Guild Boss's Ambition

……

21. Detective's Touch (Little Blue)

(Ulu-Lannon)

"Just wait and see! Wait until the clock points to nine o'clock in the morning."

Nine o'clock in the morning?

It took me a while to realize what Mr. Luliu meant, while Miss Sora next door had already taken out yesterday's recording crystal and reconfirmed the image of the oil painting - in that faint shadow, the clock tower's hour hand pointed to nine o'clock in the morning.

But is this really a useful clue?

Could it be that the saint simply drew a clock because she wanted to indicate that this was a clock tower?

We didn't know the answer, we just kept moving forward to the horizon, not knowing whether there would be the scenery we wanted. Time passed slowly, and while waiting for nine o'clock, we also tried to find traces of the saint in other parts of the park, but in the end, we still found nothing.

Finally, feeling that the time was about right, we returned to the blooming peach tree.

There are no watches that are easy to carry around in this world, but Mr. Lvliu has a time crystal ball with weaker functions. The time crystal ball can be activated three times a day, each time for fifteen minutes. During the fifteen minutes of operation, it can simulate the image of a clock inside the crystal ball. The time on the clock is in line with international conventions and is quite accurate.

We waited for a while, and the clock in the crystal ball slowly pointed to nine o'clock.

At nine o'clock, nothing happened.

Or have we just not noticed that things have changed?

I looked at the silent Mr. Green Willow and asked a stupid question without any content: "So, what is it now?"

The detective rubbed his temples and sighed with disappointment, "Maybe I'm overthinking. I originally thought that the reason why the saint painted that oil painting was to leave us some clues, but now..."

As he was talking, the detective's eyes widened in surprise. I followed his line of sight and saw a golden light coming out of the excavated pit. That light was not magic, but natural sunlight.

I don't know when it started, but the place where we were standing was shrouded by a large shadow. The shadow was formed by an abandoned observatory located in the recreation park. The sunlight at this time was blocked by the observatory. Only a thin beam of light poured out from a hole in the observatory and fell into the hole on the ground.

"Why is there sunlight penetrating this observatory?" I asked in wonder.

"Would you like to know if you go and see it?"

Mr. Lvliu said this and led us all to the Observatory quickly.

When we approached the Observatory, we found that the sunlight shining on the peach tree was transmitted from a very unreasonable place. Since the Observatory has a certain thickness, if the light needs to pass through the building, it must ensure that there are no walls or debris along the way to block the light.

Someone forcibly destroyed the entire observatory!

The holes through which the sunlight comes through are not big, only about the size of a baseball. If you don't look carefully, it is impossible to find their existence. In order to examine these holes at a closer distance, we crossed the wall of the observatory without permission, forcibly removed the door lock of the observatory, and sneaked into the interior of the building by illegal intrusion.

Shortly after entering the observatory, the detective quietly pulled out a small knife hidden in his trouser leg.

He whispered in a low voice: "Someone has been here recently. Be careful to protect yourself and don't disperse."

After hearing his warning, we all drew our weapons. To ensure safety, we did not investigate anything first, but first confirmed whether there were other people inside the building besides us. The final result was that this was an empty house with no one living in it, and it had been abandoned for many years.

After confirming that the situation was safe, I relaxed a little.

If I run into Demon Lord Leia here, I will have to abandon Sora and the others and run away alone.

I promised the president that they would ensure their safety, and I must fulfill my promise to them as a top priority.

I want to betray anyone who trusts me.

I quietly put the magic gun back into the props column and asked, "Mr. Green Willow, how do you know someone has been here?"

He answered as he climbed the stairs: "The amount of dust on the door lock is not right. Someone opened the door lock, but there were no fingerprints left. There were no footprints on the floor inside the door, but you see -"

At this point, we have arrived at the middle corridor on the third floor.

Mr. Green Willow pointed to the hole in the wall of the corridor that still let in sunlight and said, "Don't you think that the amount of dust in this hole is too little compared to other places in the house?"

"Someone specially cleaned them."

Sora echoed Mr. Midoriyana's statement as he took a picture of another hole with the recording crystal.

"Did Saint Agatha clean them?"

