In less than twenty minutes, more than ten Class holders arrived at the scene alongside the City Guard.
From a distance, the entire street had already been sealed off. Half of a two-story residential building had collapsed, and a massive fissure, easily two meters wide, had split open in the ground.
The fissure was seemingly bottomless, with dust constantly drifting out of it. Several soldiers were maintaining order, while cries and pleas for help echoed one after another.
An officer quickly walked up to meet them. “There are still seven people who haven't made it out! Prioritize rescue! No one is allowed near the edge of the fissure!”
The Class holders immediately dispersed into action. Some cleared rubble, some propped up wooden beams on the verge of collapsing, and others searched for trapped residents.
Matthew quickly scanned the entire scene. On the surface, he was observing the ruins just like everyone else. In reality, an extremely subtle strand of Spirit had already quietly spread out, completely unnoticed by anyone.
In the next instant, his spiritual perception penetrated the rubble. At the location of the collapsed house's basement, he captured two faint signs of life—one large, one small. They were still alive!
Matthew immediately withdrew his Spirit. Without revealing anything unusual, he quickly walked over to the officer and said in a low voice, “There should still be people in the basement.”
The officer was taken aback. “How do you know?”
Matthew pointed toward a tilted section of the chimney. “The house collapsed toward the east as a whole, so the western side of the basement would have formed a triangular support. If anyone managed to hide in there in time, that is the most likely place to have survival space.”
This wasn't magic, but a logical judgment of the scene. The officer did not hesitate and immediately waved his hand. “Third Squad! Go with him!”
Matthew drew his longsword and was the first to charge into the ruins. Since arriving in the Royal Capital, this was the first time he was doing this not for a commission reward, but in the truest sense—to save lives.
Rubble kept rolling down, and the entire house was still emitting teeth-grating groans. Creak— Creak— It sounded as if it would collapse again at any moment.
Matthew did not rashly charge in. Instead, he first walked a circle around the ruins, his gaze quickly sweeping across every load-bearing beam and crack.
Then, he squatted down, picked up a piece of rubble, and tossed it gently toward the center of the ruins. Clack. The rubble landed, but it didn't trigger any new collapse.
He switched to another direction and threw another piece. This time, a broken wooden beam overhead shook slightly, sending down a cloud of dust. Matthew immediately took a step back, having already formed a judgment in his mind. “Enter from the west,” he said, turning back. “We can't go through the east.”
The other Class holders did not question him. The officer had already made it clear that Matthew was in charge of this search and rescue group. The group quickly cleared away the stones blocking the path, opening a narrow passage just wide enough for one person to pass.
...
Once inside the ruins, the light suddenly dimmed, and the air was thick with dust. Matthew walked at the very front, taking extremely steady steps.
Behind him, Aidan followed closely, asking in a lowered voice, “How are you so sure there are people in the basement?”
Matthew did not look back. “Just a guess.”
Aidan was taken aback for a moment, but did not press further. He knew that when Matthew said “guess,” it usually meant he was seventy to eighty percent certain.
...
The further they went inside, the stuffier the air became. Finally, a half-closed wooden door appeared ahead. It was the entrance to the basement. However, the entire door was pinned down by a massive boulder, leaving a gap less than half a foot wide.
Right then, from the other side of the gap, an extremely weak voice suddenly drifted out. “He... help... Help me...”
Aidan's spirits lifted. “There really is someone!”
Matthew immediately knelt on one knee. Peering through the gap, he saw a storage room inside. In the corner, a middle-aged woman was tightly holding a seven- or eight-year-old girl. The two of them were huddled behind a wooden cabinet, their faces covered in dust, but they were both still alive.
“Don't panic,” Matthew said in a low, steady voice. “We'll get you out right away.”
The woman nodded frantically, her eyes already brimming with tears.
...
However, the massive boulder blocking the door weighed at least several tons. It was impossible to move it directly with just a few people. One Class holder tried to push it, but it didn't budge at all. Another frowned and said, “We can only smash it.”
Matthew immediately shook his head. “No. The vibration would be too great. The house will collapse.”
He quickly surveyed the surroundings, his gaze finally landing on a broken beam pinning down the boulder. It wasn't an ordinary wooden beam, but the main support beam of the house, which had coincidentally formed a load-bearing fulcrum.
Matthew quickly calculated in his head. A few seconds later, he looked up. “No need to move the stone. Prop up this beam, and the stone will slide open slightly on its own.”
