Douglas is a telepathic magician who is good at making telepathic weapons and his hobby is studying history. He joined the Dust Order two months ago and creates many stage props used in plays.
Gongsun Ce didn't quite understand the specific meaning of the proper nouns in these materials. He only knew that Douglas died miserably. He was about 60 years old, with thick hair and simple clothes. The expression before his death was frozen on his stiff face, which was both frightened and angry. No blood was visible at the scene, and it seemed that he died from being beaten with a blunt instrument.
Krikki knelt down and checked for a while, and concluded: "It didn't die very neatly. It took several blows, but they were all directed to the head."
"Are you sure it was the cause of death?" Gongsun Ce asked.
"I didn't see any other wounds. You can see that his clothes are in a mess. He might have been in a fight with someone." Krikki whistled, "It looks like an impulsive murder. The murder weapon is probably the thing at your feet."
Gongsun Ce stood at the entrance of the tent, with a hammer lying at his feet. It stands to reason that a blunt force murder should make a loud noise, but no one heard the impact or the cry for help.
No matter what, there are so many impermanent magicians in this ghost place that there are as many ways to silence them as possible.
“What is Douglas’ law of impermanence?”
"I remember making a lamp..." Krikki thought about it for a moment, "Yes, a magic lamp that makes wishes come true. But he is only a magician, so he usually spends a lot of materials to realize a trivial wish, which is very ordinary. ability."
"Can it be silenced?"
"That's right. Who doesn't know how to be silent?" Criqui Hyde put her hands in her pockets and turned her empty trouser pockets out. "This is not necessarily the murder weapon. Do you want to search me? If you want to search me, you have to take off my clothes. Now, we have to go to the toilet."
"No need, I'm not so slow that I can't even tell you are doing something in front of me." Gongsun Ce shook his head, "I'm here to protect the scene. I'll trouble Miss Crikey to take Phyllis and Mr. Buck away." 'Come here and ask the leader for his opinion - this is his territory."
Krikki grinned and tugged on his collar: "I guess the leader doesn't interfere with anything. He just wants to watch the show... By the way, are you really not going to search? If you let such a good opportunity go, it will be gone~"
At the murder scene, you still had the time to tease the little boy. You are a bitch who is worthy of being born in Morton. You are really mentally ill.
Gongsun Ce glanced at her, thinking that this woman was tall, had long legs, and had a pretty face, but her flat breasts were really unappetizing. If Ilandia was like that, he might as well think about it...
(I need to remind you, Mr. Gongsun, now I can hear your heart.)
(You can pretend not to hear. I hope you pretend not to hear!)
Gongsun Ce coughed hard and said, "Ahem! I am a serious person. Please find a witness. Thank you."
Criqui whistled and left, seemingly unburdened by the fact that someone had died, as cold-blooded as those young killers in Sky City. Gongsun Ce used telekinesis to explore the surrounding environment and investigated the tent himself.
(The Impermanence method uses records to create one.)
(There were two messages within half an hour, at 11:18:35 and 11:21:56 respectively. Both users were Mr. Douglas.)
(It looks like he struggled before he died, which makes sense... Let me look at the tent.)
Douglas's private tent is not big, just a work table and a folding bed. There was a full cup of tea on the table, which was still warm to the touch. The rest was in a mess, with documents and various materials scattered all over the floor.
(Please pay attention, Mr. Gongsun. Clues are often hidden in the details.)
(I know it without you having to tell me...ah, this.)
Gongsun Ce glanced at the left side of the table. There was a cut mark from a sharp weapon on the wooden work table. There was an unnatural space on the shelf near the table that looked like a place for a hammer.
(The marks left not long ago are narrow and the cuts are deep. They may be short blades such as daggers or folding knives. The person holding the knife was young or powerful.) Airandia said.
(My eyes are pretty good, huh? People who use this thing are usually small pickpockets, so they can easily open their pockets to get their wallets... Do you think that wallet belongs to Douglas?)
