In the name of the true god

Stefan Nolan took Jude's urgent matter to heart and hurriedly left the police station with him, heading towards the dock area directly ahead.

"Lost it around 2 PM?"

"right."

"Why would you come all this way to the dock for a walk?"

"I worked as a stevedore in the dock area for a few years before starting work at the prison a little over a month ago. I had some free time today, so I thought I'd come back here for a visit."

Jude answered Stefan Nolan's questions with ease.

His strategy was simple.

First, determine Stefan Nolan's character.

If he's an easygoing person, start by bringing up the topic of the dock fire and wait for him to share the details of the case.

If the person is meticulous and serious, focus on building a closer relationship and then adapt to changing circumstances.

As for whether filing a false report will cause trouble for Stefan Nolan, whose crime-solving rate is already low.

Jude didn't think it was a big problem. At worst, he could find out the fat wizard's background and then slap his forehead and say that the wallet was actually left in the car, which wouldn't cause Stefan Nolan too much trouble.

"This is pretty much it." Jude deliberately led Stefan Nolan to the vicinity of the dock fire site, saying in a serious tone, "I was walking along just fine, when I reached into my pocket and suddenly realized my wallet was gone."

"In other words, just because you discovered your wallet is missing here doesn't mean it was lost here," Stefan Nolan said, looking around to emphasize the point.

"It should be..."

When was the last time you confirmed your wallet was still there?

"Yes... I don't remember exactly, but I was there before I came to the dock," Jude said vaguely, glancing occasionally at the warehouse not far away.

More than a month has passed, and the traces of the basement fire have been almost completely erased.

Perhaps because the identity of the deceased had not been fully confirmed, the Holy Church did not pay much attention to it at the time.

With the death of the priest Rodney, only Stefan Nolan currently has some understanding of the fat wizard's situation.

"You really know how to make things difficult," Stefan Nolan chuckled, speaking in a joking tone. "The dock area is so big, with countless workers coming and going. Finding the wallet back is like finding a needle in a haystack."

"I didn't have high hopes either. If we can't find it, so be it." Jude didn't put pressure on Stefan Nolan and was still secretly looking for an opportunity to inquire about the dock fire.

“Since you’ve worked at the docks, you should know how tough life is for the dockworkers. A hundred gold coins is equivalent to two or three months’ wages for them. If I were in their shoes, I might not be willing to return that money to you untouched either,” Stefan Nolan suggested a solution. “Is there anything else important in the wallet? If not, I can help you put up some notices at the docks, asking them to return only other items. That might give you a chance to minimize your losses.”

"It's nothing," Jude shook his head.

Stefan Nolan exhaled a puff of smoke and said frankly, "I'm sorry, it's difficult for me to help you with this either."

"It's okay, I knew there was a high chance it wouldn't be found, I just wanted to try my luck. Thank you for coming with me for nothing."

"Of course." Stefan Nolan took out his cigarette case, offered one to Jude first, and when Jude didn't smoke it, he lit one for himself. "By the way, how did your colleagues know me? Am I that famous?"

Jude seized the opportunity decisively: "Actually, it's not just my colleagues at the prison. When I was working at the docks, the bartender at the tavern mentioned you. So, your reputation is definitely much greater than you imagine."

"Heh..." Just as Jude had expected, Stefan Nolan followed up with the question, "Why did the bartender mention me?"

"It seems so..." Jude recalled, "There was some kind of fire case back then, and someone even died in the fire. Even the priest got involved. When I was drinking at the tavern, the bartender mentioned that you had gone to him to inquire about the situation."

"That's true, but I didn't expect the bartender to recognize me." Stefan Nolan was slightly surprised. "You were at the docks too?"

Jude hummed in agreement: "I started working at the prison about a week after the fire."

"How did you get a job at the Royal Capital Heavy Prison? The pay there is pretty good. Several of my colleagues want to go too, but they haven't found a way in."

The topic has gone off track.

We need to bring it back.

Jude pondered for a moment: "My brother works there; he introduced me to this job. Hey, how's the arson investigation going? Could there really be some kind of cult in the dock area?"

Stefan Nolan assumed Jude was simply curious and didn't suspect anything: "Not entirely sure, just a suspicion."

"What do you mean?" Qiu Deqian chuckled twice. "If there really is a heretic, I'll avoid the docks from now on."

"Hehe, there's no need to be so careful," Stefan Nolan reassured him, briefly explaining the situation. "When an unidentified person is found dead, in addition to investigating the cause of death to confirm whether it was suicide, an accident, or homicide, we detectives are also obligated to check the wanted poster to see if the deceased is a fugitive."

"That……"

"The victim in the fire was burned beyond recognition, so I had to go to the landlord of the basement to identify him. To my surprise, the landlord actually picked out a wanted poster and said that the victim looked a lot like one of the heretics on the wanted poster."

It turned out to be like this...

Thankfully, Stefan Nolan is a meticulous worker.

If it were any other detective, they probably wouldn't have bothered to take the arrest warrant to the landlord for identification. They would most likely have closed the case hastily after confirming that the deceased died in an accident.

"and then?"

"Then, as per regulations, I reported the matter to the Holy Church. After that, I took the arrest warrant and went to places the deceased might have visited to further verify the information with witnesses." Stefan Nolan took a deep drag on his cigarette. "Unfortunately, no one remembered the deceased, and the landlord's statement alone was not enough to confirm the deceased's identity."

"No wonder you said you weren't quite sure, just had a suspicion..."

"Whether you have doubts or not is irrelevant now, the man is dead anyway." Stefan Nolan shrugged, threw his cigarette butt on the ground, and stomped it out.

Jude wanted to press for more information about the heretic on the wanted poster, preferably to see the photo in person, lest they turn out to be different people and his investigation be disrupted.

But making such a direct request seems to have strayed from the realm of "curiosity".

He pondered for a moment, then finally steeled himself and said, "I think I've seen that deceased person before. How about I take a look at that wanted poster? Maybe I can help you identify whether they are the same person."

"Oh?" Stefan Nolan's eyes lit up. "You've met him?"

"I think I've seen him before, but I'm not entirely sure." Jude didn't dare to be too certain. "It's just that we got carried away talking about this today, and I have a vague feeling that I have some recollection of the deceased."

He's gambling.

Given Stefan Nolan's meticulous nature, he wouldn't overlook any possibility.

He made the right bet.

"Come on, let's go back to the station. I'll find that arrest warrant for you." Stefan Nolan immediately pulled him back to identify it. "If you can recognize it, I'll buy you a drink!"