Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 781 - 131: Refugee Problem (Part 2)

These past few days, too many distressing events have occurred in Gear City, especially after the death of the Great Summoner Haitia. Within the nobility, a sense of panic has spread. It's rumored that a group of Demon King supporters are hiding somewhere in Gear City, scaring Baron Fulin into not daring to step outside for days, almost driving him crazy.

Early this morning, he received good news from his servants.

A refugee, stunning in appearance, had come to Gear City. Hearing this, Baron Fulin could no longer contain his loneliness and brought the Firearms Team to the inn in the city.

Today, Lady Luck was on his side. By the time they searched the second inn, they had found Lindong.

Just a brief glance convinced Fulin of his thoughts.

He had missed the wandering knight a few days ago; today, he wouldn't miss this opportunity falling into his lap.

"May I ask what the matter is?"

Lindong stepped forward to inquire proactively.

Baron Fulin struggled to suppress a smile, even the voice of his speech deeply pleasing him.

"Recently, some changes have occurred in Gear City, related to you outsiders."

He pretended to be tough, speaking in an undeniable tone, "You need to undergo investigation, there's no need to be nervous. If you're not related to those Demon King supporters, we'll let you go soon."

Upon hearing this, the innkeeper sighed helplessly.

This was a familiar lie of Fulin's. His son followed his example, having taken a girl away from the street some time ago, no one had seen her since. This scenario played out several times each month, excluding the silent kidnappings of the commoners.

The Fulin father and son duo were notorious in Gear City; commoners avoided them at all costs.

"This is a misunderstanding. We just arrived and have never been in contact with the Demon King supporters."

Lindong cautiously stepped back a few paces, clinging to Ethan's arm and shyly hiding behind him. While Baron Fulin was not paying attention, Lindong cheekily winked at him.

"Actually, we won't be staying in Gear City for long. If it weren't for the Security Office temporarily closing off airship tickets, we would have left Gear City tonight."

This familiar sense of déjà vu.

Ethan sincerely tried to persuade him. If Baron Fulin were someone who could be reasoned with, the situation might still have a dignified resolution.

It was not hard to see from Baron Fulin's attire that he was a man of status, or rather, someone who wanted to appear respectable.

"You need to come with us. You have no choice."

Fulin spoke with a sullen face, well-versed in this situation. Typically, a slight increase in tone would terrify these outsider refugees into compliance.

Yet, this unexpected appearance of Baron Fulin reminded Ethan of an old acquaintance.

Also in Gear City, also involved in avoidable conflicts.

Aisoke, the young heir of the Imperial Heavy Industry, once tragically contracted the Red Death due to his own stubbornness, passing away at a young age. Now, the more Ethan looked at Fulin, the more he seemed like a carrier of a virus.

Seeing that Baron Fulin was determined, Ethan, in the spirit of caring for a terminally ill patient, accepted his invitation.

Upon entering the manor, it was no surprise that he and Lindong were assigned to two separate interrogation rooms. The one in charge of interrogating him was the captain of the Firearms Team, clearly a confidant meticulously cultivated by Fulin. He was clearly no stranger to such scenes, with seamlessly fluent motions of locking the door and preparing instruments of torture.

If the citizens of Gear City found themselves in such a predicament, their fate would already be sealed.

The Judge neatly arranged the various seemingly hair-raising instruments of torture on a tray. The last time Ethan faced a scene like this was in the Imperial Capital, where an experienced Judge had been responsible for his interrogation.

"Chief Blake mentioned that in the evening before Great Summoner Haitia's death, she was investigating a case. A couple had reported Baron Fulin, accusing him of falsely imprisoning their daughter."

Ethan initiated the conversation to avoid an awkward silence.

His proactiveness left the Judge momentarily stunned, as typically, when commoners saw the array of torture instruments, they would be scared speechless, unable to form a complete sentence, or, for the more timid, even wet themselves.

Regardless of their reactions, the outcome would remain unchanged.

They would eventually confess their crimes, giving Baron Fulin a lawful excuse for their execution.

"Are you a private detective?"

The Judge asked in confusion, unable to comprehend why anyone about to face death would show interest in a case unrelated to them.

"You could say that, so I want to hear your thoughts."

"You intend to accuse Baron Fulin."

The Judge couldn't help but laugh, almost wanting to commend Ethan's optimism and bravery, but also his sense of justice, making it hard to ask those intriguing, humorous questions.

"Accuse Baron Fulin? Of course not. Why would you think that? It's completely meaningless."

This statement confused the Judge again.

He thought Ethan quite level-headed, unlike those entirely overtaken by their sense of justice—if the laws of the Silver Radiance Empire could convict Baron Fulin, how would they end up being "invited" here?

"After that, another bizarre case occurred in the Security Office. The following morning, detectives arriving for work discovered two bodies missing their upper halves in the back alley, one male and one female. The breaks showed signs of being gnawed by a creature, and to this day, identifying them remains impossible. After the Great Summoner Haitia was murdered, the case was left indefinitely unresolved."

Ethan understood the struggle of understaffed conditions, with detectives from the entire Security Office spread throughout Gear City, searching for those vagabonds suspected of being Demon King supporters.

"My question is, what happened to the elderly couple who sought the Great Summoner's help?"

"How would I know?"

The Judge blurted out, showing some impatience, but simultaneously, unease subtly crept into his thoughts.

He noticed that Ethan's gaze never lingered long on the instruments, his eyes devoid of fear, seemingly focused solely on the bizarre case at hand.

"So, Baron Fulin didn't order you to kill that couple."

Ethan concluded from the Judge's reaction; if it were revenge on Baron Fulin's part, many aspects would be inexplicable.

If it were to intimidate the lower classes, he wouldn't have left the two bodies unidentified for so long. But if it were merely to silence them, the more likely outcome would be bullet-ridden heads instead of missing upper torsos.

"The Great Summoner was the last person to see that couple. Is it possible she killed them?"

Ethan presented a new question.

"Shut up!"

Fear gradually engulfed the Judge's heart. He tried to mask his unease with rage, striding quickly to the tray to grab a sharp instrument.

But immediately, he heard a piercing cat's meow, followed by a searing pain in his hand.

A black cat, appearing out of nowhere, jumped onto the cart and toppled the tray.

The wound on his hand was deep enough to reveal bone, with blackened edges. The charcoal-black continued to spread, corroding the surrounding intact skin.

"If that's the case, then the person who killed the Great Summoner might not be a Demon King supporter."

"Wha—what are you talking about?"

"We don't have much time left."

Ethan heard footsteps approaching and the sudden drop in temperature.

The Judge collapsed to the ground, a puff of hot breath escaping as he spoke; he noticed thin ice forming on the floor, seeping into the room from the doorway.

"Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock—"

The sound of knocking echoed.

In his ears, it resounded like an approaching death knell.

The door, supposed to be locked, was easily pushed open from the outside, and a woman with long white hair poked her head inside.

"Not done chatting yet?"

"Just about."

Ethan rose, looking down at the Judge, "Is there anything else you'd like to add, Judge?"