The fairy maid cheers for her deceased master today.

It is inevitable that nothing will be gained.

These are not just killers, they are death squad members.

Seeing that things were going badly, they all took poison directly; they were all ruthless people.

The bodies of the three assassins lay neatly arranged on the cobblestone road, while the Templar Knights stood solemnly to one side, the runes on their silver armor gleaming coldly in the dim light.

"All confirmed dead, confirmed to be 'snakebite,' and the venom sac of the 'snakebite' had ruptured."

A Templar Knight reported in a low voice, his tone particularly muffled in the thick fog.

He crouched down, using his gloved fingers to pry open the lips of a corpse to examine its mouth: "Nerve paralysis within three seconds, no chance of rescue."

Reverend Ian stood at the alley entrance, the silver cross on his chest swaying gently, his face as somber as the London weather.

The petite, curly-haired fairy Gwyneth was busy recording the details of the scene, her quill pen scratching on the parchment.

"Sir, all the assassins have been confirmed dead."

Pastor Ian turned and walked toward Ex, his voice filled with helplessness.

"They were well-prepared, preferring death to revealing their employer's information. They also had no identification on them. This almost obsessive loyalty... is truly unsettling."

Ex's hand rubbed against the homemade revolver at his waist. The cold metallic touch kept him alert, reminding him that his strength was still insignificant in the face of the great nobles and the Holy Order.

We should try to keep a low profile.

This time, X was well-prepared and directly sought outside help, getting the Holy Church involved. This was a well-thought-out decision, which not only allowed him to conceal his true intentions but also gave outsiders the illusion that he was under the protection of the Holy Church.

This will make the "enemy" more cautious.

Of course, X did more than that. To sneak out of Miracle Workshop, he deliberately hid himself in a cargo box and had it delivered by Sophie…

This was necessary to coordinate with the Holy Church to set up an ambush near the workshop.

However, seeking the protection of the Church of Jesus Christ is only a temporary strategy.

"The Church of Jesus Christ will handle the aftermath properly," Reverend Ian continued, "but this incident reminds us, Sir Moore, that you need stronger protection."

Axe turned to face the priest: "What do you mean?"

"You might consider actually joining the Holy Order." Pastor Ian looked him straight in the eye. "As a full member, you will gain access to a church intelligence network throughout London, the support of the most elite Templar Knights, and more..."

He paused for a moment, "The sacred power and responsibility to fight against aliens and out-of-control fairies."

"Master! If we join, will we get to eat more pancakes and hot chocolate?" Angel suddenly peeked out from behind X, her blue eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Throughout the entire Holy Church, the only thing Angel didn't dislike was their handmade pastries.

Reverend Ian couldn't help but laugh: "Of course, Miss Angel. The Church of Jesus' kitchen is top-notch in London, and its handmade pastries are absolutely superb."

"Absolutely superb!" Gwyneth chimed in.

"Angel, you think a mere snack is enough to bribe you?" A familiar voice rang out. The fairy Elena had also arrived in the courtyard.

"Elena, thank you for guarding the house." Ex smiled slightly.

Elena had been lurking in the Miracle Workshop, protecting the valuable equipment. Fortunately, the assassins didn't go there, otherwise... they would have encountered the Templars much sooner.

"Of course, Sir Axe. Whatever you do, I will support you."

Elena was referring to joining the Holy Order. Although she was a former Holy Order fairy, Elena still felt a strong sense of belonging to the Holy Order.

However, joining the Church of Jesus Christ and one's master joining the Church of Jesus Christ are two different concepts.

X ruffled Angel's silver hair and looked at Pastor Ian: "I appreciate your offer, but please allow me to decline."

"Refuse?" Pastor Ian raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"I have my own principles and path, and for now... I don't have that idea," Ax said calmly.

I'm just a dead man; if I actually join in, the risk of being exposed increases dramatically.

Pastor Ian paused for a moment, then slowly nodded. "I understand. But please remember, the doors of the Church of Jesus Christ are always open for you. If you change your mind..."

"I'll remember," X interrupted with a smile. "Now, I must continue investigating Lucy's matter."

"Lucy?" Reverend Ian astutely guessed what he was thinking.

Axe nodded: "I was warned by James not to go too deep before, but now..."

