"Anyway, I didn't steal it."
Yunli turned her face away.
"If it's gone, maybe he stole it..."
"?"
"What's this got to do with me?" Yan Huan stood with his hands in his pockets.
"I'm just here to watch the drama. What would I want that sword for, the thrill of getting possessed by a ghost?"
"I've got plenty that can do that without the side effects."
"Enough." Dahao's expression turned stern.
"What you two just said has made you considerably more suspicious."
Huaiyan looked deeply troubled.
"With Lone Cloud stolen, we've broken faith with Luofu and failed the delegation."
"Officer Dahao, please get to the bottom of this."
"Yes." Dahao nodded. "A thorough investigation is my duty."
"Miss Yunli and Mr. Yan Huan may sound certain, but we can't close the case on their word alone."
Yunli muttered, "If some crook was going to steal it, you might as well have let me melt it down in the first place."
"Exactly, exactly..." Yan Huan agreed wholeheartedly.
Dahao narrowed his eyes. The two of them only seemed more suspicious now.
"Everyone who knew about Lone Cloud had some degree of suspicion hanging over them, but Miss Yunli is the prime suspect in this case."
"First, Miss Yunli openly showed her motive for stealing Lone Cloud at the Sword Gifting Ceremony."
"You said several times that you wanted to take the sword. Then you broke into the Artisanship Commission, damaged an automaton, and tried to seize it. Have I got any of that wrong?"
"..."
"No." Yunli admitted it.
Dahao continued:
"The Department of Earthly Rulings inspected the armory where Lone Cloud was stored. There were no signs of damage to the doors or windows."
"Apart from an air vent only a few handspans wide, there was no way for a