Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 334 Blood Debt Pays Off (Thanks to Demon Slayer Mask for the Bandit Coins reward)

13 Landry Street, basement.

Under the suppression of Bandit's two demigod-level abilities, Mr. Locksmith and Mr. Mountain were ultimately defeated and killed one after another. Roger also used "Astral Burst" and "Spirit and Flesh Blade" to cause some damage to Mr. White, forcing him to use his Stand multiple times.

In contrast, Mr. White's attacks on Roger seemed less effective.

Because Roger possesses "Secret Insight" and "Demon Slayer," illusion-based attacks are ineffective against him, and air cannons or fire manipulation cannot cause fatal damage to a high-sequence "Mystic." Therefore, Mr. "White's" main offensive force is still that female "Undead" demigod.

However, because the power of the underworld was suppressed at the scene, even the "laws" released by the Sequence 5 "Recorder" were enough to interrupt and weaken the undead spells and undead creatures released by the "Undead" multiple times.

Roger quickly seized another opportunity. Using the "leak" from Sequence 4, Roger predicted the landing point of Mr. "White" after he used the "paper doll substitute". A Sequence 3 level icy spear was thrust into a certain direction in the darkness.

Mr. "White" had just landed when his eyes widened. He never expected that Roger would predict his landing point in advance and take advantage of the brief moment after his substitution was completed to directly hit him with an ice spear!
Mr. Bai instinctively shifted his body to the left, and a burst of blood erupted in the darkness. Even this Sequence 4 "Trickster" couldn't help but groan in pain.

Because he dodged in time, the attack did not hit his vitals, but at the same time Roger used "Leak" again to disable his "Damage Transfer" ability.

Taking advantage of Mr. White's severe injury from Roger's ice spear, Bandit shouted again:

"Stunt doubles are prohibited here!"

In the darkness where Roger stood, a bright ray of dawn burst forth.

The "Demon Slayer" was unleashed to its full potential. He stretched out his left hand and used his "gravity" ability to keep Mr. "White" in place.

A dark shadow detached from Roger's body, taking over the fully unleashed "Demon Slayer" and rushing towards Mr. "White"!
On the other hand, Roger released a demigod-level, shadow-covered "flesh puppet" that, together with Bandit, blocked the "undead" who wanted to come to Mr. White's rescue.

This serves two purposes: to restrain him and to prevent Mr. "Bai" from using his "swap" ability to descend upon the only puppet present!
Dark green runes flashed in the eyes of "Fallen Shadow," a means granted by "Demon Slayer" to resist the illusions cast by "Trickster."

Because the basement space wasn't particularly large, it arrived in front of Mr. "White" in a second.

The "Demon Slayer" was slammed into the ground, and the "Storm of Light" began to rage in the basement.

The basement structure was instantly destroyed, and an entire load-bearing wall was blown open, exposing the already orange-tinged sunlight in the western sky.

Roger looked around but couldn't find Mr. "White". Instead, he saw the body of another man in worker's clothes, hacked to pieces, lying on the ground.

"Are there more secret partners outside?"

Roger narrowed his eyes; this was somewhat unexpected.

He had originally used "Secret Insight" to detect that part of the "spiritual threads" controlled by Mr. "White" were connected to the outside world, and that many of these "spiritual threads" were rapidly weakening during the battle, clearly indicating that Roger's reinforcements from the outside had killed them.

The remaining portion of the "spiritual thread" that had not yet been severed was also under Roger's close observation. If Mr. "White" wanted to use "Puppet Swap," he would be able to detect it immediately.

However, the reality was different from what Roger had originally thought. It seemed that Mr. "White" had used a secret puppet hidden in the shadows, which Roger had not previously noticed, to switch places with him.

Roger hadn't been able to immediately discern Mr. "White's" strength level before, and now this had happened, which puzzled him.

"...Could it be the problem with that white mask?"

