[Chapter 157: Finding People]
Amy's father suddenly asked Daniel, "Mr. Cross, can you find people?"
After chewing the beef in his mouth and swallowing it, Daniel replied, "It depends. I need to see if there are any personal items left behind by the missing person."
Amy's father hesitated. "There should be some. I'll ask."
Daniel inquired, "Who went missing?"
"My friend's daughter," Amy's father answered.
"How long has she been missing?" Daniel asked.
Amy's father thought for a moment. "Four days. After reporting it, the police searched but didn't find her. They're very anxious now."
Daniel said, "Four days is not too late. If there are any personal belongings left, the energy on them shouldn't have faded yet. Ask if they have anything. If they do, I can give it a try. By the way, tell your friend my fee is 100,000 US dollars. If I can't find her, I won't take a dime."
"All right, I'll make the call right now."
Not wanting to disturb Daniel and the family during dinner, Amy's father got up to make the call.
...
Just as Daniel finished his meal, Amy's father hurried back. "Mr. Cross, they do. There's a necklace left behind, along with some unwashed clothing. Can these be used?"
Daniel said, "Yes."
Amy's father grinned. "That's great. When can we leave? My friend agreed to the 100,000-dollar fee."
Daniel replied, "No time to waste. Let's go now."
Amy had just recovered and shouldn't be overexerted, so she stayed at home.
Although Hunter wanted to see what was happening, his girlfriend was clearly more important, so he stayed behind as well.
In the end, only Daniel and Amy's father went.
...
The friend's home was modest but still part of a middle-to-upper-class neighborhood. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to come up with 100,000 dollars for Daniel.
On the way, Amy's father filled Daniel in. The missing girl's name was Ailin Moke, seventeen years old and still in high school.
According to his friend, she had planned to go out and meet friends over the weekend but vanished instead.
At first, her parents thought she was at a friend's house. It wasn't until evening, when she hadn't returned for hours, that they called to ask -- and found out she never went there at all.
They rushed to call the police, but the officers refused to open a case because twenty-four hours hadn't passed yet. When the day had passed, the police finally opened a case but found no trace of her.
When the car pulled into the driveway, a middle-aged white couple came out to greet them.
Amy's father introduced them, "This is the powerful Exorcist I mentioned, Mr. Cross. He just saved Amy."
The middle-aged couple's eyes lit up immediately when they saw Daniel.
Ailin's mother said in a hurried tone, "Please save my daughter, Mr. Cross."
Daniel nodded. "I'll do my best, but I can't make any guarantees."
Ailin's mother whispered, "We understand. Please come in; we've prepared the things you requested."
Inside the house, Daniel saw the items laid out -- Ailin's necklace, a piece of underwear she'd changed out of and hadn't had time to wash, and a photo of Ailin along with her birth date and exact birth hour written on the back.
Daniel said, "I'll need twenty thousand dollars as a down payment. The rest is due when I find her. If I don't, the down payment will be refunded."
He hadn't forgotten his rules -- Amy's father had already discussed the terms with Ailin's father.
"We're ready," Ailin's father said, pulling out a check for twenty thousand dollars.
...
After Daniel pocketed the check, he wasted no time. He waved a hand and brought out the materials he had prepared beforehand: consecrated ink, a seal brush, parchment slips, and several ritual instruments.
Picking up the brush, he converted Ailin's birth records into a formal identification cipher used in exorcist tracking rites, then carefully inscribed it onto the parchment.
Then, he placed the necklace and personal clothing into a box and sealed it with a prayer seal.
Next, he folded the parchment bearing Ailin's information into the shape of a small messenger bird.
Back when Daniel had searched for Bella -- who had been killed by Jason -- he was still at Foundation Order, and his magical power was limited. He could only use the most basic Exorcist tracking techniques. The process was tedious, the success rate low, and the precision poor; he could only detect a general direction.
But now, Daniel was an Ascendant. Even as a Lesser Ascendant, his abilities were far greater. It wasn't the same at all.
This time, he was using the Rite of Resonant Pursuit method.
Under the watchful eyes of Amy's father and Ailin's parents, Daniel placed the sealed box on the table, then set the folded parchment bird atop it. Finally, he lit three sticks of sanctified incense in the burner.
Forming a sequence of seals with his fingers, he began the invocation:
By trace and remembrance, let the connection be established.
What bears her imprint shall answer the call of resonance.
By the Seven Lamps as witness, let the hidden path be revealed.
Across all distance, let the lost be found under sealed authority.
Boom! The Prayer Seal on the box suddenly ignited with pale radiance. Within the light, the parchment bird trembled, spread its wings, and rose into the air on its own.
It circled several times as though searching for direction. Then suddenly, it shot toward the wall.
Daniel reacted immediately, extending a hand and reinforcing the rite with spiritual authority, forcibly restraining the construct before it could fly away.
Amy's father and Ailin's parents stared, dumbfounded. They couldn't believe a paper bird could actually fly like this.
"Mr. Cross, this..." Ailin's father started to speak, but Daniel interrupted, "Don't ask questions. Get the car and follow wherever it goes."
"All right, I'll go get the car," Ailin's father said, hurrying out.
...
Soon, the car started, and Daniel stepped out of the room carrying the bird construct and climbed in.
Ailin's mother wanted to come along but Daniel stopped her. "You shouldn't go. Some unpleasant things might have happened."
She started to protest, but Ailin's father cut in, "Listen to Mr. Cross. I will bring Ailin back."
In the end, Daniel and the two fathers hit the road by car.
Daniel released his restraint on the paper bird, and it immediately flew forward. At intersections, it would turn -- sometimes even before reaching them. It consistently pointed out the straight path, sticking close to one side of the car. After each intersection, they only had to follow its lead.
"Mr. Cross, this is truly magical. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," Amy's father marveled.
Daniel replied coolly, "We'll talk after we find her."
The car drove farther away, deeper into more remote areas. Finally, they arrived outside a large manor.
The paper construct pointed directly inside.
Ailin's father suddenly became excited. "Mr. Cross, is Ailin inside?"
Daniel flipped his hand and tucked the paper bird away. "If my spell doesn't fail."
Ailin's father's eyes widened. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go in and save her."
Daniel spoke calmly, "Do you know what's inside there? How could an ordinary person own such a manor? There might be armed guards. If we go in blindly, we won't just fail to save her -- we'll get trapped ourselves."
Ailin's father was stunned. "Mr. Cross, you're right. Then let's call the police."
Daniel shook his head. "In a place like this, whoever brought her here... I don't believe the owner has nothing to do with it. Are the police trustworthy? Will they stand for justice, or for money and power?"
Ailin's father was silent for a moment. He knew all too well which side the police here usually took.
"Then... what should we do?" His eyes reddened.
*****
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