She is not an investigator.

She finally covered the book in her hand, then snatched the book from Talia's hand and looked at her reproachfully.

“You’ve been staring at me for too long. This is a library, remember? You came here to read books, not to see me.”

Talia murmured, lowered her head silently, and a blush rose unconsciously on her cheeks, revealing her shyness to Igris.

Igris wasn't blaming her, but being stared at all the time was indeed a bit uncomfortable. If Igris hadn't noticed her, she might have thought some bored guy was spying on her again.

"But then again, it seems like it's been a while since I've seen Daphne. How is she doing? Is she alright, or did she become too weak from food poisoning and ultimately couldn't be saved?"

Talia chuckled and pursed her lips, explaining softly to Igris.

"Serafina should have already told you about the key. She's been busy looking for other clues lately, but so far she hasn't found anything."

"Actually, I have some... guesses about this."

Talia tilted her head and looked at Igris, speaking to herself.

"What that key points to might not be anything at all, but rather the rain itself... The time-reversal rain is caused by the instability of time and spacetime, but thanks to the clockmaker, this instability will soon be fixed, so there's no need to worry about the time-reversal rain anymore... The specific solution probably isn't out yet, but you should be able to stop worrying too much, because the reason why time seems to be broken has already been resolved before that."

Talia nodded thoughtfully. Although she didn't quite understand what Igris was describing, she did understand the part about how they didn't need to worry too much.

"Knew it."

Talia smoothed her chestnut hair, rested her chin on her hand, and stared blankly at Igris as she spoke softly.

"With you around, I always feel inexplicably reliable."

"Daphne must have been hurt when she said that, right?"

"She's not that kind of person, but she is indeed very reliable."

Talia stretched and her gaze fell on the book in front of her that she hadn't opened at all.

Talia had indeed intended to come here to read, but she did encounter some minor mishaps... such as meeting a charming and beautiful lady in this library.

Talia made her best choice without even spending much time.

If reading was a rare pleasure she found in her otherwise boring life, then Igris, who appeared here, was probably the best explanation of the saying "beauty is in the book."

It's like...a gift from the gods.

"I'm sorry... I'm about to leave. Although I'd like to spend a little more time with you, I probably need to go back to my work."

Igris stretched, closed the detective novel in her hand, and waved to Talia.

The novel didn't seem to be of much help to her job, since her main job was still a detective's assistant; she was just pretending to be a detective until Olivia returned.

Since it's just an act, Igris is bound to be inferior to a real detective in many ways, at least she's somewhat aware of that.

Once Olivia returns, she can probably go back to her previous life as a mascot, and won't even have to bother running the agency anymore.

However, she needs to find a good way to get through this winter.

The Gods' Folly - The Rainstorm: Chapter 30, Please Continue to Call My Name

"...Just like that, he left...?"

Talia stood up, making a large movement and a considerable noise, which caught Igris's attention.

Igris nodded hesitantly, pointed to the book in her hand, and answered softly.

"I'm planning to return the books first, then go back to the office to relax, or maybe wander around somewhere else... If you'd like, you can come to the office. Serafina has been here before, so you can probably ask her for directions."

"Ah...that's not what I meant."

Talia tugged at her skirt somewhat awkwardly, but she couldn't find any excuse to keep Igris with her, so she could only nod slightly.

I'll go... Have a nice day!

"You too."

Igris smiled politely and then turned and walked towards the library exit.

The librarian was still looking at the green book in his hand, not even glancing up at Igris. He simply tapped the table lightly as Igris came out, indicating that she could put the book down.

Igris wasn't in the mood to chat with him, so she put the book on the table, turned around, and left.

The streets remained dull and quiet, and the cold temperature deterred most people from strolling around. However, the tall clock tower in the distance always instantly caught Igris's attention, and she couldn't help but look at the huge clock that had stopped turning forever.

Next, she could go to the Special Investigations Department to see how Emily was doing. After all, it was a good thing that Emily was willing to leave her, but that didn't mean that Igris really intended to cut off all contact with her. They could still be good friends, which was Igris's original plan.

More than her daughter, she wanted a friend, and many more friends.

She tugged at her collar, a little habit of hers that made her feel a bit warmer, helping to block out the cold air and keep her body temperature from getting too low.

Although you know it's useless, this kind of psychological comfort is like kissing the barrel of a gun before firing; it focuses more on the sense of ritual than on any real ability to increase the damage.

More important than the collar was the scarf around Igris's neck, which was the key to protecting her body from the cold wind that was blowing in through the collar. Her clothes were a bit too big, not really, but her figure wasn't suited to regular women's clothing.

