Chapter 33

Aurora and Rose knocked on a door, and almost a minute later, a man opened it. Immediately, an impression was made. The man had baggy eyes, messy hair, greasy skin, and, strangest of all, he was covered in nonsensical symbols and lines with no discernible pattern.

"Good day. We spoke on the phone just a while ago. Mind if we come in?" Aurora asked, not moving from her spot outside the house.

"Oh, eh, sure. Come in." The man turned around and walked into the house. Following him, Aurora and Rose took a seat on the couch in his living room while the man sat on a chair. The place was a bit messy, some dust lying about and things that needed to be picked up, but it wasn't that bad.

"As you know, we're disciples from the Blossoming Rose sect, here to ask you questions about your disappearance. Is it true that you have no memories of that event?" Aurora asked. The man shook his head.

"No, I don't remember a thing. Everything just went blank, and all of a sudden, I woke up on the street in the middle of the night. It wasn't until the next morning when I looked in the mirror that I saw the tattoos."

As the man spoke, Rose noted things down on her smartphone, which had expanded in size to be more like a tablet.

"I see. What is the last thing you remember, then?" Aurora asked.

"I remember going out to buy some things from the nearby grocery store. It was late, dark out. The store is open all day, but I don't think it was midnight yet. I don't remember making it to the store."

"Do you recall seeing anyone on your walk? And is there anyone who might have motive to kidnap you? Any enemies?"

"There were some people walking on the street, but no one suspicious. I'm just an ordinary guy, working a piss poor job. I don't have enemies."

"Many of the victims have been reported as possessing a very high cultivation base for the area. How about you?" Aurora asked.

"Aye, technically speaking, I'm at the lower Energy Storage stage. I used to be a guardsman, but I got shot in the heart in a battle against bandits. Almost died, but surgery saved me. Not without damage, though. While my cultivation base is still there, I can't use it. My body is stronger than your average bloke, heart injury notwithstanding, so I got a job in construction here in Greenhill. I have family here, you see," the man said.

"I'm sorry to hear that. And thank you for your service. I still have one more question for you. After you came back, have you felt any changes? In your body or even your mind. Anything at all, really," Aurora asked. The man thought for a bit.

"Well, there's the obvious. Ever since that day, I've had very little energy. I haven't even gone back to work yet. But my condition is improving every day, and I feel like I should be back to normal in a week or so. Other than that, I can't think of anything."

"That's alright. You've been very helpful. We must be going now. I hope you get well soon," Aurora said.

"Yeah. Thanks for coming."

Aurora and Rose left the house and headed to the next place. This guy lived relatively close, so it wasn't too long a walk to get there, but most of what he had to say didn't provide any new information. There were some helpful tidbits, though.

"I have just one more question for you. Since you regained consciousness that day, have you felt any changes in yourself? Anything at all?" Aurora asked.

"Sure. My energy went down the drain, but I've recovered now. But there's something more worrying. Cultivation feels different. It's difficult to discern, but I feel like I've lost progress. Like I've been emptied a bit. I didn't lose a level or anything, but it's like I have to start my progress to the next level all over again," the man said.

"Okay, that's worrying. Thank you for the help, but it's time we go to the next one on our list. If you remember anything else, feel free to call me. It's the same number I called you on earlier." Aurora bade the man farewell and continued to the next victim.

One by one, ten victims were interviewed, taking most of the day. But it was worthwhile! Aurora and Rose had learned several things which would narrow their search considerably. First, all the kidnappings seemed to have occurred in the same general area. That being the poor district. Second, most of the victims complained about lost cultivation progress and lack of energy. Some were affected more severely than others, and one even said that they'd gone down a level after having just had a breakthrough a week prior.

Third, almost all the victims were men, with only two women. Fourth, whatever method was used to tattoo the victims was special or at least unusual. The ink used was a dark red color, and the needle seemed to have been slightly thick and somewhat jagged and went deeper into the skin than usual. And most importantly, after some investigation, trace amounts of energy was inside the ink from some sort of array or something similar.

