In the southern suburbs of Huaishan City.
Large stretches of green hills rose and fell, as if they were covered with a thick layer of green carpet.
On one of the slopes, there were a few yellow and white dots scattered sparsely. They were all single and double-story buildings. Most of these small buildings were square in shape, built with pale yellow stones that were slightly white.
Green vines crawled all over the sides of the buildings and on the door frames. Some of the vines even bloomed white and yellow flowers.
Below one of the two-story buildings, there were two arched doorways, forming a half-open shaded area.
There were two tables in the doorway. On the left side of the table, there were four people drinking tea and resting.
Two middle-aged men each brought a young woman, sitting across from each other.
The older man had a beautiful mustache, wore a neat and exquisite black suit, and held a brown wooden cane in one hand. He looked to be in his forties. He picked up the wooden cup of black tea on the table and took a sip.
"Mr. Kelly came all the way here to talk to me about collecting Antiques of Tragedy. This kind of enthusiasm is rare."
His gaze fell on the face of the middle-aged man sitting across from him.
The man's face was slightly pale, with short blond curly hair and a golden mustache on his chin. He wore a neat white suit. He gave off an elegant and relaxed aura. He was also much younger, probably around 30 years old.
Most importantly, the other party's eyes were like the finest rubies, sparkling and translucent, abnormally clear.
"Mr. Quicksilver's enthusiasm is what amazes me. Not only did you collect Antiques of Tragedy and jewelry everywhere, you even traced their origins back to where they came from."
The man sighed.
"Actually, collectors like us, which one of us isn't mainly interested in these things? The life we look forward to the most is to return home and see the antiques in our house, each with a mysterious origin. It's like … like … "
"It's like our own homes and lives are filled with mystery, as if they are filled with an unknown power." Dale Quicksilver added with a smile.
"That's right, that's right! That's the feeling! "The blonde man nodded." Life is always so boring! That's why we look forward to filling ourselves and our lives with mystery and fun. Perhaps that's why we collect Antiques of Tragedy. "
"Well said!" Dale Quicksilver nodded, his eyes inadvertently glancing at the man's wrist. "I got an Antique of Tragedy by accident when I was working on a case. I didn't expect that I would become so obsessed with collecting these things as time went on. In the blink of an eye, so many years had passed. Regardless of whether they were real or fake, the family had collected over a hundred Antiques of Tragedy. In the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed. How time flies … "
"Over a hundred?!" The golden-haired man's eyes lit up. "That's a lot! No wonder you're Detective Dale Quicksilver. I'm sure it's not the same as the ones you just took out. So, is your visit here related to the Antiques of Tragedy? "
"That's not entirely true." Dale Quicksilver shook his head and took the pipe from Si Lan. He took a light puff and slowly blew out a smoke ring. "This time, I'm here to track down an old rival of mine. It's about the serial murder and robbery case. The case has come to an end, so I have some time to come here and investigate. "
"Is that so? Could it be the famous Golden Hoop Bandit? " The golden-haired man stroked his beard thoughtfully. Seeing the detective nod, he continued, "The Golden Hoop Bandit has committed more than ten crimes in the Confederation. It is said that only another equally famous detective, besides yourself, has ever had direct contact with him. I wonder if you can tell me more about the Golden Hoop? "
"I'm sorry. It's not that I don't want to talk about it, but the Police Headquarters has a confidentiality agreement." Dale Quicksilver shrugged. "Well, I'm going to the Silversilk Castle in the afternoon. I wonder if Mr. Kelly is interested in going with me."
"Oh? Silversilk Castle? I've heard of this dilapidated castle in Huaishan City. I think it's an inheritance from an officer. Now that there's no money to take care of it, everything inside has been sold. " The golden-haired man, Kelly, whispered, "I heard that the castle was going to be sold to the public, but it's too dilapidated and remote. It's inconvenient to buy anything. Only those who have seen it have the intention to buy it. Are you planning to buy it?"
"I'm just going to take a look. I won't go so far as to buy it." Dale Quicksilver smiled. He turned his head and whispered a few words to Miss Si Lan. The latter nodded, stood up, and walked towards another two-story building not far away. Soon, her figure disappeared into the dense green bushes.
"The vegetation here is so dense. It's autumn and there's no sign of desolation. If it wasn't so far away from home, I would've moved here." Dale Quicksilver puffed out a smoke ring and said with deep emotion.
"You're right. I'm just like that. Once I settle down, I don't want to leave." Kelly replied with a smile. He also said a few words to the golden-haired woman beside him. The latter immediately stood up and walked towards the black car parked on the road outside the building.
