After the failure with Didia, he faced suspicion from many people, but his father, Duke Nasser, said nothing and asked nothing, clearly accepting Didia's decision. This strengthened Didia's resolve, leaving him without worries about his decision.
Duke Nasser indeed planned to hedge his bets, not everyone possesses such privilege, but the Nasser Clan certainly does, provided they pay attention to their methods. Didia's "youthful indiscretion" inadvertently solved a big problem, and there was no flaw to be picked from there.
The carriage arrived at the entrance of the Funeral Attendant Base in the Holy Grace District, where Travis was already waiting. He was not surprised when he received the order from Prince Achilles. After the Anthony case concluded, His Majesty surely would not want this case to resurface, as it would undermine his authority. The Funeral Attendants had been investigating during this period, and the Church Court ordered all churches to cooperate with the investigation. The priests and bishops have some restraining effect on evil forces, yet there were no breakthroughs; the Inner Demon seemed to have vanished without a trace.
What surprised Travis was that the person Prince Achilles dispatched to lead this case was someone he knew, the Night Patrol Li Xin.
Though it was a bit strange, as a Funeral Attendant, following orders came first.
Li Xin arrived with Simmons, Didia, and Celestia. Celestia was not initially involved in this matter, but she requested to Prince Achilles, and he agreed without any hesitation or principle, which left Simmons quite frustrated. The second Prince constantly oscillated between brilliance and folly.
Simmons didn't want Celestia involved in this case at all. The opposition was possibly a powerful Secret Organization, and the Funeral Attendant had been investigating for a long time without any leads. Discovering something could be dangerous, but Celestia's adventurous spirit was unstoppable.
Of course, Celestia had her own plans. The Princess had been unable to come out, yet they were communicating through a Messenger. Celestia would record interesting things for Princess Estella, with the Inner Demon being one of them. Not only was she curious about this process, but so was the Princess, and Celestia viewed this as an opportunity for the Nasser Clan and Simmons.
Everyone but Celestia had been there before, and they followed Travis into the base. This time, Travis didn't hold back and brought out all the core files, including those gathered from other regions.
This matter was a hot potato for the Funeral Attendants as well. Appointed by His Highness, succeeding would be a great achievement, but failing would mean bearing the blame. Travis felt the pressure.
Looking at the heap of materials, Travis introduced, "All the core files are here, already categorized. The pile on the left is the ones that were just taking advantage, all have been resolved; hangings and burnings as necessary. The rest are yet to be solved. Do you four want to take a look first?"
Funeral Attendants and Night Patrols were essentially part of the Kingdom's authority departments. Travis couldn't dictate, but he maintained doubts about their capabilities. How to proceed depended on their competence; if they were fools, he'd have to find a way quickly, waiting alongside them was as good as waiting to die.
"Thank you, Captain Travis. Our first task is to go through all these files." Li Xin said.
"Read every single one?" Didia was taken aback. There's so much; when would they finish?
"Yes, look at the unsolved ones, yet also scrutinize the solved ones." Li Xin nodded. It seemed Christie wanted this as well; with this complete set of files, there was sure to be some clues.
Didia and Simmons were visibly troubled; they weren't fond of reading these, which were quite tormenting, but had no choice, whereas Li Xin and Celestia had already begun.
"You all go ahead; I'll be outside. Call me if there's anything," Travis said. "Would you like coffee or tea?"
"Is there any alcohol?" Didia asked, and upon seeing these files, the pain he felt returned.
"Drinking isn't allowed on duty," Travis laughed, "but Mr. Didia, not being part of the Funeral Attendants, can drink. What would you like?"
"Hard liquor will do. Otherwise, I'll fall asleep." Didia replied.
Travis went to get it. Drinking was against the rules for the Funeral Attendant, but they definitely had alcohol. Others wanted coffee.
Li Xin sorted the files, and the four took turns reading, sharing and reviewing each other's afterwards. Travis dropped by several times, noticing that Didia and Simmons were obviously going through the motions. Didia could hardly manage ten minutes before feeling both angry and tormented.
Simmons read a bit more initially, but eventually resorted to skimming; whereas Li Xin and Sedilia were reading very earnestly, albeit with increasingly grave expressions. The more they read these files, the more oppressive they felt.
The group continued late into the night without finishing, having their dinner at the Funeral Attendant's place, resolving to return the next day.
Back at the Lirong Inn, Li Xin lay in bed but couldn't sleep. As the dice spun, he once again predicted the danger the Inner Demon case posed to him. He enhanced the accuracy of the prediction. Watching the dice, he wished they could not make a determination, yet they showed nine, signifying extreme adversity.
Given this result for clear judgment, it meant Li Xin's investigation would bring him mortal danger…
The group spent three full days poring over these files, late into each night. Through reading them, they all underwent changes. If Didia initially felt a hint of reluctance and sorrow over Anthony's death, by the present period, he had accepted it wholeheartedly. The true culprit remained at large, which was intolerable to the Knightly Path he had been tutored in since childhood.
Someone who cared the least initially had become the most vehement among the investigative team, and his attitude towards Travis had soured. The Funeral Attendants, who should uphold order, allowed such a perpetrator at large, an absurdity.
The cases reported in Hedan Daily and the Hex Bird Report were merely the tip of the iceberg; over a thousand deaths and disappearances were recorded. At times, people vanished in groups, though most were attributed to the Cult's persecution, happening in both the Inner and Outer City, with more occurring in the Outer City.
If those recorded were so many, what about the unrecorded ones?
Owing to skills in document drafting from a past life, Li Xin had already formed categorized documents in his mind. He kept recollecting the victim's details these recent days. Solved cases were straightforward, including Anthony's, which was a coincidental resolve. Many remaining cases were disappearances, with no sign of life nor evidence of death. The Funeral Attendant's tracking personnel discern, using Hidden Powers, that they related to the Inner Demon. These were top-secret files, accessible only because of Prince's thorough investigation assigned to Li Xin and others.
Disappearance accounted for the majority; cases with victim remains were few. The disappearance cases were meticulously crafted, and even through myriad methods, Funeral Attendants couldn't pinpoint eventual locations. The individuals vanished as if into thin air, with numerous Hidden Powers capable of annihilating one's body and soul. These Hidden Powers were undoubtedly of high tier, showing no fear of the Earth Mother Goddess Court.
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