Old days, dice and investigator's manual

Lano was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"Is it the god of the lake tree worshipped by the Westeros, or the withered god who manifested during the War of the Faiths, surrounded by unclean spirits and zombies?"

Lano frowned: "Even if the appearances are different, aren't the past and present the same existence?"

"If this were a philosophical question, that would be one way to answer it. But the question is, what if these two things actually appeared at the same time?" Carlo held up one finger on each hand. "They both claimed to be Morzur, one earlier and the other later."

The small boat slowly circled on the water. Lano swallowed hard. "Mr. Schuster, what are you trying to say?"

"What I mean is that the Morzur involved in this case exhibits characteristics that are both reminiscent of the tree in the lake in primitive beliefs and the withered god in the wars between religions, and the behavior of both sides is contradictory."

"I can't go into details, but as I just mentioned, the pattern on that ring has the symbolism of roots. This imagery is highly consistent with the Westerians' imagination of Morzul, a giant tree whose roots run through the realms of life and death."

"Jacob Hammer, on the other hand, received a message supposedly from Morzul, instructing him to retrieve the ring. The Morzul he contacted was acting through undead spirits, and some of his characteristics are more consistent with the current mainstream understanding of Morzul."

"As for the ring itself, I used some methods to confirm its target in the wasteland: a tree."

"The tree in the lake?" Lano realized.

"Maybe, at least right now the tree in the lake is the most fitting. I gave that tree a little stimulation, but it didn't react much."

Lano's lips twitched. They can do this kind of thing?

While they were still arguing about the nature and spread of the curse, Carlo had already found the enemy's hideout and even went up to knock on the door.

Carlo said, "In short, both sides seem to be Morzul, but they have different characteristics and exhibit different behaviors. One side has shown an intention to retrieve the ring, while the other side does not seem to be very proactive at the moment, but the force that released the ring seems to be planning to do something."

Lano said, "There's no conclusive evidence that these two are completely different individuals, but it's still worth noting. However, Mr. Schuster, why did you specifically come to the lake to say this?"

"Because Lake Perth is the territory of Morzul in the tradition of the Westerians, the place where the roots of that tree in the lake are located." Carlo patted the side of the boat. "Isn't it atmospheric to talk about Him here?"

Lano: "..."

"Moreover, that thing that looks like a tree in the lake has a boundary with the real world, which is right at the bottom of this lake."

Lano: "...Huh?!"

He glanced instinctively at the water beside the boat; the lake was dark and bottomless.

"Are we just going to float up here like this, is that okay? I have a wife and kids..."

"No problem. Even if that thing discovers us, it won't make a move until it's sure it can escape. Otherwise, it'll get beaten to a pulp by Vicania."

"Please don't be so blasphemous..." Lano didn't know how to react, so he changed the subject. "So what do we do next? Now that we've confirmed that the boundary of that thing is in the lake, we can't just leave it like this. But if it's really as you say, then this is a major event involving the resurrection of the gods, which the FBI can't handle alone."

"If necessary, then we should call upon Westeria."

"Cardinal Westeria? You want to bring this up before him?" Lano hesitated for a moment, thinking of that important figure.

"Wouldn't it be stupid not to use our fighting power? If Morzur really is trying to return to the mortal world through Lake Perth, then the seriousness of this matter is clearly beyond the FBI's ability to handle," Carlo said. "I have my own channels to communicate with Westeria, so you don't need to worry about it."

Lano took a deep breath: "Should I send people to investigate around Lake Perth?"

"Of course, otherwise why would I have asked you to come here just to tell you little stories about Morzur?"

"Cough cough..."

"I'm not asking you to turn the entire lakebed upside down, that's unrealistic, but send people to walk around the shore and near the lake to see if there are any suspicious traces."

"Suspicious traces...residual curse?"

"Residual curses, and also check for unusual plant and animal decay, water discoloration, strange smells... anything unnatural counts. If someone held a ritual near the lakeshore, there will always be some clues left behind. Your Second Division has handled quite a few curse-related cases, so you should have experience in this area."

"No problem. Although we don't have enough manpower, it's necessary to assign a few people to this task." Lano nodded.

"That's settled then. Let me know if you find anything, or if you don't, so I know you've made it through."

"Understood," Lano replied, then waited a moment, and seeing that Carlo didn't seem inclined to speak further, asked, "Then... can we go back now?"

"Let's go back."

Lano breathed a sigh of relief, gripped the oars again, turned the boat around, and rowed toward the shore.

Once ashore, he glanced at the lakebed. The water plants that had just emerged swayed with the waves, and after hearing what he had just heard, they looked somewhat like the roots of a giant tree from ancient legends that penetrated the bottom of the lake and connected the two worlds.

Once ashore, Lano caught his breath: "Mr. Schuster, next time something like this happens, could we perhaps talk somewhere more convenient? Like a café by the lake or something."

"That won't do. If you stand up and run away as soon as you sense something's wrong, I'll have to drag you back in front of so many people. Wouldn't that be like paying someone to do it for me? On this lake, if you want to run away, you can only jump into the water. It's much easier."

"..."

"Also, remember not to let your men get too close to the water. If they actually catch something, Vicania might not be able to save them in time."

……

Li Jiehao stood in front of the mirror in the clothing store, tugged at the cuffs of his suit, and twisted his neck.

"Sir, would you like to... change into another outfit?" The shop owner, Harper, stood to the side, speaking tactfully.

Li Jiehao looked at himself in the mirror. His clothes were piled up loosely, and he looked like a child who had stolen an adult's clothes.

"Isn't this great? It's more comfortable to be loose." Li Jiehao tugged at his collar again.

Harper gave a wry smile and simply took another coat from the rack: "Sir, this coat is cut to a standard size. You're on the thinner side, so it doesn't fit you well and makes you look a bit slender. Why don't you try this smaller size? It should fit you better."

Li Jiehao took the clothes, put them on, and tried them on.

This time, the bust and waist were too tight again. After buttoning them up, even a slight movement would make a taut, thread-like sound.

"This one's too tight..." Li Jiehao sighed. "What a hassle. Can't I just buy any old thing to wear?"