Chapter 025 The Shadow of the Mother Goddess

“…”

It took Rong Le a few seconds to regain the ability to speak.

"You really...surpassed my expectations."

When he lowered his stance and made the request, Rong Le already had several response plans in his mind, each of which was enough to allow him to escape unscathed.

But the boss did not play by the rules. He did not mention the expected conditions, but instead asked him to swear.

He felt a heavy weight from that oath.

"So cunning."

Rong Le muttered softly.

The boss, cigarette in hand, said: "If you can't do it, there's nothing we can do."

Seeing Rong Le's silence, he smiled instead: "I am a businessman, but also a businessman with a conscience. I won't do deals that will cause my customers to fail. This oath is to protect you. Polant's conspiracy is not something you can get involved in just because you want to. I advise you to give up as soon as possible."

“…”

The boss sighed, crushed the ash, stood up and opened the curtains. The moonlight poured into the room, coating the entire room with a layer of silvery glow.

He walked over and turned Rong Le's chair around, then leaned over with his hands on the chair and looked at him.

Rong Le grabbed the armrest of the chair and looked up at him.

They were so close that they could even hear the other person's breathing clearly. The outline of the face was hazy yet clear in the night, and even the eyelashes on the eyes could be seen clearly.

Rong Le subconsciously tensed up, not expecting the boss to approach suddenly.

The distance between the two exceeded the normal safe distance. Except for the seemingly ambiguous charm when they first met but there was nothing in it, they had never been so close.

Many guesses popped up in Rong Le's mind instantly, but none of them could perfectly explain the boss's behavior.

What happens next?

The boss seemed to be thinking about something. After a moment of silence, he sighed.

It was the kind of helpless sigh an elder would give to a naughty child: "Go to the library, you'll get what you want."

Rong Le wanted to say something: "Wait, what about what just now..."

"What you just said doesn't count." The boss interrupted him, "Let's go, the store is closing soon."

After he finished speaking, he didn't even give Rong Le a chance to speak and directly asked him to leave the pub.

The wooden door of the tavern was closed with a bang, and the decorations at the door were shaken.

Rong Le: “…”

So you drive him away?!

Just now he had solemnly asked him to make a strange oath, and now he changed his mind about giving him information. The boss's mind was extremely complicated.

However, he got what he wanted.

"The library...?"

Rong Le stood on the street thoughtfully, looking in the direction of the library. Under the night sky, the slightly taller building seemed no different from the surrounding ones.

[Role Mission: 5, Go to the library to request reinforcements and increase your own strength.]

…

Baiyue and Thor should have rested by now.

Thor's daily routine has been adjusted almost completely. Although Rong Le has no time as he goes out early and comes back late every day, fortunately, he has Baiyue, who has the hidden attribute of a male mother, to take care of him. His mental and physical state are much healthier.

Although Rong Le's behavior of picking up the baby without raising it is not very decent...but Thor's existence is very important, Baiyue will definitely understand him!

Rong Le walked up to the second floor slowly, wanting to sneak back to her room quickly.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, a sinister voice came from behind him, "Are you back?"

The light clicked on.

Rong Le squinted subconsciously and took in the situation in the room. Thor was sitting on the carpet with a confused expression on his face.

Bai Yue's excellent ability to hide made Rong Le completely unaware of his presence. He withdrew his finger from the switch, and placed his other hand on the wall beside his head. He looked at him with a half-smile and calm eyes.

"What's going on? I clearly..."

"You clearly set up a trace device at the door?" Bai Yue said calmly, in a narrative tone, "I've known you for so long, this trick won't work on me."

Rong Le: "Too cunning!"

"Besides, why are you two gathering in my room? Don't you have anywhere else to stay?"

Thor blinked awkwardly. Rong Le knew at a glance that it was not his idea and turned to look at Baiyue.

Bai Yue: "Just to let him see your true face. You are a weak detective, running around outside at night. How can people feel at ease?"

Rong Le: “…”

Enough, he didn't want to hear this adjective.

"I did get some important information."

He escaped from the Baiyue encirclement without changing his expression and said, "I have found the real murderer who killed Roland."

