In the early morning, as dawn broke, the rising Sun cast its bright rays, awakening the entire Tingen City. The fresh air was invigorating, and the chirping of birds could be heard in the distance. Everything seemed so beautiful.
In the Golden Banyan District, the core area of Tingen City, there was a house with a large garden, surrounded by tall iron railings, making it seem somewhat secluded.
Along the path leading from the main gate to the three-story villa, there were many marble sculptures, four or five meters high. The road was extremely wide, allowing three carriages to pass side by side. In the middle of the surrounding flowerbeds, continuously gushing fountains could be faintly seen, and all around were Craftsman who had risen early to busy themselves with tending to the flowers and plants.
Just then, the sound of the large iron gate opening came from the entrance, causing the busy Craftsman to look up in surprise and gaze in the direction of the sound.
"Who could be visiting so early? The Moon, symbolizing the Goddess, hasn't fully set in the distance yet!"
Following the opening of the large iron gate were two uniformed police officers.
"This house is really big! Captain, is this the last suspect we need to investigate?" Leonard, a handsome green-eyed man who could grace a magazine cover, surveyed the aged sculptures in the corridor, casually glanced at the Craftsman in the surrounding flowerbeds who were curiously observing them, and said offhandedly.
"Keep your voice down. This is the Earl Ahuwa's residence. The subject of our investigation has a significant status, so we must be careful with our words and actions!" The gray-eyed middle-aged man beside Leonard gestured with his eyes towards the male servant leading the way and softly cautioned Leonard.
The one cautioning Leonard was naturally Dunn, the captain of the Nighthawks team in Tingen City. He had come for a formal visit precisely because the house was too large, exceeding the range of his ability to pull people into a Nightmare.
Hearing this, Leonard subtly curled his lips, but ultimately said no more. After all, Tingen was the capital of Ahovah County, and as a local, he naturally knew the Earl Ahuwa's influence.
In Tingen City, almost everyone, tracing their family history, might have been subjects of the Earl Ahuwa's territory in the past.
On the way, Leonard had already reviewed the final target's information, obtained from the police station, in the carriage.
Aewen. Horn, 22 years old, a native of Tingen City, a graduate of Hoy University this year, residing at 33 Golden Apple Street, Golden Banyan District. A prominent political rising star, the younger brother of Councilor Robert Horn. He was a classmate of the victims, Welch and Naya, in the same year but different departments. He might have reviewed that notebook with them. His recent behavior has been normal, and he showed no abnormalities when attending Welch and Naya's funerals.
Leonard believed that if Aiven had indeed looked at that notebook and there was truly a problem, he would have committed suicide in a horrifying manner, just like his two unfortunate classmates, on that terrifying night, and wouldn't have survived until now.
Unless he was as lucky as his new teammate Klein, but the probability of two lucky people appearing in one Beyonder incident was too small.
The male servant led Dunn and Leonard to the reception room, where they met Mr. Buck, the house's butler.
After explaining their purpose, Mr. Buck had a servant bring coffee for the two, then left the reception room.
After Dunn and Leonard had already refilled their coffee twice, just as Leonard was about to lose his patience, their subject of investigation, Aewen. Horn, finally arrived late.
Before the reception room door even opened, Dunn and Leonard faintly heard a young man's complaint. Though the voice was low, Dunn and Leonard, being Beyonder, heard it clearly.
"What could be so important that I have to be woken up this early? I just attended Mrs. Sharon's birthday party last night and didn't get home until 3 AM. I've only slept less than 4 hours! Goddess above, Mr. Buck, how can you deprive me of my right to sufficient sleep?
If I don't get enough sleep, my skin will definitely deteriorate, my spirits will be low, and my lifespan will surely shorten. Who knows how many young girls will be heartbroken because of me!"
And beside him, Mr. Buck, the butler, was constantly explaining, but the young voice was not satisfied with the butler's explanation, and instead became even more unpleasant.
"What's so great about the police? They're all a bunch of incompetent black dogs. Welch and Naya couldn't possibly have been killed by robbers; it must involve mysterious forces. They can't solve cases at all. They're just here now to ask for some reward money. Just give it to them..."
Hearing the young voice's words, even Dunn, who generally had a better temper, turned cold, and Leonard unconsciously clenched his fists. Although they were members of the Black Night Church, they still held official police positions and could receive an extra salary from the police station, so they naturally felt displeased by these words.
As the sound approached, the reception room door opened, and a handsome young man with black hair and blue eyes, at least 175 cm tall, walked in wearing a bathrobe. Seeing Dunn and Leonard standing up, he merely glanced at them and sat directly on the sofa.
Meeting guests in a bathrobe was already extremely impolite, not to mention not even greeting them.
Looking at this rude young man, Leonard felt an impulse to punch him, but was stopped by Dunn. Mr. Buck, the butler, seeing the situation was not right, quickly stepped in to mediate and introduced the two parties to each other.
Seeing the urging look in Mr. Buck's eyes, Aewen. Horn reluctantly stood up and shook Dunn's hand, completely ignoring Leonard, whose police rank was clearly lower than Dunn's, which almost made Leonard jump in anger.
