There are collapsed houses all around, wooden, stone and solid walls mixed with mud - all collapsed and dilapidated, and the smell of dampness is carried by the wind. Most of the post-war areas were like this, and there was no special terrain in Sky Island Huoklin. There are neither valleys nor mountains here, and there are no special resources. People have cultivated and built all the necessary facilities on the plains. However, there is no doubt that this barren and barren BC city is the crystallization of all wealth. Roma didn't know why she became a vassal state second only to Brumnot.
Now, she credits "Stairway to Heaven" Abrouz. This mysterious place turned Huoklin into a "frontier of order", attracting the attention of the tower and bringing prosperity.
Prosperity in the past. she thought. Now there is no shadow to be seen. The evacuated residents returned to the city, rebuilt their homes under the command of the Affairs Department and local nobles, and built wooden sheds among ashes and bones. The city defense team was on the verge of disbanding, so a support team from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was responsible for maintaining order. A store near the inner city was once a battlefield for hidden ghosts. Before its owner returned, it became a school ground for people to practice their skills.
The wind blew violently in the mysterious force field. The last arrow missed the target, the wooden pole brushed the straw and disappeared into the shadow. It's really bad.
She shook her head. The wind was weakening, but the target in front of me still seemed to be dancing, and the distance was even more difficult to grasp. Sometimes the force is too great and the straw man will be shot through. Sometimes a strong wind comes and the result is the same as before - he must miss the target. This time, the little lion picked up the arrow and fired it with "Lingxi".
A strong wind immediately blew before her eyes, but the arrow penetrated the wind wall and landed firmly on the target's head.
The reason lies in professional ability. Roma recalled the feeling of "Lingxi": the target was clear, the direction was accurate, and you could hit the red heart as long as you aimed. She hoped to reproduce the results with her own physical strength, but once she lost the magical support, the trajectory of the arrow was not what she wanted. The target man was swaying, swinging with the arrow, and seemed to be leaning forward and back. A normal person would not take it seriously, but she pounced.
"Laughing at me?" shouted the little lion. She had transformed back into her original form and opened her mouth to the scarecrow. With a "click", the scarecrow was bitten in half by the lion's teeth. Grass stalks were flying and falling off the wooden frame.
Fool, big fool! It was neither Dalton nor York, they both left Brumnot, leaving me alone. Roma will be a member of the Tower's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and follow a different path from them. Even Sabina isn't walking with me! Yes. No point in chewing a bunch of grass over this.
When she had to pick the dead stalks between her teeth over her angry folly, the gardener came to her door.
"Someone wants to see you, Miss Penelope." The old gardener's dress was exactly the same as the "gatekeeper". "She claims to be your colleague." He then paused. "Mine too."
Roma immediately understood the identity of the visitor. Half member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, half gardener, combined they amounted to a detective. I don’t know why this woman came to my door. "Agatha." When they met, the little lion greeted without expectation. "What are you doing?"
"I promise to tell you the truth, Miss Roma."
the truth? promise? "What?"
"Your Excellency Helen..."
"Going home." The witch told her that Abroz's journey was in Hokolin, and the destination was the pure land of heaven that no one had ever been to. Roma just listened to this. But there is indeed a distance between the two. Unless they hold the key to the Star Gap, no one can go back and forth in the blink of an eye.
Agatha raised her eyebrows, as if she didn't believe it, and seemed surprised. Fortunately, she didn't say this out loud.
"She must have disappeared again. Well, Roma, please come with me."
So that’s what happened. The little lion blushed all of a sudden. She did ask the other party to find Helen. At that time, the witch was attacked and disappeared on the eve of the war. Everyone was frantic with anxiety, but their combined mood was not as good as Roma's. Helen and Larsen have an irreplaceable place in her heart.
After finding the person, she forgot about it. The little lion hurriedly followed the detective, fearing that he would be left behind. "Didn't you catch someone? Did she plead guilty? How did she do it?"
"I didn't ask her to plead guilty. We didn't identify her, so the other party wouldn't take the initiative to admit it. I guess there's a lot of involvement here, so I waited until now."
Roma didn't understand.
"I'm telling the truth." The detective suddenly sighed, "I didn't wait specifically. This is the order of His Excellency the Qing Envoy. Gods above me, what can I do?"
Order? The Green Envoy? Roma frowned at her, but Agatha stopped explaining. They crossed the stone bridge, walked along the stone wall that was to be demolished, passed through the cold and empty chapel, and rushed to the police station. Not far away, the detection station was still dark and had not resumed work.
