Chapter 350

The carriage traveled through Grimlan, and half an hour later arrived before a three-story building.

41 Sal Street.

It was a standard middle-class terraced villa, built of red brick; the ground floor, used as a shop, had its walls painted clean and bright white, with a sign bearing only text above the door, while the second and third floors served as living quarters.

The sign read:

Reventon Detective Agency.

Wu Chang and Erin stepped down from the carriage and gazed at 41 Sal Street—the interior was pitch black, with no light visible.

Just as Zhu Li had said, the owner of this building was hard to find, requiring more than one visit.

Wu Chang, seemingly skeptical, reached for Erin's hand to approach the building and test whether this was truly a wasted trip.

But as he took one step forward, he suddenly stopped, turned to the driver, and asked:

"Aren't you coming with us?"

The driver looked bewildered. "I'm only responsible for driving—I don't help knock on doors."

Wu Chang replied with the same bewildered expression:

"But isn't this your house, Mr. Reventon?"

The atmosphere fell silent instantly; after a moment of awkwardness, the driver frowned and asked skeptically:

"What about me doesn't seem right?"

Wu Chang rubbed his chin, thinking:

"There are too many inconsistencies. Let me think carefully."

"First, your uniform—it's one size too small. When seated and driving, it exposes your wrists and ankles. Your attire is so meticulous in detail; you wouldn't make such a basic mistake. Clearly, it doesn't belong to you."

The driver looked at his wrists and sighed helplessly:

"I tried my best to find a target with a similar build, but his arm span was slightly shorter—I didn't have time to alter it."

Wu Chang continued:

"Second, you talk too much, and the topics you bring up are precisely what interests me. But from what I know, drivers in Grimlan are usually silent, especially those operating hired carriages for the wealthy."

"One, because of class differences—say too much, make too many mistakes. Two, they feel an unspoken superiority toward foreign country bumpkins."

The driver said: "But you paid."

Wu Chang said: "That's the third issue—I gave you paper money, yet your gaze lingered on it too long. I saw no trace of desire for money in it."

The driver asked: "Anything else?"

Wu Chang said: "Finally, even in Grimlan, it's extravagant to hire a powerful supernatural driver."

"You know, Mystical Knights are drawn to each other. Their cultivation method involves fusing mystical origins into the body; since their power sources are identical, they become strikingly visible to one another."

"Mr. Reventon, your presence is as obvious as a bonfire in the dark."

"A supernatural being who knows my identity, pretends to be someone else, follows me stealthily, and is also a descendant of Mystical Knights—aside from you, Mr. Reventon, I can't imagine anyone else."

Reventon stepped down from the carriage, pouting ungraciously:

"You used some special method to see the Mystical energy inside me—that's the real reason you discovered me, isn't it?"

Wu Chang smiled and said: "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Reventon, the great detective."

Reventon guessed correctly: all the reasons he had just listed were retroactively deduced after Wu Chang detected the supernatural energy within him and first suspected him of being suspicious.

The ability he gained after his transformation, the Eye of Breaking Mysticism, grants the power to perceive the mystical. The instant he saw the driver, he noticed something off.

At first, he assumed it was Zhu Li's arrangement and paid it no mind; only after meeting Zhu Li and learning about Reventon did he realize the driver was Reventon himself.

Reventon pulled a brass box from his pocket—the interior arranged with a miniature mystical ritual.

He had to adjust the ritual inside the box to match the state of the door before he could open it.

In simple terms, it was a supernatural version of a password lock.

Many of the cases Reventon investigated were top-secret Stilan cases, involving numerous societal secrets. To protect the agency's records, he designed the password to be extremely complex—usually taking over ten seconds to open.

As he adjusted the door's password, he asked:

"You said Mystical Knights attract each other—why can't I see any supernatural power inside you?"

Wu Chang stepped forward; a mystical rune disc materialized in his palm. He pressed his hand against the brass door knocker. With a crisp metallic click, the door's seal unlocked.

