Tivian North Suburbs, Green Shade Town, No. 17.
Dorothy sat on her sofa, her expression serious as she looked at the elegant handwriting on the letter in her hand. She hadn’t expected Adèle’s information to arrive so quickly.
“She’s already found something? That’s quite efficient. I thought it would take much longer.”
Dorothy thought to herself. It had only been about two weeks since the theater incident, and Adèle already had news. This surprised Dorothy. Typically, such long-term investigations could take months without yielding results, especially since Adèle’s Crimson Heart was the weaker party compared to the Wolf Blood Society. It’s usually harder for the weaker side to uncover information about the stronger one. Dorothy hadn’t held much hope that Adèle would find anything significant.
“Regardless, it’s good that she’s found something. Adèle’s teacher is one of my leads to further explore the Revelation path. I can’t afford to miss this opportunity.”
Dorothy continued to ponder, then began preparing for her meeting later that evening at the Soaring Theater. As she was about to put the letter away, she noticed the distinct fragrance lingering on the paper.
“It’s normal for a star like Adèle to spray perfume on her letters, but could she be trying to use this scent to track my real body? Hmm, just to be safe, I’ll use Stone Powder to neutralize the scent later…”
Dorothy murmured to herself. Although she and Adèle were now collaborators, Adèle was still a White-rank Beyonder. To avoid being put at a disadvantage in the future, it was necessary to take some precautions.
With that, Dorothy put the letter away, checked the time, and began preparing for the meeting later that evening.
…Nighttime, East Tivian.
The streets were quiet, with a chilly evening breeze blowing through. The leaves on the trees lining the road had turned yellow, and the ground was still damp from the light rain earlier. Few pedestrians or carriages passed by.
The entrance to the Soaring Theater was unusually deserted. With no performance scheduled for the night and the light rain, the usually bustling street in front of the theater was now eerily quiet. The closed theater doors saw only the occasional passerby.
In the distance, the sound of hooves and wheels echoed as a common Tivian rental carriage pulled up to the theater entrance. The door opened, and a man in a gray trench coat, a short-brimmed hat, a thin face, deep-set eyes, and a hooked nose stepped out. After scanning the area, he exhaled a puff of steam.
Stepping down from the carriage, Ed pulled a few coins from his pocket with his gloved hand and paid the coachman. The coachman nodded slightly in acknowledgment before driving away.
After the carriage left, Ed adjusted his collar and walked toward the closed theater doors. As he carefully examined the entrance, a voice suddenly called out to him.
“Mr. Ed, please come this way.”
Hearing this, Ed turned to see a young man dressed in theater staff attire standing a short distance away, bowing slightly. Through Ed’s perspective, Dorothy recognized this man as one of Adèle’s subordinates.
“Thank you for leading the way.”
Ed smiled at the staff member, who nodded and turned to walk away. Dorothy had Ed follow promptly.
Following the staff member, Ed made his way around the side of the theater and entered through a discreet side door. With no performance scheduled, many parts of the theater were unlit, leaving the interior dimly lit. In this dimness, Ed followed the staff member through the winding corridors of the large theater until they arrived at a room. The staff member stood by the door and gestured for Ed to enter. Ed opened the door and stepped inside.
As Ed entered the room, a faint aroma of incense greeted him. He looked around and saw a lavishly decorated sitting room with expensive carpets, exquisite oil paintings, and a fireplace with burning coals. On the soft sofa sat Adèle, dressed in a simple dark red dress. Her golden hair cascaded down her back, and her face, free of the heavy stage makeup she usually wore, revealed a more natural beauty.
“Welcome, Detective Ed. I’ve been waiting for you. Please, have a seat.”
Adèle, sitting on the sofa, smiled as she spoke to Ed. Ed, without hesitation, closed the door behind him and walked over to sit across from Adèle. Once Ed was seated, Adèle picked up a bottle of red wine from the coffee table, poured two glasses, and handed one to Ed. She then picked up the other glass and took a sip. Ed glanced at the wine but didn’t immediately drink.
“Hmm? Not drinking? Detective Ed, are you worried I’ve poisoned the wine? I just drank some myself, you know~”
Adèle spoke in her usual teasing tone, but Ed simply smiled and replied.
“No, Miss Adèle, you misunderstand. As a detective, it’s crucial to always keep a clear mind. Even the slightest amount of alcohol could dull my senses, so I prefer to avoid it.”
“Hehe… I see. It seems Mr. Ed is a man of strict discipline. I admire that.”
Adèle chuckled lightly, then took another sip of wine before setting the glass down.
“Miss Adèle, I believe we can get straight to the point. In your letter, you mentioned having a lead on your teacher’s belongings?”
Dorothy, controlling Ed, cut straight to the chase. Adèle nodded and responded.
“Detective, you’re in such a hurry… We have plenty of time to discuss other topics… But since you’re pressed for time, let’s get to the point.”
Adèle spoke with a slight smile, then her expression turned serious as she continued.
“I do have some leads regarding my teacher. In fact, you might already be somewhat familiar with this information.”
Adèle spoke directly, and Ed, hearing her words, raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
“I’m already familiar with it?”
“Yes. As a detective, I assume you keep up with the news, don’t you?” Adèle said, then pulled out a newspaper from under the coffee table and placed it on the table. Through Ed’s eyes, Dorothy immediately noticed the headline on the newspaper.
It was the same news she had seen at Beverly’s house earlier that day—the series of sudden street murders in West Tivian!
This made Dorothy pause, and Ed, after a moment of reading, frowned and spoke.
“The series of impulsive murders in West Tivian? I’ve seen this news… Four sudden street murders in the Coal Ash District of West Tivian within two weeks… I also thought it was quite suspicious. Are you saying this is related to the lead you mentioned?”
