Around noon, after running around on and off all morning, a somewhat tired Odis arrived at the public horse station to catch a ride.
Only after he sat in the carriage did he begin to reflect on his harvest at noon that day.
Just as Odis had predicted, there was a skill involved in running in battle; one had to be careful with positioning when escaping and try to avoid being caught by the pursuers.
When chasing, you need to make some predictions; don't always just follow the person in front.
Fidele's teachings were very helpful to Odis, and when he encountered an enemy who could run away, he wouldn't have to chase for so long without being able to catch up.
These running techniques reminded Odis of "Lingbo Weibu" (a martial art), but unfortunately, it was a fictional martial art with little to draw upon.
Back at the herbal shop, Odis had lunch and was about to go to the backyard.
Just then, a customer came in to buy medicine, and the shop assistant, Kaina, immediately stepped forward and asked, "What do you need?"
The person buying the medicine seemed somewhat weak in voice: "Sunflower."
Odis glanced back and saw that the other person was a man in his thirties, but he looked listless and as if he hadn't rested well for a long time.
He also noticed that the other person's face was slightly grayish, as if he had been poisoned.
So when Kaina was retrieving the "sunflower," Odis pinched his temples and activated his "spiritual vision."
Odis rarely comes into contact with the undead and seldom activates his "spiritual vision." However, with the activation of his "spiritual vision" ability, his eyes became even more profound, and the medicine buyer in front of him seemed to become more illusory, as if he were layered on top of each other. The colors of his body parts and organs could also be clearly seen.
Odis immediately noticed that the other party's spirit was wrapped in wispy, cotton-like black mist.
These black mists have begun to affect the health of the organs of those who purchase the medication, making those organs appear somewhat dull in color.
Odis quickly made a judgment: this was a reaction influenced by some dark magic, but these spells were very simple and not difficult to deal with.
He took another careful look at the buyer, and after confirming the other party's condition, he used the method of pinching his temples to shut down "spiritual vision," and said to Kaina and the buyer who were about to complete the transaction, "Wait a moment."
Seeing that the two of them were slightly taken aback and looked at him, Odis continued, "Your complexion has turned ashen, so ordinary 'sunflower' won't be very effective. I suggest you use 'golden-edged sunflower' and also buy some 'midsummer grass' to make tea."
Although Odis was not an apothecary, he knew how to counteract the effects of this kind of dark magic.
The customer was very easy to talk to: "Okay, okay, then I'll buy 'Golden-edged Sunflower' and 'Midsummer Grass'."
Odis then said to Kaina, "Two 'Golden-edged Sunflowers' and 200 grams of 'Midsummer Grass'."
While collecting herbs in Kaina, Odis chatted with the buyer and learned that he lived in the Hilton district at 166 Anas Road.
It was learned that he had been experiencing fatigue and lethargy for about a week, and that several of his neighbors had similar symptoms.
Yesterday, one of my neighbors shared that burning sunflowers at home could relieve these symptoms, which is why he bought sunflowers during his lunch break at work.
After seeing the customer off, the shop assistant, Kaina, said, "Sir, someone came to buy 'Phnom Penh Sunflower' this morning. I remember he also lived in the Hilton area, but I didn't ask which street he lived on."
Odis realized that this was no coincidence. He first drew a portrait of the person who had just bought the medicine, and then, with the help of his extraordinary abilities, drew a portrait of the person who had bought the medicine that morning.
Then he wrote a letter and asked Kenneth to find a horse-drawn carriage on the street to take him to the Backlund Mechanics Society.
He's just an informant, so of course he won't investigate himself. He just needs to provide clues and let the people from "Mechanical Heart" investigate.
After Kaina returned, Odis went back to the backyard to check on the progress of the "Flaming Arrow". Kaina had done a good job with the carving steps, so Odis began to mix the paint with spiritual materials.
Most of the spiritual materials that Odis had previously ordered from Viscount Kelton were intended for use in these "Flaming Arrows".
Odis personally completed this step, preparing the paint and then applying it to the magic circle on the parts.
This is another rather tedious process, but Odis has nothing else to do today and plans to complete the 11 "Flaming Arrows" by tomorrow so that he can get the payment and final payment for the two orders.
...
Inside an apartment building in the southern part of the bridge area.
Hugh Deercha strode up the stairs to the third floor. The apartment was fairly spacious, and there wasn't any clutter in the hallway.
The public restrooms at both ends of the corridor are also cleaned, so there is no urine smell in the corridor like in the East District apartments.
Hugh arrived at the door of room 309, checked his Mitsubishi Spike, and then knocked on the door.
She had been commissioned by "The Hound," a member of the Occult Research Society, for over a week, and only got some leads last Friday.
Of course, she hadn't only been busy with this case for the past week or so; she had also been busy with other cases. The "Hound" case was just a side job to find clues.
According to the information provided by "The Hound," the deceased was named Bruce, and almost everyone he had met in his lifetime was listed in "The Hound's" information.
Until last Friday, Hugh learned through his own channels that someone had inadvertently seen a man in his twenties climb into Bruce's house through the window last night, and the two seemed to have talked for a long time.
