The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

In Bet City, in front of an inconspicuous house on Slan Street.

The girl looked through the car window at the old and peeling shop, then glanced at the GG order in her hand, a hint of doubt in her beautiful eyes.

[Services Offered: Detective investigations, medical consultations, lost and found services, and others]

[Job Posting: Seeking a maid (scratch that) assistant. Requirements: able to assist the detective in investigations, possessing certain logical thinking and analytical skills. Those who can act as enforcers and read maps will be given priority.]

Below the few lines of text is an address. Although the introduction of their services is rather brief, it is reasonable for detectives to take on some shady cases, even though the police sometimes have to delegate tasks to law firms due to their own duties.

More importantly, according to newspaper reports, although the firm has not been in business for long, its business capabilities are quite outstanding, with very few cases of failed cases, so its reputation has been quite good recently.

This is precisely why the girl chose this place.

"Is this the place?"

"Yes." Hearing the questioning voice from the back seat, the middle-aged man with graying temples answered respectfully, displaying the demeanor of a typical butler.

He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, went around to the other side, and smoothly opened the car door for the back seat.

The city had just experienced a heavy rain, and the streets were not only slippery, but the wind was also particularly strong, occasionally stirring up some dust and gravel.

With a mixture of belief and skepticism, the girl got off the bus and walked to the door of the agency, her face half-covered.

Before she could even knock on the door, several noisy voices came from inside.

"Detective Eagle, how's the investigation I asked you to do a while ago going? Is that priest really not a suspect?!"

"Anthony! Have you caught that mistress red-handed yet? And then find out who that bastard Randall is who's been following me lately! I'm going to sink him in the Seine!"

The girl took a deep breath and gently knocked on the wooden door of the office. The old door creaked and groaned as it was slowly pushed open.

The interior space is not large, and the accumulation of various miscellaneous items makes the already small space seem somewhat cramped. If one were to live there alone, it might be considered barely comfortable.

The smell of ink and old paper mingled together, not pleasant but not unpleasant either. The few pieces of mahogany furniture in the room were neatly arranged on the left side, while on the right side, newspapers, manuscripts, and photographs were piled up haphazardly on a long table, as if no one had taken the time to tidy them up in a long time.

In the direction of the central living room, a handsome young man was facing two clients, patiently explaining something.

The young man had a straight nose and deep brown eyes. Although his hair was slightly messy, his brows revealed a cold and stern look. The fitted white shirt paired with a black formal vest perfectly accentuated his figure.

This person was none other than the owner of the agency, a time traveler from the real world, Morian Thias.

Is it divided into a living area and... an office area? The girl frowned slightly, stopped looking around, and focused on listening to the conversation between the three people.

Meanwhile, the owner of this place, Morian, was sweating profusely.

He was facing one of the biggest crises of his career, with the elegantly dressed Mrs. Fields on one side and the ruthless mobster Nader on the other. If he made a mistake in his answer, it would be more than just a loss of reputation.

I can't just tell them outright that Detective Eagle and Dr. Anthony are just my pseudonyms.

Oh, by the way, actually, the reporter Randall who was following you was also me in disguise... Morian looked at Nader, whose expression was unfriendly, and his lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

You want me to investigate myself?

At this moment, Morian sincerely realized that he could no longer use multiple aliases, otherwise he would inevitably fall into such an awkward and troublesome situation sooner or later.

After the two clients raised their questions, they immediately looked at each other, both seeing surprise and doubt in each other's eyes.

It was Nadal who struck first, asking sharply, "Aren't you called Anthony?!"

Good question… Morian gave an awkward but polite smile.

"Actually, you can call me that too."

Having said that, he didn't give Nader a chance to ask further questions, and quickly turned to Mrs. Fields beside him with a smile:

"As you know, madam, I have investigated your request thoroughly, but I must remind you that, in principle, the other party is a pastor, not a priest, and it is common knowledge that pastors cannot kill people."

As Morian spoke, he calmly took out a pre-prepared file bag and handed it over. Inside was a stack of documents and evidence related to the case.

