Looking at the old man, Willis's mind suddenly went blank, his eyes glazed over, and the envelope he had already pulled from his pocket fell to the ground. He still didn't react.
The old man walked past him, and the letter that had fallen to the ground suddenly disappeared.
After about two or three seconds, Willis came back to his senses, but he had already forgotten what he was supposed to do. He looked at the postbox not far away, shook his head, and turned to walk back.
36 Zotland Street.
This building, with architectural features from around 1300 in the Fifth Epoch, once had its ground floor plastered with stucco, and the two windows on each upper floor were enclosed by arched frames, forming a single unit, which meant the lighting here wasn't very good.
Two months ago, after an incident involving a gas pipe leak and explosion, it was rebuilt.
After the reconstruction, the ground floor featured a small porch, flanked by two-story bay windows, with detailed window frames, mullions, and decorative capitals supporting slender stone beams. Above the bay windows were parapets, supporting the third floor.
In recent years, this three-story architectural style has been popular.
It could be said that the place had completely changed its appearance.
A brown-haired girl walked briskly, the afternoon sun falling on her smooth forehead. She had light brown eyes and a beautiful face.
The girl arrived in front of the rebuilt building, first opened the mailbox, took out the "Tingen City Honest Man's Newspaper" and some letters, and then entered 36 Zotland Street.
She ascended the stairs, rounded the corner, and arrived in front of a black door.
Next to the door hung a vertical sign that read: Blackthorn Security Company.
The girl opened the door, placed the newspaper and letters on the nearby table, took off her hat, and hung it on the coat rack.
A moment later, she poured herself a cup of coffee before sitting down in a chair.
She casually flipped through the newspaper, then picked up the letters to read them.
"This month's gas bill, an investigation report from the Police Station... Eh?"
The girl was sorting through these letters when she suddenly saw a strange one.
The letter was sent from Tingen City, but the recipient's address was Backlund.
"Strange, did the postman deliver it to the wrong place?"
The girl flipped the envelope over and saw a shocking line of words on the back: Aurora Order!
The girl stood up with a gasp, startled for a moment, then grabbed the envelope and rushed through the door separating the inner and outer areas, heading straight for the office area in the back.
"Captain!"
The girl entered the inner area, opened an office door, and looked at a man sitting by the window, writing something in a notebook.
This man, in his thirties, had a square face, a relatively large nose and ears, and faint nasolabial folds.
He wore black-rimmed glasses, appearing steady and mature. Hearing the sound, he looked up, a movement that deepened the lines on his forehead.
He tidied his meticulously parted brown hair and surveyed the girl with his azure blue eyes: "What's wrong, Roxanne?"
Looking at this Captain, who had just been transferred to Tingen City, the girl's eyes always overlaid him with another figure.
That man, whom she also called 'Captain,' was also around thirty, with a prominent nose bridge and calm grey eyes.
But he was no longer here.
Her eyes immediately welled up.
The girl quickly wiped her eyes and composed herself: "I received a letter, you need to see it, Captain Lewis."
She placed the letter on the table and flipped the envelope to its back.
Seeing the words 'Aurora Order' on it, Lewis, who had recently transferred to Tingen City, looked serious. He cut open the envelope and took out the letter inside.
After reading the contents of the letter, Lewis stood up and called out: "Martha, are you there?"
Soon, footsteps were heard outside, and then a girl of about twenty-three or twenty-four walked in. She had a lively, reddish-brown, wavy long hair.
She was chewing on a piece of candy and leaned against the doorway, saying: "Is there something you need, Captain?"
Lewis picked up the letter and said: "Divinate who wrote this letter and where the sender is now."
Martha took the letter and glanced at the envelope on the table: "Isn't there an address on it?"
"The address might be fake," Lewis said without hesitation.
"Alright, please wait a moment."
She left for a bit and then returned: "I have it. It's in an apartment building in the South District. The specific address is here."
Martha placed a slip of paper with the address on Lewis's desk. The Captain grabbed the paper, picked up his coat, and instructed: "Notify Frye and Warren; I need their assistance."
A moment later, a carriage departed from Zotland Street.
Inside the carriage, besides Lewis, was 'Corpse Collector' Frye, with black hair, blue eyes, and a pale complexion. He had a high nose bridge, thin lips, and a cold, dark aura. In his hand, he tightly clutched the letter.
Lewis looked at him and said: "We won't let our colleague's family come to harm."
Frye looked up and nodded heavily.
When the carriage stopped, as soon as Lewis opened the door, he saw the target building not far away.
He jumped out of the carriage and said: "Once we're up there, Warren, you make sure everyone in the building falls asleep quickly. I will pull the target into a dream, and Frye, you will capture the opponent."
The two team members nodded, and then, under Lewis's command, the three entered the apartment building from different directions.
In the apartment building, Willis was maintaining his weapons, which included a dagger, a revolver, and a three-edged awl.
Just then, Willis suddenly adopted a listening posture, his expression changed, and he immediately packed his things. Throughout this process, a cruel smile remained on his face.
He quickly walked into the kitchen, taking out some items from a cabinet. These included a bottle containing severed fingers, black candles, and some ritual materials.
Willis took out a large cauldron and opened the bottle, throwing several severed fingers into it. He then lit the candles, added some ritual materials, and set up an altar.
He performed a ritual.
After the ritual, he used a dagger to cut a gash on his hand, letting his blood fall onto the severed fingers.
Then, Willis picked up one of them, threw it into his mouth, and ate the severed finger as if chewing a snack.
His eyes began to dilate with madness, and tiny, dense bumps appeared on his body, Glaint ing with an iron color, seemingly forming a full body armor.
His spirituality, his senses, his strength, and his speed were all enhanced, a comprehensive improvement.
And so.
Willis quickly detected a clear heartbeat; the sound was right outside the door!
He laughed. He climbed the wall like a gecko; these were all magical powers bestowed upon him by the ritual.
And the knowledge of the ritual came from the whispers of the Creator!