Royal Saint Crown University, King's Campus.
At dusk, at the Secret Knowledge Society's meeting point, in a certain stone room.
The gas lamp on the table illuminated the dim space, and beside the table was a luxurious chair, where Ci Rong, wearing a mask, was sitting, holding a small box in his hand, and inside the box, there were currently two small black spiders.
"North Pine Forest Farm No. 38, nine o'clock at night? Hmph, time is a bit tight..."
Looking at the two small spiders in the box, Ci Rong, who had just finished getting information from them, said with a cold snort, this reconnaissance operation did not disappoint him, he obtained very important information about the mysterious organization called Rose Cross.
'After so many days, these guys have finally decided on their stronghold, and they're even going to hold some kind of meeting to finalize their plan against us.
'According to the intelligence, they have no more than five core members near the King's Campus, and the others are not even Extraordinaries. Speaking of which, the rank of these guys is only Apprentice, at most there is a Black Rank leader, and their overall strength is only this much. I don't know why they would use this much strength to oppose us?'
Ci Rong thought with some doubt in his heart, but after a second thought, he believed that the best way to answer these questions was to raid their meeting, capture one of their core members, and interrogate them to find out everything.
Just right, this time all the core members of that society are gathered together, there are no henchmen, and the number does not exceed five... This is exactly a good time to act.
"They want to formulate a plan to wipe us out? Then let's preemptively take them all down..." Ci Rong muttered as he stood up from his seat and slowly looked around, saying that now he was preparing to gather people and give that so-called Rose Society a surprise.
"It seems I can also apply for a little extra help to solve this problem once and for all."
...
Outside the East Gate of King's Campus, Green Shade Town.
At dusk, Dorothy stood alone outside Green Shade Town No. 37, looking at the seemingly old stone-built house in front of her. Dorothy gently knocked on the door, and then waved at the lens installed on the door.
Not long after, the door in front of Dorothy was opened. Unlike her previous visit to No. 37, this time the front door was not opened automatically, but by someone.
Opening the door for Dorothy was a young girl wearing white pajamas and with short gray hair. She was Beverly.
"You came to open the door yourself, aren't you doing experiments downstairs?"
Seeing the girl in front of her, Dorothy said with a hint of surprise, while the other party replied with misty eyes.
"Experiment? I've been doing it for 8 hours straight, I'm exhausted? I'm resting now?"
"Can you clockwork people still get tired? Can't you just wind up the spring a couple of times? If there's enough fuel, even a train can run for a day straight, right?" Listening to Beverly's words, Dorothy asked with doubt, while the other party replied annoyed.
"Please... Many parts of the body will wear out after working continuously for a long time. I am an ultra-high precision mechanical puppet, don't compare me with those big, black, stupid steam engines. Let's rest now, have some tea and relax. If I don't pay attention to daily maintenance, the parts of this body will need to be replaced more often than underwear."
With a teasing tone, Beverly said while waving her hand, then she turned and entered the house, and Dorothy also closed the door and followed her, walking into the house with Beverly.
Soon, Dorothy came to a coffee table inside the house. Beverly sat down here, took a sip of the 'tea' which smelled strongly of machine oil and had iron filings floating in it as 'tea leaves', and then said to Dorothy.
"You came at just the right time today. The postage I collected from the An Yin Bureau last time has arrived. As I said before, three tenths of it is yours."
"Yo-ho, the money is finally here, tell me how much you got?" Dorothy said as she sat down on the nearby sofa, and Beverly immediately replied.
"Not much, just three hundred pound. We talked a few times and finally reached an agreement."
"Three hundred pound? Good heavens, you extorted so much at once?" Listening to Beverly's words, Dorothy said with some surprise. You know, when Beverly asked her for postage back then, she only asked for fifty pound.
"Tsk, sending back important documents of the An Yin Bureau, how can that be called extortion? This is the deserved reward, okay?
"By the way, they also asked me who sent the package. According to your request, I told them that the person who sent this package was named 'Detective'. They said if you want a reward, you must meet them in person, they have some questions they want to ask you."
Beverly said slowly while drinking the 'tea'. After hearing this, Dorothy, who was sitting on the sofa, raised an eyebrow and then said.
"Let me go see them... I'm afraid that will have to be another day, I've been a bit busy with things recently..."
"You're busy but you still came specifically to find me, you don't want me to help, do you?" Listening to Dorothy's words, Beverly, who had put down her cup, looked at Dorothy and said, while the other party also nodded and spoke.
"Pretty much... But I wanted to ask beforehand, can the King's Campus be considered your territory? If something secret and strange happens there, will you take care of it or not?"
"King's Campus? That place, along with the entire Crown University, is mainly the Royal Family's territory. The An Yin Bureau covers matters of secrecy there. I'm just helping the old man hold shares and collect money. If something happens there, it's not me who should worry, but the An Yin Bureau.
