Old days, dice and investigator's manual

Could it be a burglar? But the doors and windows are all locked, and the locks were installed by the best locksmith in Vista.

Sherwood listened intently, but the sound did not return; it was as if he had imagined it.

He thought for a moment, still feeling uneasy. He put down the ring, opened the drawer, took out a revolver, stood up, and walked quietly to the study door. He pressed his ear to the door and breathed softly.

There were indeed voices outside the door, at least two people.

Sherwood's heart raced as he tried to hear what was happening outside; the voices came through the door.

"So what is he doing now?"

"Now, we're practically heart-to-heart with this distance. He's probably right next to the door listening to us talk."

"Then we've been discovered...!"

"Yeah, so use all your strength to kick the door open."

Sherwood was shocked. The next second, the study door was kicked open. Caught off guard, Sherwood was knocked backward by the door and stumbled a few steps before falling to the ground.

He looked up and saw a hooded man standing in the doorway, holding a cane, and pushing the revolver that had fallen to the ground into the corner.

"Don't move," the man said.

Another person wearing a hood strolled in from behind and looked around the study.

Sherwood stared at the two robbers: "Who...who are you?!"

The first robber let out an ambiguous "uh," while the second robber shrugged and said, "Even though you asked so sincerely, I won't be so merciful as to tell you. First, guess who we are."

"You're here to rob us..."

"Heh, maybe it's the FBI checking the water meter in the middle of the night."

Upon hearing "check the water meter," and noticing the two men's attire, Sherwood's eyes widened; he instantly recognized them: "You're those two from the black market!"

"That's right. After all, we didn't change our clothes. It would be crazy not to recognize us." The second robber nodded. "Since you recognized us, you know why we're here, right?"

"What do you want?"

"Three things. First, we'll double-cross each other, and that ring is ours now."

Sherwood was somewhat unwilling, but looking at the number one robber who had kicked open the study door, was carrying a cane, and was taciturn, he didn't dare to say a word.

Judging from the situation, he was certain that although the second robber talked a lot, the real danger was definitely the first robber, who was definitely the kind of ruthless killer who would silently chop people into mincemeat.

The number one robber noticed Sherwood's gaze, looked away, and avoided eye contact. In Sherwood's view, this was a manifestation of suppressing his brutal and savage nature.

The second robber continued, "The second thing is that I want to ask you why you were willing to spend 20 pounds to buy this ring."

Sherwood sounded a little guilty: "Aren't you also interested in this ring...?"

"Nonsense, we're interested because we know the details of this ring. Your willingness to pay for it means you also know the details, so we should ask you where you got that knowledge."

"I'm only interested in its ability to maintain youth; I don't know anything else!"

"He's not being honest, so we'll have to use some methods."

Sherwood shrank back: "What do you want? I'm warning you, don't do anything rash..."

"That's just empty talk. Do you think I need to warn me if I'm going to mess around?" The second robber pointed at the first robber. "Do you know what he's been up to lately?"

"He owns a ferocious hunting dog. A while ago, he and his dog hunted down and killed a young girl in the wilderness. Not only did he unleash the dog to ambush and tear her apart, but he also broke her arm and watched her bleed slowly..."

Sherwood's gaze involuntarily drifted to the silent figure at the door. The hood obscured the person's expression, and the silence was more oppressive than any threat.

He imagined the deranged killer chasing him with his hounds, imagined his limbs being broken, lying in a pool of blood, the hounds pounce and tearing him apart...

"Drag him away and let him experience this too," said the second robber.

"No, no, no!" Sherwood quickly said, "I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything!"

"That's more like it. Tell me, why are you willing to spend 20 pounds to buy this ring?"

"I...I heard about this ring at a gathering before."

"What kind of gathering?"

"It's a gathering of people who are interested in mysterious things, where they get together to exchange ideas and information. Participants come from all walks of life."

"Who mentioned this ring at the rally?"

"He was... I don't know his real name. He called himself 'Scholar,' and everyone called him Master. He was highly respected at gatherings and had a deep understanding of mysticism."

"That time he mentioned strange objects, the relics of the deceased gods, which are said to contain the remaining power of the gods. If one can find them, one can obtain a portion of the power belonging to the gods... Among the relics he mentioned was the ring of Morzur..."

"Does that bachelor appear often?"

"He only recently appeared at the rally, but because he was invited and vouched for by the organizers, and because he is indeed very knowledgeable, he quickly won everyone's trust."

Who was the organizer who invited him?

"I don't know. The organizers have never shown up. Before each gathering, we would receive an invitation to inform us of the time and place. The location was not fixed; sometimes it was at a member's residence, and sometimes it was a rented hotel meeting room."

"Oh, that's quite mysterious. Looks like I'll have to ask you more questions." The second robber nodded. "Then, the third thing is that, on behalf of the FBI, I need you to give a detailed statement regarding the suspicious artifact you bought on the black market tonight and the gathering you attended."

Sherwood froze, his expression shifting from confusion to disbelief, then freezing on anger: "The FBI...you're from the FBI?!"

"Didn't I already say 'maybe'?"

"How dare you treat me like this?!" Sherwood's voice rose several octaves. "This is trespassing! This is coercion! I'm going to see your superiors! I'll make sure you lose your jobs!"

Faced with Sherwood's rage, Carlo shrugged: "See, just as I predicted."

Isaac smirked. This was truly a case of unreasonable arguments meeting violent law enforcement; there was neither reason nor a way to explain himself.

He was about to ask what to do next, whether to contact the FBI or take Mr. Sherwood away, when he saw Carlo turn his head toward the window.

"Oh?"

Before Isaac could even grasp the meaning of that "oh," everything around him suddenly stopped, and all sounds faded away.

Isaac was unable to move, but his mind remained active.

This is... the boss's testing area? What happened?

Then he heard Carlo's voice: "Sigh, it seems I'm still too good-natured. I only made this guy suffer. Someone wants to kill him."

"Never mind. Can Isaac Lessing use something to deflect an incoming bullet? Check value 40, Dexterity bonus 12, final value 52."