The surprised smile only stayed on Benson·Moretti's face for a moment before disappearing naturally. Then, the senior government official in a formal suit and tie looked at Director East Borough Police Headquarters who was bowing his head slightly and seemed to be waiting for orders, and asked in a deep voice:
"Mr. Bolton, I learned about the case on the way. It is unlikely that these two girls would harm an adult holding a murder weapon, right?"
Perhaps to avoid suspicion, perhaps because he was worried about being used as leverage, Deputy Minister of Finance Your Excellency did not directly admit that the two "suspects" imprisoned in the interrogation room were his nieces, but the attitude he showed clearly stated this.
You should know that the telegram sent to West Borough by the police station only asked whether the official who was in charge of the financial power of the entire police system had two nieces named Christina and Dorothy, and did not mention the case at all.
And this means that Benson·Moretti is unreservedly supporting the two nieces and believes that they cannot commit any crime that will lead to Police Station being caught.
At this moment, the middle-aged man known as Bolton figured this out and nodded hurriedly:
"Of course, of course, we have investigated clearly. Hudson has multiple criminal records before. After this armed robbery, he panicked and entered an alley with a faulty circuit and was injured by a leaked electric current. When he wakes up in the hospital, we will complete his confession and put him in the most closely guarded prison!
"As for these two, both Miss, are victims of this case. Now that they have cooperated with the investigation, they can leave at any time."
As he spoke, he looked at the young policeman, his expression still carrying a flattering smile, but his eyes were like a sharp knife being drawn out of its sheath.
Even if the latter didn't understand it just now, after being glared at by Director Bolton, he understood the situation and said cooperatively:
"Yes, they are not suspects. You see, we also provided drinks to separate them from the suspects outside to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings."
At this time, he was extremely lucky that after notifying the middle-aged police to send the telegram, in order to make up for his previous attitude problem, he spent his own money to buy two cups of Sweet Iced Tea to appease the two girls. Otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous.
But he couldn't figure out how the deputy minister Your Excellency, who should be working at Ministry of Finance at West Borough and was at least an hour's drive away from East Borough, arrived just over ten minutes after the telegram was sent.
Could it be that he happened to be nearby?
Christina also had the same doubt. In her original expectation, even if the "Deputy Minister" mentioned by the police was really Benson·Moretti whom she knew, it would not be possible for her to arrive here so quickly, but when "Benson "Uncle " really appeared in front of her, and Police Station, who was wearing epaulettes that she had never seen before and clearly held a high position, was waiting for him like a personal servant. After confirming the authenticity of his status, she was no longer so emotional and excited.
At least it can't be shown in front of outsiders... She glanced at Dorothy, then turned to the young policeman with a smile on her lips:
"Then can we go now?"
"Okay, okay, you can leave at any time!"
The policeman, who had a changeable attitude just now, immediately replied, even using honorifics.
"What about my bag, and the lamp?"
Tina was not polite and asked immediately.
She saw the private communication between the two policemen from "Magic Mirror Divination" and knew that the other party was trying to take the opportunity to embezzle property. Now that Uncle Benson has arrived, she and Dorothy are safe, but the "magic lamp" that seems to be worth a hundred pounds is not necessarily safe.
If you don't mention it now, it will be difficult to pursue it later.
Sure enough, upon hearing her words, Benson immediately frowned and looked at the young policeman, who secretly thought something was wrong and replied without any hesitation:
"It's in the evidence room, I'll bring it back to you right away!"
Looking at his figure as he left in embarrassment, Benson seemed to be talking to himself:
"Since he is not a suspect but a victim, why were the so-called exhibits seized?"
As he said that, he looked at Director Bolton, with no smile in his eyes.
When Tina and Dorothy followed Benson out of the police station of White Chrysanthemum Street, they could still hear the roar of Bolton reprimanding all the police officers from the second floor.
The angry curses came from the window that seemed to be open on purpose, making Tina's last bit of resentment disappear. She held her bag with one hand, tightly covering the lost "magic lamp", and held Benson's arm with the other hand, saying half coquettishly and half doubtfully:
"Uncle, why didn't you say before that you were...Deputy Minister of Finance?"
It was the first time she read this word, which was very unfamiliar, but it matched the tone of the question.
Dorothy, who was walking on the other side of Benson, was also confused, but he never found a chance to ask. Tina, who was outspoken, spoke first and looked at the elder who was slightly taller than himself and looked as imposing as a giant when he strode forward.
