The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

After getting the guess, Morian couldn't wait to verify it.

Following the image he had memorized, he quickly put the notebook back in the locker as it was, and then used the key to make a cursory swipe on the light door.

The Starlight Gate collapsed instantly, and the locker's exterior returned to its original state, showing no signs of having been opened.

When he came out, the midday sun was still blazing. Morian took out his pocket watch, and the hands pointed to 1:20.

It was around midnight when we entered the tavern. Including the time spent talking and investigating the building materials factory, it took us almost an hour. Time passed little by little.

Joseph's notebook recorded the transaction time as 4 PM.

In other words, he has about two hours to determine the transaction location and formulate a plan to catch the perpetrator red-handed.

If a place can be used as a transaction location, then it must be secluded, and it must also be able to be covered by the noise of the negotiation site, and it must be easy to evacuate in case of problems.

If we can limit the scope to the area around the building materials factory, the area that needs to be excluded will indeed be reduced a lot. The key is that there are too many places that can be covered by the noise from the negotiation site.

Morian walked out of the iron gate of the building materials factory and onto the main road of the dock, his gaze sweeping over several warehouses, rows of cargo boxes and the intersecting street scenes.

Where is the location that can meet all the conditions at the same time?

sewer?

In a typical neighborhood, he would definitely consider this option.

However, the sewer system in the dock area has long been severely polluted by chemical waste from the factory, making it unsuitable for human habitation, let alone for clandestine transactions.

Just as Morian was at his wit's end, he suddenly felt a slender, smooth hand pat his shoulder, which startled him so much that he turned around abruptly.

Then he saw the person standing behind him.

It was Charlotte White, the heiress of the White family, who officially became his assistant starting yesterday.

Today she changed into an outfit that was easy to move in: a beige shirt paired with a light blue textured skirt, and over-the-knee black stockings. She wore sturdy ankle boots, and her light brown hair was tied into a neat ponytail at the back of her head. She looked sunny and energetic.

"Why are you here?" Morian blurted out, his tone a mix of amusement and exasperation.

I didn't notify this lady to participate in the investigation, so how did she manage to find this place so accurately?

Hearing the question, Charlotte crossed her arms and naturally revealed her innocent, sunny smile:

"I noticed you weren't at the office, so I guessed you were probably here in the dock area conducting an investigation."

Well, time is of the essence, and it's good to have another person help... Morian quickly accepted this fact and briefly explained the information he had to the other party.

This includes finding out the negotiation time from the tavern, discovering transaction records in the storage room, and now the problem of finding a place to make the deal.

The girl listened quietly, one hand supporting her chin, looking focused and thoughtful.

"I see." After listening, she summarized softly, "We need to find the location Joseph arranged for the transaction, and time is running out."

"That's right."

"My idea is to find a higher vantage point to overlook the entire dock area; perhaps that will lead to some unexpected discoveries," Morian stated his current plan.

After he finished speaking, he was about to ask Charlotte for her advice when he saw a relaxed expression in her jade-green eyes.

"No need for that," Charlotte smiled.

She raised her right hand, and pale golden specks of light in the air began to gather, like fireflies flying in the night. As the light grew brighter, it eventually transformed into a magnificent golden staff.

The staff was entirely a dazzling gold, with a gemstone radiating pure white light set in the ring at its top, exuding a rich aura of life.

"Just use your extraordinary abilities to help you find it," Charlotte explained, taking the staff with one hand.

Extraordinary abilities?

Morian was somewhat surprised. Although he had witnessed Charlotte's superhuman strength before, this was the first time he had seen the girl in front of him display such extraordinary abilities.

She lightly tapped her staff forward, and the gem at the tip of the staff suddenly lit up, releasing a soft light that transformed into a pale golden "butterfly".

The butterfly fluttered its wings and landed in front of Charlotte, scattering countless points of light as it flapped its wings.

"O spirit of prayer, please guide me to the place where Joseph is most likely to make his deal," Charlotte pleaded softly.

The pale golden butterfly swayed slightly twice, as if it had received the request, and then began to slowly move forward in a certain direction.

"My aether is a 'wish magician,' which allows me to request various kinds of help from the spirits within my staff," Charlotte explained without reservation as she followed.

"It can be used to find people or things, and can even be used for simple prophecies, but the effectiveness depends on the 'price' and 'willpower' paid, and the accumulation of willpower is relatively difficult."

……

Only now did Morian finally confirm a certain suspicion in his heart.

There is no necessary connection between the names "Extraordinary Destiny" and "Ether"! They are more of a symbolic representation of a small part, while retaining their core essence.

Just like when someone goes to a supermarket to look for cookies, the cookies will definitely be in the snack section, not the fresh produce section. The relationship between the two is similar. "Destiny" is like a major category, while "ether" is the specific "product" under that category.

Based on this reasoning, it makes perfect sense that the head maid Ava's "thousand faces" allow her to flexibly switch between multiple etheric forms.

The core symbolism of "a thousand faces" does not lie in the literal meaning of "multiple faces," but rather in the ability to flexibly switch "identities" according to needs, corresponding to different forms of ether.

However, on the surface, it is difficult to intuitively understand the symbolic meaning of the "Sage" I possess and Charlotte's "Gardener". Their core meaning is more subtle and can only be gradually felt and discovered in actual use.

While they were thinking, the two had already followed the incarnation of the wish spirit into the depths of the dock area.

Hundreds and thousands of containers are stockpiled here, forming a "maze" made of steel. The ground is covered with thick steel plates, and there are lifting robotic arms at intervals.

The tall shipping containers blocked most of the view. The goods, which were already lifted and lowered by robotic arms, did not require manual handling. In addition, the few patrol and security personnel in the area were all busy maintaining order in the negotiation area, leaving the area even more unattended.

The pale golden butterfly flew through the "canyon" formed by rows of shipping containers, floated forward for dozens of meters, and then turned into specks of light and disappeared into the air.

That concludes the instructions.

Heavy cargo area? Morian looked around. The area was surrounded by tall shipping containers, creating a natural sheltered space. The noise from the docks could still be faintly heard in the distance, enough to drown out normal conversations.

Morian turned to the side and suddenly asked, "Charlotte, what do you think?"

“This is indeed a secluded meeting place, sir,” Charlotte replied without hesitation. “I think we should first find an observation point and wait for the target to appear.”

"Miss White, you've spotted the blind spot."