"But now it's up to you." Judy spread her hands. Since Susan had dragged her to find Ebner and the man had agreed to start the investigation, she didn't have to do anything more to prevent the character she was playing from revealing the truth.
"You said that there might be a problem. What exactly happened?" Ebner asked with a frown.
Speaking of which, Ebner, who was Roman's engagement partner, recognized him. Although he was not very familiar with him and had never reported his name, they had met each other during gatherings.
In the original owner's memory, because he was born in a noble family, his parents still held quite a lot of shares in several steam machinery factories. Roman's engagement partner was a rather proud person, but his temperament was not bad. He was also very polite to Roman and her friends, so his reputation was not bad. Many female students were envious of Roman.
"Actually, the story is very simple. Your classmate, Roman, has noticed the estrangement of her fiancé, Alec, and has been very worried about it. One time, they met by chance, and she saw Mr. Alec fawning over a lady, so she couldn't help but step forward to reason with him.
"Who would have thought that not only did she not receive the apology she deserved, she was even reprimanded by her fiancé.
"Miss Roman was reprimanded by her father because of the school club incident, and now, she's being reprimanded by someone she likes. She jumped into the river because she couldn't take it anymore…
"Although it's normal to fall in love with someone else, from Miss Roman's description of her fiancé, I can tell that Mr. Alec used to be very self-disciplined and very good at controlling his emotions. He was clearly arrogant, but he was polite to everyone.
"Such a person, even if he especially likes his lover, shouldn't embarrass his fiancée in public.
"A person's transformation is so drastic that I have to wonder what's behind it."
After listening to Judy's analysis, Ebner nodded thoughtfully and added, following her words:
"Therefore, it's either that Alec is plotting something on the lady or that there's something wrong with the lady, affecting Alec."
"I think so too… And according to my experience in handling cases, such situations often have problems on both sides!" After Judy seriously reminded him, she smiled again and said playfully, "Okay, that's all I know. The rest will depend on your ability, Mr. Detective."
I feel like you people who know the inside story are mocking me by saying words like "famous detective" or "hero"…
Ebner grumbled inwardly, but his expression was solemn. He asked solemnly, "Then, Madam, I'll confirm one last time. Are you really willing to entrust me with finding out the truth behind the Alec incident?"
Those who obtain the knowledge that he painstakingly explored must also have the desire to obtain it.
This was the "Knowledge Keeper" principle that he had come up with after dealing with a few servants' minor problems in the past few days while hiding from reporters.
In other words, someone had to first express their desire to obtain a certain "knowledge". Then, he would inform the person of the corresponding "knowledge" he obtained through exploration, allowing this "knowledge" to be spread and used. It would no longer be easily lost or severed. This was a relatively complete acting of a Knowledge Keeper.
Although Judy didn't understand the deeper meaning behind this, she saw that Ebner's expression was serious, so she stopped smiling and said seriously, "I do have the desire to learn the truth."
"Then, I'll accept this mission. I'll bring the truth to you and Roman as soon as possible." As Ebner said this, he suddenly saw the girl in front of him pull out a few strands of withered, straw-like hair from her head and pass it to him. Confused, he asked, "What are you doing?"
"This is the prepaid reward for you. Don't underestimate them. Every single one of them can poison an adult curly-haired baboon to death within seconds," Judy explained with a grin.
Upon hearing this, Ebner's fingers that were about to touch his hair suddenly stopped.
"Haha, don't worry. They can only produce toxicity when mixed with alcohol. They're usually very safe. If you want to plot against someone, grind them into powder and mix them into beer. I guarantee that they're colorless and odorless. Even a demigod would find it difficult to detect them… Yes, my father has been tricked by me a few times," Judy said happily as if recalling something interesting.
Then being your father is really a high-risk profession… At least it's more toxic than a curly-haired baboon…
Ebner lampooned in his heart and secretly analyzed the few strands of hair with the Eye of Pure White. After gaining a rough understanding of their uses, he took it and carefully put it away.
"By the way, they were created by me using my Beyonder powers after all. After leaving me, their powers will gradually dissipate… In short, the toxicity effects will slowly decrease in three months, and they will completely lose their effects in half a year," Judy added when she saw Ebner put away his hair.
