Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 670 - 63: Ghoul of the Misty City
In the evening, Ave held a thick stack of sheepskin books and knocked on Ethan's door.
It felt as if time had taken her back to a year ago in Ximu Town, when she was still the sheriff of Ximu Town. Whenever she encountered difficult problems involving mysticism, she would go to the Adventurer's Guild and knock on Ethan's door.
Seeing the gas lamp stained on the table, a slight smile appeared on Ave's face.
"Ghouls, what do you know about them?"
"The most common dark creatures in the Empire. The book 'Understanding 100 Dark Creatures' believes they are the result of humans protecting food. Early symptoms include mood swings, fear of light, a surge in appetite, and they start devouring raw meat. The smell of blood can easily drive them insane."
Ethan blurted out.
This could be considered one of his "useless" talents after traveling here. Any knowledge he read would be firmly engraved in his mind. Unfortunately, this talent awakened a bit too late; otherwise, it would have made him a genius of the exam-oriented education in high school.
Early symptoms mean there is still a possibility of cure. "The ghoul virus is highly infectious. Those bitten or scratched will soon exhibit the same symptoms. The author, Demon Hunter August, once attempted to tie infected individuals with coarse ropes and water them daily with holy water blessed by the Life Divine Teachings when passing a border village of the Empire. Two infected individuals recovered after a week of treatment."
There were 10 people involved in the treatment.
So, the cure rate is about 20%. Those who survived were strong young people, and the wounds from the ghouls were not deep.
As for those who have completed their transformation into ghouls...
August suggested in his book that regardless of their tragic past, whether they turned into ghouls willingly or not, giving them a merciful release is the only thing they can do. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
At the moment of their transformation, their humanity is stripped from their bodies, turning them into alienated monsters.
"You're as reliable as ever."
Ave brought a chair over. Since returning to the Imperial Capital, she hadn't investigated a case in a while, busy every day with various work reports, and the skills she learned from the Truth Society had become quite rusty.
"I found an issue of the 'Dark Furnace City Daily' from a year ago."
Ave spent an entire afternoon running around different parts of Dark Furnace City. These days, finding reports from a year ago is not easy, especially after Dark Furnace City experienced two upheavals. The newspaper office suffered different levels of damage, and even a year after Mr. Julius's passing, he could still cause many troubles for Ave's actions.
Simply put, a year ago, the Church and the Imperial Military Industry were widespread in Dark Furnace City. There were so many corpses daily that they had to be transported by cart. Missing persons were countless, and many times even the families of the missing would no longer waste energy looking for their whereabouts.
As for ghoul attacks, such trivial matters were not even worthy of the 'Dark Furnace City Daily'.
As Ethan said, ghouls are monsters driven by appetite, losing their humanity. But even if you let them eat to their heart's content, could the casualties compare to those sent to the stake by the Church? Or the workers in the blood-sweat factories of the Imperial Military Industry who died from overwork?
At that time, Dark Furnace City was simply a paradise for ghouls. After reviewing reports from a year ago, she felt that ghouls didn't need to attack Dark Furnace City residents. Chewing on the bodies transported out of the city each day was already more than they could handle.
"Only one newspaper mentioned Teacher Valerie's matter. She came for Mr. Fischer."
"Mr. Fischer?"
"A teacher from the Truth Society, a friend of Teacher Valerie. Dark Furnace City is his hometown. After the Violet Commune event ended, he was completely disappointed in the Seven-Person Council at the time, resigned from the Truth Society, and returned to Dark Furnace City to teach... Until one day, his body was found in the suburbs by a merchant caravan in the morning, with multiple bite marks on it."
A third-tier believer of the God of Truth mysteriously died in Dark Furnace City; that was newsworthy for the 'Dark Furnace City Daily'.
"A third-tier believer of the God of Truth should be able to escape even if faced with an attack by a group of ghouls."
Ethan immediately pointed out the suspicious point.
The book 'Understanding 100 Dark Creatures' defines ghouls as tier-one nearing tier-two dark creatures. Although their mutation grants them strong regenerative abilities and incredible strength, it also robs them of their intelligence, preventing them from thinking like humans.
Demon Hunter August believes that as long as people understand the habits and weaknesses of these creatures, even ordinary people have the possibility of killing them or, at worst, escaping safely from them.
The third tier is a watershed in each person's path to the extraordinary realm. At this stage, they already possess power beyond ordinary people.
"Mr. Fischer's wife believed that the ghouls were a red herring used by the real culprit and repeatedly reported this issue to the sheriff of Dark Furnace City. But the sheriff's final conclusion was that Mr. Fischer died from a ghoul attack."
