When the plot-skips players into the game world

Gordon still remembered that person, remembered him clearly.

Even now, whenever he recalled that evil laughter, an uncontrollable sensation would pierce his heart like needles.

During the promotion ceremony, he had been effortlessly killed by a demon known as "Aleister," who manipulated shadows to thrust a long spear through his body.

His body had dissolved into the shadows in the blink of an eye, and the intense pain had not completely faded even after he woke up; some of it still lingered in his memory.

Gordon had indeed gotten older.

The weakness caused by the failure of his promotion had left Gordon feeling out of sorts for several days, with his body occasionally losing strength and his mind wandering, preventing him from working normally. Yet even so, he was still on duty. He only took up some miscellaneous tasks and did not take leave to rest at home.

When he first woke up after the end of the promotion ceremony, he relied on his somewhat blurry memory to record the events of the dream clearly. As an Inspector himself, even though these could not be taken as evidence, they could serve as a reference for the team's investigative approach.

Gordon flipped open his dream journal to the latest ceremony and found the page about Aleister.

This page, he remembered unusually clearly.

Because the other party had also participated in the promotion ceremony for the first time and knew nothing about it.

He didn't even bother to make up a code name and even shared his background information openly.

Old Gordon, once a soldier who became an Inspector after retiring, had gained some experience in case review and intelligence summarization—almost not a single true word came from the mouths of the pickpockets, gangsters, and gang members, but the very lies they fabricated had value.

Because even if they were mixed with some falsehoods, if one didn't give this person time, one could deduce what information he wanted to hide and what he took for granted by the nature of the lies he concocted. He could hide the truth, but he couldn't hide the unique perspective that came from knowing the truth, which differed from others.

However, Gordon knew very little about psychology; Chief Inspector Edward was much better at that.

Without any hesitation, Gordon conveyed all the intelligence he was aware of—including the visions from his dream—to Chief Inspector Edward.

At that moment, Edward was feeling anxious due to Aiwass's disappearance.

He had been woken up by a phone call at 2:30 a.m. He was somewhat annoyed at first, but when he heard that Aiwass was in trouble, he didn't even wash up or dress properly before rushing straight to the Inspector's office.

The intelligence from Gordon happened to soothe him.

And it provided Edward with a very clear direction for investigation.

But what he hadn't expected was that after carefully reading through Gordon's intelligence, Edward became noticeably more anxious—

"He has been possessed by a demon since childhood. And it's a high IQ Shadow Demon with an independent persona."

Edward's brows furrowed, "That means, aside from his teachers and parents, that Shadow Demon has also been educating and influencing him constantly in his mind."

Gordon nodded, "That's right, his worldview is clearly different from that of normal people."

This was why demons were not to be trusted—who knew what taboo knowledge and incorrect notions the demons taught them.

Continuing his analysis, Edward said, "His parents are followers of the Nine Pillar Gods, but he only believes in Serpent Father... Followers of the Nine Pillar Gods typically hold the Candle Master in the highest esteem. This indicates he has no interest in the path of dedication, even harboring disgust. He most likely has no affection for priests."

And Aiwass was a priest.

A moment of silence fell between the two men.

Suppressing the unease in his heart, Edward continued reading, "He only studied in the countryside and has the education of a junior high school student. After inheriting his father's legacy, his first choice was to go mountain climbing, rock climbing... activities that are dangerous and challenging. This choice suggests he has a restless heart, disregarding the dangers from the outside world, even eager to face them head-on.

"He totally misunderstands the ideals of the Noble Red Society, yet he doesn't oppose them. So, he was most likely coaxed into joining... and he still doesn't know the identity of his recruiter.

"In other words, this Aleister is a young man from the countryside, with a value system significantly different from normal people, a cruel and rebellious personality, used by the Noble Red Society as a tool, uneducated and seeking thrills, and he also has a strong dislike for priests."

Edward's brows were deeply furrowed, "Without a doubt, this person called Aleister is extremely dangerous."

He was acutely aware that Aiwass, who had suddenly disappeared, was probably in real danger.

