章節 159: The Skades

Upon seeing these two people, Ebner was clearly stunned. He blurted out, "Mr. and Mrs. Skade, why are you here?"

They were the people involved in the murder that Ebner had encountered when he was reincarnated in Backlund from East Chester County. The Solomon gold coin was found on their dead son.

To be honest, ever since Cullen told him that the so-called "tenants" were people he knew, he had guessed Sharron and Maric, Lena and Talim, Xio and Fors, and even Roman and Susan… But he never expected it to be these two.

Ebner remembered that this Mr. Skade was the manager of a sea trade company. He had saved a mysterious old man on his way back from the Rorsted Archipelago. Later, under the guidance of this old man, he found a small island with hidden treasures. The shareholders on the ship did not heed the advice of the old man before he left. They led Mr. Skade and the others to open a door and saw the murals inside…

After that, all of them started to be plagued by bad luck. Many of their children even suffered from all kinds of illnesses.

And the Solomon gold coin that had repeatedly helped him was also from that small island.

Mr. Skade, who was wearing a white shirt with a black vest on the outside and had neatly combed hair, first bowed to Ebner before respectfully saying, "Detective Bryan, we are now servants of the Church of Earth Mother. Mr. Cullen arranged for us to work in this villa… He instructed us to serve you."

"Wait… I remember that you're believers of the Church of Steam, right?" Ebner interrupted. He remembered very well why he, a believer of steam, had to do sea trade.

"Yes. Back then, you even suggested that we pray at Saint Hierländ Church the moment we arrived in Backlund and tell the priest about our previous encounter…"

At this point, Mr. Scard's expression became obviously complicated. He sighed and continued, "Unfortunately, the Church of Steam didn't take it seriously. Harriet and I were still plagued by bad luck. We were even caught by the gangs and almost sold to slave traders…"

"The gang you're talking about, could it be…" Ebner suddenly had a guess. He felt that the Church of Steam, or rather, the Machinery Hivemind, might have taken it seriously, but the two ordinary people did not know.

"Yes, it's Winston's Labor and Services Company, as well as the Black Skeleton Gang behind it! Here, I would like to sincerely thank you, Detective Bryan. If you hadn't infiltrated the company and cracked this case, I don't know what tragic fate Harriet and I would've met… Unfortunately, we were all unconscious at the time, and we didn't see your heroic fighting prowess with so many villains."

A look of gratitude came into Mr. Skade's eyes. Mrs. Skade, beside him, curtsied again and thanked Ebner for his rescue.

Ebner's mouth twitched. 'What the hell does he have to be so 'heroic' about? He was clearly 'hanging out' with Judy outside that company the whole time… Judy was the only one who made a move.'

To hide his embarrassment, Ebner took a deep breath and changed the topic. "Then how did you become servants of the Church of Earth? And why are you here?"

"Detective Bryan, it's like this. After we were rescued by you, we lost all our belongings and had no choice but to wander around East Borough while looking for a job… However, my luck was still very bad. I never found a job that suited me… But on the night of last weekend, just as we were walking numbly on the streets of East Borough and were about to collapse, we were finally blessed by fate and met Mr. Cullen and Miss Judy."

With that said, Mr. Skade piously drew the Earth Mother's simple Sacred Emblem on his chest and chanted in a low voice,

"Thank you, the source of life!"

"Praise you, Mother of All Things!"

…

Bishop Utravsky's ability is very strong… Ebner was very sure that Cullen and Judy did not have this infectious ability. They must have brought the Skades back to the Harvest Church.

However, they were really lucky to have met Judy and Cullen who were investigating at night…

While Ebner was lost in his thoughts, he heard Mr. Skade continue, "The Great Mother redeemed Harriet and me, so I decided to become the Great Mother's servant and spread her loving kindness to everyone who needed it.

"Previously, Harriet and I had been helping Mr. Cullen to gather some information. We were only arranged to be here yesterday. As a valet and maid, we helped you manage this villa."

"I see…" Ebner nodded. After pondering for a moment, he asked a practical question. "Who will pay for your salaries and the daily expenses of the villa?" It can't be me, right? I thought Cullen had found two sugar daddies, but who knew that it would be two poor people…

"It will be reimbursed by the Church… Of course, the monthly budget, settlement, and settlement bills will only be handed over to Bishop Utravsky after you sign the agreement." As he spoke, Mr. Skade took a receipt with various expenses and handed it to Ebner. After all, he was a manager of a sea trade company and was quite capable in his business.

