Fantasy Writers 1860

Ever since reading the investigation report provided by Lily, Inspector Reid has become paranoid, feeling that the entire Lentinion is already shrouded in the invisible hand of the Immaculate Dawn Order, and that a Lentinion lurking in the shadows is slowly emerging from the water.

This is something Redd cannot tolerate.

"...This could all be a conspiracy by the cult, but I still don't understand their motives, or what their connection is with this newspaper..."

Upon hearing this, Clancy's face turned pale.

"I... I remember now, I published a report about their cult before. I originally just wanted to do a sensational report about a fringe sect, but I discovered something else. Could it be...?"

"Something else?" Dorian asked.

"I heard they're trying to win over some impoverished nobles and bankrupt merchants, but I used to think that was normal—who doesn't need money? Did I accidentally discover something about them...?"

"Now we have a motive," Inspector Reid said calmly.

"The cult needs funds, and Samuel's scam was clever. He shifted the blame to a newspaper and a novel, which both diverted attention and eliminated an investigator." Lily, who had been listening quietly all along, suddenly spoke up, as if setting the tone for the whole thing.

"Get rid of it?" Editor Clancy's voice trembled slightly. "I... I'm just a newspaper seller, I really didn't know this..."

A silence fell over the office.

Hearing the faint sounds of protest coming from outside the door, Dorian suddenly spoke up: "So, are those people outside also arranged by the Order?"

"There are definitely some mixed in," Inspector Leeds said. "From what I've observed, at least half of them were hired to stir up trouble, some were just there for the fun of it, and the last few are probably the real victims who were scammed."

This aligns with Dorian's feeling.

In his past life, he had seen many people blocking the gates of construction sites to demand unpaid wages. However, few of them were actually owed wages. Most of them were pressured by subcontractors who offered them a certain amount per day to extort payment from the project.

"So what should we do now?" Editor-in-Chief Clancy's voice was still trembling slightly.

"Maris Hall," Lily suddenly said, a name that no one had ever heard of before.

"She is the wife of Langdon, a magical technology expert, and she recently divorced her husband."

"So?" Reid pressed.

"She and Langdon were both followers of the Immaculate Dawn Order, but Langdon's new bloodline screening method revealed that she had one-sixty-fourth of a demi-human bloodline. She was immediately dropped by Langdon, and she left the Order to join the Demi-human Liberation Organization."

"Their thinking shifts quite quickly, without any internal conflict..." Dorian felt a little strained.

"It is understood that she knows a lot about the internal affairs of the cult, but for some reason, she cannot put it into writing and can only accept interviews."

"You mean, I can summon this valuable witness?"

Those who join the Order of the Dawn of Immaculate Beauty become mysterious and difficult to see, or they hide so well that no one knows they were originally members of the Order, making it like an ancient secret society. Therefore, few people know what is really going on inside them.

Lily, sitting upright on the sofa, didn't speak, but simply nodded silently.

"Where did you find all these people?"

"I have my own channels."

"Wait, what I mean is, what about my newspaper office? What about those people still blocking the door?" Clancy was almost in tears as the two officials who were most likely to provide him with shelter were getting more and more off-topic.

"I know you're in a hurry, but please don't panic," Dorian quickly reassured Clancy, who was already quite tense. "Since at least half of those people outside are hired to cause trouble, we need to separate them first, otherwise they'll keep causing trouble no matter what we do."

"With so many people gathered in such a short time, there's definitely not enough time to explain the whole story to each of them in detail. They might not even know what this is all about."

"So we can now set up tables at the entrance and have them report in detail the circumstances of their encounters with those fraudsters and the amount of their losses. After registering and verifying the reports, we can directly compensate them."

"This was probably not what their masterminds expected. They probably didn't expect us to be so straightforward and generous in announcing that we would actually compensate the victims for their losses. Most of those who were called in at the last minute would be at a loss, stammering, and if you asked them a few more questions, they would expose themselves."

Dorian recounted his strange experiences from his past life.

"What if some people have good mental fortitude and are good at making things up, and can answer all the questions smoothly?" Clancy asked.

"If someone like that is infiltrated, then we can only accept our fate. I believe that such people are definitely a minority, at least enough to weed out the majority of those who are just here for money to stir up trouble." Dorian shrugged, indicating his helplessness.

"Wait a minute, does that mean we really have to compensate those who answered the questions correctly?"

How can you really expect to pay for it yourself?

"Of course, you can always back out later, but with so many colleagues outside with cameras set up, I wonder how they'll react when they find out..."

If Clancy put himself in his shoes, he would have put this on his newspaper for at least a week if he knew about it.

If we put ourselves in others' shoes, they must think the same way.

The publishing industry is a very dark place, and competitors won't pass up an opportunity to ruin someone else.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the other two people in the office. Inspector Reid was looking at him thoughtfully, while Lily adjusted the brim of her hat.

"Given the current situation, it is indeed a good idea," Inspector Reid said. "If we do nothing and let those people outside continue to cause trouble, once the Order gets under control, you will be completely disgraced. As Dorian said, at least we can salvage some of our reputation."

"Detective, could you possibly think of a way to get rid of these people..."

"If my men hadn't been holding them back down there, the crowd would have surged forward long ago," Inspector Reid said. "Freedom of assembly is a right granted to citizens by law. We police are only responsible for fighting crime and maintaining public order, not for the problems that arise in your own businesses."

Silence fell again in the office, while the protests outside seemed to grow louder.

After a long silence, Editor-in-Chief Clancy gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind, as if making some important decision in his life:

"Okay, let's do it this way!"