He pushed open the door and looked out at Reventon, still fiddling with the brass box, and said:

"Probably because your cultivation isn't refined enough. When you can finally discard those useless trinkets, you'll be able to see as much as I do."

Reventon sullenly tucked away the brass box and muttered:

"Fine, I admit—you're slightly better than me in mysticism. No wonder Zhu Li went out of her way to bring you back."

Wu Chang held Erin's hand as if he were the true owner of the house, casually examining everything.

The ground floor housed the functional areas: kitchen, laundry room, and storage—all distributed on this level. As they neared the structure, they caught the lingering scent of food.

"Didn't realize you cooked for yourself."

Reventon was displeased by Wu Chang's casual wandering but replied:

"No, the landlady comes here to handle these tasks when I'm home. I'm too busy to waste time on such trivial matters."

Wu Chang blinked in surprise:

"The landlady also does laundry and cooking?"

Reventon ignored Wu Chang and Erin still exploring downstairs and hurried up to the second floor without looking back:

"In Grimlan, it's normal. Landlords handle cleaning, cooking, tidying, and greeting guests to increase competitiveness and charge extra service fees."

Wu Chang raised an eyebrow. In his own world, landlords were typically wealthier than tenants—helping with repairs or replacing appliances was already generous; they'd never go this far.

He led Erin up the stairs. Halfway up, he smelled a sharp blend of ink, incense, and mystical-alchemical materials—clearly distinct from the scent on the first floor.

On the second floor, he saw Reventon frantically tidying up something. Reventon made no effort to stop Wu Chang and Erin from exploring—he rushed upstairs precisely to hide something incriminating.

Wu Chang pulled out a notebook clearly just inserted into the bookshelf, ran his fingers across the pages, paused at the one with the widest gap between sheets, and instantly opened it.

Inside were many newspaper clippings, likely from the New World's papers, since all the content was about him.

It included his resolution of a haunted gold mine case, and his meeting with the local mayor alongside Erin.

In this realm, when he later married Erin, the mayor attended the wedding as a guest.

Wu Chang pointed to the wedding photo of the two people and said to Erin:

"Look, the photo turned out quite nice."

Erin looked at herself in the wedding dress in the photo, her cheeks slightly flushed, and nodded: "It really is nice."

"Should we take a real set after we go back?"

Erin's cheeks flushed again, but she said nothing.

Wu Chang flipped further through the clippings and found that the investigation wasn't just about him—many descendants of the Arcane Knights were listed in this notebook.

He skimmed through it and saw Dean Randy, saw Zhu Li, and even saw Queen Olivia.

Just as he was about to examine the recorded details closely, Raventon returned and snatched the notebook away, slamming it shut.

"Didn't you hear that you shouldn't casually browse through someone else's belongings when visiting their home?"

Wu Chang replied confidently: "At least when I investigated these, I did it in front of you, not behind your back."

Raventon shrugged: "A detective is supposed to investigate behind the scenes."

He walked to the second-floor parlor, sat down on his own, picked up the pipe on the table, and put it in his mouth:

"Zhu Li sent you to find me—what do you want?"

Wu Chang sat across from Raventon and asked: "Are you Zhu Li's man?"

Raventon said: "You should say Zhu Li is ours."

Wu Chang asked: "Who are you?"

"Who else? Of course, the fallen descendants of the Arcane Knights," Raventon said flatly.

"Your family's legacy is weaker, but since you resolved the Moonlight Sanatorium case, you must know much about the Arcane Knights' past secrets."

"After the Arcane Knights successfully defeated the demon god Leyman and destroyed the Quietist Cult, they were disbanded by the king for mysterious reasons just a few years later."

"Thanks to royal rewards, each family received substantial lands—except for certain novice Arcane Knights who joined right before the disbandment, after helping defeat the demon god."

"But the descendants of the Arcane Knights seemed cursed by the demon god—most couldn't hold onto their wealth, often squandering it away within a few generations."

"The Anderson family you met in Bai Shi Town is already among the best off today."

