Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 309 - 21 Another Sacrifice_1

Chapter 309: Chapter 21 Another Sacrifice_1

"Er, ladies," the Long-haired waiter hesitated for a long time before answering with difficulty, "We are just waiters, we really don’t understand these things."

"How could you not understand?" Catherine said smilingly, "I’m not asking you for a systematic summary of the reasons, I just want to know why, from your point of view, this disorderly city can operate normally."

"Let me try." The long-haired servant was still in a dilemma, but the short-haired servant had already understood Catherine’s question and stepped in to help him out. "It is said that hundreds of years ago, the city was as chaotic as you described. People in the city were killing each other, and a large number of people died every day. No outsiders dared to enter, it was like hell. Afterward, people kept killing each other for decades. Even though criminals from all over the world came here for refuge every day, the population was still declining. Back then, it was said that the first thing everyone would do upon waking up in the morning was to thank the gods, for allowing them to see the sun of the next day. At that time, anyone could die at any moment, and every day, people around them could be seen going completely mad. This situation lasted for a long time, and the Shadow Hand, the administrators, did not intervene. As long as their members were not provoked, they wouldn’t interfere with what others did."

"Later on, people felt that they couldn’t continue this way anymore, otherwise, they would only end up destroying themselves. So some powerful professionals forcibly gathered a group of subordinates, forbidding them from openly killing each other, but presenting a united front against outside forces. Initially, those who were gathered were unwilling, but they reluctantly agreed under the pressure of power. However, after that, they found that although every day was still full of dangers and the fights with others increased, the number of deaths each day actually decreased. So, these people gradually accepted being gathered," the long-haired waiter caught on, continuing the conversation, "As time passed, these small groups gradually grew larger through merging and combining, some with even thousands of people emerged, and they lasted for more than ten years – something unimaginable in the past. Around that time, the Shadow Hand first intervened, establishing the City of Innocence’s only law, essentially outlaw law in the outside world, such as robbing, theft, rape, murder, and fraud, were strictly forbidden to be openly committed. But wars between organizations were exceptions. Basically, from then on, the City of Innocence became similar to the current situation. Although there is no law, everyone has formed a set of rules, and anyone who violates these rules will be jointly attacked by everyone."

"It seems as if the members of the Shadow Hand have been waiting for people to form their own rules," said the short-haired waiter, "So when they saw everyone had almost set up the rules, they stepped out to harvest."

"Your assessment of the Shadow Hand is quite accurate." Two people had been standing behind the short-haired waiter for some time, but all four had not noticed, until after the short-haired waiter finished speaking. A delicate hand adorned with red nail polish rested on the short-haired waiter’s shoulder. It wasn’t until a tendril of hair brushed over the waiter’s ear, and the owner of the hand spoke in a lazy, soft voice, "However, with your evaluation of the Shadow Hand, are you eager to visit the execution room of Shadow Hand? I assure you, the executioner in the execution room will be very, very welcoming. Such young bodies are just the material they love most."

The faces of both servants turned white in an instant upon hearing these words. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, their teeth chattered, and they tried to say something in explanation, but fear and despair left them speechless. The Shadow Hand holds absolute authority in the City of Innocence, and a casual word from an upper member of the Shadow Hand could determine the life or death of many people, regardless of whether you are a big figure like an organization leader or a small fry on the streets without any organization. The two servants happened to have heard this voice before, they knew that the owner of the voice was not only a top-tier member of the Shadow Hand but also a bigshot among them. If she wanted someone to spend three days in the execution room, that person would definitely not live for two and a half days.

"Stop bullying the children, Indulgence." Catherine said helplessly, "Really, you’re even bullying fifteen or sixteen-year-old kids. If you keep scaring them, I reckon they’ll die of fright."

"They are indeed still children. They spoke quite well before, but why were they foolish enough to say that last sentence? Even if everyone knows it, it must not be spoken aloud." Indulgence tapped the short-haired waiter’s shoulder lightly, "After experiencing this lesson, I believe you won’t make this kind of foolish mistake in your lifetime, right?"

The short-haired waiter wanted to nod, but her stiffened neck was unable to move at all. Fortunately, Indulgence just chuckled and walked away from her.

"If you don’t speak, I’ll take it as your agreement." Indulgence disengaged from the state of leaning against the short-haired waiter’s back and laughed, "How does it feel to have your life back? Doesn’t it feel wonderful? Remember this feeling because not every day will be as lucky as today."