I had this question in my mind, and I believe everyone has the same question. However, based on the current evidence, we cannot arbitrarily conclude that the suspicious person who came to this observatory is Miss Saint. Demon King Leia may not be acting alone. He may have other helpers, someone who can manage the observatory for a long time? !

Almost at the same time, Midoriya and Sora asked the same question as me.

"Whose name is this observatory?" "Who owns the observatory?" "Who owns this property?"

Assuming that the oil painting of Saint Agatha is a clue that she left for us investigators, assuming that the map in the oil painting is actually a treasure map, assuming that the Demon King Leia is the treasure hunter, and this observatory is the most important and ingenious landmark in the treasure map, then Leia must ensure that this observatory will not be destroyed before he returns to freedom.

By the way, if the mountain giant's stone had hit the observatory, wouldn't the treasure hunt of Demon King Leia have been forced to end? Was this a mistake on Demon King Leia's part? Or was the truth not what I imagined from the beginning to the end?

With all sorts of questions in mind, I tried to use identification techniques on this observatory.

The result was very surprising. The mystery of this observatory was not as high as imagined.

[Abandoned Observatory]: The Observatory has been abandoned for a long time. Its original owner was the Beihai Chamber of Commerce, and its current owner is the Nasnong Chamber of Commerce. It is said that supernatural events often occur in the Observatory, and it is suspected that there are earthbound spirits.

After reading the system's appraisal result, I swallowed hard.

"Hey, everyone, please listen to me. There seems to be a ghost here?"

Wow!

As soon as I finished speaking, a black shadow suddenly passed in front of me and was nailed to the wall by a flash of light.

What appeared before us was an ugly monster with a distorted face. As soon as it appeared, Mr. Green Willow nailed it to the wall with a spear of light. Mr. Detective explained leisurely: "In fact, I had already spotted him as soon as I stepped into this observatory, but he is very good at playing hide-and-seek, so I kept waiting for him to fall into my trap."

After listening to Lvliu's explanation, I used identification techniques to detect information about the monster.

[Earthbound Ghost (Mutation)]: A ghost that was brutally killed by someone and has completely lost its rationality. Unlike ordinary earthbound ghosts, this ghost has undergone some special and unknown mutations.

After throwing the first spear of light, Mr. Detective used the Holy Light Chain to restrict Yuanyou's movements. His technique was smooth and handsome throughout the whole process, contrary to our usual impression of him being sloppy and lazy. He looked like a well-trained combat expert, and most likely a ridiculously strong hero.

The vengeful spirit imprisoned by the sacred chains calmed down as if it were dead.

Upon closer inspection, the vengeful spirit was a man with half-elf ears, but his body was completely invaded by black evil energy visible to the naked eye. His clothes had been torn into rags, his skin exposed to the air had a lifeless grayish-white color, and his eyes were pure black without pupils.

After completing the imprisonment, Mr. Green Willow said, "This ghost is not an ordinary vengeful spirit. It is an evil spirit that has absorbed the power of the devil and mutated. If this earthbound spirit was not already seriously injured, we would not be able to subdue it so easily. According to my estimation, its original level should be platinum level, and the one who mutated it must be at least a high-level devil."

"Could it be Demon Lord Leia?" Sora asked while writing in his notes.

"Even if it's not Leia, it can't be separated from Leia."

Green Willow was answering Sora's question when his expression suddenly changed. He then looked anxiously in the direction of the earthbound spirit, only to see that the evil spirit was constantly emitting a strong black aura. The black aura did not have any special smell, but it made me feel extremely uneasy. Seeing this, Mr. Green Willow swiftly swung the dagger and cut the evil spirit's throat.

"What a pity! I originally wanted to find clues from him──" Luliu sighed in distress.

"What happened just now?" Heloise asked calmly.

Mr. Green Willow shook his head and replied, "I don't know either, but he used self-destruction to mobilize a large amount of magic power. I guess he either wanted to launch a suicide attack or do something else that would be unfavorable to us. From the perspective of a conspirator, these unintelligent undead are really the best chess pieces. Even if they fail, the news will not leak out."

At the same time, the soul whose throat was cut also disintegrated and scattered into dust on the ground. But even though his body had decayed completely, the clothes on his body had not been completely worn away by the years. There was a metal necklace with a nameplate that fell among the ashes of the deceased. I picked it up with a delicate mood and examined it, and then I knew his identity before his death.