Ebner gave it a cursory glance before putting it aside. As long as he didn't have to pay, it would be fine. As for the Skades, would they take the opportunity to earn some extra money? He felt that he didn't have to worry about it at all. When the time came, he could just use the Ring of Light's "notary" ability to draw up a contract.

Next, Ebner asked Skade about the specifics of the garden villa. He learned that since many of the furniture and necessary items had been moved or destroyed before the handover, some repairs and purchases were still needed. They could not be checked in immediately. At the current rate, they would have to be ready by Monday or Tuesday at least.

Yes, after I move in next week, I'll hold a banquet at my new residence and invite all my friends over… I can design it so that Xio can find the tampered Feast of Blood.

…

In an old apartment on the south side of the bridge, Witch Leena was reading today's newspaper. The focus of her attention was undoubtedly the headlines of the "Hero Detective Capturing the Prince" assassination.

"Heh heh, this is too much. The murderer is a burly man over 1.8 meters tall. The hero detective relied on his intelligence to deal with him and finally defeated him with the environment… Tsk tsk, I wonder what Ray would think if he were still alive and read this newspaper?" Lena said happily as she read.

Sitting opposite her was former constable Shoko. He looked at the smiling Demoness and asked worriedly, "Are you really alright? Earl Lorena has already been executed, right… Why are you still smiling?"

"Witch" Lena glanced at him and said nonchalantly, "I told him before that the suffering I suffered in the Demoness Sect was equivalent to repaying his kindness… We don't owe each other anymore."

"Then why are you acting so sad and angry at Prince Edessak? As if you want to break up with him?" Shoko asked, puzzled.

Upon hearing Edessak's name, Lena's expression softened. She sighed and said, "My existence will only bring him endless trouble… Taking the opportunity to stay away from him is for his own good… After all, he's my only friend."

"Aren't I your friend too?" Shoko retorted unhappily.

"You? You can only be my future sister!" Leena looked at him with a faint smile. Then, before he could react, she changed the topic. "You've been frequently acting as a vigilante recently, assassinating many gang leaders. It's time to stop. I heard that they've already found Beyonders to ambush you."

"But what about the role of an Assassin?" Shoko wasn't aware that she had changed the topic and only raised her doubts.

"Assassins are particular about scheming before making a move. They kill in one strike! Assassins like you who interfere when they encounter injustice can only be considered lucky that you haven't died until now." Lena sighed. She looked at the present Shoko as though she was looking at her past self. She was so naive.

Despite knowing that Sequence 7 would become a Witch, he still chose this Beyonder path, all for the sake of becoming stronger and ruling his own fate.

With this in mind, she glanced at the newspaper beside her. With a thought, she smiled at Shoko and said, "The Demoness of Afflictions, Ray, should have been killed by this hero detective. Since you were taken care of by Inspector Wayne, now that he has avenged himself, shouldn't you go and thank this detective?"

Shoko was stunned for a moment before nodding in agreement, "That's right, we need to pay them a visit."

"Then when you get there, give him this 'necklace' as a thank-you gift," Lina said, pulling a box out of the drawer beside her and handing it to Shoko.

Shoko subconsciously took it and opened it. Her eyes instantly widened as she said, "Isn't this the necklace I gave you? This is an extraordinary item… You actually gave it away?"

The corners of Lena's mouth curled up slightly, but she didn't reply. She only thought to herself, No matter who's scheming behind the scenes, I can't keep this necklace. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll fall deeper into the trap. Even if it helped me in the past… And since that Hero Detective is able to receive credit every time, it's obvious that his background isn't shallow. I should let him or the existence behind him give me a headache.

…

In the blink of an eye, it was Sunday. After two days of headlines, the popularity of Ebner's "hero" had finally dropped. Only then did he have an opening. He wore the "clown mask" and went out.

He first went to the garden villa in Cherwood Borough to check on the restoration progress before walking to the Folk Herb Store near the Tussock River.

Darkwill's chubby face quickly entered his vision.