I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

“...What I mean is, there’s no sense of life here at all. Either Dr. House doesn’t usually sleep here, or he cleaned the house for some reason, or the murderer cleaned it for some reason.”

Trist didn't really want to talk to Lu Ban.

"possible."

Xia nodded in agreement, then thought for a moment and added.

“I’ve been thinking that Dr. House’s death was the killer’s goal. He killed the doctor to torture him and he had a deep hatred for him. But according to you, he doesn’t usually make enemies. Even if someone wants to kill him, it’s because he knows something he shouldn’t know. This is quite different from the killer’s attitude.”

"A pleasure offender?"

Trist stroked his chin. This kind of criminal was really difficult to deal with because the killing had no logic; it was just killing for the sake of killing.

In the ruined capital, the most difficult cases to solve are not those meticulously planned tricks or locked-room mysteries. These cases are easy to solve as long as the suspects are identified and their testimonies are checked one by one.

The most difficult cases to solve are random killings.

Pleasure criminals usually take pleasure in killing. For them, killing is not a means to an end, but the end itself. They obtain pleasure through killing, and they feel pleasure from killing any human being.

They might roam the corners of the dark streets, randomly killing homeless people, women walking at night, or security guards on duty, and the bodies of these victims might not be discovered for a while.

When the bodies are discovered, due to the identities of the victims, the police may not seriously investigate these cases. Most of them will be attributed to gang fights, and the blame will be placed on the gangs.

"So, this person killed Dr. House and the prostitute in the dark room, and then moved Dr. House's body to the first floor so that it would be discovered. Does this mean that killing the prostitute was just a coincidence, and his real target was Dr. House? Is the murderer trying to send a message to someone?"

Lu Ban suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

"It's like trying to mark who the murderer is in the book, but accidentally drawing two names wrong. So, to prevent later readers from mistaking them, you write the real murderer's name on the page again."

"...You're such a despicable person."

Trist couldn't help but complain.

But on second thought, Lu Ban's statement seemed to make some sense.

Chapter 398 Prohibition

After simply leaving a record with the police, Dr. House, along with Lu Ban and Shea, left the clinic in the evening as the sun set.

"Is someone watching you?"

In a roadside restaurant, Drizzt recounted what he had experienced in the dark underground chamber.

To his surprise, neither Lu Ban nor Xi Ya sensed it.

That thing seemed to be aimed at Drizzt.

"Do you really know something terrible that they want to kill you to silence you?"

Lu Ban picked up a hot potato, peeled off the skin, sprinkled some salt and pepper on it, and took a bite.

"I didn't dare say what was in that room while I was inside."

Trist sighed and stirred the broth with a spoon. Compared to the vegetable broth in the Black Street, the broth in the restaurant at least had real meat patties and was much richer in flavor.

"But neither Lu Ban nor I felt it, which shouldn't be the case."

As Sia wolfed down her food, she said that a chicken leg in front of her had already been eaten, bone and all, and only a few crumbs of bread remained. As for the chops and vegetable soup, they were only slightly delayed in being eaten because Sia was talking.

"...Could it really be an illusion?"

Trist was well aware that Lu Ban and Xi Ya, one not a normal person and the other beyond normal, if neither of them felt anything, then most likely there really was nothing there, and it was just their own psychological effect.

"Alright, let's look at the next targets of our investigation: the suppliers who contacted Dr. House, and the two patients he treated. Oh, and I might have to go see Mrs. Martina tomorrow morning; after all, some things are better left unattended."

He patted his chest; the medical records were in the inner pocket of his long trench coat.

"Is it possible that the friends and relatives of these people who were killed by the gangsters' socialites harbored hatred and wanted to kill accomplices like Dr. House?"

Lu Ban asked again.

"That's possible. I've already recorded the names and information of these deceased people, and I can investigate them tomorrow."

As a detective, Trist certainly has that level of intuition.

"You two can sleep in my detective agency tonight. I'm a little worried that other monsters have appeared because of the influence of the Silent Land."

"Great!"

Lu Ban let out a "Yay!" sound.

Are there usually many monsters appearing in the ruined capital?

It seems that apart from the previous "Mouth of the Madman" mission, Sia has not been to the ruined city again, so she is not very familiar with the state of the place.

"Not many. To be honest, having traveled to so many exotic places, I think the most dangerous thing in the ruined city is not monsters, but humans."

Tristan smiled wryly.

After dinner, the three of them strolled through the streets.

As its name suggests, Gray Alley is located at the boundary between the rich and the poor. Under the streetlights, there are many prostitutes. They are dressed in flamboyant clothes, but they all look terrible. As long as you are willing to pay, you can spend a wonderful night with them. There are also some beggars with numb eyes, showing no will whatsoever.

The only thing that's less common is drunkards, because the ruined capital is still under a prohibition on alcohol, so those guys who rely on alcohol to numb themselves haven't appeared on the streets. But has the crime rate really decreased?

Lu Ban didn't quite believe it.

"So, because of Prohibition, some doctors brew alcohol privately to sell. Could Dr. House have this hobby?"

He had seen alcohol in the dark room; in this foreign land where alcohol was prohibited, such things were quite risky.

