Chapter 689, Not a Trace Left
The Steward held a high status locally.
Before confirming he wasn't coming back, would these ordinary guards dare to steal under his nose?
Pocket valuable items from the room?
Wu Heng found this explanation unconvincing.
The other Guild members behind him stared fixedly at the man.
Waiting for a reasonable explanation.
The squad captain looked uneasy. He didn't expect bringing the money back would attract suspicion.
After some hesitation, he said, "Lords, this is a misunderstanding. Truly a misunderstanding."
"What kind of misunderstanding? Let's hear it," Wu Heng said, eyes still locked on him.
The captain quickly responded, "We didn't take the items. They were stolen during the chaos in the city. Because it involved the Steward, we recovered some. But... some of the men were dishonest and divided the goods."
He looked up cautiously and added, "When we heard the Central Office was coming to investigate, we feared trouble and retrieved what we could to hand over."
Wu Heng and the others frowned.
He actually had a whole story ready.
So the items weren't stolen by them, but recovered loot—some of which had been taken.
With the Guild now investigating, they returned it out of fear.
"If you hadn't brought it back, we'd never have known," Wu Heng said.
"Lord, the City Lord ordered not to provoke the Guild. The money wasn't much for each person, and we didn't want trouble," the captain continued, openly sharing his squad's actions.
Loot-sharing wasn't uncommon in any era.
Guild squads often divided seized goods themselves—only important items were turned in.
"Everything divided is here?" Wu Heng asked.
"Some couldn't be recovered, so we calculated the difference. Please forgive us."
Hmph~!
Elder mage Janvito snorted coldly.
The other Guild members also looked displeased.
These were high-level or well-connected people—money meant little to them.
But the missing items could be crucial to the case.
Wu Heng sized the captain up but chose not to press further.
"Captain, please come with us. It's best to clear things up."
"Ah? Lord, I really don't know anything more. I'm afraid I can't help," the captain replied, face changing.
"Don't worry. Just a few questions," Wu Heng said, glancing behind him.
A few Guild members stepped forward toward the captain.
The captain's guards grew restless, preparing for a fight.
"Don't move. I'll go with you," said the captain, then told his men, "I'll go to the Guild. Report everything."
Seeing him cooperate, Wu Heng nodded. "Good."
Wu Heng didn't have many methods to deal with the living.
His only [Sincerity Golem] was taken from a secretly slain inspector—not something he could use openly.
He was limited—but others in the Guild were not.
Among the group was a level 15 cleric with [Detect Lies].
According to what Sheila Grey had told him, this skill wasn't easy to detect.
And this squad captain looked only level 7 or 8.
Verifying his words would be no problem.
With nothing more to find here, Wu Heng assigned two members to stay behind. The rest headed to the Guild Hall.
Just reaching the gate, the dwarf 'Kaitan' returned from City Hall.
"Hand him over to the Elder. Explain the situation," Wu Heng said.
The squad escorted the captain into the Guild.
Wu Heng walked to Kaitan. "How was it?"
"No records. None of the three names had any property or info," the dwarf replied.
Wu Heng frowned. This was harder than expected.
Both investigative angles had come up empty.
Elder Janvito asked, "What's next?"
Wu Heng said, "Call out the local Deputy Steward."
A member went inside and returned with the Deputy Steward.
"Lords."
"You said many people died in the city. Where are the bodies?" Wu Heng asked.
"Burned. Black smoke rose for days. The whole city stank of burning flesh," the Deputy Steward answered.
"All those bodies burned?"
He thought for a moment. "Local residents with families—those were buried in the cemetery."
"Take us there. And prepare a carriage for Dean Janvito," Wu Heng said.
"Yes," the Deputy Steward nodded and began arrangements.
Soon, carriages and horses were brought.
The elder mage and investigator rode the carriage; the rest on horseback followed the Deputy Steward out of the city.
......
City gate.
The guards only asked a few questions, then let them through.
A complete turnaround from that morning's reception.
Without pause, they reached the cemetery.
Grave mounds stretched as far as the eye could see.
Wu Heng handed out masks from his ring and ordered a skeleton, "Dig the graves, front to back."
Skeletons grabbed shovels and unearthed the corpses.
As the coffins opened, the stench of rot and decay filled the air.
Many instinctively stepped back.
Wu Heng cast [Speak with Dead] on one corpse. It sat up, head turning, an eyeball falling out.
"How did you die?"
The corpse rasped, "Two sides fought. I was killed."
"Any info about the Guild Steward?"
"No."
"During the civil war in the city, did you hear anything special?"
The corpse paused. "The City Lord's Mansion claimed reinforcements would come to defend the city..."
......
Guild Hall, Steward's Office.
Elder Tapani sat at the desk, reviewing earlier documents.
Knock knock knock~!
Two level 15 Professionals entered.
The cleric said, "Elder, the City Lord's men took him. We learned nothing."
"Was he lying?" Tapani frowned.
"At his level, he couldn't lie to me. Some men did divide items. With the City Lord banning conflict, they returned them," the cleric said.
"Did the investigator record it all?"
"Yes."
As they spoke, another knock.
Wu Heng, Janvito, and others entered.
Tapani's eyes lit up. "Any findings?"
"Checked the Steward's home. Dug the cemetery. Asked the dead. Nothing yet," Wu Heng replied. "Where's the captain?"
The cleric said, "He spoke truthfully. They divided the goods."
Silence fell.
The Guild's entry into the city couldn't be hidden.
So Wu Heng and the others had started investigating immediately.
But they'd found nothing.
"Not an auspicious start," the elder muttered, then said, "Wu Heng, what next?"
"First, gather info from other secret messengers. If needed, offer a public bounty," Wu Heng said.
The Guild couldn't have had only one secret messenger.
Others might have useful intel.
Public bounties were a last resort—and a hit to the Guild's image.
"Could it have been an accident, not a murder?" someone asked.
Wu Heng didn't answer right away. He sat and thought.
Then said, "I've been considering something."
"What?"
"There's no body. No known death location. The house was disturbed. If not for the secret messenger to Gold-Silver Island, the Steward's disappearance could've been blamed on the war."