Gamers of the Underworld

“Dead? The leads are broken again?” Sherlock asked when Bru reported to him.

“No, the gamers found new leads, the cat in the box,” Bru said as an image appeared on Sherlock’s computer. The image was a post from the discussion forum. The gamers had recorded a three-minute video about a box that contained a cat puppet.

“This is a puppet cat that has Rune Mana.” Polio looked at the puppet on the screen and recognized it immediately.

The parrot on Sherlock’s shoulder nodded and said, “Someone used the Rune Mana to control this puppet. Could it be a playful prank made by a child?”

The kitten and the parrot were talking, but Sherlock didn’t join them. He asked, “Where is this puppet cat?”

“Since it’s a piece of evidence from the crime scene, it was taken back to the Winterfell Garrison Guard station,” Bru said.

Sherlock took his overcoat and prepared to leave. But Bru said, “Lord Sherlock, there’s news on the forum that I’m very concerned about. I feel that you should take a look,” Bru said, and the screen showed a video that depicted Arthur and his comrades meeting with the mole shopkeeper.

In the video, the mole shopkeeper mentioned six guests.

“Lord Sherlock, I know it’s not appropriate to probe, but are you sure that you haven’t been following them?” Bru asked.

Sherlock shook his head and said, “No, I wouldn’t do such a thing, but I can guess who it is. Bru, find Brainiac, and have him come to my office.”

Bru was feeling bewildered and replied to Sherlock, “Er, Lord Sherlock, Brainiac isn’t in Eternal Kingdom or the Winterfell Adventurer’s Guild. He’s also not within the activity boundary of the gamers. Is he on leave today?”

Sherlock stroked his chin and pondered. Then he said, “This is interesting. Don’t find Brainiac. He’s missing.”

“Are you sure that Brainiac has been following Arthur and his comrades?”

“It’s too far-fetched to say that he was following them. Brainiac is also investigating the whereabouts of Professor Bacon. He could have bumped into them. We have to find Brainiac to know the truth.” Sherlock shrugged his shoulders and left the Dungeon Lord Main Hall. Sherlock was frowning, so he wasn’t in a good mood.

…

In the Winterfell Dungeon Lord Main Hall.

Sherlock sat before Nicholas. Between them was the puppet kitten obtained from the Winterfell Garrison Guard station.

“Lord Sherlock, is this puppet related to the missing Professor Bacon?” Nicholas asked solemnly.

“Hmm? How does Dungeon Lord Nicholas know?” Sherlock raised his brow. He didn’t expect Nicholas to know about the missing Professor Bacon.

“Ah, I just obtained information from the Garrison Guards. Gamers of Eternal Kingdom reported a case to the Garrison Guards and provided some strange messages. They said that the messages were related to the missing Professor Bacon. From the five suspects, I mean, witnesses’ testimonies, they were searching for the missing Professor Bacon,” Nicholas explained, and Sherlock nodded.

“I see. It’s as Dungeon Lord Nicholas has said. Due to some reason, Professor Bacon went missing. Before he went missing, he wrote letters to Brainiac, who is his favorite student. I will definitely help Brainiac, so I let my citizens go out and search for Professor Bacon. I didn’t expect such an unfortunate incident to occur.”

“Yes, it’s depressing. The young shopkeeper was burnt to death due to an accident…” Nicholas nodded and was looking very sad.

“Is the Garrison Guard treating the case as an accident?” Sherlock was taken aback.

“Yes, it’s normal to have an accident considering the shopkeeper was operating a restaurant and had an open fire around flammable objects. I ordered the inspection of all of the fire hazards in Winterfell. The relevant departments are to supervise and impose heavy penalties on offenders.”

Sherlock nodded and pointed to the puppet kitten on the table as he said, “Then, the case should be handled as an accident. Yes, can you give the puppet kitten to me?”

…

Nicholas wouldn’t decline Sherlock’s request. He generously gave the puppet to Sherlock.

Sherlock discovered the secret within the puppet.

It was a concealed Magical Recording Device.

The eyes of the puppet were round Adamantine rocks that recorded images.

Sherlock brought the puppet kitten back to Eternal Kingdom. When he was in the Dungeon Lord Main Hall, he infused his Mana into the puppet, and images appeared.

A blurred image of Professor Bacon appeared. He looked very nervous.

“If you see this image, Brainiac, it means you’ve found the correct leads. I can’t say too much, and I can’t tell you where I am because I don’t know. I’m unable to articulate the events that I encountered. Perhaps, you will be able to find a way to locate me.”

Professor Bacon looked around and used his mouth to say a few words silently, then the images stopped.

The other Mana-infused round Adamantine rock only showed videos of cats.

Yes, it was all about cats.

“Hmm… What does it mean? He could have spoken, so why did he do a charade? Professor Bacon doesn’t have lips, so we’re unable to decipher what Professor Bacon was saying,” Bru said with exasperation.

But Sherlock remained silent. He lowered his head and was in deep thought. Then, his eyes lit up, and he said, “I got it.”

“What? Lord Sherlock, you know the answer?”