"I belong to the White Stone Craftsmen's Guild, and the Craftsmen's Guild's stronghold in Tivian is in the city. That's my territory. I just think the environment here is good, so I live here normally. No more than three people in all of Tivian, including you, know that I live here. Without a sufficient level of recommendation, I completely refuse strangers here."
Beverly said this. Listening to her words, Dorothy paused slightly and couldn't help but start thinking.
'Royal Saint Crown University is the Royal Family's territory... It's overseen by the An Yin Bureau in matters of secrecy, but the Eight Point Nest has been causing trouble inside the King's Campus for so long, and I haven't seen the An Yin Bureau take any action? Could it be that they haven't arranged any surveillance?'
Dorothy thought with such doubt. According to Naifnis, the Secret Knowledge Society had caused trouble several times and was once banned. Logically, when they caused trouble, the officials would clean up after them. Since the An Yin Bureau knew that these young masters and ladies of Crown University might cause trouble from time to time, they should have some kind of surveillance system. But why has the Eight Point Nest gone so far, and the supposed surveillance has had no reaction at all? Is there something wrong with this?
Dorothy thought with doubt, but soon she refocused her thoughts on the current problem.
'Since they don't know anything about the Eight Point Nest, I'll remind them here. According to Beverly, she won't interfere with school matters, so in the end, I can only find them, and... Tonight's matter still needs one more layer of preparation.'
Thinking this, Dorothy looked at Beverly in front of her and then said.
"First, I want to ask if you have any items here that can detect Extraordinary traces in the surroundings and defend against non-detection, especially detection by small Extraordinary puppets? Preferably suitable for a stronghold."
"Yes, the Hui Jian Lamp, the most common Extraordinary detection item. Our Craftsmen's Guild and Church are both capable of producing them, and there are many on the market. A bit of 'Light' can illuminate for a long time. As long as abnormal Extraordinary traces approach a certain range, it will trigger an alarm. Many society strongholds like to use this thing to prevent detection, and even the An Yin Bureau uses it. It's reliable and durable.
"However, it's not without its drawbacks. The detection range of each Hui Jian Lamp is a bit small, and it's also a bit conspicuous when lit. If you know the detection range, it's easy to bypass it. It's fine for monitoring small areas, but if you need to illuminate a larger space, you'll need many lamps, and the consumption will be severe.
"More advanced ones can have a larger detection range, and can even detect hidden Extraordinaries who don't reveal Extraordinary traces. But if you're just detecting ordinary Extraordinary puppets like spirits or revealed Extraordinary traces, ordinary ones are enough."
Beverly said this. Hearing her description, Dorothy thought thoughtfully for a while, and then asked.
"So, how much is an ordinary Hui Jian Lamp?"
"300 pound. If you buy it, I'll include a 'Light' storage as consumption." Beverly said bluntly. Hearing her words, Dorothy's mouth twitched slightly, and then she said through gritted teeth.
"Okay, deal. You don't need to give me the share of money I get later. I'll give you extra money afterwards."
"Okay~"
After completing a deal, Beverly seemed to have become more comfortable. She crossed her legs and smiled as she took a sip of her engine oil tea.
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After finishing the first business deal, Dorothy immediately began discussing the second one with Beverly.
"I still have something I need your help with. Can you be my postman again right now and help me deliver a verbal message to the An Yin Bureau? It needs to be an urgent message, ideally delivered within an hour."
"Another message? Alright, as long as the postage is settled, everything is negotiable."
"As for the postage, it's the same as before, cash on delivery. Charge as much as you can. Whatever you can't get, I'll make up for later. If you get more, we'll split it." Dorothy added, and Beverly nodded after taking another sip of engine oil tea.
"Still this mode? Okay, but how much you can get depends on whether the message you give them is important information~ Tell me about it, what do you want me to tell them?"
Beverly spoke, and Dorothy replied seriously.
"Tell them... around nine o'clock tonight, at North Pine Forest Farm No. 38, north of Crown University King's Campus, a group of members from an evil society will be gathering there. This society is called Eight Point Nest, and they accumulate Spirituality by brutally torturing innocent people. They are extremely cruel, and their combat power involves the Black Rank. I hope you can take action."
"If they ask who provided the information, then just say it's the 'Detective', same as last time."
Dorothy finished speaking, and Beverly, who was beside her, had already committed her words to memory.
...
The setting sun of dusk cast its light upon the streets of Green Shade Town. Dorothy, who had just walked out of Beverly's house, strolled under the evening sun, opened her pocket watch, and checked the current time.
"Six twenty-five... there are still more than two hours left. I hope both groups won't be late and will arrive on time for their meeting and chat..."
Looking at the time in her hand, Dorothy murmured. She had been at King's Campus for such a long time, and now the location of the relic had been investigated. Everything was ready, and it was time to go in and take a look.
"I hope... those guys can keep the Hunters entangled for a little longer.
"However, I still need to make some arrangements now."
...
Soon, time flew by, and the sun set as the moon rose.
Daylight gradually faded, and night arrived. The pure white moon hung high in the dark sky, and the cool evening breeze rustled through the tall trees in the darkness, making a fine soughing sound.
