Trail

In Luther's memory, the landlady Emily was a very hardworking girl who wanted to leave this terrible East Borough and have a better life. Every day, she would leave home early and walk to a school in another district, not returning until school was over. After dinner, she would immediately go back to her bedroom to continue studying.

Several times when Luther woke up in the middle of the night, he could clearly hear the sound of writing downstairs. The sound was reassuring, as if he could see the girl hunched over the table.

Luther doesn't dislike people who try to save themselves.

Emily... she still hasn't come back.

So, when he heard his sister's words, he was taken aback.

His ears were ringing, and his voice was barely audible. He wasn't in good condition because he hadn't rested enough.

What time is it?

Luther looked around blankly; the room was already dark. Usually at this time, Emily would have already finished school and walked home. If Luther were awake, she would usually come over to ask him some grammar or math questions, or help out in the kitchen.

"It must have been just past 9 o'clock, not long after the clock tower started chiming."

It was 9 o'clock... almost two hours later than her usual time to get home.

Is something wrong at school?

Impossible, it's not the world before I traveled through time.

Did they encounter an accident, get injured, or were attacked?

Luther stood up from the sofa.

Have you searched the surrounding area?

"Not yet, because I don't feel comfortable leaving you here alone."

"Let's go take a look together."

The two stepped out of the Apartment. The streetlights flickered on sparsely, creating a dirty orange halo in the thick Fog, making it difficult to see the road.

The infrastructure in the East Borough is terrible; having even a few streetlights is considered relatively good. Many streets have no streetlights at all, relying solely on the Crimson Moonlight to illuminate the way.

The damp, cold air seeped into the clothes through the gaps, bringing an uncomfortable chill.

It feels like winter is almost here.

Luther thought to himself.

Backlund has a rather unique climate, with abundant rainfall throughout the year, summers that aren't too hot, and winters that aren't too cold. Of course, this "not too cold" is relative to Feysac to the north. To be precise, temperatures here can drop below freezing in winter, and there can even be snow.

It's worth mentioning that sometimes the snow that falls in Backlund isn't white, but rather black snowflakes that have absorbed Smoke and Dust and pollution.

A sharp critic in the newspaper wrote, "On a winter morning, when you open your door, you will see a city shrouded in thick fog, covered in black snow, and the lifeless corpses of homeless people lying stiffly in the snow, their eyes glazed over... it's like hell."

Of course, Luther has no time to think about environmental pollution right now.

The two of them followed Emily's usual route to school, heading towards the school.

As night deepens, streetwalkers, drunkards, thieves, and robbers begin to appear on the streets... These people often switch between these professions.

"Hey handsome, wanna have some fun with this guy?"

A woman carrying a bottle of liquor hiccuped and asked in a vulgar tone.

Have you seen a girl with a schoolbag around here?

Luther asked calmly.

"No."

Hearing that the other party had no intention of patronizing his business, the woman's attitude became less friendly, but seeing his handsome face, she still gave an answer. After that, Luther searched for a few more minutes, but still found nothing.

Blindly searching like this isn't a solution; I need external help.

He thought to himself.

Who should I look for?

Is it the local Lyman Gang, or Klein can offer Divination assistance?

Time is of the essence, and I might only be able to seek help from one of them...

"Elder brother."

Just then, the figure of a black-haired girl quietly emerged from the alleyway beside him and called out to him.

This was a shortcut back to Hawes Street, but the alley was narrow and in a secluded location. Luther walked into the alley and saw his sister standing in the middle, pointing out some bloodstains to him.

A few drops of blood splattered onto the ground and walls, appearing to have been left during a struggle.

Luther frowned slightly, walked to the bloodstains, and squatted down.

The damp, cold air of Backlund made the walls and floor very wet, and the bloodstains hadn't completely dried. He picked up a drop with his finger and gently smelled it.

It was very young blood, carrying the vibrant scent of a young girl. The blood on the other wall was much dirtier, giving off a sense of Degeneration and evil.

Although he couldn't discern the physical details of the blood's owner as clearly as Vampire, he could still glean some information from it thanks to his mastery of Flesh and Blood Magic.

A fight broke out here, and people were injured and bleeding. One of them was a young girl, and the other was a simple-minded thug.

Luther silently got up, a bad feeling creeping into his heart. His gaze swept through the dark alley. Soon, he noticed something in the ditch beside the alley.

He walked over and picked it up, his eyes narrowing involuntarily.

It was a slightly worn-out handbag filled with textbooks, notes, and a fountain pen. Usually, it was placed on the cabinet in front of the porch, and its owner would take it with her when she went to class, and it would stay until she returned in the evening.

Emily's schoolbag.

Luther stared intently at the schoolbag, feeling a surge of anger slowly rising within him.

Why did you treat her like this!

She just wanted to leave this awful place, was she wrong?

"Brother, these are Emily's things."

"I know."

Based on the information previously obtained from the injured poor people, it's not hard to guess that Emily had been kidnapped.

It may be related to human trafficking.

Although he had unexpectedly obtained the clue he had been searching for, Luther's expression was not happy. He used his dagger to pick up the remaining blood on the ground and dripped it onto the back of his hand. Then, he used the knife to carve strange patterns on the back of his hand, letting the blood seep into the patterns.

"Guide me to the original owners of these bloodlines..."

Luther murmured softly, and soon, the blood began to converge in one direction.

Just then, he felt a gaze, looked up, and saw Ms. M smiling at him.

Her smile seemed to carry a certain deeper meaning.

Is it malice, or anticipation?

Influenced by her smile, Luther's mind raced with even more Frenzy thoughts.

Let's go.

He suppressed his discomfort and turned to his sister, saying, "It's a pity, it looks like we won't be able to go to that Beyonder Gathering tonight."

In the pitch-black dungeon, Emily awoke from her daze.

Where am I?

She heard the soft sobs of many girls around her. She opened her eyes and found herself trapped in a cell, surrounded by many girls her age. They were somewhat panicked, tears streaming down their faces, some with numb and empty eyes, as if they had completely given up hope.

Emily's gaze moved upwards through the dungeon bars. Above the steps, the door leading to the hall was tightly shut, with only a sliver of light shining through the crack, and the faint sounds of voices and music could be heard.

The sounds were lively and joyful.