Matthew didn't answer directly.
“It's hard to say for sure right now,” Matthew said. “But when two completely unrelated anomalies appear in the same place at the same time, that in itself is worth paying attention to.”
Aidan fell silent, then nodded seriously. “I understand.”
...
Matthew sat back down, picked up a piece of paper from the table, and began to write. He didn't write “vampires,” nor did he write “wizards.” He simply jotted down a few words:
Theater District. Nighttime activity. Disappearances. Mysterious carriages. Blood-Veined Rapier. Unknown faction.
Then, he drew a line next to them, connecting them all. At the moment, he still didn't know the answer, but he was already certain of one thing—the waters of the Royal Capital were much deeper than he had imagined.
...
“There's one more thing,” Matthew said suddenly.
Aidan looked up. “What is it?”
“In the future, don't ask about wizards directly.”
Aidan was taken aback. “Why?”
Matthew looked at him and explained, “Because real wizards won't let ordinary people know where they are. If someone casually tells you where to find one, they're highly likely not a wizard, but a fraud.”
Aidan came to a sudden realization. “So... we aren't looking for wizards, but the traces they leave behind.”
Matthew nodded. “Exactly. A single person can hide perfectly, but an organization, a group of people active over a long period, will definitely leave something behind.”
“Traces...” Aidan repeated in a low voice. This was the first time he truly understood the meaning behind those words.
...
Matthew looked out the window. The Royal Capital at night was completely different. The bustling shops of the day were gradually closing, and the ordinary residents on the streets were thinning out. Instead, wealthy individuals dressed in luxurious attire began to appear in carriages. In the distance, the lights in certain areas shone even brighter than they did during the day.
He suddenly thought of a question: if wizards truly existed, where would they be?
The answer was actually quite obvious. They wouldn't be where the crowds were thickest, nor would they be in the markets or plazas. They wouldn't be within the scope of ordinary people's discussions. They had to be hidden within certain exclusive circles.
Nobles? Scholars? Underground traders? Or perhaps some ancient organizations? He didn't know yet, but in a city as large as the Royal Capital, clues would eventually surface.
...
“Aidan, starting tomorrow, continue gathering this information,” Matthew instructed. “Pay special attention to a few specific directions.”
Aidan immediately pulled out a pen and paper. “Which ones?”
Matthew raised his hand and began counting on his fingers. “First, unusual deaths. Second, missing persons. Third, mysterious figures active at night. And fourth, anything related to magic or ancient rumors.”
Aidan carefully noted them down. “Is there anything else?”
Matthew thought for a moment and added, “If anyone mentions vampires, record that as well.”
Aidan's pen paused. “Vampires?”
Matthew nodded. “It's just a rumor. Don't believe it for now, but don't ignore it either.”
...
Having arranged these tasks, Matthew leaned back in his chair, finally letting out a relaxed smile.
On his first day in the Royal Capital, he had acquired the Blood-Veined Rapier. On his second day, he had begun to make contact with the hidden side of this city. Everything was going smoother than planned. Of course, he also knew that the smoother things went, the more dangerous the hidden things behind them tended to be.
But this didn't frighten him. Instead, it made him look forward to it even more. Ever since his transmigration, he had been searching for one thing: the true secrets of this world. And the Royal Capital was clearly the closest place to the answer.
The next morning, the Royal Capital woke up from its slumber once again.
Unlike yesterday, Matthew didn't linger in the comfort of his bed after waking up. Instead, he immediately set about organizing the information he had gathered the day before. Several sheets of paper now lay on his desk, recording various districts of the Royal Capital along with simple keywords:
Commercial District. Class Holder Plaza. Materials Market. Theater District. Disappearances. Night carriages. Mysterious rumors.
...
To an ordinary person, these things might seem like unrelated trivialities. But Matthew knew that truly important things were often hidden within such details. A powerful entity could hide, and an organization could hide, but long-term activity would inevitably leave traces. This was a law that could not be avoided in any world.
It was like a person walking through a forest. Even if they deliberately hid their footprints, the broken branches, the trampled grass, and the scent left behind would still tell any pursuer that someone had passed through.
...
“Brother Matthew,” Aidan's voice came from outside the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Aidan walked in. Compared to yesterday, he was clearly taking things much more seriously. He wasn't wearing his knight training uniform, but had changed into ordinary clothes, looking just like a common youth.
