Wearing a mask and a hooded cloak, Odis emerged from the basement of 199 Hairun Avenue and first saw Hugh Deercha sitting in the living room, and behind her a lady in a pale yellow dress.
This young lady has long brown hair and beautiful features, but her expression is languid; she must be the "Magician."
When Fors saw that the "leader" really did come out of the basement with no other doors, he suddenly recalled the plot of a novel he had read before.
The novel mentions a very secure room that is often haunted. Later, after an investigation by a pastor, it was discovered that the room was actually an entrance to hell.
Thinking of this, Fors smiled slightly and thought to himself: Mr. 'leader' from hell.
Seeing the "leader" come out, Hugh immediately stood up and smiled, "'Leader' Mr., to express my gratitude, I have made a reservation at the Backlund Hotel. Please come and dine with us."
The Backland Hotel is one of the top hotels in this international metropolis. Just making a reservation cost £3, and the reservation was in the lobby, not in a good spot like the sofa area.
A meal at a hotel like this would cost at least £10 per person!
"No need to spend money." Odis smiled and said, "What I said yesterday was just an excuse for Danesi and the others."
Before Hugh could say anything more, Odis raised his hand and said, "If you really want to thank me, how about this: I'll entrust you with something in the future, and once it's done, you don't need to take any commission."
"I haven't figured out the specifics yet, let's wait and see."
Xiu nodded, this kind of gratitude was indeed more valuable than treating someone to a meal: "Okay, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Okay." Odis changed the subject: "You're a Sequence 9 now, right?"
Hugh answered honestly, "Yes, I am an 'arbitrator'."
Odis commented, "For some reason, it is difficult to find the potion recipes for advancement and the main ingredients required for advancement through this method."
That's right.
Odis asked knowingly, "Do you need me to help you find the recipe for a Sequence 8 potion?"
"The recipe has been found, and we also have clues about the main ingredients."
Odis nodded: "If you need help, you can come to me. Consider it my investment in you."
Then he looked at the two ladies in front of him and said, "Well then, ladies, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."
Xiu said, "I'm so sorry to have made you come all this way."
Odis waved his hand, indicating that it was alright.
Hugh and Fors watched the "leader" enter the basement, then bid farewell to the waiter and left 199 Hairun Avenue in a carriage.
On the carriage, Fors said, "Based on my observation, the 'leader' is not a pervert. His help to you may really just be for investment purposes, and he has no other intentions."
"Don't be too disappointed. Maybe in a couple of years, you'll grow a little taller and your breasts will get a little bigger."
Hugh glanced at his best friend with a hint of helplessness: "Thank you for your encouragement."
She then said, "I'm just a little surprised that I rarely encounter extraordinary people who are willing to help others."
"This is Backlund!" Fors smiled. "With so many people gathered here, there must be some kind people among them."
Then she changed the subject: "There's something I have to remind you: even if you don't dine at the Backlund Hotel, you won't get your £3 reservation fee back."
"In order not to waste those 3 pounds, shouldn't we stick to our original plan and have lunch at the Backlund Hotel?"
Hugh sighed somewhat helplessly: "Alright, let's splurge this once to celebrate and thank you for helping me find the main material for the advancement, and also to congratulate you on obtaining the advancement formula."
...
51 Henry Street.
Odis and Kaina's lunch today included fish and meat, and it looked quite lavish.
After lunch, just as Odis was about to take a nap, Max Livemore, the squad leader of "Mechanical Heart," suddenly came to visit.
Odis invited him to the lounge in the backyard: "Is there any urgent task?"
If Max visits during working hours, it's usually for business purposes.
"After receiving the intelligence you provided yesterday, we immediately dispatched two team members to 166 Anas Road to investigate..." Max, with his sharply defined facial features, got straight to the point, explaining the purpose of his visit to Odis today.
Odis made tea for Max while listening to his story.
Yesterday afternoon, a man in his thirties came to the herbal medicine shop to buy "sunflowers." Odis sensed something was wrong with him, so he used his "spiritual vision" to observe him and found that his spirit was entangled in some black mist.
Odis suspected that the man was influenced by dark magic or rituals, so she struck up a conversation with him and learned that the man's name was Bernie and that he lived at 166 Anas Road.