(No evidence, but I think it's possible.)
Gongsun Ce thought of Felice's stolen wallet and speculated: (For unknown reasons—perhaps the theft was discovered—Phyllis who brought tea had a conflict with Douglas. The fight should have happened near the work table. What happened was that Phyllis was young and energetic and wanted to use the knife. Douglas avoided the slash and used the impermanence method to fight back, but was also avoided and only disrupted the table. The knife may have been released in the process. Felice In desperation, Leith grabbed a hammer and killed the old man. A typical impulsive killing.)
(A reasonable guess.)
(That is, I am an expert in juvenile delinquency, this is a typical impulsive killing.)
Dawn Knight changed the topic: (But you ignored the key factors, so this speculation is not correct.)
(Why, why, why?) Gongsun Ce was furious, (What’s wrong...oh, tea!)
——I just brought him tea, Miss Crichkey.
He recalled Phyllis' previous statement and realized the problem. Douglas's tea cup was still on the table, full of tea and still warm. It was obviously the cup that Phyllis had just sent. The tabletop was in a mess and the tea cups were placed securely, which only proved that the fight that caused the chaos occurred before the tea was served.
Gongsun Ce said harshly: (Phyllis was probably a master of fighting. He held the tea cup with one hand and killed Douglas with one hand...)
(The old man dodged the swordsman’s first strike. After pulling away, he did not choose to throw the knife. Instead, he grabbed the hammer with one hand and struck the opponent multiple times before killing him. Finally, he Don’t forget to put down the tea, and be as polite as a waiter.) Alandia concluded, (His skills seem to be unsophisticated and his personality is eccentric.)
(Ah, shut up, shut up.) Gongsun Ce’s face turned a little red, (I’m so stupid, so how do I explain this?)
(In the Kingdom of Morton, in addition to thieves and gangsters, there is another type of people who carry short blades with them. The old-school nobles prefer to use them as protective weapons, and most of the time they are used as props to demonstrate their strength.)
(Why don’t they carry guns? Oh, they look like wealthy Usters, right?)
(You are very good at making associations.)
Gongsun Ce scratched his head: (It’s time to search Master Buck’s body later. Do you want to bet? I guess it’s a folding knife with a wooden or ivory handle, and only the initials are engraved as identification.)
(No bet. Folding knife, wrapped in silver leather, inlaid with rubies, with the design of a lion or a sword.)
(I rely on you to be funny, it’s so vulgar!)
Islandia did not respond, but said: (Are there any drag marks near the tent?)
Gongsun Ce swept around with telekinesis and shook his head regretfully.
(There are no obvious traces outside. This should be the scene of the eucalyptus. The deceased was facing the table before he died. He was hit from the front and fell down... You can see the mess on the ground. It should be that the deceased was struggling during this period, and the murderer continued It took a few touches before he died completely...)
Gongsun Ce simulated his position and asked doubtfully: (Did they change positions during the fight? Or did the murderer move the body on purpose?)
Logically speaking, the murderer coming from outside the tent should have his back to the entrance of the tent to commit the murder.
(We need more information.)
Gongsun Ce was still deep in thought, when Kriji's voice sounded outside the tent: "Hi, Mr. Gongsun! I'll lead them in right now -"
"Damn it, are you mentally ill?! Don't let the kids in!"
Gongsun Ce quickly ran out of the tent and blocked the discovery scene. Crikey said nonchalantly: "Why are you so nervous? Someone will die?"
Phyllis stood beside her, her little face turned pale with fear, and he asked tremblingly: "Old Mr. Douglas... is dead, dead...?"
Gongsun Ce shook his head: "Yes, my brother will ask you a few questions later, which will help find out the cause of his death." He looked at the other man next to Kriji: "Are you Mr. Buck?"
This man was thin, probably in his early 30s, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a mustache, a luxurious fur coat, and shiny boots. He really looked like an aristocratic man. Hearing this, he said in a stunned voice: "That's right! He's dead? Why is this old guy so embarrassed to die!"
