Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Mr. Garrett sat at his desk as usual, but his work efficiency was extremely low, and he seemed to be trying to distract himself.

The nun named Karen was standing beside him, gazing straight ahead into the distance, like a general on patrol.

Brother Sari had already left, and Karen, dressed in her nun's habit, stood out in the office like a firefly.

Noticing Lyle's arrival, Garrett put the documents in his hand aside, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and his curly wig on the right side swayed slightly.

“You’ve come at the right time, Lyle. Come and meet our newcomer, Ms. Karen Pombay. She will officially start work tomorrow as your future partner, joining Ralph’s criminal investigation team.”

"Say hello, ladies and gentlemen."

“It is my honor, Your Excellency Lyle.” Karen clenched her right fist and tapped her chest, saluting like a soldier. Fortunately, she was still a little girl, and nothing unseemly happened.

"To be able to obtain Lady Karen's power is truly a blessing from the Holy Light!" Lyle offered a light compliment.

"May the Holy Light protect you, Your Excellency." Kallen could be seen smiling slightly before suddenly adopting a serious posture.

A girl who is easy to see through.

"Lord Lyle, please excuse me. The daily Mass is about to begin. Starting tomorrow, please allow me to be by your side and experience the Holy Light." After giving one last fist salute, Karen hurriedly left.

"Mr. Garrett, what happened?" Suddenly, the nun became my colleague.

"It was an attempt by the church and a game with us. Fortunately, you handled it in time, otherwise we would be in a much more difficult situation now."

"But I don't think we made much money, and we just ended up with a little tail for nothing."

"This little tail is thicker than your bastard uncle's thigh. This little girl, who is less than 1.7 meters tall, easily blasted open a door that was more than two meters high. I estimate that she can withstand the strength of five adult men."

“But Karen is also a surveillance agent, isn’t she? If she follows me, my work will be disrupted.”

“Overt surveillance is much safer than covert interference, and the church has expressed their stance.”

"what?"

“Just surveillance, not management.” Garrett narrowed his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips, like a shark that had smelled blood.

"The Public Security Bureau also needs a fresh overhaul; we need to get rid of those traitors who betray their own people."

"Mr. Wilt?"

"Otherwise? Who else do you think would know about your work today?"

“Speaking of work, sir, my work is finished.” Lyle took out the completed report and a small bag of white crystals. “The cause of death was asphyxiation due to food blocking the trachea, but the food in the stomach bag contained a lethal poison, leading to the conclusion that the suspect had malicious intent to poison.”

Garrett took the report and looked at it carefully. He turned to Lyle, his pupils behind his monocle appearing unusually large, and Lyle saw his own reflection.

“…Little Buller…Bran Sherry is a member of the Merchants’ Guild, one of the backers of the Sheriff’s Office.”

“I understand, sir. I’m just a forensic pathologist, not a judge.” Lyle smiled and generously spread his hands.

"I will leave the follow-up to Ralph. He will handle it well; he is very capable in this area."

"..."

"You've worked very hard, Little Bühler. Your work is excellent. You can go home and rest now."

"Goodbye, sir." Lyle tipped his hat and left with a smile.

Garrett sat in his seat, tossed the report in his hand into the ashes of the fireplace, and watched it burn.

He muttered to himself, "No wonder they're uncle and nephew, they both have the same squinty smile as [The Fiend].

……

Bran Sherry cut his steak in frustration. Rumors of him killing the beggar were spreading like wildfire in Cassandra. Those damned rats! He'd be the laughingstock at tomorrow's party. What would they say about him, exposed Bran?

Hopefully, the sheriffs will do their job properly after taking the money. Bran took his wine glass and walked to the window. Outside the curtains was the darkness of Cassandra, and Baron Borye's manor was located under that white crescent moon.

He got into that place through reputation and money. He'd heard the old baron's eldest son was a rather eccentric brat. Hmph, noble blood, with a little arrangement, marrying a noble lady wouldn't be difficult. Bran placed his wine glass before him, gazing at the manor through the crimson liquid, gently swirling the glass as if the Borei Manor itself were swaying with his hand.

interesting.

The knocking sound outside the door dampened his enthusiasm.

"Those good-for-nothings, don't they remember my rule of not disturbing me while I'm eating? It's necessary to clean up the rules of the Sheri family."

Bran placed the glass on the table and walked toward the door.

The knocking on the door continued.

Bran opened the door. "Whether you are a servant or a butler, your contract is over."

