Belle's voice carried surprise and suspicion, as though she did not quite believe that claim.
"Belle, honestly, I actually thought there was something wrong with that doctor too, but I had no evidence, just a feeling, so I never said anything." Xu An shrugged.
"In my view, he's using his medicine to rally more employees against me, even going so far as to fabricate lies that Hui Crystal Meike's medicine has problems.
And those people from the Mutual Aid Association have been singing the same tune as him because they want to secure more benefits," Damian continued.
Then he sighed. "I know very well that you from Mount Yunkui won't readily believe me... but you can investigate.
I'll send you the relevant documents as proof, including the list of those involved in the corruption incidents and the progress of their compensation claims.
If you have any further questions, you can contact me anytime." With that, Damian left without looking back, leaving only the documents and the somewhat bewildered group behind.
"So that Doctor Lor really does have issues, though we can't take everything Damian says at face value either," Xu An said.
"Doctor Lor was lying to us?" Ju Fufu closed her eyes, trying hard to recall her memories of Doctor Lor.
"We can't jump to conclusions yet. Anyway, let's investigate the documents Damian left first and see whether he was lying," Belle suggested.
Wise also spoke up. "Belle, leave this to me! Once I've finished configuring the system, I'll verify the data."
"Yes, that's best. Let's also investigate the people who received treatment. We might find some clues," Yixuan said.
"Xiao An? No sneaking off!" Yixuan said expressionlessly as she watched Xu An furtively trying to slack off.
"Oh, all right." Helpless, Xu An had no choice but to go along.
They dispersed, leaving only Wise and Belle where they stood.
"Belle... have you made any progress on that photo of our teacher?" Wise asked, looking at her.
Belle's expression froze. The little face that had still held a hint of a smile darkened. "I went into the Hollow to ask around too, but there's no news yet."
"Sigh... I see. So that's how it is. Still, we expected as much." Wise forced a smile. "Don't worry. I'll investigate with you from here on. We'll definitely get to the bottom of that photo."
"Yeah, I know. For now, let's get started on the investigation."
Xu An wandered along until he reached the entrance of Yin Tea House. From far away, he heard Hongdou calling for customers. "Want to come in and look at the menu? Takeout or dine-in, either is fine!" Her voice was clear and loud, befitting the person in charge.
Xu An looked at the wall beside him.
"Shocking! Popular leading actress meets male celebrity in secret late at night? These guys really know how to write headlines no matter where you go, huh."
"Huh? Hey, buddy! You like Miss Monica too?"
Xu An turned his gaze toward Billy, who was twisting bizarrely beside him with an absurd degree of flexibility.
How could this guy's limbs be so flexible? It must make creeping around on the floor pretty easy.
"No, I'm just looking."
"Huh? That's a shame. I thought I'd found a fellow fan." Billy looked disappointed for a moment, then turned to the gossip tabloid. "...But I don't understand the second line... Something about late at night and a male celebrity. Buddy, what's this third character? And hanging out on the streets?"
"I only recently came here too, so I don't really understand." Xu An was not lying. He really had only just arrived, so it was normal not to understand, right?
"Umm, it probably means Monica was still shooting a street scene with her co-star late at night?" Billy tried hard to piece together an interpretation.
"Huh?" Xu An looked utterly baffled.
"Still shooting street scenes in the middle of the night? Miss Monica really is so dedicated!"
Xu An beside him: OAO?
Buddy, you really know how to fill in the blanks. Forget it, better not burst its bubble. I'd worry about its logic core malfunctioning. Nicole would probably come extort a fortune from me then.
With that, Billy happily left.
Good thing this guy had no intention of getting to the bottom of it. The Waifei Peninsula's gossip tabloids really lived up to their reputation...
Xu An thought, then continued his investigation.
What? (๑•̀ω•́๑) You're saying your wife went out in the middle of the night and never came home? Tell me more, hehe.
What? She went to see your dad? And your sister-in-law came to your house that night? Seeing your wife wasn't there, she pretended to be her, and you didn't even notice?
Xu An patted the fellow beside him on the shoulder.
"Buddy, uh, umm, sigh..." Had Xu An said anything? It seemed he had, but it also seemed he had said nothing at all.
After getting his fill of gossip, Xu An continued his "investigation."
As he wandered around, he spotted two figures talking about something outside the House of Wonders.
He went over to listen.
