Secrets: Priestess

Chapter 36 Communication
Ermo Plucius, a villain.

Jesse Moody, a thief.

The activities of these unrelated villains and thieves were linked together by a recipe for the "Instigator" potion.

The thief stole a copy of the "Instigator" potion formula from somewhere, and the thief heard from somewhere that the villain needed this formula. Finally, the thief reached a deal with the villain in this underground exchange.

Worry crept across Ebanks's forehead, forming a series of wrinkles. The leader of the Mechanical Heart sighed, "But the fundamental problem is that we haven't been able to find the source of the formula."

Claire asked, "Hasn't anyone found out where Jie Shi stole the formula from? Or is there any clue about the time?"

Ebanks gave a wry smile: "I couldn't find it."

As he spoke, Ebanks took out a case report from his pocket and handed it to Old Neil.

Old Neil handed it to Claire first, and then just stood beside Claire and watched.

Claire read it carefully. It detailed Jesse Moody's crimes over the past two years and the items that had been lost.

There is no record of potion recipes.

Not even precious and extraordinary items.

After reading it, Claire returned the report to Ebanks.

While putting it away, Ebanks said to Claire:

"Although Jie Shi is an 'apprentice' and possesses the special ability of 'opening doors', his crimes all target gold, silver, and jewelry, and he doesn't even touch Beyonder materials. According to the professional profile, Jie Shi is deliberately staying away from the world of Beyonders."

Just like the prying eyes of a mystic, the knowledgeable person has a photographic memory.

Opening doors is the basic ability of an "apprentice". It can open all locks that do not contain mysterious powers, as well as a small number of locks with extraordinary effects.

Even in places without locks or doors, as long as there is no restriction of extraordinary power and the obstacles are not too thick, "opening the door" can directly open a passage that does not belong to reality.

Therefore, it is extremely difficult to capture an "apprentice".

It is even difficult to trace the specific whereabouts of an "apprentice".

Ebanks sighed deeply. "We know there must be flaws in our investigation into Jesse's crimes, but it's incredibly difficult to fully grasp Jesse's whereabouts. Otherwise, we wouldn't have come here to try our luck."

After listening in, Old Neil came up with an idea: "If divination doesn't work, have you ever tried psychic communication?"

Ebanks replied, "We tried to communicate with the spirit but failed. The body had been handled, and the spirit couldn't be gathered. That's why we concluded there must be other Beyonders involved."

Swain suddenly asked, "Where's the Beyonder characteristic that Jesse extracted?"

Ebanks replied: "Nothing was found at the scene."

Hearing this, Claire was stunned for a moment and asked in surprise, "After a Beyonder dies...will they release Beyonder characteristics?"

Swain turned his head, glanced at Claire from the side, and sneered, "A rookie?"

Claire raised an eyebrow.

Old Neil sighed and explained, "Claire, you know that after a monster dies, it leaves behind something rich in supernatural power. And we, the Beyonders, are actually no different from monsters. After death, our bodies will also release Beyonder characteristics."

"That's more than that, little girl." Swain ignored Old Neil's dissuading gaze and continued, "A monster's Beyonder properties after death are generally uncontrollable. They can only be sealed and transformed into less useful seals."

"And the characteristics left behind by Beyonders after death are mostly controllable..."

Extraordinary characteristics, controllable...

At this moment, Claire thought of the potion.

Seeing Claire's face turn pale and ugly in an instant, Swain didn't continue speaking, but just said lightly:
"You're pretty quick-witted, little girl... The world of Beyonders isn't just a game. It's better for a little kid like you to just go home and get married."

Old Neil snorted, "You old fellow who can't even drink the promotion potion, what a joke! You're just pretending to be something in front of the newbies."

Claire's expression was much colder, but after a brief pause, she turned her attention back to the case.

Ignoring Swain's "tsk," Claire continued communicating with Ebanks, "Do you have more information on Jesse? For example, how did Jesse become a Beyonder?"

Ebanks said, "We haven't found out yet. We will send a copy of the detailed information about Jesse to the Nighthawks. In return, we will apply to participate in the interrogation of Ermo."

Claire took note of this and said, "I'll report this to Captain Dunn when I get back." The exchange of information ended there for the time being.

Although the case of the Mechanical Heart is also an unsolved case, any new clues it has are a sign of positive development.

After communicating with the vendors but failing to learn more, Old Neil introduced this underground exchange to Claire.

"It's hard for the vendors out there to sell anything good. At best, you can buy some ordinary materials. Things like those selling books, amulets, and mystical props can only be said to be barely related to the extraordinary, serving to satisfy the curiosity of ordinary people."

"Ordinary people?" Claire looked at the mysticism enthusiasts wandering between the stalls. These people made up the majority.

Claire was a little skeptical about the entire exchange. Apart from these few official personnel, there probably weren't even a handful of extraordinary people in the exchange.

Old Neil laughed and said, "Most of them are the families of nobles and wealthy merchants. They have both money and connections, so they want to explore the unknown world."

"I think they're all here to give money to Swain. If it weren't for the confidentiality clause, I'd also like to set up a stall here. Aren't my ritual magic more impressive than these stalls?"

Claire looked at these occult enthusiasts quietly without saying a word.

If she hadn't joined the Nighthawks and become a Beyonder, she might... no, she would definitely have been one of them.

Backlund, a dim underground prison for the nobility.

The elegant lady, supported by her personal maid, walked down the stone steps with clattering sounds.

This private prison was divided into several small areas, some of which held servants who had committed crimes, while others held "materials" captured by the noblewoman. But no matter which area, the people could hardly be called human at this moment.

Either they grow a few more deformed arms or legs, or they completely turn into monsters.

There is an area that is relatively tidy and has an altar.

The remaining ritual materials after being consumed have not yet been collected.

A man in a short shirt stood in front of the altar. He had a gentle demeanor and humbly said to the young man who was deformed on the altar:
“Thank you for your contribution to the truth.”

The deformed young man opened his eyes wide and red, and his body was swelling, causing his mouth to open in fear and anger.

But there is no tongue in the mouth.

I could only scream.

The lady came here, as if she was used to this kind of scene. There was no fear in her gentle eyes, and instead she pressed her whole body against the man with great emotion.

"Baby." The man said softly, preparing to turn around.

But before he turned around, a blood-red arm emerged from the lady's collarbone and pierced his chest.

Before he could struggle, a black illusory flame shot out from the blood-red palm and exploded and burned directly in his chest!

Amidst the woman's shrill screams, the personal maid behind the lady threw her away and in an instant cut off the man's head with a hidden dagger.

The lady held her bloody shoulder with one hand, shrank to the wall, and cried out in fear:

"Leyana! It's me! We are sisters!"

But the maid who was chasing him pounced on him and broke his neck.

The dungeon suddenly became quiet.

At this time, the maid gathered her hair back, and an illusory key chain gradually appeared at the back of her neck.

The maid opened the brass zipper like unzipping clothes, and the shriveled human skin fell off, and a black-haired woman in a tight-fitting suit crawled out.

The woman with black hair and black eyes picked up the zipper buckle from the shriveled human skin, walked to the dead lady, and pressed the zipper buckle on the back of the lady's neck.

Then…the black-haired woman unzipped her pants and got inside.

In the dim kerosene lamplight, the lady stood up again.

The noble lady, with a lively and unremarkable demeanor, stood beside the dead man, quietly waiting for his extraordinary characteristics to emerge.

(End of this chapter)