The room is heavy with smoke from the oil lamps, the air thick with silence after Frank's words.
Thomas leans forward, voice low but sharp.
"Start from the beginning. Why did you have the stone tablet?"
Frank's eyes dart to the floor, his hands twisting together.
"My father… he brought it home just yesterday."
Anna's gaze sharpens.
"Where from?"
"I don't know," Frank blurts, his voice cracking.
"He never told me. He only said it was valuable, maybe from the past era."
Nora studies his face closely.
"And he sent you to Everwood Manor?"
Frank nods quickly.
"Yes. He told me to go in his place. To show it to Jacob Cromwell's… guests. He said it was a good chance to sell it for a high price."
Mark's jaw clenches.
"So you went. Alone?"
"My father insisted," Frank says, his voice trembling.
"He stayed at home with the rest of the family. I didn't… I didn't think anything would happen."
Anna's eyes narrow, her tone even.
"And when you returned—"
Frank's face crumples, his shoulders shaking.
"They were all dead. Every single one of them. Like Finn's family."
Silence grips the room, the officers exchanging grim glances.
Silence grips the room, the officers exchanging grim glances.
Anna asks, "Where is the stone tablet now?"
Frank answers quickly, "It must be back home. I was sceptical, so I didn't take it to the party."
Anna turns her head.
"Mark, check with the patrolmen if any stone tablet was found in the Whitmore house."
Mark nods and walks out of the room.
Anna shifts her attention back to Frank.
"Now tell me the names of the special guests."
Frank shakes his head nervously.
"They were a combination of nobles and civilians. I only recognised some of the nobles."
"Tell me the names of those you recognised."
Frank parrots the names he knows. Among them is Elise Blackthorn, but there is no mention of Lin Yu, who remained low-key after arriving in the city.
The door creaks open, and Mark returns. His face is heavy.
"There is no tablet in the house."
Frank jolts upright, shouting, "The tablet was in the storage room when I left for the party!"
Anna doesn't flinch.
"Let him go."
Frank is escorted out of the room, his protests fading down the hall.
Anna waits until the door closes, then says quietly, "The Finn family was murdered because of Frank's father, or someone close to him."
The officers exchange looks, the same thought settling over them.
Anna continues, firm and steady.
"Now, everyone, go home and rest. Tomorrow, Ben and Mark—learn everything about Frank's father. Thomas and Nora—pay a visit to Jacob Cromwell and get the names of every guest."
They nod in unison.
"Yes, Captain."
One by one, they leave the room, the silence returning once more.
Nora sits at the long breakfast table, uniform, neat, posture straight.
Her father lowers his newspaper and asks suddenly, "Why did you leave home at midnight yesterday?"
"An incident occurred," Nora replies evenly, "similar to my case before."
Her father scoffs, the sound sharp, filled with disapproval. He has never liked her working at the police station.
As he finishes his meal and pushes the plate aside, Nora seizes the moment.
"Father, what can you tell me about Lin Yu Weston?"
His gaze hardens. "Is he involved in the case? If he is, then tell your captain to close it."
Nora's eyes widen. "What do you mean?"
"I have said enough," he mutters, rising from his chair and leaving the room without another word.
The silence left behind is heavy. Nora stares at her untouched food, her mind racing with questions.
Moments later, she steps into the waiting police carriage. Thomas is already inside.
"Good morning," he greets warmly.
Still distracted, her thoughts caught on her father's warning, and she answered half heartedly, "Good morning."
Neither speaks much as the carriage rattles down the cobbled road.
A few minutes later, the carriage halts before Everwood Manor. Nora and Thomas step down and are quickly led inside, where Jacob Cromwell waits.
They take their seats across from him.
Thomas begins, voice steady, "We'd like to ask about the party that took place in your manor last night."
Jacob lifts his teacup, smiling faintly. "I hold parties every night. What is new about it?"
Thomas leans forward. "We have information that you had some… special guests present."
For a brief moment, Jacob's composure cracks—his eyes widen, and the hand holding the teacup trembles. Then he forces a laugh. "What nonsense. There were no 'special guests.'"
Before Thomas or Nora can press further, Jacob rises abruptly and calls for his butler.
"Inspectors, I have finished answering your questions. Please see them out."
Nora's voice hardens. "We haven't finished asking—"
Jacob cuts her off sharply. "Is there any clue linking me to the Whitmore family massacre? No? Then I have no obligation to answer."
The butler gestures politely but firmly, and the two inspectors are escorted outside.
With no further instruction, they return to the police station.
Captain Anna is already waiting.
Thomas shakes his head. "Captain, Jacob refused to give us the names of the special guests."
Nora frowns. "What about the names Frank provided? Among them was an interesting one—Elise Blackthorn."
Thomas nods in agreement.
Anna exhales, rubbing her temple. "Leave the special guests alone. They are not directly tied to the case. Our focus is on Frank's father. Find everything you can about him."
Nora's eyes widen. "Captain!"
Anna's tone sharpens. "This is the chief's order."
The discussion ends there.
Meanwhile, in his residence, Lin Yu sits cross-legged.
Shadows coil faintly around him as he finishes absorbing the energy from the third shadow crystal.
His aura grows denser with each breath, the room darkening as if the element itself answers his call.
He has already taken the first step toward forming the extraordinary heart.
Through this, he realises it is not mastery of countless techniques that opens the path—but the depth of knowledge itself.
Whether of elements or of the world, understanding is the foundation.
His growing command of shadow could let him condense that heart.
What holds him back is simple—energy.
That is why he chose the least valuable item in the exchange, the shadow crystals.
Energy-rich, plentiful, and quick to absorb.
For him, they are worth more than relics or runes.
But even so, they are not enough.
Without a vast reservoir of energy, he cannot take the final step into the extraordinary.
His gaze drifts to the fourth crystal waiting on the table, but he does not continue.
Instead, his eyes shift to the clock, pendulum swinging steadily.
He exhales.
Time to leave.
The university still binds him for seven more months.
Only then can the next step of his plan begin.
Minutes later, he walks through the campus gates.
Elise waits outside his classroom, her expression unreadable.
"You've heard?" she says quietly.
Lin Yu studies her face.
She lowers her voice further.
"Tonight's gathering at Everwood Manor has been cancelled."
"The Whitmore family was massacred, just like Finn's."
"And the stone tablet… has vanished again."