Matthew took a look and couldn't help but smile. “Not bad.”
Aidan scratched his head in embarrassment. “I thought that if I wore my knight uniform to ask about these things, people might notice.”
Matthew nodded. “You're starting to learn how to hide your motives.”
Aidan smiled. “I learned it all from you.”
Matthew shook his head and said nothing more. This kind of change was actually very important. A person who only knew how to fight would never go far. To survive in a place like the Royal Capital, besides strength, one also needed eyes, ears, and a brain.
...
“Any new information?” Matthew asked.
Aidan sat down and organized his thoughts. “Yes, and there's more than yesterday.”
Matthew signaled for him to speak.
Aidan opened the small notebook he carried with him. “First, the Theater District.”
Matthew's eyes flickered slightly. As expected, it was still that place.
“I asked a few more people about the disappearances the mercenary mentioned yesterday,” Aidan said. “Although no one could confirm the exact details, one thing was fairly consistent: over the past three months, people have indeed gone missing around the Theater District.”
Matthew frowned. “What kind of people?”
Aidan shook his head. “Their identities vary. There were ordinary servants, tavern waiters, and even the son of a minor merchant. But they all had one thing in common—they all disappeared after nightfall.”
The room fell silent for a moment. Matthew's finger lightly tapped the tabletop. Three months. Multiple people of different identities. All occurring at night. This no longer looked like simple disappearances.
...
“What else?”
Aidan continued, “Second, regarding those unmarked carriages. I asked a few old-timers at the docks, and they said those carriages have actually been appearing for a long time.”
Matthew looked up. “A long time?”
“Yes. At least over a decade.”
This answer caught Matthew somewhat by surprise. Over a decade meant this wasn't a recently emerged issue, but something that had always existed, just without drawing any attention.
Aidan continued, “Those old-timers said that people used to be curious in the past, but they later found out that the people behind those carriages weren't ordinary merchants. So, everyone gradually stopped asking.”
Matthew narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
Aidan shook his head. “I don't know. They only said that for some things, it's better not to know too much.”
...
Matthew remained silent. He had heard this phrase many times, and every single time, it represented some form of power. When ordinary people faced the unknown, their most common choice was not to investigate, but to steer clear of it, because they didn't have the capital to bear the consequences.
...
“And the third thing,” Aidan said. “The Scholar District.”
Matthew looked at him. “What about it?”
“I asked a few students. They said that recently, the purchasing prices for certain ancient books have suddenly skyrocketed.”
Matthew raised an eyebrow. “Ancient books?”
“Yes. Especially books regarding ancient races, magical history, and ruin exploration.”
The air in the room suddenly grew still. Matthew's gaze shifted for a brief instant. Ancient books, magical history, ruins... These things were finally starting to connect with the direction he was searching in. However, he didn't show it, merely asking calmly, “Who is buying them?”
Aidan shook his head. “I don't know. The students have only heard that someone is buying them at high prices.”
...
Matthew leaned back in his chair, organizing the details in his mind. The Theater District, disappearances, mysterious carriages, the acquisition of ancient books... These directions weren't fully connected yet, but they already shared a few common traits: concealment, secrecy, and a reluctance to be discovered by ordinary people.
...
“Very good,” Matthew said. “Keep it up.”
Aidan nodded, then hesitated for a moment before asking, “Brother Matthew, do you think... those things really exist?”
Matthew looked at him. “Which things?”
Aidan lowered his voice. “Like... vampires.”
The room fell silent. After a moment, Matthew smiled. “I don't know.”
“You don't know?” Aidan was somewhat puzzled.
“If they exist, we investigate. If they don't, then they're just rumors. Before we're certain, don't believe, but don't dismiss either.”
Aidan nodded thoughtfully.
...
Matthew stood up and put away the materials on the table. “Today, we're going somewhere.”
“Where?” Aidan asked.
Matthew looked at the map, his finger landing on a specific district. The Theater District.
“There. Let's see where the Blood-Veined Rapier truly came from.”
He didn't mention looking for vampires, nor did he mention looking for wizards. Right now, what they needed was to observe, not to alert the enemy. The Royal Capital was vast and filled with secrets, but as long as they waited patiently, someone would eventually slip up.
