“What are you doing here?!”
Brian's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Elias, who had suddenly burst in.
“I should be asking you that!”
Elias gripped the brass key tightly, feeling a wave of speechlessness wash over him.
He instinctively hid the hand carrying the soul coin suitcase behind his back.
He had specifically spent money to book this haunted room to find a secret place to hide his “spoils” from tonight.
Moreover, he intended to use the Dream Prayer Ritual to properly check if the spirit vision potion he had just obtained was the real deal.
If it was real...
He planned to undergo his advancement right here!
At the very least, he needed to raise his strength by another level.
Otherwise, his current offensive capabilities were far too limited.
His primary weapon, the elemental revolver, was currently out of commission and broken.
If he ran into another official investigator on the level of Cecil, his chances of winning would be pitifully low.
Finally, he wanted to research whether the matter regarding Crowley could still be handled.
Every part of the plan was perfect.
Who would have thought that opening the door would reveal such a “limited edition” surprise!
“This room is connected to the murder case from last month,” Brian said righteously, patting the dust off his trench coat.
“I am here to investigate the case!”
“Investigate the case?”
Elias looked at him as if he were an idiot.
“You waited until now to investigate a case from last month?”
“Besides, didn't Arthur say you were forced into a mandatory vacation by your superiors?”
Hearing this, Brian's eyes instantly widened even further, looking like a cat that had its tail stepped on.
“Hey, hey, hey!”
“How could Arthur even tell you about that?!”
Brian's face was full of disbelief, feeling as though his dignity as a veteran detective had been swept away.
“Why wouldn't he?” Elias found the question ridiculous. “He's my brother.”
“He's my partner!” Brian retorted defiantly.
“?”
Elias gave him a look reserved for the simple-minded.
Could a partner really compare to a blood-related brother?
Elias remained silent, merely frowning as he sized Brian up.
He was starting to doubt whether Cecil had actually cured him.
After a long silence, Elias spoke again.
“This is the crime scene?”
He pointed to the floor of the room.
Naturally, he was asking despite already knowing the answer. He couldn't exactly tell Brian that he had also come specifically for this haunted room, could he?
“That is right.”
Brian nodded and stuffed a magnifying glass back into his trench coat pocket.
He looked around and sighed.
“This was the Waterloo of my career!”
He walked to the wine cabinet in the center of the room and pointed at it.
At the moment, only a few empty glass goblets remained on the cabinet.
“When I came to survey the scene last time, I was so exhausted that I just casually drank a bit of the champagne left in that bottle on the cabinet.”
Brian frowned, seemingly lost in thought.
Elias really wanted to call out this prideful fellow.
Exhausted? Weren't you just heartbroken?
Out of politeness, he didn't interrupt Brian.
“Then I felt all dizzy and groggy, and I was miserable for several days!”
“That wine was certainly strong!”
He smacked his lips, looking at the empty wine cabinet.
“Now that I think about it, if I hadn't been forced to go to the hospital, another sip might not have been—”
“Stop drinking.”
Elias immediately spoke up, decisively cutting him off.
Case closed!
Herm had mentioned before that when he first met Brian, he noticed the man was heavily contaminated with negative spirituality.
Elias had never been able to figure out how a detective could get mixed up with such a thing.
How did he get contaminated?
It was because you were at a crime scene drinking wine left behind by someone else!
That wine definitely had some supernatural filth mixed into it!
“Arthur told me everything,” Elias sighed, looking at the unlucky man with some sympathy.
“He told you that too?!” Brian was shocked once again.
“What are you so shocked about?!”
Elias ruthlessly entered his roasting mode.
“So you see, since the investigation has already turned out like this and you've been suspended by your superiors...”
“You might as well just go home and get some rest.”
“Don't go fainting again like you did at the train station that day.”
Elias leaned against the doorframe and continued his verbal assault.
“Besides, that title of yours, the ‘Hound of Hope County,’ has already been pretty much trashed because of this case.”
“You might as well relax and accept reality.”
The air went silent for two seconds.