This was obviously a perfunctory excuse.
Those who could become sheriffs in a place like Dark Furnace City were old hands. They knew the result of investigating such a case.
"With nowhere else to turn, Mrs. Fischer could only send a letter to the Truth Society in the Imperial Capital, hoping the society could bring the real culprit to justice."
"At least it's a clue." Ethan glanced at the sky outside the window, "We should still have time to visit Mrs. Fischer now."
"...No need."
Ave shook her head, "Mrs. Fischer disappeared before Teacher Valerie arrived."
The lead was cut off, but it also confirmed Ave's suspicions even more.
Someone didn't want this case to be further investigated. Considering Mr. Fischer was a traditionally faithful God of Truth believer, his mysterious death likely meant he uncovered some secrets he wasn't meant to know, bringing trouble upon himself.
"But no one can pinpoint the exact time of Teacher Valerie's disappearance. The sheriff said she visited the sheriff's office after arriving in Dark Furnace City to consult the case files, and since then, there's been no news of her."
A year ago in Dark Furnace City, disappearances were not uncommon; the same events unfolded daily.
The deeper Ave delved into this case, the more she felt the undercurrents surging in Dark Furnace City.
She bowed her head in contemplation. If she were Teacher Valerie...
After arriving in Dark Furnace City and learning about the sheriff's attitude and Mrs. Fisher's mysterious disappearance, what would she do?
"Investigate all the ghoul assault cases from a year ago, or any bizarre deaths occurring in Dark Furnace City."
Ethan voiced her inner thoughts, "First, we need to find out what Mr. Fisher was investigating before his death."
This surprised Ave a bit, "You have quite the potential to become a member of the Truth Society."
In fact, she had thought so back in Ximu Town, and even intended to take Ethan to the Imperial Capital, recommend him to the Truth Society for studies, and sponsor his tuition.
"Looks like we'll have to trouble the sheriff again."
Ethan was sure the sheriff of Dark Furnace City wouldn't be pleased to see them.
To him, this was definitely a troublesome matter.
"I'll negotiate with him this time."
After eating and drinking to his heart's content, Ethan planned to take a stroll around Dark Furnace City. Before setting out, he politely declined Duke Bellamo's offer to accompany him personally. He didn't want to make it appear like a superior's inspection, nor give the city's officials a chance to communicate through glances. He also concealed the purpose of his visit from Bellamo, only saying that an after-meal walk was his habit.
Walking through the mist-covered alley, he dialed Lindong's number.
The magical communication shell quickly connected with Lindong.
"How's Dark Furnace City?"
"The smog pollution is severe, it's not a place to linger."
He then had a brief chat with Lindong about the Fisher and ghoul cases, aiming to understand how Lindong, once the empire's most wanted fugitive, viewed this peculiar city.
"This city is unusual," Lindong said after a moment's thought. "Dream Eclipse has never issued any contracts involving this city."
No one wanted to spend money to assassinate Duke Bellamo, nor the High Priest here, nor the owners of the sweatshop factories.
Logically, this kind of city should be a hotspot for contracts.
"Now that you mention it, I do recall."
Lindong, on the other end, said, "Dark Furnace City has church forces, Flor the Tycoon's businesses, and the dark creatures and various murder and disappearance cases you mentioned... but it distinctly lacks any trace of Evil God's Followers."
A soil most conducive for nurturing Evil God's Followers, yet not a single shadow of such followers could be found.
But Lindong was not a believer in the God of Truth; she didn't possess an overwhelming curiosity. If Ethan hadn't brought it up in the call, she wouldn't care about the anomalies of Dark Furnace City.
Compared to ghouls and political legacy issues, she worried more about the smog pollution Ethan mentioned.
"Make sure to wear a mask when you go out!"
She sternly reminded over the phone.
"I brought one."
"Do you think I'm deaf?"
Lindong immediately called out Ethan's lie. Ethan could easily imagine Lindong glaring with her eyes wide at the other end, looking fierce, "That's not the sound of someone talking through a mask."
Ethan chuckled softly, "Alright, I'll go buy one shortly."
"I'll check every day."
Lindong persisted, "If I catch you without it even once, you'll pay for it when you return!"
"Got it!"
Unknowingly, Ethan had arrived beneath the Security Office. Thanks to Duke Bellamo's efforts, the place seemed much quieter. Compared to the chaos a year ago, the murder and disappearance cases in Dark Furnace City had sharply decreased, entering a 'low season' for cases. The staff of the Security Office could leisurely make a cup of red tea and spend a relaxed afternoon.
"I've arrived."
"Pop~"