Roger shook his head. On the other hand, he didn't know whether it was because the divine ability recorded by the Sequence 5 "Recorder" was weakened from time to time when fighting against the real Sequence 4 ability, or because "Puppet Swap" could not be considered a Stand skill in the strict sense. Even Bendit's "No Stands" law could not prevent Mr. White from escaping.

As he thought this, he quickly dealt with the "Undead" puppet whose movements had clearly slowed down, and then put her remains and the extraordinary characteristics that had not yet been extracted into the "Old Box".

After doing all that, he quickly led Bandit out of the basement of 13 Landry Street and back outdoors.

Mr. C and Fors had essentially finished their fight. Fors had already left, and Mr. C, seeing Roger emerge, knelt on one knee and said:
"Your Excellency, it is so good to see that you are alright."

"Please forgive my late arrival."

Roger waved his hand and helped Mr. C up:

"It's nothing. Did you see someone wearing a white mask and a cloak?"

"A white mask? A cloak?"

Mr. C narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and then shook his head.

"He still managed to get away."

Roger sighed. After that battle, he had figured out some things.

The "undead" he just killed was most likely a former member of the Church of the "Goddess of Night," and the mask was probably some kind of special item, possibly blessed by a high-ranking person with "dark" pathways, capable of concealing some of the wearer's mystical information, which even "secret insight" could not completely penetrate.

Mr. "White" used this item to hide his connection with certain puppets, using it as a means of escape in critical moments.

"What a pity. I was originally going to help Klein get the extraordinary trait of 'Trickster,' but now it's a bit difficult."

Roger sighed softly, glancing once more at Mr. C and the corpses of the mystical puppets scattered on the ground before him:

"You've worked hard today. Also, someone was fighting alongside you just now, right?"

"Yes, Saint, it is Ms. Wall and a 'witch' hiding in the shadows."

Mr. C answered truthfully.

"The 'witch' hiding in the shadows... that's Klein, isn't it?"

Roger immediately understood that Klein, in order to prevent too much of his information from being leaked, must have been using Maggie Lopez, a puppet, to remotely control the battle and provide necessary support to Fors and Mr. C during the fight.

“C, most of the corpses here should be extraordinary individuals… Since I need to distribute rewards to the other participants in this battle, I’ll take 60% of them. You can deal with the rest yourself.”

Roger then added:
"Hurry up, it's almost time for the workers in the East District to get off work."

Since Luo Jie arrived, he hasn't seen a single passerby. He understands that this is most likely thanks to "Miss Justice," but as the workers gradually leave, the situation will definitely get out of control.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Mr. C nodded, then watched as Roger used the "Old Box" to clean up most of the corpses at the scene before disappearing with Bandit.

……

In a dark alley near Landry Street, Klein stared blankly at the young man on the ground, who had just been killed by Maggie Lopez.

In fact, when he used "Deep Dream's Lament" to attack the puppets, he discovered that two spirits had broken away from the frontal battlefield and flown towards a nearby hidden place.

This alerted Klein, and after checking, he discovered a suspicious worker hiding there.

This worker did not participate in the battle, but also possessed some characteristics of a puppet.

Just as he was about to make his move, he saw that the shape of the worker puppet had changed.

A young man with a bloody hole in his right shoulder, multiple injuries, wearing a white mask and a cloak appeared here.

On the other hand, the oppressive aura emanating from him made Klein feel extremely dangerous. Out of self-defense, Klein immediately ordered Maggie Lopez to release the Occult Pathogen and the Sequence 4 level "Frost Lance".

The cloaked man seemed not to have expected to be attacked as soon as he landed. However, he was too badly injured to react and was immediately pierced through, his lungs infected with a mysterious pathogen.

Within seconds, Mr. Bai was dead beyond any hope of survival, unable to even use "damage transfer" again.

"This seems to be an extraordinary individual of the 'Diviner' pathway... To be able to control so many puppets and even swap positions with them, could he be a 'Trickster'?"

