Chapter 645: Suspects

Gauve didn't understand why Louis Béry had suddenly changed the subject, forgetting to mention that providing relevant intelligence also cost money; he recalled and said:

"Yes, there was a 'Magician,' originally an officer in the General's guard, later transferred to the Patrol Corps."

Later… Lu Mi'an slightly frowned:

"When was he transferred to the Patrol Corps?"

"Why are you asking? Last year." Gauve was now completely confused about what Louis Béry was trying to find out, and couldn't determine which details were critical.

Last year… then it probably wasn't "Siso"… though of course, the possibility couldn't be entirely ruled out—being an officer in General Quilariel's guard still offered opportunities to access vast amounts of intelligence, and the place where he bought Felmor coffee might not have been this import-export shop at all, but one of the other two cafés… even if he did buy it here, there was a reasonable explanation: yes, to enjoy the Patrol Corps' incompetence and fury… Lu Mi'an temporarily added the "Magician" to his list of suspects.

He didn't dismiss him as "Siso" just because he was Rank 7, since the level of a Blessing didn't necessarily match the level granted by the potion.

Moreover, from the fact that a "Magician" had left General Quilariel's guard and joined the Patrol Corps, Lu Mi'an faintly sensed a shift beneath the surface of Matanibang's political waters:

"Diviner" pathway Adepts either belonged to the "Fool" Church or came from Intis's Eighth Bureau or one of its hidden supporting organizations, the "Cult of Secrecy"; wild ones weren't unheard of, but very few reached the "Magician" rank. Combined with Matanibang's history as an Intis colony, Lu Mi'an reasonably deduced that the "Magician" had close ties to the Intis Republic, and General Quilariel knew this well.

He kept the "Magician" in the guard to maintain some connection with Intis, to better handle the arrival of the Feneport Kingdom, and to preserve his own rule through a balance of competing forces.

The "Magician" leaving the General's guard last year might indicate that, after five or six years of testing, General Quilariel had finally confirmed Feneport's stance and aligned himself with them.

Lu Mi'an's speculation on this didn't negate the possibility that the "Magician" was "Siso," because "Loki" was an Intis native, a member of the "Cult of Secrecy," and a mid-level officer of the Eighth Bureau—he could easily have recruited "Siso" into the Eighth Bureau's overseas branch and brought him into the "Cult of Secrecy" through proper channels.

After considering it, Lu Mi'an asked further:

"Does that 'Magician' like to drink Felmor coffee?"

He didn't directly ask for the man's name or physical traits.

Gauve shook his head:

"He doesn't like coffee—he prefers 'Guadar,' something sweeter."

"Guadar" was a local drink widely popular in West Baylang, made from native berries, containing a moderate amount of caffeine, offering similar effects to coffee in boosting energy and combating fatigue, but with an orange-yellow hue, sweet-tart flavor, capable of relieving heat and quenching thirst effectively.

Sweet taste… hearing this, Lu Mi'an felt a wave of disappointment.

Four years ago, "Siso" couldn't have foreseen meeting Ludwig, a monster like him, so he likely didn't deliberately spill unsweetened Felmor coffee on a table with chocolate; Lu Mi'an now cautiously believed he truly preferred bitter coffee.

If so, then this "Magician," who habitually favored sweet drinks, probably wasn't "Siso"—unless "Siso" deliberately maintained distinct traits for each identity, meticulously playing the role of a "Guadar"-drinking "Magician" in daily life.

But he wasn't an "Actor"—he didn't need to perform every single detail of his everyday life!

And he had no need to consume the "Faceless"!

As he thought, Lu Mi'an suddenly had a realization:

"Actor"…

If "Siso" was truly an Adept of the "Demon" pathway, then aside from his belief in "Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun" due to his transmigration, he might also be influenced by the "Tree of Desire" in his daily state.

Could it be that "Siso"'s Blessing pathway didn't come from Tianzun's "Diviner," "Apprentice," or "Thief," but originated from the "Tree of Desire"?

That Tianzun currently wanted the demonic god to infiltrate the barrier world—it wasn't impossible he'd cooperate with the "Tree of Desire," tacitly allowing "Siso" to pluck a few strands of wool from it…

With this new line of thought, Lu Mi'an looked at Gauve—who was puzzled by his sudden silence—drank a sip of his Intis coffee, and smiled as he changed the subject:

"Does the Patrol Corps have any Adepts of the 'Prisoner' pathway?"

He had long suspected the "Tree of Desire" stood at the apex of the "Criminal," "Prisoner," and "Miser" pathways, and their Blessings likely came from one—or a mixture of them.

Lu Mi'an hadn't asked about the "Miser" pathway because it was even more suspicious than the "Criminal" pathway—the "Demon" pathway—and wasn't even among the Twenty-Two Divine Pathways.

It was like a thief, caught by police, wondering, "I disguised myself perfectly and left no trace—how did you pinpoint me so fast?" only to hear, "This isn't Triel; no normal human would disguise themselves as a turkey and hide in a quiet alley."

