Chapter 158: It was his face that attacked me first!
「 The trio of Stelle, Welt, and March 7th arrived at the Realm-Keeping Commission.
Upon hearing it was a case to investigate, March 7th practically vibrated with excitement, her dormant detective spirit igniting into a roaring inferno. "…My first detective case! Finally, my intelligence and wisdom have a chance to shine!"
Dahao had long heard that the two were honored guests of the General and promptly gestured for Jingyan to retrieve the photographs and present them for their inspection.
After a moment, Jingyan hurried over with a scroll, unfurling it before the three. "Thanks for waiting. These are the outworld— ...uh — travelers who were sighted in the location specified by the general and the master diviner. This was two days before the Ambrosial Arbor came back to life."
"Let me see, let me see! Are these the suspects in our case?" March 7th, eagerly leaned in, propping her chin in her hand, trying to project an air of profound seriousness. "Ahem, hmm, I see..."
Welt, too, was curious about what March could possibly have deduced. But as he stepped closer, the moment his gaze met the golden-haired man in the image, countless scenes flashed through his mind, sweeping over him like a mountain collapsing into a raging sea.
…Flashback—
"I am truly sorry that I couldn't give you all a pleasant Thanksgiving in New York that year."
"I killed his father for reasons beyond my control… yet he has held a grudge ever since, contending with me for decades as if it were yesterday."
"He lost his father, but he still has me, doesn't he? I could perfectly well be his life's guide, couldn't I?"
"…"
Welt's brow furrowed, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on his cane. Memories that should have been long dead in this world suddenly began to assail him anew.
Nearly everyone in the Realm-Keeping Commission sensed that something was amiss with Mr. Welt.
"…Uncle Yang, what's wrong? Is this person very suspicious?" March 7th pointed at the photo of Luocha before her, asking curiously. 」
「 .....」
〜Jujutsu Kaisen World〜
"Wait?! The memory Mr. Welt just had… was Luocha?"
Shoko's jaw dropped in shock, the cigarette she had just lit accidentally falling to the ground.
"So… Luocha was actually faking it? His true identity is the villain who killed Mr. Welt's parents?"
Shoko still couldn't quite believe it.
While she had considered that Luocha harbored secrets, connecting him to a murderer was truly difficult. Moreover, Luocha was a Pathstrider of the 『 Abundance 』… surely a person's Path was, to some extent, linked to their innate character?
Especially when recalling Luocha's line, "If you don't act soon, you'll get hurt," and then juxtaposing it with the seemingly insidious man from Welt's memory, Shoko found it hard to equate the two.
But they truly looked alike, identically so.
"Oh, Shoko, how could a bad guy ever have 'bad' written on his face?"
Satoru Gojo lay sprawled in a rocking chair, his blue eyes, visible beneath his slightly lifted sunglasses, reflecting Welt's serious and thoughtful expression.
"This Luocha clearly is super—scheming! Look at his practiced sweet-talk for girls; he's a total playa! If not for Sushang's clueless reactions, he probably would've swept her off her feet right then and there! This kind of person is too dangerous!"
"Indeed… Huh?! Wait! Gojo Satoru, is that really where your attention was focused?"
Shoko rubbed her forehead in exasperation. It was her own fault for expecting any serious answers from this guy… Still, she did recall that when Luocha and Dan Heng parted ways in the Alchemy Commission, Luocha's attitude towards the Cloud Knights' inspection seemed quite subtle.
He was completely evasive, seemingly unwilling to undergo the Cloud Knights' scrutiny.
This was truly strange. If he were a legitimate cosmic merchant, traversing between several Xianzhou, inspections would be as routine as eating and drinking every day.
There should be no reason to be afraid, right? At worst, he could just show the Cloud Knights the deceased in his coffin?
"So, you think Luocha is a bad guy?"
Shoko asked, hands in her pockets.
"I didn't say that, you know."
Gojo Satoru yawned, covering his mouth with his right hand.
"…He just doesn't seem like a good person, anyway."
—
「 "Who is this gentleman? …I'd like to see his information."
"Which one are you referring to? Let me take a look…" Dahao followed Welt's pointed direction, quickly locating Luocha's file.
"Oh? Him. I remember this person; he's a traveling merchant. He trades throughout the universe, knows a thing or two about remedial arts, too. He registered himself on the Xianzhou as... what was it again..."
"Luocha," Jingyan whispered, reminding him.
"This person is called Luocha."
"Oh, right, right!" At the mention of Luocha, Dahao's first impression was the large coffin he carried everywhere, supposedly a funerary implement for outworlders.
Since there were many outworlders on Xianzhou, and various star systems had their own burial customs, he hadn't suspected anything.
"So, Mr. Welt, do you believe he's problematic?" Dahao inquired.
"Not exactly… but for personal reasons, I feel it's necessary to investigate this person. Could you tell me what he did during the days of the Ambrosial Arbor's resurgence?" Welt continued.
"This question is a bit complex to explain. Perhaps it would be more convenient if you all followed me to the Foursquare Mirror? It's easier to explain while viewing it."
Dahao led everyone to the Mirror and brought up all the footage of Luocha's appearances. "Luocha arrived on the Luofu a few days before the Ambrosial Arbor's resurgence and showed no suspicious movements until the day before the incident…"
"I know!" March 7th suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"The day before the incident, he suddenly appeared near the Ambrosial Arbor with a Stellaron!"
"If that were the case, the Realm-Keeping Commission would have already apprehended him, so why would they need us?" Welt offered a knowing smile.
March 7th suddenly realized, then reacted, "Oh… right, that makes sense. This case is a bit fishy; it tripped up Detective March 7th right from the start…"
Dahao offered an awkward smile, indicating he, too, was unsure what Luocha had done that day. The Ambrosial Arbor's resurgence had caused the entire Ingenium system to malfunction, completely erasing any footage from that day.
Of course, they could question Luocha, but it couldn't be a shot in the dark; it had to be targeted. Otherwise, even the Realm-Keeping Commission would find it inconvenient to bother someone repeatedly.
Finally, Dahao was genuinely curious about which specific suspicious points Mr. Welt had noticed about Luocha, so they could begin their investigation.
Facing Dahao's bewilderment, Welt rarely displayed such a troubled expression, hesitating to speak. "How should I explain it… because of his appearance…" 」
「 .....」