This place is heavily guarded, with sentries everywhere, and access to the interior relies on Agatha's credentials. Two guys who were obviously members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were fighting in the open space. Their wooden swords were flying and their moves were as fast as lightning. The onlookers applauded loudly. The little lion couldn't help but take another look, until the detective lady reached out and opened the prison door.
"We can just wait here," she told Roma.
"Who are you waiting for?"
"The Demon Princess Uilosnis. You know her, right?"
"Waiting for her?" The little lion opened his eyes wide. Detective Agatha was silent for a moment, staring at her. Roma suddenly remembered the conversation about the prisoners not long ago, and she was present at that time. I asked a stupid question.
"In order not to make the target suspicious, I arranged for her to end the investigation today and return to her post. The warden will let her leave the Public Security Bureau." The detective said, "At the same time, we will transfer the Demon Princess to the prison of the Public Security Bureau today. Just hand it over to the local Ministry of Foreign Affairs." She raised her chin and signaled that the guards outside the door were all members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Since the end of the Battle of Huoklin, order has not been restored in this empty island city. The Affairs Department does not dare to send anyone to take over and has to wait for the garrison to arrive. But Roma also heard people say privately that the Secretariat would not send anyone during the demon hunting campaign.
The Demon Princess is a prisoner of the Battle of Hokolin, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will interrogate her to obtain information. Roma shuddered as she tried to imagine herself falling into the enemy's hands. On Gray Wing Bird Island, she was almost caught by the dark wizard.
Agatha didn't seem afraid at all, and even took the time to pay attention to her thoughts. "No matter what, Huo Kelin has Kongjing in charge, so she can't escape." The detective comforted, "We have another use for her."
"Will someone save her?" Roma was not stupid.
"That's it."
Most of them are people from the fallen plane of Gavash. Roma thought. Necromancer, or not human at all. The image of the Black Knight flashed through her mind. After York and Dalton escaped from the battlefield, they vividly described the scene to her.
"It's all the flesh and blood of dead people." Drow told her with hatred, "dead and half-dead people. Your Green Envoy must have been a butcher before lighting the fire. Only the real undead are crueler than him. The King of the Dead Sea drives the dead and uses them as Soldiers who showed no pain, no fear, no anger, and flesh puppets tore each other apart, while the commanders of both sides stood in the sky, far away from the battlefield."
"This person is like the object of my nightmares." York commented bluntly. "This guy's wearing the armor of a cross knight! That's scary enough, isn't it? But that's not all. He killed that 'tattooed' Jizuk in the church, and then tried to kill us. He had a sword in his hand, made of bone Most of them are human bones, I can guarantee that."
Roma has never seen the Black Knight, but he can imagine the terrifying image of him. Even so, when she tried to keep York, he refused. "If I were a mortal, Brumnot would certainly be safe." Drow said that they laughed at him as a coward in front of the Green Envoy, and compared him to the commander. "Mortals don't have my guts, but I guess they don't have Dean Rubin's guts either." Sita grimaced.
They left that night and returned to Eastman with the help of High Light Harbor. Roma wanted to go with them to find Anchuan, or simply go to the south to have a look... Helen refused without mercy, but she couldn't be blamed.
"Many people hope that it is the Black Knight, the undead lord of the starless night." Agatha's voice brought her back to reality. "But he was actually not the most suitable candidate. The strong evidence is that the assassin failed to kill him with one blow."
Roma frowned: "Huh?"
"Oh, forgive my verbal offense. Think about it carefully, Roma, if the Black Knight is an assassin, he used the detection station to sneak into Huoklin early, and set a trap to ambush Lord Helen... but ended up sending his subordinates to us. In your hands? Let the war situation collapse and have to come to the front line to sit in person? It’s really bad. Isn’t it?”
"They colluded in advance." The little lion immediately figured out the reason. "The Black Knight sent the Demon Princess to us and pretended to be a prisoner, but actually he had other plans."
"Planning on a straw mat in prison?" The detective pointed to her front teeth.
Roma reached out and pulled down a piece of dead grass. Damn scarecrow...
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Astronomy Office cannot be fooled." She admitted, "This is not theft." In the hands of an astrologer, Uillosnis could not do anything small. "Helen said that the lack of the ghost's fire caused her mental problems." A mirror can keep her quiet all day long. "What's the reason for that?"
"You mean fire?" the detective thought thoughtfully. "Gavash is now an ally of the Devil's Association, so there is such a thing."
