The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

After dealing with Daisy's matter, Morian leisurely leaned back on the sofa in the office, holding a copy of the latest "Bay City Daily".

The reason why the Bay City Daily is the best-selling newspaper is largely due to its timeliness; events that happen in the morning are usually reported by the newspaper in the afternoon.

The events that dominated the front page at that moment were the events of last night's torrential rain.

The main body of the report described the scene, the results of the police investigation, the repair of street facilities after the rainstorm, and the simulated accounts of several so-called "eyewitnesses".

There were eyewitnesses?! Morian's gaze slowly moved over the descriptions.

According to eyewitness accounts, two figures were seen fiercely fighting during the torrential rain. One of them was wielding a long sword that burst into flames, and each swing was accompanied by pure white fire that could purify all evil souls.

Even more extreme claims include witnessing angels with wings descending to earth, carrying blazing white spears to carry out judgments.

Some religious fanatics have something to say about this, claiming that this is a saint sent by the gods to burn sinners, and that the dead truly deserved their fate. They also claim that if the Elysium Society remains obstinate, the "Flame Demon" will punish each and every one of them.

Morian couldn't help but rub his forehead, thinking to himself, "Brother, you must have misread this. What the hell is this?!"

While embellishment is inevitable, this is just too outrageous!

However, deep down he had to admit that after killing Quilt, he could indeed make flames cling to the blade.

Morian lowered his eyelids as he examined the special abilities he had extracted the previous night.

The skills "Leaping Fire" and "Blazing White Spear" have already appeared on the attribute list. The only pity is that no abilities related to "Performance" and "Fooling" have been obtained, only the parts related to fire.

This result was expected, but it was still somewhat disappointing.

He deliberately left Quilt's body unburied last night, a decision he made after careful consideration.

On one hand, it was a "return gift" to the Elysium Society, using the fate of their members as a "deterrent." On the other hand, it was also an opportunity to demonstrate sincerity and capability to the White family.

The value of a detective who can single-handedly take down a second-stage ascendant is self-evident.

After a night's rest, both his physical strength and mental state had largely recovered, and early this morning, Morian began the cleanup work.

Following Quilt's dying wish, he forged an envelope containing gold pounds and sent it to Daisy. He then wrote to Charlotte, explaining the events of the previous night and mentioning new leads in the South Wharf area.

He wasn't worried that the White family would report him.

Eliminating those who plague the city is a result that even the police are happy to see, not to mention that he did indeed make progress in the ancient book case that had reached a stalemate, and the two sides still maintained a cooperative relationship.

As for Quilt's dying words, the information about "Joseph" and "South Wharf" was also verified by a psychic divination to ensure its accuracy.

As I was sorting out my thoughts, a "ding-ding" sound suddenly came from outside the office.

That wasn't the sound of a doorbell being rung; it was the postman's call announcing that new mail had been delivered to the family mailbox.

Hearing the noise, Morian put down his newspaper, walked out of the office, and took a letter from the mailbox that the kingdom encouraged every household to set up.

Returning inside after retrieving the letter, Morian tore open the seal and found a sheet of paper with gold thread patterns inside.

His name and office address were written in ink in the center of the envelope, and the seal bore the White family crest. It was a reply from Charlotte.

To Mr. Maurian Thias:

I have received your letter and would like to express my sincere gratitude. After reading your letter, my father greatly admires your ability and decisiveness. If it is convenient for you, he sincerely invites you to visit our residence tomorrow, where tea and refreshments will be prepared.

I look forward to meeting you.

— Charlotte White.

The reply was simple, just a few lines of neat and polite handwriting.

So fast? Morian was a little surprised. He had expected Charlotte to reply, but he didn't expect it to be so quick, nor did he expect that his sincerity would directly lead to an invitation from Earl White.

Gaining the favor of an earl would undoubtedly help one in the future to infiltrate high society, but would that old nobleman who controls part of the economic lifeline of Bet City really show too much goodwill to a detective of unknown origin?