Thor had been picked up for several days and vaguely knew what Rong Le and the others' purpose was. Seeing Bai Yue's serious expression, he suppressed his doubts and became a quiet background board.

Although Baiyue had been taking care of him all this time, and the handsome man seemed easy-going, Thor's hair stood on end when he approached him.

His innate intuition warned him not to get too close to Baiyue, so Thor always kept a certain distance from Baiyue.

"Harry is the murderer."

Rong Le raised a finger and said, "It's a classic murder of passion. Harry met Orianna when she was a teenager and helped her break free from her mother's control. Later, he discovered that Orianna had contact with other men. In a rage, he summoned a monster to murder Roland."

Rong Le shook the photo that was roughly torn in half by Orianna.

"But Orianna also knows a third mysterious man who conspired with her to destroy the town of Portland. It was he who helped her escape Harry and the military police investigation."

Rong Le circled the mysterious man on the paper, representing the "Mother Goddess".

Rong Le stroked her chin. "Although this is a murky water, we must ensure the safety of the town before taking Bai Tutu away from Portland. Otherwise, with her amazing physique, she might get dragged into new trouble at any time."

"Her whereabouts haven't been discovered yet. We only know she's in the church, so we can't give up on the church. We have to at least find out what her current situation is."

Bai Yue pondered for a moment and said, "This is at least a B-level potential risk investigation mission. I'm afraid we can't handle this situation alone."

Class B is considered a serious event in the current occult event planning level. The classification standards are roughly divided according to the mysterious growth potential, radiation range, and degree of impact.

Level B is basically a horrific natural disaster that can destroy an entire region.

By then, not only Portland, but all the areas centered on it will suffer.

Rong Le spread his hands and said, "If I hadn't resigned, I could have requested support and sealed off this area to a certain extent... But unfortunately, I'm unemployed now."

Baiyue pierced his words: "Wildlife investigators also have the qualifications to report, let alone you?"

Rong Le sighed in frustration: "I'll go to the library first. If it still doesn't work, I'll have to report it."

He had to go to the library first. His past memories were fragmentary and would be blank if not triggered. He didn't know how to contact the University of Michigan, so if he really went there, he would probably lose his acting skills.

Baiyue sneered, knowing that this guy was trying to change the subject again.

Whenever Rong Le encountered a question he didn't want to answer or an atmosphere he wanted to escape from, he would make this gesture. He had already achieved the ability to remain indifferent.

Thor had not yet fully realized Rong Le's evil nature, and looked at him with a worried but trusting look.

Rong Le sighed softly, "Bai Yue is really too much. I work hard every day, leaving home early and returning late, but when I get back to my room I'm interrogated and can't even get a good night's sleep. When will this kind of life end?"

Baiyue: "Wait, how could I be so excessive?"

Rong Le: "I went to Harry's house to investigate tonight. After barely escaping, I went to trade information with my boss. Seriously, it's so hard to support a family. Even in this state, no one cares about me..."

Thor asked worriedly, "Mr. Detective, are you okay?"

Rong Le forced a smile: "I'm used to it."

Although he said this, he cast a resentful glance in the direction of Baiyue.

The live broadcast room was almost laughing to death:

"Hahahaha, I knew it would turn out like this if the two of them got together."

"It's a traditional art indeed. If I don't cheat Baiyue, I will feel uncomfortable."

"Baiyue: A cauldron fell from the sky."

"Hahaha, look at the look in Thor's eyes. He must be thinking something wrong."

Thor was shocked.

With only a dozen years of life experience, he is not yet aware of the evil nature of human nature. Although Mr. Detective looks a bit frivolous, he did not expect that Baiyue would exploit his teammates like this. Aren't they good friends?

He thought Kurosawa was already a scumbag. Even if he wasn't the worst, he was still one of the best among the scumbags.

But Mr. Baiyue... is the worst of the worst! !

Finally, the scum of the scum could no longer bear it and gave Rong Le and Thor a severe slap.

Thor touched his head after being taught a lesson, and then he realized that he had been led astray by Rong Le. Rong Le stood beside him and watched with a smile, without any sense of guilt.

He smiled and said, "Thor, don't trust me completely."