There was always a strange emptiness in her chest, and Igris didn't know why.

Who cares? She certainly doesn't.

Igris put her hands in her pockets, wrapped herself up in her coat, and slowly walked toward the Special Investigations Department.

This is indeed very effective in keeping warm, but it looks strange, so it is not recommended for gentlemen and ladies.

Igris didn't care, because no matter what she did, everyone would still think that she must have a deeper meaning.

Just because she's pretty.

Before long, Igris arrived at the entrance to the Special Investigations Department, which was in front of the small wooden house.

She pushed open the door, walked down the stairs on her own, and headed towards the underground facility.

As her view opened up, a tightly closed iron gate appeared in front of Igris, and next to the gate sat a man with a bandage wrapped around one arm, intently eating an apple.

Igris recognized him because they had once had a very friendly conversation that ended with him spending a long time in the hospital.

"Di-zai".

Igris was in a good mood, so she was happy to greet this man who always had inexplicable wounds. Igris was certain that these wounds were not inflicted by her, since she had aimed for his back and head, and his arm should not have been injured.

"Don't hit me... The door isn't locked, you can go in by yourself."

He ate his apple sullenly, not even wanting to pay attention to Igris, but he was afraid that if he ignored Igris completely, he would be reported and eventually be punished by Alex. So he could only stubbornly and cowardly say these words.

"Thank you."

Igris chuckled and nodded, then pushed open the door and went inside.

In the next instant, something strange suddenly flashed past Igris, barely grazing her head, and landed on the ground not far away.

Igris looked closely and saw that it was just an ordinary hand, which was barely supporting itself on the ground and waving gently at Igris, probably as a greeting.

Igris didn't know where the eyes were, but since it saw Igris, they must be nearby, so Igris waved back and greeted it.

Then, Alex's voice came from not far away.

"How many times have I told you! Don't just throw your body parts around, or I'll throw you in the trash one day!"

It was clear she was furious; the slap she had just thrown was probably her doing.

Igris was about to go over and say hello when a figure slowly approached from the direction of the observation room.

A girl dressed in pure white slowly walked towards Igris and stopped in her tracks under Igris's curious gaze.

"Did you come here to see me?"

Amelida seemed to have come directly to find Igris, but she couldn't possibly have known Igris was there, so it's highly likely she just happened to run into her when she came out.

Igris nodded, watching Emily's visibly improved mood, and said softly.

I came to see how you're doing.

“Igris, I’ve found them.”

Instead of answering Igris, Amelida extended her palm towards her.

Igris didn't know what her gesture meant; it seemed like she was longing for a handshake.

But the next moment, a familiar yet unsettling feeling began to rise in Igris's heart, and recalling what Amelida had just said, an ominous suspicion arose in Igris's mind.

You mean…

"Yes, they've come back... or maybe they've been abandoned too."

A thread slowly emerged from Amelida's fingertips, wrapping around them with joy.

The red threads that symbolized blood turned pure white and transparent at this moment, so much so that Igris could hardly distinguish them from Emilyda's skin.

This strange change was the last thing Igeris wanted to see, because she didn't understand it and still couldn't know whether it was still dangerous.

But Amelida could see Igris's worry, and for the first time she smiled. In her red eyes, instead of the endless sea of ​​blood, came Igris's reflection.

"I guess this is what you want."

Amelida's fingers gently reached out towards Igris, and the thin white thread slowly climbed up Igris's cheek, gently touching and caressing it.

"Now, I am no longer that seed. Now, I have my own name and my own new destiny."

She had never been so excited, and for the first time she saw the new life that Igris had once told her about.

“So… you can continue to call my name, Igris.”

The Gods' Fool - The Rainstorm: Chapter Thirty-One, The Missing Clockmaker?

Clang—

Amelida suddenly withdrew her hand, turned her head with some annoyance, and looked at the figure slowly walking behind her.

Between the two, a sharp knife lay on the ground, signaling to its owner that its mission was complete.

Alex glanced at Emily, slowly bent down, picked up the knife that had fallen to the ground, and gave Igris a warm smile.

"You've come at just the right time; I happen to have some questions for you."

"More than anything else... I'm curious if Amelida is alright now?"

She pointed to Emily, who seemed a little angry because Alex had interrupted her intimate behavior with Igris, and said with some concern.

"Her body seems to be undergoing some strange changes again... just like before, but those things should have died, or left..."

I know what you're worried about.

Alex shook his head slightly, his nonchalant attitude reassuring Igris somewhat.

"As things stand, the changes she's experiencing now are positive, and... in essence, the threads around her now are different from the red-haired followers she had before."