Chapter 253
"These impoverished people from Beian Su huddled together as closely as possible, six children crammed under a tattered blanket, while many others had no blanket at all."
"Their frail forms and sunken faces reminded me that without food, their suffering was about to end..."
"Along the way, every time our cart stopped, a throng of emaciated beggars surged forward, pleading for alms."
"One woman, cradling her dead child, wept and begged us for a little money to give her child a proper burial."
"But my money had already been completely given away some distance back..."
"As we traveled westward, every few hundred meters there was a funeral or a coffin, until we reached the shelter the Goddess of Salvation had instructed us to find."
"The seemingly endless suffering here was heart-wrenching. I'm sorry, Xia'er, I might be getting a bit too emotional. I will find the cause of the plague here soon and restore everything... I hope you all are doing well."
"However, I heard that many people have been sent into Ansu. If one has money, it seems they can even immigrate abroad with Ansu's help. Perhaps that’s a good solution..."
"Don't worry about me. There are plenty of extraordinary individuals from the Goddess of Salvation here to help. Once I set up my lab in the poorhouse, everything will be alright."
"Your friend, Adele."
The Poorhouse...
This letter was written by Adele over ten days ago, and during this time, according to Mayor John, the Poorhouse had been burned down. That's why he believed this attack was retaliation from the Goddess of Salvation.
Xia'er looked up, took a deep breath, letting the cold air fill her lungs, then gently exhaled.
After tucking the letter into her pocket, she continued her solitary walk.
But if an extraordinary being had been present at that moment, they would have seen it.
Dense shadows and white figures surrounded Xia'er, escorting her steadily forward until she stopped in front of a bank.
"Long time no see."
Xia'er looked up at the sign of "Charlie Bank" and spoke softly.
**Chapter 148: Tier 3 "Subverter"?**
"Who... who are you?"
"I can give you money, please don’t kill me..."
"I’ll do whatever you want, I swear..."
A middle-aged man, slightly off to the side, was held at the center of the bank lobby. A burlap sack was pulled over his head, and he was dressed only in pajamas, as if he had been dragged from his sleep.
He had no idea what was happening and couldn’t see where he was. The rainwater that had soaked him mixed with the sweat of his anxiety, trickling down his back. He could only mumble prayers, terrified that speaking too loudly would provoke the "robbers."
A familiar, gentle melody from a music box filled the air, causing the man to pause in surprise.
Then, he felt something tugging at his hood, and light flooded back into his vision, revealing everything around him.
This was...
In front of him stood the bank he was familiar with, where he worked every day.
At that moment, the bank was deserted; the night guard and staff had vanished without a trace.
In their place were dozens of helmeted officers and several cloaked figures, surrounding the man in the center.
Before him, a young girl leaned casually against the front desk, her eyes closed, delicate fingers resting on an exquisite music box. As the music played, her fingers tapped rhythmically, the very melody that had just filled the air.
No... no, these couldn’t be officers. Officers wouldn’t capture someone like him, a person of some renown, in such a manner at this late hour.
In an instant, the man identified the core of this group. He knelt and moved a few steps forward, saying, "My lady, is there anything I can do to assist you? I will certainly..."
His voice seemed to interrupt the girl’s enjoyment of the music. She stopped her fingers, opened her eyes.
But she showed no anger; instead, she looked at him calmly and elegantly, igniting a flicker of hope within him.
She could communicate... that was enough...
But just as the girl’s lips curled into a slight smile, he caught sight of her serrated, sharp fangs, and in an instant, the hope that had just risen plummeted into despair.
"Polly... is it?"
Xia'er straightened, no longer leaning on the desk, and waved dismissively at the people beside her, seemingly unwilling to waste time.
"I would love to have a proper conversation with you, but given that you’ve wronged me before... it’s better to keep things simple."
Hearing Xia'er’s words, the bank manager Polly was taken aback. He had never met this girl before and had no prior interaction with her. How could he have wronged her?
Just as Polly was about to explain the misunderstanding, a cloaked figure stepped forward, drawing Polly's attention. As he looked at the figure, their eyes met, and in an instant, Polly's mind fell into a daze.
"In the endless darkness, I call upon you, Mother Goddess Sadana..."
The cloaked figure began to chant.
As he finished that line, all the officers and cloaked figures around lowered their heads in unison, reverently chanting, "In the endless darkness, I call upon you, Mother Goddess Sadana..."
The endless darkness swiftly consumed the remnants of reason in Polly's mind.
...
"My lady Xia'er, based on the timeline you provided, I do indeed have a vivid impression of this client."
In Polly's office, Xia'er sat on the sofa, toying with a small artistic sculpture in her hands.
It was a small obelisk, inscribed with phrases in Ansu that begged for wealth—just an ordinary desk ornament.
Polly handed her a document and a check, then respectfully stepped aside, continuing, "This is the transaction detail for that anonymous account. Please take a look."
Xia'er glanced at the transaction details before setting them down.
The account had very few transactions; only Balfour had transferred a sum of money—ten thousand Su pounds, consistent with what Balfour had mentioned while in the dungeon.
The transaction details for this bank account provided a new clue.
The attack occurred on July 26, Balfour's transfer was on July 24, and this money was withdrawn on July 27, the same day the painting consigned by the Isabella family was purchased.
This almost directly proved that it was the same sum of money, and the Grain Import and Export Association was undoubtedly involved.
Now, the question was, who received this money? What was the purpose of receiving it?
"Do you remember what the person who withdrew the money looked like?"
Xia'er asked.
"I remember," Polly nodded, replying, "This was a large sum. Even Charlie Bank didn’t have that much cash on hand, so I had to go to other banks to gather the funds to barely scrape together ten thousand Su pounds."
"There were two very rare 1,000 Su pound notes among them. If he were to spend it, that feature should help identify him."
Polly then described the appearance and identity of the person who withdrew the cash.
The more Xia'er listened, the more her brow furrowed.
She remembered this person.
He was the one who hosted the next banquet after her first attendance, held at No. 5, Jazz Bridge District—not far away.
But from any angle, he was just an ordinary nobleman making money from factory business, with a low rank and not even an extraordinary being.
Could such a person be the mastermind behind the attack at the banquet?
Xia'er could never believe that.
But regardless, with the clues leading here, she had to continue the investigation.
Xia'er felt as if the investigation was hitting a dead end; although the clues were progressing, it felt like they were still stuck in place.
It was as if the deeper she dug, the more mysteries emerged... as if they were artificially created.
Xia'er would not believe that all of this was mere coincidence.
She said nothing, simply rising to leave the manager's office. At that moment, Tara, who was standing at the door, called out to her.
"My lady Xia'er, we have news from Bell Tower Alley."
Tara lowered her head and spoke to Xia'er.
"What about the batch of bombs?"
Xia'er inquired.
"According to the current leader of the Blackwater Party, they have already been secretly traded away."
Tara replied.
Traded away?
Could it be...
Xia'er narrowed her eyes slightly.
Table of Contents
