It Was All the Aurora Order's Doing!

On the way to the Tussock River in the East Borough, the carriage swayed and rocked along the road. Inside the carriage, Luther and Dunn looked at each other in silence.

The atmosphere is a bit awkward; we need to find something to talk about.

Luther thought to himself.

"By the way, Captain, how's your Potion digesting?"

He quickly thought of a topic and asked.

"Things went smoothly. I've finished dealing with the Sleepless, and I'm now back to Acting the 'Midnight Poet.'"

Dunn replied.

But I didn't see you buy a poetry collection...

Recalling Leonard's usual frivolous demeanor, Luther couldn't fathom how the "Midnight Poet" would Acting. "That's good. After you've finished Acting the Midnight Poet and digested the 'Nightmare's' Potion, you can then seek a promotion."

To everyone's surprise, Dunn shook his head.

"I anticipate things won't go smoothly for me in my Acting as Sequence 7," he said calmly. "It will likely take longer than a typical Sequence 7, perhaps even two or three years longer."

"Why?"

Luther asked Consciousness.

However, Dunn remained silent and did not answer.

There seems to be some hidden story; it's best not to ask any further.

Luther wisely kept his mouth shut.

And so the carriage continued on its journey until it reached the banks of the Tussock River in the East Borough.

The location where the dwelling was found was three blocks away from where Luther had abandoned it. It's likely that the dwelling floated to the surface, drifted downstream, and eventually got stuck on the shore, where it was discovered.

It was afternoon, and the banks of the Tussock River were bustling with activity. In addition to onlookers in the distance, there were also a large number of police officers who came to maintain Order and investigate the scene. Klein and Frye stood on a slope on the riverbank, with a human-shaped object covered by a white sheet at their feet.

It's so noisy.

Luther frowned as soon as he entered the carriage, adjusting his hearing before walking over.

Before he even reached Klein, a stench of rotting flesh wafted through the air. It was an indescribable stench, as if it were trying to assault his brain, making him feel utterly disgusted and repulsed.

"Vomit!"

Several police officers nearby immediately covered their mouths and backed away.

Luther stopped in his tracks and looked at Dunn, only to find that the other man continued walking forward as if he hadn't smelled anything. He had no choice but to pinch his nose and follow behind until they reached the body.

The body was covered by a white sheet, but the gruesome wounds on its surface were still visible. The bodily fluids inside had soaked the white sheet, leaving a pale yellow stain.

"Captain, Luther."

Frye and Klein said to them.

"How's it going?"

As Dunn asked the question, he put on black gloves.

"I found no clues," Klein shook his head. "The body was interfered with by Ritual, so no useful information was obtained. Besides, the time of death was too early to Spirit Channeling."

Dunn looked at Frye.

The cold-blooded "Corpse Collector" said emotionlessly, "The deceased's internal organs have been removed, but the direct cause of death should be a gunshot wound to the head."

"Gunshot wound? Can you find out what type of gun it was from?"

"Police are searching the vicinity for shell casings, but haven't found them yet."

Go ahead and look for it; it would be a miracle if you found it, because I've already recycled all the spent cartridges.

Luther chuckled to himself, thinking that this feeling of scheming against one's own people was actually quite interesting.

"Furthermore, the murderer was probably not very familiar with human anatomy. Judging from the wounds on the body, he was clumsy when removing the internal organs."

Frye.

Hearing him say that, Luther's lips twitched slightly.

Haha, I'm really sorry I don't have any anatomical experience!

After listening to their reports, Dunn nodded, reached for the white sheet, and slowly lifted it. As Madam Sharon's body was exposed to the air, the stench of death grew stronger. The stench was so overwhelming that Luther could hardly breathe.

I even felt a little nauseous.

Just as Luther was feeling unwell, Frye held a small, square, tin-colored bottle to his nose. After removing the cap, it released a mixture of mint leaves, tobacco, disinfectant, and other scents—a strong yet refreshing aroma that immediately eased his breathing.

Thank you.

Luther said to Frye, "Considering that he helped me, forgive me for saying that my dissection technique was clumsy."

You'll get used to it.

Frye simply nodded coldly, then put the tin-colored flask back into his pocket.

Luther caught his breath and returned to the front of the body.

Good afternoon, Madam Sharon. It's been a while; you still look as radiant as ever.

With a mischievous grin, Luther mentally greeted Hu Ti.

He saw that Madam Sharon's body had turned white from being soaked in water; because the weather was still very hot, the body was decomposing quickly. In addition, his chest and abdomen had been opened, and her skull had been blown off by a bullet; her upper body was a complete mess. Only the expensive dress she was wearing proved that its owner had originally been of noble status.

"So, did you find anything?"

Dunn noticed Luther's gaze and asked a question. The other two also looked over, their eyes filled with expectation. With divination, Spirit Channeling, and on-site investigation all failing, Luther was their last resort.

Unfortunately, the person they relied on was the mastermind behind the case.

"I saw traces of extraordinary power on the corpse."

Luther deliberately frowned, feigning discomfort, "Her Flesh have an aura of Degeneration and madness... seemingly originating from the Secrets Suppliant's Sequence..."

Sure enough, after he said those words, the expressions of the three of them became serious.

"Aurora Order?"

Dunn said in a deep voice.

I can only say, very likely.

Luther pointed to the marks on the wound and said, "There are traces of Flesh and Blood Magic on the body. I know this kind of Ritual; it was probably used by the murderer to harvest internal organs."

What he said was entirely correct, except that he concealed some facts. For example, he himself was the one who performed the Flesh Ritual.

The three were silent for a moment, then Klein whispered, "When I Divination just now, I was distracted by unseen language and didn't find anything."

His statement further corroborated Luther's words.

Dunn took a deep breath, his voice slightly cold:

1

... It hasn't been long, and the Aurora Order's influence has already returned to Tingen. I really hope we can catch them soon and eradicate them completely.

That's right, it was all done by those Lunatic from the Aurora Order!

Luther thought to himself.

"But why Madam Sharon? And why remove her internal organs?"

After expressing his feelings, Dunn thought about the crucial question.

"I actually have my own guesses about this."

Luther said, "Besides the aura of madness, I also sensed an aura similar to Trissy's on her body."

"You mean, one of the people who killed her was Demoness?"

"No, I mean, she could very well be Demoness."