Chapter 14: Beginning

The night fades away and the day comes.

At noon, Wokan welcomed the bustle of a major transportation hub. On the wide rammed earth streets, horse-drawn carriages from all over the country were running, some loaded with goods, some with passengers. The dust raised by the wheels filled the streets. From time to time, horse-drawn carriages on long-distance trips would stop in the town to rest and replenish supplies.

Greg was dining in a private room by the window on the top of a three-story restaurant at a crossroads. He was wearing a white shirt, a gray-black jacket and trousers, ordinary casual clothes. At this moment, he looked like an ordinary young man from a good family. No one would associate him with the captain of the Security Bureau's hunter team.

While enjoying the steak on the plate with a fork, Gregor looked down at the busy intersection below through the window beside him. He saw several strong hired men carrying several wooden boxes of different sizes onto the carriage. A short boss wearing a hooded cloak was directing the work on the spot.

"Hey, Greg, I got news from the bureau. The guy we killed last night was Albert Miller, a meat trader in Yougou Lane. According to our intelligence, a detachment raided his home this morning and found three human skeletons in his secret room. One of them was not yet completely eaten. Currently, everyone who had anything to do with him has been controlled."

Opposite Gregor, a woman wearing a gray dress with lace sleeves and shoulder-length light yellow curly hair was munching on a piece of bread while translating a long telegram code on the spot. Her words drew Gregor's attention back to the house.

"Is that all you found, Elena?"

"Well, at least that's what the telegram said. Although an altar with the meaning of "cup" was found, it has been destroyed. The house was turned into a mess, and perhaps all the useful clues have been destroyed in advance." Elena said after waving her hand and putting down the telegram barcode, and began to concentrate on eating bread, while Gregor touched his chin and pondered.

"Those guys at the Holy Communion were very responsive..."

"Hmm... yes, they are as quick as ever. It's not easy to catch an 'apprentice' who is not a pawn, but in the end all the clues are cut off. This is really strange." Elena said in a helpless tone. After hearing her words, Gregor was silent for a while. After a while, he spoke.

"So, this time we got nothing except killing an apprentice of the Cup?"

"Not only did we find nothing, the situation has become even more confusing, Captain." Elena said in silence and Gregor continued to ask questions.

"Yes, it's even more confusing, especially the letter..."

Gregor said with a frown, and at this time Elena put down the bread, took out a pair of white gloves from the bag beside her and put them on, then took out an envelope from the bag, opened the envelope, took out the letter and began to read part of it.

"Also, I'd like to remind you that we seem to be being targeted. It's not the Security Bureau or the Church. The other party's origins and goals are still unclear, but their methods are extremely strange and dangerous. This is why we temporarily changed our plans..."

After saying that, Elena moved her gaze away from the letter paper and looked at Gregor with sharp eyes.

"So... who is targeting Albert and the others?"

"I don't know, but according to the content of the letter, the person who targeted them is strange and very dangerous. I think the body of the letter deliveryman outside the police station might have been killed by that mysterious target." After taking a sip of red wine, Gregor analyzed and Elena nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, we have examined the body before and found spiritual remnants on it. We can confirm that he was indeed affected by extraordinary power. However, it is precisely because of the influence of extraordinary power that the time and cause of his death have become difficult to determine."

"In short, there is a high possibility that he died from extraordinary power. I'm afraid he was targeted by the mysterious target while delivering the letter, so he wanted to run to the police station for protection, but was still killed strangely..." Gregor continued to analyze, while Elena opposite him raised her eyebrows and spoke.

"Perhaps the mysterious target manipulated the messenger to go to the police station and deliberately let him die there."

"He was deliberately killed there...why?" Gregor asked in confusion after hearing Elena's speculation, and Elena continued to answer.

"So that the police can notify us and let us deal with Abbott and the others."

"We..." Hearing Elena's words, Greg couldn't help but frowned, and after thinking for a while, he continued.

"That mysterious target wants us and the Red Sacrament Society to fight each other? But what is the purpose of doing this?"

"It's not clear yet. The most likely inference is that the mysterious target might be hostile to the Holy Communion, so he gave us clues and wanted us to use Albert as a breakthrough to attack the Holy Communion. There could also be other reasons. At present, there is too little information about the mysterious target, so we can't make any reliable conclusions."

Elena spoke analytically, and after taking a sip of tea she continued speaking.

"And the recipient of the letter, Edric... We've checked. That guy is a local tyrant in this town of Vukan. When we went to his house this morning, we found a pile of specially treated corpses. We can confirm that he has indeed come into contact with extraordinary beings and the Holy Communion."

"Yes, Edrick is missing now. Based on past experience, this guy is probably gone now, and it is very likely that the mysterious target did it." Gregor continued with Elena's words, then breathed a sigh of relief before continuing.

"Huh... His actions are secretive, his methods are strange and cruel, and his motives are a mystery... It seems like this is another guy who must be taken seriously..."

After listening to Gregor's words, Elena paused and then continued.

"Perhaps... it's not just one guy, but a group. In Igwen County, without a backer, one person wouldn't dare to touch the Red Sacrament..."

Greg was slightly surprised after listening to Elena's analysis, and then spoke in disbelief.

"A group of... you mean..."

"Ah, maybe there is a new secret structure in Igwinter, whether it is from outside or created on earth..."

"A new secret...if it's true, then the situation is serious. We have to go back and report the details to the director." Gregor said with a serious expression after listening to Elena's guess, and Elena nodded in response.

"Well, I have already written the report. I can just pass it on to the director when I get back."

"Report? Ha... As expected of you, Elena. You are more thoughtful and smart than me... It seems that if it weren't for you, I, the captain, would have been eliminated." Gregor said with some self-mockery, while Elena said with a smile.

"It's just that everyone has their own role. In our team, Captain Greg, your responsibility is to provide sufficient force."

"Force? I'll give you as much as you want..."

Gregor said with a smile, and after taking another sip of wine, he looked out the window again, only to see that the pile of wooden boxes on the roadside in front of him had all been loaded onto the carriage, and the short boss wearing a hooded cloak was explaining something to the carriage driver.

"You are so short, do you have any disability? You have to start a business, life must be difficult..."

Sighing in his heart, Gregor then pulled the curtains and began to eat his lunch attentively without looking outside.

…

"Yes, the goods have all been loaded and the money has been paid. Thank you very much."

At the noisy crossroads, Dorothy, who was wearing a cloak and a hood, gave instructions to the coachman in front of her, and the dark-skinned coachman replied with a smile.

"Hey, young lady, I will make sure all your goods are delivered to the city safely!"

After saying that, the coachman started driving forward. Dorothy couldn't help but smile as she watched the "cargo" she had shipped sail away into the distance.

"Then next, it's time to find a comfortable bus to get on the road~"