"And not every Arcane Knight descendant, like Randy, bears the duty of suppressing the demon god's resurrection. In other families, the Arcane Knights' cultivation methods have not been lost."

At this point, Wu Chang understood Raventon's meaning.

A group of nobles with supernatural power and once-wealthy ancestors—how could they willingly let their families decline?

"So, you Arcane Knight descendants formed your own organization—a new Arcane Knights' order unrecognized by the king?"

Raventon nodded: "Exactly. Zhu Li was once one of us."

"Was?" Wu Chang sharply caught Raventon's wording.

Raventon gave a self-deprecating smile: "Over the years, she's risen too high—she no longer needs us to accomplish what she wants."

"Especially in the past two years, she's rarely attended our gatherings—but whenever we faced difficulties, she never withheld help. Perhaps you're right—we should now say she's ours."

Wu Chang fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"Are you in love with Zhu Li?"

Raventon instantly turned red and denied: "I'm not! I didn't! Don't make things up!"

Wu Chang smirked and dropped the subject, asking instead:

"How long has your organization existed?"

Raventon, glad Wu Chang changed topics, replied: "Over ten years."

"So your group existed before Olivia ascended the throne?" Wu Chang asked.

Raventon made no attempt to hide it: "You can say it more plainly—Olivia Queen's smooth ascension to the throne, we did indeed help."

Queen Olivia, the nominal ruler of the world's most powerful empire, could rightly be called the most powerful woman in this realm.

Gossip, as always, is human nature—and gossip about Olivia spread wildly even in the New World.

In the fabricated memories of the True Practitioner, there were many rumors about Olivia.

For instance, after the previous king died, young Olivia was tightly controlled by her mother and guardians, who tried to treat her like a puppet, forcing her to follow every instruction.

Another rumor claimed her uncle coveted the throne and repeatedly tried to seize it, but always failed.

Hearing only these rumors made them seem unreal—Olivia appeared to have grown up overnight, breaking free from all control and constraint, step by step, until she became the true queen.

If the New Arcane Knights had been involved, everything would make perfect sense.

Raventon took two puffs of his pipe and said: "Now it's your turn. Zhu Li sent you to find me—what do you want?"

Wu Chang reached behind his back, pulled the Lake Light Sacred Sword from his personal space, and placed it on the table: "Do you recognize this sword?"

Raventon's pupils contracted; he leaned forward, instinctively reaching for the Lake Light Sacred Sword—but his hand froze just before touching the scabbard, and he sat back into the plush chair.

"Lake Light Sacred Sword—so the Queen finally decided to take it out?"

Wu Chang said: "You recognize it—and you know what it represents."

"Just now, Queen Olivia appointed me as Grand Master of the Arcane Knights beneath St. George's Cathedral, ordering me to reorganize the Arcane Knights and granting me full authority to recruit freely."

He drew the Lake Light Sacred Sword; a half-meter radius of lake-like light glowed, proving it was genuine.

"Then Zhu Li told me to come find you."

Raventon's expression grew complicated. He looked out the window and said: "I need to think about it."

Wu Chang slid the Lake Light Sacred Sword back into its scabbard and said: "I'll give you ten seconds. If you refuse, I'll go to Zhu Li and tell her you're in love with her. 10."

Raventon turned red again: "As Grand Master, are you really going to blackmail your own members?"

Wu Chang: "9, 8, 4..."

"Wait a moment, your counting is off!"

Wu Chang didn't respond, just lowered his head to look at the stopwatch and read off the numbers: "3, 2…"

"I'll join!" Raventon conceded.

Wu Chang slipped the pocket watch back into his pocket, a smile on his face, and said:

"I'm very glad to work with you, Knight Raventon. From today on, you and your little group, as long as you're willing, may come see me and become true Arcane Knights once again."

Raventon said stubbornly:

"Although I've chosen to join the Arcane Knights, there's something I want to make clear. I didn't join the Arcane Knights because I was afraid of your threats, but because I felt from you the hope of reviving the Arcane Knights."