"Actually, three years ago, I was the director of the fifth department of Ministry of Finance, and I was not really an official. Until recently, Loen Kingdom's new round of top-down reforms decentralized more government official positions to the civil service, rather than relying on the model of King appointment and parliamentary approval.
"I have my current position because I have worked for the current Minister Ministry of Finance and due to religious considerations.
"Both Klein and Angel know this."
Benson replied.
It means that my parents have known about it for a long time, but they just didn't tell me and Dorothy... Tina pursed her lips, curious about why this matter, which can be called the most important thing in the family, has never been discussed at home.
Huh, in short, after today, they will look at me with admiration and won't think that I am a child... She pressed her hand tightly on the "magic lamp" in the bag.
Immediately, Tina noticed that Benson and the two of them did not go to the nearest subway station or stop the hired carriage, but came to an alley next to Police Station. Just as he was about to ask, he noticed a figure walking out of the alley.
"Aunt Lily!"
Dorothy shouted in surprise, rushed towards the blond figure, and hugged her.
Compared to Tina who admires Melissa, her older sister prefers Lily who is a freelance writer who often contributes articles to major newspapers and has a column. This is related to her preference for reading books and newspapers.
It turns out that my aunt has also arrived... But this is even weirder. She should stay at home and travel occasionally, and is not with Benson who goes to work every day. But now she arrived at East Borough at the same time... This is a good thing, it means that Dorothy and I E received their attention, but... Thoughts flashed through Tina's mind, and then turned into a smile on his face, and he stepped forward to say hello to Lily·Moretti.
Speaking of which, after marrying my uncle, my aunt changed her surname to Moretti according to tradition, but my mother did not do this after marrying my father, and still kept the surname "Granger". Although she did not mention this deliberately and only called her by her first name, it was still a bit strange... It is said that a few Evernight Goddess believers do this to show their independence. Is it the same for my mother?
With doubts, Tina, Dorothy, and Benson got into a four-wheeled carriage with the emblem of Police Badge instead of the government department, and headed towards North Borough.
Sitting opposite the two sisters, Benson's smile that had been on his face disappeared as he saw them, and asked in a deep voice:
"Why did you come to Backlund without telling your parents?
"Tell the truth."
It was immediately revealed that Tina, who had not obtained the consent of his parents for this trip, was frightened back to his stomach. He felt that Benson had an inexplicable majesty mixed with concern, and he almost confessed the "Genie" in his satchel.
Fortunately, she held back at the last moment.
"I just want to come and see Aunt Melissa, and you guys..." She lowered her head, hiding her somewhat panicked gaze, and turned her impulsive departure from home into a long-prepared trip to visit relatives. "... Anyway, while my parents are away from home, I came here with Dorothy."
"Don't tell mom, we will go back in the afternoon!"
She added, looking up sharply with a little tear in the corner of her eye.
This is not all an act. Compared to Klein, who likes to preach but is not harsh in nature, both sisters are more afraid of Angel, who can make everyone in the family bow their heads and silence with just a glare.
But looking at her artificial performance, Lily chuckled lightly, turned to Benson and said:
"It's time to rebel."
"Well, the statement put forward by Roselle is very forward-looking."
Benson nodded and agreed.
Immediately, the seriousness on his face faded and he continued in a soft tone:
"The security situation at Backlund is not very good, especially East Borough. You also saw today that if the robber hadn't been stunned, I'm afraid you would have been injured or kidnapped.
"In that case, your parents, us, and more people will be sad and angry. Have you ever thought about the consequences?"
Tina had to admit that he was right, but his unwillingness to admit defeat occupied his brain again. Just as he was pouting to explain a few words, Dorothy beside him had already answered quickly:
"I'm sorry. Actually, I didn't persuade Tina. Instead, I encouraged her to go out together. I didn't expect to encounter such a thing."
"No, I was the one who suggested it!"
Tina immediately retorted.
Looking at the two sisters who were taking responsibility for themselves, Benson sighed and did not continue to preach. Instead, he looked out the window and his right hand on his knee shook slightly.
The scenery outside the window suddenly accelerated.
The carriage quickly entered North Borough and arrived at Benson's house. Tina got out of the car and realized that what was in front of him was not the townhouse before, but a single-family villa with a garden and stables.
"After I was promoted, Ministry of Finance provided two options: living in a specially allocated housing closer to West Borough, or renting or purchasing a house on my own, which would reimburse part of the expenses. "Benson got off the carriage and introduced to Tina, "After many considerations, we moved here. It's not far from our original home, we can still contact old friends, and it's closer to the church."
