Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 671 - 64: As Safe as a Kingdom Army Barracks Here

Ethan is a Holmes novel enthusiast.

Victorian architecture, fog city, a bizarre murder case, coupled with the black coat he wore, the detective elements were all in place.

As he entered, the eyes of the people in the Security Office converged on him.

Then, these people simultaneously frowned and showed a look of disdain.

They recognized Ethan's identity—detective of the Truth Society. Only they would dress like this, and what they least liked were detectives because they usually meant trouble; those cases that could be overlooked, detectives would come and stir them up.

Luckily, they did not recognize him.

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief.

Although "Imperial Truth" was trending in the Empire under the new cabinet's push, Ethan had deliberately emphasized to Ave not to plaster his photo everywhere; he did not want people suddenly appearing and tearfully shaking his hand wherever he went.

After some eye exchanges, finally, a policeman from the Security Office resignedly came up.

"God of Truth above, please don't tell me you are here for the Fisher case too."

This afternoon was unpleasant for them.

A big figure from the Imperial Capital had visited the Security Office in person, requesting all the case files from a year ago to be brought out. They had been busy the entire afternoon, and before they could catch their breath, another troublesome person appeared at the door.

They didn't know what kind of wind blew today, bringing people from the Truth Academy one after another; they really wanted to persuade Miss Ave-Margaret to let past events drift away with the wind. Investigating such a case to the bottom would hardly lead to a good result even if the truth is found.

When Ave mentioned the possibly missing Lady Valerie for a year, they could only smile helplessly.

Not to mention a year, in Dark Furnace City, missing for more than three days usually meant no hope.

This matter had passed more than a year, and they didn't understand why Imperial Capital people insisted on reopening an old case now.

"Actually, I'm here to find the sheriff."

Upon hearing this, the policeman relaxed, "Officer Shuka has already left for home, you can come back tomorrow."

"I have a highly tricky case that needs discussion with him, please help me contact him."

The policeman drew a sharp breath.

Ethan's words sounded polite, but he seemed unwilling to leave them a choice to refuse. If it were usual, they would have kicked out this unknown detective long ago, but recently the situation was special; it was said many people from the Imperial Capital had arrived, including Prime Minister Ave-Margaret.

Officer Shuka's complaint before leaving was no mistake; a change is likely coming to Dark Furnace City.

After much contemplation, the policeman resignedly said, "I'll take you to find him, but I must remind you, Officer Shuka dislikes having his personal life disturbed after work."

Sometimes they really missed Dark Furnace City a year ago when they had a lot of influence, and the Life Church and Imperial Military Industry would give them some benefits every now and then to help handle bothersome matters.

And now, they didn't gain a penny and had to risk being reprimanded by the officer to take someone to find him.

The policeman wore a mournful face; he could already foresee the result of this matter.

If this detective's identity, Officer Shuka couldn't afford to offend him, then after Ethan left, Shuka would definitely vent his anger on him—other people in the Security Office clearly noticed this too, and all dodged away, pushing this troublesome task upon him without any solidarity.

Sheriff Shuka lived in the affluent area north of Dark Furnace City, not far from Duke Bellamo's estate. It was a gathering place for nobles and wealthy merchants; Ethan heard that during the major purges following Julius's downfall, one-third of the residents in this area had reduced.

Shuka's estate looked impressive, not the kind of house an ordinary sheriff could afford.

"Officer, Officer Shuka!"

The policeman knocked on the estate's door, only to find the estate unusually quiet today, an unsettling atmosphere quietly spreading under the night sky.

"Officer Shuka, a detective from the Truth Society is looking for you."

There was still no response, but he couldn't say Officer Shuka wasn't home because the gas lights in the house were lit; he believed Shuka was inside and unwilling to deal with them.

People in Dark Furnace City know Officer Shuka was single for years, but his private life was extremely chaotic; you often saw elegantly dressed women at his estate.

"Officer Shuka, please come out; we—"

The policeman's somewhat frustrated voice suddenly ceased, he backed away quickly as if by reflex, his hand reached for the firearm on his waist.

"What's the matter?"

"Officer Shuka raised a Black Wolf; it's said to be a gift from the President of the Adventurer's Guild of Dark Furnace City…"

This wasn't his first time visiting Shuka's estate; the place hadn't left him with any pleasant memories.

The policeman realized the source of unrest.