"If you were just like Randy — all brawn and no brains — no matter how much you said, I wouldn't admit you were qualified to be the leader."

Wu Chang didn't argue with Raventon either, and said: "I understand what you mean."

"By the way, where is Director Randy now? Zhu Li only said he's currently in an important position and will soon restore his family's glory."

Director Randy's talent in mysticism is absolutely outrageously strong. Without any cultivation, and even while not believing mysticism existed, the talent overflowing from his body alone could form a spell array that enveloped the entire Moonlight Sanatorium.

After systematic training, Director Randy would definitely be terrifyingly strong. If he could be pulled in, he'd be even fiercer than a player.

Raventon said: "Randy is very busy now. If you want to find him, I'm afraid it'll be a bit troublesome."

"The Prime Minister was just assassinated. Whether it's investigating the murder or controlling the recent major cholera outbreak, it's all the business of his Minister of the Interior. He can be said to be the busiest person in all of Sterling right now."

Wu Chang nodded and said: "Indeed, as Minister of the Interior, he must be swamped."

"Wait, what did you just say Randy is?"

He suddenly realized Raventon seemed to have said something extraordinary.

Raventon said: "Randy is the Minister of the Interior. Don't you read the news? Regarding the civilian claim that the Prime Minister was assassinated, he just came out yesterday to debunk the rumor."

Wu Chang was stunned. In Sterling's political system, the king didn't hold much real power, being closer to a spiritual leader.

Sterling's power was concentrated in the Prime Minister and the cabinet.

In terms of power, below the Prime Minister were the three great ministers of the cabinet: the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of the Interior.

Although the Minister of the Interior ranked last among the three great ministers, he was still one of the most powerful people in the country. More importantly, the Minister of the Interior was a strong contender for Prime Minister.

He had been worrying earlier that after building up his faction, it would be hard to find a Prime Ministerial contender to support. He hadn't expected a candidate to appear so quickly — and an old acquaintance at that.

"Now I have no choice but to go have a chat with him."

Raventon saw what Wu Chang was thinking and asked: "You want Randy to join the Arcane Knights as your backing in the political world?"

Wu Chang didn't hide it either, and said: "Randy's ancestor was the founder of the Arcane Knights. Wouldn't joining the Arcane Knights be as natural as coming home for him?"

Raventon said: "We joined the Arcane Knights to restore the glory of our ancestors, but Randy doesn't need to."

"The Queen and Zhu Li trust him greatly, and his strength is as monstrous as a monster's. As long as he wanted to, he could propose to the Queen to rebuild the Arcane Knights, and you wouldn't have your current situation."

"It was he who refused the Arcane Knights and chose to become Minister of the Interior. What can you offer him that's enough to make him change his mind and rejoin the Arcane Knights?"

Wu Chang furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, then reached for the notebook in Raventon's hand.

Raventon pulled the notebook back and asked: "What are you doing?"

Wu Chang said: "I remember you investigated him. Let me see what dirt you have on him that might be useful when we meet."

Raventon rolled his eyes, nearly laughing from exasperation. He shoved the notebook straight into the back of his waist and said:

"You think he's as easy to threaten as I am?"

"Randy is called the Iron-Faced Minister, regarded as the most upright and toughest Minister of the Interior in nearly a century. Threats and inducements won't work on him."

"But if you want him to join, there's an opportunity right now."

Wu Chang asked: "What opportunity?"

Raventon stood up, gestured for Wu Chang to follow, led Wu Chang to his workshop, and pulled back the curtain covering the wall.

The curtain was pulled down, and Wu Chang saw an entire wall covered with photos or clippings, pinned up with ribbon-tacked pins.

Related events were connected by ribbons, which wove back and forth into a great net. At the center of the net, where all the ribbons converged, sat a photograph.

A photograph of Prime Minister Ron.

Raventon said: "The Prime Minister assassination case!"

(End of this chapter)