With Teresa at the wheel, the car sped down the interstate.
In the back seat, Qin Ran carefully examined the letter in his hands.
The envelope was white, in a common style, but the letter itself was not written on ordinary paper. It was fine parchment, the kind with a pristine white surface that could last for years.
A passage of text appeared on the page-
To whom it may concern:
Sheriff Teresa, we apologize for notifying you in this manner.
Your subordinate, Boskin, is in our custody. If you wish this young man to continue his life, please come to Utah State University.
Naturally, we require His Excellency 2567 to accompany you.
Please keep this quiet. Our methods extend far beyond your imagination, and involve much more than simply delivering a letter.
JR
Respectfully submitted by Graven in the year of the falling star
The ornate handwriting was rounded yet nimble.
Of course, the threat between the lines could not have been clearer.
Qin Ran was certain that the sheriff had not received this letter by normal means. Otherwise, given her temper, she would have armed herself to the teeth and stormed Utah State University alone, rather than going to Oaken Manor to seek his help.
After all, Oaken Manor was Ann Latrich Oaken's territory.
Given the sheriff's loathing for Ann Latrich Oaken...
Unless she could arrest her, she would never have shown herself before her.
But...
"Graven?"
Qin Ran's gaze fell on the name again.
When the sheriff first mentioned it, Qin Ran had felt that it sounded familiar.
Naturally, he had looked into it afterward.
It was just as he had initially suspected.
Graven was an organization on the mystery side of this dungeon world.
It was not a tightly structured organization like a church, but something