Thor: “…”

Although it was still hard for him to accept it, he had indeed come to a deep understanding that Mr. Detective was very unreliable.

"Are you afraid that he will become like Tina?" After discussing things, Bai Yue said with his head slightly tilted before taking Thor out of Rong Le's room.

"Mr. Baiyue? What did you mean by that just now...what will become of me?"

Thor saw Rong Le's expression suddenly turn cold.

"Ah, that, don't worry about it."

Bai Yue put his hands in his pockets. The combination of his suit pants and shirt made him look tall and straight. He said nonchalantly, "That guy raised a child before. We all know he cared about that child very much."

"Afterwards, they had a falling out, and Rong Le thought it was a failure of education, so she never paid any attention to the underage child again."

"Although Rong Le has a joking personality, he really doesn't know how to support you."

Baiyue: "This incident hit him hard. This weird guy looks indifferent on the surface, but he definitely cares terribly on the inside."

"So I was quite surprised to see him bring you back. I thought he wouldn't pick up kids anymore."

So that's how it is.

"I won't make him sad."

Thor turned around and seemed to see the young man looking at him with a smile: "Besides, even if you had to do it again, Mr. Detective might not regret the decision you made."

Although he was just relying on his intuition - he still trusted his intuition.

Baiyue thought for a moment and said, "Maybe that's the case, but Tina should be about your age now. He has a very bad temper."

"If he knew Rong Le had picked up another child, he would definitely be angry. Suddenly, I'm a little curious about the guy's expression when he found out about this."

...It sounds like that person isn't very popular.

Thor returned to his room and lay on the bed with his eyes open.

It's time to go to bed, but he doesn't feel sleepy. Although the guards in the basement will deliver meals on time, Thor's biological clock is almost non-existent because he has lost the concept of time and the influence of sunlight.

He lived there for a long time, listening to the noises of his neighbors, and sometimes felt that he was the odd one out.

His absolutely rational thinking prevented him from going crazy, but after going through so many repeated experiments and returning to a room without even a small window, even he would feel mentally depressed.

Kurosawa is the only person who will communicate with him, but he doesn't care about his thoughts. He only praises how strong his spirit is and tells him that this is something that no human being in the world can do.

He started swearing loudly, causing trouble, and then got beaten up.

Thor had no idea what value people like him had.

He is just an ordinary person with average courage, average strength and average intelligence.

Kurosawa placed his hopes on him, so failure was natural.

Later, Rong Le appeared. Thor vaguely knew that Rong Le had caused a mess outside. The detective was very interesting and spoke nicely. Even though he knew that he had some ulterior motive, he could not hate him.

He told him the information he knew and then retreated into silence.

When he was gone, he could relive this memory over and over again, making the rest of his life less boring.

But the detective reached out to him, and for the first time Thor had the chance to choose his own life.

The unknown is terrifying. He is familiar with everything in the basement, Kurosawa, and those experiments, and has never thought of escaping.

He hated the monotonous life, but at the same time he was greedy for the sense of security that was like a knife cutting poison.

But the detective's irresistible sweet words disrupted his entire life.

From then on, there was an extremely important person in his world.

He would do anything for Rong Le. As long as she could always look at him with those gentle dark green eyes, he would find the meaning of his existence, because that was his whole world.

...Mr. Detective, I will absolutely, absolutely not let you down.

The black-haired and black-eyed boy closed his eyes and gradually fell into a deep and sweet dream.

*

Rong Le suddenly woke up from her dream.

Those frantic mumblings were still murmuring in his dreams, and a shadow was looming over him, as if indicating that he would never be able to escape His control.

Rong Le knew very well that he had already been contaminated without his knowledge.

He stood up, dressed and washed slowly, and took his belongings with him as usual. Finally, he stood at the door, turned around and glanced at the room for a few seconds, and walked out.

Baiyue and Thor were having breakfast in the cafeteria on the first floor. Baiyue asked, "Why did you get up so early today?"

"Because of an unbearable dream."

Rong Le replied casually, pulled over a stool and sat down, looking around the dining table and frowning slightly.

Perhaps due to his poor appetite, he had no appetite at all for the breakfast provided by the hotel. However, in order to replenish his energy, Rong Le still reluctantly picked up a piece of cake and ate it slowly.

