Chapter 46 The Instigator
"Deep Sleeping Flower, then Rock Rose..."
Angel carefully mixed several plant essential oils together. After shaking them thoroughly in a transparent glass bottle, the essential oils needed for ritual magic took on a light blue color.
This thing isn't poisonous, is it?
She tried opening the bottle cap and smelling it. The mixed essential oil gave off a fresh scent, mixed with the familiar mint scent and a completely new aroma that did not belong to any of the essential oils before mixing.
"It doesn't smell poisonous, but this strange color... Aside from using it for ritual magic, it's best to keep it safe..."
She placed the bottle in a space high up on the bookshelf, along with the bundle of sandalwood candles she had bought at a high price, and then took a few books from the side to cover the outside. This way, no one would be able to discover the existence of the bottle of essential oil unless they turned over the bookshelf.
Since the ritual magic taught by the Fool required not only essential oils and candles, but also four different foods arranged in a square, Angel planned to buy fresh food at noon the next day before trying it.
If the ritual fails, there is still one day to make up for it so as not to miss the time limit set by the Fool.
After solving an important problem, Angel felt relieved. Then she remembered another thing that concerned her - Tris, the round-faced boy she met in the underground market of the Dragon Bar.
Looking back now, her vigilance in the underground trading market was surprisingly low. If it weren't for the final hint from her spiritual perception, she might have followed the other party out of the Dragon Bar in a daze.
Of course, if a conflict really breaks out, Angel believes that as an assassin, he has a certain ability to protect himself.
Unless the other party is also an extraordinary person.
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"Is he really a Beyonder?"
"Why, do you know him?"
The captain of the Nighthawks, Dunn Smith, asked Angel curiously.
It was Tuesday morning, and most of the Night Watchmen were gathered in the reception room on the second floor of the Blackthorn Security Company. Dunn was holding an internal wanted poster with a sketch of his portrait and showing it to everyone.
The portrait showed a round, shy boy's face, about eighteen or nineteen years old. It was Tris, whom Angel had met yesterday.
"Yesterday, I went to the underground market in the dock area... um, the one behind the Dragon Bar. I ran into him while purchasing items for training in ritual magic and we chatted for a while. At the time, I thought he was just an ordinary person with some knowledge of the occult, but I didn't expect..."
Angel explained to the captain and others why he knew the wanted criminal.
"...I didn't expect the Clover tragedy was committed by someone so young. Oh my god, those were dozens of lives lost, and it was actually a Beyonder who did it. He doesn't even look like an adult!"
Luo Shan on the side sighed incoherently. In front of her was a copy of the Tingen Daily from two days ago. The page she turned to was about a tragedy that occurred on the Alfalfa at sea.
This unfortunate passenger ship, on a turbulent sea, first encountered the great pirate Nast, who proclaimed himself the King of the Five Seas. All their treasures were looted, and then internal strife broke out, with fierce conflicts erupting between the crew and passengers, which escalated from verbal disputes to physical confrontations. Although the passengers, led by the captain, prevailed and survived, dozens of lives were lost in the bloodbath.
A commentary in the Tingen Zeitung described it as "an ugly conflict between survivors in extreme circumstances."
But judging from the wanted poster within the Church of the Evernight Goddess, this was a tragedy orchestrated by a Beyonder.
"If Klein hadn't noticed something amiss while helping the survivors with divination, I'm afraid the police would have agreed with the Tingen Daily."
Dunn added.
"It seems that having a side job does help with work."
Leonard looked at Klein, who was sitting in the corner, and said with a smile, as if hinting at something. Klein stared at the wanted poster on the table, his brow furrowed, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
Thinking back to the witty and elegant young man he met yesterday, Angel couldn't connect him with the Beyonder who was responsible for the Clover tragedy.
Although Tris showed a hint of hidden malice at the end of the exchange, but...
Angel was stunned. She finally discovered the source of the familiar feeling about Tris.
It's not that I have seen this person before, but his behavior feels familiar.
"He is the 'instigator'..."
Angel slowly read out the name of the potion. No wonder when she faced Tris yesterday, she let down her guard against strangers after just a few words, as if she was talking to an old friend. It seemed that the "instigator's" linguistic charm came into play.
Dunn nodded and said seriously, "Indeed, last night the Mechanical Heart team asked me to investigate the survivors of the Alfalfa. I discovered some clues in my dream. Combined with the details of the tragedy they learned, I determined that this case was committed by a Beyonder."
"His name is Tris, the Sequence 8 'instigator'. He may be from the Gnosis Society. He specializes in using words to incite people, intensify conflicts, and provoke confrontation. The Clover's encounter with pirates was an accident, but the subsequent intense conflict between passengers and crew can be confirmed to have been caused by Tris's instigation."
"He disappeared after disembarking at Enmat Harbor, but survivors have sighted him arriving in Tingen. Remember his appearance. If you encounter him alone on the street, avoid direct confrontation. The Instigator's Sequence 9 is Assassin."