The others were all taken aback. That was actually possible? Matthew didn't explain, but immediately began directing them. “Two people, get some wooden posts ready. One person, grab some ropes. Aidan, come with me.” The group immediately sprang into action.
...
A4 few minutes later, as the wooden posts slowly pried up the broken beam, the massive boulder indeed slowly shifted a few inches. Though it was only a few inches, it was already enough. The basement's wooden door could finally be opened.
Holding the girl, the woman crawled out with great difficulty with everyone's help. The moment they left the basement, cheers immediately erupted outside. “They're saved! There are survivors!”
The officer also rushed over. Seeing the mother and daughter safe and sound, a smile finally appeared on his face. “Beautifully done!”
...
Just as everyone was preparing to continue searching for other missing persons, Matthew suddenly stopped in his tracks. His Spirit gently vibrated once more. It didn't come from deep underground, but... from inside that now-empty basement.
Matthew slowly turned his head. His gaze fell upon the innermost corner of the basement. There was a stone slab already covered in dust. When the woman and girl were hiding earlier, they had happened to block it from view. Now, with the two of them gone, the stone slab was finally fully exposed.
On the surface of the stone slab, a pattern that was mostly worn away was faintly carved. It wasn't text, nor was it an emblem. Rather, it was... an ancient bell.
Matthew did not walk over immediately. Instead, he stood in place, quietly observing. The stone slab was only half a person tall, mostly buried in the soil. Its surface was covered in cracks. If not for that faint bell-shaped engraving, anyone would have mistaken it for the basement's foundation wall.
The officer had already begun organizing the next round of search and rescue. No one was paying attention to this spot.
...
Matthew slowly squatted down. He pressed his palm gently against the surface of the stone slab. It was cold and rough. Other than that, there was nothing else unusual.
He did not rashly channel mana into it. Instead, he slowly swept his Spirit across the stone slab. In the next instant, his expression shifted slightly.
Inside the stone slab, it was not a single, solid piece of rock. Instead, it was pieced together from two different materials. The outer layer was ordinary granite, while inside, an extremely thin layer of black ore was sandwiched. This kind of structure would absolutely never appear in a normal building. It was more like... something artificially added later on.
Just then, footsteps sounded from behind him. “Matthew.” Ryan walked over. “Not leaving yet?”
Matthew naturally withdrew his hand and stood up. “I just thought this stone looked a bit strange.”
Ryan glanced at it, then smiled. “It's an old house. What kind of strange things wouldn't it have? When building houses decades ago, many people would haul back waste materials from the old city to reuse.”
Matthew nodded and did not argue. What Ryan said was the truth. Stone materials from the old city ruins were indeed frequently reused. But the piece before his eyes was clearly different.
...
The search and rescue continued until evening. The last missing person was also successfully found. Although they no longer showed signs of life, at least it gave the family some closure.
The officer walked up to the group and bowed solemnly. “Thank you, everyone. If not for you today, the casualties would have been even worse.”
The Class holders waved their hands in dismissal. Rescue was originally part of their duties.
...
As they were leaving the scene, the workers responsible for clearing the ruins had already begun to enter. Several carriages loaded with stone materials were parked by the street. Matthew glanced back. The stone slab carved with the bell-shaped pattern was currently being slowly hoisted by two workers using iron hooks.
However, the moment the stone slab left the ground, Matthew's pupils contracted slightly. Beneath the stone slab, there was actually something else. It wasn't a foundation, but a circle of regularly arranged blue-grey stone bricks. They formed a circle about two meters in diameter. At the center of the circle, a small section of rusted bronze was exposed.
With just one glance, Matthew recognized it. It wasn't a weapon, nor was it a vessel. Rather, it was... the suspension loop of a bell—the part at the top of a bell used for hanging. It was just that the vast majority of it was still buried underground.
The workers clearly didn't care. One of them swung his pickaxe, preparing to continue digging. Just as the pickaxe was about to fall, a low voice suddenly rang out. “Stop.”
Everyone turned their heads at the same time. A carriage bearing the royal crest had stopped at the street corner at some unknown point. The door opened, and a middle-aged man wearing a dark blue official uniform slowly stepped down. On his chest, he wore the badge of the Kingdom's Land Administration. Behind him followed several clerks.
