Clearing Suspicions
Dole had disguised himself as someone in his twenties, far older than his actual age. By that age, he should not have drawn suspicion. Kane had only felt that Dole was slightly suspicious, so he had followed him.
Along the way, Dole acted as though he knew nothing at all, socializing normally and going to and from work as usual.
Three days passed quickly like this, and only then did Kane let up.
Dole had previously worked at Old Ke Smithy. They investigated everyone there, yet no one discovered any contact between anyone and the suspect. Harley and Verek in particular had their usual routes and the people they interacted with practically turned upside down.
Kane and several other low- and mid-level apprentices from the Ability Society took turns keeping watch. A month passed without any gains.
They quickly submitted their reports, presenting them to Bichi one by one.
Bichi turned everyone into portraits and pinned them onto wooden boards, forming a series of connected images.
Based on the reports, they eliminated suspects one by one. Verek, Santis, Molai, and the others were all ruled out. Their lives followed strict routines, taking fixed routes to and from work every day. It was impossible for them to have contacted the so-called suspect, Dole.
Only Harley remained under surveillance. If the suspect Dole returned to the city, there was a very high chance he would contact Harley. This was a suspect tied to several lives—there could be no carelessness.
They had also uncovered the identity of Lin Rui. Yet after monitoring Dole for three days, they found that this man was just like everyone else: going to work and returning home, with nothing unusual.
If there was anything unusual, it was that no one knew where he had come from,