"Of course. Even my tail knows this!" Who cares about how the ghost went crazy. Little lion Roma only cares about Helen. "What's the reason?"
"The Black Knight has nothing to do with the abnormality at the detection station. The other party's purpose is not to change the situation of the war in Huoklin, but the witch herself." Agatha said.
"I bet my tail knows this too," Roma told her. "Your Excellency Helen is the only one who can deal with the Demon Princess. What you said is exactly the same thing."
"Even if you are in Bloomnot, assassins will still attack. If you ask me, they are probably Lord Helen's enemies."
Roma was surprised, "Enemies?" While at the headquarters, someone asked about the residence of the great astrologer. The incident jumped out of her memory, and she couldn't help but associate it with Hokolin's assassins. Maybe Agatha was telling the truth.
"But besides the Black Knight and his undead subordinates, who else would be enemies with Helen?"
"Don't think so." The detective instructed, "We are not assassins. We cannot infer his motives out of thin air. We can only guess based on his behavior." Roma listened carefully and felt that she was really reasonable. "Look, the fall of the detection station caused the ghost of Huoklin to run rampant. The headquarters sent the witch to calm the situation..."
"This gives the assassin a chance." The little lion understood.
"That's right. Think of it this way."
"So the problem is with the detection station." That's why Agatha arrested her. "What are the results of your investigation?"
"After investigation, no one can explain why the detection station failed. I resorted to astrology, magic and mind-reading magic. If there is a wizard, I will also ask him for advice. However, everyone is fine."
Roma felt like she was being fooled. "you guessed wrong."
"No. My review doesn't mean anything," the detective muttered, "because this was a, uh, extraordinary assassin who even dared to murder members of the Coven of Destinies in their headquarters. Even the Prophet, I mean, almost got killed by him. Succeed."
Roma looked at her suspiciously: "Okay."
"No matter whether it is the Affairs Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or even the Astronomy Room, there will be no results." Agatha asserted, "This may be due to the mystery, or it may be the devil's methods or mysterious items. In short, it is all possible! To put it simply, He found the blind spot for tower detection.”
"So easy?" she muttered.
"Who knows what tricks the devil has?" the detective asked, "I met a demon hunter. He said that he was injured by someone with six arms. Oh, six, that's right! That guy's extra limbs were He got it by making a wish - he was bitten by a spider when he was a child, so he worshiped bugs." Roma frowned and glared at her, she was not afraid of spiders. Some bugs taste great, but some are just weird.
"His demonic fire gave him a new profession. Six-armed man. Spider-man. In short, that is definitely not a normal mysterious creature." Agatha sighed, "Maybe there are demons monitoring us, but you and I have nothing. Known.”
It may sound like fantasy, but... Roma swallowed. On the first day after arriving in Hocklin, the assassin attacked Helen. She and York were unaware of it, and even Dalton, who was good at the Nightingale Way, couldn't catch his opponent. In fact, he could kill us all.
The detection station is the only clue and all possibilities must be considered. "In that case." She heard her voice full of tension, "How do we catch him?"
"He has his own agenda," said Agatha, "and is willing to take extraordinary risks to do so. We can lure him out."
"Use the Demon Princess?" It can't be Helen, right? Roma didn't agree.
"The failure of the detection station and the appearance of Bansi Banshee are very close. I assume that the two are connected. Then maybe the other party will show up in front of the Demon Princess."
Unreasonable assumption. "Maybe. Huh?"
"Maybe our work will be in vain, Roma." Miss Detective smiled, "Maybe I'm totally wrong. What do you think? Let's make a bet?"
how to think? I don’t spend time here with you just to chat. "Of course I hope to catch him."
"I'd like to lend you some good words, Miss Roma. It is said that you are a master of betting."
Roma looked at her: "How do you know?"
"I asked about your tail beforehand."
At this moment, Sluger, the director of the Huoklin Detection Station, stepped into the prison corridor. She was wearing the white shirt she had worn during the inspection, her trousers rolled up to her knees, and her shoes worn flat at the heels. She strutted across the closed cell, and the two immediately shut up. Roma even held her breath.
But she didn't stop. There is a mysterious power to eliminate sound. The detective narrowed his eyes and stared at the detection station director who had passed all the checks.
"It's really you." She muttered.
Under the gaze of the two men, Stationmaster Slug continued to move forward, his steps as light as smoke. Roma watched as she came to a cell, and the chains made a small sound.
