"Creak."
With a sluggish sound that set one's teeth on edge, the wooden door was slowly pushed open.
Damp, icy air, carrying a faint rusty tang of metal, surged in through the crack.
Golden, shoulder-length hair thoroughly soaked by the storm, and a standard short breastplate still dripping water, came into view.
"Sorry to disturb you."
Kalanfu'er's Sheriff, Ingram, looked at the pairs of eyes in the dining hall all turning toward him, and said in a low voice.
His faintly reddened eyes swept lightly over the mess-strewn table, then stopped on Xia Nan and Alton.
"If possible, could I trouble you two to step outside for a moment?"
The door was not closed completely, but left about a quarter open.
That way, whether from outside or inside, both sides could roughly observe each other's movements.
It was just that their voices might not necessarily be heard clearly.
But it was quite obvious that after Xia Nan and the other man left the room, the Adventurers in the dining hall seemed to return to their earlier lively atmosphere of idle chatter.
Yet the overall volume was much lower.
Every so often, a few undisguised gazes could be seen sweeping toward the doorway.
"I'm truly sorry, you two, for coming over so late to disturb you."
Ingram stood before the door, two guards behind him with equally solemn expressions.
"First, I must make it clear that I do not mean to suspect either of you. I came only to ask about some specific circumstances."
Xia Nan looked at the Sheriff's inexplicable words and did not answer. He merely frowned and nodded, signaling for him to continue.
"Joey is dead."
Sweat mixed with rain slid down his sharply defined cheek.
Ingram turned his head, lowering his gaze. His blue eyes reflected the