Baiyue: "Every time I see you in the morning, I feel like I've won the lottery. After all, I'm afraid you'll be lost in a dream one night."

"Then can I ask my employer who won the lottery to order another egg custard?" Rong Le said while chewing the pancake.

"Please return to your dream."

"He's a heartless fellow."

It was a rare opportunity for them to sit together and chat in the early morning. Baiyue said that he would take Thor out for a walk and help with the investigation. Rong Le nodded and told him that Hei Ze would not interfere too much with them.

After dinner, Rong Le set off for the library.

The library is easy to find. It is slightly taller than other surrounding buildings and is not small in size.

When Rong Le arrived at the door, the library was just opening. Logically, there should be at least some people inside, but when he walked in, he could hardly see anyone.

The entire hall was empty and deserted, with only layers of bookshelves neatly arranged there.

Rong Le: “…”

It's incredible.

As someone who could read the entire library, he couldn't understand why there was no one in the library.

The people of Poland are simply too unenthusiastic about learning.

Rong Le thought with emotion.

However, as a librarian transferred from another place to Portland, this period was just one of her long resume, so the operation of the library was not within her scope of concern. Rong Le took the letter of recommendation given to him by his boss and began to look for the librarian's whereabouts.

He searched all the way to the door of the reading room. The door was open. There was no one else walking around on the top floor, so it was very quiet.

Rong Le stood outside and looked at the reading room.

The large windows were cleaned very brightly, and the room was well lit. The bright sunshine fell in the air, and even the corners of the table and bookshelf were covered with a warm halo.

There were many books piled on the long table, and many were scattered on the floor.

A red-haired woman was sitting in a messy pile of books. The books around her were almost enough to bury her. She was writing something with a pen from time to time.

"Hello, are you the curator?"

Rong Le said softly.

The red-haired woman stirred at the sound and slowly raised her head and said, "Are you calling me?"

A woman with a low profile and unknown identity who was transferred to Portland Library as director a few years ago.

She wore a pair of black-framed glasses on her straight nose, hiding her well-shaped emerald green eyes. Her fair face was dotted with freckles. Her long red hair was half tied up, and she wore a loose knitted cardigan. A few naughty strands of hair jumped out restlessly, scattered around her ears and collar. She was a woman with a scholarly air from head to toe.

With such a director, it is understandable that the library is poorly managed.

A library might be just another building to the residents of Portland, and scholars are generally not very good at keeping things in good order.

Rong Le remembered that she once heard a student say that if his teacher could remember to eat on time, he would be moved to tears.

She pushed up her glasses and said calmly, "It's you."

Rong Le was silent for a moment: "Do you know me?"

"Of course, you are very famous."

She said as if it was a matter of course, "He's been the most popular teacher at the University of Michigan for two consecutive years. He's Tina's mentor. He caused riots among pagans the year he joined the school, and he's a legendary investigator who created 35% of the school's investigation missions."

“…”

Rong Le didn't know what to say for a moment.

In the live broadcast room, the audience said:

"So Rong Le is so awesome?"

"It's indeed an organization dedicated to fighting against heretics. Formerly known as Miskatonic University, its faculty and students are all investigators and investigator reserve officers. It's an institution dedicated to cultivating such talent. According to official information, this school has been established for a very long time and has intricate ties with multiple large modules."

"...Is the person above you an official? He seems to know a lot."

"Anyone who's willing can actually find this information, but the City of Mist is simply too vast. It's difficult for a normal person to grasp all the intricate background details because they simply can't access them."

"But I'm just wondering why Rongrong's character card is so awesome? If he wants to avoid disrupting the module's balance, the quest level he chooses should also be very high."

"Isn't it rumored that he chose a legendary quest?"

"Did the Special Response Unit take any action? We don't even know if he's a Trail Blazer."

The barrage of comments was full of passionate discussion.

After Rong Le's identity was exposed, she paused for two seconds and said, "Excuse me, who are you..."

"I'm a professor of ancient history and biology, Annabelle."

Anna maintained a calm voice and continued, "We're not from the same academy, so it's normal that you don't know me. Perhaps you know Yamamotoji, he's my husband."