Cardinal Monroe King

……

……

22. Split into two groups (Little Blue)

(Ulu-Lannon)

Picking up the name tag, I informed everyone of the Cardinal's death and the results of the appraisal of the Observatory.

After learning of the death of the Cardinal, Mr. Green Willow fell into an unusual silence. He did not put Monroe's nameplate into the space ring, but hung it around his neck. It seems that he and Monroe must have a close relationship, and judging by the fighting ability he just demonstrated, his identity is probably more than just a pure detective.

After witnessing Green Willow's fighting ability, Heloise, who was responsible for protecting me, naturally questioned the mysterious Mr. Green Willow: "Dear Detective, what is your relationship with this earthbound spirit? And what is your true identity? If you don't want our cooperation to end here, please answer this question honestly."

The reason Heloise asked this question was probably because the fighting ability Mr. Green Willow had just displayed was already extremely high, or the moves he used concealed some unknown mysteries. Otherwise, Heloise would not be shaken by this, and would not doubt Mr. Green Willow, with whom she had cooperated pleasantly along the way.

Mr. Green Willow, who was questioned by the high elves, showed an apologetic smile. This smile meant that he was really hiding his identity from us, and he believed that he owed us all.

He moved the dagger sheath tied to the inside of his pants to a prominent position on his thigh while answering calmly, "There is one thing I didn't tell you. Actually, detective work is just a side job for me in my spare time. My real identity is an exorcist. I am under the command of the Temple of Light and directly report to the current Pope. I am a person cursed by a demon."

"Sounds cool!" I nodded and commented, "And then? Is there any need to hide this from the public?"

Mr. Green Willow asked in a strange tone: "Don't you know that exorcists bring misfortune?"

I replied, of course, “Right, I don’t know!”

Heloise echoed, "I don't know either."

Sora asked innocently, "Why do exorcists bring misfortune?"

Facing the three of us, who were not very sensible women, Mr. Lvliu forced out a defeated expression and explained to us helplessly, "In the popular fantasy novels, we exorcists are written as symbols of misfortune. Every time we appear, we kill mercilessly. We are the kind of existence that is more terrifying than ghosts."

Heloise commented seriously, "Are exorcists scary? I personally can't stand slimes! Think about it, the original slimes are monsters with high magic resistance and high physical defense. Even if the door is locked, they can still sneak into our homes through the cracks under the door and devour us whole in our sleep."

Hearing this, Miss Sora said, "In our world of winged people, the scariest thing should be the scarecrow, right? It's the kind of monster that disguises itself as a farmer. It will lure our children over with fresh fruits and vegetables, then spread out its straw raincoat to cover the children and run away, and finally take them to a deserted place to cook and eat them."

Looking at Heloise and Sora's statements, I always felt that I should say something, so I continued, "I'm afraid of the alien the most, right? The so-called alien is a highly predatory parasitic monster. It can parasitize any creature and take away the host's nutrients and characteristics, and finally take the host's life and break out of the body."

Heloise said seriously, "It sounds like a very troublesome monster!"

I said casually, "No, although in theory aliens are the species with the strongest adaptability, they are just fictional creatures in horror stories, and they won't come out of the stories to scare people──"

"Excuse me, would you like some help finding the Saint?"

Seeing the three of us standing aside chatting, Mr. Lvliu, our employer, had veins popping out on his forehead.

In order to prevent the volcano from erupting, I immediately took emergency measures, put on a smile, and suggested: "By the way, judging from the current progress, we only have two clues left at most. One is the late Bishop Roman──"

Lvliu interrupted him midway through his conversation and said, "There's nothing to investigate from Luo Men's side."

I was stunned for a moment, then I responded immediately, "If that's the case, then the only clue left is the Observatory. According to the results of the Eye of Truth, the current owner of the Observatory is the Nasnong Chamber of Commerce, and at some point in the past, it was managed by the Beihai Chamber of Commerce."

"Strange." Lvliu murmured to herself, "Why would the ownership of the property change?"