The Theater District was located in the southwestern part of the Royal Capital.
If the Commercial District represented the daytime prosperity of the capital, then the Theater District represented a different kind of bustle. It wasn't filled with the loud shouting of the Commercial District, nor did it have the noise of the Materials Market. Instead, the streets appeared much quieter.
Yet, this quietness was not desolation, but a special sense of order. Neatly planted silver-leaf trees lined both sides of the wide streets, with pristine white flagstones paved beneath them. Delicate streetlights could be seen at regular intervals, and many building exteriors featured exquisite carvings—reliefs of ancient heroes, patterns from mythological tales, and various works of art.
Matthew observed his surroundings continuously as they walked. This place was entirely different from the Commercial District. While the Commercial District pursued efficiency, this place pursued decency. Nobles, wealthy merchants, artists, and high-level Class holders were all frequent visitors here.
“This is the Theater District?” Aidan looked around, somewhat surprised. He had originally thought that a supposedly dangerous area would be dark, dilapidated, and filled with chaos. But everything before his eyes looked nothing like that. It was actually even more beautiful than many other places.
Matthew smiled. “The truly dangerous places are often not the ones that look dangerous.”
Aidan stared blankly for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. He realized that the longer he followed Matthew, the more he felt this man's way of looking at things was unique. Ordinary people looked at the surface, while Matthew looked at the reasons behind it.
The two of them continued forward. Soon, they saw the building at the absolute center of the Theater District—the Royal Capital Grand Theater.
The massive white structure occupied an entire street. Above the main entrance, a goddess holding a harp was carved into the stone. Even though it was daytime, people were still entering and exiting. Noble carriages were parked on both sides, and people dressed in gorgeous formal suits conversed in low voices.
Everything seemed normal—in fact, almost excessively normal.
Matthew stood outside the crowd, observing for a while without approaching.
Aidan asked in a low voice, “Is there something wrong with this place?”
Matthew shook his head. “Not for now.”
“Then why did we come to look?”
“Because anomalies never write themselves on people's faces.”
Aidan fell silent and continued to observe.
The two of them walked around the vicinity but found no obvious anomalies. There were no strange figures, no mysterious rituals, no suspicious transactions, and not even a trace of the rumored dangerous aura. If they hadn't heard those rumors earlier, this place would seem no different from an ordinary entertainment venue for nobles.
But the more this was the case, the more cautious Matthew became, because it proved one thing: the anomaly here was exceptionally well hidden.
In the afternoon, the two of them arrived at an old street on the outskirts of the Theater District.
Compared to the central area, this place was clearly much more ordinary. The buildings were ancient, their walls somewhat mottled, and there were far fewer people on the streets. A few small taverns, old weapon shops, and repair shops were still open. This was the Theater District that truly belonged to ordinary people.
“Let's go inside and take a look,” Matthew said, pointing to an old weapon shop.
The shop's sign had already faded, reading: 【Old Hank's Weapon Repair Shop】.
They pushed open the door, and a bell chimed.
Ding-ling—
An old man's voice came from inside. “Welcome. Repairing a weapon?”
A white-haired old man walked out from behind the counter. Seeing their attire, his gaze lingered for a brief moment, particularly on the knightly aura radiating from Aidan. However, he quickly returned to normal.
“What do you need?”
Matthew didn't bring up the Blood-Veined Rapier directly. Instead, he casually looked at the weapons on the counter. “Just looking around.”
The old man nodded, not asking any further questions.
The shop wasn't large, but it was packed with items. Old swords hung on the walls, and shields were piled in the corners. Some weapons had clearly seen years of use, and there were even traces of repairs after they had been broken.
Matthew walked over slowly. Suddenly, his footsteps paused.
A faint prompt had appeared on his panel:
【Detected residual special energy】
Matthew's expression shifted slightly, but he didn't show it. He looked in the direction of his perception.
It was an old sword placed in a corner. It was covered in rust, looking like a piece of junk that nobody wanted.
Noticing his gaze, the old man chuckled. “Ah, that one. Nobody will buy it. It's too old.”
Matthew walked over and picked it up. Its weight was ordinary, and there was nothing special about the blade itself.
Yet, the prompt on the panel remained:
【Ordinary Longsword】
【Residual unknown aura】
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