Their foster father James had just disappeared not long ago; now it was Aiwass's turn. And it seemed they were both in a bad situation, yet he felt powerless to do anything about it...

A thought flashed through his mind: it was fortunate that Yulia had been taken to the palace by Princess Isabel.

Hopefully, the princess can steady her emotions. Yulia had always had a good relationship with Aiwass, even better than with Foster Father James or Edward himself.

But this probably wouldn't do.

... Because it seemed that Princess Isabel also had a good relationship with Aiwass. Perhaps Yulia had no way to know about these affairs, but Princess Isabel must have been informed right away. If she knew, Yulia probably did too.

If Yulia knew that Aiwass was missing, and that he had been captured by an extremely dangerous person... her emotions would likely spiral out of control, and the Phantom Demon within her would burst forth from her body. It would be best not to tell her about this.

If the identity of the Phantom Demon Egg was discovered, then Yulia would be in danger too...

But soon, Edward suddenly realized that Yulia was no longer the Phantom Demon Egg.

That was the news the old butler Oswald had told him before he left the night before last. Despite his inability to comprehend, Edward was relieved.

—That was probably the only good news.

He didn't have to rush Yulia home in an attempt to hide her identity… And now with Oswald not at home, Yulia was much safer in the Hall of Silver and Tin than in Moriarty Manor.

He had to find Aiwass and had no time to protect or take care of Yulia.

Edward was always taciturn and not one to offer comfort. If Yulia had come back crying, Edward would have no idea how to console her.

Such matters had always been handled by Aiwass in the past.

The mere thought of it gave Edward a headache.

I might as well disappear!

Now all he could do was to feign ignorance, to leave Yulia in the Hall of Silver and Tin. With the care of Princess Isabel and Master Yanis, at least there was no need to worry on Yulia's account.

"Damn it!"

Edward was exceptionally anxious and distressed.

His fists clenched tight, he punched the table, and the sturdy wooden table cracked slightly.

Cold as he was in demeanor, Edward cared deeply for his family.

Now he felt an unprecedented rage, twining around his heart.

—Aleister.

—Noble Red.

I will remember these two names.

Edward murmured in a low voice, "I must find Aiwass.

"Wait for me… Aiwass. I will surely find you.

"Candle Master above, Silver-Crowned Dragon above… please let Aiwass live… just to live is enough."

Edward closed his eyes and prayed softly.

Meanwhile, Aiwass and Lily stood quietly in a corner of a wall in the dead of night.

Both of them blended almost completely into the shadows, undetectable by even low-ranking inspectors who passed right by them.

"Young master, shall we wait until tomorrow to make our move?"

Lily's voice inquired in Aiwass's ear, "The number of people enforcing the lockdown is growing."

It had to be said that the name Aiwass still carried some weight these days.

Starting at two in the morning, the number of inspectors patrolling the streets visibly increased. Gryphons of various colors soared through the skies, and those who couldn't mount gryphons rode horses, galloping through the city streets.

By three-thirty, even the Legal Mages were on the streets, solemnly checking the backpacks of suspicious passersby and paying special attention to all carriages moving at night. Every inn was being urgently searched, armored Knights suddenly bursting into the dens of various organizations, accompanied by stern-faced Legal Mages.

Clearly, matters were gradually being taken over by higher-ups.

It was now four fifty in the morning, and the streets were brightly lit.

In the past ten minutes, Aiwass had seen more than one white gryphon fly overhead.

It was still night, and the Shadow Demon's cloaking ability was unsolvable for these low-ranking inspectors and Legal Mages. Only the white gryphons could sense something amiss with the density of the shadows. So whenever a white gryphon passed by, they had to hide for a bit.

"We can't wait until morning."

Aiwass answered decisively, "If tomorrow allows them to communicate calmly, the moment they compare notes, they'll know something's up.

"The fire is not fierce enough yet—we have to add some fuel to it."

"Who shall we start with?"

"Of course, Lawyer York."

Aiwass narrowed his eyes slightly and said softly, "Let's first avenge Sherlock.

"This wave of gryphons is gone, charge!"