I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Seeing this, Trist looked at Lu Ban.

"No, at least not the kind that Dr. House had."

Lu Ban shook his head and then carefully examined the internal organs.

He saw some brownish sediment, clear alcohol, and a few pitiful-looking vegetables in the woman's stomach.

"She didn't eat much before she died, only bread, wine, and vegetable soup."

"These are prostitutes. They operate in the underworld, earning money by selling their bodies. Sometimes they need to see a doctor because of violence from clients or other reasons. It seems she was receiving treatment when Dr. House died."

Trist deduced.

“I don’t think Dr. House killed her or vice versa; that’s definitely not something a human could do.”

"But why would they kill two people here and then move Dr. House to the first floor?"

Lu Ban was confused.

If it's a monster attack causing damage temporarily, then the monster definitely doesn't have any rationality; it will only kill the two people on the spot and then run away without dealing with the scene.

If it was done by a human with superhuman abilities, why would they move Dr. House's body to the first floor so that it would be discovered?

Since moving a body must have a purpose, either to hide it or to mislead people, the body of this prostitute has been here for two or three days. Even if the other party intended to hide the body at the time, they should have found time to dispose of it instead of leaving it here for Lu Ban to discover.

It's a contradiction.

"Is it possible that their deaths weren't caused by a monster attack, but by some kind of illness, a curse? The woman fell ill first, and then the illness broke out while the doctor was treating her, infecting the doctor, who then came downstairs to seek help, and then died from the illness?"

Xia thought of the monsters in the Black Forest. When the demonic tide came, some special monsters would reside in people's bodies, spreading like a disease, and eventually breaking out of the body, bringing death like flowers that release pollen.

"Then wouldn't we be..."

As Lu Ban spoke, he and the other two exchanged glances.

"There shouldn't be any problem, the grass hasn't even started to grow yet."

Lu Ban said, taking a deep breath of the dry air in the dark room.

"Besides, if this glass flower were really contagious, then everyone in the funeral home would have already blossomed. The fact that we're still standing here means that at least the corpses that have turned into glass flowers aren't the source of the infection."

"...You make a very good point."

Tristana was relieved.

Lu Ban may seem carefree, but he is actually quite meticulous despite his rough exterior.

"Even if it blooms, I don't think it's a big problem. Adding a little embellishment would make it look even better."

Lu Ban added another sentence.

Trist felt he should retract his assessment of Lu Ban.

"This person seems to be the one you mentioned who died from the information obtained through the 'Madman's Knowledge.' So, there's a gang involved?"

Xia searched around the room and seemed to find something to eat on the table. She brought it close to her nose and smelled it. It was a box of cookies that had been sitting there for several days. When she opened the box, it was damp.

The mage girl picked up the cookie and hesitated for a moment.

when--

Suddenly, a bell rang from somewhere, startling Xia. In her haste, she stuffed the cookie into her mouth and hid it.

“Serial murder cases are actually simpler than individual cases because you can profile the perpetrator’s personality by looking at the characteristics of different cases, but these two are too close together…”

Trist noticed the change in Sia's expression and was somewhat puzzled, but seeing that she didn't react in any particular way, he continued.

"The factory's paint and coatings might be a breakthrough. It's one thing if Dr. House himself got contaminated with it, but this woman did too. The source of this paint should be..."

As he muttered to himself, he suddenly heard a certain sound.

The sound was slow, but it was indeed outside the silent space.

And the sound seemed to be coming from...the room.

The dimly lit room, illuminated only by a kerosene lamp, suddenly became eerie.

Trist could sense that the surrounding light had dimmed slightly, as if it had been swallowed up by something.

A sense of unease, like that of prey being targeted by a hunter, enveloped him.

Trist reached for his holster, preparing to draw his revolver for self-defense.

Just then, a head popped out from the doorway of the dark room.

"What are you doing... Oh my god!"

The police officers stationed there came to check the situation and happened to see the body in the center of the dark room.

Drizzt felt the oppressive feeling suddenly disappear, as if it had never existed.

He clenched his fist, then relaxed it; it was covered in sweat.

He was certain that if he had been in that state for a few more seconds, he might have died.

"Officer, please believe us, we just discovered this ourselves."