Dunn said, looking at the "Assassin" Angel.
"That's right. After the Assassin is promoted to the next Sequence, his existing Beyonder abilities will be enhanced. His close combat ability is even comparable to many Sequence 7 Beyonders."
Angel nodded in agreement with Dunn's admonition.
"So, how should we deal with this Tris?" asked Xiga Teong from the side. She had been listening, frowning and thinking from time to time, and only asked the question now.
"I've already explained the Assassin's abilities to you. If you're in a narrow room or alley, my advice is to shoot him to force him back, then run away immediately. Never engage him in a one-on-one fight if you're at the same level."
Angel tried to put himself in the other person's shoes and analyze the way to fight the "assassin".
"If it's open terrain, the assassin can be suppressed using long-range weapons. His agility and close combat abilities won't be fully utilized in this situation. Even a few ordinary police officers have a high chance of taking him down by shooting from a distance."
"So, the trick is to avoid close combat as much as possible. It's best to outnumber the enemy." Klein, who was concentrating on studying the wanted poster, raised his head and summarized.
"The 'Assassin' is also adept at hiding his presence. If you encounter him and are unsure, it's best not to show hostility, lest he escape. Notify us, the Mandated Punisher, the Beyonder of the Mechanical Heart, or contact the nearest patrol officer as soon as possible."
Angel thought for a moment and added a few more words.
Dunn Smith emphasized with a serious expression, "After committing such a major crime, he still dared to come to Tingen City. Perhaps he intends to continue committing crimes here, or perhaps he wants to contact his superiors. If we alert him, he will most likely leave Tingen City, and it will be very difficult to find him again."
"So, now that Tris's identity as the 'instigator' has been confirmed, and there's no time to launch a widespread manhunt, we have an advantage. Angel ran into him at the Dragon Bar in the docks yesterday, which means he's likely in need of some urgently needed materials. He might show up again today, making this the perfect time to capture him."
He glanced at the several night watchmen in the reception room and quickly assigned them tasks: "Leonard, you and I will take a carriage to the Dragon Bar in the dock area. Cornley will guard the Chanis Gate for you. Angel, take the wanted warrant and go to the police station across the street to inform them to send a team to the dock area to assist in the arrest. Wear plain clothes and bring guns. Xijia, you go with her, and lead the team after you get the person. Tris has met Angel, so she can't go with you. Klein, you stay here. If you need support, call Old Neil along."
The several night watchmen who were named nodded in understanding. Klein, who was assigned to guard the house, opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
Those who were going to be captured were all from the "Sleepless" path, at least Sequence 8 Beyonders... Angel looked at everyone and quickly discovered the ingenuity of Dunn's arrangement.
Even if they meet the "instigator" Tris alone, the "Insomniacs" who are also good at close combat can still fight. Once the exchange of fire begins, the police who rush to the scene will surround him. Even if the "assassin" is proficient in escape methods, it will be difficult for him to escape the encirclement. If Dunn can be delayed until he uses the ability of "Nightmare", Tris will be even more unable to escape.
Angel and Tris had just met. If he followed Tris to the docks, he would easily alert Tris and flee before the Beyonders and police could cordon off the area. As a "diviner," Klein didn't currently possess combat abilities superior to those of an ordinary person, so going to the front lines would easily become a breach.
She was puzzled as to why Dunn Smith had gone to such great lengths, mobilizing almost all the night watchmen on duty to apprehend an "instigator" who had fled from another city. After all, the portraits of the last wanted "instigator," Cole Granger, had been hanging all over Tingen for two weeks, and Dunn had shown no concern for his whereabouts after Madam Sharon's death.
Unless, he thought Tris was connected to other Beyonders?
As if sensing Angel's doubts, Dunn explained, "The 'instigator' Tris is likely a member of the secretive 'Gnosis Society,' a group that frequently perpetrates bloody crimes like the Clover Massacre. They're also likely involved in the 'Labor Mutual Aid Society Slave Case' the church is investigating recently. If we can capture Tris, we should be able to obtain a lot of clues through dream entry or psychic communication."
How is it related to the Labor Mutual Aid Association?
Angel raised her eyebrows. She suddenly remembered the mysterious assassin she met in the labor mutual aid union. At that time, she and Dunn had analyzed that the mysterious assassin was determined to get back the mutual aid union's account book at the risk of his life. It was very likely that he was forced by the organization that controlled him.
So, the assassin, like Tris the instigator, was likely from the Gnosis Society? How could this organization, like the Witch Cult, recruit only Assassin-level Beyonders?
However, considering that the extraordinary people in this world need to advance through potions, it is not difficult to understand why extraordinary people of the same sequence stick together.
Looking at the "sleepless people" who were making preparations before departure, Angel felt that his guess should be very close to the truth.
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