Chapter 231 Full of Doubts
It turns out that this "master key" that can open all locks and overcome all obstacles was transformed from this unfortunate man after his death...
It seems that what he took was most likely the Sequence 9 "Apprentice" potion.
Angel thought of Fors Wall, whom he met at Viscount Greylint's party this afternoon. She was an extraordinary person on the "Apprentice" path and had demonstrated abilities similar to those of the Brass Key.
It is unknown when and where this man died, and how the key came into the hands of Father Utravsky.
Just by looking at this divination scene, it is impossible to confirm what the so-called "curse" of the master key is. Although the negative effect of being easily lost is annoying, it can't be called a curse in any case, right?
Moreover, this unfortunate "apprentice" in reserve claimed to want to revive the Abraham family, so he was likely a member of the family. Although this family was very active in the Fourth Epoch and was a great noble of the Tudor Dynasty, it is now the Fifth Epoch. Abraham has long been lost in history, with only a few descendants left, and no famous extraordinary person has been born again.
"It's a shame that another member of the Abraham family has lost control and died... It seems becoming a Sequence 9 isn't as risk-free as the church's internal documentation claims."
Erasing the divination image on the magic mirror, Angel played with the key in his hand, still hesitating whether to follow the advice of "Bernadette" and reduce the time he spent carrying and using it.
"I'll find a chance to ask that priest. Maybe he knows something. Until then, the usefulness of the 'Master Key' in unlocking things still outweighs the side effect of it getting me lost."
Putting the key in her pocket, she returned to the bedroom of her one-bedroom apartment, ready to rest for the night before returning to the Backlund Bridge District.
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On Wednesday, Angel once again came to her fortune-telling club's exclusive room. Unfortunately, due to the recent serial murders, there were fewer guests here, but at least there were free coffee and newspapers. She had spent 15 pounds in membership fees to join the club, and she couldn't waste these benefits.
Moreover, judging from her performance over the past half month, even if she didn't "perform" in front of a large number of people like the Tingen Massacre or the East District Gas Explosion, and only made some malicious guidance during divination, she would most likely digest the witch's potion within three months and make final preparations for promotion.
If she still couldn't get the complete formula and the other half of the potion ingredients from Sylvia by then, she planned to find a way from Laura.
Angel boredly opened today's Backlund Morning Post and first checked the fifth page to see if there was a missing person notice for Mr. A or a goods acquisition notice for the Eye of Wisdom. Unfortunately, neither Beyonder gathering showed any sign of convening.
"It seems the serial murders have affected business for everyone involved. Beyonders are afraid to hold gatherings, and the Divination Club has become much quieter. Hiss—" She took a sip of coffee, gasping for air from the burn. "Thankfully, the fortune teller next door isn't doing any business either, so I feel a little better."
After listening for a moment, Angel smiled and turned the newspaper back to the front page to read the news.
"The twelfth victim has appeared, this time in the West End, and Sivellas Field is furious!"
The front page was full of news about another serial murder case, and it hadn't even been a week since the eleventh one.
The poor deceased lived on King's Road in the West End, not far from the museum that Angel, Audrey and others visited yesterday. He was a fashion designer who had just become famous. The police estimated that the time of death was yesterday evening, but the body was not discovered until late at night by the landlord who smelled blood, and it made the news before the morning newspaper was printed.
The reporter dug out the gossipy information that the deceased had worked as a street prostitute several times when she was poor. Although it was a bit disrespectful to the deceased, it did allow Angel to obtain useful information: the killer's target was still young women who had experience as street prostitutes.
Thinking of the Demonic Path Promotion Ceremony that Laura had mentioned, she guessed that the murderer's obsessive-compulsive target selection might have some purpose.
But even if it was a Beyonder who committed the crime, he killed twelve people in Backlund, the capital of Loen, and he hasn't been caught yet. Could it be that the Beyonders of the Orthodox Church and the military are completely helpless against him?
They were so efficient in finding the Difference Engine manuscript, yet they still got into a fight in the street...
Angel continued to read the newspaper, complaining about the official inefficiency.
"The Uniform Government Employee Examination Act is progressing rapidly, and the job requirements for the year-end exam have been announced... The reform is moving so fast. Is it in the interests of certain individuals? I remember Mr. Benson learned about this reform in advance and has been preparing for it for a long time. I hope he can pass the exam so that he and Melissa can have a better life."
"The list of members of the 'Atmospheric Pollution Investigation Committee'... Is Backlund finally going to take action against this smog that's obscuring the sun? The chief secretary is Hibbert Hall, a relative of Earl Hall and Audrey Hall? Viscount Grallint is among the members. Could this be the reason the 'Witch Cult' is so close to the Viscount and Earl Hall's family?"
It was Angel's habit to think more when reading the news, but when she turned a few pages, her eyes instantly fell on a familiar name in the corner.
This is an obituary notice. Jason O'Neill and his family, who lived in Cherwood, committed suicide by jumping into the Tussock River after leaving a suicide note. The bodies of the couple have been found, but their daughter Emily O'Neill is still missing.
This family had no other relatives in Backlund, but they left behind a portion of their inheritance. This obituary was used to publicize the death and to find other possible heirs.
After reading the short obituary, Angel couldn't believe that Mr. O'Neill, whom she had met a few days ago, had committed suicide with his family.
"He said at the time that he would move to Jianhai County to take good care of his daughter. How could it be so sudden..."
Thinking of the man who was dressed neatly and properly, with a smile on his face again, Angel pursed his lips, untied the topaz pendant on his wrist, thought for a moment, put the pendant down, and took out the magic mirror.
"Mirror, mirror, tell me the truth about Mr. Jason O'Neill's death."
The mirror quickly showed an image of Mr. O'Neill, his daughter Emily, and a woman hugging each other, and then jumping into the Tussock River hand in hand. The scene was silent, but it shook Angel's heart.
Was it really suicide?
Or maybe the divination screen was interfered with... but there was no interfered black fog, and instead the normal divination results were displayed.
Unless, the other party has a Beyonder who specializes in counter-divination, or a magical item with similar effects, disguising the counter-divination as a false "truth" that no one can discover...
Looking at the secret holy emblem hanging on the silver chain of the citrine pendant, Angel had another guess.
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"Excuse me, is Caspar here?"
In the Brave Bar, Angel leaned over the bar and asked the idle bartender.
Before the latter could answer, the man with a protruding mouth who was drinking nearby said with a smile:
"Old man Caspas was driven away by our boss, and now all his business belongs to us. If you want anything, just tell me."
At this time, the bartender nodded slightly, indicating that what the man said was correct.
Driven away? Was it a gang fight, a fight over territory?
Angel frowned. She had come to Caspers to ask Mr. O'Neill about the details of his search for his daughter, such as which detective he had commissioned and where he had found her. But if Caspers wasn't there...
"Could you recommend any detectives who are good at finding people? I have a friend who came to see Caspers earlier this month, hoping to get help from these detectives. Well, the results have been very good."
She made up an excuse: she wanted to see if the guys who "inherited" Caspers' business had the same information channels.
Sure enough, the man with the protruding mouth walked into a small room and soon returned to the bar with a note in his hand.
"I asked an old friend, and it was this detective that the cripple Caspers recommended last time. He solved the case in one day!" He turned the note upside down on the table and motioned for Angel to pay. "One pound, cheaper than Caspers."
After paying a £1 information fee and receiving the note, Angel looked at the contents on it.
"Sherlock Moriarty, a private investigator skilled in handling a wide range of matters. He charges reasonable fees and strictly adheres to the principle of confidentiality. He resides at 15 Minsk Street, Cherwood."
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