"A higher-ranked Extraordinary…"
In the small office, James listened to Grego's speculation, frowning and muttering. Based on past experience, they speculated that the leader of the Holy Communion Society should be a Black Rank Extraordinary. If they were higher than Black Rank... then they would be at least White Rank.
White Rank Extraordinaries are roughly the elder or leader ranks of most medium-sized secret societies. Within the entire Preet Kingdom An Yin Bureau system, only the local directors of some key counties and several Captains of the Directorate General of Tivian in the capital are White Rank existences. There are only a little over ten in total, while the directors of the other seventy-odd local branch bureaus are basically Black Rank, including James.
And if a White Rank Extraordinary really came to Igwinte this time…
"Grego… who do you think is behind this attack?" While thinking, James asked Grego, although he already had the answer in his heart.
"Mr. James, in my opinion, this case has strong similarities and connections to the previous ones. It can almost certainly be attributed to the society called Rose Cross." Grego said. They noticed something was wrong with Field because of the familiar flower delivery, so when they saw the villa crime scene, the people from the An Yin Bureau almost instantly determined who did it.
"Rose Cross… it seems they came to Igwinte specifically for the Holy Communion Society. I didn't expect this previously unheard-of society to dispatch a White Rank Extraordinary. In just a few months, the entire Holy Communion Society was wiped out by them." Sitting on the chair, James continued with a hint of emotion.
"It seems our previous judgment of them had a significant error. A society possessing a White Rank Extraordinary… is by no means an ordinary society."
"Yes, fortunately, their goal is very clear and doesn't conflict with us…" Grego said, while also thinking how fortunate it was that when they interacted with that Rose Cross member at Buck's residence, they maintained restraint and didn't get into a conflict with the other party, otherwise, there might have been serious consequences.
'Actually, back then we all thought that man might just be bluffing and had the idea of trying him out, but now it seems fortunate that we held back and didn't do that. Otherwise, the bureau might have suffered heavy, meaningless losses due to impulsiveness.'
Grego thought this. He now felt fortunate for stopping Turner and maintaining caution at the time, believing that his action then might have saved the entire team.
"It was indeed good that you were able to maintain restraint back then, but now I'm also a little curious about what secret this small Holy Communion Society was hiding… that it would be targeted by such a society, specifically sending a White Rank Extraordinary to a small place like Igwinte to carry out a purge." James continued, and at this moment, Grego seemed to have thought of something and immediately spoke up to answer.
"Mr. James, we actually found a hidden secret room in the villa. Inside, we not only found altar secret transmission and Spirituality storage items, but also discovered this thing on the wall of the secret room."
While speaking, Grego took out a black and white photo. The photo showed a wall, and a symbol was drawn on the wall.
This was an inverted triangle symbol. Inside the inverted triangle, a few strokes depicted an abstract, curled image, like a fetus being conceived, but the fetus's head was not that of a normal human, but a wolf's head.
Looking at the symbol in the photo, James's gaze became solemn. After examining the photo for a moment, he slowly spoke.
"This is… the symbol of the Fetal Garment Cult… No, if the fetus's head is drawn as a wolf, this should be the Wolf Blood Society."
"Wolf Blood Society?" Hearing James's words, Grego asked curiously, while James continued to explain.
"This is an important branch of the Fetal Garment Cult. The Fetal Garment Cult worships the Cup Mother. The Cup Mother has conceived many divine offspring, and within the cult, there are different branches based on the worship of different offspring of the Cup Mother. The Wolf Blood Society, which worships the Gluttonous Wolf, is one of them. The Wolf Blood Society is an important part of the Fetal Garment Cult.
"In the secret world… the origin of beast transformation legacies is basically the Wolf Blood Society. However, with development, most legacies have now established their own territories and have little connection with the Wolf Blood Society. And this Luer actually still has the symbol of the Wolf Blood Society. Could this mean he isn't one of those rogue practitioners but a direct member of the Wolf Blood Society?"
James speculated, saying that although he was only a Black Rank Extraordinary, he had worked at the An Yin Bureau for decades and had some knowledge. Hearing James's speculation, Grego also frowned and spoke.
"A member of the Wolf Blood Society? But… how could a member of such a large society come to Igwinte? Does he have some special purpose?"
"I don't know about that. Perhaps he just broke away and established his own territory, or perhaps there are other reasons we don't know… I personally lean towards the latter, because only if that Luer held some special secret would it have attracted the Rose Cross here." James continued musing. Hearing James's words, Grego recalled the words of that Rose Cross member at the time.
That man once hinted to them that the Holy Communion Society was very deep, involving even deeper mysteries. At the time, it always felt like he was bluffing. But now it seems, if the Holy Communion Society is truly connected to the Wolf Blood Society or even the Fetal Garment Cult, then saying it's very deep is completely understandable.
James was also thinking now, perhaps the Rose Cross is truly fighting against the Wolf Blood Society or even the Fetal Garment Cult. Coming to Igwinte to destroy the Holy Communion Society and kill Luer is just a microcosm of their struggle with the Wolf Blood Society. Perhaps at this very moment, a larger-scale war is unfolding on more secret fronts.
In any case, the Rose Cross, this previously unknown secret society, cannot be ignored now. It is very likely a society on the level of the Wolf Blood Society, or even the Fetal Garment Cult. James intends to immediately send a telegram to the Directorate General, reporting everything that has happened recently concerning the Holy Communion Society and the Rose Cross, along with his own speculations.
In the following time, Grego generally reported some details of the villa investigation to James. At the end of the report, James nodded and said.
"Alright, I've pretty much understood the situation. You've all worked hard. Go back and rest early today. The subsequent investigation doesn't need to be too urgent."
"Thank you, Mr. James!" Hearing that they could leave work early, Grego said with a joyful smile. Just as he was about to say goodbye and leave, he spoke up and asked.
"Oh, by the way, Mr. James, how are those children from Cien Orphanage doing now?"
Hearing Grego's words, James was startled for a moment, then slowly replied.
"Not very well… Although the seven children appear to be fine on the surface, after testing, we found that they have all been affected by Spirit Sight.
"The last one is alright, only slightly affected by Spirit Sight. We've almost helped her clear it. The key are the first six. They have long been subjected to severe Spirit Sight and drug erosion. Their symptoms are still very serious, and it's likely very difficult for them to recover."