Aura of Degeneration

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Upon seeing Dorset Dorset's embarrassingly exposed body, Luther burst into uncontrollable laughter.

He knew this was a side effect of 3-169, and he was anxious, but he couldn't stop laughing; instead, he laughed even louder. Frye and Inspector Tolle looked at him as if he were Lunatic, while the Viscount's family, who had been waiting downstairs, heard his voice and came up angrily.

"What are you laughing at! Who's laughing?"

A richly dressed lady strode in, her anger palpable, and the maids behind her struggled to keep up.

There was no need to answer this question, because Luther was still bent over laughing hysterically in the bedroom.

3-169, you're really trying to kill me!

Luther covered his mouth and cursed under his breath.

Only then did he finally suppress his manic laughter, which was almost hysterical, and he was panting heavily.

"What an incompetent police officer! So rude! How can your police station manage its officers like this!"

"Lady Dorset screamed. Her family was already ashamed of the Viscount's death, but they had tried to maintain their aristocratic dignity. Now, with Luther's loud laughter shattering that, they could no longer even maintain their semblance of civility."

"I'm very sorry, Mrs. Dorset," Inspector Tolle said helplessly, "This trainee Inspector Rondal, he, he..."

It was clear that Tolle was trying hard to explain, but he couldn't find a plausible reason.

"My dear lady, this was an accident."

Frye also spoke with a cold expression.

"No need for explanations! What's your name?! I'm getting you out of the police station right now!" the woman continued shouting angrily. "Raise your head! Is this the kind of etiquette you should have towards royalty?"

As she spoke, her voice suddenly lowered, because Luther had straightened his back, fully displaying his flawless handsome face to her.

The Viscountess suddenly felt that it was forgivable for young people to make Error occasionally.

"I'm so sorry, ma'am."

Luther raised his right hand and gave the Viscountess a graceful salute. "I was rude just now, please forgive me."

His uniform and handsome face made him hard not to attract women. Not only the Viscountess, but even the maid behind her had a dreamy look in her eyes.

"You... you should be more careful next time."

The Viscountess's attitude softened considerably. The change was so drastic that Inspector Tolle looked on incredulously.

The lady asked Luther a few more questions and, upon learning that he had come from elsewhere to offer assistance, gave him a few more words of encouragement. Finally, because Luther needed to continue his investigation, she reluctantly left the bedroom.

"You should really go to a nobleman's ball; all the ladies and young misses would go crazy for you," Tolle said enviously. He had originally thought Luther had gotten into serious trouble, but who knew that the other man had Soothing the Viscountess's anger with just his face.

"I don't lack money, and I'm not interested in attracting them."

Luther shook his head indifferently.

After a chaotic interlude, the investigation continued. Luther reluctantly pulled back the white sheet, revealing Dorset Dorset's body underneath.

The viscount was indeed naked. A rope was wrapped around his neck, the ends of which he held tightly in his hands.

He was being pulled to both sides. His face wore a mixture of excitement and pain, and his complexion turned a strange purplish-red.

"He died of suffocation."

Frye stepped forward, pried open the dead man's eyes, and examined them.

What is this? Did he strangle himself? No wonder he's a nobleman, he certainly knows how to have a colorful life.

Luther shook his head, his eyes scanning the corpse up and down, but he didn't detect anything unusual. "I didn't see any mystical elements either."

"Then why did he die in this state?" Frye asked, frowning.

"Probably because they're looking for a thrill."

Luther said that he had seen similar cases in his previous life... Some people like to get pleasure through suffocation, and occasionally they use too much force and they will play themselves to death, leaving behind some sensational legends because of their bizarre deaths.

3

After listening to Luther's explanation, Frye's expression became conflicted. He probably hadn't expected that people could come up with so many creative ideas.

"I simply don't know how to explain this to Inspector Tolle."

"Just tell the truth; he's the one who needs to worry about this."

Luther said, his gaze sweeping across the bedroom, when he suddenly noticed a slightly Degeneration aura emanating from a chair, which, judging from its condition, seemed to have been left recently. Luther felt that this aura seemed somewhat familiar.

Hmm, I think I've seen a similar vibe in those streetwalkers...

Luther thought to himself, "Could it be that someone else was present when the Viscount died?"

"Wait a minute, it seems there were other people there. Let me try using Ritual Magic to see if I can find them."

So he used his newly purchased silver dagger to create Wall of Spirituality, lit candles, sprinkled in herbal powder and essential oils, chanted incantations, and prayed to the Goddess to draw the scene of those present at that time.

A serene and profound power quickly enveloped Luther, and he couldn't help but pick up a pen and begin to draw on the white paper. Before long, he had drawn a detailed portrait.

The painting depicted a round-faced girl whose individual features were not particularly striking, yet together they created a captivating effect. She seemed to be witnessing something astonishing, her mouth agape in surprise.

This lady...:

After the Ritual ended, Luther picked up the portrait and examined it closely, feeling an increasing sense of familiarity. He had indeed seen this woman before, on the day he met Mr. Azik in the Tingen underground market!

Is that woman a streetwalker?

Streetwalkers also go to the Extraordinary Materials Market?

Filled with questions, Luther pushed open the door and called Inspector Tolle over. "The Viscount may very well have deliberately restrained himself to gain pleasure."

"Is that really how it is?"

Inspector Tolle seemed to have guessed something as well.

Luther nodded. "Also, I discovered that this lady was present on the day the Viscount died. You can ask the servants if that's true."

Inspector Tolle took the painting and left, returning shortly afterward.

"The servants had seen her; she was a prostitute the Viscount had found himself. The poor girl had only been in the Viscount's bedroom a short time when she ran away in fright. The servants saw that the Viscount was still alive at that time, and he was very displeased, but he still had the servants send her away."

She escaped? It seems she can't accept this kind of game. But the Viscount is surprisingly magnanimous, letting the streetwalker go so easily.

Then he ended up with the tragic fate of dying from accidentally overdoing it while trying to have some fun.

Luther nodded and asked, "So, the servants actually knew about the Viscount's interests?"

"Yes, but when they questioned them earlier, they didn't tell the police, out of respect for the dignity of the nobility."

Inspector Tolle said, "Moreover, the servants all say that the Viscount has been going increasingly recklessly lately, seeking increasingly excessive thrills. At this rate..."

He's bound to ruin himself sooner or later.

So, was the Viscount's encounter with that woman purely accidental?

Luther shook his head, feeling that these coincidences were too much. He planned to go back and tell the captain, who would then decide whether to continue the investigation. As for other troublesome matters involving nobles, he would leave that to Inspector Tolle to handle.