Mystery: The Witch of Desire

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the direction of the Joewood district. Two uniformed police officers, brandishing batons, rushed over aggressively, shouting and cursing at the homeless people.

"Get back to the East District right now! You bastards, the streets are not a place for you to sleep and beg. If you linger here again, we'll arrest you all!"

Looking at the scene before her, Livre felt a chill run down her spine as she recalled the 'Poor Law' of this world. This Poor Law was strikingly similar to the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601 in her previous life: the land of the displaced was seized, leaving them with nowhere else to turn but to flood into the cities. If they encountered any misfortune or fell ill, they would be unable to find work, trapped in a vicious cycle. Even sleeping on the streets was forbidden.

Homeless and starving, they either became vagrants, dying silently from hunger and cold, or were forcibly taken to colonies in the southern continent as cheap labor, becoming expendable resources for the kingdom's expansion in unfamiliar lands.

Different histories all tell the same story: when society develops to this stage, such suffering is bound to occur, and corresponding changes are necessary.

Livre pondered deeply, her eyes filled with pity as she looked at the homeless.

At this moment, several refugees who were running a little slower were apprehended by the police. One of the younger officers, somewhat puzzled, asked in a low voice:

"Why arrest these people? Just send them back to the East District, won't that solve the problem?"

Another older policeman glanced at him and lowered his voice:

"Inspector Clive specifically instructed that we should arrest more of these homeless people recently and fill all the detention cells in the police station. Just do as we're told and don't ask any questions."

Inspector Cleverville?

Livre's heart skipped a beat. She had previously suspected that Inspector Clavel was in cahoots with Bright and Luna Bell. After all, the police had always been perfunctory in their handling of the theater troupe's serial murders. Now, Clavel was actually ordering the arrest of homeless people and filling the detention cells to capacity. What was he planning? What was the connection between these homeless people and Luna Bell's plan?

Filled with doubt, Livre stepped forward, hoping to extract more information from the police. But just as she was about to take a step, she suddenly sensed something was wrong, her gaze locking onto a thin man being held down by two police officers.

The man was exceptionally thin and frail. He was held back by two policemen, but he didn't move an inch and didn't even show the slightest expression.

Livre immediately activated her spiritual vision again, carefully observing his aura. Unlike the other refugees' hazy auras, his aura was a deathly grayish-white, devoid of any normal emotional color, so lifeless it didn't seem like a living person. Upon closer inspection, she could see tiny maggots wriggling beneath his pale, almost transparent skin.

Livre felt a chill run down her spine: among these homeless people who looked like zombies, there really was a zombie hidden among them!

Although it was late, how could there be living corpses on the street?

As Livia was quietly observing, the undead suddenly trembled and collapsed. Its astral body lost its luster and became a real corpse.

The two policemen were taken aback, then cursed the bad luck and left with the rest of the men.

Livre couldn't help but feel nervous, which meant that the person who controlled the zombies was nearby and didn't want to clash with the police.

She wasn't sure which extraordinary ability allowed her to manipulate the zombies, but the fact that someone could control them to infiltrate the homeless population so silently meant they were definitely not weak. Livia didn't dare act rashly there, and could only quietly lurk in the shadows, following the police escorting the homeless as they slowly walked away.

After walking a certain distance, Livre acted swiftly. Under the cover of shadow, taking advantage of the moment when the old policeman turned to scold the homeless man, she grabbed the young policeman beside her and pulled him into the shadows by the roadside. She then delivered a heavy blow to the back of his neck, and the young policeman groaned and collapsed limply to the ground.

Livre used her acting skills to disguise herself as a young police officer and slowly walked back to the old police officer's side.

"What are you doing, dawdling like that?"

The old policeman rebuked him angrily.

"I just needed to use the restroom," Livre said with a smile, pulling up her pants as she reminisced about something she had lost some time ago.

Livre casually struck up a conversation:

"Speaking of which, I've always felt that Inspector Clever is a bit strange. I've always thought he acted suspiciously, and now he's specifically ordering the arrest of so many homeless people. What's his motive?"

Upon hearing this, the veteran policeman's eyes widened suddenly, and he lowered his voice to reprimand:

"Are you out of your mind? If you dare say another word, Inspector Cleverley will kick your ass raw! If you want to stay in the police station, shut your mouth!"

