Chapter 5: The Stand User follows the agreement with the Cowboy...

At the time agreed upon with the cowboy, Mary arrived at Lilith's cabin. Manden Tim was already standing outside the door, squatting on the ground searching for clues. Upon seeing Mary, he greeted her in a friendly manner.

"Am I late?" Mary looked down at her watch and found that she was not late. Manden smiled slightly: "My life motto is never to keep a lady waiting."

Although his words sounded a bit sentimental, his sincere eyes made it clear that he was speaking the truth. Mary didn't dislike such people, so she smiled shyly in response.

The two exchanged pleasantries, and Manden returned to the main quest. "I checked, and there aren't many footprints on the ground. Aside from the wheelchair ruts, which are still very obvious, the rest have been largely washed away by the rain." He squatted on the damp ground again, gently feeling for the faint marks with his fingers. "I asked the people nearby yesterday, and they all said there was nothing unusual. It's really strange."

"Are you familiar with Lilith?" Mary asked. "When we came to see her, we stayed for less than half an hour and left. We only spoke a few words during that time and didn't know her at all. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known she was in trouble."

"Lilith is an excellent and kind woman," Manden said seriously. "I had a serious injury on my arm at the time. I thought I was going to be disabled, but she healed me. So I'm willing to help her."

"She has no one to rely on. It's said that her country was plagued by war, and her mother used up all her savings to send her across the ocean to come here. Her medical skills were taught to her by her father." Manden thought for a moment and continued, "I met her half a year ago and helped her settle the exorbitant landlord's demands. I left her because I had other things to do. But a few months ago, I unexpectedly learned that the landlord wouldn't accept her. Her situation was very difficult, so I had no choice but to let Lilith live in this remote cottage temporarily while I looked for a new place for her. It rained yesterday, and I thought the house might be leaking, so I came to check it out. It was a mess, and there were bloodstains."

Mary could sense the man was deeply upset, but she didn't know how to help. Her investigative and deductive abilities were inferior to those of the people she knew. If she asked that person for help...

"Who's there? Come out!"

Manden's sudden angry voice brought Mary back to her senses. She saw that the gun in his hand was pointed at the half-man-high grass nearby, and the other hand was protecting her in front of her.

The grass moved, and a furry, blond head appeared before them.

"Johnny?" Mary couldn't believe he had gone back on his word. "Didn't you say you would stay home?"

After being discovered, Johnny's eyes were frank. "Because I'm worried about you." He moved his wheelchair closer to Mary, finally feeling his uneasiness ease. "Besides... I know Lilith too. Maybe I can provide some clues you haven't discovered."

Mary was about to say something, but Manden gladly accepted. "Thank you for joining us, sir. We're racing against time, and every extra person means more strength." He also noticed Mary's hesitation. "Is there something wrong?"

"Um..." Mary began, "Mr. Tim, you should have been to the desert, right?"

Johnny couldn't understand why Mary suddenly said something completely unrelated, but he unexpectedly found that Manden's expression had become much more cautious than before.

"Ms. Mary, are you..." Manden noticed the confusion on Johnny's face and changed the subject, his expression returning to its previous gentleness: "I am honored that you know my deeds."

"Achievements?" Johnny looked at Mary in confusion. "What achievements?"

"That happened in 1875," Manden said, his eyes turning emotional. "When I was a soldier, I went to the desert to carry out a mission, but I didn't expect that the entire team except me would be killed."

When Johnny heard him say this, such memories indeed came to his mind, but he still felt that the conversation was a bit out of place.

Manden looked at the bewildered Johnny and guessed Mary's concerns. He felt that his previous actions were somewhat inappropriate, so he said, "Mr. Joestar, if there are too many people present, the clues will be easily destroyed. Could you please go back first? I promise you that I will risk my life to ensure Miss Mary's safety. You don't have to worry about it."

Johnny was deeply unhappy at the sudden strange rapport between the two strangers, but he didn't know how to refute it. Manden's argument was well-reasoned and impeccable.

"Johnny, believe me, I'm really going to be fine." Mary squatted down and looked at the pretty boy in front of her who looked a little unhappy. "It's not clear whether Lilith is dead or alive now. If you move around freely now and get hurt again... there's really no way you can save her."

Just as Johnny was about to open his mouth to argue, he noticed tears welling up in Mary's eyes. She was genuinely worried about him getting into trouble again. With a sigh, Johnny gave up his previous plan and compromised, saying, "Then...you must be back before seven tonight, or I'll definitely come find you."

