'So it really is about that missing persons case?'
'Good luck.'
Wei'en returned to his seat as well, waiting to gather more information.
Lisi's gaze moved to the white-haired girl at the back. "Tina, you go first. Tell us what you found."
"Tina found something. Three hundred people disappeared at the same time."
Tina folded her hands on the table, just like an elementary school student in class.
"And then?"
"Tina found no 'and then'."
Lisi pressed a hand to her forehead. "Marco, you elaborate."
"We've been to the scene. We found that many people were still eating or drinking right before they vanished... There were no signs of a struggle or any resistance. Just as Tina said, they must have all disappeared at the exact same time."
Marco pursed his lips. "It's obvious something 'advanced' was behind this. Maybe a High-level Transcendent, or maybe a Forbidden Item..."
If it were the work of a Vengeful Spirit or a Blood Beast, there would have been clear traces left at the scene.
"What was the area of effect?"
"Numbers 101 to 127 in the Laos District."
"Everyone?" Lisi frowned. "Not a single person was found at the scene?"
"Unfortunately, no," Marco said, spreading his hands. "Even this piece of parchment was only found because Tina used her spirit vision."
"Tina?"
"'Tina doesn't know,' the white-haired girl replied."
Lisi's brow furrowed. Looking at the parchment on the table, she said, "Then our only choice is to see what's written on it."
Marco couldn't resist asking, "You were staring at it for ages. You couldn't make anything out?"
"I'm not a scholar specializing in Gonzalez. A few stray syllables aren't enough to decipher every Era Relic."
"...So it looks like our department's already tight budget is about to take another big hit."
'Wait, budget?'
Wei'en was just thinking about how to phrase things to report his 'discovery' to his superiors when he suddenly heard the word 'budget'. "What budget?"
"For translating the Gonzalez."
Lisi winced. "Our Secret Investigation Department doesn't have any scholars like that, so every time we find an Era Relic, we have to ask Professor Helvin from Caster Public School to help us translate it."
"For a piece of parchment this size, he charges at least two gold pounds for the translation."
'Two... two gold pounds?!'
'Is translating Gonzalez that expensive?'
Wei'en stood up and walked over. "Captain, may I take a look? I might be able to translate it."
"You know Gonzalez?" Lisi eyed him skeptically.
"A little."
Marco couldn't help but interject, "Wei'en, knowing a few words of Gonzalez isn't enough to do this. A single mistake in one syllable could throw off the entire translation."
Without further explanation, Wei'en reached for the parchment. "Let me give it a try."
'That's two gold pounds... I have to at least try.'
"'It's worth a shot,' Lisi said thoughtfully. 'Wei'en, if you can actually translate it, the money is yours.'"
'If our department had an Investigator fluent in Gonzalez... we could walk all over the entire Secret Investigation Department!'
At this point, she actually found herself hoping Wei'en would succeed.
Wei'en nodded. "Alright!"
'That's exactly what I was waiting to hear from Lisi.'
Wei'en gave the parchment a quick scan. Seeing no unfamiliar words, he felt a wave of relief wash over him.
Next, he took out a blank sheet of parchment and began writing in Oldes, transcribing the Gonzalez text.
"Lien, Budan, Solisen, Rexi, Sasi Dante, Roland..."
"Third Era, year 863, the Dawn Church used Forbidden Item 0-34, the Revival Coffin, to resurrect Archbishop Rasul Bass..."
'The Dawn Church?'
'Forbidden Item 0-34, the Revival Coffin?'
'I didn't expect the contents to be this explosive. It even mentions the Dawn Church and a Forbidden Item.'
'But what does this have to do with the people who disappeared from the poor district?'
With this question in mind, Wei'en continued translating.
"The Dawn Church captured 3,000 heretics from the Eternal Life Association, absorbing their spirits and blood to counteract the negative effects of the Revival Coffin..."
Seeing how professionally he was writing, Marco sidled up to Lisi and whispered, "Well? See any mistakes?"
Lisi shot him an irritated glance. "If I could tell right from wrong, would I need to hire someone else in the first place?"
"Tina trusts Wei'en."
The white-haired girl had appeared beside them at some point, her vacant, lifeless eyes fixed on Wei'en—or more accurately, on him and the Xiaoxi.
"Oh? Tina, do you think he can actually translate it?"
Tina shook her head. "Tina trusts Wei'en."
"..."
The two of them understood what she meant: she trusted Wei'en, but that didn't mean she was certain he could successfully translate the parchment.
'But was this really a matter of trust?'
'Trusting him wouldn't magically teach him Gonzalez.'
"'Tina, you seem particularly interested in Wei'en,' Lisi asked, her expression pensive. 'I've never seen you act this way toward any of the other new colleagues.'"
Marco thought for a moment, then looked at the white-haired girl with a woeful expression. "Tina, you've never been this nice to me. Don't you like me anymore?"
Tina continued to stare at Wei'en without blinking. "Tina likes him. Tina wants to be his friend."
Marco shuddered. "Ah, this... this..."
Lisi's expression shifted. "Marco, you haven't said anything to upset Tina lately, have you?"
"'N-no, of course not! I, I, I... Lisi, what do I do now?'"
"You're asking me?"
"Then... in that case," Marco looked at Tina, his expression one of utter despair, "how about we let Tina team up with Wei'en?"
'Tina likes someone else?'
'Could something this good actually be happening?'
'Hold it in, don't laugh!'
"'What are you thinking? If those two team up, who's supposed to take care of who?'"
"'But Lisi, you know what Tina's like! I...'"
"Shut up! We'll talk about it later!"
Lisi leaned in close to Tina. "Tina, it's fine to be friends, but how about we don't switch partners just yet, okay?"
Tina fell silent for a moment, then turned to look at Marco. "Tina hates him. Can Tina eat him?"
Marco sucked in a sharp breath, his face turning deathly pale. "T-Tina, wait... L-L-Lisi, d-did you hear what she just said?"
"...I heard. Now get lost."
Lisi shot him a glare, motioning for him to back off. Only then did she pat Tina's shoulder and say soothingly, "Be good, Tina. Marco is your friend, too. You can't eat him."
"Oh."
Tina turned her head away coolly and resumed staring at Wei'en.
Seeing this, Lisi breathed a small sigh of relief. She tiptoed back to Marco's side and whispered, "You're in real danger now."
"'Tell me something I don't know...'"
Marco really looked like he was about to cry now. He didn't want to be partnered with Tina, but he certainly didn't want to gamble with his own life.
'What a horrible way to die.'
"I think your earlier suggestion was excellent. You should spend some time training Wei'en, and then he can team up with Tina from now on."
"Really?"
SMACK!
Lisi smacked him. "Hmph. If you want to laugh, do it outside. Don't think for a second I don't know what's going through your head."
"Yes, Officer Lisi! I guarantee the mission will be completed!"
Marco breathed a sigh of relief. He had been genuinely worried that if he stayed partnered with Tina, he'd end up dying a mysterious and pointless death.
"Alright, it's done."
Just then, Wei'en set down his quill. He looked at them, his expression grave. "We may have just stumbled upon something huge!"