This is a forest farm located north of King's Campus. It was originally a logging farm used to provide timber, but because Crown University established natural science disciplines involving the study of animals and plants many years ago, this place was designated as an ecological observation area and logging was prohibited. The forest was re-protected. The small villages that sprang up on the edge of the forest farm due to the logging industry have gradually declined in recent years. Except for a small number of forest rangers, many people have moved away, leaving behind empty houses.
And North Pine Forest Farm No. 38 was one of them.
On the edge of the deserted village, in the darkness of the forest, the two-story building at No. 38 stood there, with exceptionally striking light coming from its windows. This brightly lit scene was completely different from its usual silence.
In the distance from No. 38, several figures were standing in the darkness. There were about ten of them, dressed in various clothes, carrying pistols, all male. There were two leaders, both wearing wooden masks, though the patterns on the masks were slightly different. One of them was Ci Rong.
"Chad... are you sure it's there?" The man next to Ci Rong asked, pointing forward with his hand, and Ci Rong immediately replied.
"Of course I'm sure, A Ming. I just sent someone to ask the villagers. That's No. 38. No one has lived there for several years, and the lights are suddenly so bright tonight. It's hard not to suspect something."
Looking at the distant lights, the man named A Ming, whose status seemed equal to Ci Rong's, took out a lens, looked at the distant lights, and then put it away, saying.
"That's the light of the Hui Jian Lamp. It can be confirmed that there are Extraordinary individuals inside. To keep secrets, they specifically hung up the lamp."
"Heh... they are quite cautious, these people. But no matter how hard they tried to do anti-reconnaissance, they never expected that their information had already been leaked."
Looking at the distant house, Ci Rong chuckled and said. This feeling of having everything under control, the feeling of looking down on the opponent's foolish actions, made him feel happy.
"They have a Hui Jian Lamp hanging in the house, and given the size of the house, it must be fully illuminated. If a spider goes ahead to scout, it will definitely be illuminated and discovered."
Looking at the distant light, A Ming said, and Ci Rong spoke directly.
"A spider going over would alert them and make them escape, so there's no need to use one. According to the information we have, there isn't much combat power inside, at most one Black Rank and three Apprentices, or at most two Black Ranks... The total number of people does not exceed five. We have two Black Ranks, you and I, five Apprentices, plus some other people here. With the advantage of a surprise attack, we can take them down in one go."
Ci Rong said confidently. After hearing his words, A Ming also nodded and then spoke.
"Hmm... you have a point, but if we don't know the situation inside, there is still a slight risk. What should we do if we encounter any unexpected circumstances?"
"If we encounter unexpected circumstances, we'll deal with them. If we can't, don't we still have a trump card here? What are you afraid of?"
"That's true... then without further ado, let's act now."
"Okay."
After nodding to each other, the two cadres of the Eight Point Nest began to distribute plans to their subordinates, telling them to sneak and approach No. 38 in the distance, then disperse and surround No. 38 in a circle.
Approaching No. 38, Ci Rong and A Ming both heard faint, chaotic, and unclear human voices inside. They could also see figures slightly moving on the translucent curtains, as if many people were secretly plotting inside.
Seeing this scene, everyone believed that there were people inside No. 38 now.
After seeing all his subordinates in position, Ci Rong looked at No. 38 a few meters ahead. The people inside seemed to have not yet discovered the abnormality outside, and the subtle voices were as before.
"This is the price you pay for provoking someone you shouldn't have provoked, Rose Cross..."
Murmuring, Ci Rong was the first to attack, pulling out a pistol and firing continuously at the windows of No. 38. Following his call, all the subordinates he had arranged around No. 38 also suddenly stood up and fired their guns at No. 38.
For a time, gunshots rang out chaotically, and bullets flew everywhere. Under the barrage of gunfire, the doors and windows of No. 38 were penetrated by bullets, the wooden boards and glass were shattered, and bullets entered the house from various corners. The continuous gunshots echoed in the dark forest.
Finally, after everyone had emptied a magazine, Ci Rong and A Ming dropped their guns, drew out a folded short sword from their clothes and unfolded it, then turned into streaks of extreme shadow and rushed into the house, vowing to eliminate the survivors as quickly as possible.
However, when they broke through the doors and windows and rushed into the house at No. 38, they were stunned by the scene before them.
At this time in No. 38, sawdust and glass fragments were scattered everywhere, and there were traces of damage from bullets everywhere, a scene of complete disarray.
But in this scene of disarray, ravaged by gunfire, there was not a single corpse. The entire house was empty, without a piece of flesh or a drop of blood.
There was no one inside No. 38. What was there was only a damaged gramophone that had been hit by bullets and was no longer working, lying in the corner of the wall. What was there was only a human-shaped wooden board with countless holes, placed by the table. The bright lamp on the ceiling swayed slightly in the wind coming from outside, causing many shadows to also sway.
There was no one inside No. 38, but outside No. 38, there were many eyes watching them at this moment.
...