N-A-A Chapter 17 Black Stone
Chapter 17 Black Stone
"Mr. Castleton, I heard you're in charge of investigating this bombing. Could you tell me in detail what happened?"
"Thanks to the joint efforts of our 10 colleagues in the investigation bureau, and after 10 hours of tireless work in clearing the scene and collecting evidence, we have preliminarily determined that the explosion originated from an accident caused by improper operation."
"The victim, Mr. Drake, was a skilled local gunsmith who had stockpiled approximately forty pounds of black powder in an underground warehouse. Due to improper storage, coupled with a series of coincidences at the scene that are yet to be investigated..."
"In short, we are all very saddened by what happened."
"Oh, this is truly a tragedy... Also, Mr. Castleton, were any animals injured in the explosion?"
"..."
"I heard that a little girl was also injured?"
"..."
On television, the evening news was being broadcast. Clyde, his color faded, stood in front of the camera, speaking with seven parts impatience and three parts embarrassment.
Dealing with the media is truly torturous for him.
For journalists, Clyde's attitude was also problematic.
After all, they had been waiting at the scene all afternoon, and had prepared many versions of the possible developments of the accident, as well as many versions of the report. Yet, Clyde chose the least sensational version and was reluctant to speak.
Fortunately, Clyde's physique, which allowed him to wear the Bureau of Investigation uniform very well, and his slightly upturned mustache, made up for this.
Towards the end of the interview, the reporter seemed to have completely lost interest in the truth of the accident.
As the invitation to speak was extended, the microphone was positioned increasingly close to the lips.
Luo Qiu couldn't bear to watch the next scene on TV any longer, so he reached out and cut off the signal.
Two hours ago, the preliminary investigation of the explosion site finally came to an end.
As expected, Clyde chose to keep it from the reporters. The gunsmith was covered with a thick white sheet and carried away, while the other agents left the scene in silence.
Finally, the only way to attract reporters' attention was for Clyde to step in, first with a barrage of questions from newspaper reporters, then with an exclusive interview from a television reporter...
Fortunately, this is none of his business.
Shifting my gaze to the side, there was something else noteworthy on the coffee table.
This is what he retrieved from the rubble of the explosion today.
At that time, after his innate vision detected the red light, he busied himself at the place where the extraordinary items were buried.
Originally, Luo Qiu thought that the next item would be evidence related to the deceased. He had even gone through the process in his mind—register, seal, and find an opportunity to "check" it again in the evidence room, which seemed logical.
But clearly, things didn't go as he imagined.
Luo Qiu picked up the items from the coffee table and examined them carefully.
The item looks very much like a nearly burnt-out lump of coal, about half the size of a fist, and is quite heavy.
The burnt part is pitted and brittle, and grayish-black in color. After scraping that part off with a knife, you can see that the middle quarter of the area looks completely different.
It is as black as ink, as smooth as polished obsidian, has a cool touch, and makes a sound like marble when tapped.
At the time, after the object was unearthed, the surrounding detectives didn't pay much attention to it. So, when they took the opportunity to throw away the trash, Luo Qiu put it in his pocket.
Now, after careful examination, Luo Qiu realized that he still had no clue about it.
Perhaps this is the Philosopher's Stone of the wizarding world?
Shaking his head, Luo Qiu decided to stop thinking about it. He closed his eyes and began to mobilize his mental energy.
Talent activated.
His spiritual energy condensed into threads, extending outward from between his brows to touch the lump of coal in his palm. This time, he was much more skilled than before; the threads no longer scattered like dandelion seeds in the wind, but instead firmly and steadily embedded themselves into the surface of the coal.
Then, a thick surge of energy erupted from deep within the coal briquette.
Glug~ Glug~
Four minutes later, the last bit of magic power was drained.
Open the self-test function:
Search Target: 0002
[Mental Strength: 11.8 (Normal person 10, first-ring wizard 20)]
[Mana Points: 0/12]
[Talent Data: Unknown]
Compared to the results of his search in the morning, his mental strength increased by 0.4.
Looking at the coal ball again, even after having its extraordinary power absorbed, the red glow in its innate vision didn't seem to have faded much.
It consumed about one-tenth of the product.
Based on this calculation, the remaining extraordinary power within the coal briquette should be enough to increase my mental strength by 3.6. Adding the three gem fragments that I haven't had time to absorb yet, that's a full 4.5 mental strength to be converted.
Luo Qiu felt that this was enough for the time being.
Although today's events happened suddenly, they served as a wake-up call for him.
The entanglement between the forces behind Fog City and the people sent by the Free Alliance seems to have reached a boiling point. Mr. Noah was killed half a month ago, Mr. Bias a few days ago, and now a gunsmith.
This is undoubtedly quite abnormal, considering that in the past, it might not happen for several months at a time to encounter a single "special case".
Moreover, Luo Qiu always felt that this was just the beginning. More and more things like this might happen in the future.
Therefore, Luo Qiu plans to observe the situation for the next month and make preparations in advance.
If things remain calm for a month after today's bombing, it's very likely that it's not that the two sides have given up, but rather that one side has gone into the shadows while the other has increased its surveillance efforts.
In this situation, he needs to be even more careful and avoid getting involved in "special cases." Otherwise, he's very likely to attract attention.
If a similar situation occurs again within the next two weeks, it indicates that the Fog City side is still carrying out a purge against the other side.
At this point, he absolutely avoided joining in the fun. If he were to encounter some extraordinary individuals again, no one could say for sure what would happen next.
Of course, there's also the extreme possibility that the next special case might be even more sensational than today's bombing. Needless to say, it's time to change identities and leave this foggy city.
In short, the situation is dangerous, extremely dangerous, and very dangerous.
Firearms must be carried at all times, and ammunition must be fully stocked.
And runic magic, it's best to master that...
Speaking of runes, Luo Qiu couldn't help but look into his sea of consciousness, where there was a rune that was shining with golden light and was less than one-sixth complete.
He started learning the Light Perception Enhancement Rune the day before yesterday, and originally planned to complete the inscription in a week.
Inscribing runes requires mental energy, and prolonged use of mental energy can have adverse effects on the body. Therefore, a week is a sufficient timeframe to manage one's time comfortably.
But now, this plan has to be slightly modified.
Luo Qiu felt an urgent need to fill his sense of security with something; he hoped to master Clarity and Swiftness within half a month.
Time is running out for the Light Perception buff rune.
It must be completed within three days.
The procedure should be usable within a week.
Next, the speed-boosting runes needed for Swiftness...