In the Blystone Kingdom, only the strictly disciplined Ascetic Church prohibited premarital defloration, so it was quite common for couples to do what lovers do in the small woods.
The murder scene was not far into the small woods, with a stone bench nearby, usually the most favored spot for young couples.
The body was also discovered by two young couples out for their morning exercise. By then, the police had already arrived; several officers were investigating the scene, some were driving away trespassing students, and the rest had set up a white line.
"Huh, this is…" Zhou Ning narrowed his eyes, spotting a familiar figure next to the police. He had just seen him last night, one of the Sun Keepers who followed Mr. Keen. He hadn't followed them after they got into the carriage.
It was a plain-looking, black-haired young man wearing a deerstalker hat. The reason he left such a deep impression was entirely because this black-haired young man, from his hairstyle to his appearance, bore a striking resemblance to Li Tie.
He truly was, remarkably similar!
At this moment, the black-haired young man was crouched down, frowning and observing something. Zhou Ning had no intention of greeting him; he rubbed his nose hard.
Even from a distance, he could smell an extremely strong scent of blood.
Freud was right after all; desire can cloud one's judgment. How could they dare to go in there for morning exercise?! Wasn't it better to exercise in the dorms?!
Since it had just snowed last night, Zhou Ning could clearly see a pool of congealed black blood on the snow from afar, along with a pile of colorful items half-buried in the snow. The scene hadn't been cleared yet, and the gruesome sight was unbearable to witness.
Among the onlookers, Zhou Ning also saw his mentor, senior professor Wesley, and several faculty members who remained at the university, standing together in the crowd, their faces full of gloom.
Compared to these mentors, the students were much livelier. There were almost no cries heard at the scene; instead, discussions were heated, clearly indicating that the deceased was not very popular.
After listening to their discussions for a while, Zhou Ning gathered several important pieces of information.
First, the deceased was named Sharon, a sophomore in the Alchemy Department at Vik University. She was Zhou Ning's junior, known for being sharp-tongued, vain, and indeed unpopular; even her roommates didn't particularly like her. However, she was very diligent in her studies.
Second, the cause of death was indeed the removal of her internal organs. This could be corroborated by the two young couples who were vomiting violently nearby. The colorful pile on the snow also offered clues.
At this moment, the crowd parted, and two police officers carried out a body covered with a white sheet, placing it into a carriage.
Zhou Ning stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Killing someone by removing their internal organs… This sounds like the work of those lunatics from the Life Alchemy Society.
Although its name suggests a reputable organization, the Life Alchemy Society follows a completely heretical (evil path) route. They believe that life can be refined, and that with the correct formula, humans can evolve everything, just like the Creator.
This is diametrically opposed to the basic principle of ordinary Alchemy: the principle of Alchemy is equivalent exchange.
In the game "Apocalypse," several tragic incidents were their doing.
The black-haired Sun Keeper also walked out with several police officers. When he saw Zhou Ning, his eyes lit up slightly. He took out his identification, flashed it before Zhou Ning, and greeted him, "Good morning, Mr. Wayne. My name is Sherlock Moriarty. Mr. Keen just asked me to come find you. If you don't mind, shall we talk over there?"
Sherlock Moriarty? Good heavens, Holmes and Professor Moriarty combined… As Sherlock walked over to converse with Zhou Ning, Zhou Ning immediately felt many gazes shift to him, likely taking him for a suspect. He sighed helplessly and nodded, "I'd be happy to. In fact, we met yesterday."
Sherlock smiled and nodded, "You have an excellent memory. I was standing fourth to the left of Mr. Keen at the time."
It's not that I have a good memory; it's that you really resemble Li Tie… Zhou Ning muttered silently to himself.
Walking aside with Sherlock, Sherlock stopped and looked up at Zhou Ning, "Mr. Wayne, you seem to have some thoughts about this case?"
"No, it wasn't me," Zhou Ning said, bewildered.
"I know it wasn't you, but my eyes tell me you definitely have some thoughts. Don't worry, I won't leak anything," Sherlock said seriously, staring into Zhou Ning's eyes.
"I really don't. If I absolutely had to say something…" Zhou Ning looked at the expectant Sherlock, thought for a moment, and said uncertainly, "Perhaps you could change your hairstyle? This one doesn't quite suit you."
The two stared at each other for a while, and Sherlock eventually shrugged, choosing to give up. He smiled and said, "That's a very interesting piece of information. All right, let's talk about business. Mr. Keen asked me to bring you something as a token of his gratitude, and to discuss a business deal with you."
Sherlock took out an intricately patterned golden card from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Ning: "This is a Vester Family VIP card. Holding this card grants you VIP treatment at the Blystone Alchemy General Association, and an 80% discount at all establishments under the Vester Family."
Zhou Ning didn't decline, reaching out to take the card: "I accept. Please thank Mr. Keen for me. So, what business do you want to discuss?"
What a coincidence, it was too much of a coincidence. The reward and the quest reward were identical.
Zhou Ning even suspected that the game panel had planned it.
Sherlock smiled and leaned closer to Zhou Ning: "Mr. Wayne, or rather, the organization Mr. Wayne belongs to, seems to possess some good quality firearms?"
As Sherlock spoke, he kept observing Zhou Ning's expression. Due to his profession, his observational skills were excellent; if Zhou Ning showed the slightest hesitation, he could immediately tell if he was lying.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Ning nodded honestly, and with a flick of his hand, a revolver appeared in his hand: "Yes, but the quantity is very small. Name your price."
Sherlock was startled by Zhou Ning's move, not expecting him to be so straightforward.
"I do have some firearms, but the quantity is really not much. Since you want them, you'll have to pay for them."
Sherlock hesitated for a moment. Currently, the price of a pistol in the Blystone Kingdom was about 10 vikta, but the revolver in Zhou Ning's hand surpassed that by more than 30% in both firepower and performance. Although the main theme of this world was still the extraordinary, firearms could still hold their own.
"Pistols for 15 vikta each, rifles for 18 vikta."
Sherlock offered a price. He was prepared to bleed a little; as long as the price wasn't too exorbitant, he intended to take them all.
"Deal."
"Firearms are, after all, just firearms. The Sun Keepers have limited funds and can't offer too high a price… Wait, you agreed?"
Sherlock was stunned.
Zhou Ning took out another gun from his pocket, handed both guns to Sherlock, and smiled slightly, "After all, I am also a citizen of the Blystone Kingdom. I only have one rifle for now, which I need to keep for myself. I have three revolvers, and I can sell two to you first."
Sherlock nodded. Regardless of whether the other party was sincere, this action undoubtedly made him feel good about Zhou Ning.
Zhou Ning's face remained impassive, but he was actually very pleased. For him, giving up two pistols incurred no real cost; it was merely a draw from the 1 Transversal Coin lottery. The previous three draws had yielded three weapons, so the winning rate should be quite high. Directly recharging 1 Transversal Coin only cost 10 vikta, which meant he did nothing but transfer ownership, and each revolver would net him 5 vikta. This was already equivalent to his current monthly salary.
In the early stages of the game, as the extraordinary gradually awakened, the scarcity of firepower became increasingly severe. In a few months, Blystone would actually be able to produce similar firearms. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he might as well do a few more deals to replenish his meager wallet.