From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

Chapter 257: Chapter 247 The Investigation of the Night Watcher Captain

A gentle breeze swept by, and as the sun rose, it cast an orange-red glow through the clouds on the horizon, illuminating the entire town.

Early-risers on the streets hurried on their way while the stalls in front of various shops gradually opened, as shop owners busily prepared for the day's business. Birds sung cheerily atop the trees, infusing the morning with a sense of vitality, enveloping the town in an atmosphere of tranquil serenity.

Nasir Town.

A black carriage was parked in the town, and a handsome mature man with a commanding figure stepped out, pulling open the carriage door and descending with steady steps.

His black tailcoat was crisp, and his brooding eyes took in everything around him, followed by three Night Watcher teammates of starkly different ages.

Lewis was the captain of Fein City's first Night Watcher group, a Middle Rank Bloodline Knight of Transmutation.

He wasn't a Cyart, but a Vallere citizen. In fact, all the Night Watchers in every city were transferred from outside the area.

It was a church policy to prevent locals and local nobility from colluding, which meant that the Night Watchers of any given city could never employ natives.

Although it was his first time in Nasir Town, Lewis had just stepped down from the carriage when he could clearly sense that this town was different.

Its development was perhaps a tad too impressive.

Having only toured for an afternoon, Lewis couldn't help but marvel, able to feel the town's booming growth.

"Among the Eastern Four Kingdoms, I thought Vallere and Carnia were the most developed nations, never expecting that Cyart too had numerous fine places," he remarked.

Having strolled for a while, Lewis's subordinates also nodded in agreement.

Discover more content at M V L

"Indeed, Captain, this town called Nasir looks fairly decent. Though it doesn't compare to Fein City in population or size, it can barely be considered a small city now."

Over the years, Nasir Town's population had surged, and various industries had developed.

Before Byrne disappeared, he had speculated that once the railway construction was completed, Nasir Town could become a burgeoning city in short order.

Lewis took a deep breath, tasting the saltiness of the seaside, and murmured to himself, "Seaside towns hold such charm for an inland person like me; I feel like staying on indefinitely."

However, they weren't here for a leisurely vacation but on orders from Colonel Abel to investigate the Fischer family's situation due to his report.

Meanwhile, Chief Carly would covertly investigate the Lion clan.

Many said Abel's mental state had become abnormal, and the Night Watchers suspected this might be connected to extraordinary powers or even the work of a heretical cult.

"Let's hope both our investigations turn up something, no, it would be better if they didn't find anything at all."

Lewis sighed and shook his head. Unlike the overly fervent Chief Carly, he felt mere duty in his job as a Night Watcher.

If they found special circumstances, Lewis would take them seriously, but if they didn't find anything after a thorough investigation, he'd leave immediately without further fuss.

Arriving in their hotel room, the Night Watchers commenced a meeting about the following matters.

"In at most one month's time, we need to uncover some clues, but if we don't find anything within that month, we're free to leave."

"Overtime is out of the question."

Lewis muttered to himself, then was overheard by his only female subordinate.

The woman grasped his arm, exclaiming, "Captain Lewis! We must strive for God's sake! Keep it up!"

"Alright, alright, got it," he replied.

Lewis took a deep breath and said with a hint of helplessness and weariness, "We mustn't reveal our identities. During this time, we can't wear our uniforms, and we need to operate covertly."

"Let's start with the ordinary folk around us, see if they know anything. Oh, and during this period, we shouldn't make contact with any Extraordinary Exponents to avoid alerting the Fischer family."

He paused, then continued, "Although it's very likely there are members of the Fischer family among the commoners."

"But such things are unavoidable."

Firstly, Lewis began his inquiries at the hotel where they were staying, tipping the waitress a little extra that evening before starting his questions.

"Hello."

The slender, frail-looking woman was a dragon descendant with a listless face, expressionlessly saying, "Sir, my name is Lily, a waitress at this hotel. Please call me at any time if you need assistance."

"To be clear, I will not have any... physical contact with guests."

Lewis took a large sip of wine, sizing her up with the courage of alcohol, noting the rare grey scales on her skin, and her clean, neatly-trimmed grey hair reaching down to her waist.

"Miss Lily, I'd like to inquire about some small matters," he said.

Lily's eyes brightened immediately as she nodded, "What is it? I'll tell you anything for a tip!"

