Underground of Saint Amanda School in Yi Gewen West Suburbs.
In the spacious, dusty workshop, Mr. Aldrich, dressed as a school janitor, sat on a chair, examining a piece of rough paper in his hand. After glancing at it, he spoke to Dorothy in front of him.
"This is a Sound Silencing Talisman, a type of'Shadow' Talisman. After use, it can greatly eliminate the sound produced by the user. Little thieves love it." As he spoke, Mr. Aldrich handed the talisman forward. Dorothy took it and promptly gave Mr. Aldrich 20 pound.
After the matter concerning the Holy Communion Society was mostly settled, Dorothy came to Mr. Aldrich to ask him to appraise the talisman she had obtained at the Field mansion. Now, the appraisal was complete.
Looking at Dorothy, who had taken back the talisman, a flicker of expression crossed Mr. Aldrich's eyes, and then he spoke with a teasing smile.
"Lately, the city has been full of big news. First the Burton case, then the Silver Riverbank case, and the attack on Viscount Field that was just reported this noon... Almost every time before or after such news, you come to me. Is this a coincidence?"
Listening to Mr. Aldrich's words, Dorothy blinked.
"If you think it is, then it is," Dorothy responded indifferently. She knew she could hide her abnormality from anyone else, but definitely not from Mr. Aldrich. In his eyes, her suspicious points were numerous. He clearly knew she was targeting the Holy Communion Society, and these recent news stories were definitely connected to her.
"Then it must be. Heh heh... To be honest, Miss Meisihuos, your existence truly puzzles me. My old bones have lived this long, and I've never been so unable to see through someone." As he spoke, Mr. Aldrich examined the young girl in front of him again, then continued.
"Your activities seem to be the key to the Holy Communion Society's downfall in Igwinte. Under normal circumstances, I might think there's a powerful force behind you. But the strange thing is, your knowledge of the secret transmission world is very limited, as if you're a complete newcomer to the secret transmission, not at all like someone backed by a massive organization..."
"Miss Meisihuos, I usually don't easily develop an interest in anyone, but this time I have to admit, the secrets you hold make me curious. Are you willing to put a price on your secrets? I can afford a price you can't imagine."
Looking at Dorothy in front of him, Mr. Aldrich said quite seriously, and Dorothy responded to him without much hesitation.
"I'm afraid, Mr. Aldrich, I don't think I'm in need of money to the point of selling these things yet. Perhaps later."
"Heh heh... Later, huh? Alright, I'll wait..." Mr. Aldrich said with a smile, not surprised by this outcome.
"Alright, Miss Meisihuos, your talisman has been appraised. Do you have any other business?" Mr. Aldrich continued to ask, and Dorothy replied without hesitation.
"I want to know more information about the Black Earth Stage, Mr. Aldrich. Do you know of any Black Rank advancement rituals?"
"Information about the Black Rank, huh? Heh... Don't tell me your Spirituality has already accumulated to the point where you can advance." Mr. Aldrich asked, and Dorothy waved her hand in response.
"Of course not yet. I just want to understand and prepare in advance."
"Hmm... Indeed, starting from the Black Rank, advancement rituals become troublesome. It's proper to prepare in advance... However, as for specific rituals, I'm sorry, the few rituals I know are from the'Shi' (Stone) path, which you probably can't use." Mr. Aldrich continued, although he wasn't sure what kind of Spirituality Dorothy had, he was certain it wasn't the same'Stone' as his.
"I see... That's a bit regrettable. Do you have any information that would be helpful for advancing to the Black Rank?" Dorothy continued, as she was now starting to consider her next advancement.
"Information helpful for advancing to the Black Rank? Let me think... Oh right... I have a secret transmission here, which might contain something you're interested in." As he spoke, Mr. Aldrich held up four fingers in front of Dorothy.
"400 pound."
Looking at Mr. Aldrich, who was acting as usual, Dorothy didn't say much and prepared to pay. Anyway, her Spirituality hadn't accumulated to full yet, so it was just right.