Bran did not see the terrified expression on the newcomer's face.

Because it was a festering face, with its chin drooping like a pendant, causing its mouth to open wide as if it were about to swallow a person whole.

The withered, wooden fingers pressed against Bran's sandalwood door, black viscous liquid flowing from the tips of the fingers, like melted ointment, and a foul stench wafted up.

Bran covered his mouth, but eventually spat it out.

Because his gaze drifted downwards towards the person who had just arrived.

empty.

The skin and flesh were dark purple, interspersed with ribs. The abdomen was like an open door, with intestines piled up haphazardly at the bottom, and the stomach looked like an overturned water bottle.

The dark brown liquid flowed down the path, soaking the precious carpet.

Bran fell to the ground.

He watched as the corpse walked into his restaurant and even closed the door behind him.

His dislocated mouth was muttering something indistinctly until his final roar, which was then audible.

"Murderer! Murderer! Murderer!"

……

The Sherry family's house was bustling with activity in the middle of the night, with servants running around and Bran Sherry, foaming at the mouth and unconscious, being taken to church overnight.

The figure crouched in the pointed attic of the Sheri residence.

He looked at the torches and oil lamps in the hands of the pedestrians as if his eyes were shining.

A succulent tentacle stretched out in front of me, bearing a ganoderma lucidum.

The old beggar refused.

"Leave some for Master Lyle, this is the fourth one already."

"If you don't use me, I'll shut down, so let's stop. It's over."

"Visiting friends? There's no need, there's nothing to see."

"Burial? Haha, even beggars have a concept of burial. They are born to roam the world, and after they die, heaven and earth become their graves."

“That’s enough, that’s enough…” His eyes began to darken, and his knuckles fell to the ground, unresponsive. “After I die, things will be much more exciting than when I’m alive. Who would have thought that I would frighten those high and mighty lords? Hehehe.”

"Thank you, and Mr. Lyle, please do me one last favor."

"Gurgle?"

Eat me.

"..."

"I can feel it. The longer I move around, the more I feel the awareness of being a monster, and the ever-growing appetite in my heart. We're the same, aren't we? I suppose you've been enduring hunger all along. When I was alive, I was like a wild dog scratching for food. Who knew that after I died, I would actually live like a human? Hahahaha, waaaaah, let me be of some use. If my rotten wood can bring you a little comfort, please, eat me."

His body slowly stiffened, his skull pressed against the ground, and his unfocused eyes stared straight at the shimmering blue ball.

"Gurgle..."

A semi-transparent curtain with star-like dots was draped over the old beggar.

It was as if the Milky Way was saying goodnight to him.

Chapter Sixty-One: Three Choices

"Gurgle."

Lyle opened the window, and tentacles climbed onto his palm, turning back into a ball in his hand.

"Aren't you a little heavier?" Lyle weighed it in his palm, looking at his unchanging figure, it seemed to be an illusion.

She placed the ball on her shoulder, picked up her cane, and looked thoughtfully at the open window, her words turning into a sly smile.

"Medusa! Don't come in, damn it, get out! Don't move!"

……

"Peace and happiness, Ariana."

"Peace and happiness, the cure for plague."

Ariana held the teacup in her hands and sat down facing the night outside the window. A gentle breeze lifted her veil slightly, and she looked like a beautiful stone sculpture.

Today, Ariana is dressed in deep blue, with a rose adorning her headband. The elegant color, combined with her ethereal气质, makes one unconsciously hold their breath.

Are you admiring the moon?

"I'm just spacing out. The moon isn't anything special; it's exactly the same as the one I saw when I was a child."

"Things have changed, but people have changed; that's just how it is."

“My sister has been acting a bit strange lately,” Ariana brought up the topic.

"Is it Ms. Helena, the one who helped me carve the staff?"

"Yes. I've been hearing her laughter a lot lately."

"Is it strange? Maybe it's because you were thinking about something happy."

Do you laugh alone in your room?

"Occasionally... a little bit sometimes." The image of someone laughing loudly in an empty room came to mind, and it felt a little eerie.

“My staff is finished. The dragon is alive and can even speak. Her name is Medusa.”

Lyle patted Medusa, who was wrapped around his neck, to signal her to come out, but she didn't respond, and her body didn't move, just like a piece of wood.

Even under Lyle's urging, he tightened his body and gripped Lyle's neck, "Cough...cough..."

“She seems to be feeling a little unwell.” Lyle was unaware of how ridiculous his clumsy explanation was.