Chapter 16 -
Chapter 16: Inquiries
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The second day, early morning.
“Hello! Are you Mr. Su Lu Pottery?”
Upon opening the door, two people dressed as police officers appeared, each wearing a badge adorned with a sword encircled by thorns.
“Yes, that’s me!”
Su Lu thought to himself that they had finally arrived. After confirming their identities, he invited the two officers into the room: “What can I do for you?”
“Yes, we have some questions and we need to conduct a routine inquiry with you!”
The two officers, a man and a woman, were present. The woman pulled out a folder and from it, she took out a photo: “Do you recognize this lady?”
The photo was black and white, slightly blurry, signifying the poor angle of the photographer, but Beryl could still be vaguely recognized.
In the photo, her demeanor seemed even colder, un-human-like, instilling a sense of terror in Su Lu.
Her cold eyes, as if looking through the photograph, seem to be staring at his current self!
Eerie! Terrifying!
‘What on earth did I let out?’
Su Lu muttered to himself.
“Mr. Pottery? Mr. Pottery?”
Seeing his dazed expression, both officers immediately called out: “Is there something wrong?”
“Nothing, I was just lost in thought!”
Su Lu guided them to the couch, pouring two cups of plain water: “Sorry… that’s all I have to offer!”
“No problem!”
The female officer closed the folder, crossed her legs, and pulled out a notebook: “Now, can you tell us about your relationship with the lady in the photo?”
“Her name is Beryl, my classmate… um, I once pursued her!”
Su Lu smiled, not feeling awkward at all.
“Indeed, she is a beauty…” the female officer smiled: “It’s normal for young people…”
“I’m sorry… I heard she went missing, is that true?” Su Lu asked.
“No! Not missing!”
The male officer began to speak: “She is currently wanted for three counts of attempted murder, nine counts of intentional assault. We are in pursuit of her!”
What?
Su Lu was taken aback. He didn’t expect the Corpse Maiden to cause such a mess after she got out.
A normal creation of a Corpse Maiden is just a simple manipulation of a corpse, it should quickly lose all its abilities and decompose when it goes too far from the caster or when its energy source is depleted, right?
“Beryl… no! She’s not like that!”
On the surface, Su Lu appeared shocked and in disbelief.
“So…Mr. Su Lu, can you tell us what you were doing and where you were on the third of July, at seven in the evening?”
The female officer knocked on her notepad with the cap of her pen, asking with clear enunciation.
“I… I was at the White Tower café, on a date with Beryl!”
Su Lu ran a hand through his hair: “She invited me, but she said I was the one who invited her… it wasn’t a perfect start, but it ended up okay!”
As for this question, Moli probably mentioned it already—thus, Su Lu didn’t hold back.
“You both thought the other one had sent the invitation? What did you guys talk about? Don’t lie to me, we already know what you did that night!”
The male officer stood, his tone becoming harsh.
Hehe, trying to scare me?
Good cop, bad cop? Isn’t this play worn out?
“I wasn’t lying…” Su Lu laughed inwardly but outwardly he shook nervously, noticing the encouraging look from the female officer: “I was just showing off that I received an invitation from Green Tree Castle’s lab. She sincerely congratulated me… Then we parted ways at the entrance of the cafe; I went to the library, read until ten o’clock, came back, and slept… Oh yeah, a lot of people in the library can vouch for me!”
“Just like that?”
The male officer and the female officer exchanged glances: “Did you notice anything unusual about Beryl that night?”
Su Lu pretended to think: “No!”
“Alright then!”
The female officer asked a few more questions, put away her notebook, and stood up: “If you remember anything else, you can contact me using the information on my business card!”
She handed over a business card and left the dormitory with the male officer.
“Wait a minute!”
Su Lu walked them out and suddenly asked: “Can I ask where Beryl was last seen?”
The male and female officers looked at each other. The female officer said in a grave voice: “She was last seen in Boise City! And then she disappeared completely…”
Boise City!
That is a city located west of Nia City, where St. George’s University is located. It would take several hours by steam train to reach it.
‘That’s quite a distance!’
Having seen them out and closed the door behind them, Su Lu looked at the card in his hand: “Marilyn Luna! Interesting!”
Perhaps his preparation wasn’t that perfect.
If Beryl truly died, out of control and her body was discovered, he would still be a suspect.
But now, she has become a fugitive?
Su Lu was truly taken aback by how things can change unexpectedly.
‘But this could be a good thing… After all, how is it related to me if Beryl kills someone? There’s no evidence that can link these two matters… Therefore, I’m a small suspect, otherwise, they would have taken me to the police station for questioning…’
‘Though, I’m afraid I can’t avoid being investigated and monitored covertly.’
Su Lu was not scared of being investigated because mostly what he said was the truth. He was innocent and not afraid of blunders.
As for surveillance? He even wanted it!
The best outcome would be if the mastermind behind the scenes realised that he was being protected by the police and backed off, then everyone would be happy.
On the other hand, Beryl was becoming increasingly disconcerting.
In the photo, her icy countenance was lingering in his mind.
‘The Corpse Maiden couldn’t be so autonomous… my ritual was clearly influenced by the “moon”… And in many religious texts, the moon is closely associated with the realm of darkness, representing “death”, a goal coveted by many evil and false gods…’
‘Perhaps… some entity interfered with my ritual and made Beryl into a new undead life?’
He suddenly had a hypothesis.
Of course, any growth of an undead life is not an overnight process.
The disrupted ritual just planted a seed which initially allowed him to control the Corpse Maiden and perform simple semi-intelligent manipulation.
However, as time goes by, she must grow rapidly. The flower nurtured by flesh and blood will become exceptionally beautiful and deadly!
‘In the long run, her threat is more terrifying than the manipulator behind the scenes!’
Su Lu rubbed his head in distress: “Maybe… I should write a letter to ask Rod to come as soon as possible!”
There were many things he wanted to consult with his older brother about.
Whether it was about the Dawn of the Gods, the resurrection of the transcendent, the promotion of the Demon Hunter, how to become a true transcendental, or the latest problem of dealing with Beryl.
Compared to these, discomfort and maladjustment could be put aside temporarily.
After all, people change in four years, don’t they?
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