The Gentleman Hall’s doors were already attended by a high-class carriage waiting outside,
prioritizing Mr. Helvoye to board first,
the old coroner, who was born an elder, wrapped himself up so tightly that no wind could seep through,
wearing an old-fashioned rounded hat, a light brown standing-collar coat, a dark red tie, and a white shirt with vertical stripes.
Under his trousers, he wore a pair of well-fitted galoshes, or rather, a unique type of shoe gear of his own.
His hands were also covered in black gloves fashioned from a rubber-like material,
...
and the only visible parts of his face were his aquiline nose and the surrounding wrinkles,
Having retired from Zion, and considering the extensions of human lifespan due to the breaking of limits, I estimate this esteemed elder to be around one hundred years old.
Everyone inside the carriage seemed quite constrained until the elder removed his rounded hat revealing his white long hair, and his eagle-like gaze appeared to have the power to glimpse through the health of everyone present, almost as if he could ‘dissect’ them with just a look.
After his gaze swept over the teammates in the carriage, the elder spoke first:
“Passing Aiji’s review shows that you three young people have some real talent.
First, let me clarify our primary mission to Levinhome: we are to assist the local gentry with disposing of the excess civilian corpses. I will select some special, valuable bodies for autopsy.
Additionally, I may need an assistant who can take notes, bag the specimens, pass me tools during the autopsy, and cooperate in the dissection if necessary.
Do any of you have experience with autopsies, or are you at least familiar with the basic handling of a corpse?”
Just as Yi Chen was about to raise his hand, the white-robed Lotson spoke first:
“The ancient magic I am proficient in is related to the physical, and my father gave me training in dissection when I was a child. I am quite familiar with the regular procedures of dissection, especially skilled in handling blood.”
“Ancient magic, a family inheritance of bloodline, am I right? If I’m not mistaken, it should be ‘Bloodline Magic’?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, let’s tentatively decide on you as my assistant then.”
“I will wholeheartedly assist Mr. Helvoye to the best of my ability.”
Seeing that it seemed only one assistant was needed, and that Lotson had professional training, Yi Chen decided not to vie for the position.
Rather than being tethered to the elder’s side to assist in autopsies, Yi Chen was more eager to seize the opportunity to investigate these mysterious deaths on his own.
However, a critical point arose from the conversation just now.
The ancient magic that the white-robed Lotson was proficient in was associated with blood, which explained why during the last Relic incident, Lotson opted for the Baron route, whose difficulty and risks were unknown but equally related to blood.
Yi Chen even suspected that Lotson’s team had not completely eradicated the mysterious Baron.
Perhaps the Baron hadn’t died at all but had transferred or grafted his consciousness onto Lotson’s blood, perhaps even his brain, through some curse, exerting an imperceptible influence on him.
It was this influence from the Baron that caused Yi Chen to sense this dissonance.
But it could also be something else. Without concrete evidence, Yi Chen wouldn’t jump to conclusions.
As the white-robed Lotson began to engage in some scholarly exchange on dissection with the elder, the Heavy Knight Barry also slowly moved closer to Yi Chen, asking in a low voice:
“William, how did your last mission fare? Did you manage to obtain the right Relic?”
“Yes.” Yi Chen pointed towards his abdomen, indicating the Relic was within.
“Congratulations! Speaking of which, those two near-monstrous teammates of yours, aren’t you also a temporary team?”
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“That’s not the case, Jin is still in the Old World, and Reagan is in seclusion at the Power Station, possibly close to breaking through the Limit of Man.”
This response left the naive-looking Barry quite perplexed, “You actually managed to secure two relics that match your Attributes, yet Miss Jin got lost in the Old World explorations, what happened?”
“No, we chose to split up as soon as we arrived in the Old World, to maximize our use of time.”
“Split up!? Wow…you all are such monsters, giving us regular folks no chance whatsoever to catch up.”
Now that the topic had been broached, Yi Chen began to ask some questions he was curious about.
He inquired about the Barry knight family and its related traits, and even touched the unique “armor garments,”
According to Barry, if he could break through his limits and the armor’s skin content exceeded 50%, he could make the armor form a separate entity, transforming into an armor knight to fight alongside him.
When combined, he could even sprout “Heavenly Wings,” greatly enhancing overall combat prowess.
The history of the Barry family could be traced back to the Medieval period, with generations of brave and skilled knights, and the inherited bloodline endowed Barry with a natural physique and spirit.
The knight’s spirit could manifest as an aura, providing amplification for the entire squad.
Barry’s aura was named “Heavy Aura,” which enhanced the squad members’ defense against physical blows, and under the influence of the aura, their clothing would even take on a metallic structure similar to knight armor.
…
Gray clouds hung heavily over the city,
As the carriage traveled down the open road, the passengers could glimpse the outline of Levinhome through the carriage windows, yet the fog hanging over the city was noticeably denser than the surrounding countryside.
Some of the fog had even settled onto the streets, creating the impression of a “City of Fog.”
Yi Chen attempted to use Vision’s eyesight to peer through the clouds, but to little avail… the moon could not always be seen even at night.
“William, once you have dealt with the matters at hand, make time to visit the cemetery here if you can. Even from this distance, I can smell a potent graveyard scent. As the third-largest city under the organization, its cemetery will undoubtedly be different,”
“standard and burial counts are probably many times more than Seven-Day Cemetery.”
“Hmm, if there’s spare time, I’ll make a point to take a look.”
As the carriage entered the city along the main road,
even through the carriage windows, it was possible to sense the pervasive desolation; the streets were deserted, with every house bearing seals and an occasional pair of eyes peering out from between the drawn curtains at the passing vehicles.
In open squares and parks along the way, there existed makeshift “mortuaries” constructed of specialty steel plates and tents.
Gentlemen wrapped in overcoats and wearing breathing masks were seen transporting bodies, each body tightly sealed in a black bag to prevent any potential “Death Factor” from leaking out.
The carriage weaved through the city,
and if one ignored the fog and the aura of death, the city actually looked quite normal, with the streets and buildings presenting a very clean appearance.
At that moment,
Yi Chen unexpectedly caught sight of a group of rats emerging from a sewer, but their behavior did not resemble foraging for food; they were moving methodically.
The rats seemed to sense the gaze from the carriage, matching their speed with that of the carriage, appearing to stand still in relation to it.
As Yi Chen’s gaze continued to follow them, the rats began to change formation.
Just then, a voice came through, “William, what are you looking at?”
White-haired Lotson suddenly squeezed over, leaning his head close to the window, joining in the view outside.
The rats that had been running alongside the carriage stopped abruptly and scattered quickly.
“So you were watching these little creatures, huh~ Indeed, in a city surrounded by death, any being could be affected. Is there something wrong with these rats?”
“Not for the moment.”
Eventually, the carriage stopped at the city hall,
The manager of Levinhome was already overwhelmed, showing little concern for Yi Chen and his fellow students who had come for the task, and only Mister Helvoye’s status allowed for a momentary friendly reception.
Only Helvoye was invited into the mayor’s office, while Yi Chen and the two others waited outside.
About half an hour passed,
and Helvoye lowered the brim of his hat to shield a rather displeased expression, “I’ve secured the Autopsy Certificate and can inspect any mortuary. Follow me~ Let’s start with the earliest victims and hope it’s not too late.”