Matthew didn't rush to a conclusion.
He placed the paper gently on the table and reread it from beginning to end. Theater District. Increased night patrols. The Patrol Group's internal knowledge. Don't respond to voices at night. Homeless people mentioning disappearing bodies. And the vampires the mercenaries spoke of yesterday.
Taken individually, these were just rumors. But once placed together... the flavor changed.
Matthew leaned back in his chair, his mind constantly organizing the logic. In his past life, he had read too many detective novels and seen many methods for information analysis.
One rumor was unreliable. Two rumors might be a coincidence. But if five people in different places spoke of things that could corroborate each other, then there was likely truth hidden within.
The truth might not be the rumor itself, but something had definitely happened. At this thought, Matthew suddenly spoke. “Aidan.”
“I’m here.”
“These pieces of news today—where exactly did you hear them?”
Aidan answered immediately. “A total of four places. The tavern next to the Class Holder Plaza, the Central Market, the East District Docks, and a roast meat stall near the inn.”
Matthew nodded. The locations were different, and the people were different. This meant the news hadn't originated from a single place; the range of diffusion was already quite large.
“Did those people know each other?”
“No. There were mercenaries, porters, and a few merchants. None of them seemed to know one another.”
Matthew's eyes brightened slightly. Good. This made the credibility a bit higher. He picked up his quill and added more to the paper.
【Sources: Four locations.】
【Identities: Mercenaries, merchants, dockworkers, civilians.】
【Recurring keywords: Night, Theater District, patrols.】
After finishing, he tapped the table lightly. “From now on, continue using this method.”
Aidan was stunned for a moment. “Which method?”
Matthew looked up. “Don't ask. Listen. Things that people say of their own accord are more credible than what you ask for.”
“If you ask proactively, others will wonder why you're asking. They might even lie to you on purpose. But if you just sit there drinking and listening to people chat, they won't be on guard.”
Aidan's eyes grew brighter and brighter. “I see.”
Matthew smiled. “Also, for the same matter, don't just listen to one person. Listen to at least three. If three people say the same thing, write it down.”
“If five people mention it, make it a priority. If ten people know, then it's no longer a secret.”
Aidan nodded vigorously. “I've got it.”
Matthew continued, “Furthermore, don't always stay in mercenary taverns in the future.”
“Why?”
“Because what mercenaries know is mostly limited to the mercenary circle. Go to the market tomorrow, the docks the day after, and near the Theater District the day after that. Of course, go during the day. Do not go near at night.”
Aidan paused. “Why?”
Matthew looked out the window. “It's not about fear, but because it's unnecessary. We know nothing right now. Rushing over there would be meaningless and only increase the risk.”
“Before truly investigating, we must gather all the information we can. Only then can we know what's real and what's fake.”
Aidan grew more and more impressed as he listened.
He suddenly realized that Matthew was different from all the Class holders he knew. When those mercenaries encountered something, their first reaction was to go see it, or even to personally get involved.
But not Matthew. He was like a hunter, never in a rush to pounce. Instead, he observed and waited for the prey to reveal a weakness before delivering a fatal blow. This kind of patience made Aidan feel a sense of admiration.
Just then, Matthew asked a question. “Did you hear any news about missing persons today?”
Aidan frowned and thought seriously for a long time. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead. “Yes!”
Matthew looked up. “Speak.”
“I didn't find out by asking. It was two market women chatting. They said people have been moving out of the East District lately. I didn't care at the time, but then one of them said it wasn't moving—the people were just gone.”
Matthew's gaze instantly sharpened. Aidan continued to recall. “The other woman scolded her for talking nonsense. But the first woman said there was a family next door to her. The man was a leatherworker, and he hadn't opened his door for three days.”
“Someone went to knock, but there was no response. Later, the landlord found a patrol knight. Not long after the knight went in, the entire house was sealed off.”
“The next day, it was as if that family had never lived there. All the furniture was moved out. No one nearby knew what happened.”
At this point, Aidan couldn't help but rub his arms. “I thought she was just telling ghost stories at the time. But thinking about it now... it seems a bit like those rumors in the Theater District.”
The room fell completely silent. Matthew didn't speak. He slowly lowered his head, picked up the quill again, and wrote two words at the bottom of the paper: Disappearance incidents.
Then, he drew a line, connecting it with the keywords he had written before. Theater District. Night patrols. Bodies. Nighttime prohibition. Disappearances.
An extremely rough but beginning-to-take-shape information network was slowly forming on the paper. Matthew gazed quietly at the connected ink lines, and a faint smile finally appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He knew he was one step closer to the true extraordinary world. Not by luck or chance encounters, but by personally digging out the traces hidden in the world of ordinary people.
Matthew didn't continue recording. He just looked at the paper on the table. The pieces of information and clues were still scattered and could even be said to have no evidence.
But he knew that intelligence was naturally like this. No one would lay the answer directly on the table. Truly valuable information was often hidden in these unremarkable chats. As long as he kept accumulating, he would eventually piece together the complete picture.
Matthew gently folded the paper and put it in the drawer. This paper had no value now, but it might become very important in the future.
...
In the evening, the setting sun slowly sank. The orange-red light fell on the stone buildings of the royal capital, dyeing the entire city in a faint golden layer.
Outside the inn window, the number of people on the street actually increased. Many shops lit their magic crystal lamps, and the soft white light lit up one after another. Soon, the entire street was bright again.
Even as night fell, the royal capital did not fall silent. It just had a more decadent atmosphere than during the day. The taverns grew lively, the theaters began operating, and noble carriages constantly drove deep into the city. The songs of bards drifted along the street.