He looked out the window at the fog-shrouded streets: "Now that they've completely abandoned all pretense of civility, I have no reason to back down."

■

The other party has already made a move; if we don't act now, when will we?

Back at Miracle Workshop, X immediately spread the case files all over his desk.

Angel sat obediently to the side, organizing documents, while Elena brought her some hot tea.

X smiled at his own fairy and organized the data, writing down the current intelligence summary... a summary of intelligence about Lucy and Caroline.

1. Fairy Lucy is the prime suspect in the silver theft case.

2. Fairy Caroline and fairy Lucy were colleagues in the same group when escorting the silverware.

2. Fairy Caroline and police officer James both belong to Baron Simon's faction, and there are suspected high-ranking nobles behind them;

3. Caroline investigated the source of the "Little Gospel" potion at the Moonlight Club;

4. Lucy mysteriously disappeared after becoming a suspect, but James warned her not to continue investigating her; it's speculated that James must know something.

5. The old quarry east of Greenwich Park was the meeting point for "Black Rock," which was the sales intermediary for "Little Gospel."

6. Lillian mentioned to Caroline the sales location of "Little Gospel".

……

Elena watched silently as Ex wrote down these clues.

She thought for a moment and asked, "We're supposed to be investigating Lucy's whereabouts now, right?"

"Yes."

"Then to investigate Lucy's whereabouts, we need to start with James, who knows the truth."

This is what Elena deduced from the current clues.

The only person who knows about the fairy Lucy is James.

Unfortunately, there's only one problem—Officer James is unlikely to cooperate with the investigation.

"So, the only option is to reopen the investigation into Caroline and Lucy's case?" Elena tried to ask.

"That's right."

X thought so too.

The incident Lucy was directly involved in was the counter-attack case. Faced with Caroline's trap, Lucy directly killed Caroline.

Axe went through Caroline's case information again.

……

Presumed date of death: evening of May 10, 1851.

Location of discovery: River Thames, East London Docklands, hotel.

The deceased's identity: Caroline, female, fairy, 24 years old. She was an escort for the "Divine Blessing Ceremony Preparatory Group," a collaborative project between the church and the royal family.

Cause of death: Dismemberment, multiple fatal injuries.

Corpse condition: Completely dismembered, showing partial swampy characteristics.

Additional information: Caroline used projection magic when she attempted to threaten Lucy. Caroline was killed because she didn't notice that her projected alien species had been replaced by a real alien species.

……

There was one issue in this case that had never been resolved.

"Where did these alien species come from?"

Ax suddenly spoke.

Elena paused for a moment, then immediately understood what X meant.

"Sir Axe, you mean... how exactly did Lucy manage to send the real alien into Caroline's room?"

"Yes, this method has always been a mystery. Even if Lucy simply used a barrier to imprison a mutant and brought it to the hotel, we still need to explain how she managed to keep it unseen... and where she found this mutant from..."

Then X suddenly felt that something was missing.

Looking up, I found Angel staring silently at the parchment in my hand.

It turns out that Angel's support was missing.

"So, Angel, what came to mind?" Ex asked jokingly.

"Ah, Master! I was thinking... we actually know what kind of alien species attacked Caroline!"

This immediately reminded X.

In Caroline's apartment, the complex barrier diagrams did indeed contain information and parameters for projection magic.

"Master, I copied it down!" Angel immediately held up a yellowed parchment, her face full of the joy of discovering a treasure. "Master, look, look, does it help?"

"That's wonderful, Angel!"

Ax, of course, prioritizes praise. Regardless of whether it's helpful or not, praising first is always the right thing to do.

Then X took it, looked at the crooked handwriting, and chuckled, "Fortunately, I can barely make out the handwriting, but unfortunately I still can't understand the content. It seems we still need to ask the fairies of the association to help us find out what kind of alien these documents represent."

Angel immediately rushed downstairs to send a telegram.

Fortunately, it's not too early now, and some fairies may already be up.

Before long, Angel came running back happily with the telegram.

The moment Ax unfolded the telegram and saw the words on it, Elena's expression changed drastically.

"What's wrong, Elena?" Ex noticed the unusual behavior.

"...The alien creature projected by this projection magic... seems to be the same one I encountered on the day I was attacked..."

"The same swamp variant!"