"Detective, you mean... the murderer isn't that priest?" Phils took the file bag, a look of surprise on her face.

"No, it's precisely because priests are forbidden to kill that he specifically hired an assassin, which led to this tragedy."

Mrs. Fils was silent for a moment, then suddenly covered her face and wept, taking the file bag with her and leaving the office.

"Alright, Anthony," the man said impatiently, pressing for details when it was his turn, "What about that damned mistress? Have you found any dirt on her?"

"Well, I've also done my research on this, and I have the results," Morian said, sounding slightly embarrassed.

"What is it?"

"Tax evasion," he said succinctly.

……

Only after completely getting rid of the two did Morian breathe a sigh of relief, noticing the brown-haired, blue-eyed girl quietly waiting on the sofa.

"Hello, miss, how can I help you?"

The other person wore a small black top hat and a dark gray dress with a high collar and lace trim, whose demeanor was completely out of place in the somewhat messy office.

To avoid being impolite, Morian quickly took out a tea set from the cupboard to serve his guest. Soon, the rich aroma filled the room, and two cups of deep-colored black tea were already on the coffee table.

"I would like to ask you to find someone for me." The young woman nodded slightly in thanks and then took out a business card from her purse.

"Charlotte White?" The business card clearly displayed the girl's name, contact information, and address. Morian picked up the card and looked at it, suddenly feeling that the girl's surname looked familiar.

White... is that the family whose patriarch holds a title but still insists on doing business?

He suddenly remembered.

A few days ago, the Bay City Daily News devoted a considerable amount of space to reporting a robbery and murder case that took place at the White family's business. At the time, he happened to be investigating in the next block and could clearly see the explosion and fire coming from not far away.

The official classification of the case as a theft and robbery, with the perpetrator fleeing after accidentally killing someone and remaining at large to this day, as described in the reports, leaving the actual situation unknown.

In ordinary cases, the police would release some clues and post wanted notices after completing the on-site investigation, offering rewards to encourage the public to assist in the investigation. However, this time the news was unexpectedly kept tightly under wraps, perhaps for security reasons, not wanting ordinary people to be involved in any danger.

"So, your commission is to find the culprit in the Slan Street robbery?" Morian asked somewhat uncertainly.

Frankly, he was not very willing to take on such a high-risk case, especially since the police had specifically warned him of the risks.

Unless the other party's compensation is attractive enough.

"I can't be sure either." The girl named Charlotte shook her head, took out a small velvet pouch from her purse, and placed a gleaming silver key on the table.

The key is not large, except for a notch at the end.

"This is a strange item found at the crime scene. After preliminary experiments, we discovered that this key has two different effects."

"Using it, you can open a 'door' for free passage in an enclosed space," Charlotte paused, emphasizing the next word, "Conversely, it can also 'close' any existing 'door' in the space."

"I would like to ask you to find the original owner of the key."

"A magical item?" Morian perked up instantly, picking up the palm-sized silver key with great interest.

A few lines of text naturally came to mind.

【Morian】

[Identity/Race: Ordinary Human]

【Extraordinary Destiny/Ether: None (Unlocked)】

[Original Talents: "Trait Extraction" and "Containment"]

[Possessing Abilities: "Danger Premonition," "Visualization of Illnesses," "Infection," "Agile Movement," etc.]

Thanks to the "golden finger" he brought with him when he first transmigrated, he was able to quickly integrate into this unfamiliar world and learn many secrets that ordinary people could not access through his detective job.

Although the attribute bar appears to have many skills lit up, in reality, apart from the two built-in "talents", there was nothing else to rely on at the beginning.

For most people here, the only better option for acquiring skills beyond their abilities is through magical items. But he is different; he has more options.

From initially "developing cautiously" to now possessing a certain ability to protect oneself, the journey has been quite difficult.

Morian still hasn't forgotten the mysterious voice that appeared in his mind during his time travel.

Become strong enough, surpass everyone, and you can reunite with your family.

Although he didn't know exactly what was going on, this world was not the real world he was familiar with. All he could do now was follow the voice's instructions and move forward.

Therefore, in order to become stronger, one must seize those few opportunities when necessary.

