She is not an investigator.

"You just told me a story, about the commission, about all the secrets behind it, but you never told me what we're waiting for right now."

Igris should have asked long ago, but Olivia never brought it up, and Igris didn't seem to care much, so it dragged on until now, until Igris' patience had completely run out.

"We need to arrive near the castle by evening, so it will probably take another two to three hours."

"Is there some kind of mysterious curse on the castle? Like, something that only appears at specific times?"

They've wasted so much time just standing here in a daze. Igris even felt that going out for a drink would have been more meaningful than what they were doing.

"Of course not, otherwise the castle itself would be more famous than its owner."

"So what's the reason?"

"Hmm... there will be a reason, you'll know when you get there."

Igris frowned slightly. She hated people who only told half of what they meant. There was no benefit in keeping things from her. After all, Igris was her assistant at the moment, not her enemy. There was nothing between them to hide.

"Can I really entrust my safety to you?"

"Of course, I wouldn't have the heart to hurt you."

Olivia gave Igris a reassuring smile. Although Igris didn't think it made any sense, she really had nothing else to do, and at least the other party was willing to pay her to just sit there.

"I'm going out for some fresh air."

"Don't go too far."

Sitting in the car all the time would get suffocating sooner or later, so like she said, she just came out for some fresh air.

Based on their general location, they were currently on the only way to the castle. The area was quite desolate, with no buildings or signs of human activity. Apart from a road, there was nothing else there.

This road was probably built by the Noval family a long time ago, and it is already visibly damaged.

The rise and fall of a family can indeed be seen in many ways, but unfortunately, Igris never experienced that feeling.

Perhaps she had experienced it before, but not when she was Aaron, nor after she became Igris.

She wasn't quite sure what family felt like, but from the stories Olivia told her about Nanke, she could roughly sense that it wasn't as happy as most people imagined; at least, she didn't enjoy freedom.

As she was lost in thought, the rustling sound coming from the grass immediately caught her attention.

She looked at the swaying grass by the roadside, her brows furrowed slightly, and slowly approached it.

She dared not let her guard down, even though there was little chance of danger nearby, she still had to worry about whether some wild animal had come out to hunt and happened to run into her.

Igris drew her pistol from her waist, slowly pointed it at the bushes, and gently pushed them aside with the barrel of the gun.

A white figure appeared in her field of vision, which calmed her guard down considerably and made her breathe a sigh of relief.

"Can you see me not running away?"

Igris crouched down and looked at the white rabbit lying quietly in the grass. She carefully reached out her hand, wanting to touch it, but she was also afraid that it would be frightened and run away.

Her hand remained raised in mid-air, lingering there for a long time, yet she seemed reluctant to let go.

In the end, she caught the rabbit and held it in her arms.

The rabbit was very well-behaved. Even when Igris held it in her arms, it remained very quiet. Its red eyes blinked occasionally, and its little nose twitched constantly, making it look very cute.

Igris really likes small animals, whether they are kittens, puppies, or rabbits. Perhaps it's because every middle-aged man has a soft spot in his heart. Igris, who has never been in a relationship and has no children, always shows the utmost patience and kindness to these little creatures.

"May I touch your ear?"

Igris awkwardly held the rabbit and carefully reached out to touch its ears.

The rabbit did not resist, nor did it try to escape. It remained very obedient, letting Igris hold it in her arms, quietly and without moving.

Feeling the soft, furry texture in her hands, Igris felt her spirits were soothed and her mood improved considerably. Even though she needed to stay here for a few more hours, she wasn't so bothered anymore.

"I'll let you go in a bit, when I leave here."

Igris gently tapped the rabbit's head and slowly walked towards the car parked by the roadside.

Reaching the car, Igris skillfully opened the door, then climbed inside with a rabbit in her arms, earning a strange look from Olivia.

“You know, we’re not going to survive in the wilderness, so there’s no need for us to bring our own food.”

Igris glanced at Olivia and carefully cradled the rabbit in her arms.

"If you're really hungry, I suggest you dig up some wild grass to eat."

"So that's a new friend you just made? You really look like an ordinary girl."

Igris didn't answer, but turned her head and quietly looked out the window, still holding the rabbit in her arms tightly.

"Can I hug you?"

"Are you referring to a rabbit or something?"

Olivia paused for a moment, hesitated, and then spoke.

"All...ok?"

There is no second option.

Igris coldly handed the rabbit to Olivia and said with a warning.

