In a gloomy house in Backlund, Hillston Borough.
A middle-aged man with graying hair, dressed in a white shirt and black vest, sat silently on a rocking chair in front of an unlit fireplace, holding a dark-colored pipe in his hand.
He was the master of this building, Isengard Stanton, a private detective with notable fame. But he didn't set up an office, merely hiring assistants.
He looked at the guest on the sofa.
"The fee for a thirty-minute consultation is one pound. If I were you, I would definitely not waste a second."
The two ladies on the sofa across from him were Fors Wall and Xio Derecha. They had found materials relating to Rear Admiral Hurricane Qilangos and wanted to ask this detective to consolidate the habits and actions of their target.
Of course, they had removed Qilangos's name and changed the description regarding supernatural incidents.
Xio Derecha handed the folder containing the documents to Isengard's assistant, a brown-haired young man wearing gold-framed spectacles.
"Mr. Detective, I hope that you can find habits in the target's actions using the material we have provided."
Even though she wasn't tall, Xio Derecha had an air of authority when she sat straight and spoke in a deep voice.
Isengard received the docket from his assistant. He opened the folder and took out the material within.
He set down his pipe and focused on reading page after page without missing a single one.
Ten minutes later, this gentleman slowly tapped on the handle.
"The target has an obsession with the wind and won't stay for long in a polluted area in Backlund, the Capital of Dust. In other words, he could be staying at the Empress Borough, West Borough, Hillston Borough, Cherwood Borough, or the suburbs of the North Borough...
The target is a psychotic serial killer; he would likely target the vagrants that have nowhere to go since even the police have no records of the exact number of vagrants in Backlund.
The target wouldn't be living in an area too near or too far from North Borough or Backlund Bridge, which have the highest concentration of vagrants. It would be the act of someone unsophisticated to search for victims that are too close to him. That isn't consistent with your descriptions. If the target has to spend a large amount of time before he can find someone to murder, then he might lose control of his desires and commit crimes that would easily expose him.
The target is an experienced sailor and has exceptional mobility in the water. He wouldn't be living somewhere too far away from the water. If anything unexpected happens, that would be his best means of escape."
"In summary, we can outline the possible radius of activity for the target. He should be living somewhere close to the Backlund Bridge area. Perhaps somewhere close to both banks of the Tussock River—the West Borough or the Cherwood Borough."
"I can only deduce this from the materials that you have given me."
Even though they didn't understand all of it, his deductions seemed to make sense. Xio and Fors looked at each other and nodded. They took back their materials and stood up to leave.
Seeing his assistant send off the two ladies, Isengard took out a bronze item from his vest pocket. It was an open paperback book. In the middle of the book was a vertical eye.
Isengard rocked his chair, rubbing the item while softly muttering to himself, "Qilangos has infiltrated Backlund?"
...
In a particular basement of Pritz Harbor.
Alger sat in a chair, looking coldly at a struggling man.
This man was dressed like a sailor. His head was enveloped by a film of pale blue water, and his face was purple from holding his breath.
He was scratching at the film on his face with both hands, but all he could do was flick droplets of liquid.
Finally, he could no longer hold his breath and gave a signal of submission.
Alger nonchalantly clapped his hands, and the thin film of water dispersed, turning into droplets that fell to the ground.
The sailor took in a deep breath and coughed so hard that it tugged at his heart and lungs.
After waiting for the man to recover, Alger leaned back.
"Tell me the reason why Qilangos went to Backlund."
"H-he's there to complete a commission, but I'm not sure about the details." The pirate said, having completely lost the will to resist. "All I know is that he might receive something that he wants. Qilangos once boasted in front of us and said that if this mission was a success, he would be able to obtain something he'd dreamed of getting for a long time. The Four Pirate Kings would then become the Five Pirate Kings."
...
Klein didn't rest on Monday morning and continued his investigation on the buildings with red chimneys in Tingen.
Unfortunately, he didn't come across his target.
He returned home near noon.
At about twenty minutes to three in the afternoon, Klein put his book down and sealed his room with a wall of spirituality, once again entering the mysterious world above the gray fog.
He sat at the seat of honor at the ancient bronze table, extending his hand toward the crimson star representing the Sun while ignoring the frequency of his heartbeats.
...
In the City of Silver.
Derrick Berg was on the practice grounds as his vision suddenly blurred and a heavy fog entered his view. He saw The Fool sitting high above, deep within the fog.
He froze, then stopped whatever he was doing. When the illusion vanished, he carried his silver sword to a rest area quickly.
A thousand heartbeats later, he locked himself in a bathroom, and after about ten breaths, he saw the red light swell over him and swallow him in an instant.
Above the gray fog, Klein leaned back into his chair and tapped his left molar twice to stealthily activate his Spirit Vision.
He saw that the mottled color deep within The Sun's Ether Body had turned pure, akin to the light of dawn.
"Congratulations, Mr. Bard."
At the same time, he saw the stars behind The Sun's chair shift quickly, turning into the symbol of the Sun.
Derrick lowered his head humbly.
He wasn't surprised that The Fool knew that he had consumed the potion.
Klein took out his silver pocket watch and looked at the time. "Then let us start the gathering. Remember, the frequency, or should I say the gap between the gatherings, should be about the same in the future."
As he was speaking, he established a connection with the crimson stars representing Justice and The Hanged Man before pulling them into the majestic palace.
Audrey looked at the scene before her and greeted. "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool. I have a page of the diary of Emperor Roselle with me."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Sun. Have you gotten the Telepathist formula?"