On the other side, Lu Ban skillfully raised his hands, covered his head, and squatted down.

Chapter 397 The Crane's Cry

It took some time for the police reinforcements and forensic experts to arrive at the scene, and the three of them took the opportunity to inspect the second floor.

The second floor is Dr. House's living room.

He possessed a fastidiousness and meticulous attitude towards life that a man his age shouldn't have. The sink was spotless, the toilet was spotless, the bed was neatly made, and even the books on the bookshelf were arranged in order, which would be pleasing to the eye for someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

“Few people who frequent the gray alleys are so self-disciplined. I even suspect that he doesn’t masturbate regularly.”

As soon as Trist finished speaking, he remembered that Sia was still there, so he quickly changed his words.

"He is single, does not work with prostitutes, and has no romantic relationships. The prostitute downstairs is probably his patient, and she may have been attacked during a consultation."

"Trist, would you date a woman like that?"

Lu Ban asked a fatal question.

"No, of course not. My heart belongs to that lady. Don't think I'm that kind of person."

Drizzt immediately denied it.

"That lady?"

Xia leaned closer to her ear.

"...She was a singer, a real singer. She once performed in the theater of the ruined capital. That opera about the Crane Cry Taoist was a masterpiece. If you had heard it, you would have become her fan, just like me..."

When this was mentioned, Twisted Fate became more talkative.

"The operas of the Taoist Heming?"

Lu Ban heard the keyword and reacted automatically.

"There are many operas about the Daoist Heming, some of which are adapted from biographies left by him and his disciples. Ms. Charlotte, I'm referring to that lady, starred in a play called 'The Legend of Heming,' which tells the story of the Daoist Heming's experiences from his youth to his enlightenment. Although those operas are not very popular with the gentlemen of high society now, the common people in the ruined city are very happy to listen to them. She is a true artist."

Tristan explained.

"Do you know 'The Legend of the Crane's Ascension'?"

Lu Ban inquired about the names of the materials he needed.

"The Legend of Crane's Ascension? No, I've never heard of this script or book. The most common book about Crane Daoist on the market is The Legend of Crane Daoist, followed by The Anecdotes of Crane. Only a small portion of The Chronicle of Crane is in circulation. It is said that after the script was adapted, the theater bought back most of The Chronicle of Crane to ensure box office revenue."

Drizzt counted on his fingers.

"Won't the disciples of Daoist Heming protest against these scripts?"

After thinking about some famous figures in the real world, Lu Ban would have reservations about adaptations based on his ancestors, and some even directly banned the adaptations.

"No, how could that be? The Crane Cry Sect declined a few years after Crane Cry Daoist ascended to immortality. Some say they touched some taboo they shouldn't have, while others say the big shots in the ruined capital wanted to block the path to ascension. In short, the Crane Cry Sect no longer exists. The name appears most often in the mouths of swindlers. Many people claim to be true disciples of Crane Cry Daoist and have the method to ascend to immortality, and then they swindle money from people."

Drizzt denied it.

"Do you know about Stormy Mountain Villa?"

Lu Ban then asked, "With Twisted Fate here, we can take advantage of any opportunity to make a profit."

"I've never heard of Stormy Mountain Villa. Is this a place in the ruined capital? Have you been there on your mission?"

Trist frowned.

Not yet.

Lu Ban shook his head.

"So that lady is your lover?"

Sia interrupted their conversation about Crane Cry Daoist and pressed on with questions about Trist's personal relationships.

"It doesn't count..."

Drizzt changed the subject.

"That's not the focus of this case; we should thoroughly investigate the room!"

He decided to change the subject.

Lu Ban had already collapsed to the ground.

He looked under the bed in Dr. House's bedroom.

Under the dimly lit bed, a thin layer of dust had accumulated due to neglect over the past few days, but there was nothing dirty.

"Very clean."

Lu Ban commented.

"Or rather, it's just too clean."

Drizzt casually pulled a book from the shelf, flipped through a couple of pages, and put it back.

"It's hard to imagine a normal man doing this. Not to mention the toilet, even under the bed is spotless. This is not normal at all."

"The area under my bed is very clean."

Lu Ban replied.