"No problem." Mary agreed immediately, and Manden once again vowed to protect Ms. Mary. Only then did Johnny leave reluctantly.

Seeing that Mr. Joestar had left their sight, Mandon lowered his head and looked at Mary, whose expression had returned to calm, and asked, "Since you said that, Miss, it seems that you are also a Stand user?"

"Yeah," Mary nodded. "When Miss Lilith was making pills for us, I saw her release her substitute. Although I don't know what her ability is, I know that ordinary people can't do anything to this kind of special group."

"That's right," Manden agreed with Mary. "I was also wondering if it was a Stand user who committed the crime, but I didn't expect you to have such ability. No wonder you didn't want Mr. Joestar to get involved. You are such a considerate and gentle woman."

Such praise made Mary feel a little embarrassed: "Thank you for the compliment."

"This is not a compliment, but the fact in my eyes." Manden looked at Mary with his blue eyes, and the clarity in his eyes told her that he was not insincere.

With the blood rushing to her face, Mary walked into the house first. "I'll look for other clues. Mr. Tim, you should also look outside to see if there is anything else you have missed."

Manden smiled and agreed.

All the silk hangings in the room were gone, there was a small pool of blood on the wall, and all the tables and chairs were violently pushed to the ground, making the small room look even more gloomy than usual.

Mary found that there was nothing of value left in the house except a small amount of herbs and a few pieces of clothing.

At present, it seems very likely that the case was murder for money.

Looking at Manden who came in from outside, Mary asked, "Have you found any missing clues over there?"

Manden nodded and took out a small cloth bag from his bag. Mary came closer curiously. Inside was a few long hairs and a few short, wet brown hairs, which looked a bit disgusting.

"I found this in the bushes about ten meters away," Manden said. "I expanded my search and found horse manure in the woods to the left. Then, using the manure as a central point, I found the horse's tail and mane." He looked at Mary. "How long did it take you last time here?"

"About half an hour, right? If Johnny wasn't here, I'd be here even faster."

Manden nodded, understanding. "Lilith is an oriental woman, not used to being in the public eye. She didn't treat people easily before, but she's been running low on money these past few months, so she's started seeing others. Logically, only people nearby who've seen her medical skills would come to see her. If someone came here specifically on horseback, and we didn't find the all-important hoof prints... I think it's a little strange."

Mary thought for a moment and said, "What if he wasn't looking for Lilith, but was simply passing by and left behind traces?"

"That possibility cannot be ruled out." Manden put the hair back into his arms. "To find out the truth, we can only ask the people nearby again and again and piece together the truth from their words. Miss Mary, what is your ability?"

Manden really hoped that her abilities would be linked to investigations, and to show his sincerity, he immediately told her about his stand: "My body parts can be disassembled with the help of ropes, allowing for unexpected attacks."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Tim. My ability is very simple. It is to heal my wounds quickly. It's not unique and I can only use it on myself." Mary replied regretfully.

Although his hopes were dashed, Manden thought this was normal. Stand users were rare, and their abilities varied. He would find it strange if Mary's Stand happened to be able to help him.

There were no other clues here, and it was almost noon. Mary looked at Manden and said, "So, should we just say goodbye now? Or should we go ask the people around here?"

Manden pulled two dry biscuits from his bag. "I think it's best to get to the bottom of this immediately. This is a lot of work, so I'd like to ask for your continued assistance." He handed the biscuits to Mary. "Please bear with me for the hard work. I will definitely repay you when this is over, Miss Mary."

"You're welcome, Mr. Tim." Mary softened the biscuit and stuffed it into her mouth. "I also want to find Miss Lilith. She is a rare Stand user with healing abilities. I..."

"You mean you've seen quite a few Stand users?" Manden, perceptive enough to notice the information Mary had inadvertently revealed, pressed the issue. The woman before him froze, her expression cold. She nodded perfunctorily, lowering her head to eat her pancake, seemingly unwilling to engage in further conversation.

"I'm sorry, Miss Mary. I apologize for my rudeness." Manden was a man who could correct his mistakes. His sincerity made the indifference on the woman's face fade away. She said softly, "I learned a lesson from someone: the more you know, the faster you die."

Mary's silver-gray pupils were like the thick fog that appeared silently at midnight, seemingly ethereal yet incredibly heavy. "I'm not someone who tells lies, so most of the time, I choose to remain silent."

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