Night gradually receded, and day arrived.
At noon, Vokan, a transportation hub, welcomed a bustling scene. On the wide rammed earth streets, carriages from various places galloped, loaded with goods and passengers. Dust raised by the wheels filled the streets, and occasionally, long-distance travel carriages stopped to rest and resupply in the town.
At the top of a three-story restaurant located at a crossroads, in a private room by the window, Grego was dining. He was wearing a white shirt, grey-black jacket, and trousers, dressed in casual attire. At this time, he looked like a regular young man from a good family, and no one would associate him with the Captain of the An Yin Bureau Hunter Squad.
While enjoying the steak on his plate with a knife and fork, Grego looked down at the bustling crossroads below from the window beside him, watching several strong laborers load several wooden crates of various sizes onto a carriage. A short boss wearing a hooded cloak was also directing on site.
"Hey, Grego, news from the Bureau. The guy we killed last night was Abbott Miller, a meat merchant from Oil Ditch Alley. According to our intelligence, the Second Team raided his house this morning and found three human skeletons in a hidden room in his house. One of them hadn't been fully gnawed yet. Currently, those closely related to him have been apprehended."
Across from Grego, a woman wearing a grey dress with lace on the sleeves and shoulder-length light yellow slightly curly hair was holding a long telegram code, translating it while eating bread. Her words drew Grego's attention back into the room.
"Did they only find a few human skeletons, Eilina?"
"Yes, at least that's what the telegram says. Although an altar with the meaning of 'Cup' was also found, it had already been destroyed. The house was turned upside down, so perhaps useful clues were destroyed in advance." Waving her hand, Eilina said after putting down the telegram code, and began to focus on eating her bread, while Grego stroked his chin and mused.
"Those Holy Communion Society guys, they react quite quickly..."
"Uh huh... yes, they are as quick as ever. We finally caught an 'Apprentice' who wasn't a nobody, but the clues are all broken again. This is really strange." Eilina said with a helpless tone. After hearing her words, Grego was silent for a moment. After a while, he spoke.
"So, in this operation, other than killing a 'Cup' Apprentice, did we gain nothing?"
"Not only did we gain nothing, but things have become even more confusing, Captain." Eilina said frankly, and Grego immediately asked.
"Yes, it's even more confusing, especially that letter..."
Grego said with a frown. At this moment, Eilina put down her bread, took out a pair of white gloves from the bag beside her and put them on. Then she took out an envelope from the bag, opened the envelope, took out the letter paper, and began to read a part of it.
"Also, a slight reminder, we seem to be targeted. It's not the An Yin Bureau or the Church. The origin and purpose of the other party are still unclear, but their methods are extremely strange and very dangerous. This is also the reason why we temporarily changed our plan..."
After speaking, Eilina's gaze moved away from the letter paper, and her eyes became sharp as she looked at Grego.
"So... who were Abbott and the others targeted by?"
"I don't know, but according to the content of this letter, the methods of the person who targeted them are strange and very dangerous. I think the body of the person who delivered the letter at the Police Station entrance might have been killed by that mysterious target." Taking a sip of red wine, Grego analyzed, and Eilina also nodded in agreement.
"That's right. We examined the body before, and there were indeed residual spirits on it, confirming that he was indeed affected by extraordinary power. However, it is precisely because of the influence of extraordinary power that his time of death and cause of death have become difficult to determine."
"In short, it's very likely that he died from extraordinary power. Perhaps he was targeted by that mysterious target while delivering the letter, so he wanted to go to the Police Station for protection, but was still strangely killed..." Grego continued to analyze, while Eilina across from him raised her eyebrows and spoke instead.
"Perhaps it's also possible that the mysterious target manipulated the letter deliverer to go to the Police Station and deliberately let him die there."
"Deliberately let him die there... why?" Hearing Eilina's speculation, Grego asked back in confusion, and Eilina continued to answer.
"To let the police notify us, and then let us deal with Abbott and the others."
"Us..." Hearing Eilina's words, Grego couldn't help but frown. After thinking for a while, he continued to say.
"That mysterious target wants us and the Red Communion Society to fight each other? But what is the purpose of doing this?"
"This is still unclear for now. The most likely speculation is that the mysterious target might be hostile to the Holy Communion Society, so he gave us clues, wanting us to use Abbott as a breakthrough to strike the Holy Communion Society, or maybe there are other reasons? Currently, there is too little information about that mysterious target, so no reliable conclusions can be drawn."
Eilina analyzed, and after taking a sip of tea, she continued to speak.
"Also, the recipient of that letter, Edrick... we have checked. That guy is a local boss in this Wokan Town. When we went to his house this morning, we found a pile of specially treated corpses, confirming that he did come into contact with the extraordinary, and with the Holy Communion Society."
"Yes, Edrick himself is now missing. Based on past experience, this guy is probably gone by now, and it's very likely that the mysterious target also did it." Grego said, following Eilina's words, then exhaled and continued to speak.
"Phew... acting secretly, strange and cruel methods, mysterious motives... it seems like another guy who must be taken seriously..."
Listening to Grego's words, Eilina paused, then continued to speak.
"Perhaps... it's not one guy, but a group. In Igwin County, without any backing, one person wouldn't dare to touch the Red Communion Society..."
Listening to Eilina's analysis, Grego was slightly surprised, then spoke with some disbelief.
"A group... you mean..."
"Ah, perhaps a new secret society has appeared in Igwinte, whether it's from outside or locally produced..."
"A new secret society... if that's true, then things are serious. We need to go back quickly and report the details to the Director." Listening to Eilina's guess, Grego said with a serious expression, and Eilina also nodded in response.
"Yes, I have already written the report. I can give it directly to the Director when we get back."
"Report? Ha... as expected of you, Eilina. Your mind and brain are much better than mine... it seems I'll be stepping down as Captain without you." Grego said somewhat self-deprecatingly, while Eilina said with a smile.
"It's just a division of labor. In our team, Captain Grego, your duty is to provide sufficient force."
"Force? I'll give as much as needed..."
Grego said with a smile. After taking another sip of wine, he looked out the window again, only to see that the pile of wooden crates that was previously by the roadside had all been loaded onto the carriage, and the short boss wearing a hooded cloak was instructing the carriage driver on something.
'So short, is there some disability? He still has to come out to do business, life is not easy...'
Sighing in his heart, Grego then pulled the curtains shut and began to eat his lunch attentively, not looking outside.
...
"Alright, all the goods are loaded, and the money has been paid. Thank you for your trouble."
At the noisy crossroads, Dorothy, wearing a cloak and hood, instructed the carriage driver in front of her. The dark-skinned carriage driver smiled and replied.
"Alright, Miss, I will definitely deliver all your goods safely to the city!"
After speaking, the carriage driver started to drive forward. Dorothy watched her consigned "goods" drive off into the distance, and a smile couldn't help but appear on her lips.
"So next, it's time to find a comfortable passenger car to hit the road~"