Klein immediately realized the key point. Seeing that no one was around, he prepared to set up a spirit communication ritual for Mr. "White".

Soon, a handsome male soul with short, curly blond hair appeared before Klein.

"What's your name? What's your rank/level? Which organization do you belong to?"

The illusory young male figure struggled for a moment and then spoke:
“Cassius Rost, I come from the ‘Secret Order’ and am a Sequence 4 ‘Trickster’.”

"So it really was a sorcerer..."

Klein was overjoyed. He had only been thinking of finding some clues related to the main ingredients of the "Trickster's" potion, but he never expected that he would accidentally kill a "Trickster" himself.

"What is the potion recipe for the 'Trickster'?"

He then asked.

"I do not know……"

Cassius Rost had only spoken halfway when he suddenly stopped talking.

His eyes were wide open, and he covered his head with his hands, as if he had heard some extremely terrifying sound.

At the same time, Cassius Rost also began to mutter to himself:
"No, I didn't, I..."

"Hey, hey, calm down."

Klein quickly tapped his teeth, preparing to use the "Requiem" ability inherent in "Deep Dream's Lament" to calm Cassius Rost's fear.

However, before he could release his spirit form, Cassius Rost's spirit body cracked and shattered into fragments moments later.

"Made."

Klein couldn't help but swear.

"The 'tricksters' of the 'Secret Order' don't know potion recipes? Is Zarathustra so wary of his subordinates?"

Klein slammed his fist against the wall. He knew that Cassius's corpse would release the extraordinary properties of the "Trickster," so theoretically all he needed to know were the auxiliary materials.

However, to everyone's surprise, Cassius not only didn't know the potion recipe, but also suddenly seemed to have his soul destroyed by some force, completely losing the ability to communicate with Klein further.

"..."

Klein was speechless. He sighed and began to plunder Cassius's body.

He found a thumb ring, some gold pounds and Fairkin cash, and a white mask.

"I'll figure out what these things are later..."

Klein didn't rush to examine the ring and the white mask; he simply put them away for the time being.

After a while, a crystal filled with black mist, containing the outlines of many human and animal faces, and with many transparent and illusory insects moving through it, appeared on Cassius Rost's body.

Klein took a deep breath. Knowing this was an extraordinary characteristic of the "Trickster," he carefully put it away.

He then quickly cleaned up the traces of the battle, changed his appearance again, and disappeared into a nearby dark alley.

……

After the battle on Landry Street, Roger did not rush to take Bendit back to the "Forsaken Land".

Instead, he went to Worston Gardens and found Sam, Cecilia, and the twins who had just finished get off work.

"Cousin! What brings you here?"

Cecilia was wearing a casual lace dress and her hair was styled in a bun. Compared to before, her skin looked paler and almost bloodless, making her resemble a recently deceased corpse.

If it weren't for her still sharp eyes and dexterous manners, her normal commute to work or riding in a carriage would probably have caused panic among those around her.

"Yeah, I came back to take care of some things."

Roger hugged Cecilia, then bumped fists with Sam, Allister, and Perseus in turn, before speaking:
“I’ve caught Louis Wayne.”

"Louis Wayne?"

Sam and Cecilia were both taken aback, and then anger flashed in their eyes at the same time.

This is a common obsession among members of the Abraham family, especially the younger generation, who harbor deep-seated hatred for those students who betrayed the Abraham family.

"where is he?"

Sam asked in a cold voice, unaware that his tone was so icy it seemed to be dripping with water.

"In the 'Old Box'."

Roger glanced outside, then spoke to Cecilia and Sam:
"Let's go in and talk."

The brother and sister understood each other and immediately closed the door after Roger and Bendit returned home, then locked it from the inside.

"Bandit, teleportation disabled."

Roger put the tabby cat down and gave it a word of advice.

