Lord of Mysteries: The Assassin's Dark Path

After returning the hooded robe to the attendant, Varina retraced his steps.

At the doorway of the game room, Kaspars leaned against the doorframe, glancing occasionally toward the kitchen's corridor.

Noticing Varina emerge from the hallway, he straightened up and approached with a slight limp. "Did you solve your issue this time?"

"There's a lead."

Varina replied ambiguously, speaking a truthful falsehood.

Kaspars sighed in relief. "Good, that's about all I can do to help."

"Yeah," Varina nodded. "I'm heading off. I probably won't return until I truly resolve this."

Kaspars clenched his right fist and struck his left chest. "May the Storm be with you."

Pity I'm not a believer of the Lord of Storms…

After a moment of hesitation, Varina traced four clockwise points over his chest to form a Crimson Moon and smiled. "Thank you."

On his way back to his residence, Varina kept mulling over Isengard's advice.

Why didn't he clearly state the information about the Witch Sect? Why only give me a vague warning? Does this align with the laws of playing as the "Knowledge Keeper"?

Does he not want me to have any clues, fearing I might interact with them?

Hmm, "Knowledge Keeper" is its ancient title. Its modern name is "Detective."

Perhaps the role's requirement is simply to use one's knowledge to assist others without needing to disseminate that knowledge?

It's possible. After all, detectives don't fully disclose their reasoning processes to others. If they did, Klein wouldn't have been able to rely on mysticism to become an "outstanding detective" in the eyes of others.

Perhaps because he was mentally prepared, Varina found his mood unexpectedly calm.

---

Back at his residence, he took advantage of his tranquil state of mind and began studying On the Origins of Ancient Feysac Language.

The book opened with a brief discussion on the unique status of Ancient Feysac before delving into its main content, guiding readers to learn the language step by step.

In essence, Ancient Feysac is a simplified derivation of Giant Tongue, a branch of it. It also serves as the root of many Northern and Southern Continent languages, playing a significant role in linguistic evolution.

In other words, studying Ancient Feysac is a mandatory course for students majoring in history or philology at universities.

By comparing and associating it with the Ruen language he already knew, Varina gradually deepened his understanding of Ancient Feysac.

He continued this learning until late at night, only stopping to go to bed.

---

The next morning, at 8 a.m., at Sillen Textile Mill.

Mr. Luca arrived at the small office outside the warehouse.

He announced that a new colleague would join them in three days and asked John and Susan to bear with things until then.

Before leaving, he pulled out a letter and handed it to Susan, asking her to mail it.

Taking the letter, Susan glanced at the recipient address: No. 78 Zotlan Street, Tingen City, Ahowa County, Wilker's Hat and Apparel Shop.

"Is this for a client?" she asked curiously. "Why leave it to me to send?"

---

That afternoon, Varina visited the Ron Detective Agency.

He found the office's only employee, who informed him that Detective Ron was out on business.

"Hopefully, he's out helping me find someone," Varina said, leaving a message for the detective to note his visit and mentioning he'd return the next afternoon.

---

Over the next few days, Varina kept up the routine of daily visits to the detective agency. Finally, on his fourth visit, he received good news.

"You're finally here, sir," Detective Ron greeted him with a relieved expression.

"The lady you're looking for is in the reception area now. She's been waiting a while—any longer, and she might've left."

"Heh, I must say, that lady... she's even more distinctive than you described."

Varina nodded with a faint smile. "Excellent. Honestly, I'd have been disappointed if you'd failed to find her by now."

Ron, walking ahead, chuckled dryly. "Well, like I said, this required a bit of luck."

As they reached the reception area, bounty hunter Xio Derecha was seated on a sofa, idly flipping through a newspaper.

Serving as the intermediary, Ron introduced them. "Miss Xio, this is my client, the gentleman who requested to meet you."

Xio set the newspaper aside and hopped off the sofa. "What do you need me for?"

"One moment. Let me settle my commission with Detective Ron first."

Varina fished three one-pound notes from his pocket and handed them over. "Here's the agreed balance."

"Feel free to discuss your business here. I won't disturb you," Ron said, taking the money with a satisfied grin before stepping out.

"I've never seen you before. What's this about?" Xio asked as soon as Ron left, her sharp gaze fixed on Varina.

Looking down at the petite woman before him, Varina still felt an inexplicable sense of being looked up to.

Is this the natural pressure exuded by a "Mediator"?

Resisting the weight of her presence, he mustered a friendly smile and said, "I've heard of your reputation for fairness in the East Borough, Miss Xio. That's why I'm seeking your help to resolve a life-threatening issue."

"As for the reward, I assure you it will meet your expectations."

Though his answer was vague, Xio seemed satisfied. Leveraging her Mediator abilities, she could sense that he wasn't lying.

"Details, please. I need to assess the difficulty before deciding."

Xio gestured toward a sofa, inviting Varina to sit down for further discussion. She herself hopped back onto the sofa, her small boots dangling above the ground.

"Would you mind joining me at the café down the street, Miss Xio? I think it would be more comfortable to talk there."

To be cautious, Varina preferred not to discuss sensitive matters at a detective's office—a responsible choice for both himself and others.

"Fine."

Xio jumped down again, but with a loud clatter, a cold steel trident-shaped blade fell to the ground.

Caught off guard, Xio froze, staring at Varina in silence, unsure how to explain.

"No need to explain. Just pick it up," Varina said, suppressing a smile. "But you might want to hide it better or be more careful when jumping."

Once Xio tucked the weapon away, the two left the reception area and bid farewell to Detective Ron.

After walking a short distance, they arrived at a street café.

This was a rarity—a genuine café.

Unlike most establishments of its kind that had lowered their standards to resemble cheap diners, this place struck a fine balance between the two.

Varina had noticed this quaint café during his previous visits to the area, deeming it an ideal, quiet space for conversations.

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