In the division of Tivian’s urban areas, aside from the central Royal District, both North Tivian and East Tivian are regions with relatively better infrastructure and living conditions.
North Tivian, with its abundance of government institutions, religious organizations, and educational facilities, is considered the cultural, religious, educational, and administrative hub of Tivian. As a result, its living environment is relatively good, making it one of the best areas in Tivian. East Tivian, on the other hand, is located near the sea and boasts the busiest port in all of Pritt, making it the financial and commercial district of Tivian, bustling with activity.
In contrast, South Tivian and West Tivian are far less desirable. Most of Tivian’s factories are located in the industrial zone on the outskirts of South Tivian, leading to severe pollution. The majority of residents in South Tivian are workers, living in densely packed, low-rise buildings with poor living conditions. West Tivian, due to its role as the transportation hub connecting Tivian to the rest of Pritt via railways and roads, has become the preferred residential area for many people migrating from inland Pritt to Tivian in search of work. This area has the highest population density, and while its environment is slightly better than South Tivian, its public security is far worse. The area is a chaotic mix of people, home to the largest slum in all of Tivian.
…
Noon, West Tivian, Coal Ash District.
The midday sun shines brightly on the streets, lined with low, dilapidated buildings, most only three or four stories tall. Many of these buildings are not even made of stone but are instead constructed of wood, some so crudely built that they resemble stacked shacks.
The streets and the surfaces of the buildings are covered in a layer of black coal ash. Pedestrians in simple, even ragged clothing leave footprints in the dust, only for them to be covered again as horse-drawn carriages laden with goods speed by, shaking loose more black coal ash. Homeless people in tattered clothes can be seen along the streets, and in the distance, the chimneys of factories belch thick black smoke into the sky. The sound of train whistles echoes from afar. Despite the clear weather, the entire area seems shrouded in a layer of gray.
This is the Coal Ash District. Located close to South Tivian, it serves as a hub for the vast amounts of coal transported to Tivian by trains from outside the city. Coal-laden trains gather here, and coal-carrying carriages constantly race through the streets, spreading coal ash everywhere. This is how the district got its name.
On the streets of the Coal Ash District, pedestrians and carriages hurry about. Though the area is bustling, there is a sense of tension in the air. People keep their distance from one another, their expressions wary as they glance around. Upon closer inspection, many of them carry portable clubs or knives. The entire street seems to be permeated with an atmosphere of unease.
Meanwhile, on the second floor of a slightly upscale teahouse by the roadside, a pair of sharp eyes observes the scene below."It seems the atmosphere here is a bit tense," Ed, still dressed in his trench coat and hat, comments as he sits by the window, looking out at the street. Across from him, another voice quickly responds.
"Of course. After all, with everything that’s happened in such a short time, anyone would be on edge. To the average person reading the newspapers, it might just seem like four random street murders, but in reality, the overall crime rate in this area has noticeably increased during this period. However... the most impactful incidents are undoubtedly those four public killings."
The voice responding to Ed belongs to Adèle. She sits across from him, wearing a simple yet stylish yellow dress, a wide-brimmed hat, and large sunglasses that obscure her face. Despite her efforts to conceal her appearance, her natural charm still shines through.
"Indeed... If everyone around you could suddenly turn into a murderous maniac, no one would feel safe," Ed continues, to which Adèle, after taking a sip of tea, shakes her finger and responds.
"Rather than saying people suddenly turn into maniacs, it’s more accurate to say that we are all inherently maniacs. Everyone has dark, terrifying desires within them. The abilities of a Desire Dancer merely bring those desires to the surface. We don’t create thoughts out of thin air. The fact that those four people were killed in public proves that their killers already had similar thoughts in their hearts. They were just brought to the surface by the influence of Beyonder’s abilities. They weren’t randomly killing people, Detective."
Adèle smiles as she explains this, further elaborating on the abilities of a Desire Dancer. Their power lies in inducing, amplifying, and redirecting desires, not in creating thoughts that never existed.
"You’re so sure these incidents were caused by the abilities of a Desire Dancer? Don’t you need to dance and have the target see your dance to use your abilities? And I remember you saying your ability’s range is only about a hundred meters... The incidents here are strange, but they might not necessarily be caused by a Desire Dancer’s abilities, Miss Adèle."
From a distant carriage, Dorothy, controlling Ed, speaks to Adèle, who calmly replies.
"A hundred meters is just the basic range of my ability. By consuming additional spirituality, this range can be greatly extended, reaching over a kilometer. The farther the distance, the harder it is to influence... Also, dancing isn’t strictly necessary. It’s just a means to amplify the ability. Even without dancing, a Desire Dancer’s ability can still be activated, though the effect will be diminished."
Adèle further explains her abilities to Ed. Hearing this, Ed pauses for a moment before continuing.
"Then, Miss Adèle, without using dance, how effective are your or your teacher’s abilities? Could you elaborate... Of course, if you don’t trust me and are worried about revealing too much about your abilities, I apologize for my intrusion."
Ed speaks to Adèle, who smiles in response.
"Haha, since I’ve officially hired you, Detective... why wouldn’t I trust you now? When my teacher disappeared, she was at the White Ash Rank. When I escaped, I was a Black-rank Instigator, and not long after, I advanced to the White-rank Desire Dancer. My teacher had been researching the Revelation path in search of a way to advance to the Red Completion Rank, but she never found it. If she’s still alive... she should still be at the White Ash Rank, just like me."
Adèle explains, understanding that to hire a detective, she must provide all relevant information. She continues.
