I can return to the age of mysterious
Chapter 186 - 186 140 False Death Elixir (4100)_1

Chapter 186: 140 False Death Elixir (4100)_1 Chapter 186: 140 False Death Elixir (4100)_1 “I’ve already investigated the situation over there.”

Professor Tennessee said as he got up. He opened his black drawer and took out a thick file from inside.

Casio quickly leafed through it; the file contained both historical intelligence on the two cities and specific information about the Alfama Mountains. The content was quite detailed, and he nodded his approval.

“Professor Tennessee, this is some thorough work.”

Tennessee sat back in his chair with a smile. He was no half-baked scholar; he was a bona fide professor at Warmingda University. As long as the money was right, nothing was a problem.

He picked up his tea and took a small sip.

Before he had a chance to swallow, he noticed an envelope on the table – a thick, yellow envelope. A large hand pushed it towards him until it stopped in front of the white porcelain cup’s tray.

“Professor Tennessee, this is a small token of gratitude.”

Gulping.

Professor Tennessee quickly swallowed his tea. A smile appeared on his face, as he naturally stuffed the envelope into his pocket. Just by the touch, he knew there was enough cash inside.

Fifteen minutes later, outside his office door.

Professor Tennessee warmly shouted at the departing figure of Casio, “Mr. Twilight, feel free to come to me if you need anything in the future…”

He stood in the hallway until Casio disappeared down the stairs. He patted his bulging pocket with a smile and then shut the door with a bang.

A cheerful whistle echoed from within the office.

************************

Hong Li Federation, year 107, June 18th, clear weather.

Shire County, located in the northern part of the Hong Li Federation, has a population of nearly 20 million. Geographically, Shire County is shaped like an egg laid horizontally on a table. Its western side touches the Alfama Mountains while the eastern side connects to the ocean, where several medium-sized coastal cities are located.

Naturally, its economy shows a decreasing trend from coast to inland, among which the two worst developed cities are Jinghu City and Ming Mountain City which are near the Alfama Mountains.

Nonetheless, these cities are only ‘underdeveloped’ in comparison to those of Shire County. In fact, Jinghu and Ming Mountain cities are considered upper-middle level nationally. They primarily provide raw timber and promote tourism, making them popular summer vacation spots.

During peak season, countless tourists come to visit.

Consequently, tourist safety is a major concern.

Fortunately, Jinghu City and Ming Mountain City have always done a good job in this regard, with a substantial police force that operates efficiently.

As a result, the number of tourists has been increasing, boosting the growth of industries related to tourism.

Jinghu City, Police Department.

Chief Burton was in his office, reading today’s morning paper from Jinghu City while sipping his piping hot coffee.

“Another prank by a bored tourist?”

He shook his head in disbelief. In the corner of the paper was a prominent article, complete with a black-and-white photograph.

“Mysterious symbol sighted at Croston Farm in southern Jinghu!”

The photograph showed an obscure black symbol in a remote open space of a farm. Inside the circular symbol were jumbled lines resembling teeth or claws, and unknown signs akin to tadpoles.

The report also provided expert analysis, stating that the pattern was made with black charcoal and mixed with some grass ash.

Burton chuckled. With the rapid development of tourism in Jinghu City, some tourists always sought to draw attention to themselves.

Just six months ago, Jinghu City had been buzzing about the “Purple Mirror Lake Incident”. Many tourists claimed to have seen parts of Mirror Lake turn a splendid purple in the early morning. This ignited various theories – miracles, mysterious scientific phenomena – causing quite a stir.

In the end, it turned out to be a group of student tourists who had thought it would be fun to dump purple dye into the lake every dawn. They were eventually caught and detained in the police station for several days on charges of damaging the lake’s environment.

This so-called ‘mysterious symbol incident’ reported by today’s morning paper of Jinghu City likely had a similar explanation. If it were actually some cult offering, wouldn’t they use blood for their symbol instead of charcoal and grass ash? Most likely, it was just some people with too much time on their hands trying to cause a stir. Burton shook his head and put down the paper.

“Knock, knock, knock…”

Sounds of rapid knocking on the door echoed through the room.

“Come in,” Burton lifted his head slightly.

A young officer walked in anxiously with a look of urgency on his face, “Chief, another disappearance occurred this morning…”

“What?”

Burton frowned, his headache intensifying.

For the past half a month, the police station had been in a state of apocalypse, with continuous reports of disappearances in Jinghu City. Many visiting tourists would be there one day and then inexplicably gone the next.

Another disappearance had occurred today.

As expected, Burton was summoned to his superior’s office shortly after. Five minutes later, he emerged from the office and quickly walked over to where the officers from the Criminal Investigation Department were stationed.

“Members of the CID, come with me. We have a new case.”

Just over half an hour later.

In a small town between the Alfama Mountains and Mirror Lake, in the southern part of Jinghu City, several police officers dressed in dark blue uniforms were interviewing the townsfolk and taking notes.