Lex quietly entered the room, closed the balcony door, and went to the safe. Although it wasn't large, it looked extremely heavy, as if even explosives would have difficulty blowing it open.
Lex couldn't help but feel troubled. A Hunter wasn't a locksmith. Was he supposed to take this safe with him?
Suddenly, Lex noticed that the safe was covered in dust, making it seem like it hadn't been used in a long time.
This was an unreasonable phenomenon.
If there was a secret hidden in the cabinet, it wouldn't have been left unused for so long. Therefore, it was highly likely that this safe was just a facade.
Moreover, it was too conspicuous, obviously designed to be noticed.
This was a trap!
Lex stood up and observed his surroundings. He quickly discovered that not only the safe but also other parts of the study were covered in dust.
It seemed this place was quite important to Hudson, so he didn't let servants clean it.
But he must not have used the study frequently for it to be in this condition.
By the moonlight, Lex noticed a relatively clean area near the study's entrance, where there was less dust. It extended deeper into the study, forming an almost imperceptible, suspicious trail.
Following this trail, Lex arrived at the wall and saw the self-portrait hanging there.
In the portrait, Hudson, with a pipe in his mouth and a ruddy complexion, stared straight ahead with a dignified gaze.
Lex noticed that both sides of the self-portrait's frame showed signs of frequent handling, forming a clear palm print pattern.
Did Hudson frequently take this portrait down?
Even narcissism has its limits.
Wait.
Could he have hidden something important behind the portrait?
Lex reached out to take down the portrait, but his hand stopped just as it reached the frame.
No.
That guy is an Spectator, skilled at grasping others' psychology. Perhaps my current reaction is within his calculations. Perhaps this portrait is still a trap!
Lex lowered his hand and carefully observed both sides of the frame. He then found a steel wire as thin as a strand of hair at the bottom, connecting to the frame. The other end ran along the wall, all the way to the study door, tied to a bell.
How insidious!
Are you the Hunter or am I the Hunter? To set up so many traps, this is too much!
Lex stepped back a few paces, took out a Seer coin, and whispered, "Does this room have a secret room or a hidden compartment?"
He tossed the coin, and when it landed, the number side was up.
There were no secret rooms or hidden compartments in the room. As he had thought, this study was indeed a trap.
Alright, if I were Hudson, where would I hide the secret?
Hmm, I can use the process of elimination.
"Does Hudson's house contain a major secret?"
Lex tossed the coin, and the pattern side was up!
"Is Hudson's secret hidden in the bedroom?"
The coin flew out, flipping continuously in mid-air, finally landing with the pattern side up.
"A Seer is truly too convenient," Lex murmured, then exited the study and, through a window, landed in a corridor.
As a noble, Lex was quite familiar with house layouts. With his extensive experience as a noble, he quickly found Hudson's bedroom in the large house.
The bedroom was decorated quite luxuriously and splendidly.
The space here was wide, with thick carpets, velvet duvet covers, and a small open-air balcony outside, where a single sofa was placed.
The bedroom even had a small fireplace, so it could be heated in winter.
Having already tasted success, Lex once again took out a Seer coin and whispered, "Is there a secret room or hidden compartment in the bedroom?"
When the coin landed on the carpet, Lex saw the side with the wizard's hat pattern facing up.
Putting away the coin, Lex began tapping around the room and finally discovered an unusual candlestick hanging on the wall.
The metal cylinder of this candlestick had some corrosion marks in the middle, but not elsewhere.
"It looks like it's been frequently held, and the changes occurred due to sweat corrosion."
Lex reached out and grasped the candlestick, immediately feeling that it could move!
He pulled it down slightly, and heard several clicks from behind the adjacent wardrobe. Then the wall, along with the wardrobe, actually slid forward a little.
Behind the wall was a secret room!
Lex walked in and found a gas lamp with a metal grille at the entrance of the secret room. Lex lit it, then saw that the secret room was arranged like a small study.
At the far end were classical desk and chairs, with notes and a pen casually placed on them. Against the wall was a shelf with some books.
Lex walked in, holding the gas lamp, and first looked at the notebook, which contained some information written in a messy hand.