The church...Tina looked in other directions and found that in addition to the familiar Saint Samuel Cathedral with its two bell towers, the stylish molten walls of the "The End Church" church and the restrained black building of "Church of the Fool" were also close at hand, almost forming an equilateral triangle, surrounding Benson's home.
Backlund There are so many churches, you can see several everywhere... She sighed.
After knowing that the existence of the supernatural world and the church are equivalent to the power to fight against evil existence, Tina realized that living near the church must have additional benefits.
It's a pity that there is no church near my home. The nearest one is two kilometers away. If I encounter any extraordinary incident, I won't even have time to ask for help... Thinking of this, Tina looked at the villa surrounded by three churches with even more intense eyes.
After carefully taking care of the garden, but with an inexplicable sense of disharmony, the four of them entered the two-story hall decorated with crystal chandeliers and multiple hanging paintings. After Benson ordered the servants to prepare lunch, he said to Tina and Dorothy who were looking around:
"Melissa will come over later. After lunch, I will take you back to Tingen.
"Also, show me the lamp that was snatched away, and maybe I can determine its origin."
Tina, who was a little excited after hearing the first half of the sentence, immediately fell down, but she knew that this might be Benson's bottom line for not telling her parents what happened today, so she pursed her lips and did not refuse. She was just thinking in her heart about how to leave again after returning to Tingen, and continue to search for five other locations with "Genie" to satisfy the other party's wishes.
Of course, it would be a good choice to end it today and find a way to sneak out later. Genie did not set a time limit for his wish. He only claimed that it could be completed within one day, but now that he has encountered force majeure, it cannot be regarded as a violation of the agreement by Tina.
Now he is begging me, not me begging him... Tina comforted himself in his heart.
Reluctantly handing over her satchel, she did not forget to tell Benson:
"Be careful and don't touch its surface."
She was not worried that Golden Lamp would be damaged by Benson, but she was worried that "Genie" would be accidentally summoned, causing her and Dorothy's Lies to be exposed.
Benson nodded, took Tina's bag, and said to Lily:
"Take the children to Reception Room, call Zanney over, and let them have a chat."
Zanney is their child, one year older than Dorothy. He has been promoted to the best and most expensive public school in Backlund, with the goal of passing Backlund University. He is also resting at home today.
As for the second child, the couple has not yet considered it.
Seeing Lily leaving the hall with Tina and Dorothy, the smile on Benson's face disappeared and he turned and walked into another door.
In the corridor behind the door, Melissa·Moretti, with black hair and brown eyes, a delicate appearance, and wearing a pair of culottes for easy movement, is already waiting here.
"What's going on? When your messenger found me, I thought something big had happened!"
She crossed her arms and said angrily.
"I don't know the specific situation. Tina and Dorothy appeared in East Borough. They said they ran away from home and were almost robbed by robbers..." Benson touched his too-wide forehead and replied helplessly, "I informed you immediately and asked Lily to take me Teleportation there to rescue them from Police Station."
"By the way, Tina carries this with him, can you identify what it is?"
He opened his satchel, took out the lamp made of gold, with countless complex runes engraved on its surface, like a kettle, and handed it to Melissa.
The latter put on gloves, took out a brass-rimmed monocle from the pocket of his culottes, clamped it between the bridge of his nose and his eye socket, carefully took the lamp, and examined it carefully.
Benson waited aside without disturbing the "alchemist"'s work.
After a while, Melissa took off the glasses that were constantly emitting light, shook his head and said:
"It must be Sealed Artifact, but my identification failed, maybe it's... '0' level. The pattern on its surface may be a trap, and if you keep touching it, it will activate a certain function."
"Tina asked me not to touch it, she must know the purpose. "Benson confirmed Melissa's guess, "They said they were antiquities found in the basement. I have some doubts that Klein deliberately facilitated this matter."
He looked at Golden Lamp in Melissa's hand and made a decision:
"I will ask him now. No matter what the purpose is, two children who do not have Beyonder Ability should not be allowed to run around with Grade 0 Sealed Artifact."
"Ask Angel first. "Melissa suggested.
Benson nodded, leaned against the corridor wall, lowered his head, closed his eyes, and recited:
"Calamity and the source of the dispute, Empress of Wielding Chaos, Master of the Mirror World..."
He said the last sentence with a smile on his lips.
"...the eternal companion of 'Lord of Mysteries'."