Chapter 410, Questioning in Vain
Gnome?
The port work was entirely unsuitable for the gnome race.
Wu Heng continued to ask, "Did he do anything suspicious?"
The corpse quickly replied, "No."
"Did he come into contact with your body?"
"He did."
"Describe his appearance."
"Middle-aged male, long hair, eyes always squinting, a thin scar on the corner of his lower lip, wearing plain-colored robes."
Only one question remained.
Wu Heng pondered for a moment, "Other than this person, who do you think wanted to kill Macintosh the most?"
"The Sea Dog Gang!"
After five questions, the corpse lay back down.
Wu Heng waved his hand, "Wrap up the corpse."
Several people stepped forward and rewrapped the straw mat.
Wu Heng directly stored it in his spatial ring.
Then, they took the carriage back to the Old Barrel Tavern.
...…
Pushing open the door to the tavern, they found more people gathered inside.
They were wearing armor, with weapons laid out on the tables.
The two who had guided them earlier quickly walked over and whispered something to the bald man.
The latter's face grew increasingly grim.
The bald man walked directly back. "Deputy Steward, sir."
Wu Heng nodded and asked, "Did your men tell you?"
"Yes, they mentioned a gnome worker."
When questioning the corpse earlier, he hadn't asked the two to leave, so they had overheard some details.
"Alright, I'll take those three corpses back to have a coroner examine the cause of death. It doesn't seem like they died from a brawl." After speaking, he glanced at the people in the tavern and reminded them, "Wait for our investigation. If you act on mere guesses, even the party in the right might lose their justification."
The bald man was silent for a moment before responding, "Understood. We won't act recklessly."
"Alright, that's it for today."
"Okay."
The bald man arranged for another carriage, and the group left.
The carriage went directly back to the guild.
After delivering the corpses to the morgue, Squad Eleven dispersed to rest at home.
They planned to reconvene at the guild entrance the next morning to continue the investigation.
Wu Heng also returned to his office and called for Andviel to head home together.
...…
At his residence, in the study.
Wu Heng organized the clues from the day.
As for Macintosh, he didn't have any particular fondness for her and had barely met her twice.
But her sudden death still left a sense of regret.
She had provided accurate intelligence that pinpointed the Spiderfolk assassins targeting him.
However, this time, she hadn't accounted for her own danger.
Currently, there weren't many clues, if they could even be called clues.
The only lead worth pursuing was the gnome worker mentioned by the third corpse.
This was the angle they could investigate further.
With that thought in mind,
Glenda emerged through the ceiling.
She materialized in the room and said, "They went to the port first, then to Black Raven's Nest to inquire. They took a bag of money from the boss there, then went to the Sea Dog Gang and took two bags of money."
Well, those people made quite a haul on this trip.
"Let me see."
Glenda merged into his body, sharing a vision in his mind.
The Black Raven's Nest Tavern.
From Glenda's perspective, the guards entered the tavern.
They cleared out the patrons from the room or sent them upstairs.
The tavern owner, wearing a fawning expression, emerged.
"Deputy Fulvio, you should have given notice so we could prepare some good wine for you."
"I'm the commander now," the commander said, patting his armored chest.
"Yes, I'll remember that."
The guard commander glanced around. "Assemble your core members. I need to investigate something."
The owner hesitated but, seeing the commander's stern expression, reluctantly summoned several key members.
"Register them, record their professions and levels, and provide alibis for where they were during the Old Barrel Tavern's attack," the commander said, resting one foot on a chair.
The guards behind him registered everyone present.
Then handed the records to him for review.
After checking, he found nothing suspicious but still lingered in the tavern.
The owner realized what was happening and discreetly handed over a small pouch of silver coins.
The commander's expression softened, and he stood up, saying, "Keep an eye on your people. Until the investigation is over, no one is allowed to leave the island. If anyone leaves, I'll hold you accountable."
The owner nodded and saw them off.
...…
At the Sea Dog Gang's courtyard.
The guard commander paced with his hands behind his back, saying, "The Old Barrel Tavern was attacked at the port. They suspect you. If someone confesses and pays compensation, we'll let it slide. If not, and I find out who did it, things won't end so easily."
Silence fell over the gang.
Their leader was a burly dwarf with a thick beard.
He stood flanked by core members and other subordinates.
Humans, dwarves, and gnomes were present, making their group more diverse than Black Raven's Nest.
The leader stepped forward to explain and pulled out two pouches of money from his coat, handing them over.
The commander scrutinized him as if judging a criminal, but his expression eventually relaxed.
"No one leaves the island for now. We'll continue investigating."
With that, he left with his people.
In the shared vision, Wu Heng focused on the records from when the professions were listed.
He didn't find any professions related to snakes.
Several gnomes with both long and short hair were present, but no detailed description matched the appearance given.
...…
Wu Heng released Glenda.
"What are they doing now?" he asked.
"They took the money and went to eat. They don't seem very invested in this matter," Glenda said, floating nearby.
"Gang disputes don't affect them much. It's obvious they're only looking into it because the Old Barrel promised a reward."
"True, pirates don't solve cases," Glenda said, drifting to another side. "What clues do you have?"
Wu Heng stretched his shoulders. "I found information about a gnome."
"A gnome?" Glenda floated to another side. "The Sea Dog Gang has gnome members. If we're focusing on these two places, we could investigate the Sea Dog Gang further."
Wu Heng nodded. "We'll check it out tomorrow."
...…
Meanwhile, in the tavern.
A ranger walked in quickly, scanning the room.
Spotting the guards, he walked over and sat down. "Commander, they've returned."
"Any clues?"
The ranger replied, "They went to the port, then checked the workers' corpses with the venomous snakes. The guild's team leader is likely that necromancer deputy steward. He questioned the corpses."
The commander slapped the table. "Damn, I forgot to check those corpses."
He frowned and looked at the ranger. "You said it was the necromancer deputy steward? So young?"
"It should be. No other profession could possibly talk to corpses."
The commander squinted his eyes and thought for a moment.
He spoke again, "Did they find anything?"
"Not sure. Their trained beasts kept interrupting me, but judging by their expressions, they seemed disappointed."
"Questioning was pointless," the commander sneered. "Alright, let's eat and talk tomorrow."