In the 'Egret' district …
After passing through a cluster of low, shabby houses, Buck led Heidi to a secluded place that was overgrown with weeds. It was creepy even during the day.
"This place is occupied by a few homeless people, but they have to work hard to make a living during the day. That's why we can't see them." Buck pointed at the shaking wall.
Turning around a few mud houses that might collapse at any moment, Heidi saw the crime scene on the photo. Dirty water was flowing everywhere, and flies were flying everywhere. The stench was overwhelming.
"Those homeless people have no idea of keeping their environment clean at all. The entrance of the sewer is right next to them, but they are still throwing garbage everywhere." Buck cursed. Even a detective like him couldn't help but frown at this place, not to mention Ms. Heidi, an arcanist from the Atom Institution!
Although this was not Heidi's specialty, the compulsory missions from the Congress of Magic had given her enough adventures. Compared with the nests of ogres, trolls and other monsters, this place was as clean and refreshing as a noble lady's garden. Therefore, she walked to a corner without frowning at all and investigated for clues with prophecy and necromancy spells.
"There was a storm yesterday. Many traces have been destroyed …" Heidi confirmed her speculation from the magic feedback.
Buck looked at her expectantly. "Yes. We're also faced with the same problem. That's why we're asking the Congress for help. Do you have any solutions?"
He did not use the full name of 'Congress of Magic' to show that he was a typical supporter of magic.
In the solemn crime scene, Heidi did not laugh or play. Instead, she solemnly took out the flesh of the victim and performed 'Kindred Location', a fifth-circle spell of the school of astrology.
The flesh in her hand suddenly melted and dripped to the ground. Attracted by a mysterious power, it was pointed to somewhere far away.
"This spell can only locate living creatures in the beginning. After modification, it can also be used to trace the deceased within a certain time range. As long as the murderer still has the internal organs, 'it' will lead us to him." A layer of blood seemed to be wriggling on Heidi's left hand.
Buck looked at the amazing spell in amazement. He was determined to send his son to the generic school for basic magic education again.
This time, it was Heidi's turn to lead Buck, and the two of them moved through the Egret District to track down the murderer.
After a while, when they reached a fork in the road, the blood in Heidi's hand suddenly stopped boiling and twisting, as if it had lost the last bit of vitality. The dark red color faded away, and a rotten smell was emitted.
"Ma 'am, what's wrong?" Buck asked worriedly.
Heidi looked around with a serious expression on her baby face. "The connection between the 'same kind' has been deliberately cut off. This can only be achieved by someone with enough magic, divine power, or the strength of a Knight."
"What?" Barker was rather surprised. How could an official sorcerer and a noble Knight be involved in a serial murder case that targeted the poor? What were they after?
Heidi wrinkled her nose. "I've asked why the murderer didn't destroy the body. Now it seems that it's not because they don't have the ability, but because they have other purposes."
"Other motives?" Although Buck knew a lot of secret files, he still lacked "common sense" compared to Heidi, who was an experienced sorcerer.
Heidi looked around and said casually, "Generally speaking, such a weird situation is related to evil magic rituals or cults. When they use 'internal organs', they emphasize that the original body is still there …"
"Then, I'll submit your conclusion, ma 'am." Buck was about to back off. As a detective who was only a senior-rank squire, he could not afford to be involved in such a thing recklessly. He might as well leave it to the leadership of the police department or ask for the help of a senior-rank Knight!
He looked at the fork, one of which led to the outside of the city, and the other to the other side of the 'Egret District'. So, he concluded, "The murderers must've escaped from the city. It's hard to trace them now.
Heidi was rather excited. It was rare to run into evil magic rituals or cults. She took out the magic crystal ball eagerly and said solemnly, "I'm not sure. Let's confirm it again."
In Renstadt, she was not worried that she would run into enemies that she could not deal with. A battle beyond a certain intensity would be discovered by the guardians of the Nekso Palace and the headquarters of the Will of Elements.
The transparent crystal ball turned dark under the magic power. Then, brilliant starlight glowed and connected into a belt of light.
"They went to the other side of the Egret District …" That was the feedback that Heidi received from the astrology. "Let's go and take a look."
Buck was slightly upset, but he did not dare to argue. He could only follow Heidi.
"Ms. Heidi is a sorcerer close to the senior rank and a student of a legend. She must have a lot of powerful items. Even if she runs into evil sorcerers or cults, it won't be a problem …" Thinking about that, he gradually calmed down.
At this moment, he saw that Heidi had been playing with a silver badge in her hands. It was engraved with the symbols of elements. It seemed to be a miniature of the periodic table of elements. As a fundamental item in the field of elements, even the civilians knew about the periodic table of elements. Many people even carved it on the door of their house, thinking that it could resist evil.
Heidi chuckled. "It's a medium for a magic ritual."
"A magic ritual …" According to Buck's shallow magic knowledge, shouldn't it be something that should be prepared a long time ago?
As they talked, they came to a corner of the slum along the path. It was rather crowded here.
"If it's a cultist, there must be a lot of people, which is consistent with more than one murderer. So, let's ask whose house is frequented by strangers or whose house is noisy at night. We should be able to find some clues." Buck offered his opinion to Heidi based on his experience.
Heidi smiled. "Thank you for your trouble, Detective Buck."
In front of a low house stood an old woman with a face full of wrinkles. She was drying the washed clothes.
"Nice to meet you, ma 'am. I am Buck, a senior detective of the Royal Police Department. I would like to ask you a few questions." Buck politely showed his badge.
The old lady wiped her hands in a daze and panic. "Mr. Detective, please ask whatever you want."
