Chapter 278 - 273: Let’s Go Check That Direction

Chapter 278: Chapter 273: Let’s Go Check That Direction

The scholar Kading took over a minute to compose himself. His expression finally turned serious as he adopted a formal tone, asking irritably:

"Mr. Lloyd, are you truly not joking?"

"How could I be joking? Although my main focuses are executions and dissections, I am also quite confident in my Divination."

Lloyd replied confidently.

’I’m a little annoyed, too. I really want to tell him my Divination is already level 6. If I had the time, I could have used it to get into college with that score.’

’So what level is your Divination, anyway? And you’re here questioning my reading?’

Unfortunately, Kading couldn’t hear his inner monologue and continued to speak in a resigned tone:

"But can Divination even be interpreted that way? You seem just like a... ugh, never mind... I just want to remind you that this case is extremely serious. In fact, any anomalous event must be treated with the utmost gravity, or it could easily lead to all kinds of unforeseen disasters!"

He also desperately wanted to ask Lloyd, ’How many anomalous events have you actually handled? How can you be so reckless?’

Seeing the atmosphere grow tense and their makeshift team on the verge of falling apart, the two investigators who hadn’t joined the argument quickly tried to mediate.

"Please, both of you, don’t argue. I’m not very skilled at Divination, but I know that everyone can have their own interpretation of the results. There’s no right or wrong, better or worse. Why don’t we just keep our own opinions for now?"

"That’s right. The results of a Divination don’t always tell the whole story, so there’s no need to take it so seriously... As for Mr. Lloyd’s reading, I’ll be honest, I don’t entirely agree with it, but I do like it, haha. I tend to look on the bright side of things."

"A little optimism isn’t a bad thing. At least we’ve ruled out the worst-case scenario; this incident won’t involve those dangerous mystical entities and Forbidden Knowledge... But if I see correctly, the direction Mr. Lloyd indicated is toward the logging camp, isn’t it?"

As he spoke, the investigator named Yakson pointed in the direction Lloyd had divined from those seemingly meaningless scorch marks. It was right where the villagers’ logging camp and the surrounding forest were located.

The other investigator, Jackson, also glanced back and added:

"He’s right, it’s in that direction. It’s a good place to hide, too, with that large forest. We were pressed for time and short-staffed before, so we didn’t get to search it thoroughly."

"Because that would be both impossible and unnecessary."

The scholar Kading, seeming to have calmed down, joined the discussion and offered his assessment:

"That logging camp was built recently, and there’s no one from the Holy Judgment Court stationed there. Our employer only invested in it because it’s located in the path of the Great Expansion...

So, while the place looks relatively safe, we can’t completely rule out the presence of Demons. If our guy doesn’t want to die, he wouldn’t hide that deep inside. Besides, surviving in an uninhabited forest is no easy feat."

Given their lack of time and manpower, he decided to drop the argument with Lloyd over the interpretation of the Divination.

Lloyd added:

"What you say makes sense, but don’t forget, this is a guy who can make villagers disappear while securing an alibi for himself. I doubt he’s just some simple villager. He’s more likely a tricky and cunning piece of work."

Thanks to the two investigators’ mediation, and with the generous reward in mind, Lloyd also set aside his disagreement over the Divination.

But he had to admit, the scholar’s analysis was logical and well-reasoned.

With the Great Expansion currently in full swing, market prices for raw materials like stone and lumber had skyrocketed, creating massive profit margins.

It was inevitable, then, that some capitalists would take the risk, establishing operations in wilderness areas unprotected by the Holy Judgment Court to extract surplus value.

So, strictly speaking, according to the city’s regulations, the logging camp itself was illegal, guilty of unsafe operating practices and a flagrant disregard for human life...

However, the owner wasn’t a complete fool. He knew enough to place the logging camp in the path of the Great Expansion, which at least prevented new Demons from entering the forest.

As for any Demons that might have remained in the forest, they theoretically should have been cleared out as the Great Expansion advanced, making it relatively safe.

However, there was no Holy Judgment Court garrison nearby. It took over an hour to get there from the closest settlement, York Town, not to mention the additional travel time to the logging camp itself. If any Demons had survived the initial sweep of the forest, the ordinary villagers working there likely wouldn’t stand a chance...

But even so, it was a worthwhile investment for the owner. After all, costs in such a remote area were extremely low. That included accident compensation; even if a disaster occurred and he had to pay damages, it would still be far, far cheaper than inviting the Holy Judgment Court to establish a garrison.