Bandit nodded and spoke loudly in his childish voice:
"Teleportation is prohibited here!"

The power of the "law" descended, which immediately surprised Sam.

As one of the most learned of the younger generation of the Abraham family, he immediately recognized it as the power of a demigod through the "Judgment" pathway.

"Bandit, where did you learn this ability?"

He couldn't help but ask.

"It was Roger's friend, Miss Luna, who taught me."

Bandit licked his paws, unconcerned.

"Miss Luna? A Sequence 4 'Law Mage'?"

Sam pressed on, still curious. "More or less."

Roger didn't offer any further explanation. Instead, after confirming that the surrounding environment was indeed under the constraints of the "laws," he released "Mr. X," Louis Wayne.

Louis Wayne remained unconscious, and Roger showed him no mercy, instead creating a long, icy spear engulfed in black flames and plunging it into his palm.

As the sound of piercing echoed, Louis Wayne's screams reverberated throughout the house.

"Go ahead and scream, no one will come to save you even if you scream your lungs out."

Roger, a cruel smile on his face, crouched down and patted Louis Wayne's face:
"You bastard, do you recognize me?"

Louis Wayne screamed and looked at Roger with a face full of terror.

Roger Abraham?

His eyes widened, then he continued to shout curses in anguish:

"Damn the 'Secret Order,' they lied to me, those bastards!"

"To be honest, you're surprisingly stupid."

Roger shook his head:

“That’s true. The Abraham family probably didn’t teach you that the ‘apprentice’ path cannot be skipped when advancing from Sequence 5 to Sequence 4. The earliest you can do it is Sequence 3… It’s really unlucky to have such a lousy student as you.”

"Roger, Your Excellency Saint, please spare me. We can discuss anything you need."

Louis Wayne's face was filled with terror:
"I can tell you about Arexus, and I can become your servant, as long as you spare me... Ah!!!"

Roger turned his head and saw that Sam had lost his temper and, in a fit of rage, had plunged a boning knife into Louis Wayne's inner thigh. The scream that the latter had just let out was caused by this action.

"Do you understand now?"

Roger sneered:
“I will not let you go, nor will the survivors of the Abraham family.”

"Have you ever considered that if Boutis is of no use to me, what use are you, a Sequence 5?"

Roger clapped his hands, then turned to look at Allist and Perseus:
"You two go back to your room with Bandit. The three of us have some things to take care of."

Alister and Perseus were also members of the Abraham family, and they had the right to know what had happened. However, Roger, considering their young age and not wanting them to witness the impending tragedy, asked them to leave.

"No, cousin, I want to watch."

Alistair shook his head, and Perseus expressed the same sentiment.

"Kids, go back inside and stay there. Don't make me say it a second time."

At this moment, Cecilia, her face icy cold, turned her head and looked at the twins with eyes that seemed to want to devour them.

"Okay, okay, sister."

It must be said that Cecilia does indeed hold considerable authority in the eyes of the twins, and at this moment, in her rage, she is even more able to exert a strong sense of pressure on them.

Bandit sighed, led the twins back to their room, and very consciously pushed the door shut with his hind foot, then used the "Traveler's" telekinetic ability to lock the door from the inside.

Upon hearing the door lock click, Roger, Sam, and Cecilia all looked at Louis Wayne, who was lying on the ground with a terrified expression.

Screams echoed throughout the living room. After a long while, Louis Wayne was finally torn to pieces, and his terrified soul was enslaved by Roger, whose flesh and blood were completely absorbed by him.

"Now, you will remember everything you did to the Abraham family in endless torment."

Roger watched as Louis Wayne's soul merged into his own body and said coldly.

Thus, the two traitors from the Abraham family of the "Aurora Society" received their due punishment, and Roger, who had recovered the extraordinary characteristics of the "Traveler," was able to break free from his dependence on the "Traveler" seal to a certain extent, and truly possessed the ability to travel in the spirit world.

