Abandoned Manor (First Update)

"How often do you contact Lina? Does she know you're cursing Xio?"

"We usually only contact each other once every two or three months. It's still a long time until our next contact... She only asks about the results and doesn't know exactly what I'm doing." Turner answered with lifeless eyes.

Hearing this, both Abner and Xio breathed a sigh of relief. Xio felt that under these circumstances, it was practically impossible for members of the Gnosis Society to trace the matter back to her. Besides, as a secret organization, they might not investigate the disappearance of a mere Sequence 8. Abner, meanwhile, believed that even if they did trace it back to him, it would take months—and by then, he might not need to fear them.

"I have fairly good relations with MI9, the Nighthawks, and the Machinery Hivemind. I'll hand this 'Instigator' over to them later. A Sequence 8 evil cultist should fetch quite a bounty. You won't blame me for keeping all that money for myself, will you?" Detective Isengard joked in an exaggerated tone.

Abner knew that Isengard was doing this largely to protect him and Xio. Once Turner fell into the hands of the official authorities, the Gnosis Society or the Demoness Sect would probably have no choice but to stand down. After all, they were secret organizations and would not confront the Churches of the True Gods head-on.

Xio had clearly thought of that as well and hurriedly thanked him again.

After that, the three questioned Turner about several other matters, but he was merely a minor lackey of the Gnosis Society and knew nothing more. Their gains were therefore limited.

After knocking the "Instigator" unconscious again, Detective Isengard clapped his hands and said, "All right, let's divide the things on him. Then this matter will be over, and we'll leave the rest to the authorities."

As he spoke, he laid out the items he had searched out before them: two badges, a Three-Edged Stinger, a Star Crystal, and roughly 120 Gold Pounds in cash.

Detective Isengard looked at Abner and Xio, then picked up the Star Crystal and the Fate Hermit badge. Smiling, he said, "The most valuable thing is actually that Sequence 8 Beyonder himself. Since he's mine, I'll take these two as well... You don't object, do you?"

Xio hurriedly shook her head. "You were the one who captured him. These things were yours to begin with. How could I possibly object?"

Abner naturally felt the same way, though he was curious what his teacher would give him.

Detective Isengard then picked up the half-damaged Cursed Badge and handed it to Abner. "This badge probably can't be repaired, so it has no value to me. But it can barely be used one more time. Your current Sequence doesn't offer much combat power, so keep it as a trump card." As he spoke, he pushed the 120 pounds in cash toward Abner as well and continued, "Take this money too. Mysticism experiments will be expensive for a while. Consider it an advance reimbursement from your teacher."

"Thank you, Teacher!" Abner did not stand on ceremony at all. Though he still had 350 Gold Pounds on him, that might have been a huge sum to ordinary people, but it was woefully insufficient for a Beyonder.

On the other side, when Xio saw Isengard turn his gaze toward her, she hurriedly waved her hands in refusal. "There's no need to consider me. You were helping me in the first place, and I didn't really contribute anything... How could I have the nerve to take a share of the spoils..." She was not as thick-skinned as Abner, and besides, Abner was Isengard's student. It was only natural for him to receive something.

Detective Isengard laughed heartily and pushed the Three-Edged Stinger before Xio. "Miss Xio, don't be so distant! Have you forgotten? You were the one who deduced that this 'Instigator' would commit murder at the bar. How can you say you didn't help? Take it. I appraised it just now, and this Three-Edged Stinger is actually rather ordinary. It only has a poison that is difficult to identify on it. It's no more valuable than an ordinary weapon coated in poison."

Xio had originally wanted to refuse again, but she felt that refusing after he had put it that way would make her seem too indecisive. She could only accept the Three-Edged Stinger and silently resolve to repay this favor someday.

After the three had divided the "stolen goods," Detective Isengard used some unknown ability to lift Turner, the "Instigator," in one hand as though he weighed nothing. He then said to Abner and Xio, "I'll deliver him to the authorities now. You two should head back and rest early as well."

Abner had been about to agree, but he suddenly remembered something. After hesitating for a moment, he reminded him, "Teacher, you can hand him over to the Nighthawks or the Machinery Hivemind, but it would be best not to go to MI9."

Detective Isengard turned back in confusion. "Why? Is there some problem with MI9?"

After considering his words, Abner said cautiously, "Some people in the military seem to be involved in human trafficking as well. I'm afraid they might harm you."

"You mean the military is involved in this matter too?" Isengard frowned in puzzlement. "Why would they do that? And Abner, how do you know?"

"My mother was abducted and sold before... I did some investigating..." Abner lied with a mixture of truth and falsehood.

"I see..." Detective Isengard nodded in sudden realization.

Xio looked at Abner with some pity. She had not expected him to have suffered such misfortune, never considering that, strictly speaking, her father had also been a victim of this incident.