"Don't hurt it, we're leaving soon, leave it here."

"I thought you would want to adopt it."

Igris shook her head and looked at the rabbit Olivia was holding.

"I'm not suited to have pets."

"Is it because you're always putting yourself in danger?"

"...because I always forget to feed them."

Learning to find food on their own is probably an important skill for pets.

The Gods' Fool - The Castle Invitation: Chapter Four, Mobius Strip

"It's time to go."

"I hope that the time I wasted was worthwhile."

Igris opened the car door, released the rabbit from her arms, and waved gently at it.

The white rabbit's nose twitched, but it remained in place with no intention of leaving.

This rabbit is perhaps a little too docile, which is somewhat unusual. Unless it is injured, a wild rabbit should not be so quiet and motionless.

But Igris had already done a quick check and found that the rabbit didn't have any wounds. Although it might have internal injuries, they weren't very noticeable, but at least it felt relatively healthy to the touch.

"Why don't you take it with you?"

"There's no need for that, let's go."

Igris closed the car door and didn't look at the rabbit that remained standing still.

"Alright, since you put it that way."

Olivia obediently started the car and quickly drove away.

The white rabbit remained lying quietly on the road, motionless, its nose twitching slightly, its red eyes seemingly observing something.

Finally, the rabbit shook its ears, turned around, and prepared to dart back into the grass by the roadside, but in the next moment, a crossbow bolt flew out and pierced through the rabbit's body.

A hunter, Qi Huan, slowly emerged from the roadside, grasped the completely dead rabbit in his hand, and removed the arrow from it.

Inside the backpack on his back were countless dead white rabbits, some of which had already begun to rot and stink.

The hunter glanced at the end of the road, the direction where Igris and Olivia had gone, then walked back to the sides of the road and into the wasteland and thicket.

……

"arrive."

After traversing the long road, nestled deep in the dense forest, the pale gray-brown Jiuguqi Castle appeared before the two.

It was very large, much larger than Igris had imagined. The walls alone occupied most of the dense forest, and the castle could be seen from a distance. Regardless of the Noval family's current strength, its past glory was largely reflected in this castle.

By this time, the sun was almost setting, and it was quite dark around them. Igris could only see a small corner of the sun still hanging on the mountainside.

"Just park the car here?"

Instead of continuing along the road to the castle or parking the car near it, they parked it on the side of the road, a short walk from the castle.

"Nobody comes here, and the guests who do come here wouldn't stoop to stealing a car."

Although Olivia seemed like she wouldn't react much even if her car was stolen, that wasn't actually what Igris meant.

"If you drive it closer and hide it, it will be a great help if we really encounter any danger."

Hearing Igris's words, Olivia looked at Igris with some curiosity and nodded thoughtfully.

"Indeed, it's just a regular birthday party, but we'll do it as you said."

"...At least you're someone who listens to advice."

Igris didn't dislike the detective as much anymore. At least the detective wasn't as arrogant as most of the detectives Igris had encountered. On the contrary, she was happy to listen to Igris's opinions and suggestions.

"Of course, after all, you are my assistant."

Olivia got back into the car and started the engine.

"Do you want to come with me, or do you want to walk around the neighborhood first and then decide?"

"I want to look around."

Igris was curious about the location of the castle, as it was so remote that it would be difficult to purchase any necessary supplies. Moreover, apart from the castle, there were almost no other buildings and it was practically a wasteland.

In such a place, dangerous creatures like wild animals could appear at any time, so they had better prepare sufficient guards. Otherwise, if a brown bear were to unfortunately wander in, the birthday party would probably turn into a buffet.

A bear's buffet.

Watching Olivia drive slowly toward the castle, Igris did not intend to go directly to the castle gate.

Perhaps it was because of that story that she always felt the castle looked strange and made her somewhat uneasy.

Her intuition also told her to trust her feelings, which would at least not harm her.

Perhaps the castle itself does have something special, but Igris doesn't really know much about the history of the Noval family, so being careful at this moment probably wouldn't hurt.

Igris touched the pistol at her waist; the familiar touch made her feel much more at ease, but it also made her realize that she might be a little too nervous.

After all, this mission wasn't about storming a cult headquarters or stopping a mysterious ritual—things so dangerous they could easily lose their lives. They were essentially there to celebrate a birthday. As Olivia had said, she could enjoy the banquet itself without having to think or worry about anything else.