[WP] Chapter 34 The Lady Behind the Door

[WP] Chapter 34 The Lady Behind the Door

"Shade Hamilton, I'm currently a detective. Good evening, ma'am, and I salute you."

Shade weighed his words and tried to speak appropriately. Knowing the other party's purpose is the right thing to do to cooperate with them. Moreover, he was sorry for what happened just now, even if that was not entirely his fault.

"I'll say it again; don't laugh. I know that was my carelessness, and I will learn from it."

He said it in his heart.

"But I know that being able to understand all languages is not a good thing in this world. I must remember this lesson."

Shade thought to himself, and the woman quickly adjusted her mood and continued to speak; her tone became soothing.

"Detective, it's no big deal to ask you to come here rashly. The Dark Box is just an accident, and I want to know from you where the statue is."

"Sorry, what did you say? Statue?"

Shade, who was still strengthening his impression of the previous incident, was shocked, but what he said showed doubt. He thought he had an excellent talent for acting.

"Where is the statue of blood, or the statue of the old god, the vampire Duke Loel?"

The woman's voice had completely regained its composure as if she were talking to Shade about the weather tonight, but the pressure brought by her cold tone was no less than before.

"First-ring wizard, no need to lie. The spell you used on the first and second floors just now had a strong smell of blood.

But you are very clean, so I think you are neither a believer of the old god nor a member of the [Mercury Blood] organization that holds the statue.

Since you are a first-ring wizard. Orthodox Church? No, you don't look like a believer in God. But your way of taking office seems very formal. Thaumaturgy Academy? Since you were so careless just now, I think you are a new student from an unknown school. The correspondence ring wizard of the academy. That's better; the correspondence ring wizards have no loyalty to the academy."

She seemed to know the correspondence ring wizards very well, but without giving Shade a chance to speak, she said softly:

"It doesn't matter. I don't care about your identity, and I don't intend to explore whether you have any secrets. Now, detective, please tell me, where is the statue of the old god?"

Shade looked at the half-open door with some surprise but knew that the more he had to stay calm at this moment:

"Madam, I don't know exactly what you are talking about. You also know that I am just one ring wizard."

Tobesk was also foggy today. When he touched the statue in the alley, no one could see it. He didn't expect that someone could smell the blood after he touched the statue. You know, even [Blood Echo] couldn't see any traces of him.

This should have been just a simple commission, and in theory, only close range can feel the fluctuation of the spirit and the gathering of elements when releasing the spell. The doctor's notebook did not mention that someone could accurately smell the traces of a specific spell through two layers of the ceiling.

Shade knew that he had met an extraordinary person, but at least the other party was not from [Mercury Blood].

"Could the other party be a believer of the hostile god of the old god of blood?"

For the time being, he could only make such a guess.

"I have special spiritual runes and am very sensitive to the power of the old gods, so there is no need to panic. Detective, do I need to emphasize my question again?"

The temperature in the room seemed to be lower. Shade shook his head. He knew that the other party could see him through the door, so he said:

"No, no need. I did touch the statue of the old god, the vampire Duke Loel, today."

"That's great. Even if you don't want to tell me the location, I think I can find out its whereabouts today. But we can save some time, right?"

The woman behind the door asked with some joy in her voice. She was looking forward to the detective's answer and believed that the detective would not disappoint her.

Shade frowned and thought for a moment:

"Then, ma'am, can I take this as... you entrust me to find the statue containing the remnants of the old gods?"

This was not a role-playing game in which he was addicted to the detective role, but a tentative inquiry as to whether the other party wanted to take it for free or trade it. Although he was sorry for accidentally causing the relic to lose control, it did not mean that he was willing to hand over a valuable item for nothing.

The situation was better than Shade had thought:

"Of course, you can trust me. I always advocate fair trade. Besides, you and I have no grudges. Except for what happened just now. If possible, it is fine to do it in the form of a transaction. So, detective, how much do you want for the commission? Please tell me a number. And after this transaction, even if the relic lost control just now, I won't care."

The possibility of getting rich immediately was right in front of him. The woman inside the door did not seem to be joking. Aristocratic woman, a high-level ring wizard—these two labels together were enough for Shade to imagine how wealthy the other party was.

Shade resisted the temptation of money and stopped imagining himself counting a stack of coins in the study with the gas lamp turned off by the light of the desk lamp.

He had something more important to do:

"The statue is in the alley across from the Silver Parrot Milk Distribution Company. There is an old bookstore on the right side of the entrance. At the end of the alley, the statue is in the dead corner between the pipe and the wall, but a spell is needed. A six-syllable spell must be recited to make the statue appear. This is my sincerity. I don't want money."

Not wanting money is a lie, but it can also be considered the truth. As for immediately revealing such important information, it is a means. Shade believes that the other party can find this location by finding his traces, so he can win favor by saying it in advance:

"I want to use the location of this statue and the manifestation spell in exchange for the power I can use. There is no need for an equal exchange, as long as I can use it."

The statue is not safe, and Shade has no intention of holding such a dangerous item himself. He can't even take the statue away. Then the best way is to make appropriate changes in exchange for greater benefits.

The lady behind the door is right. There is no difference between trading the statue to the college and trading it to her. Shade still remembered what the doctor and the writer repeatedly emphasized: that they were just correspondence courses and had no specific relationship with the college.

Therefore, he would not think that trading the statue to someone else was a betrayal to the college. Moreover, Shade also wanted to make up for the loss of control of the relic. Trading with such a reasonable and powerful person would be good for the future even if he suffered some losses for the first time.

(End of this chapter)