Subsequently, Odis painted a portrait of Bernie and sent this information to the "Mechanical Heart".
When "Mechanical Heart" sent people to investigate Anas Road, they found that there was no man named Bernie in that residential building, nor did they find any trace of dark magic or rituals used in that building.
"Mechanical Heart" went to the police station to look up information. Although there was a man named Bernie around there, he was an old man in his seventies and looked completely different from the portrait.
This immediately alerted "Mechanical Heart." Max said, "We deduce that someone is indeed performing a dark ritual, but not at 166 Anas Road!"
"Moreover, Bernie was likely coerced or tricked into buying 'sunflowers' from your store."
"Although we can't prove these speculations, based on past experience, this is definitely not a simple case of a dark ritual!"
After taking a sip of tea, Max continued, "We've investigated so far but haven't found any clues, so I'd like to ask you if you can provide any other leads?"
Odis took the pipe and began to fill it with tobacco while lost in thought.
He slowly lit his pipe, took a few puffs, and suddenly asked, "How did you determine that there were no traces of dark rituals at 166 Anas Road?"
Max replied, "Use a sealed artifact, and observe with clairvoyance."
Odis then asked, "So, you can only be certain that no one performed any dark rituals during your investigation?"
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Max said, "If such a ritual was performed, there would definitely be some traces left, so we..."
At this point, he suddenly thought of a crucial point.
Odis stated the key point for him: "The 'Gold-edged Sunflower' that Bernie bought is enough to erase traces of some evil rituals!"
Max jumped up: "I'll take men and search house to house right now, hopefully the criminals haven't escaped yet."
"He certainly won't run away," Odis smiled. "Because if he tried to escape now, you would definitely notice."
Max, cane in hand, strode quickly to the door, then suddenly turned back and asked, "You've already advanced to Sequence 8, do you want to join this operation as well?"
His main hope was that if any further clues came up, he could immediately discuss them with Odis, since this herbalist shop owner possessed a wealth of information about the extraordinary world of Backlund.
What seems like a clue that leaves the "Mechanical Heart" completely baffled, Odis might be able to analyze for them using his extensive intelligence.
If Max were to go to the herbalist's shop for advice at that point, it could give the criminal time to escape.
Odis smiled and said, "Sorry, the herbal shop is very busy today."
"If the information you provided helps us solve an extraordinary case, I can apply for a 60-pound reward for you," Max said. "And if you are also involved in the investigation, I can apply for at least 160 pounds!"
He smiled and said, "You just need to sit in the carriage and answer a few of my questions."
Odis immediately stood up and said, "As a good citizen of Backlund, it is my duty to help you with your case."
"Let's go! I can't wait to fight the evil forces to the death!"
Despite the urgency, Odis still went to the basement to retrieve a weapon.
The weapon he used this time was that metal crossbow, primarily because "Mechanical Heart" knew that Odis was Mr. Gar, so there was no need to hide it.
Secondly, if Odis saw the criminals escaping, he certainly couldn't ignore it; hiding in the carriage and firing a sneak attack was the best way to strike.
The two arrived at 166 Anas Road in the "Mechanical Heart" carriage. It was a six-story residential building. Although it looked a bit dilapidated, it was a bustling area due to the thriving commerce around it.
From the car window, you can see clothes drying on the balcony upstairs, as well as some cooking utensils in the kitchen.
With Max's coordination, more than a dozen police officers quickly arrived and, under the pretext of searching for the murderer, began a house-to-house search from top to bottom.
Max, now dressed in a police uniform with an oversized revolver at his waist, followed leisurely behind the police officers.
Some residents were cooperative, while others were reluctant, but after seeing the search warrant, they had no choice but to let these rude policemen in.
When they reached the third floor, the two police officers knocked on the door of a resident's apartment for a long time without any response. Just as they were about to ask the building manager to open the door with a spare key, the door was smashed open with tremendous force, splinters of wood flew everywhere, and the two police officers were knocked down.
The man who rushed out of the door was swollen all over, a size taller and thicker than a normal person, with black hair covering his face and hands!
Bang!
Just as the man was about to kick the policeman away, Max, who had already sensed something, fired a shot that hit the enemy squarely in the head. The shot even ripped open the skull, revealing the folds of the brain inside.
But the man didn't die; instead, he smashed through the window and jumped downstairs.