Me! Cleaner!.

Chapter 1245 Disappearance and Interrogation and...Talent!
The ruler of the grave has disappeared.

The situation unfolded in a way that surprised everyone. After venting his anger on a certain silly donkey and storming off toward the mortal world, the Lord of the Graveyard mysteriously vanished without a trace, and no one ever saw him again.

The sudden disappearance of such an important figure prompted an all-out search by almost everyone who knew about his trip to the mortal world: the true god who received Order No. 1, the astral beings assigned by the Lord of the Suspended Stars, and the Lord of the Graveyard's own retinue.

At Lyon's request, the Cleanup Bureau, already in a state of full preparedness, mobilized almost all available resources, turning every possible place upside down. However...

No, I can't find it no matter how hard I look.

There was nothing in the present world, nothing in the old land, nothing in the astral realm, nothing in the graveyard... The directors of the Cleanup Bureau were even prepared to suffer huge casualties, and dispatched all the cleanup personnel they could mobilize to sift through the entire dead realm as carefully as if they were sifting sand.

Finally, even six directors were dispatched to conduct a thorough search of the mortal and dead worlds. However, the Lord of the Graveyard was like a dried-up puddle of dog urine. The Cleanup Bureau searched extensively for several months, but apart from the initial stench of urine, they couldn't find anything.

How could such a large grave, which once ruled over the earth, suddenly disappear?

Looking at the map on the wall covered with dense markings, which he himself had marked with red crosses, and still unable to find his target, Leon couldn't help but raise his hand to his throbbing temples and rub them vigorously.

The destination of the grave soil is not difficult to guess in theory.

If the Lord of the Graveyard were to return from the Astral Plane, it would certainly not escape the notice of the Lezi Donkey, who holds the power over the Astral Plane's origins. The Lord of the Suspended Stars swore with his donkey whip that he had not detected any fluctuations indicating the Lord of the Graveyard's return. Therefore, the Lord of the Graveyard must be within the mortal realm.

Among the present world and all the surrounding sub-planes, the two places where it is most likely to appear are the present world itself and the death realm where a large number of dead people exist.

Considering the source of death within the Lord of the Grave Soil, if he were to appear in the mortal world, he would be as conspicuous as ink dropped into clear water. With such a large-scale investigation, he should have been exposed long ago. Only in the realm of the dead can he be perfectly hidden. Therefore, he must be hiding in the realm of the dead.

The problem is that the area of ​​the Dead Realm is very large, and in terms of "population" alone, it is larger than that of the real world. So even though he knew that the Lord of the Graveyard was probably in the Dead Realm, he just couldn't find his exact location. He had been waiting in the Dead Realm for several months but still couldn't find him.

An entity that has mastered the root of death would be impossible to find in a world teeming with the dead. Unless one creates a dimensional dream and forcibly drags all the dead into the dream to identify them one by one, there's really nothing that can be done about it...

"Leon?"

Just as Lyon was hesitating whether to risk impacting the present world and go all out, a worried voice suddenly came from behind him.

You look terrible... Are you alright?

"I'm fine..."

After glancing back at Emma, ​​whose face was filled with worry, Leon, sitting behind a large table, shook his head slightly and said:

“I’m just thinking about the Lord of the Graveyard… He came here with hostility after all. If we don’t capture him quickly, I’m worried he might suddenly attack the Netherworld or the mortal realm.”

"You've really worked hard..."

Looking at the messy markings on the table and wall, as well as the numerous activating tracking anomalies, Emma sighed inwardly, carefully placed the documents in her hand on the table, then went around behind Leon and gently placed her hands on his temples.

"?"

Feeling the cool fingertips on his temple, Leon was slightly taken aback, but before he could speak, Emma explained:

"You've been rubbing your head a lot, you seem to be feeling unwell. I can help you relieve the discomfort a little."

"Um...thank you?"

After thanking him somewhat awkwardly, Leon sensed the slightly strange atmosphere and quickly changed the subject:

"By the way, how's the investigation that Director Jinniu asked you to do going? Any results?"

"I came here to talk to you about this."

As Emma's gentle voice rang out, the documents on the table floated over, carried by a gray mist, and opened gracefully in front of Leon, revealing a long list of names and corresponding investigation results.