Hugh first found a witness, then drew a portrait based on his description, and after two days of searching, someone finally recognized the young man in the portrait.
The man's name was Edgar, and he lived in room 309 of this apartment building.
Hugh is here today to confirm that if Edgar is indeed living here, she will immediately inform "The Hound".
As for the reason for the visit, Hugh had already come up with one. Edgar had borrowed money from the Black Moon Bar owner at high interest rates, so she said she was there to collect the debt.
If Edgar questions Hugh's debt collection skills because of her size and appearance, Hugh wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson and becoming a real debt collector.
After knocking on the door, there was no answer. Just as she was about to knock again, she suddenly smelled a faint smell of blood coming from inside.
After a second or two of hesitation, she quickly made a decision, pulled out the dagger, and kicked the door open.
As soon as the door opened, Hugh saw the young man lying on the ground. It was Edgar, the man she was looking for, but now he was a corpse.
Hugh didn't go in immediately, but instead looked around the room.
Each apartment here has two rooms, one large and one small. The large room serves as the living room, dining room, and kitchen, while the small room is the bedroom.
Edgar was lying on the floor of the large room, having died from a sharp weapon piercing his heart; there were no obvious signs of a struggle.
Suddenly, Hugh's eyes narrowed. The corpse on the ground twitched, and upon closer inspection of the blood, there was no sign of it clotting!
These signs suggest that Edgar had not been dead for long, and perhaps he had just been killed before Hugh knocked on the door.
There hasn't been much movement in the room since then, which means the murderer is likely still hiding there.
Thinking of this, Xiu used the Mitsubishi spike to close the door. She wasn't a police officer, and she certainly wouldn't rush in to catch the murderer at this moment in order to uphold justice.
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Pretending not to notice, Xiu quickly retreated to the stairs and went downstairs.
Suddenly, she felt a pair of eyes staring at her. She turned around, but there was no one there!
But Xiu knew his intuition was right!
So she hurried to the street, about to jump into a horse-drawn carriage and leave, when she suddenly realized that if she left here, she would only expose that she had noticed the murderer.
Hugh glanced at the two policemen patrolling in the distance, then quickly went over to tell them that he had seen someone committing a burglary on the third floor of the apartment building.
The police were about to take Hugh to identify the thief, but Hugh, who wasn't very tall, suddenly exuded a very authoritative aura: "You can go yourselves!"
The two policemen, seemingly a little guilty, said in unison, "Okay, okay, we'll go ourselves!"
After getting rid of the police, Hugh got into the horse-drawn carriage.
In the event of a murder like this, the police will definitely come after Hugh again in the future, and may even arrest her directly.
But Hugh had been a bounty hunter for quite some time, so now he naturally wanted to take advantage of his employer and have the "hunting dog" explain the situation to the police on his behalf.
After getting into the carriage, Hugh keenly sensed that those eyes were still watching him.
She realized that the other party was targeting her and that she had to take some measures, otherwise the other party would definitely arrest and interrogate her if given the opportunity.
They certainly couldn't go home. Fors was good at escaping, but his "opening door" ability couldn't take anyone else with him.
Hugh began to consider which of his other friends could help, but the person who had been following him all along was likely a "middle-order" extraordinary individual, and also likely had other helpers.
Of all the people Hugh knows, none have that kind of ability.
At that moment, she suddenly remembered the "leader" of the Occult Research Society. The waiter had once said that if she needed help, she could seek assistance at the meeting place.
So she said to the driver, "To No. 199 Hairun Avenue."
...
West End, 51 Henry Street.
Odis was focused on stopping the application of spiritual paint to the "Flaming Arrow" when he suddenly sensed a spiritual fluctuation. He looked down and saw that his pocket watch had lit up.
Another person has come to the Mysticism Research Society seeking help?
Odis took a deep breath, got up and stretched a little, then went out and took a carriage to 77 Hilton Avenue.
In the basement, he changed into the "leader's" clothes and used the "spatial array" to retrieve some extraordinary weapons that the "leader" had previously used from the "wilderness of knowledge".
Then, using the "teleportation array," they arrived at No. 199 Hairun Avenue.
Emerging from the basement, Odis saw Hugh in the living room and instantly understood: "The 'Hound's' commission has caused some trouble?"
Hugh was taken aback, not expecting that the "leader" would know before he could even explain.
She breathed a slight sigh of relief: "Yes, that's why I've come to 'request' the leader's help."
Odis thought for a moment before saying to one of the waiters, "Go to the alley on the left across the street and shout..."
At this point, he turned to Hugh and asked, "What was the name of the 'Substitute Punisher's' informant, the one 'Hound' gave you in the file, who is now dead?"
Hugh immediately replied, "Bruce."
Odis grunted in agreement and continued to the waiter, "Tell them that the 'leader' has crucial information about Bruce and ask them to come in and discuss it."
Hugh was stunned again, unable to understand the "leader's" intention in doing so.
Odis was well aware that, because of the Cappin case, MI9 was still keeping an eye on the "leader".