Chapter 53 Soul Search Spell
Glass Island, Lloyd's Quarter.
Sherlock looked around carefully and followed the path in his memory to find the stinking ditch and the garbage mountain.
Perhaps due to the worsening wastewater discharge from the factory, compared to the abandoned chemical plant in his dream, the amount of domestic waste here was much greater, and the water was even more foul. It had practically blocked the road, and a foul stench of decay emanated. As Sherlock approached the garbage, startled cockroaches crawled out from beneath the pile.
Edward, who was following behind him, straightened his back and frowned.
He looked deeply at the garbage mountain with an ugly expression, and obviously didn't want to come over.
"...How did you find this place, Hermes?"
Edward said as he stood there.
"Firsthand information obtained during the advancement ceremony, my partner."
Sherlock didn't hide anything from his best friend: "Go over that hill from here and you'll see an abandoned chemical plant. That's where the Sweater Brotherhood's hidden base is."
"Then get out of the way first."
Edward said.
Sherlock obediently retreated behind his best friend and saw this classmate, who gave people a deep and dark impression, pull out one of the elven daggers from his waist and point it forward.
White glowing runes lit up from his right wrist, quickly crawled towards his fingertips, and all the way to the spine of the dagger.
"—The law grants me the necessary right of passage."
As he gave the order, pure white light surged and the storm howled.
An irresistible invisible force, accompanied by light, extended from the tip of the sword, pushing the entire mountain of garbage to both sides.
A spacious space was left in the middle for ten people to walk side by side, and the ground was covered with a layer of foggy and glowing road.
As the glowing road appeared, three faint green lights and one black light appeared in the surrounding garbage mountains.
"It seems your information is correct, Hermes."
Edward sheathed his dagger and said calmly, "There are traps buried in this garbage mountain. There are three paths of adaptation and one path of love. But the energy levels are not high."
"Yeah, I guessed it."
Sherlock wasn't surprised by this. He just walked forward, observing. "I just noticed that the shape of this garbage pile isn't natural. It doesn't look like it was discarded by anyone, nor does it look like it was blown by the wind. There's no garbage where it should be, but there's a clear path with minimal garbage. The truly safe way is probably to avoid that path and go directly over the garbage mountain."
"It shouldn't be a lethal trap."
Edward followed Sherlock and analyzed, "If there's blood or a body in the garbage dump, it would be easier to expose their location."
"It seems the Sweater Brotherhood is really here," Sherlock frowned slightly, lost in thought, "but this is a bit surprising. I thought they were demonologists."
"Why do you say that?" Edward asked.
"Because someone told me that the Sweater Brotherhood is connected to the people behind the Pelican Bar."
Sherlock analyzed, "The people behind the Pelican Bar are probably the Noble Red Society. You know, they're a group of demonologists who kill, sacrifice, rob, and steal. But they do have a legacy—I mean, the legacy of Xingti."
"If they're helping the Sweater Brotherhood, then this trap at the door seems a little simple."
Edward was silent for a moment after hearing Sherlock's words.
Of course he knew that it was irrelevant because they were not qualified.
The Sweater Brotherhood is nothing more than a gang of petty thieves. While some of them are extraordinary, making them a bit of a challenge for ordinary people... the Noble Red Society probably looks down on them.
However, it doesn't matter if Sherlock wants to think so.
It's better this way, Edward thought.
He knew that his lazy and rebellious old friend had a strong adaptability to the path of wisdom and was extremely sensitive to the truth. He followed because he was afraid that Sherlock would really find out something on his own.
Although his father did not say it explicitly, Edward had roughly guessed the conspiracy behind the Pelican Bar.
That group of people came from the Noble Red Society.
On the surface, this was an organization of demonologists composed mostly of Avalonians, with a few mentors from Star Antimony mixed in.
But Edward knew better.
They are not a purely illegal organization of supernatural beings, but a group of rebels funded by the Star Antimony Kingdom who intend to overthrow the rule of the Knights of Avalon.
The reason is simple: their leader is a giant.