'Hypnotist: Main materials are the complete pituitary gland of a young Mind Dragon, or 60 milliliters of Black Hunt Giant Lizard spinal fluid, and one fruit from a Hallucinatory Wind Chime Tree.'
'As long as I complete the subsequent tasks, I can obtain the auxiliary materials and the complete formula!'
Lex took a light breath.
"Hypnotist, that's the name of the Sequence 6 potion of the Spectator pathway. In other words, Hudson is a Sequence 7 Psychiatrist?"
Lex wrote down the main materials, thinking they might be useful later, for example, selling this information to Miss Justice.
He flipped through the earlier contents. Most of the notebook contained casual entries, such as where he went today or whom he met yesterday.
However, he soon stopped.
A brief message was written on this page of the notebook.
'Damn it, Maggie was killed, and I don't know who took the contract I stored with her. I'm not good at card divination, am I supposed to ask Mr. Heimerke for help?'
'No, the Sea Serpent Gang that served us was completely wiped out. Mr. Heimerke only gave me Maggie as a channel to temporarily store the contract with her, to prevent anyone from tracing me through the Sea Serpent Gang line.'
'Now that even Maggie has had an accident, Mr. Heimerke will definitely think I'm incompetent. I have to figure out a way to solve this myself.'
Lex's jaw dropped in surprise.
The Sea Serpent Gang actually served Hudson, no, served Heimerke!
He had inadvertently destroyed two of Heimerke's secret channels in a row?
Good heavens, if the other party found out, wouldn't he be eaten alive?
Hmm, I should do something with those three contracts.
Lex flipped through the earlier notes again, and in the entries from early August, he saw some information.
'A few days ago, when I was hypnotizing the club manager with the 'Hallucinatory Pipe,' an employee from the audit department happened to walk in. Although I made arrangements for him to forget about it, it's better to be careful.'
'Hmm, I can find a way to make him go crazy, or make others not believe his words, making him a lunatic and having him locked up in an asylum. That would be safer for me.'
It was Sandy!
So Sandy had stumbled upon Hudson hypnotizing the club manager, no wonder he was scared enough to resign, and no wonder he later ignored his son, because Hudson wanted to throw him into a mental asylum!
But later, I suggested he seek help at the church, which resolved his inability to see his son.
Sandy didn't go crazy, but in the end, he committed suicide.
Clearly, Hudson, failing one plan, devised another!
At this point, the notebook could not provide any more information.
Lex began searching the surrounding bookshelves again.
As he picked up a book, a piece of parchment fell to the ground. Lex picked it up and was surprised to find a spell written in Hermes.
'Hidden behind the Light, not existing in the shadows.'
'You are the great, hidden, invisible one.'
'You lurk in all things, spreading white mist.'
'I pray to you.'
'I pray for the power of concealment;'
'I pray for the power of the invisible;'
'I pray for your favor.'
'Here, I offer you a sacrifice of flesh and blood, through the spirituality of blood, to convey my faithful belief!'
Isn't this the spell found in the home of that elderly woman living alone in Enki Town?
No.
It's a little different.
I remember the spell found at Old Lady Paris's house, in the third paragraph, it began with 'You are the ruler of desire'.
But this one doesn't.
What does this mean?
Lex shook his head; he was not an expert in the Domain of mysticism and found it difficult to interpret the hidden information from these differences.
But now I am part of an organization. Next time I can bring this question to the Tarot Club, and perhaps get an answer.
However.
Through this parchment, it can now be confirmed that 'Heimerk' from the gift contract is the same person who appeared in the Enki Town incident!
Lex put the parchment back in its place. Suddenly, he saw several telegrams pressed on the shelf.
He took them down, placed them on the table, and looked at one of them.
'You have done very well. I need you to continue to lie low in the Psychological Alchemists and observe their actions. I will provide you with intelligence to help you quickly improve your standing in the Alchemy Society.'
Holy crap!
So this fat guy was a mole in the Alchemists?
Although there was no sender's name on the telegram, it was probably Heimerk. What method did this guy use to undermine the Psychological Alchemists?
'Has Maggie had an accident? Her brother hasn't been able to contact her for several days. Eugene plans to personally go to Tingen City. Please entertain him well for me. If you have any difficulties, you can also tell him. He is a 'Wraith' and should have enough strength to handle the trouble in Tingen.'