Was it a test? Or was it genuine appreciation and gratitude? He carefully folded the letter and put it back in the envelope.

In any case, this is an opportunity, and a situation we must face. At the very least, we should go and see before making a judgment.

Having made up his mind, Morian turned and walked to the bedroom, then went to the full-length mirror in the corner of the room to choose suitable clothes for his outing.

He opened the wardrobe, which contained a few clothes, but they were neatly arranged. He picked up a dark gray suit, which he had bought not long ago. The material wasn't top-of-the-line, but it was presentable enough.

In the end, the simplest combination was chosen: a dark gray suit with a pure white shirt and a black tie, which was neither too formal nor too casual and impolite.

While tidying up his belongings, Morian's gaze fell on the ancient book he had found on the desk, intending to take this opportunity to return it to the White family.

The only valuable "Philosopher's Stone" inside the ancient book has already been extracted and absorbed, leaving only an empty shell. However, this empty shell is still an item lost by the White family, so it is just right to take it back to its rightful owner.

Moreover, there's absolutely no need to worry about the White family discovering anything from it. The Philosopher's Stone exists in an extremely secretive form. Unless the other party also possesses some kind of "cheat code"... otherwise, this ancient book in their hands is no different from an ordinary diary.

He placed the ancient books into a hidden compartment of his suitcase and checked all the other items one by one to make sure everything was correct.

……

The next morning.

The enormous arched glass dome is tens of meters high, and sunlight streams through it.

Morian stepped onto the wide platform steps, dressed smartly with his hair neatly combed and a suitcase in his left hand.

In the early morning, the station was a torrent of people. The wealthy gentlemen and ladies could sit comfortably in the first-class carriages, while most people could only hurriedly squeeze into the third-class carriages.

The sounds of conversation, dragging luggage, and shouting mingled together, creating an extremely noisy environment.

The Earl of White's mansion is not located in the city of Bet, but in the kingdom's capital, St. Crentin, which is a long way away and requires a steam train journey.

That city is called the "ideal city" by many. It is not only the most prosperous and populous city in the Western Continent, but it is also said to be under the protection of the gods. The air there is cleaner than in other places, and the souls of the people who live there are cleansed.

Countless people spend their entire lives striving to own a home in St. Christine, even if it's just a small apartment on the outskirts of the city.

Morian looked down at his ticket, which read "Second Class, Row 4, Seat A" in black letters. Second class tickets weren't cheap, costing about the equivalent of a week's salary for an average person, but at least he wouldn't have to squeeze into a third class carriage.

Not long after, the sound of a steam whistle came from afar, and the steam train he was on slowly pulled onto the tracks and stopped at the platform.

After the train came to a complete stop, passengers surged toward the various carriage doors like a tide. Morian followed the flow of people, and after the ticket inspector checked his ticket, he entered the second-class carriage.

Compared to the first-class carriages with their private compartments, the second-class carriages are relatively clean, with dark red velvet lining the interior walls, dark carpets in the aisles, and luggage racks located above both ends of the carriage.

Third-class carriages were divided into passenger and freight carriages. The interiors were not carpeted, and all carriages had hard metal seats. There was not even a place to put luggage, which could only be piled up in the aisle.

When he found the seat number on his ticket, a young man reading a book was already sitting in the window seat. Morian nodded in greeting and sat down in the seat next to him.

"Ugh—!"

With a long whistle, the train slowly started moving and gradually increased its speed.

For the first part of the journey, the train traveled through the city's industrial area. Outside the window, rows of factories spewed by, their towering chimneys belching out thick black smoke that stained the sky gray.

About ten minutes later, the city view was left behind, replaced by scattered farms and fields, where many villagers were working hard, hoping for the day when the crops would ripen.

Morian leaned back in his chair, suddenly feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over him. He slowly closed his eyes, intending to rest for a while and sleep until the train arrived in the capital.