Aurora and Rose inferred from this that whoever was kidnapping these people was likely experimenting on them to discover a method to perhaps seal away cultivation or maybe steal or transfer it. It was not an entirely evil person, as no one was left with any injuries, and they were most likely a man, which is why most victims were men. The tattooing process required unabated access to the chest area. The culprit probably had enough respect for women that he wanted to avoid exposing them unwillingly. However, if no other victim presented themselves, he would still kidnap women, forced nudity be damned. Also, the process likely required some special equipment, as ordinary tattoo tools and ink couldn't achieve the same results.

With this determined, Aurora and Rose concluded their victim interviews. They started asking questions around the poor district for an hour or two until it was time to return to the hotel, but they didn't end up learning anything new.

They arrived a bit early at the hotel bar and ordered some drinks while waiting. After a while, the whole group of twelve was there, with Hender, the researcher, being the last to arrive despite having stayed at the hotel the entire time. Koren started the meeting.

"Well, first things first. Aurora, Rose, did you learn anything from the interviews?" Koren asked. Aurora looked at Rose, as she was the one who had taken all the notes.

"Oh, yes, a whole bunch! We've pinpointed all the kidnappings to a specific area in the city, determined a motive for the kidnappings, the most likely gender of the culprit, and we've established a lead for us to look into to discover his identity," Rose reported.

"Damn, you two are quite the pair of investigators. That's way more than I'd hoped for," Laurey said.

"Indeed. How about you give us the detailed report?" Koren said. Rose proceeded to tell them everything they'd discovered. Then everyone else discussed anything interesting they might have learned, which turned out to be utterly useless, as no one had actually investigated the poor district yet. Other than Aurora and Rose, of course.

"Well, I think our plan of action for tomorrow is clear. We'll focus our efforts on the poor people district. We've already determined that there exists some sort of criminal organization here. We need to somehow set up a meeting with them. If anyone knows about those special tattooing tools, it might be them. We should also ask any trading houses in town. Right now, our best bet on finding the culprit is discovering the trail behind those tools, if there is one. But that's all for tomorrow. We've had a long day, so let's drink!" Koren said.

Everyone got drunk, and eventually, the whole group retired to the Blossoming Rose disciple's room with many bottles of alcohol in hand. Things started out as just a chill party, but it didn't take long for things to get sexual.

Aurora tried to lure Laurey in for a blowjob while Koren fucked her from behind, but the White Sword bunch didn't seem to be quite as into group sex as the Blossoming Rose bunch. Other than one couple, that is.

Hender and his girlfriend, Moreena, were both drunk and decided to join. They both took their off clothes while their friends walked out, receiving some bewildered looks.

"Yes! You guys are way more fun!" Aurora, affected by the alcohol, however, was ecstatic and ran over to them, letting Koren slide out of her, leaving him sad. However, sadness did not last long as Sila immediately took Aurora's place.

"Alright, let's do it! You, you, me, and Rose!" Aurora said. Moreena looked a bit hesitant, but Hender looked like he would explode.

"I'm seriously about to have a foursome? Come on, Moreena, you have to say yes!" Hender said. Moreena smiled and nodded, actually looking a bit excited. Well, it wasn't too strange. She was naked in a room with five people she'd just met today.

"Okay, let's do it! You can have sex with Aurora and Rose, but I won't do it with Koren. I don't want anyone other than you inside me, okay?" Moreena said.

"That's okay. Totally okay! Wouldn't have it any other way!" Moreena held her boyfriend's cock in her hand as they talked, but Rose and Aurora, being the experienced deviants they were, took charge. Both teenagers went down on their knees, and Aurora swallowed Hender's already erect cock whole. She deepthroated it, sliding it in and out of her mouth several times before letting her slightly older partner have a go at it. Rose swallowed him down just as easily and sucked with considerable skill. If anyone were to say they were both virgins half a year ago, no one would believe it.

"Damn, you got skills! I can't do it like that! I'd puke," Moreena said, shocked at how effortlessly Aurora and Rose could take a cock all the way to the base.

"Eh, maybe you should practice some more, yes? This feels seriously good," Hender said as he held Rose by the hair.

"We don't have gag reflexes, which definitely helps when it comes to sucking dick," Aurora said. Moreena nodded firmly and went down on her knees to take over for Rose. Indeed, she couldn't take it quite as deep as Aurora and Rose, but she did her best.