After just a moment, the door opened.
Can't wait any longer. She looked at Agatha, stretched out her hand and drew her bow.
The detective didn't refuse. "Can you shoot me in the shoulder?" A piece of paper was handed over, and the power of fate hovered over it.
It seemed that Helen had a plan. Roma thought as she strung the cards on an arrow and aimed at Slug.
Just hearing the "clang" of the bowstring, a tuft of gray hair appeared on the back of the detection stationmaster. She held her shoulders and turned her head sharply.
"Don't move!" shouted the little lion, "or I'll make a hole in your head."
Slug turned a deaf ear and threw himself into the cell. I believe the enemy is better off struggling first, this person sees clearly.
Roma shot an arrow right where she was, the tip digging into the ground, and the detective followed closely behind. For a moment, the little lion was worried that the opponent had some kind of comeback plan, or simply let the Demon Princess go, but the target suddenly stayed where he was, as if he didn't know what to do.
They arrived in time and blocked Slug in the cell. "What a nightingale who has fallen into a trap." Agatha pulled the wrench, and the iron fence fell from the sky, locking her inside.
The cell was empty. Roma couldn't help but glance at the detective.
"No one is here with you," said Agatha.
Slug stared at them, holding the arrow shaft tightly with one hand, trembling with pain, but the arrow seemed to be nailed to his body, and there was no blood. More importantly, the little lion realized that she did not cause any mystery.
The harp sorcery fixed her state. Roma understood that this guy couldn't escape.
After failing to break away, Slug slammed into the railing, and the iron frame made a loud noise, but the detective lady did not blink. This prison within a prison only took up four feet, and she couldn't even touch the table.
"You surprised me, Agatha Poirot." Slue said, "I didn't expect you to do this. After the review, you still made me lose my job."
Agatha said nothing.
Roma has something to say. "Who sent you here?" She aimed threateningly, "Why do you want to assassinate the great astrologer? They gave you benefits, didn't they?"
"Oh, yes, that's the logic." Nightingale smiled, "Listen, I should be appointed by you."
This time she shot her in the thigh. "Stop being so verbose."
"Are you a trainee messenger, kid? Are you the daughter of that bitch?"
Roma decided to give her a taste of the pain, but the detective lady stopped her in time. "Listen to me, Slug is not a good target, Roma." Agatha sat on the table. "She's just a coat."
"coat?"
"A layer of skin. The man behind the scenes came to us wearing her, otherwise you and I wouldn't be able to detect him, not even the order of Knox! None of his actions will have an impact on people. Only this way One can escape the astrology of the Lord Prophet.”
"He is wearing a mysterious item?" Roma looked at Slug carefully, but didn't see any problem. Someone used her body to assassinate her? What can turn a person into a piece of clothing?
"That's it."
Slug snorted. "How did you find out? Do you know her?"
"That's not true," said Agatha, "but we have a rule to follow. The cause of death of 'Victor' Veronka is still a mystery, and the witch is his descendant. The prophet guards the secret, and to I had no choice but to reveal it today so that we could catch you.”
No one knows Helen's identity except the enemies of the victor back then. I see. Roma was shocked when she heard these secrets.
"Slug" understood: "She has always been my target. You found the 'motive'."
"It's not easy to guess this. But don't be surprised, everyone, it's just a piece of cake." The detective lady raised her eyebrows immodestly. "So, enemy of the victor, what hatred do you and your ancestors have against our savior? Why don't you confess your identity and let everyone see your reasons?"
"Does this need to be said?" The other party asked, "Veronka is your savior, not mine."
The "Victor" saved Knox and was the uncrowned king of the mysterious realm. Could it be that this person is not a creature of order? "What's the meaning?"
"He himself is by no means what he looks like in the legend. Even the saints and even the entire Saint Mirend Alliance are undoubtedly your imagination. People say that history is written by the victors, but this time Veronca has no chance. ." The railing shook violently. In the darkness, "Slug"'s eyes shined with hatred. "He had countless victories in his life, but just one failure could cost him his life."
Roma restrained herself from retreating. "Are you a devil?"
"No. I am a poet, an artist." "Slug"'s voice became softer again. He turned sideways and slid his fingers down the railing. A melancholy quality emerged in his voice. "But no one will ever remember my chanting."
Roma smelled something burnt. The detective suddenly changed his expression and jumped down from the table, but there was fire behind "Slug". In the blink of an eye, the arrow that pierced the prisoner was reduced to ashes in the flames, and the magic of fate became ineffective. At this time, Detective Agatha took a step forward.