Their giant bloodline comes from the giant dynasty Kingdom of Alctor, which was overthrown by Avalon's founding monarch Lancelot I with the support of the elves four hundred years ago.
In those days, on this small island nation, the powerful and brave Giant King ruled and protected the dwarf humans, who were so powerful that they could maintain peace and independence under the influence of the Empire.
Although there was no evidence to prove that the leader was of royal descent from Alctorus, he was undoubtedly a giant, a rare sight on the continent. In Alctorus, giants were generally nobles—so even if he wasn't royal, he was at least a noble from a previous dynasty.
Among the other high-ranking members of the Noble Red Society are many half-giants. While not as tall and strong as their leader, they are still stronger than ordinary people. The "Noble Red" in the society's name alludes to their noble bloodline.
Avalon today has no nobles, but is ruled by knights. While the royal family can bestow armor upon knights, they possess little real power. They can only indirectly influence the Round Table by developing new knights loyal to the royal family... However, the royal family's actual influence over the new knight class is far less than that of merchants. With only power to be controlled by others, but no foundation or wealth, the new generation of knight families are easily influenced by their patrons.
Edward's adoptive father, Professor Moriarty, is in this business.
Among the older generation of knight families, some were prosperous and some were declining. Some of the latter were willing to accept sponsorship, while others were unwilling.
Some people claim to be noble and are fundamentally different from the new knights who come from the common people; some people are tired of the endless wrangling in the Round Table Hall and the invisible hands that control everything from outside the Round Table Hall; some people are greedy enough and hope to turn the tables and get rid of the financial control of these merchants and directly seize their money.
Although these people have different positions, they have common demands.
——That is to restore aristocratic rule.
Therefore, in addition to the Star Antimony people, there are also some ministers on Glass Island who secretly support the Noble Red Society.
Edward had no feelings for Avalon. He didn't care about Avalon, nor did he care about Alctorus.
He was once an orphan wandering the streets, later became a "Moriarty", and later graduated with honors and directly joined the Inspectorate, responsible for monitoring suspected knights, investigating suspected corrupt officials, and screening spies from foreign countries.
In the process, he saw too much ugliness that was completely different from what he had imagined in his youth. The law was not upholding justice and morality, but the authority of the Round Table Hall - not even the authority of the Temple of Silver and Tin.
Compared with the knights, repaying Moriarty's kindness in raising him is obviously more important.
Edward had previously asked his adoptive father which side they should be on.
But the answer given by old James was: "You just stand on my side, Edward."
Edward was now thankful that the Sweater Brotherhood had no connection to the people behind the Pelican Bar. Otherwise, he didn't know how he could stop Sherlock's persistent investigation.
His old friend was too clever and too sensitive.
Any hesitation or avoidance on my part regarding the truth would probably be noticed by him.
Edward had few friends—very few.
He didn't want to lose an important friend again one day.
——Fortunately, this was a wrong direction of investigation.
"Although I don't know who provided this...but thank you. Just continue to investigate in this direction, Sherlock."
Edward thought to himself.
Give the bored detective something to do. It'll also keep him from going back to investigating the Pelican."
When he thought of this, he suddenly had an idea.
He had another case on hand—for the safety of civilians and his family, this matter needed to be dealt with as quickly as possible. After all, they weren't on the side of the Noble Red Society, but rather wanted to maintain a balance.
Then, Edward said, "Maybe it's not completely unrelated.
"I remembered another thing. The Inspectorate is currently investigating a case codenamed 'Red Stone'.
"A batch of high-powered, small-sized portable alchemical bombs were smuggled from the Pelican Bar to Avalon. The Inspectorate suspects the buyers may be high-ranking officials in the kingdom. However, no matter how portable they are, they can't be kept at home. Firstly, they're unsafe, and secondly, they're easily detected.
"If they haven't been moved yet, they should be in Lloyd's Quarter by now. You said the Sweater Brotherhood's base is an abandoned chemical plant, so it makes sense that they're stored here..."
When Edward said this, he suddenly realized something.
He heard someone's heartbeat.
Sherlock was a second late, but he also seemed to have noticed something and immediately looked up.
