East Tivian, Stone Bridge Intersection.
In the afternoon, the intersection in the Eastern District is bustling with people. The ground is damp from the recent light rain, and a grayish-white mist hangs over the streets, making the passing pedestrians appear and disappear like shadows.
Under a streetlamp at the intersection, Gregor, dressed in a thick overcoat, stands with his eyes fixed on a restaurant across the street. After staring for a while, he glances at his watch and lets out a sigh of relief.
"It’s time..."
Muttering to himself, Gregor closes his eyes and begins to pray to the distant, unknown entity, asking it to establish a connection and link him with the mysterious detective.
After finishing his prayer, Gregor begins to wait silently. After just a short wait, a male voice echoes in his mind.
"Is this the Hunter?"
"Yes, Detective. As per your earlier instructions, I’m about to make contact with those people. I need your help now."
Hearing the voice in his mind, Gregor is momentarily stunned but quickly responds in a low voice. Soon, the voice in his head continues.
"Understood. Have you already drawn the mark on your body?" "Yes, it’s on my right arm, inside my sleeve."
"Good. Now, please don’t be nervous or resist."
The voice in his head instructs, and Gregor follows the advice, taking a deep breath and relaxing his body and mind. Then, he feels his body begin to move independently of his will. His head starts turning on its own, as if scanning the surroundings.
This sensation is familiar to Gregor; he experienced it a few days ago on the train. He knows that this is the detective using the mark on his body to control him—a Beyonder ability of some sort.
After taking control of Gregor’s body, Dorothy immediately uses his vision to observe the surroundings. Soon, she spots the Harren’s Restaurant across the street—the meeting place she had arranged with the lackey. However, Dorothy doesn’t rush to make Gregor enter the restaurant. Instead, she speaks through the detective’s voice.
"By the way, before we meet that guy... I’d like to ask, Hunter, how did your review at headquarters go? Did anything unusual happen?"
Dorothy asks Gregor. Since the upcoming meeting will inevitably involve questions about the review, Dorothy needs to get some information from Gregor first.
"About the review... Well, yes, quite a few things happened. To be honest, Detective, the extent of the infiltration at headquarters... is probably far worse than we initially expected."
Gregor responds in a serious tone. Hearing this, Dorothy is momentarily taken aback and frowns before continuing.
"The infiltration is worse than expected? Why?"
Dorothy asks, and after a moment of hesitation, Gregor recounts his recent conversation with Director Harold at headquarters. After listening to Gregor’s account, Dorothy, sitting by the fireplace at home, can’t help but furrow her brow.
“I didn’t expect... that Gregor would be immediately assigned to the anti-mole team after being transferred to headquarters. Did the Eight-Spired Nest anticipate this and replace Gregor in advance?”
“And... the Serenity Bureau now possesses some rituals from the Blood Shade Path? Did the Eight-Spired Nest intentionally leak this? If that’s the case, then the infiltration of the Serenity Bureau is truly terrifying. I wonder how they managed to do it…”
Dorothy silently ponders this, recalling that Claudius, the vampire from the Eight-Spired Nest, once mentioned they could exert some special influence on the Serenity Bureau. She wonders if this influence refers to the moles they’ve planted within the bureau or the method they used to plant them.
“But I never expected Gregor to end up on the Vampire path instead of the Aeromancer path. This is actually fortunate... Only by being a Beyonder of this branch can he better deal with the Eight-Spired Nest.”
Dorothy thinks this to herself, then continues to communicate with Gregor through their mental link.
"Thank you for the information, Hunter. It will likely be very useful. Now, let’s go meet that contact..."
With that, Dorothy, controlling Gregor, straightens his posture, adjusts his collar, and strides forward with determination. After crossing the street, she quickly arrives at the entrance of Harren’s Restaurant.
Using Gregor’s vision, Dorothy scans the restaurant’s second floor and soon spots a familiar middle-aged man in a slightly overweight suit sitting in a window booth. It’s the same man who was Adelin’s accomplice and subordinate on the train. It seems he has arrived first.
Seeing the man, Dorothy smiles slightly and has Gregor enter the restaurant, making his way to the private booth on the second floor where the man is seated. When the man sees Gregor enter, he is momentarily surprised but quickly smiles and says.
"Mr. Adelin, you’ve finally arrived."
"Keep your voice down... Don’t just call my name like that. Also, close the curtains. We don’t want anyone outside to see."
