Backlund, Hillston district, in a certain room.
Night had fallen.
Fors Wall finished a cigarette, removed the remaining portion from the wooden holder with its silver band, and ground it into the overflowing ashtray beside her.
Cigarettes came with their own filters, but using a holder made smoking more comfortable and prevented yellowing of the nails.
A good cigarette holder could make a smoking lady look elegant and beautiful.
They'd even been popular in Backlund for a time, made from materials ranging from high-grade silver to cheap wood.
As for the one in her hand, it was a birthday gift from Xio after she'd earned some money last time.
Having enjoyed her tobacco, Fors turned her attention back to a sheet of white paper on her desk.
Several lines were written on it:
The target was previously a con artist, so he must be cunning by nature. He may change his appearance.
Suggest adding glasses, hats, beards, etc. to the existing portrait to increase margin for error.
The target specifically targets streetwalkers, and his methods are extremely cruel.
His motives can be inferred from this; seek intelligence from streetwalkers.
The target is suspected of joining a cult. His mental state and behavior may differ from normal people.
Only by living in areas with chaotic public security can he reduce the chance of being discovered.
He may be active in the East Borough or Backlund Bridge district...
What was written here were suggestions from detective Isengard Stanton.
Last time when they investigated Qilangos, this detective's suggestions had been very helpful.
So this time they simply asked him again to make inferences about Lanevus's situation.
Hearing that the target might be a serial killer, Isengard had seemed very interested.
He appeared to want to ask for more details, including who provided the intelligence, but out of professional integrity, he'd managed to restrain himself.
Tomorrow Xio will definitely want me to go out with her... The East Borough is too far, I really don't want to go...
Just thinking about having to get up early tomorrow and cross lengthy streets to investigate made Fors's head hurt.
Forget it.
That Lanevus guy is so dangerous, I should go with her anyway. Otherwise, if those two short legs of hers can't move fast enough, she'll easily get caught...
"Ugh!"
Just as she was making excuses for herself in her mind while also dissing her friend, she suddenly froze, then her expression rapidly became ferocious as she reached up to cover her ears.
Crimson moonlight flowed like water, filling the curtains and streaming through the gaps onto the floor, bathing the room in a faint red glow.
Invisible ravings seemed to surge into the room along with the crimson moonlight, echoing in Fors's ears, making her feel indescribable pain.
Oh no, I forgot today is the full moon...
Fors thought, and because of the pain, she involuntarily gripped the wooden cigarette holder until it creaked.
Her features twisted as she rolled and struggled in her chair.
In the depths of her pain-filled eyes, strange luminescence seemed to layer upon layer, as if echoing with the distant moonlight...
The last time she'd encountered Qilangos, she'd used a peculiar gem to traverse space and escape pursuit.
But the side effect of that object made her hear unknown, terrifying ravings every full moon, ravings that brought her extremely intense pain.
"Stop!"
Fors screamed miserably, tearing at her hair as if trying to offset the pain in her brain.
Large clumps of brown curly hair were torn out by her, but she seemed oblivious.
Several minutes later, she finally recovered, drenched in cold sweat and gasping for breath.
Looking at the clumps of hair in her hands and the cigarette holder, Fors couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"Good thing the cigarette holder is quality and I didn't break it, or I wouldn't know how to explain it to Xio..."
It wasn't that she hadn't tried to save herself. It was just that various rituals and prayers to the gods had had no effect.
The ravings kept growing louder, the situation increasingly serious. She didn't know how many more times she could endure this.
With complicated and helpless feelings, Fors stared blankly out the window.
That same night, in the East Borough, in the apartment Silas was renting.
"This mainly tests your understanding of mathematical theorems. You just need to follow the formula and plug in the known conditions..."
At the desk, Silas scribbled several lines of numbers on scratch paper, then looked up at Emily. "See? Doesn't that solve it?"
Emily looked at the scratch paper, then at him.
"You explain it even more clearly than our teacher."
She said sincerely.
"It's just simple mathematics."
Silas said with a smile.
After all, he'd crawled through an ocean of practice problems in his previous life. Dealing with middle school problems from this era wasn't difficult.
Emily looked at the problem he'd analyzed so thoroughly. After a moment, her face suddenly showed confusion.
"But don't you have a mental illness? So where did you learn mathematics?"
She asked.
Silas's eyes narrowed.
Seeing his sister across from him also thoughtfully examining the scratch paper, he knew this wasn't good. He smiled and said, "I never went to school. I taught myself while working."
He'd almost forgotten that Cecilia was very clear about his educational background. She knew he'd never studied mathematics at all.
After chatting a bit more, it was getting late.
Emily got up, bid them both goodnight, then returned to her bedroom.
"Brother..."
Sure enough, as soon as Emily left, she immediately spoke up.
It's fine, I can still explain this away... Luckily I have that work experience, I'll just say the company specifically trained me when I was working because the job required it...
Silas prepared his wording, waiting for his sister to ask.
But what he heard was her looking at him with concern and asking seriously, "We should rest now. Have you taken your medicine?"
"Huh?"
Silas froze.
His sister actually didn't ask about the mathematics thing... Wait, isn't it better if she doesn't ask? Saves me from having to make up reasons.
"Not yet. Cecilia, help me pour a glass of water."
He nodded and said with a smile.
Mentioning the medicine, Silas involuntarily touched the pocket at his chest. Inside were hidden three glass vials.
These were sedatives provided by the fat apothecary Darkwill. Besides the sedatives, his payment also included 10 pounds in cash and information about Beyonder gatherings.
"The gathering location is in a house on Iron Gate Street.
The specific time is announced by watching the fifth page of the daily Backlund Morning Post.
If there's an advertisement for Ernst Trading Company purchasing goods, it means there's a gathering the next evening at eight.
The rhythm and intervals of knocking are related to the quoted price."
I'll need to remind Cecilia to subscribe to that newspaper...
Silas thought. For the first gathering, he planned to test the waters first. He didn't necessarily have to buy anything.
Wait, I wonder how much of the "Assassin" potion Cecilia has digested.
Maybe I can prepare the main ingredients for the "Instigator" potion for her in advance and try to purchase them at the gathering...
"Knock knock knock!"
Just as he was pondering what to do at the gathering, his apartment door was violently pounded.