It just goes to show, creatures like capitalists are best suited for hanging from lampposts.

Just then, the investigator Jackson spoke up:

"Actually, we suspected he might have fled to the forest. But the villagers who work there haven’t seen him, nor have they spotted any signs of campfires. Without a fire, it would be very difficult to survive a night in those woods...

But if he possesses some kind of Extraordinary Power, I suppose it’s possible he could manage?"

The other investigator, Yakson, chimed in with a suggestion:

"I don’t think he’s actually hiding in the forest. From a criminal psychology standpoint, since he’s already a fugitive, he has no reason to put himself in more danger. He’d be more inclined to flee somewhere safe. Still, it can’t hurt to check it out. We’ve already searched everywhere else around the village anyway."

Seeing his two companions agree with the direction Lloyd had indicated, the scholar Kading nodded and said:

"Let’s go take a look. If we can confirm he’s passed through the forest, we can assume he’s left the village. That should be enough to close the case with our employer, don’t you think?"

And so, the temporary investigation team reluctantly reached a consensus and headed toward the logging camp Lloyd’s Divination had indicated.

The route was a difficult mountain trail, so the journey of a few kilometers took them about an hour.

Just as they left the village, Lloyd noticed some signs of life. On the far side of the village, he saw several plots of farmland planted with tomatoes and corn, where a few elderly people were tending to the crops.

But as soon as they saw Lloyd’s group approaching, the elders stopped their work and stared at them coldly, their eyes filled with hostility and wariness.

It gave the distinct impression that this small mountain village was anything but warm and hospitable...

Lloyd couldn’t help but slow his pace to look at a tomato plant growing by the side of the path.

It seemed to be growing well. Several tomatoes hung from the vine, plump and rosy-red. From a chef’s perspective, Lloyd judged they were ripe enough to cook.

But for some reason, the elders were just letting the ripe tomatoes hang there, making no move to harvest them.

’Maybe all the young people in the village were hired to work at the logging camp, leaving them short-handed?’

To prevent the tomato from becoming overripe and going to waste, Lloyd reached out and plucked it from the vine.

One of the elders nearby immediately shot him an even colder glare but said nothing to stop him or ask for payment. They just watched.

The moment Lloyd plucked the tomato, he frowned.

’It’s already overripe. Way too soft. What a shame... even my skills in the kitchen can’t save this one.’

He then applied a little pressure with his fingers, and the tomato burst in his hand, erupting in a foul-smelling gush of pulp the color of dark, congealed blood.

Lloyd shook his head in disappointment, flicked the pulp from his fingers, and took out a handkerchief to wipe his hand clean.

The pulp soaked into the handkerchief, instantly leaving a black stain that looked impossible to wash out.

Lloyd simply tossed the handkerchief aside, quickened his pace, and caught up with the trio who had walked on ahead.

The moment he left, the pulp that had dripped onto the ground quickly sank into the soil, as if it had been absorbed by the earth.

Even the discarded handkerchief vanished, it was hard to say if it was merely hidden by the weeds, or if it too had been ’eaten’ by the field.

Meanwhile, the trio of investigators walking ahead were discussing Lloyd in hushed tones.

"This Executioner is a complete amateur, but his conclusion happens to align perfectly with my own Divination from before..."

muttered the scholar Kading.

In truth, he had performed a Divination for this trip while the three of them were still in the city.

The result he received was somewhat vague, muddled with many meaningless keywords; it had clearly been subjected to some kind of interference.

But he could still make out the general gist—they would likely face danger, but they would also receive unexpected help.

This was the main reason they had decided to invite Lloyd to join them on the spur of the moment and tolerate his amateurish behavior.

The other two investigators, however, had a rather good impression of Lloyd.

"I think he’s a good man, though," said one. "Coming all this way alone to deal with something like this purely out of a sense of justice... You don’t see many young men like that anymore. I find it quite admirable."

"I agree," said the other. "I quite like his optimism, too. It’s like seeing a younger version of myself. He has the makings of an excellent investigator."

"Let’s just hope he’s as mature and level-headed as he claims to be,"

the scholar Kading said. Noticing Lloyd catching up from behind, he fell silent, stopped walking, and pointed to a desolate, empty plot of land beside the path, enclosed by a simple wooden fence.

"This is the village cemetery."

Lloyd turned to look.

They called it a cemetery, but it was so overgrown with weeds that the gravestones were almost completely swallowed. It was clearly neglected. If Kading hadn’t pointed it out, Lloyd would have barely noticed the headstones within.