The weather was not too warm today, and both Buck and Phyllis were wearing gloves. Gongsun Ce glanced at it and thought it would be difficult to identify the murderer by fingerprints. He pushed up his glasses and asked, "It seems like you and Douglas have a good relationship."
"Ha! Our relationship is so good." Buck exhaled angrily, "I funded this old liar for two full years! He patted his chest and promised that there would be a major archaeological discovery, which would be published as soon as it was published. It will make us famous. I provided him with so many precious materials... and the result? Two years later, what he produced is a pile of useless paper. This thing will only make me laugh!"
"What did the old man write that made you so angry?" Crikey said with great interest.
Buck puffed his beard and stared: "I'm going crazy! I came here with great interest to hear his 'big discovery', but do you know what this old liar wrote? Holy King, he dared to claim to me King Morton is a fraud!”
Gongsun Ce was moved in his mind, wondering what kind of knowledge this impermanent law could really lead to archeology, and then asked: "What is the specific content of his research?"
"I don't know. I don't even want to hear these evil and filthy slanders about the glorious history of the kingdom! I tell you, sir, this old fool went crazy sitting among the moldy books. All he could think about was He makes up some shocking stories to make dirty money without even giving up his dignity as a human being! People like him must be hated by people and ghosts. I have to be blind to believe that he is really capable, but I think he died like this. What a great thing!"
Buck spoke so much like venting, squinted at Gongsun Ce, and whispered: "Ah... I'm so angry that I'm so angry. Boy, who are you? You dare to question a nobleman like this, a noble man?" Viscount?"
Gongsun Ce shook his cloak and said with a smile: "As a noble viscount, you must know something about this old man's other identity?"
Buck's expression changed: "I know this. You are..."
Gongsun Ce shook out a poker and let it fly around Buck's head.
"You can call me Mr. Gongsun. Special incidents must be handled by special personnel, understand? Just stand quietly and answer truthfully whatever is asked of you until the incident is investigated and the truth comes to light."
Gongsun Ce's arrogant demeanor was much more arrogant than the Viscount himself. Buck was so frightened that he nodded repeatedly and stood aside quickly, not daring to ask any more questions.
(You are very good at bluffing, Mr. Gongsun.)
(I didn’t display the Dawn Knight brand, so I gave him face.)
Gongsun Ce glanced at Buck coldly: "Mr. Buck, because of the research results, you had a quarrel with Douglas, which escalated into a fight."
Buck was startled and managed to say: "I am a decent gentleman, sir. I did feel very angry, but I did not use violence..."
"Really? Why don't you straighten your clothes before you say this."
Buck's clothes were also messy and stained with dust, not as decent as his status. Gongsun Ce smiled and said: "I believe you didn't do anything, but you did use a knife, didn't you? It would be a bit ugly if we went to search the person next to him."
Buck's face turned a little blue. He seemed humbled: "I...Sir, I admit that I was not rational at that time...The flames of anger swallowed me up all at once. We had a physical conflict, and I was angry that this person dared to defend himself as dirty. He was so angry that he slashed his knife on the table...but I didn't kill anyone, sir, I really didn't. I just planned to sue him for fraud."
Gongsun Ce nodded: "Bring the knife for inspection."
Buck's protective weapon was indeed a folding knife, with a silver-leather-covered handle and rubies forming a lion's pattern.
(It’s so fucking awesome.)
(Please be careful with your words.)
(How did you guess that?)
(In fact, the aesthetic standards of the minor nobles in the Kingdom are very similar to those of the capitalists in the United States.)
Gongsun Ce clapped his hands under Buck's incomprehensible eyes and spoke in a gentle tone: "Tell me about the process and time, Mr. Buck. When did you come? When did you leave?"