Livre smiled inwardly, deliberately feigning resentment, and muttered to herself:

"No matter how capable he is, he still let that female writer get away. What's so impressive about him?"

The old policeman's expression changed drastically. He quickly looked around to make sure no one was nearby before leaning close to her ear and saying:

"You know nothing! I heard that the matter of that female writer involved supernatural factors and was handed over to the Mechanical Heart to handle long ago. Inspector Clever is very tight-lipped about this matter, which clearly means he doesn't want to get involved anymore."

"Oh? Why is that? Tell me."

Livre feigned doubt and pressed for an answer, while subtly activating her Instigator ability. A faint, seductive power quietly spread, enticing the old policeman to reveal more secrets.

The veteran policeman, influenced by the persuasive power, gradually relaxed his tense nerves and became more talkative:

Chapter 122 Passion in the Office

The veteran policeman, influenced by the persuasive power, gradually relaxed his tense nerves and became more talkative:

"In my opinion, Inspector Clever is just scared! I overheard some old-timers in the station saying that when the female writer ran away that night, someone saw someone in the police station who looked exactly like Inspector Clever, but at that time, Inspector Clever was clearly somewhere else! Isn't that weird? Who wouldn't be scared by something like that?"

He paused, then lowered his voice and added:

"That's why the inspector stopped dealing with the female writer and instead took his anger out on the actor Coleman. I heard that guy was beaten up pretty badly. At first he denied it, but now he's confessed."

Upon hearing this, Livre frowned deeply:

"Hasn't Coleman already been handed over to Machine Heart? Can Inspector Cleverville still interfere?"

The older policeman curled his lip, his tone tinged with disdain:

“Inspector Clevill also has influence within the Mechanical Heart. He strongly advocates for the torture and conviction of Coleman, and the Mechanical Heart can't easily refute him. After all, the Steam Church isn't a native religion of the kingdom, so they have to give Silavis some face, right?”

Livre's heart sank. Mr. Coleman, who had spoken up for her many times and protected her in front of Isabella, was clearly innocent, yet he was made a scapegoat and became a victim of the conspiracy of Luna Bell, Clive, and others.

She suppressed her emotions and continued to probe, asking:

"What's the point of Inspector Cleverville arresting these homeless people?"

The old policeman chuckled:

"Why bother with all that! It's just a matter of selling these people to the Southern Continent, to be slaves, or to the black market or hospitals, either to harvest their organs or to use them for dissection experiments. It's all about making money for him. We lowly police officers just need to do our jobs."

Hearing the chilling words of the Backlund guard, Livre felt an even greater coldness in her heart. She raised her hand and delivered a precise chop to the back of his neck. The old policeman groaned and instantly passed out, collapsing heavily to the ground.

After doing all this, Livre vanished into the shadows beside her.

Upon seeing this, the homeless people were initially stunned, but then they realized what was happening and scattered in all directions.

But with their hunched backs and unsteady steps, where could they possibly escape to in this thick smog and cold night?

Livre silently regained her form in the shadows and headed to the Brave Ones Bar.

The bar remained bustling and lively, unaffected by the smog outside.

Livre exchanged a glance with the bartender and was about to go upstairs. The bartender, who already knew her quite well, stopped her:

"The red-bearded man is nowhere to be seen today."

Livr raised an eyebrow:

"He's not at the bar?"

The bartender hesitated for a moment before saying:

"Yes, but..."

Livre gave a seductive smile:

"He will see me."

The bartender was taken aback, influenced by the instigator's power, and stopped stopping Livia.

Liviel went up to the second floor and saw Redbeard in his usual room. He was sitting at the card table playing cards, but unlike before, Redbeard was not sitting in the main seat.

The man sitting in the main seat was wearing a white shirt and a black vest. His face was pale, his hair was messy, and most striking were his dark eyes, which blatantly displayed malice.

The rest of the people sitting there all had empty, blank eyes and pale skin. Each of them was a stranger to Livia, reminding her of the zombies she had just seen on the street.

Her heart skipped a beat. She looked at the arrogant and malicious man and instinctively felt that he was not someone to be trifled with.

Could he be the one who controls the living dead?

Redbeard was taken aback when he saw Livr burst in, and asked with some displeasure:

Why are you here?

At this moment, the arrogant man simply gave him a look, and the red-bearded man stopped talking and whispered a few words in his ear.