After entering, Gregor immediately closes the booth door and glares coldly at the man. Dorothy continues to infuse Gregor’s words with the effects of The Queen’s Procession, making the man feel a sense of intimidation.
"Understood, sir."
Feeling the pressure, the man doesn’t dare to resist and quickly closes the curtains. Dorothy then has Gregor sit down across from the man, officially beginning the meeting.
"Sir... You’re still maintaining the appearance of that dead Hunter. Aren’t you going to switch back to your original appearance to relax a bit?"
After sitting down, the man curiously asks the person in front of him. Hearing the man’s question, Gregor’s true consciousness feels a wave of nervousness, but fortunately, his tension isn’t reflected in his expression since Dorothy is controlling his face. At this moment, Dorothy has Gregor let out a cold snort and retort.
"Hmph... When have you ever seen my original appearance?"
"Ah... When we first met, before you took on the train conductor’s appearance... Was that face not your real one either?"
Hearing Gregor’s response, the man is momentarily stunned. He had been curious why "Mr. Adelin" was still using the Hunter’s face during this private meeting instead of reverting to his original appearance. But Gregor’s words make the man realize that the face he had seen before might not have been Adelin’s true face at all—it could have been another disguise!
Hearing Gregor’s retort, the man is momentarily speechless, and Dorothy has Gregor continue calmly.
"As a Shadow Facade, disguise is an eternal theme. The most important rule is to never reveal your true face easily, not even to your own people. Think about it—if you were a traitor or a mole, and I showed you my true face, wouldn’t I be in great danger?"
With a meaningful tone, Gregor looks at the man in front of him. The man is startled by Gregor’s words and quickly defends himself.
"Sir, I could never be a traitor! My loyalty to the society is absolute! You must believe me!"
"Hah... It’s just an example. No need to be nervous. I’m just teaching you the principles of being a Shadow Facade."
Gregor chuckles as he speaks to the man, who finally relaxes, his respect for the Shadow Facade in front of him growing even more.
"Thank you for your guidance, sir... But time is tight... Let’s get to the main point..."
The man says, and finally, they begin the real purpose of the meeting.
"The society sent me to meet with you mainly to confirm your current situation, particularly regarding the review, and to see if we can provide you with a Face Spider for communication. There’s also a small task."
The man speaks seriously to Gregor, and Dorothy, controlling Gregor, quickly responds.
"My situation is good. Thanks to the information provided by the society, I’ve passed their review without any issues. They’re arranging my promotion now. Until the promotion is complete, I have to stay at headquarters and don’t have much freedom of movement. So, there’s no need to give me the Face Spider yet. Once the promotion is done and I have my own place in the city, we can discuss it. Otherwise, being constantly exposed to the Illuminating Beacons at headquarters, there’s a risk of exposing any mystical items."
Gregor explains to the man. Dorothy understands that accepting the so-called Face Spider would likely mean direct communication with the upper echelons of the Eight-Spired Nest, not this lackey. The upper echelons wouldn’t be fooled by the effects of The Queen’s Procession, so it’s best not to have any contact with them until Gregor has truly become a Shadow Facade.
"I see... I’ll report your situation to the higher-ups. I’ve opened a store called Donald’s Department Store on Silver Road in the Eastern District as a cover. If you gain freedom of movement and need the Face Spider, or if you have any important information to pass on to the society, you can come find me there."
The man says, and Gregor glances at him before asking.
"So, your alias is Donald now?"
"Yes, that’s right. If you come looking for me, just tell the staff you’re looking for Donald."
The man, now using the alias Donald, confirms. Gregor nods and continues.
"Understood. I’ll visit you once they let me live outside... By the way, you mentioned the society has a task for me? What is it?"
Gregor asks, and Donald quickly responds.
"It’s just a small reconnaissance task. Lord Berlitt wants you to keep an eye out within the Serenity Bureau for any information about Davic Jones, a member of the Wolf Blood Society. If you find anything, report back to me... Oh, and Lord Berlitt specifically instructed that this task isn’t critical. Investigate if you can, but don’t take any risks that might expose you."
Donald speaks seriously to Gregor. Hearing this, Dorothy, sitting at home in Green Shade Town, is momentarily shocked. Davic Jones, a member of the Wolf Blood Society... Isn’t that the Black Earth-rank Beastman who, according to Adèle, interrogated her teacher? Has he been captured by the Serenity Bureau? And why is the Eight-Spired Nest looking for him?