Buck nodded quickly and spoke quickly: "I should have entered the tent around eleven o'clock. I stayed for nearly twenty minutes, during which time I had a quarrel with that shameful scoundrel... and then it developed into a conflict. I chopped He stabbed the table, turned around and left in anger. This theater is a big place, and I walked for about five minutes to get to the door."
After saying this, he clenched his coat nervously: "I swear to the Holy King, sir, Viscount Buck did these things today. He may have used inappropriate words and had a bad temper, but everything about the murder has nothing to do with him. of."
"Is that so?" Krikki giggled, "The more eager you are to defend yourself, the more guilty you are."
"you!"
Buck gasped in anger, and Gongsun Ce quickly pushed him aside: "We will come to a conclusion, please be quiet now. Phyllis, come here."
"……ah!"
Phyllis seemed to still be immersed in the shock of someone's death, and only came back to reality after hearing these words. Gongsun Ce knelt down in front of Felice and acted like a good neighbor: "Felice, let me ask you a few questions. Don't lie, otherwise this matter will be in trouble."
Phyllis was trembling nervously: "Are you...are you a policeman? Should we call the police! Please, don't let the police bump into me!
"
He almost shrank from his imagination. Gongsun Ce thought that this child was so frightened for a stolen leather bag. He was really a third-rate thief.
"It's hard to say~~The police might arrest you and put you in a cell~!" Crikey smiled sinisterly to scare the unlucky child.
Gongsun Ce glared at her and said, "The police won't be here for the time being. Just answer the questions truthfully. Felice, what do you usually do in this troupe? Do you know the... identities of the troupe members?" "
Phyllis swallowed and said, "I'm here to do some odd jobs, sir. Other places saw that I was too young to hire, but Captain Situ didn't care about that and hired me to help him sell tickets. I'm also responsible for running errands in the group. , serving tea and water to everyone... I know everyone has some abilities, but I don't know these things myself, and I never tell anyone about it."
The child spoke with reason, but he no longer looked frightened as before. But something was wrong. How could a stolen wallet scare this kid like that?
Gongsun Ce suppressed his doubts and asked: "Phyllis, have you seen Douglas today?"
"I've seen him, sir," Phyllis said hurriedly. "I've seen him twice! At eleven o'clock, I saw him leading Master Buck into the tent. The second time was at eleven o'clock. When it was 20 o'clock, I remember it very clearly because I looked at the watch at that time. I went to deliver tea to them, but Master Buck was already gone."
"Did you enter the tent then?"
Phyllis said aggrievedly: "No, Mr. Douglas was standing outside the tent with a very ugly face. He only took a cup of tea and said that Mr. Buck had left. Before I left, I heard him swearing loudly..."
"What did he say?!" Buck demanded.
Phyllis winced and whispered, "Some dirty words directed at you."
"Damn it!" Buck, who has a high status, cursed a not-so-noble swear word.
(Looking at the timeline, the two met at 11:00. After the conversation, a quarrel broke out, which developed into a fight. Buck left about 20 minutes later. During this period, Douglas used the Impermanence Method for the first time at 11:18. 11:20 Phyllis met Douglas and served tea. Douglas used the impermanence method for the second time at 11:21. Buck left the troupe around 11:25. We arrived at 11:30 and witnessed Douglas's death. Calculated in this way, Douglas's death time It’s between 11:20-11:30…)
(To be more precise.)
(After 11:21, because he also used the Impermanence Method once at that time, it was probably a counterattack before death... That's not right...)
(You found the problem.)
(Indeed...he also used it once at 11:18. Two minutes later he met Phyllis and got tea.)
If Douglas used the impermanence method because of the fight with the murderer, then the fight should have taken place from 11:18 to 11:21 for three minutes and ended when he was completely smashed to death. Douglas could not calmly go out to get tea during this period, and even stood at the door of the tent and cursed.
(From this you can get a guess: the two uses of the impermanence method are for different reasons.)
(I'm thinking, I'm thinking...)
Gongsun Ce muttered anxiously in his heart and heard a snap in reality. Crikey ate bubble gum at some point and was blowing the big bubbles.