"As a White-rank Desire Dancer, even without using dance, as long as I can clearly sense the target’s location, I can control their desires. For ordinary people, this level of control is enough to drive them into a frenzy. For Beyonders, the effect is much weaker without direct interaction or dance. For those below Black Earth Rank, it still works, but for those above Black Earth Rank, the effect is minimal... It’s like when you’re deciding whether to have steak or roast chicken for dinner, and I can make you choose roast chicken."
"And... if you can’t sense the specific target, can a Desire Dancer’s ability still work?"
"Yes, but it becomes uncontrollable and random. Using the ability without sensing a target is like playing the lottery—it will randomly affect the surroundings, and these effects are usually uncontrollable."
Adèle uses an analogy to explain. Hearing this, Dorothy gains a clearer understanding of the strength of a Desire Dancer’s abilities without dance. While the effect is limited against Beyonders above Black Earth Rank, it can still easily drive ordinary people into madness.
This suggests that the current situation in the Coal Ash District could indeed be caused by an out-of-control Desire Dancer’s abilities. In any case, it is necessary to investigate this area thoroughly.
"Thank you for the explanation, Miss Adèle. Understanding the specifics of a Desire Dancer’s abilities is crucial for investigating this incident... Next, we need to gather some additional information. Please be ready to use your abilities to assist me later."
After gaining a general understanding of the Desire Dancer’s abilities, Ed nods and speaks. Adèle, curious, asks.
"Additional information? What kind of information? Do I need to use my abilities?"
Hearing Adèle’s question, Ed glances out the window at a tall, distinctive building across the street. The building’s entrance is marked by a large police badge, with two officers guarding the door.
"The police station in the Coal Ash District. I need some files from inside."
Ed says, looking at the police station. Adèle, following his gaze, smiles and nods.
"Understood."
…
Next, Ed and Adèle head to the Coal Ash District police station. Under Dorothy’s control, Ed claims to be conducting an inspection and needs access to certain files. With Adèle’s charm assisting, Ed easily fools the collectively "dumbed-down" police officers and gains entry to the archives. There, Dorothy successfully finds the files she needs.
After memorizing the contents of all the files using her abilities, Dorothy has Ed quickly leave the station. Adèle and Ed then find a private booth in a nearby café. Shortly after sitting down and ordering coffee, Ed pulls out a large map and spreads it on the table. Adèle looks closely and realizes it’s a map of the surrounding urban area.
"Detective, why the map? Are you going to use a pendulum? I’ve already tried. Any information related to my teacher has been incorporated into some anti-divination system, likely by the Wolf Blood Society. Pendulum divination won’t work."
Adèle says as she watches Ed set up the map. Ed, however, responds lightly.
"This isn’t for divination. It’s for locating."
Ed says, then takes out a pen and begins marking points on the map. Adèle, seeing these points, asks curiously.
"Locating? What kind of locating?"
"Crime mapping. Didn’t you say that the consequences of your teacher’s out-of-control abilities aren’t limited to those four public killings? The crime rate in the Coal Ash District has also risen recently. This means that every crime committed in the Coal Ash District over the past half month could have been influenced by a Desire Dancer’s abilities. So, if we mark the locations of all these crimes, we might be able to find some useful information."
Ed explains, continuing to mark points on the map. Each point represents the location of a crime—theft, robbery, fights, assaults, even public nudity... all crimes resulting from a loss of emotional control.
These are all the cases Dorothy memorized from the police station’s archives. Previously, Dorothy had tried sending small corpse marionettes to steal the files, but they were all locked in iron cabinets, making it impossible for the marionettes to access them. Fortunately, with Adèle’s help, they were able to obtain the files without causing a commotion.
"Crime mapping?"
Hearing Ed’s words, Adèle murmurs. As Ed continues to mark more points on the map, her eyes light up.
"This is..."
"Ah, you see? Once all the points are marked, a lot of information becomes clear."
Putting down his pen, Ed says. The urban map is now filled with numerous points. Upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that these points are distributed in a pattern—they radiate outward from a central point, densely packed in the middle and sparser toward the edges.
According to Adèle’s earlier explanation, a Desire Dancer’s abilities can be extended by consuming additional spirituality, but the effect still weakens with distance.
If the abnormal spike in the Coal Ash District’s crime rate is indeed caused by a Desire Dancer’s out-of-control abilities, then the closer an area is to the source of the out-of-control, the stronger the influence and the more concentrated the crimes. The marked map before them clearly demonstrates this.
Now, both Ed and Adèle focus their attention on the central point of the radiating pattern on the map. Ed circles the area, which is labeled "Charcoal Junction."
…
While Ed and Adèle are analyzing the map in the café, back at the Coal Ash District police station they had visited earlier, another pair of eyes is also examining a similar map.
In the chief’s office of the Coal Ash District police station, the once-arrogant police chief now stands nervously beside his desk. Sitting in his chair is another man.
This man is in his thirties, wearing a loose overcoat, with shoulder-length, messy yellow hair and a stubbly chin. His expression is one of disdain, and his feet are propped up on the chief’s desk. Despite his slovenly posture, the police chief dares not show any displeasure, knowing full well that this man is someone he cannot afford to offend.
This man is Edmond, the stationed captain of Tivian’s Serenity Bureau. He has brought his team to the Coal Ash District to investigate the strange phenomenon of the sudden spike in crime. The anomalies in West Tivian have caught the attention of the Serenity Bureau, and not long after Ed and Adèle left, Edmond and his team stormed into the police station.
In the chief’s office, Edmond sits in the center, with the nervous police chief standing beside him. Around them, several black-clad Hunters are busy. They are reviewing the files just brought out from the archives, carefully extracting information and marking black dots on a city map in the office.
As the number of black dots on the map increases, Edmond’s attention gradually focuses on an area with a high concentration of dots. From the map, it appears to be a junction.