Such a poor person who had never seen the world generally behaved like that when they met a detective. So, Buck secretly nodded. "You must be familiar with this street, right? Is there anyone whose house is frequented by a large number of strangers, or is it noisy at night, causing everyone to be unable to sleep? "
The old lady thought for a moment and said, "No, I haven't. I rarely go to other places on the street."
Buck put his badge away. "Then do you know anyone who is familiar with this street?"
"Yes, Mr. Mara of the Black Brotherhood," said the old lady in a low voice, as if she were rather scared of Mr. Mara.
Buck nodded. "Then take us to him."
"No, no, Mr. Detective, you should find someone else." The old lady waved her hands in a hurry.
Buck would never compromise. Under his strict attitude, the old lady closed the door of her house and led him and Heidi to the depths of the street.
Under the low houses on both sides of the street, women were washing clothes, men were chopping wood, and children were looking at strangers curiously.
"What a lively place." Buck remarked with mixed feelings.
Frowning, Heidi observed the surroundings but did not say anything.
At this moment, the old lady stopped in front of the most magnificent two-story building in the slum. "Mr. Detective, ma 'am, Mr. Mara is inside."
As she spoke, she helped to knock on the door.
Heidi suddenly said, "We can't visit Mr. Mara today. We have urgent business."
"What?" Buck asked in confusion, but Heidi's voice suddenly echoed in his heart. "Go out first. I'll do it myself, or I may not be able to take care of you."
"Why?" Buck became nervous. Was this the legendary telepathic bond?
Heidi chuckled without a smile. "The poor people in the slum have to work for more than ten hours every day to survive. So, there are only children and few women in the house during the day. Look at how many men are staying at home. What do they do to feed themselves and their families?"
Buck was immediately soaked in cold sweat. As a senior detective, he had never had any basic experience. If it were the regular detectives under him, they might've noticed the problem long ago. So, he cooperated with Heidi and said, "That's right. It suddenly occurred to me that we have urgent business in the police department. We'll visit Mr. Mara tomorrow."
"Hehe. You're still thinking of leaving when you've already discovered the problem?" A cold and hoarse voice came out of the two-story building. The door was blown open by a strong wind, and the intense smell of blood spread out.
In the spacious hall, the heart, intestines, spleen and other organs were placed in a weird pattern. Not only were they as red as before, but they were also expanding rhythmically.
The men, women and children around all stood up. Their mouths were completely open, revealing their teeth. Their tongues were full of thorns, and their eyes were crimson and cold, emitting an evil and paralyzing vibe.
The old woman standing next to him suddenly shriveled like a balloon that had been punctured. Then, she quickly expanded again. Her eyes were red, and she said in a hoarse male voice, "Do you still want to go?"
He raised his hand and pointed at Buck. Buck immediately sensed that a substantial black air was gathered at his fingertip. The terrifying air of death paralyzed him and made him unable to move.
"Finger of Death?" In the telepathic bond, Buck heard Heidi's voice.
As the black air gathered, death came at him like a needle. Buck thought numbly, "Am I going to die?"
At this moment, he felt that his body was blurred and then stabilized, and he appeared on the other side of the street.
"What?" He came back to himself in surprise, only to discover that it was Heidi who took him to flash away when the magic attack came.
In the meantime, 'Douglas's Absorption Wall' appeared and blocked the crimson rays of the monsters.
"You are not a senior-rank. How can you use Spell Trigger?" The hoarse male voice blurted out in surprise. The old woman's body collapsed as if it couldn't bear the power. Her flesh and her bones fell to the ground.
At this moment, the organs in the hall began to wriggle and gather into a weird shape of a human being.
Heidi chuckled. "Although I'm not a senior-rank, who says that Spell Trigger can only be used by senior-ranks? Such spells that are stored in advance and triggered according to specific situations happen to be in my field of study. They are a comprehensive application of storage, control, computation, information collection and input, and magic output. I can't simplify them all, but I can simplify a few modules with items … Maybe a fifth-circle sorcerer will be a senior-rank sorcerer in the future! "
She did not seem to be in a hurry at all, but her left hand pressed on the silver badge nonstop, as if she were casting a complicated spell.
The monster of organs said angrily, "I don't understand you, but you won't live either! Are you capable of other senior-rank spells? "
He was about to complete his body, and the monsters blocked the street densely. The magic power that rose in secret interfered with his flight.
Sensing the gazes of the crimson eyes, Buck was so scared that his legs were shivering. He could only place his hope on Heidi.
After Heidi finished pressing with her left hand, she suddenly threw out the silver badge and said in a mysterious voice, "The roar from space calls for the arrival of the Atomic Universe …"
The monster lunged out the moment it heard the spell. Its body stretched into a long curtain of blood, corroding everything around.
He knew very well that legends were close to gods. Therefore, many magic rituals could only be performed by summoning and communicating with different legendary demiplanes. For example, many rituals of the Hand of Paleness required the enhancement of the projection of the Silent Hell, the Land of Bones, and the Lord of the Undead's Resting Place. Generally speaking, as long as the rules of legends were met, one could use them after paying a certain price, unless the legendary expert specifically blocked and concealed his demiplane.
What he found hard to believe was that no magic ritual could be performed so quickly.
Was it stored in advance again?
The spell stopped, and the surroundings became extremely quiet. The curtain of darkness fell, and the illusionary planets of elements appeared one after another.
Arcana Light glowed in Heidi's hands, and the projection in the Atomic Universe was enlarged, revealing a planet that was constantly condensing like a sun.
With its help, a vast and scorching light swept across the entire slum area, and the red-eyed "split-mouthed monsters" silently merged with each other.
"No!" The monster of internal organs screamed miserably.
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