At this thought, Dorothy’s heart skips a beat, but she calms herself and continues to control Gregor, asking Donald seriously.
"Davic... Jones... A member of the Wolf Blood Society? Hmph... Are we really looking for one of their people now?"
"Yes, it seems one of their members was captured. Those lunatics are hard to deal with, but since they’re paying, we have no choice. That’s the business we’re in."
Donald shrugs as he speaks. Hearing this, Dorothy understands that the Eight-Spired Nest seems to be involved in the information trade within Tivian’s mysticism world. The Wolf Blood Society must have paid them to find Davic. Did the Wolf Blood Society specifically seek out the Eight-Spired Nest because they know how deeply the Eight-Spired Nest has infiltrated the Serenity Bureau? Does the Wolf Blood Society believe the Serenity Bureau is behind Davic’s disappearance?
Dorothy ponders this, feeling that the situation is becoming increasingly complex. However, she doesn’t let her thoughts distract her from controlling Gregor.
"Understood... I’ll do my best to investigate this within the bureau. But with just a name, the trail is a bit thin..."
Dorothy continues to control Gregor as she speaks, and Donald, after a moment of thought, responds.
"As for clues... Lord Berlitt did provide one. According to the Wolf Blood Society, Davic was captured in the Southern District. So, Lord Berlitt suggests you pay attention to the recent movements of Hunters in the Southern District. You might find some leads there."
“The Southern District... That’s a pretty broad area... But still, it’s a clue.”
Dorothy thinks to herself, then has Gregor continue.
"Understood. I’ll do my best to investigate, but I’ve just arrived at headquarters. It might be difficult to find anything."
"That’s alright, sir. Finding Davic isn’t a top priority for us. As Lord Berlitt said, it’s good if we find him—we can squeeze some money out of the Wolf Blood Society. But if we don’t find him, it’s no big deal. Just don’t take any risks for this task."
Donald reminds him, and Dorothy has Gregor nod in response.
After a brief discussion, the two part ways, and Gregor quickly leaves, heading downstairs.
Exiting the restaurant, Gregor walks briskly into a secluded alley. Here, Dorothy releases control of Gregor’s body, and his main consciousness regains control.
"Phew... Thank you, Detective."
Leaning against the wall, Gregor takes a few deep breaths and speaks. The situation of pretending to be someone else and meeting with a society member would have been difficult for him to handle alone. For example, when Donald asked why he hadn’t switched back to his original appearance, Gregor wasn’t sure how to respond. At that moment, he was grateful that the detective was controlling his body, as the detective seemed to have a natural talent for acting.
"Don’t mention it, Hunter. But I suggest that in the future, when I control you to deal with members of the Eight-Spired Nest, you should observe and remember as much as you can. There may be situations where I can’t help you, and you’ll have to rely on yourself.”
"Being a Hunter in Tivian isn’t just about being brave in battle."
Speaking as the detective, Dorothy offers this advice to her brother, and Gregor responds seriously.
"Understood. Thank you for your guidance, Detective."
"No need to thank me. I promised Paarthurnax that I’d look out for you. If anything else comes up, just pray to Aka to contact me. Goodbye."
With that final response, the detective’s voice fades from Gregor’s mind. Gregor takes a deep breath to steady himself, then walks out of the alley. As he steps out, a cold autumn wind blows, causing him to shiver and sneeze loudly.
"Achoo…”
"Brr... It’s getting colder. I should head back."
…
Meanwhile, at Green Shade Town No.17, Dorothy continues to sit by the fireplace in her living room, warming herself. She gazes at the flickering flames in the hearth, deep in thought.
“Davic Jones... It seems this guy has become a key figure. From what I can tell, he’s gone missing, and the Wolf Blood Society believes the Serenity Bureau captured him, so they’ve paid the Eight-Spired Nest to gather intelligence within the bureau…”
“So... Where is Davic now?”
Dorothy ponders this, and after a while, she quietly takes out her Literary Sea Logbook, flipping through it until she reaches Adèle’s contact page. After a moment of thought, she picks up her pen and writes.
"Adèle, I need more information about Davic Jones. Can you provide me with all the memories your teacher left you regarding Davic? Through prayer to Aka."
After writing this, Dorothy watches as the words sink into the book, then uses her marionette mark to alert Adèle. Although Adèle had previously said that Darlene’s memories of Davic only involved the interrogation workshop tools and didn’t contain any other valuable information, Dorothy believes she might be able to uncover more from them.