"I understand... Don't worry. Your teacher knows very well how to deal with the authorities!"

After saying that, Isengard waved at them both. Then, carrying Turner, he leaped up and vanished through the mouth of the well. His movements were so nimble that he did not resemble an elderly man at all.

Xio and Abner waited for a while before returning to the surface through another sewer exit. Since it was already very late, neither the public carriages nor the subway were still running. They could only walk home.

Xio's rented home was in the Bridge Borough, so she said goodbye to Abner midway.

After watching Abner leave, Xio had barely turned around when she nearly jumped in fright. A woman in a beige high-collared dress, with lightly curled brown hair, stood less than a meter behind her, gazing at her eerily like a female ghost.

"Fors, where did you 'open a door' from this time? You scared me to death!" Only after recognizing the newcomer did Xio let out a long breath.

"You didn't come home for an entire day and night, and you didn't even leave a message. Do you know how worried I was? Who would have thought you'd gone out on a date with a man! Hurry up and tell me, who was that just now?" Though her words sounded like a complaint, the hint of teasing in Fors's pale blue eyes exposed her gossip-loving nature. She naturally knew that Xio had definitely gone out to handle serious business, but she still wanted to see her look embarrassed.

However, Xio's expression turned serious at those words. She knew very well that she could not argue with her Friend over such matters, or she would be the only one to suffer. So she deliberately changed the subject in a lingeringly fearful tone. "Fors, Abner is my friend. And without his help today, I might not have made it back..."

Fors was indeed startled by Xio's words and hurriedly asked, "What exactly happened?"

"It's a long story... Let's talk while we walk!" As Xio secretly breathed a sigh of relief, she gave Fors an abbreviated account of what had happened over the past two days. Naturally, she did not reveal Detective Isengard's identity or mention the teacher-student relationship between him and Abner. She only said that Abner had invited a powerful person to help and capture the attacker.

"Xio, we're best friends! You have to tell me about things like this in the future. If I'd been by your side, even if I couldn't beat that 'Instigator,' you know that with this, I would have been confident in getting you out!" Fors raised her bracelet as she spoke, then continued, "The Cursed Badge's range of influence probably isn't very large. As long as you escaped far enough, you would have been safe."

Without waiting for Xio's reply, she changed the subject again and teased, "But that Abner clearly handled things better. He was willing to do so much for you. Does he have a thing for you?"

Xio shook her head and said with certainty, "He doesn't feel that way!" Whether from his attitude or his expression, Xio, as an Arbiter, could be certain of that.

"Then why did he help you so wholeheartedly? From what you said, you've only met two or three times?" As her roommate, Fors knew that Xio's intuition was exceptionally accurate, which only made her more curious.

"I don't know either... But I always feel as though he's known me for a long time..." Xio was somewhat confused as well, but she was certain that Abner truly had no ill intentions, so she did not intend to look too deeply into it.

After Abner returned to his residence in the East Borough, he collapsed into bed and fell asleep. The day had been far too thrilling for him, and constantly activating the Pure White Eye to study that afternoon had left him exhausted in both body and mind.

Even so, early the next morning, he still arrived at the East Borough subway station on time and found Xio already waiting there.

They had agreed the previous night to meet here in the morning.

"Sorry for the wait!" Abner apologized somewhat awkwardly, since he lived closer to the station.

"It's fine. Let's set off immediately. The place is in the North Borough and rather remote. We'll take the subway to the North Borough first, then transfer to a carriage!" Xio did not care about such minor matters and spoke briskly.

They said nothing along the way. About forty minutes later, the two stopped before a remote and somewhat dilapidated manor.

Abner examined the manor, which looked like the set of a horror film, and asked hesitantly, "This is the place where you said we could practice shooting for free?"

Xio nodded. "There's a shooting range in the manor's backyard... And I have the key to the back door."

"Even if it's this run-down, it's still a manor near Backlund. There can't be nobody watching the place, right?" Would they be thrown out if discovered?

Understanding what Abner meant, Xio explained, "This used to be my family's vacation manor... After something happened to my father, it was sold to a wealthy merchant. But for some reason, the people who moved in kept suffering accidents one after another. Rumors began to spread that it was haunted, and that was how it fell into disrepair... Now, only an old servant watches over it. He was originally a servant of my family, and he is deaf and mute. My father treated him quite well when he was alive... So as long as we don't try to enter the house itself, there shouldn't be a problem."

So not only would he be unable to hear the gunshots, but even if he did, he would overlook them out of respect for her? As expected of a descendant of court nobility—even after falling on hard times, she still had so many connections! Abner quickly grasped the essence of Xio's words.

Meanwhile, Xio confirmed several things from Abner's complete lack of surprise:

He really knows who my father is!

He really did know me long ago!

He seems to know many secrets!

Then, could he know why Father was framed in the first place?

(End of Chapter)