If it were a normal day, after such a commotion, that fierce creature would have snarled and bared its teeth at him long ago. It was a method Shugga used to drive away unwelcome guests, but today the mansion was unusually quiet, so quiet that it made him somewhat uneasy.

"Something feels off. Do you, do you have any way to protect yourself?"

The officer retreated to the fence outside the mansion, asking with lingering fear.

He hoped to receive a negative answer from Ethan, so he could execute what he considered the safest plan—he and Ethan would return to the Security Office, gather everyone, fetch the electromagnetic crossbows that had just arrived this season from the armory, and come back to thoroughly inspect the mansion.

Of course, doing so could very likely mean missing out on important clues.

"Yes, I know a little self-defense."

Ethan's answer made the officer's face turn ashen, yet it seemed the other party wasn't planning on letting him off easily. "What time did Mr. Shugga leave the Security Office?"

"About half an hour ago."

The officer gripped his firearm tightly as he looked at the dark mansion, the gas light on the second floor flickering ominously.

Before the officer could speak, Ethan was already advancing along the fence toward the inside, and the officer quickly followed, advising, "Be careful, the creature Lieutenant Shugga keeps is very aggressive, if you act rashly—"

He saw black fur scattered on the ground. In the moonlight, the grass outside the mansion still faintly showed mottled bloodstains, the trail leading toward the nearby bushes, the smell of blood growing thicker in the air.

The inside of the mansion remained silent and desolate, the servant's quarters where the creature resided was empty, with no sign of the Black Wolf.

He had no choice but to keep following behind Ethan, for separating haphazardly at this point wasn't wise. What puzzled him was why Ethan had the nerve to proceed along the trail of blood under such circumstances, even pulling apart the end of the blood trail.

What kind of self-defense technique has this detective learned?

Is he not afraid that the murderer might still be at the scene, waiting for them hidden in the dark?

Ethan paid no mind to the officer's thoughts. He pulled aside the blood-stained bushes, revealing more black fur, and apart from that, there was only a little bit of hard-to-notice flesh residue. It could be seen that the intruder had eaten thoroughly, leaving not even bones behind.

According to "Guide to 100 Dark Creatures," when extremely hungry, ghouls will attack all living creatures, their teeth capable of easily crushing human or animal bones.

"Mr. Shugga's situation might not be looking good."

Ethan turned around to see the officer several meters away, his trembling firearm aimed at Ethan. Only when Ethan stood up did he awkwardly lower the barrel to the ground.

They couldn't find Mr. Shugga's body anywhere in the mansion, only bloodstains left at the scene.

The attacker appeared very hungry, with barely any bone fragments remaining.

The scene of the attack was on the second floor of the mansion, the cushion on the chair soaked with blood. At the time of the attack, Shugga seemed completely unaware that someone had intruded into his room; he had been sitting at his desk, deeply engrossed in reading something.

"... A ghoul, was it a ghoul?"

The officer paced restlessly in the blood-stained room, finding the irony too much to bear because not long ago, Shugga had promised Ave, with assurances that under his management, Dark Furnace City was as safe as the main base of the Imperial Capital Kingdom Army, making it absolutely impossible for even a single ghoul to sneak in.

"It is, but not entirely."

Ethan felt this was no accidental incident.

"What do you mean by that?"

"To my knowledge, after eating thoroughly, ghouls don't just casually steal things off a tabletop."

From the scene of the attack, it appeared Shugga was sitting in a chair when attacked and killed by the ghoul from behind, yet his desk was completely empty.

"Did Mr. Shugga display any abnormal behavior before leaving the Security Office?"

"His complexion was poor, but we all thought it was because Lady Ave had troubled him all afternoon... Why do you ask? You think it relates to his murder?"

"Can't rule out the possibility."

Ethan glanced at the darkness outside the mansion, "Either way, it seems you might be busy tonight."

What's more terrifying than a ghoul is knowing there is a ghoul in the city, and now it's missing.

"I advise you to immediately issue a curfew, increase patrols on the streets, and bring the electromagnetic crossbows; they can effectively harm ghouls."

Ethan made another search in Shugga's bedroom. He had a strange feeling.

The room was covered in blood, a terrible mess, yet at the same time it seemed "neat." Whatever Shugga suddenly thought of before racing back to his bedroom from the Security Office, it was no longer there.

Another question remaining: What could possibly drive a ghoul?

This was a gap in knowledge that "Guide to 100 Dark Creatures" never mentioned.