"Miss Audrey?"
"That's right, she said she had a commission for us."
Hugh leaned forward slightly: "What kind of commission is it?"
Fors shook her head: "She insisted on discussing it in person. But…" Her eyes lit up, "Miss Audrey's remuneration is always generous."
"Speaking of commissions, has that detective found my pen pal yet?" Fors suddenly remembered something and asked eagerly.
"Uh… not yet." Hugh rubbed her fingers awkwardly, "But I've already urged him, I believe there will be results soon."
"Not yet!" Fors showed obvious disappointment, "Hugh, is it possible that detective is a fraud?"
"Like those often mentioned in newspapers, who specialize in swindling advance payments…"
Hearing this, Hugh also hesitated a bit, after all, the detective named Sherlock hadn't found any useful information so far.
"Probably not, after all, he's a detective certified by the Guild." Her voice became softer and softer.
…
Backlund, West District, Philip Department Store.
In this store, which exclusively served nobles and wealthy merchants, Hugh and Fors met Audrey, who was pretending to be shopping there.
Audrey gave Susie, the large dog, a meaningful look without any change in expression.
Susie immediately understood, suddenly barked and darted out, leading Audrey's maid, Anne, away.
Afterward, the three exchanged a few simple greetings and then got straight to the point.
"It's like this, I hope you can help me find someone?"
"Find someone?" Hugh subconsciously frowned.
Why are all her friends looking for people recently…
Fors's expression next to her was also a bit stiff; she hadn't found the person she was looking for yet, and now she had to help others find someone…
After a moment of hesitation, Hugh suggested: "How about I help you place a commission? There's a special detective guild in Backlund with many professional detectives."
Of course, there are also some unreliable ones… Hugh added silently in her heart.
A detective guild, that sounds interesting… A flicker of interest flashed in Audrey's eyes, but after a moment she shook her head: "I can't do that, I hope this matter can be kept as confidential as possible, and not too many people know about it."
Audrey recalled Mr. World's instructions and added:
"It's also because I trust you two that I'm entrusting you."
"I see." Hugh fell into thought.
"As long as you help me find that person, I can offer a reward of 500 pounds." Audrey smiled and stated a figure.
To be honest, as a noble lady, Audrey was completely unaware of the market price for such work as finding people, but she also knew that 500 pounds was definitely enough.
After all, this was a commission from the new member, Mr. World, so she definitely had to put in some effort; some premium was nothing.
"500 pounds!" Fors's eyes lit up.
"Uh…" Hugh's expression, on the other hand, darkened; she was afraid it might be another dangerous investigation task.
Seemingly noticing Hugh's concerns, Audrey explained: "Don't worry, it's not too dangerous a task."
"It's just simply finding a person."
Saying that, she took out a folded envelope from the small lambskin handbag she was carrying, which contained part of the information Mr. World had given her.
"The person I'm looking for is named—Lorne. De Senck."
"Ah?" Hugh and Fors both froze at the same time.
At this moment, fate cycled in a peculiar way.
…
On an unknown primitive island.
Why do I feel like so many people are talking about me… Luo En suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
Calming himself, he carried the lamp and walked towards the underground part of the ruins.
He raised the lantern in his hand a little, making the wide but endless passage ahead noticeably brighter.
Luo En looked around and found several strangely shaped, grayish-white stone statues. Among them were elves, giants, and humans with retro styling. The only thing they had in common was that their expressions were frozen in pain and despair.
Their expressions made Luo En very uncomfortable. After taking a few photos with his camera, he restrained his spirituality and quickened his pace, leaving quickly.
After walking dozens of meters, by the light of the lantern, Luo En could see fragmented, dim murals on the walls on both sides.
Some of them were relatively intact, and through the crosses on them, he could roughly tell that they were a set with the previous painting above.
'The Creator saves the world?' Luo En stared at these paintings, guessing the general meaning.
After backing up these paintings with his camera, he continued deeper.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and heavy footsteps approached from a distance.
"Something's here." Luo En immediately wrapped the lantern with his clothes, dimming the light to a faint glow.
A few minutes later, the movement disappeared, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lucky One, it's okay." Having made up his mind, Luo En continued forward, finally reaching the end of the passage, where there was a pair of stone doors seven or eight meters high.
'Death, Slumber, Slumber and Rebirth'
Luo En examined the various symbols on the stone door.
The stone door was not completely closed; there was a gap in the middle wide enough for a child to pass through. Luo En assessed his own build, walked through, put down the lantern, pressed both hands against the stone door, tensed his muscles, and forcibly pushed open another palm-width gap.
He gripped "Tearer," lifted the lamp, and stepped into the space behind the stone door.
'Is this a burial hall…?' He glanced at the structure inside.
This is… Deep in the burial hall, Luo En discovered a peculiar scene depicted on the ground.
On a long table lay a figure bearing a radiant cross, surrounded by three shadowy figures.
One tore off the figure's arm, one held up its head, and one dug out its still-beating heart.
Opposite that figure, there was also a frighteningly large gap on its abdomen, where a sinister, dark infant sat cross-legged.
The gazes of these four people simultaneously looked upward, as if they could directly peer into everyone who saw this painting.
"This is dismemberment!" Luo En's heart trembled.
Could it be that this Creator, or rather, fellow countryman, was dismembered by the locals!
"A bloody feast."
Those organs should be symbolic, right? This Creator died, and then the body was divided… No, this painting has obvious malice and hatred, which means it's not as simple as just being dismembered; it feels more like being vivisected.
"A great discovery." Luo En muttered to himself, then raised his camera and pressed the shutter.
"Hey." As Luo En was engrossed in this masterpiece, someone suddenly patted him.
He subconsciously raised his shotgun and put his finger on the trigger…
"Who!"
"It's me!" In the faint light of the lantern, Tracy's flushed face came into view, with Lachi crouching on her shoulder.
"Meow~"
Seeing who it was, Luo En breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hurry up and go. I just found a few gargoyles." Tracy said anxiously.
"Gargoyles?" Luo En frowned slightly.
"What are you doing down here? Didn't I tell you to wait for me up there?"
"Of course, I was worried…" Tracy turned her face away, "Worried you'd hoard the treasure."
"I didn't expect you to be so greedy." Luo En said bluntly.
"You! Humph!"
Before she finished speaking, rubble suddenly rustled down from above.
The next second, the entire tomb chamber shook violently. Luo En's spirituality warned him frantically; he yanked Tracy and dove to the side.
"Boom—"
Through the gap created by the collapse, a ten-meter-long arm descended from above.