The Stage One secret potion formula of the Investigator Sequence required violet, the tears of a cow, thorns, a monkey’s brain, white frost from early winter, and most important of all, the eyes of one who was human yet not human.
The messy objects in the briefcase were all ingredients needed for the potion formula.
Caelum checked them one by one.
The violet, the cow tears, and the rest had all been gathered.
Only the eyes of one who was human yet not human were missing.
He closed the archaeologist’s notebook and opened the letter.
The signature on it belonged to Madam Dakota.
After reading it carefully, Caelum learned that it was a letter of commission.
The person asking for help was Madam Dakota.
Recently, she had noticed something strange about her husband. He always liked going out at night, and his behavior was highly suspicious.
She suspected that her husband had found a lover outside, so she wanted Caelum to help investigate.
If that were all, there would be nothing strange about it.
It would only be an ordinary case.
The important part was that Madam Dakota mentioned another odd matter at home.
Recently, rat hair had been appearing in the house for no clear reason.
Caelum shook the envelope.
A gray white rat hair fell out.
What was surprising was that this single rat hair was several centimeters long. Judging by that proportion, the rat it came from could not be small.
This was exactly why Madam Dakota had come to Caelum.
In truth, compared with her husband’s possible affair, this matter gave her far more unease.
Caelum understood his own identity.
"Looks like I really am an investigator."
He had a feeling.
The eyes of one who was human yet not human might soon be within reach.
He tucked the letter into his coat, closed the briefcase, and walked alone through the silent, deep night.
The road was slick.
The air carried a moldy smell.
This kind of environment made people faintly uncomfortable.
The prosperous city of the industrial age gave off a decaying breath, like a city at dusk, heavy and half asleep.
Ring ring.
A bell sounded.
A patrol officer in a black uniform rode up from behind on a bicycle and stopped beside Caelum. After he braked, the kerosene lamp hanging from the handlebar kept swaying, giving off crisp little clinks.
The patrol officer had clearly meant to reprimand Caelum.
But after seeing his suit and shoes, his expression immediately softened, and his tone became polite.
"Sir, Cton City is not safe at night. For your safety, I suggest you return home as soon as possible, or find an inn to stay in."
Caelum answered with a smile.
"Thank you for the suggestion."
After that, the patrol officer rode away.
The kerosene lamp hanging from the handlebar swung back and forth, knocking lightly against the front of the bicycle with a steady tapping sound.
Now that he had figured out the power system of this world, the road ahead was clear.
He had to search for higher level secret potions of the Investigator Sequence and advance to higher Stages.
One Hit Kill was indeed extremely powerful.
But in the end, it still had to be built on Caelum’s own strength and methods.
If he could not see the target, could not hit the target, then this special ability would have no way to take effect.
Besides, powerful attack methods alone were not enough.
He also needed the power to protect himself, along with certain defensive methods.
Clearly, the secret potion path was the best choice.
Before long, the heavy night withdrew.
The morning sun slowly rose, and bright light spilled down.
Only then did Caelum finally see the full appearance of Cton City.
As the capital of the United Kingdom of Stars, Cton City was undoubtedly the most advanced great city.
After entering the industrial age, tall buildings stood everywhere, and reinforced concrete structures rose from the ground.
The chimneys of the thermal power plants pierced into the clouds, spewing thick black smoke into the sky day and night, leaving the air above the city forever dim.
Because of that, it was also known as the City of Fog.
As the capital, its population was enormous, nearly nine million people.
It was the most populous industrial city in the world today.
Naturally, its economy, commerce, and every other aspect were the most developed.
It was the world’s center of industrial technology, as well as its center of economy and trade.
In the morning, the silence of Cton City was broken.
People began leaving their homes.
Surging crowds filled the streets, moving back and forth without pause, while carriages crossed past one another.
The city became noisy and busy all at once.
Caelum took out the only 10 federal coins he had and bought a loaf of bread.
The thing was as hard as a brick.
It could practically be used as a weapon.
After the clerk sliced the bread, Caelum still had to soak the slices in hot water before he could eat them.
He was so poor that he could not even afford a cup of milk.
At noon, Caelum followed the address written in the commission letter and found Madam Dakota’s residence.
It was a luxurious estate with broad grounds.
One glance was enough to tell that its owner was either rich or noble.
"Sir, may I ask what business you have here?"
Caelum took out the commission letter.
"Madam Dakota invited me."
Soon after, a servant led him into the estate.
He met Madam Dakota.
The lady had fine features and lingering beauty, a noblewoman with an exceptionally refined bearing.
There was no unnecessary small talk.
The moment they met, Madam Dakota went straight to the point.
"Caelum, I heard you have some reputation in this line of work, so I hope you will not disappoint me."
"Of course."
Caelum was not skilled at investigation, but that did not stop him from accepting the commission.
As for whether he could complete it, he did not care much.
When playing a game and encountering a triggered event, accept the mission first.
Everything else could wait.
He was simply very interested in that giant rat.
"Madam, regarding the rat matter, I suggest you hire a professional rat catching team."
"If the rat catching team were useful, I would not still be troubled by this. They practically turned my entire residence inside out, yet found no rat."
With that, Caelum became even more certain of his guess.
As for the rat matter, Madam Dakota understood very well that this was no longer something a rat catching team could solve.
This kind of strange incident had to be handed to a professional.
"Madam, strictly speaking, these are two commissions."
"The reward is not a problem."
Madam Dakota handed Caelum a stack of hundred denomination federal bills and spoke generously.
"This is your operating expense. If you can investigate these matters clearly, I will pay you twice this amount afterward."
"Then there is no problem."
Caelum made a rough estimate.
This was probably 10000 federal coins.
In an era where a loaf of bread cost only 10 federal coins, this was absolutely a huge sum.
He smoothly put the money into his pocket.
"I will help you settle both matters as soon as possible."
Deep night.
Caelum crouched somewhere outside the estate.
Motionless, he had almost blended completely into the darkness. Unless someone came close, there was no way to notice that a person was there.
A long time passed.
Then a nimble figure jumped down from the wall and quietly ran out from inside the estate.
In the dim night, it could be faintly seen that this was a strongly built man.
It was unmistakably Madam Dakota’s husband.