However, at that moment, there was a knock on the front door outside the living room.

Roger glanced outside the door; he was covered in blood, as were Sam and Cecilia.

He gestured for Sam and Cecilia to go back to their bedroom to change, and then he opened the door.

Two middle-aged police officers in uniform with epaulets stood at the door. They were there to investigate after receiving a report from a neighbor.

Upon seeing Roger appear with his face covered in blood, both men were startled and simultaneously drew their guns, pointing them at Roger.

Roger realized what was happening and shrugged.

"Officers, please don't act rashly."

"What happened to the bloodstains on you?"

One of the younger officers questioned him sharply. This elite officer, who had investigated many murder cases and dealt with countless killers, was unaware that his hands were trembling involuntarily.

"Slaughtering a pig."

Roger shrugged:

“My two younger brothers got into a grammar school, and in my excitement I slaughtered a pig… Ah, if I violated the Slaughter Management Act, I can accept the investigation.”

"Kill a pig?"

The middle-aged police officer looked rather suspicious; he craned his neck to peer inside.
Where's the pig?

"ate up."

Roger shrugged. He really had devoured Louis Wayne, leaving not a single bone fragment behind.

"We need to go in and search."

Upon hearing this, Roger consciously stepped aside to allow the police officer to enter the house and search, while he himself continued to raise his hands and looked indifferently at the young police officer who was pointing a gun at him.

Sam and Cecilia were also questioned, but because Sam had already used the "Apprentice" seal to throw his and Cecilia's bloodstained clothes deep underground, they were not identified as abnormal individuals.

On the other hand, although there was no blood on the ground and no body, the two officers still found blood on the boning knife.

They stated that Roger needed to return to Westville for questioning, and the boning knife was sealed up as evidence and taken to the police station for testing.

……

Around 8 p.m., lawyer Jürgen bailed Roger out. He watched as Roger calmly retrieved his large-caliber revolver and wallet from the window, his eyes twitching wildly.

Even though Jürgen was a senior partner lawyer, this was the first time he had ever seen someone without a gun license return a firearm upon release from police custody; such a thing was simply unheard of.

On the other hand, although Roger claimed that he slaughtered pigs at home, the boning knife he brought was found to contain human blood, which normally would make it very difficult to get him released on bail.

However, for some unknown reason, a senior police inspector personally vouched for Roger, claiming to be an informant for the Westville Farm and cooperating with the Special Criminal Investigation Department in the investigation. As a result, Roger was only fined for minor offenses of illegal slaughter and disturbing the peace, and was released without even going through the fast-track trial process.

"Thank you for your hard work, Attorney Jürgen."

Roger smiled when he saw Jürgen, who nodded somewhat helplessly, signaling Roger not to say anything more and to follow him outside.

The two had known each other for quite some time, and Jürgen was well aware that Roger was no ordinary person. However, it was necessary to speak less in a crowded and noisy place like the Westville Arena, just to be on the safe side.

Once outside, Jürgen spoke:

"Mr. Jones, what exactly did you do at home today?"

"nothing."

Roger shrugged, and Jürgen sighed softly when he saw that Roger was unwilling to say more.

“I’m here today partly to bail you out, and partly to tell you about the current situation of the new grammar school.”

Because Roger was one of the main investors in the grammar school, Jürgen was required to report to him regularly on the school's income and expenditure as well as student enrollment, as agreed.

However, because the other party never attended the school board meetings, Jürgen always consulted Cecilia about everything. Today, he finally saw Roger and naturally had to talk to him again.

“Jürgen, my sister can make the decisions for me regarding the administration of the grammar school.”

Roger stopped in his tracks. To be honest, Cecilia's level of expertise in managing businesses and investments was almost completely overwhelming. Since Roger was always away as a captain, Cecilia was basically in charge of managing the family business.

And she did live up to Roger's expectations, managing everything very well. Now the family no longer needs Roger to give them money regularly and can maintain a considerable income throughout the year.