The two waiters finally confirmed that Indulgence had no intention of pursuing the matter any further, and their tense bodies finally relaxed. Large drops of sweat oozed out from their bodies and immediately soaked their clothes. The two waiters, with trembling legs, managed to stand up by leaning on the dining table. They dared not say another word and stood silently on either side of the table, their heads bowed low.

Finally, Indulgence released Passion’s arm, which she had been holding all this time, and the two sat side by side on the chairs that had been vacated.

"When did you get here so quickly?" Catherine changed the topic, "I just sent the Hand to find you guys at the Shadow Hand."

"You underestimate the intelligence system of the Shadow Hand." Indulgence laughed behind her hand, "I got the news shortly after you entered the city, it’s just that there was something to deal with in the Guild at the time which delayed me. Otherwise, we would have met you in the lobby of the hotel."

"Is it just the two of you?" Passion asked coldly, interrupting Indulgence’s nonsense, "Where’s Pannis?"

"Tsk tsk, sitting down and asking about Pannis first," Indulgence teased. "We’ll all be heartbroken."

"So be it," Passion’s voice remained cold, his eyes fixed directly on Catherine.

"He’ll rush here in a few days," Catherine explained. "Some issue cropped up at Lina’s church and she was summoned urgently. Pannis accompanied her and they’ve been gone around ten days now. They said they would quickly resolve the issue and come as fast as possible. They shouldn’t be too long."

The expression on Passion’s face didn’t change, but his eyes relaxed a bit, he nodded and then sat quietly without uttering a word. Seeing Passion’s satisfactory silence, Indulgence smilingly started, "You all did pick a great place. The owner here is quite capable, crafting such innovative ideas for an inn. Makes him much better than the incompetent folks in the Guild."

"I always used to think that everyone in the City of Innocence belonged to the Shadow Hand," Catherine said with a bitter smile. "Only today did I learn how wrong I was."

"Hahaha, of course not. The real members of the Shadow Hand are less than ten thousand, and only a few of them are here," Indulgence laughed a few times, then his smile suddenly disappeared. He said seriously, "Alright, let’s discuss official matters. A few days ago, another sacrifice took place."

"Again?" Catherine was taken aback, she sat up straight unconsciously. "Is it exactly the same as the previous times?"

Indulgence did not directly answer, but glanced at two female attendants. Both attendants immediately understood Indulgence’s intention. They gave a deep bow and slowly walked out to the restaurant door with their slightly more stable legs, standing like two statues at the entrance. Indulgence nodded with satisfaction towards the two attendants before speaking, "The incident probably happened four days ago at noon. We guess you were about to arrive, so we simply observed without touching anything at the crime scene. You can inspect it anytime. The scene is completely the same as before. It seems to be done by the same person or group of people. They are like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves. Once they catch their prey, they won’t let go until they have had their fill."

"They are acting so frequently, aren’t they afraid you’ll find them?" Catherine asked curiously. "As soon as I entered the city, you got the news. From this point of view, it shouldn’t be difficult to find them, should it?"

"Knowing about you coming to the city is because we knew in advance you were coming, so we notified the Guild’s dark sentinels. But this killer is different. We completely don’t know when he came or who he is. The sentinels can’t keep track of him. At least a hundred people enter the City of Innocence every day, openly or secretly. Nobody is familiar with each other, so it’s very difficult to find out who did this through the sentinels," Indulgence sighed and explained to Catherine, "As for whether the other party is afraid or not, I think they still don’t know that we’ve found out."

"How is it possible, hasn’t it been several months already?" Catherine responded in surprise.

"Most incidents occur in the First District, also known as the Alley District. There are abandoned buildings and the poorest people everywhere. The abandoned buildings are their homes. They rarely communicate with each other. It’s very common for several people in a building to die and no one to discover it for several years," Indulgence said. "We discovered the sacrifices by chance, then secretly investigated the entire Alley District, finally confirming the number of sacrifices. We were very covert during the investigation, even the leaders of the Alley District’s organizations didn’t know, let alone an outsider."

"So both sides are operating covertly?" Catherine nodded, "This is a good opportunity."

"So, we count on you for everything," said Indulgence seriously. "We’ll do our best to help to resolve this issue."

"Then please arrange it, I want to go to the crime scene," Catherine said. "I want to look at all the crime scenes, that’s the most direct way."

"No problem, let’s do it tonight," Indulgence said. "The killer knows the people here well. Everyone here lives their days as nights, so he chooses noon for the sacrifices when most people are asleep. Therefore, the night is the least likely time to be discovered by him." (To be continued. If you like this work, I welcome you to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets at Qidian.com. Your support is our greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)