"There are probably more than 10,000 dead people who have appeared in the realm of the dead in recent months but cannot explain their origins."

Leaning over, Emma flipped to the last page of the investigation report, tapped the summary box at the bottom, and said softly:

"Of the more than 7,000 deceased whose origins were unclear, their approximate origins have been determined after coordination with relevant departments in the present world. However, the origins of more than 4,000 deceased are still difficult to verify."

Most of them are relatively remote counties in the Twelve Kingdoms, or some relatively isolated small city-states. The remaining small portion are scattered tribes among the Ten Descendants of Da Ting, those in the deep mountains and the sea...

"Lyon, His Excellency Taurus, did you order the Underworld branch to conduct this investigation because you suspect the Lord of the Graves might be mixed in with these deceased?"

"Yes."

Leon lowered his head slightly, avoiding the soft touch from behind, and quickly flipped through the investigation report Emma had sent, noting down the names of the deceased who had been specifically marked. He then answered:

"The Lord of the Graves will not hide for the sake of hiding. He must have discovered something or wants to investigate something. Whatever his plans are, he will definitely have to make contact with our Underworld branch. A recently deceased person is the best disguise."

Furthermore, judging from the description given by the Star Lord, the Soil Lord was not a particularly cautious person, and was even a bit careless. Therefore, when he disguised his identity, he might not have carefully planned his origins, and might have just made do with whatever came to mind.

So after discussing it with several directors who remained in the Realm of the Dead, we felt we could start from this angle and thoroughly investigate the new deceased who entered the Realm of the Dead in the last five months, especially those whose identities in life were uncertain. Perhaps this would allow us to directly identify the Lord of the Gravesite.”

"That's it..."

After nodding slightly, Emma, ​​who had been almost lying on Leon's back, straightened up again, continuing to massage his temples as she asked:

"By the way, where's the child? What did he say?"

"Forehead……"

Faced with Emma's question, Leon's body stiffened slightly, and he quickly replied:
"Although he knows the general situation, if too much information about the future is revealed, it can easily change the present and then create a completely new future, or even create a completely new version of himself."

It seems everything is moving towards a 'good ending,' and rather than revealing the future and disrupting this stable process, it's better to let things take their natural course. Therefore, since he's unwilling to directly tell me the location of the grave's ruling deity, I can't force him.

"Oh..." Emma nodded, seemingly understanding, then pursed her lips slightly, gently cupped Leon's head in her hands, and hesitated before speaking:

"Leon, when you brought that child to the Realm of the Dead to ask about the situation, why did he call me that..."

"Cough cough cough cough!"

A sudden, violent bout of coughing interrupted Emma's question. Feeling increasingly uneasy, Leon evaded the question with a laugh, saying something completely different:

"Kids are just sleepy and confused, it's normal for them to mistake someone for someone else, haha."

"He's no ordinary kid!"

Seeing Leon's perfunctory attitude, Emma unconsciously tightened her grip slightly, her eyes flashing with a hint of dissatisfaction as she gently scolded:
"Although he was only a little over a month old at the time, apart from not having a large vocabulary, he was already very mature in terms of intelligence and speech. I even think he is smarter than many adults!"

I'd believe other children would call out to people randomly, but that child is different. He wouldn't call someone out just because he mistook them for someone else… calling someone's mother randomly—there's definitely something wrong with that!

She reached forward and wrapped her arms around Leon's neck, pulling him back from his escape attempt. The usually gentle Emma pursed her lips, her expression stubborn as she pressed on with a question:
"Leon, are you hiding something from me?"

"without……"

Yes! There definitely is!

Although she didn't want to disturb Leon's work with personal matters at such an important time, Emma's heart trembled slightly at the thought of the little baby with big, bright eyes, sweetly calling her "Mommy" and reaching out for a hug. She then insisted:
“I’ve been thinking about this for months! Something’s definitely not right here! Even though that child was born to you and Veronica, I always feel that he, like Amy, has… has my shadow in him!”

After uttering a judgment that even she herself found absurd, Emma, ​​unusually assertive, walked around to Leon's side, forcefully pressed him into a chair, and questioned him with intense gaze:

"Leon, tell me the truth, is that child...is he..."

"Um... don't overthink it."