"If you need further investment, please just say so."

“If the plan is suitable, I will consider it. We don’t need to make things so distant between us.”

Because Jürgen was Allister's legal mentor and Roger's partner, Roger treated him very amiably.

Jürgen, the lawyer, breathed a slight sigh of relief. He then realized that he had become so reserved in his speech because Roger had stabbed someone at home and he felt a strange fear of him.

"Ok."

Jürgen, the lawyer, nodded:
"It can't really be considered an investment... Actually, it's because the war just ended recently and the national economy is in the recovery phase. Some children lost their parents in the war, and many families went bankrupt and became impoverished."

"Therefore, the government has increased its support for this type of student and has set certain enrollment targets for each newly established secondary school. If these targets are not met, it will have a great negative impact on the school... It's like delegating public services to the private sector and making us bear the costs."

"This requires a significant long-term investment, and there's no guarantee of recouping the costs... so the other shareholders are unwilling to participate."

"On the other hand, as far as I know, the government has a special project that provides special funding to eligible schools... But ironically, those schools that can enjoy this policy are mostly aristocratic or semi-aristocratic schools that can't even accept a few poor students. Many of these are just ways for the kingdom's higher-ups to siphon off funds."

"If we apply directly, our school is too young and can't compete with established schools in terms of 'soft power'... So if you can help us get this spot, it will be a great help to both our school's reputation and reducing operating costs."

“I spoke with Miss Cecilia about this before, but she couldn’t do anything about it either. I just happened to run into you today, so I came to ask you.”

Roger suddenly understood and nodded:
"No problem, I can give it a try. Charity is also part of my duty."

"That's good, thank you."

Jürgen nodded gratefully, and then he heard Roger say:
"I'll need you to keep a close eye on Alistair and Perseus's studies and further education."

"Don't worry, I will do my best."

Jürgen nodded, and then said:

"These two children are very smart and proactive in their studies. With careful nurturing, they will definitely be able to get into the best universities in the country."

"Thank you for your help. There's something else."

Roger looked at Jürgen Cooper:

“I’ve recently become interested in international trade and might set up a trading company. Could you take some time to help me compile the relevant policies and regulations and see what government support I can apply for?”

"No problem, but international trade generally requires maritime transport. Do you have any suitable resources in this area?"

Jürgen nodded and then asked another question.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

Roger smiled and nodded.

The two then walked and discussed some details. When they returned to the Joewood district, they said goodbye and went back to their respective residences.

On the way, Roger stopped at a restaurant and bought some late-night snacks and beer before returning to his home in Worston Gardens. Sam and Cecilia breathed a slight sigh of relief upon seeing Roger home. Sam then spoke:

"Cousin, is the matter resolved?"

"It's resolved. They fined us for illegal slaughter and disturbing the peace."

Roger nodded, and then the three of them burst into laughter at the same time.

A pent-up resentment that had been building up in their hearts for years was swept away today. Both Butis and Louis Wayne had been successfully eliminated, and the Abraham family had finally avenged their blood feud.

To celebrate, the family of five, along with their cat, began eating the late-night snack Roger had bought. They frequently raised their glasses, all looking excited.

Suddenly, Sam spoke up:
"If only Detective Moriarty were here, I wonder how he is now."

"He has his own things to do, don't worry. I just saw him recently."

Roger chuckled, knowing that Klein was probably still plotting to steal the Antigonus family notes, which was why he hadn't shown up.

"Oh, right, Sam, there's something else I forgot to mention."

Roger thought for a moment and then said:

"There are some things I need you to investigate for me."

"what's up?"

Because Sam was still running the "Moriarty Detective Agency" and had developed it into a sizable agency with more than 10 employees, he asked the question with ease.

“I need to know the current state of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom in Backlund.”

Roger licked the beer foam from the corner of his mouth before answering.

(End of this chapter)