The man swept a glance over the scene, his gaze ultimately resting on the hoisted stone slab. His expression didn't change in the slightest. He merely ordered calmly, “This place is being taken over by the Land Administration. Everyone, vacate the scene.”
The officer clearly recognized the other party. Although he was somewhat puzzled, he still immediately nodded. “Understood.” Soon, all the Class holders began to withdraw, and Matthew followed the crowd outward.
Before leaving, however, his Spirit gently swept across that area once more. Beneath the exposed bronze suspension loop, a massive bell body extending underground was faintly visible. It was not a scattered artifact, but... an ancient bell still buried within the ruins of the First Royal Capital.
Matthew did not stay, nor did he look back. He knew that from this moment on, this matter was no longer just an investigation by the Class Holders Guild. The Kingdom officials had officially intervened as well.
...
Three days later, the collapse site in the North District had been completely sealed off by high wooden fences. Outside the fences, soldiers patrolled twenty-four hours a day. Any unrelated personnel were strictly forbidden from approaching.
...
At the same time, at the Class Holders Guild, an official letter stamped with the seal of the Kingdom's Land Administration was delivered to the vice president. After reading it, the vice president gently nodded. “Please show him in.”
A moment later, a young deacon came to the hall. His gaze swept across the surroundings, finally resting on Matthew. “Mr. Matthew, the vice president requests your presence in the meeting room.”
Many Class holders in the hall cast curious glances over. Matthew merely nodded calmly, following the deacon upstairs.
...
Inside the meeting room, aside from the vice president, there was also a strange man. He was around forty years old, wearing a well-tailored dark blue uniform. His epaulets were embroidered with silver wheat stalks, and a slender knightly sword hung at his waist. He simply sat there quietly, yet naturally exuded a calm, steady sense of pressure.
At first glance, Matthew made a judgment. Gold Rank. And definitely not someone who had just promoted to Gold Rank.
...
The vice president took the initiative to introduce him. “This is an investigator from the Kingdom's Land Administration, Alvin.”
The man stood up, extending his right hand toward Matthew. “Alvin Gray.”
Matthew shook his hand lightly. “Matthew.”
Alvin did not exchange pleasantries, going straight to the point. “In the North District rescue, you were the first to discover the survivors in the basement.”
Matthew nodded. “Just good luck.”
Alvin looked at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled. “Many excellent investigators will describe observation skills as luck. That is a good habit.”
Matthew did not reply, only waiting quietly for what was next.
...
Alvin pulled out a rough sketch of the scene from his folder and placed it on the table. It was precisely the collapsed area of the North District. He tapped his finger gently on a certain spot. “Here. You lingered here for about three minutes. Why?”
Matthew's gaze fell on the drawing. It was precisely that stone slab carved with the bell-shaped pattern. It seemed that the Land Administration had not only taken over the scene, but had also recorded everyone's movements in detail. He did not panic, answering calmly, “The stone slab didn't look like a house foundation. I suspected there might still be trapped people underneath.”
Alvin nodded. “Why didn't you continue afterward?”
“The officer ordered us to evacuate. I obeyed the order.”
There was absolutely nothing wrong with the answer. It both conformed to the facts and did not expose his Spirit.
...
The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds. Alvin slowly closed the folder, then suddenly said, “Your judgment was correct.”
Matthew's expression remained unchanged, but his heart stirred slightly.
Alvin continued, “Beneath the stone slab, something was indeed discovered. However, it is no longer within the scope of the Class Holders Guild to handle.” He stopped speaking here. Obviously, any content beyond this already involved confidentiality.
...
The vice president spoke up at the right time. “We didn't invite you here today for an investigation. It's just a routine inquiry. In addition,” he pulled out a silver badge from his drawer and placed it on the table, “in view of your performance in the North District rescue, the guild has decided to grant you the Investigation Assistance qualification.”
Matthew looked at the badge. It was not large. The front bore the emblem of the Class Holders Guild, while the back was engraved with two small words: Assistance.
The vice president explained: “In the future, if the guild is involved in ruins, disappearances, or anomalous events, investigators have the right to invite holders of this badge to participate. Of course, you can also refuse.”
Alvin looked at Matthew, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips. “I hope that in the future, we will still have opportunities to cooperate.”
Matthew took the badge and nodded gently. “The honor is mine.”
At this very moment, he officially entered the sights of the Royal Capital's official investigation system. Not because he was the strongest, but because of—his powers of observation.
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