Dunn frowned at this but still spoke without emotion:
"Our apologies for this intrusion are mainly for the case of your two classmates from Hoy University. The reason we came so early is that we were investigating all night yesterday." As he spoke, Dunn looked at the young man, hoping he would retract his previous words.
But to Dunn's surprise, the young man in the bathrobe scoffed, picked up a newspaper from the side, spread it out on the coffee table between them, and pointed to the content, saying:
"The newspaper has already published the news that Welch and Naya were killed by robbers, which means your police station has already closed the case. How could you still be investigating all night?
Tell me! Are you investigating without authorization, or are you here to ask for reward money?"
Looking at the open newspaper, which still bore his signature approving the case closure report released to the public, Dunn was utterly embarrassed. He had completely forgotten about this matter. Leonard, standing by, quickly interjected to help him out:
"We just heard your words. Why are you so certain that Mr. Welch and Ms. Naya were not killed by robbers?"
Aewen. Horn raised his left eyebrow, looked at Leonard with a disdainful smile, and only spoke after Leonard was almost unable to suppress his anger again:
"I've seen their bodies. They all show typical suicide characteristics; it's impossible for robbers to have done it. How could victims of a home invasion and robbery be drowned? There must be mysterious forces at play. Your superiors rushing to close the case further indicates that there's definitely a problem, and it must have been handed over to relevant parties to deal with. You ordinary police don't need to interfere.
Alright, seeing as you're here for Welch and Naya's case, I won't file a complaint against you with the police station. You can all leave now; don't disturb my nap."
When Aiven analyzed that the police in front of him were investigating without authorization, Mr. Buck, the butler, was already regretting not having noticed it earlier. Now, hearing Aiven dismissing the guests, he immediately opened the reception room door and asked Dunn and Leonard to leave.
Dunn had not expected this frivolous young man to be so quick-witted. He had only intended to teach him a temporary lesson, to teach him some manners, but he hadn't expected to expose such a big loophole, which the young man had keenly seized upon.
But his questioning hadn't even begun, so how could he just leave? Thus, he directly used his Nightmare ability to pull Aiven, the butler, and himself into a dream, beginning to interrogate in the dream.
"Mr. Aiven, you have always been known at the university as a mystic enthusiast. Have you ever seen a book that Mr. Welch and Ms. Naya recently bought, one that has been passed down from the Fourth Epoch?"
In the dream, Aiven still had the demeanor of a rich young master, but he was much calmer, without the intense morning grumpiness of reality, and he answered honestly:
"I've heard of it, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. After finishing my graduation thesis, I was invited by Councilor Maynard and Mrs. Sharon to go hunting in the countryside. I only heard about their deaths the day after I returned!
I saw the scene and their bodies. This is definitely not an ordinary criminal case; it must involve mysterious forces.
I know you must not understand your superior's hasty decision to close the case and are investigating privately. You have much more conscience than those pot-bellied police executives, but this case is not what you imagine. You won't gain anything by getting involved. It's better to give up the investigation!"
Looking at Mr. Aiven, who was earnestly advising him in the dream not to interfere, Dunn was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected this seemingly frivolous and impolite rich young master to be so considerate of others. The Aiven in reality and in the dream were quite different!
"I think you've become a bit obsessed with studying mysticism. How can there be any mysterious forces in this world!"
Dunn deliberately used a disbelieving, scoffing tone to provoke Aiven.
As expected, hearing Dunn say this, Aiven was so angry he stomped his feet and said excitedly:
"I'm obsessed with studying mysticism! I... I don't need to explain to a petty police officer like you. You know nothing about mysterious forces. Alright, you two should leave quickly; I still need to catch up on sleep."
Dunn didn't know why Aiven suddenly suppressed his urge to show off his knowledge of mysticism in the dream. His eyes shifted, and he tentatively asked:
"I heard your brother is Councilor Robert, a true political rising star, a real big shot. Has he revealed anything to you?"
"He's so tight-lipped, how could he tell me anything? It's just that I've attended many mysticism exchange meetings, studied many ancient texts, and witnessed some amazing divinations. So I once tentatively asked him, but he didn't admit anything and even told me to stay away from these things.
However, he's just trying to cover up. The more he denies it, the more it proves it's real. I'll find this mysterious power sooner or later, and once I learn it, I'll definitely give him a fright."
Dunn merely smiled at Aiven's ambition and continued to ask:
"Why do you think the police station's quick closure of Mr. Welch and Ms. Naya's case necessarily means that relevant individuals with mysterious powers have intervened? I've been in the police force for many years and have never heard of any team specifically handling such mysterious cases."
"Of course, your police station can't control or manage people with these mysterious powers, but they definitely exist! And they are right before our eyes: the seven major orthodox churches on the continent. If the official government possesses mysterious powers, it must come from the churches. Never mind, I won't say more; you wouldn't understand anyway. I'll find these people sooner or later.
Alright, you two should leave quickly, and don't continue investigating Welch and their case. It won't do you any good."
Dunn hadn't expected this young man to be so perceptive. It seemed he needed to warn the people at the police station not to let this young man find any relevant clues.
Seeing that there was no more information to ask, Dunn left Aiven's dream.