"Do you think there's a spy from the 'Rose Sect' in the Patrol Corps?" Gauve assumed Louis Béry had drifted into idle chatter about the Rose Sect's interest in Port Pales, "No, he definitely isn't—he's restrained, utterly disciplined."

Lu Mi'an smiled:

"So there really is an Adept of the 'Prisoner' pathway?"

"Yes, Rank 6, the 'Living Corpse'…" Gauve didn't deny it.

Lu Mi'an suddenly interrupted him:

"Don't tell me who he is, what he looks like, or his traits—answer a few questions first."

"What questions?" Gauve, confused by the roundabout questions, decided he'd wait and see when to demand a favor.

Holding his bone china cup of Intis coffee, Lu Mi'an asked casually:

"When did he join the Patrol Corps?"

"Half a year after me." Gauve recalled.

You arrived in Matanibang over five years ago and joined the Patrol Corps soon after; half a year later means the "Prisoner" was already in the Patrol Corps when the four-year-old serial killings occurred… Lu Mi'an perked up, pondered, then asked:

"Did he previously suffer a disaster, nearly die?"

"No." Gauve shook his head, "At least, I don't know of any."

Lu Mi'an wasn't disappointed; he kept smiling:

"Does he like Felmor coffee?"

"Yes, he loves Felmor coffee—unsweetened." Gauve answered instinctively, then recalled Louis Béry had just asked about the Patrol Corps' "Magician" and his coffee habits.

He immediately formed a suspicion:

"Is there a problem with liking Felmor coffee? Did the serial killer four years ago drink Felmor coffee? There are very few places in Port Pales where you can buy Felmor coffee—this is one of them, and even those cafés source their beans from here… You suspect the killer is in the Patrol Corps?"

Not bad—you figured it out quickly, zeroed in on the key point… Lu Mi'an silently praised Gauve.

At the same time, a surge of strong joy welled up inside him:

In Matanibang, people who liked Felmor coffee were already rare; those who preferred it unsweetened were rarer still—and this one was in the Patrol Corps, and publicly an Adept of the "Prisoner" pathway!

With all these conditions met, Lu Mi'an felt he had caught "Siso" by the tail!

He still didn't ask for the Patrol Corps member's name, appearance, identity, or traits, to avoid triggering the target's sense of malice or danger.

With the mindset that he didn't know exactly who the enemy was, Lu Mi'an asked casually:

"Is he a local?"

Seeing Gauve fall silent, Lu Mi'an added with a smile:

"I'm not claiming the official bounty."

Gauve's expression relaxed:

"He's a native of Port Pales, born in Tizamo Town, which belongs to Port Pales…"

Although the Patrol Corps wasn't as strict as major churches or national governments in recruiting members, they still verified basic information and conducted checks—otherwise, General Quilariel would fear being assassinated one day by a Patrol Corps officer using an investigation as cover.

Tizamo Town… one of the locations where "Siso" once played a prank… it matched! Lu Mi'an restrained himself, keeping his lips from curling, and said with feigned regret to Gauve:

"Too bad—it doesn't seem to be the target."

This was to prevent Gauve from developing any investigative interest in the target.

That could cause the target to sense malice!

"Alright." Gauve spread his hands.

He asked curiously:

"How did you find out the serial killer from four years ago liked Felmor coffee?"

"I knew about this person first, then started investigating." Lu Mi'an replied meaningfully.

He didn't tell Gauve the information came from the thin tin foil wrapping of the chocolate, lest Gauve think he could uncover more clues and restart the investigation, drawing "Siso"'s attention.

Thinking of this, Lu Mi'an suddenly had an epiphany:

He had already been noticed by "Siso"—but there were advantages to fishing…

The fact that Louis Béry, wearing a golden straw hat, had bribed Patrol Corps members and reviewed the four-year-old serial killing case files hadn't been noticed by other officers, who didn't care—but if the "Prisoner" truly was "Siso," he had definitely noticed Lu Mi'an, noticed that someone was investigating the four-year-old killings.

He hadn't acted yet because Lu Mi'an appeared openly as Louis Béry, with no disguise, making him suspect this was a trap—he feared stepping into one and had temporarily held back; the lack of any sense of malice or danger came from Lu Mi'an's ignorance of the suspect's exact identity or role—he was merely preparing for a possible "Demon" or "Disciple of Desire" attack.

The earlier fishing was to lure the fish out; this fishing was to bluff… Lu Mi'an's mind grew clearer; he looked at Gauve and said:

"Keep an eye out for anyone in the Police Headquarters who drinks Felmor coffee."

"Alright." Gauve assumed Louis Béry had previously narrowed the suspect down to Patrol Corps members and police through some hidden details, and now had preliminarily ruled out the Patrol Corps.

After finishing his remaining Intis coffee and paying the appropriate Felmor gold, Lu Mi'an put on his golden straw hat, kept his smile, and walked step by step out of the Matanibang Import-Export Shop, out of Kania Street.

As he passed the Port Pales Police Headquarters, he deliberately glanced a few times.

(End of Chapter)