After a small noise, "Slug" disappeared.
incredible. "She's missing..." The little lion paused for a moment, the shock still lingering, but she suddenly felt inexplicable. "Princess Demon Spirit? Oh, I mean, isn't this her private room?"
She frowned and looked at her paws, feeling that they were sweaty. what happened? no answer.
Agatha stopped where she was, her eyes fixed on the stone wall. She was silent for a while, putting her thumb to her chin. Her other hand was groping on the table. The little lion wanted to ask more questions, but there was a serious atmosphere around her at this time, which made people dare not disturb her.
Finally, the detective woke up from a dream and picked up a vial from the table.
"She's here, the stopper is still tight." The bottle shook, and Roma seemed to hear a woman's complaint.
The detective scratched his chin, thoughtfully. "This is the seal that I specifically asked the Gatekeeper to strengthen. And this iron gate. Look. What does it look like to you?"
"Uh, iron gate?"
"Stop joking, I know you understand. This is a trap."
Roma looked around in confusion.
"Let's go, let's go find the witch. Do you remember what happened to her?"
"Someone assassinated her. Can you forget this?" The little lion jumped up, "Have you found any clues?"
As a result, the detective stared at her: "Think about it carefully, Roma, but I can't remember it. The witch said that you are the inheritor of a lost profession, and she thinks that you will not be affected by certain things."
Influence? "I am Windrunner." I am not an astrologer.
"I don't understand these things. But you'd better think about how to explain to the witch, she wants to train you."
"She is not my mentor." Roma muttered and had to rack her brains to think. She also felt something was wrong.
"It's up to you anyway, Roma. To be honest, that's why I brought you here."
"Don't you want the truth?"
The detective blinked. "Although I can't remember this, I seem to already know the answer." She waved her hand easily. "The puzzles I've guessed are no longer puzzles. I'm quite satisfied."
Roma turned around to look for clues, leaving the guy where he was. She can't help me. I have long given up hope on her! At this time, you can only rely on yourself.
Suddenly, she found something on the floor of the inner cell. "Look."
The detective came closer: "A piece of cloth?"
"No." It was a piece of skin, a human skin with a woman's face and a full torso. Roma stared at it, smooth, bright, lifelike skin! A few minutes ago it had been called Slug, the stationmaster of the Hokolin Detection Station.
detection station. Slug. Suddenly, a hazy thought flashed through my head. She had a gut feeling that that was the key. "Hoklin's detection station?" Roma asked. "What happened there?"
"An employee was replaced by an assassin." The detective immediately replied, "Due to the Banshee incident, all employees in the station have been handed over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for review. What did you see?"
"A piece of skin."
Agatha looked around and said, "There's nothing. I can't see."
The little lion whipped his tail on the railing, his eyes widened. She can't see! But I can see it? She couldn't help but reach out and touch it.
"Don't touch it." The detective grabbed her, "It's better to wait for someone to deal with it. I believe in you, Roma. Compared with most mysterious creatures, you are a little special."
"Do you remember Slug?"
"who?"
"Head of the Huoklin Detection Station."
Agatha met her eyes. Finally, the detective said: "There is no stationmaster at the Hokolin Detection Station."
Now, Roma was convinced that something had happened.
"But there should be." The detective thought, "We just finished the war, maybe she died in the war. But, what does this have to do with the Demon Princess and the trap? Look, I also applied for an internal review of the local facility employees …”
Countless memories surfaced in Roma's mind. That's why we're here, an internal self-examination. She couldn't believe she had forgotten! No wonder we couldn't catch him, the mystery would make the person involved forget the existence of the assassin.
The little lion cried: "Let's go see Helen."
"You found the assassin?"
Roma thought of the replaced detection station employee. A similar incident has already occurred once. No one noticed anything unusual about her at that time, even though the problem in the duty record was obvious!
Until outsiders like us appeared, the mysterious effect failed to affect it immediately... No, maybe it was the other party's fault. Roma remembered that Helen was assassinated just as they discovered the problem. This shows that the other party has already started taking action...
Maybe he was too arrogant to cover his tracks. The little lion thought, but this arrogance is not without reason.
"What did you find?" the detective asked.
"He is always before our eyes," cried Roma, "but we cannot see him!"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Detective lady’s stage!
I accidentally wrote a lot about this investigation, or the process of skinning this Vtuber. I will streamline it later and return to the main line as soon as possible.