"About this aspect—" I shrugged and said, "In fact, the so-called North Sea Chamber of Commerce has closed down. The reason for the closure was that it offended an adventurer in our guild. She used some means to deal with this group of profiteers. As for how she dealt with them? To what extent? You have to ask her herself."

Green Willow asked, "Excuse me, is there any way to contact the adventurer you mentioned right now?"

"Bai Ye should be busy with the Heart-stealing Murder Case right now, right?"

Recalling Bai Ye's itinerary, I answered uncertainly, "She should still be in Mopolis, but since she is currently handling a commissioned mission, we may not be able to find her. If you don't mind, please invite Mr. Green Willow to our stone house. With luck, we may be able to contact her right away."

Lvliu is a man of action. After determining the latest direction of investigation, he took us to the stone house in a swift and decisive manner. Even though we got along well with each other, he did not reduce his vigilance at all. He did his homework before meeting Bai Ye and asked us about Bai Ye in advance.

"Excuse me, what kind of person is the Necromancer Bai Ye in your mind?"

My testimony was as follows: "Bai Ye - in theory she is a very strong woman and a law-abiding citizen who can be trusted. I don't think that suspecting her will bring us any benefit. Investigating another unrelated mystery in order to track down a missing person case is the stupidest thing to do."

The winged Sora's testimony was as follows: "I am not familiar with Miss Bai Ye."

Heloise's testimony is as follows: "To be honest, Miss Bai Ye is the kindest, most beautiful, smartest, purest, and most thoughtful woman I have ever seen in my life. If I were to find a wife, I would definitely choose someone like her! Mr. Green Willow, do you have a partner? Do you need me to introduce Miss Bai Ye to you?"

"No need, I have a wife and even a son."

The shrewd Mr. Greenwillow perfectly avoided Heloise's malicious sales pitch.

Although we didn't comment directly on Bai Ye, Mr. Detective still understood our meaning accurately: "According to what you said, the Miss Bai Ye you mentioned should be a woman who is not easy to get along with, right? What is the connection between her and the Beihai Chamber of Commerce? Why did she go to so much trouble to destroy such a powerful chamber of commerce?"

In response to Mr. Green Willow's questions, I omitted the part about Sirius and told everyone about the Marching Wolf incident.

However, as a detective, Mr. Green Willow has an instinct to get to the bottom of things: "Strange? Why would the North Sea Chamber of Commerce use you to contain the Marching Wolves and the officials? Is there something special hidden in the Wawville Forest?"

I had no choice but to put on Bai Ye's usual expression and said mysteriously, "Dear Detective, haven't I warned you? You'd better not be too curious about the necromancer Bai Ye. You don't want to become the second Beihai Chamber of Commerce, and I don't want you to become a thorn in her side."

Mr. Green Willow narrowed his eyes and retorted, "Miss Lannong, are you threatening me?"

Without my speaking, Heloise competently fulfilled her duties as a follower: "Threat? If Lord Lannong and Miss Bai Ye really wanted to threaten you, do you think you could still act as calm as you do now? For example, if we spread the information about the disappearance of Saint Agatha right now──"

Before Heloise could finish her words, a cold and solemn aura silenced her.

Mr. Green Willow stared at the high elf coldly and said, "Some jokes should not be told casually."

Heloyi did not back down and said mockingly, "Are you kidding? I really hope that you can maintain your current arrogance when you meet Miss Bai Ye in person later. If not, don't blame me for looking down on you for the rest of my life."

Mr. Green Willow frowned and replied, "What I have done and who I am do not need anyone to judge me."

Heloise sneered: "The value of things is given by others. This is the truth of the world."

At this point, Mr. Green Willow did not respond.

I don't know why Heloise and Mr. Luliu always have a bad relationship. Logically speaking, they should not have any hatred since they have never had any contact with each other. Could it be that they just have a difference in values? But even if there are conflicts, Heloise is not the kind of boring person who would find trouble for no reason──

Looking at these two people who seemed like enemies, I was puzzled for the entire car ride.

The recreation park next to the Temple of Life and Death is not far from the stone house. It is only about fifteen minutes' drive away, and we are back to the stone house. It is around ten o'clock in the morning. The guild is filled with the vitality of spring. There are many unfamiliar faces around, and occasionally one or two familiar figures fly past our sight.