The malicious man glanced at Livre and slightly raised his chin:

"sit down."

A stiff-looking man stood up, making room for Livr, while he himself stood to the side like a piece of wood against the wall.

Livre understood immediately; this was probably the boss behind Redbeard, the one who was suspected to be a mid-series extraordinary being.

She didn't say much, and sat down in the chair. A chill instantly washed over her. Because she wasn't wearing a bra, the chill seemed to penetrate her body directly, making her lower abdomen tremble.

Livr blushed, but showed no fear. She took the cards and started playing Texas Hold'em with them.

As the game progressed and the battle raged on, the man who had been maliciously boastful suddenly whispered:

"I've already appraised the Narut. It's a magical item made with the extraordinary characteristics of the Demonic Path Sequence 8. It can curse others, but the side effect is that the user is also cursed. It's a magical item with limited use. I'll give you a discount of 500 pounds. It has the extraordinary characteristics of the Assassin Sequence 9. I'll give you a discount of 180 pounds."

The man, who had been deliberately boastful, went all in and continued:

"However, this magical item can barely serve as a substitute for a Sequence 8 Extraordinary trait. Add to that the price difference of the Assassin Extraordinary trait, and even if you complete Redbeard's mission, I will pay you another 500 pounds, and you and Redbeard will be even."

His tone was filled with an undeniable authority, and as soon as he finished speaking, he and the expressionless man opposite him simultaneously began to play their cards—

He lost.

Moreover, he lost quite a bit; most of the chips on the table were won by the dull-looking man sitting across from him.

The arrogant man's eyebrows twitched slightly, then he moved his fingers with a gloomy expression. The dull man who had just won his chips mechanically stood up and silently stepped aside. The man who had given up his seat for Livr sat down again expressionlessly and continued the game.

Livre looked at him somewhat awkwardly as he lost a large number of chips, and nodded, saying:

"I have no opinion."

The malicious man nodded calmly, as if he had already forgotten about losing money earlier.

"Redbeard will give you the money in a little while."

Suppressing her excitement at receiving her reward, Livre seized the opportunity to ask again:

"Now, may I join your extraordinary gathering?"

The malicious man paused for a moment, then said:

"This is fine for now. If you need anything, you can contact Redbeard, and he will contact me. I will be here within half a day. If Redbeard is no longer here, someone will take his place."

That's quite cautious...

Livre cursed inwardly, but had no choice but to agree.

Then, she directly stated the purpose of her visit:

“I want to investigate a person named Luna Bell, a well-known author. I need her detailed information, including her address, background, daily schedule, etc.”

Upon hearing this, Redbeard's expression became more serious:

“Investigating a well-known figure like Luna Bell would increase the risk, £10.”

Without hesitation, Livre nodded in agreement. After a moment's thought, she added:

"I don't want anything to happen to your investigators, so as a friendly reminder, she might be a Sequence 7 witch."

The malicious man's expression shifted slightly, but he didn't say anything more. The red-bearded man looked surprised, then said in a calm tone:

"Thank you for reminding me. We will investigate her indirectly. Even if she is an extraordinary person, she shouldn't notice. However, the information obtained from such an investigation may not be true; it could be information she wants others to see."

Livre had anticipated this, and nodded slightly:

"I can accept it, as long as there are clues."

She then said to the malicious man:

"I need a magical item that can enhance my combat power."

The malicious man thought for a moment and said:

"At the right time, I will bring two or three magical items for you to choose from. You can come and trade if you see the sign outside the bar that says they buy Intis Old Wine. Remember to bring enough money, because with your current five hundred pounds, you can only buy a very limited number of magical items."

Liviel nodded with a pang of regret; the large sum of money she had just earned would soon be spent again.

At this moment, Redbeard had stopped the card game. He went into a dark room inside the house, and after a while, he came out with stacks of cash and handed the money to Livr.

"This is 490 pounds. After deducting the 10 pounds for investigating Luna Bell, it will settle the previous accounts."

Livre reached out and took the cash. Her fingertips touched the thick banknotes, and a long-lost excitement welled up in her heart. Since arriving in Backlund, she had been struggling to make ends meet, and this was the first time in a long time that she had received so much money.

She carefully put the money away, looked up at the red-bearded man, and said with a smile:

"In this way, we'll be even."

Redbeard remained expressionless.

"Yes, we're even."