"Can you be more serious about murderers?" Gongsun Ce said frantically, "And you, by the way! What are your abilities? Do you have an alibi?"
"Haven't I been singing there all the time? I didn't come out until the scene was over, and I just followed you."
Krikki licked the bubble gum residue on her lips, as if she had thought of something, and added with a smirk.
"I'm a spirit magician with a manifested realm. I'm good at invisibility and illusion tricks. So if you say it was me, it's not impossible."
Another fucking manifestor. Isn’t he a fourth-level senior figure from various countries? Why is it that every opera singer in your kingdom appears?
Gongsun Ce frowned and asked in his heart: (...Situ Yi killed someone and silenced him?)
(The possibility is very low. A world-creating wizard has too many ways to erase information. In addition, there is no record of Crikey Hyde and Situ Yi using their abilities in the past hour.)
"Okay, man, relax." Krikki smiled and put her arm on his shoulder, but Gongsun Ce shook him off in disgust, "Hey, you have such a bad temper! Let me tell you something good. The leader just told me "Sound, he plans to handle this matter in an official manner."
"What does business mean?"
"That is to say, if you want to kill someone, you have to call the police. Well, look~!"
Krikki raised her chin, and a man dressed as a police officer came not far away. This man had a square appearance, wearing a black helmet and a thick police uniform. Krikki added: "For the sake of fairness, the leader's identity has not been revealed. This is a local police officer who is in charge of supernatural cases. He doesn't know anything about the inside story. I guarantee he is a neutral person."
"No!" Phyllis panicked all of a sudden, "Please, miss!
Don't let the police come!
"
"Why are you so guilty?" Buck said suspiciously.
Gongsun Ce patted the child on the head and said angrily: "The police can't kill you, okay? You have some backbone!"
Felice huddled behind Gongsun Ce, with an almost desperate look in his eyes: "You don't understand... you don't understand!
"
Gongsun Ce curled his lips and stepped forward to talk to the police officer: "Hello. Gongsun Ce, the...foreign guest of the Knights."
"Supernatural Crime Department, Officer McDonald." The police officer shook hands with him. "Miss Crikey explained the general situation to me and asked you to cooperate with the police officer in the investigation."
"certainly."
Gongsun Ce was not in a hurry and explained the existing information to Officer McDonald one by one. The police officer listened very carefully and took notes from time to time, which was very reassuring to watch.
"Thank you. We will ask you to go to the bureau to make detailed notes later."
Officer McDonald stepped into the tent, walked over to the body, and took out a mirror from his pocket.
"Let's look at the specific time of death first."
The scene in the mirror was blurry. After a few seconds, a bloody color spread on the mirror, gradually forming a line of numbers:
11:19.
"So convenient?" Gongsun Ce exclaimed.
"The autopsy mirror is convenient and reliable, sir." McDonald said proudly, "Since the mass production of this telepathic weapon, it has become much more convenient for us to deal with supernatural crimes. With one look like this, we can understand that this The person died at 11:19 today.”
"This...wait a minute, your thing is broken, isn't it? He is 19% dead?!"
Gongsun Ce suddenly felt something was wrong. Douglas only met Felice at 20 minutes and used the impermanence method at 21 minutes. How could he die at 19 minutes? !
】
Officer McDonald obviously felt something was wrong. He lowered his head and thought for a while, then suddenly realized something and showed an extremely confident smile.
"Gentlemen, this is an extremely simple incident! I understand the origin of all the twists and turns. I have seen this happen too many times."
As he said this, he walked quickly towards Phyllis. The little boy collapsed to the ground in despair. MacDonald grabbed his arm and cuffed the sharp handcuffs on Phyllis's wrists.
MacDonald picked the boy up like a chicken. He held his head high and his proud words were filled with contempt for evil.
"This must be a case of superpowers. He is responsible for everything. There is no doubt that this boy is a damn superpower!"