"It's a two-hour drive from here to the Silversilk Castle. It's almost five o 'clock in the afternoon. If we go now, we'll be back at night. Or is Mr. Dale planning to spend the night there? "Kelly stood up and asked in confusion.
"These days, I've been spending the night there occasionally. It's nothing strange. I've already discussed with the owner of the castle, Nasves, and paid him a sum of money to rent the castle to me for two months. Since everything inside has been moved out, he's not afraid of losing anything. "Dale Quicksilver stood up." Alright, Mr. Kelly, you don't have to drive your car over. There's no place to refuel around here. It's best to take a carriage. "
"That's true. Then I'll have to bother you for a day or two. "
"It's nothing. We're all in the same boat. It's rare for me to meet a friend who shares the same interests as me. To be honest, this hobby of mine has been criticized in my circle of friends. Alright, I won't say more. I'll go get the carriage. See you on the road. "
"Okay, see you later."
Kelly stood by the table and took a sip of his black tea. He watched Dale Quicksilver slowly walk through the bushes towards a black two-wheeled carriage coming from the road. Miss Si Lan was wearing a white windbreaker. She jumped off the carriage and waited for him on the side.
The winding road extended into the distance like a long, greyish-white snake that stretched into the distance. Not far from the front of the road, there were two ox carts dragging golden wheat slowly moving.
A warm breeze blew over and lifted the hem of Kelly's white suit. The air was filled with a leisurely and comfortable pace of life.
He rubbed his chin.
"This beard looks so real."
"Of course." The platinum-haired girl with a ponytail who had left earlier returned to his side. "The route to the Silversilk Castle will take at least two hours by carriage. Then, we'll have to walk on a mountain road. It's a bit remote. I'm afraid we'll have to spend the night there. "
"Mr. Dale promised me that I could stay overnight in the castle," Kelly said with a smile. "Let's go. Don't let our great detective wait."
The girl watched Kelly's back as he slowly walked away. A trace of doubt flashed through her eyes. Although he knew that it was just a disguise, no matter how he looked at it, Kelly was much more mature than Garen, and much more real. He didn't look like a teenager at all.
It was as if Garon was Kelly's disguise, and Garon, who had become Kelly, had revealed his true nature.
She shook her head slightly and stopped thinking about it. She hurried to catch up with him. The two of them walked in tandem towards the waiting carriage in the distance.
Before entering the carriage, Garon casually plucked a purplish-red flower from the grass beside him and sniffed it. When he got closer, he saw that there were many tiny black bugs crawling in the center of the flower. They looked like ants, and the flower didn't have any fragrance.
The four of them got into the two-row carriage. Dale and Quicksilver sat in the front, while Garon and Ge Reese sat in the back.
The whip cracked lightly in the air. Suddenly, the two sturdy yellow horses slowly pulled the carriage forward. The bells on their necks also began to ring.
Dale Quicksilver said with a smile when he saw Garon plucking a purplish-red flower.
"The flowers here don't have any fragrance, but strangely, they attract a lot of bugs. I don't know why."
Garon stretched out his index finger and let a small black bug crawl up his finger along the petal. It tickled his finger. The bug looked like a small black ladybug. Its two semi-circular wings flapped from time to time to maintain balance.
"There are always different strange phenomena around the origins of Antiques of Tragedy. Isn't that normal?" He smiled. "If it was the same as other places, it wouldn't have attracted us here. It's a pity that you didn't bring your other antiques with you. Otherwise, I might have been able to feast my eyes on them. "
Dale Quicksilver laughed.
"I thought you were a liar who only knew how to brag. I didn't expect you to see through the few Antiques of Tragedy I brought. I didn't expect to meet a confidant like you here. I thought I was the only one who liked to study Antiques of Tragedy. "
"Me too." Garon plucked a petal and gently bounced out of the carriage. He also laughed out loud. "But what's so special about the Silversilk Castle that you're interested in? I've lived here for so long, but I don't know. "
Dale Quicksilver handed the whip to Si Lan and asked her to hurry. He took out a stack of white documents from his bag and handed it over. "This is some information I've collected. Take a look."
Garon took it and looked at the title on the first page: Castle Owner Died Unexpectedly. Below it was a large report about the process of discovering the owner's death.
Flipping to the second page, the title was similar.
The third page was the same, but there was an additional photo. It was a picture of the Silversilk Castle.
Three successive castle owners had died an unnatural death. The murderer was unknown. They all died peacefully in their own beds without any signs. They were like old people who had passed away. Strangely, all three owners were young and strong middle-aged military officers.
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