At the stairwell.
Shawn saw Benjamin with a serious expression. He was dressed as usual, holding the black umbrella called ’Flowing Light’ in his hand. He handed over an investigation file, speaking in a deep voice, "Let’s keep it short."
"This matter is a bit tricky."
"Take a look at the case records first."
Shawn reached out to take it and boarded the carriage to University City. The contents were quite detailed, including files from police investigations and inquiries, as well as records from other investigations. Hank had been tracking the event the whole ti and was currently trying to resolve it.
The deceased person committed suicide. One of those ntally unstable has recovered, but currently, their emotions are unstable, sowhat dazed.
Shawn skimd through it quickly, then looked up and said, "Did they summon a being from the Spirit Realm?"
Benjamin nodded slightly and said, "Yes."
"But the ritual was not completely completed, the Spirit Realm Gate was only half-open."
"Hank suspects sothing ca out."
An indescribable falsity.
Even through the case records, Shawn could not determine if sothing had indeed co out. Such an incomplete ritual could summon anything. The eerie beings from the Spirit Realm are very dangerous, almost invisible to the naked eye, requiring natural intuition to detect their traces.
"Have you contacted the Mystic Scholar?" Shawn put down the dossier and asked.
Benjamin nodded and said, "Gemma is already on her way. The antiques those university students used as ritual diums are also a bit unusual, seemingly an ancient relic."
"I’ve already sent soone to investigate."
Is there a problem with the ritual dium?
Doesn’t that an it’s possible they summoned so old-tirs from the Spirit Realm?
"What kind of antique?" Shawn asked in a deep voice.
Benjamin recalled and said, "An ancient emblem, possibly hundreds of years old, reportedly from a fallen noble family."
This is stacking death buffs.
Shawn nodded silently, preparing to go over and check before making a judgnt.
Benjamin hesitated slightly, then said softly, "Since starting the investigation, Hank’s condition has been sowhat off."
"I was worried sothing might go wrong, so I applied for you to co and help."
Hank?
Shawn’s expression showed doubt; when he saw him a couple of days ago, Hank’s ntal state seed fine.
He nodded slightly and said, "I understand."
Victory Road.
These audacious people, their gathering place was in a student apartnt near University City. It had already been cordoned off by the police. Shawn straightened his black coat and followed Benjamin quickly into the scene area.
"The air is thick with the aura of mystical knowledge." Shawn sniffed.
Perhaps due to touching the brink of madness last ti, Shawn had beco more sensitive to mystical knowledge; he didn’t even need spell recognition to sense a trace of ritual remnants. Transcendents on the Wizard Path have the strongest Spell Recognition abilities, and their abundant mystical knowledge also allows them to anticipate their enemy’s spell abilities.
As for transcendents on the Warrior Side, many are just brutes—excellent at hacking but incompetent otherwise.
Everything around seed normal.
Perhaps due to the influx of Spirit Realm aura, the temperature inside the room had noticeably dropped, with a faint chill.
Hank’s figure ca down from upstairs.
His expression was quite haggard, with bloodshot eyes. He glanced at Shawn and said, "You’re here."
What happened to Hank?
Shawn frowned, asking in a deep voice, "Are you okay? You look ntally exhausted."
Hank shook his head and said, "I’m fine. It’s no big deal."
Investigators can directly perceive traces left by contact with eerie beings, with their Rationality Values decreasing invisibly, thus only their outward ntal state can hint at the situation.
Hank’s current appearance clearly showed a rapid decline in Rationality Value, appearing sowhat anxious, with a strong sll of smoke on him.
No wonder Benjamin was a bit concerned about his ntal state.
Shawn quickly caught up and asked, "Have you discovered anything?"
Hank nodded and said, "Yes. Follow ."
Second-floor hallway.
As soon as Shawn ca upstairs, he slled a strong scent of blood. The master bedroom directly across was filled with bloodstains. The police had likely not tampered with the scene much. On a large bed not far away, a human-shaped bloodstain outline could be seen, looking horrifying. The entire bed was almost entirely soaked with blood.
"Suicide, slit throat, almost decapitated."
"Blood almost drained," Hank said softly.
Shawn just took a glance, then asked in a deep voice, "Where’s the ritual site?"
This wasn’t the ritual site, just the result of the ritual backlash.
The Spirituality sensed a negative emotion of painful regret.
"North side of the hallway, that small room," Benjamin said.
This apartnt building was quite large, likely rented by a group of wealthy young heirs, with three floors and a small garden outside. The north hallway had a completely enclosed small room, probably a secondary bedroom, but everything inside had been moved out. All the windows were sealed with black cloth, and strange ritual patterns were drawn on the floor.
These were likely not the work of professionals as they did not light the incense required to connect to the Spirit Realm, which generally needs a bigwig’s protection, or they might get targeted by roaming evil spirits.
In gaming terms from a previous life, the Spirit Realm’s Challenge Level is high; ordinary transcendents should best avoid it.
In the center of the room was the strange emblem Benjamin had ntioned.
On it was a black steed with misty wings, drawn in an abstract style, which was likely the coat of arms of so ancient noble family.
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