Lewis nodded lightly, then narrowed his eyes, smiling as he said, "Well, it's about some things concerning this town. Have you heard of any strange happenings, like disappearances or mysterious rumors of that sort?"

To prevent the possibility of the townspeople sending warnings, Lewis did not directly target the Fischer family but first inquired about the local peculiarities.

That's from experience; often, where heretics take root, there would be noticeable occurrences such as disappearances or strange phenomena.

Because heretics, in order to acquire sacrifices and cast various Ritual Spells, have no choice but to abduct locals and create all sorts of mysterious incidents.

Thus, those with experience in investigating heresy always start from these events.

"Why would you ask about such things?" the waitress was stunned.

Lewis laughed heartily and pulled out a booklet filled with all sorts of messy things, then said, "Because I'm a scholar who is very interested in extraordinary events, I have always been in pursuit of the mysterious."

The waitress pondered for a moment before carefully saying:

"Disappearing population? There hasn't been any in the last few years, but strange occurrences, those have indeed happened, like the bar next door losing meat every night."

"Meat disappearing? Go on?"

Lewis wrote down many things Lily said, and then, before the end of the workday, he took a subordinate with him to the bar next door to start an investigation.

However, they quickly discovered that the culprits were merely the local cats and dogs, and that's how investigations often go—most of the time they end in vain, but that didn't discourage them much.

In the following days, the Night Watchers inquired among the townsfolk around them and even attempted to use money to bribe them.

And Lewis's female subordinate, disguised as a begging vagrant woman after a change of appearance, was actually the most likely target for the heretical cult due to her guise as an innocent woman.

Put simply, it was fishing.

However, the Night Watchers investigated like this for half a month, and still, they came up empty-handed.

They even inadvertently solved a murder case in Nasir Town and nearly exposed their real identities.

"Let's call it off; let's go back."

One evening, Lewis suddenly spoke out as he looked at his team.

His female subordinate was a bit agitated and said, "The Fischer family shows no anomalies? Mr. Lewis, do you want to conclude so quickly? After all, we have made much effort."

Lewis slowly shook his head and calmly said:

"No, whether they have anomalies or not I don't know, but continuing the investigation this way will yield no results."

"There are only two possibilities. Either they have managed the entire town so flawlessly that they have been fooling us all along, or they truly have no issues."

"But regardless, our investigative actions have likely already been noticed, and there will be no more results to come, maybe even leading to misdirection and danger."

Lewis thought silently, considering the most dangerous and frightening possibility that the Fischer family might have had their eyes on them since the moment they entered the town.

And every move of each person was controlled by that mysterious family, who wouldn't easily reveal any flaws.

Lewis laughed heartily and said:

"Anyway, the conventional investigation won't be hopeful. Only by raiding that manor to check for strange underground chambers or heretical sacred objects might we achieve some results."

His female subordinate calmed down, took a deep breath, and said:

"But we need evidence to raid, right? Even as Night Watchers, we can't do that kind of thing just based on a report, especially when the other party is the actual ruler of these four towns."

Lewis's eyebrows raised as he chuckled:

"Hehehe, if it were those from the Denouncers, they would dare to do so."

His subordinate's complexion changed slightly, having heard that many within the Denouncers were once clergy who committed sins and were now authorized to atone for the church through service.

Lewis's hand rested under his chin as he spoke calmly:

"There are many rumours about the Fischer family; their rise was rapid, and family members have displayed a variety of different extraordinary powers."

"Throughout the decades, those who opposed them all died one by one, the family is terrifying, perhaps even more so than the Lion clan."

"We must be fully prepared to confront them head-on, otherwise, the best course is to leave."

----

Inside the underground chamber of the Fischer family, family members watched through the barrier "Black Mirror" as the Night Watchers left Nasir Town, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The waitress playing the role of the inn's waitress was actually Rishia, who had been responsible for monitoring them this whole time.

Vanessa frowned deeply, saying, "The Night Watchers have finally left; I've been on tenterhooks all this half month."

Darren slowly shook his head and said, "Don't worry, in the future there will be all sorts of investigations on us, so worrying is of no use."

"But more important than those is that we continue forging our own path."

A subtle smile appeared on his face.

"I can sense the Power of Consecution at the 3rd Rank is digesting very slowly, we need to do something about it, hehe."