“Elias, your words are so hurtful!” Brian complained, clutching his chest with a wounded expression.
“I think so too.”
Deep in his mind, Old Ed immediately jumped out. He gave Brian a metaphorical thumbs-up inside Elias's head.
“Finally, someone has voiced my inner thoughts!” the old man said gleefully. “Elias, look, everyone's evaluation of you is consistent.”
“...”
Elias simply ignored the old ghost in his head.
Just then, Brian suddenly realized something.
He narrowed his eyes and sized Elias up, his gaze falling on the heavy suitcase Elias was holding.
“Wait a minute.” Brian immediately invoked his professional instincts as a detective and issued a stern interrogation. “You still haven't told me what you're doing at the Golden Rose Hotel in the middle of the night.”
“Me?” Elias straightened his back and met Brian's gaze openly. “I am here to stay the night, of course!”
“Stay the night?” Brian sneered, clearly not believing him. “Stop joking! Your home is in the West District! Who would leave their own bed in the middle of the night to come stay at a hotel with a suitcase?”
“It is true!” Elias emphasized naturally, without batting an eye. “I am staying at the hotel to help someone with a task.”
He threw out a random excuse.
“I found a job as a sailor.”
“You found a job as a sailor?” Brian raised an eyebrow, the suspicion in his eyes fading slightly. “Congratulations!”
“?”
Elias froze for a moment, seemingly unable to keep up with the detective's jumping train of thought.
Weren't you just conducting a strict interrogation? And now you're offering congratulations?
“I have heard that working on a ship as a sailor is very lucrative,” Brian said with a hint of envy. “It is hard work, but at least it pays more than the fixed salary we earn at Old Palace Yard!”
“That is true...” Elias nodded along with him.
“Go on!” Brian signaled for Elias to continue explaining his reason for staying.
“Oh!” Elias immediately picked up the thread. “My captain asked me to help him receive some valuable items tonight.”
He patted the leather suitcase in his hand.
“He specifically instructed me that for safety's sake, I must stay at the Golden Rose Hotel tonight to wait for news.”
“I see.” Brian nodded, not dwelling on the matter further.
For him, his mind was currently filled only with the single goal of washing away his disgrace and solving the murder case.
He turned around, bent down again, and began using his magnifying glass to carefully observe the wooden floor of the room.
“Since you are also here for business, that works out well,” Brian said without looking up. “I will borrow this room of yours and continue investigating the previous case here tonight.”
“Will that work?” Elias asked as he looked at Brian's back, who had his rear in the air.
“Hasn't it been a full month since the murder?”
Brian spun around abruptly and glared at Elias. “Are you questioning the professional investigative skills of the ‘Hound’ of Hope County?”
“Cough... that is not what I meant.” Elias hurried to wave his hands to cover his tracks. “I just thought the hotel cleaning staff would have destroyed all the clues long ago!”
But in his heart, Elias shook his head secretly.
No matter how clever Brian was, or how much he was called a Hound, at the end of the day, he was just an ordinary person without a shred of spirituality.
This murder case was highly likely a supernatural one.
Crowley's friend had the item he wanted; there was no way that person was just an ordinary human.
Furthermore, the fact that there was enough negative spirituality at the scene for Brian to be contaminated was enough to prove Elias's guess was correct.
If someone said there was a faint lingering spirituality in the corners of this room, Elias would believe it.
But to say Brian could find any substantial physical clues in this crime scene with just a lousy magnifying glass... that was a long shot.
Just as Elias was about to put the suitcase in the wardrobe, Brian, who was crouching on the floor, suddenly froze.
He didn't turn around, and his voice sounded somewhat ethereal in the empty room.
“Al.”
Brian suddenly asked, his tone carrying a hint of unprecedented confusion and solemnity.
“Do you think...”
“Do ghosts really exist in this world?”
Elias stopped his movements and remained silent for two seconds.
“Perhaps they do!”
They did. He knew one. Not only did they exist, but they were also very talkative!
Rate on N.U.