He quickly snapped back to reality and shifted his gaze to the information about the key.

The incomplete key

[Category Classification: Magical Items]

[Level: Rare (with growth potential)]

[After being infused with spiritual essence, it can achieve either opening or closing effects (with potential for growth). This item was slightly affected by the "Key to the Gate," so permanent sealing is recommended.]

[Note: This can be used to unlock the first restraints on creatures within the initial containment space.]

A breakthrough?! Morian was momentarily stunned, but then his heart leaped with joy.

It is important to know that the talent "Containment" came with seven full spaces in the first place. Morian had long speculated that each of these full spaces represented a creature that had been contained.

If one of them could be solved, it would certainly be interesting to see what kind of changes would occur.

However, the origin of this thing is unknown. With its current strength, it can handle ordinary commissions with ease, but if it involves extraordinary commissions such as magical items, it really needs to think carefully.

Based on past experience, getting too involved with such items often comes with danger.

"What's wrong?" Perhaps noticing the change in his gaze as he stared at the keys, Charlotte asked softly, "Did you notice something?"

Morian placed the key back on the table, carefully choosing his words: "Indeed, this key is mysterious enough."

"Could you describe the details of the case?" he asked directly. "I believe you understand that the police do not want to cause unnecessary panic, so they have not released any information to the public."

Charlotte nodded slightly, her expression turning serious, and handed over an investigation report and another document:

"This is the police investigation report on the case, as well as the unfinished letter from the victim's home. Please take a look."

Morian took the document and began to examine every detail.

The victim was a member of the White family and the main manager of all affairs at the jewelry company where the incident occurred.

The person was attacked shortly after returning from an outing that day. Strangely, upon returning to the company, the person immediately ordered all entrances to be closed, as if they had foreseen the arrival of the uninvited guest.

Even with all entrances closed, how could the culprit still break in? This certainly matches the characteristics of the "key's" abilities...

While watching quietly, Morian glanced at the silver key on the table, and a new line of text quietly appeared in his field of vision.

[Residual odor detected. Proceed with characteristic extraction?]

Is there really such a good thing? Of course, it is.

A slight thought stirred within him, but he remained outwardly calm, continuing to focus intently on his reading.

The investigation report also clearly states that after the incident, the company suffered no financial loss, except for an ancient book carried by the victim, which was missing. In addition, two staff members at the scene went missing.

"Missing?" Morian raised an eyebrow. If the other party wasn't after money, then what was the purpose of kidnapping him? Kidnapping? To be used as labor?

[Extracted features: "Coordinate Creation" and "Spatial Affinity"]

[Optimal integration is currently possible to advance capabilities. Integration options: Spatial Affinity and Agile Movement]

Just then, Charlotte seemed to hesitate for a moment, but ultimately decided to tell the truth.

"Yes, but judging from the traces at the scene, it doesn't seem to be a simple disappearance."

"After the incident, two stain-like dust spots were left at the scene, which were grayish-white in color." The girl's expression turned strange. "In other words, they may not have gone missing, but rather their bodies couldn't withstand some kind of extremely high temperature and carbonized first."

"So this key may be the only important clue in the case."

After listening to the noblewoman's description, Morian fell silent.

Murder and then provide cremation services at the scene?

Even when the victims were already aware of the danger, the ability to break into the enclosed space and instantly wipe out three lives is as terrifying as a messenger from hell. No matter how well you think you've hidden yourself, it can still take your life without you even noticing.

This was the first time he had ever heard of such an extremely violent method. In just a few minutes, all that remained of the evidence that the two missing persons had ever existed was those two piles of ashes.

Or perhaps we should reassess the level of risk associated with this commission?

Could it be that she asked around at various agencies, but none of them were willing to take the case, so she finally came to him, this sucker?

"Miss White, I must confess, this case is likely far more complex than it appears, and goes beyond the scope of an ordinary detective's work."

"So what you mean is?" A hint of sadness flashed in the girl's eyes, but she still pressed on, unwilling to give up.

After a brief silence, Morian gave a meaningful smile.

"You'll have to pay more."