"I understand." Ebner nodded. He already knew this when he analyzed it earlier.
After talking about the commission, Ebner asked Judy about his former classmate.
"Sigh, although the bishop patiently persuaded her to calm down, I can still sense the pain and negativity in her heart. This is also why she agreed to my request to live in her place for a few days without any hesitation… She's avoiding reality," Judy sighed.
It seemed that Roman had deep feelings for her fiancé… No matter what reason Alec had, it was too much to treat his fiancée like this!
As Ebner thought this, he heard Judy say,
"I hope Miss Roman can walk out of this relationship. His fiancé might have the qualifications to become a successful businessman or politician, but he's definitely not a good match for a lady."
Ebner did not want to dwell on this topic. After all, he did not have much emotional experience, so he really did not have the right to speak. Hence, he changed the topic. "After using Roman's identity, have you thought about how to deal with the aftermath? Will it bring her trouble?"
"She's innocent, isn't she? The officials won't do anything to the innocent." Judy blinked and continued, "Besides, according to our arrangements, we won't let Roman's identity be exposed. After all, I disguised myself as Roman because of your connections. If I'm suspected, you won't be able to get away with it."
I asked because I was worried about this… Since you guys have already made arrangements, I can be a little more at ease… However, I still have to plan my escape plan in advance, in case there really is no backup plan when something goes wrong.
Ebner had a certain level of trust in Bishop Utravsky and the Forsaken Ones, but this trust couldn't reach the level of not holding back much with Xio. Therefore, the necessary preparations were still needed.
The other party was the same. Otherwise, they wouldn't have not told him the specific plan… Of course, this could also be to protect him. After all, the less he knew, the easier it would be for him to get away with it.
After that, the two of them released the spirituality seal and deliberately chatted in the tone of classmates. They deepened their "very good relationship" appearance, paving the way for "Roman" to participate in the ball on Friday.
Although no one had seen their performance at the moment, if there was a "detective" to "retrace" their actions afterward, it could be misleading.
After the two of them left the room, Susan walked up to them and asked, "When did you two become so close?"
"Roman was in a bad mood. I told her a joke to make her happy…" Ebner explained after thinking for a while.
"What joke? I tried to comfort Roman for a long time but failed. Ebner, you're really capable," Susan asked curiously, her eyes sparkling.
"That's a curly-haired baboon's story… One day, a baboon's child picked up its curly hair and ground it to pieces, then mixed it into a fruit and fed it…"
Ebner couldn't think of any funny joke, so he made it up.
Meanwhile, Judy was at a loss. Why did this story sound so familiar?
…
In the Folk Herb Store on Layton Street in Cherwood Borough, Alec, who was dressed like a successful person, watched as the village witch doctor in front of him added a few strange herbal powders into a glass bottle before dripping a few drops of rooster blood. The corners of his mouth twitched as his black eyes were filled with suspicion.
After stirring the mixture evenly and heating it up to boil, the Apothecary turned around to look at the big client who was introduced to him by someone. He took a pen and wrote on a piece of paper. "Get the patient to drink it as soon as possible. According to the situation you described, as well as the toxic specimens provided, the medicine this time should be able to restore the patient to about 30%."
Then, he seemed to want to write something else, but he felt that it was inconvenient to use a pen, so he could only sigh and give up.
"Is this really useful?" Alec still did not believe it, but since it was the lady's order, he did not question it directly. However, could an apothecary who could not even cure his vocal cords really concoct medicine that was useful to that powerful lady?
Of course, regardless of whether he believed it or not, he still painfully took out 20 pounds in cash and handed it to the Apothecary in front of him. Then, he carefully picked up the glass bottle, walked out of the shop, and boarded the rental carriage that had been waiting by the roadside.
After he sat down, the coachman drove the carriage slowly.
In the car, Alec held the glass bottle and subconsciously looked at the pedestrian scenery outside through the window. Suddenly, his spirituality stirred as he saw an ordinary-looking "man" walk over from the other side of the road and meet his gaze.
"Judging from the shape of her face… she should be a girl in a male outfit…" Alec judged out of habit before ignoring her.
In this era, there were plenty of women who disguised themselves as men to work. Furthermore, if some rich ladies secretly came out to play, they would mostly be dressed in this kind of unsuccessful disguise. This was not rare.