...
Igwinte, somewhere in the suburbs.
This was a cemetery, with rows of deep white stone-carved gravestones arranged in the vast green space. Crows perched on the treetops, and only occasional mourners walked among the gravestones. The slightly gloomy sky cast a hint of oppression.
On a path at the edge of the cemetery, two figures were walking together. They were both men in their thirties or forties, wearing plain gray trench coats. One was slightly taller, with a thin, almost skeletal face and a gloomy expression. The other was slightly shorter, with a face full of messy stubble and a fierce square face.
"Oswan... How is the situation on your end? Have you found anything?" As they walked, the slightly shorter man asked his companion, who immediately replied.
"I've found some things. I inquired about the local Extraordinary circles, snort... Although you can't see half a real Extraordinary, it can be considered an Extraordinary circle..."
"I heard them say that there's a guy named Gray Hill in this city who occasionally holds Extraordinary gatherings. He's a real Extraordinary, and apparently not just an ordinary Apprentice. Mr. Deer Skull said that many of the stationed personnel of the White Stone Masons like to hold Extraordinary gatherings, so I think the possibility is high."
"Named Gray Hill... and holds Extraordinary gatherings? That's indeed very suspicious..." Listening to Oswan's words, Geffrey nodded and said.
"Yes, so I originally planned to figure out one of this guy's gatherings and go there, but I found that Gray Hill hasn't held any gatherings for a long time recently. It seems to be because the secret transmission world in this city has been somewhat unstable lately due to the sudden demise of a 'Cup' society. I can't even find that Gray Hill now."
With a hint of complaint, the man named Oswan said, then he turned to look at his companion beside him and said.
"What about you, Geffrey? You've also been investigating for several days, right?"
"I've also had a little harvest here. Unlike you, besides also asking about the Extraordinary circles, I also paid attention to the local news." As he spoke, the man named Geffrey took out a few rolls of newspapers he held in his hand.
"You can look at this."
As he spoke, Geffrey opened a newspaper in his hand. Printed on the front page was the extra news about Viscount Field.
"This is the biggest news in this city in the past few days. A viscount was bitten to death by a wolf, his seven adopted children were all scared silly, but one of them suddenly recovered."
"A viscount bitten to death by a wolf? Is there anything wrong with that?"
"Of course there is. Didn't you just say that the reason the secret transmission world here has been unstable these days is because a 'Cup' society was wiped out? And this viscount, the circle I inquired about has basically confirmed him to be a member, or even the leader, of that 'Cup' society... Because someone saw him being taken away in a local Black Dog carriage, and afterwards the Black Dogs conducted a large-scale investigation on him, sealing off his houses in the city and suburbs. If you try to get close, you'll be driven away." Geffrey explained, but Oswan continued to ask somewhat confusedly.
"So what? What does this dead 'Cup' cult viscount have to do with the person we're looking for?"
"Of course it does. Look closely at the newspaper. It says that all the adopted children the viscount took in went crazy... Heh, how is this crazy? Don't we understand the methods of the 'Cup' society? This is mostly a state of high erosion by 'Cup' Spirit Sight and drugs."
"To verify this, I specifically infiltrated the Church hospital here and confirmed that those kids are indeed in the Department of Extraordinary Injuries... They were eroded by the 'Cup', and the degree is not low..."
As he spoke, Geffrey looked seriously at Oswan, then continued.
"Then here comes the crucial point. Among these kids who were severely eroded by the 'Cup', how did one miraculously recover?"
Listening to Geffrey's words, Oswan was stunned, then continued to look at the newspaper, seeing the section describing the only girl who miraculously recovered, and then frowned.
"You mean... that kid was able to miraculously recover because someone was helping her, and someone who can quickly remove the 'Cup' erosion must be a'Stone' master?"
Oswan muttered, and Geffrey nodded seriously.
"So, I believe this kid who miraculously recovered is the key for us to find that guy!"