[Stelle, Welt, and March 7th arrived at the Commissioner's Office.]
[Upon hearing they'd be investigating a case, March 7th was brimming with excitement, as if her hidden detective spirit had ignited. "…After all this traveling, I've never worked on a case! My brilliant intellect finally has a chance to shine!"]
[Da Hao, having heard that the two were the General's honored guests, quickly instructed Jing Yan to bring over the photos for their review.]
[After a moment, Jing Yan hurried over with a scroll, spreading it out before the three. "Sorry for the wait. These are the outlanders… foreigners who appeared at the locations specified by the General and the Master Diviner the day before the Ambrosial Arbor's awakening."]
["Let me see, let me see! Are these the suspects in this case?" March 7th eagerly leaned in, propping her chin, striking a serious pose. "Hmm… uh-huh… I see…"]
[Welt was curious about what March had noticed, but as he approached and his gaze met the image of a blond man, countless memories flashed through his mind like a landslide or tsunami.]
["…]
["I'm truly sorry I didn't let you have a pleasant Thanksgiving in New York back then."]
["I had no choice but to kill his father for certain reasons… and yet he's held a grudge ever since, opposing me for decades."]
["He lost his father, but he still has me, doesn't he? I could perfectly serve as his life's guide, couldn't I?"]
["…]
[Welt furrowed his brow, instinctively tightening his grip on his cane. Memories from a world that should have been dead suddenly began attacking him.]
[Almost everyone in the Commissioner's Office noticed that Mr. Welt seemed off.]
["…Uncle Yang, what's wrong? Is something up with this guy?" March 7th pointed at the photo of Luocha, asking curiously.]
Jujutsu Kaisen World——
"Wait?! The memories that just flashed through Mr. Welt's mind… were about Luocha?" Shoko Ieiri's mouth dropped open in shock, the cigarette she'd just lit falling to the ground.
"So… Luocha was pretending? His real identity is the villain who killed Mr. Welt's parents?" Shoko still couldn't believe it.
Though she'd suspected Luocha had secrets, connecting him to a murderer was difficult. After all, Luocha walked the Path of Abundance… a person's Path is somewhat tied to their personality, isn't it?
Especially when she recalled Luocha's line, "If I don't act, you'll get hurt," and compared it to the scheming man in Welt's memories, Shoko found it hard to equate the two.
…But they really did look alike. Exactly alike.
"Oh, Shoko, do bad guys ever write 'bad' on their faces?"
Satoru Gojo lounged in a rocking chair, his blue eyes reflecting Welt's serious expression from beneath slightly lifted sunglasses. "This Luocha guy screams schemer! Look at how slickly he sweet-talks girls—total playboy vibes! If Sushang weren't so oblivious, she'd have fallen for him on the spot. Guys like that are dangerous!"
"True… huh?! Wait! Satoru Gojo, is that what you're focusing on?"
Shoko facepalmed, exasperated. Expecting a serious answer from this guy was her mistake… But it did remind her of when Luocha and Dan Heng parted ways at the Alchemy Commission—Luocha's attitude toward the Cloud Knights' inspection seemed oddly evasive.
—He was clearly trying to avoid scrutiny, as if he didn't want to be checked by the Cloud Knights.
That was strange. If he were a legitimate intergalactic merchant traveling between Xianzhou ships, inspections would be as routine as eating or drinking. Why would he be afraid? At worst, he'd just show the Cloud Knights the corpse in his coffin, right?
"So, you think Luocha's a bad guy?" Shoko asked, hands in her pockets.
"I didn't say that," Gojo yawned, covering his mouth with his right hand. "…But he doesn't seem like a good guy."
——
["Who is this man? …I'd like to see his file."]
["Which one are you referring to? Let me take a look…" Da Hao followed Welt's pointing finger and quickly located Luocha's file. "Oh, him? I remember this guy. He's an intergalactic merchant, deals in trade, and knows a bit of medicine. His registered name in the Alliance… what was it again…"]
["Luocha," Jing Yan quietly reminded. "This man's name is Luocha."]
["Oh, right, right!" Mentioning Luocha, Da Hao's first impression was the large box he always carried, supposedly a funeral tool for outlanders. Since the Xianzhou has many outlanders with various burial customs across star systems, it didn't raise suspicion.]
["So, Mr. Welt thinks there's something off about him?" Da Hao asked.]
["Not exactly… but for personal reasons, I think it's worth looking into this man. Could you tell me what he was doing in the days leading up to the Ambrosial Arbor's awakening?" Welt continued.]
["That's a bit complicated to explain. Why don't you all follow me to the Fourfold Viewing Mirror? It's easier to explain while looking at the footage."]
[Da Hao led them to the Viewing Mirror, pulling up all the footage of Luocha's appearances. "Luocha arrived on the Luofu a few days before the Ambrosial Arbor's awakening. There were no suspicious movements until the day before the incident…"]
["I got it!" March 7th suddenly had a flash of insight. "The day before the incident, he suddenly showed up near the Ambrosial Arbor with a Stellaron!"]
["If that were the case, the Commissioner's Office would've arrested him already. Why would we need you?" Welt gave a knowing smile.]
[March 7th had a moment of realization. "Oh… right, that makes sense. This case is trickier than I thought. Detective March 7th's already stumbled at the start…"]
[Da Hao gave an awkward smile, admitting he wasn't sure what Luocha did that day. The Ambrosial Arbor's awakening caused the entire Ingenium Bird system to malfunction, leaving no footage from that day.]
[They could question Luocha, of course, but they couldn't just interrogate him aimlessly. Even the Commissioner's Office couldn't repeatedly bother someone without cause.]
[Finally, Da Hao's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked what specific doubts Welt had about Luocha that they could use as a starting point for investigation.]
[Facing Da Hao's question, Welt rarely showed hesitation, pausing before speaking. "How should I explain… it's because of his appearance…"]
40 advance chapter on p@treon - Ferasam