Sincerity Is the Ultimate Skill

"Buddy, I advise you to confess and be rewarded. Otherwise, even I don't know what kind of inhumane things Madam Rose will do later."

Ethan obediently raised his hands over his head, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the boss. He leaned in and whispered, "The last person she interrogated, not a single piece of skin was intact. He screamed for a whole night before he died. I'm helping you."

He had roughly assessed the situation in the bar. This was the most well-informed place in the commoner district. Roxanne often came to this bar called the "Gilded Rose" for a drink after finishing his work. The only problem was that the Gilded Rose was associated with the border gangs, so they naturally wouldn't welcome Ivy, a "cop."

It was clear that the exchange was not going smoothly, reaching the point of imminent conflict.

When Ivy pointed her gun at the boss, he also reached for the dagger hidden in a secret compartment under the bar.

"I didn't!"

Ivy's face turned red, and the golden hair on her head excitedly formed an "X" shape.

"You could have. Maybe he would have confessed if he got scared."

Ethan was disappointed. He had seen the boss's hand tremble just now. If Ivy had cooperated and shown a cruel smile, his mental defenses would have completely collapsed. It was a pity that he and Ivy had only worked together for one day, and their chemistry needed improvement.

As Ivy denied it, the boss slowly reached for the dagger again.

"Alright, she didn't actually torture her interrogators, but people like you? She's killed 56 of them."

The boss's small movements stopped again. He subconsciously glanced at Ivy, but this time Ivy remained silent. She just frowned, not refuting.

This made the boss panic completely.

This woman had killed 56 people!?

Even the most vicious villains in the gangs hadn't killed that many people!

Ethan, who had intended to press his advantage, also felt a "thump" in his heart. 56 was a number he had made up on the spot to make Ivy seem more intimidating. However, something unexpected happened.

Ivy... she had tacitly agreed.

This is bad!

He had unexpectedly discovered such a terrifying truth!

This time, even Ethan's mood was filled with trepidation.

Sincerity is the ultimate skill.

When the boss noticed Ivy avoiding his gaze with Ethan somewhat guiltily, he almost immediately raised his hands over his head. To avoid becoming the 57th unlucky soul, he proactively stated, "I can tell you about Roxanne. This is a legally operated bar, and I've always been a law-abiding Imperial citizen. We can sit down and have a good chat... By the way, would you two like a drink? My treat."

Regardless of whether Ivy, who had been silent, was plotting some murder plan, at least the three of them were now sitting in front of the bar, and the interrupted conversation could continue.

"Listen, I don't know if this is related to the case you're investigating, but as far as I know, Roxanne owes the Imperial Union Bank a lot of money. He's been living a very difficult life. They come to the bar every night to tell Noble jokes and earn some extra cash. We've all advised him not to take out any more loans from the Imperial Union Bank. The money he's earning now isn't even enough to pay the interest, but he just wouldn't listen. He's completely fallen into it."

Hearing this, Ethan asked, "He's still taking out loans from the Imperial Union Bank? Why?"

Roxanne had mentioned that he had taken out a loan from the Imperial Union Bank to buy an apartment in the commoner district. He would have to work in Brookwood Town for over twenty years to repay the loan and interest.

Although it was somewhat offensive, Ethan almost immediately thought of some unpleasant things.

For example, Roxanne had gotten into gambling, or he was addicted to some Potion made by unscrupulous apothecaries. Otherwise, he couldn't imagine what could make an optimistic and cheerful person's personality change so drastically in a short period, leading him to take out loans from the Imperial Union Bank again and again.

Roxanne must have known the consequences of doing so. When the debt he owed became unpayable, his life would be bought out.

"It's for his daughter."

The boss lowered his head helplessly. At first, they had also thought Roxanne had picked up bad habits. But whether it was gambling or Potion addiction, they had ways to help Roxanne quit forcibly. However, for this matter, they were helpless. "His daughter has a lot of talent for magic and was taken in by a Grand Magus from the Astrology Society, who is willing to be her Teacher."

The three fell silent in unison.

Magicians were a notoriously expensive path to power. The materials used to create scrolls and set up magic circles were all paid for with hard cash.

Even so, few people could resist the temptation to step into the extraordinary realm, especially when the other party was a Grand Magus certified by the Astrology Society.

Ethan knew Roxanne had a dream: to pay off his loans and live a harmonious life with his family in Brookwood Town.

A simple and humble wish.

But this still couldn't explain why Roxanne suddenly ended his own life and left a Curse in that apartment.

"You see Roxanne every day. Has there been anything unusual about him recently?"

"Unusual? How could someone so carefree have anything unusual?"

The boss scoffed. "Sometimes I really envy him. He's clearly suffocating under the weight of his debts, yet he can still laugh. Oh, right, a few days ago he told me his daughter was coming to visit him in town. That girl has already passed the First-Order Magician certification exam, and he said he'd have her come to the bar to perform magic for us then."

Ethan could imagine Roxanne, dragging his tired body to chat with the boss at the bar after the evening performance.

The boss was right, such a carefree...

Ethan's expression suddenly changed, and he emphasized, "You just said Roxanne's daughter was coming to visit him?"

The boss was startled by Ethan's expression. He flinched, his voice weakening a bit. "He said so himself."

"When was that?"

"Just, just three days ago."

"Where is she from?"

"How should I know? I've never been to the Astrology Society. Does it matter where she's from? The person is already dead."

When it came to Roxanne's death, the boss's temper flared up. "What about you two? You're here to investigate this case, right? Then tell me, how did he die? How could he have committed suicide? The Imperial Union Bank must have driven him to death!"

"The closest Astrology Society to Brookwood Town is in Morning Star City."

Ivy, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. Her tone was light, and her face still showed no emotion, as if she were merely stating a fact based on the clue the boss had provided.

"Morning Star City is located southwest of Brookwood Town. If his daughter was coming from there, she would have passed through Riverside Town two days ago."