves.

“This is a very important direction, Stuart. Ask a few friends to help you investigate carefully.” Isengard gave a calm assessment before turning away and looking at Zhao Chen and Su Xuanbing, smiling as he asked, “Ms. Aisha, what are your thoughts?”

As soon as he said this, everyone's attention turned to Su Xuanbing. However, the female general was not intimidated and smiled as she said, "I think this murderer probably has an accomplice in the police station or a similar department, otherwise it would be impossible to perfectly avoid every trap."

Upon hearing this, Stuart immediately exclaimed excitedly, "That's right! I was wondering why the police would overlook such an important investigation... There's a high possibility that the murderer had accomplices among them, and probably more than one!"

Upon hearing this, most of the private investigators echoed his sentiments, while only a few, including Isengard and Moriarty, showed thoughtful expressions.

Once the discussion had subsided, Isengard said with deep emotion, "As expected of the famous detective Elsa, she immediately discovered the problem we had overlooked."

"This was just a chance discovery," Su Xuanbing replied modestly.

For the rest of the time, the detectives expressed their opinions, sometimes arguing, sometimes shouting rebuttals, sometimes standing up and pacing to gather their thoughts. As the exchange neared its end, the detective with the "big beard," Moriarty, finally raised his hand and said:

"I want information on unsolved serial murders in Backlund, and indeed the entire kingdom, from the last twenty years."

The room fell silent for a few seconds, and most of the private investigators were momentarily unable to understand his intentions and thoughts.

Eisinger brought his pipe to his nose, took a drag, and carefully asked, "Do you think the murderer is not a first-time offender?"
"You suspect he has committed similar crimes before, even if the methods were different?"

Detective Moriarty nodded in response, "The criminal's modus operandi wasn't that of a novice; I have reason to believe he's done similar things before! Combining the past and present, we're more likely to grasp the crux of the problem."

Upon hearing his answer, the detectives whispered among themselves, and after a brief silence, Isengard exclaimed in genuine admiration:

"Great idea!"

That's truly a brilliant line of thinking... No wonder he's called 'Sherlock Moriarty,' his reasoning skills are incredibly strong! While Zhao Chen mentally agreed, a strange thought popped into his head:

Could it be that the prototype for this 'other dimension' is a mystery anime with two main characters?
But if it's just a story about a detective solving a case, is it really necessary to set such a vast background world?
After the meeting finally ended and most of the detectives left, Zhao Chen and Su Xuanbing were kept behind by Isengard Stanton.

The old gentleman, secretly possessing the "eye of wisdom" and outwardly a great detective, glanced at the two who seemed unsurprised and said with a smile, "We are both extraordinary individuals, so let's not beat around the bush..."

"You already know that the killer is actually a 'devil,' right? Heh, that Detective Moriarty probably knows that too, otherwise he wouldn't have suggested checking the records of previous serial murders. He must know that the 'devil's' predecessor was a 'serial killer,' and he also knows about the 'acting method.'"

He paused for a moment, then slowly said, "I didn't keep him to discuss this because I was afraid of startling him; these kinds of wild extraordinary beings are always very sensitive."

You mean we're not wild? Do I, or Su Xuanbing, have some hidden identity?
Zhao Chen was somewhat surprised, but outwardly remained calm and said, "We are also wild extraordinary beings."

Detective Stanton shook his head and chuckled: "Miss Aisha's identity is no secret in my circle. Although the Suffer family has declined, it is still a ducal family that has produced demigods. With the kingdom's backing, the church will not arrest her arbitrarily."

After saying that, he looked at Zhao Chen and smiled, "Besides, Ms. Aisha is actually good at fighting, but not good at reasoning. She became a famous detective because of your help behind the scenes... right, Mr. Helios?"

So, what are you trying to express? Your own reasoning ability?

Besides, Xuanbing isn't just good at fighting; she just doesn't want to use her brain.

Zhao Chen mentally grumbled a few times, but outwardly ignored the topic and instead asked, "Does the 'demon' really have the ability to detect traps in advance?"

The question Su Xuanbing raised during the discussion was actually referring to this.

Upon being asked, Detective Stanton nodded solemnly and sighed deeply, saying, "My student Abner, oh, the hero detective, warned me before he left that the other party could 'sense danger'."

“I used to think it was just a kind of ‘spiritual warning’ effect, but after your reminder, I feel that this ability is probably not so simple.”

"I suspect that the 'demon' knew about the capture plan when the Church's extraordinary beings devised it!"

"I just don't know how wide the effective range of this ability will be..."

(End of this chapter)