Matthew stood by the window, watching all this. Suddenly, he said, “Let's go.”
Aidan was stunned. “Out?”
“Yes. Tonight, we won't investigate anything. We'll just look around.”
Aidan nodded. The two of them left the inn and walked slowly along the main street they had traversed during the day.
The royal capital at night was completely different from the day. The day was busy, while the night was prosperous. There were even more stalls by the roadside than in the morning. The scent of roast meat mixed with the smell of ale, constantly wafting through the air.
Many mercenaries finished their day's work and sat around tavern entrances, drinking heavily and laughing loudly. Occasionally, someone could be heard cursing and slapping the table after losing money at cards.
A bit further away, in front of an instrument shop, someone was playing a lute. The melody was light and brisk, causing many passersby to stop for a moment.
Matthew didn't stop. His gaze was constantly observing the surroundings—the patrols, the passersby, the entire city. Soon, he discovered something.
During the day, he hardly felt there were many patrol knights. But at night, the situation had clearly changed. At almost every set distance, a patrol squad could be seen.
They weren't many—four to six people—but their equipment was excellent. Chainmail, shields, longswords, and even short crossbows. They weren't as leisurely as they were during the day. Instead, they had serious expressions as they constantly patrolled the streets, occasionally stopping to question those returning home late.
Aidan noticed it too. He lowered his voice. “Brother Matthew, there really are more of them.”
Matthew nodded. “What we heard during the day were rumors. Now, we're seeing it with our own eyes.”
Aidan looked down the street and couldn't help but count. “We've only walked for a little while and we've already seen four patrol squads.”
Matthew didn't answer. His attention was on one of the patrol squads. The lead knight was about thirty years old, with a cold expression. He constantly scanned the surroundings, his gaze lingering for a few seconds on some dark alley entrances.
He didn't seem to be on guard against thieves, but rather looking for something. Just then, a commotion suddenly came from the other side of the street.
A few drunkards walked out unsteadily, singing out-of-tune songs. One of them had drunk too much and actually walked toward a dark alley nearby.
Before he could take two steps, a patrol knight stepped forward quickly and blocked him. “Do not enter tonight,” the knight said calmly.
The drunkard, his face full of alcohol, waved his hand impatiently. “Get lost! Who are you to care if I go home?”
The knight didn't get angry; he just repeated, “Take a detour.”
“Why?” the drunkard cursed. “My home is in there!”
The knight was silent for two seconds. Then he reached into his breast pocket, pulled out a silver coin, and handed it over. “Stay in an inn tonight. I'll cover the cost.”
This time, not only was the drunkard stunned, but many nearby passersby were also taken aback. A knight paying out of his own pocket just to stop someone from walking down that alley?
Although the drunkard had drunk a lot, his brain wasn't broken. Seeing the silver coin, his cursing diminished significantly. After muttering a few words, he actually turned and left.
The patrol knight watched him until he was far away before slowly letting out a breath. Then, he waved to the other knights and continued the patrol.
The entire process took only dozens of seconds. But Matthew stood in place, his gaze growing deeper. If it were just a normal security issue, it would be impossible to go to such lengths. They would rather pay out of their own pocket than let a civilian enter a certain alley.
This meant... there was definitely something inside that alley. Or rather, there was something they couldn't let ordinary people encounter.
Matthew didn't rashly approach. He just silently looked up and memorized the alley's location. Then, he turned away gently. “Let's go back.”
Aidan was startled. “Now?”
“Yes. Today is enough. Looking further won't yield any new harvests.”
The two of them merged back into the flow of people on the street. No one noticed that shortly after they left, something like a dark shadow flickered slightly deep within that dark alley entrance before quickly merging into the darkness, as if nothing had happened.
Matthew didn't look back. His steps remained steady as if he hadn't discovered anything, and he continued down the street. Aidan followed behind, and although his heart was full of doubt, he didn't ask.
It was only after they returned to the main street and the crowd thickened again that Aidan lowered his voice. “Brother Matthew, that alley just now...”
Matthew said calmly, “Remember the location. Do not go near it.”
Aidan was stunned. “Is there really a problem inside?”
“At the very least, it's worth suspecting.” Matthew didn't say it too certainly. Suspicion and certainty were two different things.
A mature hunter wouldn't rush to a conclusion just because of one anomaly, let alone take risks out of curiosity. The patrol squad's performance only meant that the alley had a special situation. Whether it was vampires, a noble secret, or just a dangerous criminal, no one knew for sure right now.
Matthew continued, “If you pass by here in the future, bypass it. Do not enter until we have enough strength.”
Aidan nodded seriously. “Yes.” He was already used to it. Brother Matthew would never be impulsive just because of a clue. The more dangerous it was, the calmer he became.
By the time they returned to the inn, night had completely fallen. The hall was much livelier than in the morning. Many mercenaries had just returned, some covered in dust, others with bloodstains on their armor that hadn't been cleaned off.
The tavern area was already half full. Cups of ale were brought to tables one after another. Laughter, clinking glasses, and arguments mixed together, filling the entire hall with the bustle of life.
Matthew didn't stay. He led Aidan straight back to the third floor. He closed the door and locked it. After confirming there were no anomalies with the window, he sat at the table.
Aidan stood quietly to the side. Throughout the day, he had hardly spoken, mostly following Matthew and observing. Only now did he truly feel that Matthew hadn't gone out for a walk today. He was looking. Looking at the royal capital, looking at people, looking at order, and looking at the details that others wouldn't notice.
...
...
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