Looking at Emma, ​​whose expression seemed hesitant yet also as if she had already confirmed something, Leon, sweating profusely, was filled with regret.

Since he first heard the news that "the Lord of the Graves and Soil wants to seize the Underworld Branch Bureau" from his son, when he couldn't find the Lord of the Graves and Soil anywhere, he thought of him and planned to ask if he had any more specific information.

However, what should have been a simple cross-dimensional "phone call" turned into a nightmare. Right after she finished asking her question, that little brat suddenly appeared in the Death Realm and started calling Emma "Mom."

Damn it... Veronica is still angry with me because of the controversy surrounding my "crossover son". If Emma "takes it as fact" after you yelled at me, I'm afraid I'll really be fired from the Ryan family!

"This is a misunderstanding."

Already having a somewhat... ambiguous relationship with Emma, ​​and fearing that this cross-timeline mother-son relationship would be confirmed, Leon had no choice but to pull out his Master of Performance badge and explain with a sincere expression:
"That child probably just feels closer to you, so..."

"Leon, wait a minute."

Emma, ​​unusually interrupting Leon and pressing him into a chair, pursed her lips and said with a complex expression in her eyes:
"I don't want to put you in a difficult position. If you don't want to tell me the truth, you must have your reasons. So whatever you say next, I'm willing to believe your answer..."

So what's going on with that child? Why...why do I feel like he's my child?

"..."

Seeing that Emma had already guessed he was hiding something from her, but still handed the choice back to him, Leon opened his mouth, then hesitated before saying:
"It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that the situation is indeed a bit complicated..."

"I'm not afraid of complexity!"

"..."

You're not afraid of things being complicated, but... if my other self is me, then I'm afraid I'll be in the wrong!
"OK then……"

As if he had made up his mind, Leon took a deep breath and secretly reached out to hug Emma's slender waist, making a gesture that resembled a kiss, while Emma was stubbornly holding him down and almost straddling him. Then he suddenly turned his head towards the door!

"I'm...I'm so sorry!!!"

Seeing Leon practically embracing Emma, ​​Miss "Bumper" at the door, who was holding a large stack of documents, instinctively screamed, then hurriedly threw down the documents and covered her eyes tightly.

"Excuse me! I... I've come at the wrong time!"

No, no, no! You've come at the perfect time! Or rather, I specifically chose you because of your special talent, which is why I temporarily transferred you here!
Seeing Emma's cheeks flush slightly, and her hasty release of her, Leon, who had specifically sought out the red-haired chief to bring "Miss Caught in the Crossing" over as his secretary, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He then waved to Miss Caught in the Crossing at the door and said:

"No, neither of us did anything... What are you holding? Is it also the investigation document requested by Lord Taurus?"

"Yes, it is……"

He glanced cautiously at Emma, ​​whose eyes were filled with helplessness, then, with trembling hands, picked up the fallen documents, making a wide, shaky arc before placing them on a corner of Lyon's table. He then reported nervously:
"These are the names of all the full-time employees of the Underworld Branch who have joined in the last five months, along with their background checks and all their files. Lord Taurus said... that you should pay special attention to the person listed at the very top of the list."

"I understand... Don't leave yet. I'll send these documents back after I finish writing the reply."

Leon stopped the runaway Miss, leaving her to help "suppress" the shy Emma, ​​and then opened the documents Miss Miss had brought, looking at the personnel file that the Taurus director had specifically emphasized.

Name: Lyle Dyce

Sex: Male
Position: Level 2 Judge (Judgment Post for Malicious Conduct)

Place of origin: An unnamed village at the foot of the Bayer Mountains in the Kingdom of East Calaiven, Wisteria County (under verification)
Cause of death: Starvation (under investigation)
……

Resume: Outstanding graduate of the 57th Human Culture Literacy Class of the Underworld Branch Bureau. He completed the three-year course in just two months and passed the judicial examination in 29 days. He was recruited by the court as a probationary judge and was later promoted to a full-fledged judge ahead of schedule due to his significant contributions.

Evaluation: This employee is motivated, has a positive attitude, and possesses exceptional professional skills. Their rapid rise from an illiterate individual to an outstanding judge in the courtroom further demonstrates their thirst for knowledge and remarkable learning ability. It is recommended that they be included in the year-end promotion list.

　Two-in-one... Or 2...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)