Hisssss
Maggie actually has a brother?
Wraith, isn't that an Prisoner pathway Sequence 5?
He's already in Tingen?
Lex's body suddenly tensed, his back felt cold, and he wanted to leave immediately.
Wraith, just hearing it sounds terrifying.
And Lex lacked the means to deal with a Wraith. He immediately put the telegram back in its place and turned to leave. At this moment, he noticed that the gas lamp's flame suddenly turned eerily pale.
And on the lampshade, a pale face appeared. It was a man with small eyes and slightly curly hair. He was wearing clothes that were clearly not of Loen style. His appearance on the surface of the lampshade immediately reminded Lex of horror movies he had seen in his previous life.
At the same time, Lex knew what he had encountered.
A Wraith!
Maggie's brother, Eugene!
He hadn't expected that as soon as he received this news, he would confront the person without any warning!
At this moment.
Many thoughts flashed through Lex's mind.
But the strongest one was to summon 'Status Projection'!
If he had encountered Hudson, he could have fought against that Watcher pathway Beyonder with the magical items he possessed.
But now he was facing a Wraith, a Sequence 5 powerhouse!
Not to mention that he had no items to deal with a Wraith, just the difference in sequence was enough for the opponent to crush him.
So at this moment, Lex unhesitatingly used up the summoning chance he had just obtained.
As before, when Lex had this strong desire, pale golden characters appeared in the air before his eyes.
'A Watcher's projection has been randomly selected for you.'
'Please recite, or silently recite, His honorific name, and pray for His descent and help.'
Segments of honorific names appeared in the air, and Lex was about to recite them.
Suddenly.
His whole body went stiff and cold, his eyes began to glaze over, and his thoughts gradually blurred.
In this state, Lex couldn't even silently recite the honorific name, let alone speak it!
He hadn't expected a Wraith to have such terrifying and bizarre abilities!
The danger he faced this time was even greater than being publicly assassinated in the restaurant last time!
This time, even his thoughts were controlled!
Just before his thoughts almost completely stopped, Lex suddenly called out a name: "Heimerk!"
That stiffness, that dull feeling receded slightly.
Then the figure in the lampshade disappeared, and when it reappeared, it was in Lex's eyes.
Then Lex saw his hands uncontrollably rise and grasp his own throat. Subsequently, a voice that was not his own rang out from his mouth.
"What do you want to say? You'd better not lie to me, otherwise, I will use your own hands to twist your neck."
It worked.
Lex quickly said, "Mr. Eugene, like you, I also serve Mr. Heimerk."
At the same time, he silently recited in his heart.
'Powerful and determined warrior'
But suddenly, he felt difficulty breathing, because his hands were already tightly clasped, but not yet twisting with force.
"Lies! Furthermore, Heimerk and I are only collaborators, not subordinate!"
That unpleasant voice rang out from Lex's mouth again.
Lex, however, was very calm. He believed that Eugene was testing him. If he didn't believe him, his neck would have been twisted by now.
"Then kill me."
"But you'd better think about how you're going to explain this to Mr. Heimerk next."
"Also, if you have the guts, say what you just said to Mr. Heimerk's face. I'm very much looking forward to his expression when he hears you say those words."
Now's the chance!
'The bane and mortal enemy of all evil creatures.'
'The protector of all brave ones.'
"If you were truly sent by Mr. Heimerk, why would you quietly sneak in here?" Eugene's voice rang out. Although he still controlled Lex's hands, preventing them from loosening, he was clearly wavering.
"It's simple, Mr. Heimerk doesn't trust Hudson!"
"Regarding the murder of your sister Maggie, Hudson did not report it to Mr. Heimerk. Hudson comes from the Psychological Alchemists, and Mr. Heimerk believes that this fellow might be a double agent!"
Eugene's startled voice rang out from Lex's mouth: "What, Maggie is dead?"
"That damn fat guy, he even told me he saw my sister last week!"
"Tell me, when did my sister die!"
Lex was glad that he had just seen Hudson's notes and Heimerk's telegrams, which allowed him to use this information to sow suspicion in Eugene.
He quickly silently recited the remaining honorific names.
'Great Paul Wasserman! I pray for your descent, I pray for your help to overcome this difficulty!'