"It's possible, but at least the wines in his dark room weren't brewed by him. I recognize the labels; they're from the Catania family. At certain high-society gatherings, these wines are offered to guests for tasting in small rooms. They must have been a gift from Madame Martina."

Drizzt explained.

Prohibition laws are stricter on the lower classes and naturally more lenient on the upper classes.

Lu Ban looked towards the wealthy area, which was also resplendent at night, brightly lit and illuminating the roads of the poorer area, even more dazzling than the streetlights here. In those houses, the so-called upper class reveled every night, and fine wine was certainly a staple of these banquets.

However, due to the prohibition on alcohol consumption, people cannot drink alcohol in public or at parties. Therefore, many people go to the lounge of the banquet hall to discuss deals while enjoying drinks.

A small group of people walked by on the street. They were wearing tattered clothes, covered in dust, and had stains on their bodies that were hard to wash off, whether from paint or coal.

“These are the workers over there. They have to start work at seven in the morning and work until nine at night, six days a week. The money they earn is only enough for two people to eat. The pollution from those factories, I mean the exhaust fumes and the like, is very serious, especially in recent years. A worker can only work for a maximum of three years before they can't work anymore, otherwise they will die.”

Trist whispered to Sia and Lu Ban.

"Many of them were farmers living in the wilderness outside the ruined city. Due to the adoption of some new technologies, the wealthy people who controlled the farmland fired them and sent them into the ruined city. Being illiterate and lacking skills, they could only work in factories and continue to be exploited by the wealthy."

"Why not go to other cities, or even to more remote wilderness areas?"

Xia was puzzled.

In the Land of Night, there is no such exploitation and oppression. If a person cannot go to the Gray Tower to learn magic, they can farm, raise livestock, cut down trees, raise fish, and in any way, they can support themselves.

“The area outside the ruined capital is barren, and even bounty hunters are unwilling to waste their time there. Further away, like last time, it requires a long journey and is dangerous. Many people can’t even afford the fare.”

Tristana lit the tobacco in her pipe, inhaling the pungent aroma to relieve her fatigue.

"Moreover, even if you go to other cities, you might still be exploited by the local authorities. There's no difference. At least in the ruined capital, there are more opportunities. If you're physically strong and lucky enough to join a gang, you can even become a henchman."

"Terrible."

Xia couldn't help but sigh.

"That's why I say that the people of the ruined city are more terrifying than monsters. Monsters will only kill you, at least you won't feel anything when they eat you, but in this city, you will only feel a slow death devouring you, and the pain will last until the moment you stop breathing."

Drizzt led the two through the streets with practiced ease, back to Drizzt Detective Agency, which was also located on the border between the rich and poor.

As soon as the door opened, a fat orange cat was sitting on the sofa, lazily looking up at the door. When it noticed Lu Ban, the orange cat suddenly jumped up, looking at him warily, and then disappeared in a flash.

"I'll go borrow two blankets. You guys just find a comfortable spot on the floor."

Trist pointed to the messy ground and then went downstairs.

Chapter 399 Dream

Even at night, in the ruined city, on the streets where the rich and poor meet, the sounds of factories still echo.

After a long silence, there was a dull thud, followed by the sounds of pistons and gears, then a series of faint noises, and finally silence. After a while, the cycle would repeat itself.

Lu Ban thought of trains. When he traveled overnight on a sleeper train, he could hear the noisy and rhythmic sound of the wheels hitting the rails.

He lay on the ground. The blanket that Drizzt had borrowed wasn't very warm, but fortunately the weather in the ruined city wasn't cold. The smoke that permeated the poor areas acted as a greenhouse effect, making the air warm and humid. However, living here for a long time would definitely cause lung-related diseases and severely damage one's health.

After praying past midnight, Xia Ya fell into a deep sleep, and her snoring could even be heard, which surprised Lu Ban.

It's probably because I ate too much during the day.

Lu Ban temporarily blocked out what he had seen and heard during the day from his mind and closed his eyes.

Drizzt also fell asleep, lying on the sofa, the soft sofa that had taken on his own shape perfectly supporting his body, allowing Drizzt to sleep peacefully.

Of course, another reason he was able to sleep peacefully was the pistol he kept under his pillow, which he could take out at any time.

Drizzt was soon immersed in a dream.

He felt as if he were sitting somewhere.

It was cold, damp, and dark here, with a foul stench that made my skin crawl.

"Wake up."

A voice woke Tristana.

He saw that he was sitting in the corner of the alley, unable to use his hands and feet, and next to him was a disheveled girl.

"That's great, I thought you weren't going to wake up."

The girl said, and took out another piece of bread that was a little dirty, but it was clear that it had been wiped clean.

"This is all I could find. I'm sorry, let's eat together."

The girl broke the bread in half and handed the larger half to Trist.

Trist took a bite; it tasted slightly bitter and he couldn't tell it was bread. Even knowing it was a dream, he still felt an urge to vomit.

But the girl ate very seriously, even licking the crumbs off her fingers clean.

“Once you get better, we can go to work together at the factory. I heard they offer free soup there. Aunt Jenny told me to start working in a couple of days. Once I can work, we’ll definitely have money to treat your illness.”

She spoke with anticipation, her dirty face adorned with eyes that shone with hope.

Drizzt was momentarily stunned.