After seeing the Magic Mirror Arrodes's question, captain Ikanser Bernard of the Machinery Hivemind replied, "Bottom."
Deacon Zade and the other Machinery Hivemind member were already accustomed to such things. The member in particular had seen even more invasive questions since the Magic Mirror required at least two observers.
So the two men pretended they hadn't seen anything and began discussing the case.
They certainly noticed that the two scenes of rolling gray fog likely represented two individuals. Yet they couldn't discern any distinguishing features about them, presumably due to high-level protection.
As for the three relatively clear figures, they had likely been eliminated in yesterday's battle.
The two with Southern Continent features confirmed their earlier suspicion that this was probably internal strife within the Rose School of Thought. They could also conduct further investigations based on these three individuals' appearances, perhaps uncovering new leads.
Then they speculated that the 'Zombie' and 'Werewolf' who fought in this alley were the lowest Sequence, and thus should be the easiest to find new clues from. Although there were many witnesses from last night, it was hard to continue the investigation based on a wolf's face and a skull-like face.
So Ikanser questioned the Magic Mirror again: "Lord Arrodes, may we know where we can find the Zombie and Werewolf who fought here?"
The mirror's surface flashed, revealing a scene of rats crawling through a sewer, where a few hard fingernails lay. Then the scene changed to a forest under a full moon and a starry night sky.
Finally, a line of blood-red text appeared on the silver mirror: "Now it's my turn to ask: When engaging in that activity, do you prefer penetration from behind while lying face down, or while lying face up?"
Both Zade and the Machinery Hivemind member saw shock on each other's faces, both thinking: 'What did I just see? The last question was fine, so why is this one suddenly so explosive?'
Ikanser's hand holding the mirror trembled slightly. After a long moment, he managed to steady himself and answer, "I choose punishment."
Crack!
A bolt of lightning struck down, making his brown hair stand on end again.
Ikanser exhaled black smoke, but the physical pain could hardly alleviate the damage to his psyche.
To ease the awkward atmosphere, Deacon Zade quickly said, "The first scene should be the whereabouts of that Zombie. Though the victor disposed of the body, his fingernails were too hard, so some remnants were preserved. As for the second scene, it should be that Werewolf. Though this scene is rather vague and doesn't show the Werewolf at all, it does remind us that Werewolves leave Backlund during the full moon to transform in forests outside the city. And large forests are only west of Backlund. We could use Sealed Artifact 3-156 to see if we can capture that Werewolf."
The Machinery Hivemind member across from him struggled to keep his gaze away from the Magic Mirror, "Ah, yes, yes, that's right!"
Ikanser smiled bitterly: 'Why did I ever choose to be in charge of this Sealed Artifact in the first place?'
...
That afternoon, Factory District...
Carter led his boss, Raphael, to a spacious abandoned factory building. Several Mafia members had already done a simple cleaning of the place.
Raphael was quite satisfied with this. He sent Carter and the others away, and after confirming no one was around, he took out chalk and drew the shapes of footprints on the floor.
The positions of these footprints corresponded to the practice steps of Wolf Shadow Nine Steps, the movement technique from the Wolf Fang Technique.
There were two patterns: one moving forward, and one that alternated left and right turns, eventually circling back to the starting point.
It was clear the former was for fleeing or pursuit, while the latter was for entangling with opponents in close-quarters combat.
Raphael briefly tried them and discovered that some steps had strides too wide to execute except when transformed into a Werewolf, so he transformed and began practicing the footwork.
Just looking at the steps drawn on the ground, it seemed like merely taking larger strides... but after actually practicing, Raphael realized that each step he took would land him in a place the enemy would never expect.
This made him sigh with emotion: 'Even if I fight a Zombie again in the future, I won't be at a disadvantage! If only I had learned this technique earlier, I wouldn't have been in such a sorry state last night.'
Because transformation time was limited, each time Raphael would transform for nine minutes, then rest for twenty minutes before transforming again to practice.
Only when he felt his Spirituality beginning to dry up did he erase the footprints and take a rental carriage back.
Over the next few days, he practiced diligently, constantly drilling the Wolf Shadow Nine Steps and Wolf Fang Claw, leaving Mafia affairs to Carter and several capable subordinates.
Moreover, at night, he also had to cultivate the Mystic Source True Scripture.
Raphael could clearly feel his body growing more agile.
As for the Mystic Source True Scripture, it would take some time of practice before its effects could be felt...
~~~
A light rain fell over Backlund.
It was already late autumn, and this drizzle made Backlund feel somewhat cold and gloomy. But the good news was that the rain dispersed Backlund's smog, making the city seem much clearer all at once.
Even after nightfall, the light rain continued...
On top of a three-story building, a masked man wearing a hooded cloak hid behind a chimney. This was Raphael.
Tonight, he was going to hunt the Beyonder suspected to be an 'Unwinged Angel'.
Raphael had bought his Criminal potion formula from this Beyonder. From that moment on, he had used subsequent gatherings to quietly observe this individual.
Although everyone wore hoods during the gatherings, Raphael could still identify him at a glance because of the man's distinctive cold aura. Others might not notice it, but to Raphael, it was the polar opposite of a Lunatic's mild madness, which allowed him to pick him out.
For each gathering, the organizer would publish encrypted messages in the newspaper. There was another gathering tonight, so Raphael had made preparations for the hunt.
He had already spotted his target attending this gathering, but he hadn't acted then, because that was when the target was most alert, and the organizer wouldn't sit idly by while attendees were attacked...
Raphael waited quietly in the cold drizzle. Patience with one's target was a basic requirement of a Criminal.
Finally, the gathering ended, and attendees began leaving quickly.
Raphael's target appeared, but he still didn't act immediately. Instead, after confirming the target's route, he quietly followed from the rooftops.
In a small alley occupied only by a few vagrants, Raphael pounced on his target with a sinister grin...