"Komano Masato? What are you doing here? Looking for someone?"
Sounds like Belle only just arrived too.
"Hi! *(๑• ₃ •๑) Belle, what a coincidence! What are you doing here too?" Xu An pretended it was a chance encounter to cover up the fact that he had been slacking off.
"Hm? Have you been investigating properly, senior brother?" Belle asked suspiciously.
"I'm investigating right now, aren't I!" Xu An said with a slight lack of confidence.
"Sorry, you two, have you seen that guy Paro? I can't get hold of him at all," Masato interrupted.
"I was looking for him too. I wanted to ask him and Doctor Lor about Worry-Free Water."
Masato thought for a while before saying, "The last message he sent me said he and his wife were going into the Hollow for Doctor Lor's anti-corruption treatment.
Did that guy go into the Hollow? You're looking into Worry-Free Water-did something happen?"
"It's nothing. I just want to find out more about Worry-Free Water..." Belle did not tell him everything, only giving a vague explanation.
When Xu An heard about them going to Lor for anti-corruption treatment, he felt something was off. Wasn't the interval between their last treatment and this one a little too short?
"Paro said Doctor Lor was treating them inside the Hollow, right? Then I'll find a way to ask around. Anyway, thanks, Masato," Belle said, then prepared to head into the Hollow with Xu An.
"Oh, Belle, about that photo you mentioned, I asked a friend to look into it."
At that, Belle quickly stopped and moved up in front of Komano Masato, her eyes full of anticipation.
"How did it go? Is there any concrete news?" Belle asked, a trace of nervousness in her voice.
"Umm, my friend said there was recently a sudden, massive surge of Corruption inside Lemnian Hollow. Quite a few people in the Hollow's Bright Porcelain production areas were taking photos to document it.
Someone probably took this photo then... but it's hard to identify the background, so we don't know exactly which production area it was."
After hearing that, Belle smiled and said a little sheepishly, "I see... I didn't expect you to be pretty reliable after all... Though you were a little fierce when we first met. You gave me a fright."
Komano Masato's gaze wandered as he scratched his head.
"Uh, haha... I was just bluffing back then... Anyway, hurry up and forget about it!" Masato sounded a little awkward, then quickly changed the subject. "Oh, right! If you see Paro, please remember to tell him his daughter's been really worried about him!"
He then explained, "I can keep her happy for a while, but I'm really not good with kids... When he has time, he should call his kid and spend more time with his family."
"Okay, leave it to the two of us. You can rest completely easy!" Xu An patted Masato on the shoulder, signaling him not to worry.
"All right, thanks, you two. I'll treat you to a meal sometime. ^O^" Masato thanked them.
Now he seemed quite a contrast to before.
After finding some more workers nearby and learning a few things, they hurried back to Yunkui Summit to share their information with their master and the others.
Only when they arrived did they discover everyone else was already there.
"Belle, Xu An, you're back." Seeing that Xu An had been with his sister the whole time, Wise did not think much of it.
He simply continued, "Everyone, I've verified the accident report Damian sent me. He really did apply for compensation, but the payout is still being assessed. I also checked through the special channel the mayor gave us. It's true."
"Then it looks like he really wasn't lying... so there's definitely something wrong with that Lor." Xu An narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking that his sixth sense had indeed been right.
"Did your investigations turn up anything?" Wise asked.
Senior Sister Fufu spoke first. "I asked a few workers. They'd all drunk Worry-Free Water, but something about their descriptions felt strange."
"Hm? How so?" ⊙∀⊙! Xu An asked.
"They said that after drinking Worry-Free Water, besides easing the pain, it sometimes made them drowsy, and they had very strange dreams," Fufu explained.
"Strange dreams? Do you mean they remembered lots of things from the past?" Belle guessed.
"Huh?! You heard about it too, Junior Sister Belle? That's right. They said that after drinking Worry-Free Water, many people recalled warm memories in their dreams. Things from their childhood, happy and unforgettable memories, that sort of thing. Apparently, some people even remembered family members who'd passed away!"
Xu An frowned. "Why does that sound like hallucinations?"
"Doctor Lor told them it was a normal reaction to the medicine. I kept thinking it was strange, but now that Junior Brother Xu mentions it, it really does seem like some sort of hallucinogen."
"Could Worry-Free Water contain Corruption?" Yixuan suddenly spoke, pinpointing the question at hand.