Chapter 13: Clues
Not long after, Ham led the group out of the banquet hall, waved goodbye to the others, and walked alone towards a carriage.
“What happened?” Chief Dana of the City Patrol lifted the curtain of the carriage, revealing her exquisitely beautiful face:
“Didn’t you bring the person out?”
“I ran into Baron Karl.” Ham bowed his head:
“With the Baron vouching for her, and the fact that she wasn’t a major suspect, I didn’t force her to come with us. I found a place inside and casually asked her some questions.”
“Karl?”
Dana’s eyes revealed confusion.
“A friend of the Baron was accepted into the Barrow Singing Troupe, and he was invited to the banquet.” Ham explained.
“Hmm.”
Dana nodded, not pressing further, and then asked:
“Did you find out anything?”
“No.” Ham’s face was full of regret:
“The people in the singing troupe didn’t even know one of their companions was dead. That girl named Kino wasn’t highly regarded in the troupe.”
“Hmm…” Dana touched her smooth c*in:
“What did the Night Watchmen say?”
“They said it wasn’t done by vampires. Vampires s*ck blood, while the deceased lost their Life Force.” Ham’s eyes flickered, and he asked curiously:
“Chief, are there really vampires?”
“I don’t know either.” Dana wasn’t sure about this either. She leaned back and sighed:
“So, there are still no clues!”
“Not quite.”
Ham gently shook his head:
“All the deceased were women, and all virgins. The key is… their identities are peculiar.”
“They weren’t from noble or wealthy merchant families, but they were qualified to attend high-class banquets, such as singing troupe members, high-ranking gardeners…”
Dana slowly sat up straight, her expression grave.
“I suspect,” Ham continued:
“The perpetrator has a certain social status, at least frequents high-class banquets, has a particular fetish for virgins, and isn’t limited by beauty or ugliness.”
One of the deceased was quite u*ly when she was alive.
“Indeed.”
A smile appeared on Dana’s face:
“Ham, you truly are the best officer in South City. It seems I made the right choice in selecting you for this investigation.”
“Chief,” Ham looked up:
“I heard that Earl Rexton is about to host a dinner party. I wonder if I’m qualified to attend.”
“Dinner party…” Dana frowned:
“Ham, you are talented, but talent alone isn’t enough to attend the Earl’s dinner party.”
One needs to have a certain status and standing.
“Yes.” Ham said:
“I just suspect the perpetrator will also attend.”
“Is that so?”
Dana pondered for a moment, then said:
“I’ll get you an invitation.”
“Thank you, Chief!” Ham’s face lit up with joy.
Dana shook her head slightly.
She knew very well that Ham had always wanted to enter the so-called upper class, but his humble origins limited his advancement.
Average looks, low birth, and no cultivation of breathing techniques ━ even if such a person was exceptionally talented in one area, they were just a high-level worker, forever unable to truly enter the upper class.
Some things, you are born with or you are not. Effort, in the eyes of others, is just a joke.
Like Karl.
Although he wasn’t particularly talented and was inferior to Ham in every aspect, he was a nobleman.
His status as a Baron surpassed all efforts made after birth.
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“Thank you, Baron Karl.”
Percy’s face was full of gratitude.
If Karl hadn’t spoken up, she would have been forcibly taken away by the officers, and the consequences would have been unpredictable.
Even if nothing happened, there would be more gossip within the singing troupe.
Now,
She was only called into a room and asked a few questions, which wouldn’t affect her reputation.
“You’re welcome.”
Karl shook his head:
“You don’t need to be so polite.”
Her enthusiasm made him feel a little restless.
Percy’s dress was tight-fitting and cinched at the waist, with a daringly low neckline. When she bent over, one could clearly see her ample b*som.
Karl was tall, and his gaze couldn’t avoid certain areas. The key was that Percy made no attempt to hide them, even deliberately flaunting her assets.
She was a mature woman who understood men.
✿✿✿
“I can’t believe Kino is dead.”
“Yeah!”
“It’s scary. I heard she was killed by a vampire who s*cked all the blood from her body. I wonder if it’s true.”
“…”
The whispers of the crowd brought Karl back to his senses. After a brief pause, he made an excuse and left.
There was no point in staying any longer.
Night.
Jenny, her face flushed, sat in front of the vanity mirror, her excitement still lingering.
The experience at the banquet was something she had never had before. Percy and the other senior members treated her very warmly because of Karl.
They even promised to let her officially perform on stage soon, which was a treatment that newcomers longed for.
Her apprenticeship, which she had thought would be difficult, suddenly became easy.
“Karl…”
Touching her cheek, Jenny’s eyes showed shyness, and then she bit her lip and stood up.
At this moment, she was only wearing lingerie under a thin gauze nightgown, her youthful and energetic figure on full display.
Slowly pushing open the door, under the hazy moonlight shining through the window, she quietly came to Karl’s door.
Taking a deep breath, as if making a major decision, Jenny raised her hand and knocked on the door.
“Tap, tap…”
“Tap!”
There was no response from the room.
Jenny frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted her teeth and pushed h*rd on the door.
“Creak…”
The door shook.
After a while, the sturdy latch made her lower her head in defeat.
“Hmph!”
Stamping her foot with a bit of shyness, Jenny turned and returned to her room, slamming the door shut.
In the darkness, Mrs. Mary, the landlady, watched this scene through the c*ack in the door. Seeing this, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
There was relief in her eyes, but also a hint of regret.
No one knows a daughter better than her mother.
Jenny had been excited since she came back, talking non-stop about the banquet, her eyes shining.
When she mentioned Karl, her expression was even more peculiar.
As someone who had been through it all, how could Mary not see it?
She had clearly fallen for him!
However, facing Jenny’s bold move, she didn’t know what to do. Should she stop her? Or let it be?
Mary would be overjoyed if her daughter could marry a nobleman, but would he be willing to marry her? Or was he just playing around?
If he wasn’t willing…
Jenny had worked so hard to get into the Barrow Singing Troupe. If she had a man, she wouldn’t be able to sing anymore.
Her life would be ruined because of this!
Fortunately, Karl was sleeping soundly and probably didn’t hear the commotion outside. Otherwise, it would be a big problem.
Mysterious Place.
Karl, who was cultivating his breathing technique, was unaware of the situation outside. Even if he knew, he wouldn’t be moved. The events at the banquet were insignificant to him; he had forgotten about them as soon as he left.
Moreover, in his opinion, Jenny was too young for him to make a move on.
Percy was more like it.
“Exhale…”
“Inhale!”
With rhythmic breathing, the power of the secret medicine seeped into his b*ne marrow and blood vessels. The growth of his Life Force also slowly increased his Constitution.
“The cultivation process of a Knight Squire is to condense a Life Seed. Once the Life Seed is formed, one can be promoted to a Knight.”
“During the process of condensing the Life Seed, Life Force will increase, and Constitution will naturally improve.”
“I inquired today, and some breathing techniques can indeed grant people abilities beyond ordinary humans. The Venomous Wolf Breathing Technique should be the reason why I have this sense of danger.”
The consecutive murders of women in the city, with their strange deaths, made Karl realize that Signo City wasn’t as safe as he had imagined.
Moreover,
Exploring Black City also required strength, so he definitely couldn’t relax his cultivation.