Ed asked Adèle, who nodded solemnly in response.
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Unusual events in the mundane world often have mystical forces behind them… This is no exception.”
Adèle spoke to Ed, her expression growing more serious as she continued.
“Detective, to be honest, the series of sudden, impulsive murders in the news feels eerily familiar to me. I’ve carefully read the descriptions of the four individuals in the newspaper, and it seems as though their desires were suddenly manipulated and amplified.”
Adèle spoke gravely to Ed. Hearing her words, Dorothy’s heart tightened, and she recalled the incident at the theater over half a month ago, where Adèle had manipulated the desires of Byron, a beastman, causing him to lose control and attack his companions. As a Desire Dancer, Adèle had the ability to suddenly amplify a person’s inner desires and guide their release.
Thinking about it, the individuals in the news who suddenly lost control and committed crimes did bear a striking resemblance to Byron that day.
“Desires being manipulated? Are you saying there’s another Desire Dancer using their abilities on them? Aside from you, are there other societies or Beyonders on this path?”
Realizing the crux of the matter, Dorothy had Ed continue questioning Adèle, who quickly responded.
“Revelation-auxiliary Beyonders are extremely rare in the mysticism world. To my knowledge, the only society on the Desire path is the Joyful Dance Society, which I once belonged to. Within the Joyful Dance Society, there were only two Beyonders above the Black-rank: my teacher and me. I was the only one among my teacher’s disciples who truly stepped onto this path.”
Adèle explained to Ed. Hearing her words, Dorothy realized that Adèle’s path was indeed a rare one.
“So, in this world, you and your teacher are the only two Beyonders on the Desire path?”
“I can’t speak for the entire world, as the mysticism world is vast, with many societies. It’s possible that there are Beyonders on the same path in distant places I’m unaware of. But within the entire Pritt Kingdom, I can confirm that the only two Beyonders on the Desire path are me and my teacher.”
Adèle spoke with a serious expression. After hearing this, Dorothy understood what Adèle’s so-called lead might be. She had Ed speak in a low voice.
“You said that within the entire Pritt Kingdom, the only two Beyonders on the Desire path are you and your teacher. Earlier, you mentioned that the series of sudden, impulsive murders in West Tivian might be due to interference from a Desire path ability. If the events in West Tivian aren’t your doing, then the one interfering must be…”
“Most likely my teacher.”
Adèle finished Ed’s sentence, her eyes gleaming with a strange light. For the first time, Dorothy saw Adèle’s expression so solemn. Even when she had been framed before, a faint air of frivolity had always lingered on her face.
“Your teacher? Are you sure, Miss Adèle? Didn’t you say your teacher was killed by the Wolf Blood Society?” Ed continued to press, and Adèle responded.
“That was just my assumption. In truth, I never saw my teacher killed by the Wolf Blood Society. When the Wolf Blood Society attacked the Joyful Dance Society, my teacher told me and the other sisters to flee while she stayed behind to cover our escape. After I escaped, I never saw her again. When the Wolf Blood Society withdrew, I returned to the Joyful Dance Society’s former base but found no trace of my teacher’s body. So, at the time, I assumed she had been taken by those bastards and devoured.”
Adèle spoke with a tone of sorrow, and Ed glanced at the newspaper on the coffee table before continuing.
“So… after seeing these cases in West Tivian, you think your teacher might still be alive?”
“Yes! I now believe it’s possible my teacher is still alive. She might not have died back then but was instead captured and imprisoned by the Wolf Blood Society. Recently, she might have found a way to escape! However, after possibly being tortured by those Wolf Blood Society brutes, her condition might not be good, leading to a loss of control over her abilities, which is affecting the ordinary people nearby.”
“I specifically sent people to investigate the Coal Ash District in West Tivian. It’s not just those four impulsive murders—the overall public security situation there has deteriorated. The number of various criminal incidents has increased. It seems the people’s desires have been stimulated by some Beyonder power, which could very well be a sign of a Desire Dancer’s abilities going out of control.”
“If my guess is correct, then I need to hurry to the Coal Ash District in West Tivian to find my teacher. The Wolf Blood Society will undoubtedly also be looking for her once they notice the situation there. I need to rescue her before they do.”
Adèle’s expression shifted from sorrow to determination. It was clear that the possibility of her teacher still being alive had stirred her emotions deeply, even for someone as skilled at controlling her feelings as Adèle. Ed, after listening to her explanation, responded calmly.
“That’s a possibility, but have you considered that the Wolf Blood Society might be using some method to control your teacher, forcing her to use her abilities to create these incidents and lure you into a trap?”
Hearing Ed’s words, Adèle fell silent for a moment, then took another sip of wine before speaking.
“You make a good point… I’ve considered the possibility that this could be a trap. But no matter what… I can’t abandon my teacher. So… I must go to West Tivian, at least to confirm whether the anomalies there are indeed caused by her.”
With that, Adèle turned to Ed and spoke in a grave tone.
“The Coal Ash District in West Tivian is vast. Finding traces of my teacher there won’t be easy. On top of that, there’s the possibility of interference from the Wolf Blood Society or even other factions. The situation there will be complicated. Therefore… I need to hire an excellent detective to assist me in finding her.”
“Mr. Ed, you are the most outstanding detective I’ve ever met. Would you be willing to accept my employment? Of course, I believe the secrets of Revelation that my teacher knows will also be of interest to you.”
Adèle stood up and extended her hand to Ed. Ed sat for a moment, then slowly rose, bent down, and kissed Adèle’s hand in a courteous gesture before speaking politely.
“At your service, miss.”