The dark and gloomy Basti Prison resembles a giant beast lurking underground, with a strangely shaped horn protruding from the darkness, guarding the southwestern corner of the Chaos City and silencing the disorderly night.
"Lord Brandley, the details of the Gabriel Black Cross serial murder case have been clarified. The first case was the massacre of the entire family of the deputy examiner of the knight test three years ago. The four members of the family were tortured to death. Two years ago, a mutilated corpse was found in the sewers in the south of the city. A cross was carved into the arm with a knife. After two years of silence, three months ago, three more murders occurred in the Chaos City, including two children under the age of ten. A black cross was left at each scene."
"After detailed comparison, the black cross found on Gabriel is of the same material and specifications as the black cross left at the scene, and it was handmade. Moreover, we found more black crosses at Gabriel's residence, as well as the remains of a previous victim. We can conclude that he is the serial killer." In a slightly dimly lit room, a man dressed in black, with a black cloth covering his face, only his eyes visible, bowed slightly and respectfully reported to Brandley standing opposite him.
"Are Devo and Goodinia involved too? Why are they targeting Restaurant Mai Mi? What do they want?" Brandley nodded and asked again.
"The two of them should be unaware of the serial murders and can basically be exonerated from this case. However, the workers under the owner of the Devo Tavern, Devo, have also done some despicable things. Two years ago, for a sum of money for drinks, he instructed Gabriel to beat up the winery owner, causing the latter to suffer a lifelong disability and seizing his winery. There are many cases of this kind of violent seizure of other people's property by employing thugs. One person was seriously injured and died.
Goodinia's situation was slightly better. The dispute with the Restaurant Mai Mi started over a bowl of tofu pudding. Feeling he had lost face at the restaurant, he sought help from Devo to get revenge, but that's when the subsequent events occurred." The man quickly replied.
"Given the deplorable behavior of the Devo Tavern, why didn't our Gray Temple take any action before? Serious injury leading to death is no small matter." Brandley frowned.
"This matter…" the man hesitated.
"Speak." Brandley's gaze sharpened.
"The matter of the Devo Tavern should have been reported to the Gray Temple multiple times before our investigation, but it was suppressed for unknown reasons. The earliest report can be traced back to three years ago." The man lowered his voice.
"Is there a mole?" Brandley asked thoughtfully.
"Lord, this matter is not within our jurisdiction to investigate." the man shook his head slightly, not continuing the conversation.
"Okay, I will report this matter." Brandley nodded and did not ask any further questions. The Gray Temple has a clear hierarchy of authority, and no one can conduct investigations beyond their level without the corresponding authority. This regulation effectively limits the authority of staff at all levels, but sometimes it also makes the investigation process more complicated.
"Moreover, during this period, someone tried to bail out Devo and Goodinia, and people not in charge of this case repeatedly inquired about information. It is highly likely that the confidentiality of the Level 4 incident has been leaked." The man was silent for a while, then continued.
"Who is trying to bail them out?" Brandley's brow furrowed even deeper.
"The Aden Square Merchants' Union." the man said softly.
"It seems their reach is getting longer and longer, they've probably forgotten who they are." Brandley slowly clenched his fist, turned, and walked towards the door, saying, "Tell Deputy Warden Jonathan that Lord Roland's gaze is fixed on Basti Prison."
"Yes." The man bowed his head deeply, expressing his deepest respect.
...
In a dark hall several meters high, scattered lights dotted the upper part of the hall, like stars strewn at varying heights.
At the very center stands a round platform over two meters high. An elf dressed in a dark blue mage's robe is gently waving a magic wand. Specks of blue light drift from the tip of the wand and fall upon the stars, making them shine even brighter.
She was an elf whose age was impossible to discern. Her appearance was ordinary, yet she exuded an air of unparalleled nobility. Her face was expressionless, neither joyful nor sorrowful. She tilted her head slightly, gazing at the countless stars above, as if looking at the seeds she had sown.
In the very center, there is the largest and brightest star, and no other star dares to approach it, let alone compete with it for brilliance.
A little further away, there was a slightly larger star that seemed to be rising. Although it was not as bright as the largest star, but it was still dazzling and brighter than the surrounding stars.
"Lady Helena, that vile woman Irina dared to threaten the future of the elves you chose! She deserves to die! She's a fallen one abandoned by the gods, an elf whose body was defiled by ordinary human, a vile woman who gave birth to a bastard! How dare she be so arrogant! So presumptuous!" The old woman with a hunched back and a hooked nose shouted shrilly from below the platform, her expression so angry that she seemed about to jump up.
"Shut up, how dare you insult the princess." The elf on the high platform said calmly, and a black leather whip appeared out of nowhere, striking the old woman's face heavily, with a crisp sound echoing in the hall.
The hunched old woman was sent flying, crashing into a stone pillar before coming to a stop. Trembling, she used the pillar to steady herself. Her face, already swollen on one side, was now completely swollen. She looked at Helena on the platform with a trembling voice, filled with fear and confusion, and said, "Lady Helena, did I say something wrong? If the other elves knew what she had done, how could she continue to live in this world, continue to occupy the Tree of Life, and continue to be treated as an elven princess as a matter of course?"
"You're right. Irina did indeed do something that shames our elven race, being defiled by a human and abandoned by the gods." Helena's gaze fell on Heidi, the long black whip instantly coiling around her neck, lifting her into the air until she was at eye level. She shook her head and said, "However, if this gets out, it will ruin the reputation of our elven race, and the Nolan Continent will laugh at our elven race. Therefore, only a few people can know about this, not even one more. If you know, keep it to yourself. Otherwise, I'll think the dead are more reliable."
Heidi, her neck being gripped, looked at Helena with eyes full of terror and awe. The tightening whip around her neck made her feel the breath of death, and all of this was brought to her by Helena, whom she had served and loved for hundreds of years. She hurriedly nodded her head before her neck was broken.
"Remember, until a new princess appears among the elves, Irina is the only princess of the elves. You must recognize your place." Helena raised a finger, and the whip wrapped around Heidi's neck snapped back, causing her to fall to the ground with a thud.
"Yes…yes…" Heidi lay prostrate on the ground, her face pressed tightly against the earth.
"Do as she says, bring Snar back safely." Helena looked up at the brightest star in the center of the hall, a smile playing on her lips, and said softly, "If they really aren't dead, I'm quite curious what that little one will look like… Find them for me."