A bluish-white light streamed through his pupils, and Sherlock issued the command without hesitation: "[Stand still]!"
A brilliant light like a rising star burst out from him and spread out in all directions.
In the corner behind him, an assassin who was crouching there was suddenly shaken out of his invisible state, and his entire body was covered in white light, like a stone statue.
After half a second, he broke free from the restraints.
Realizing the restraint wasn't strong enough, the assassin's eyes suddenly turned fierce. He shook the dagger in his hand and grasped it upright.
He crouched slightly, his body slipping back into the shadows. He wanted to rush forward, assassinate Sherlock first, and then escape quickly.
However, the assassin's heart suddenly trembled, and a strong sense of crisis struck him.
"--【arrest】."
Edward issued the order indifferently.
Two pure white triangles formed out of thin air at the wrists of the re-sneaking assassin. Then, a tremendous magnetic force attracted and handcuffed his hands together. The assassin, who had just rushed forward, was thrown off balance by the force and stumbled, nearly falling. However, the poisoned dagger was unable to exert any force due to the tightening of his wrists, and it fell to the ground with a clang.
Then, the two triangles that overlapped to form a hexagram flew directly upwards, remaining level with the ground... and hung the assassin directly in the air.
What a lucky guy! I actually got it right.
Thinking of this, Edward showed a rare smile.
He slowly approached the restrained, panic-stricken young assassin.
"The fish is caught, Hermes."
Edward said slowly, "I'm going to do it... Remember to plug your ears."
"No need. I'm not some innocent little girl. Besides, these hangmen will eventually be sent to the gallows."
Sherlock crossed his arms and said calmly, "I asked you to bring a handkerchief, which means I had already thought of this scenario. After all, it's not easy for me to do it... But you are the Inspectorate and have the power of temporary execution.
"I'm more curious. Your subordinates—I remember there was a little girl who admired you. Has she seen you search the memories of criminals?"
"What do you think the Inspectorate does, Hermes? We do much dirtier things than this."
Edward scoffed.
"Then I was really lucky that I didn't follow you into the Inspectorate."
Sherlock said lazily, "I just thought that since you are the leader of the Inspectorate, you shouldn't have to go on missions."
"I also worked my way up from the front lines, Mr. Hermes. And I'm not a big boss. I can't say much else, as it's still confidential. In three years, I'll be able to tell you what my first mission was."
As he spoke, he slowly pulled out his white handkerchief from his chest pocket and slowly approached.
The shadow cast by his tall figure and his slow but steady movements were extremely frightening.
"No, don't... I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything... Spare my life..."
This strangler who has adapted to the road has a surprisingly young voice.
"I won't let you off, you little thief. You'll die sooner or later."
Edward said coldly: "How many people have you killed? Five? Six?
"You thought no one could detect you, you thought you were clever enough to bury the evidence..."
He slowly unfolded the white handkerchief soaked in anesthetic potion and pressed it hard against the assassin's face.
Let him make struggling whimpers.
The next moment, Edward's pupils glowed with a brilliant white light. Five runes extended from the fingers that gripped the assassin's cheek, rapidly moving across the skin of the assassin's head, making his greasy black curly hair shine.
"—The law gives me the necessary power to search."
Edward declared solemnly.
Along with the screams that sounded muffled by the handkerchief, several streams of grayish-white smoke floated out from the assassin's facial features and were slowly inhaled by Edward.
Finally, he loosened his grip and released the restraints of [Law: Arrest].
The assassin's body fell helplessly to the ground. Blood slowly seeped from the handkerchief stuck to his face. Where the handkerchief couldn't cover it—his throat, behind his ears, and on top of his head—the white runes gradually extinguished.
Edward did not pick up his white handkerchief.
Anyway, his soul-searching spell can only be used once a day, and a face covered with a handkerchief can also mean that the person has been "searched".
"We've come to the right place, Hermes—at least part of it. The Sweater Brotherhood is indeed connected to the Noble Red Circle, you're right.
"—One of the batches of alchemical bombs is currently stored in this abandoned chemical plant."
(End of this chapter)
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