Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength
Chapter 40 Professionals

Chapter 40: Chapter 40 Professionals

"Buttonhole—"

Ronald fiddled with the small piece idly, his thoughts drifting far away.

He was completely different from these ordinary passengers.

Their origins were clear, and there was nothing suspicious about their identities and behaviors.

For them, this train stop would just become a topic of conversation in future social interactions, or merely a novelty experience.

But Ronald was different.

He came from a remote, underdeveloped mountain area, where his family had fallen into such disrepair that they could barely afford cheap servants, a fact that made his identity look like a disguise.

Not to mention that due to his previous trip to Black Mountain, he had changed into a suit that didn’t quite fit, and almost all the details were elements that invited suspicion.

"Tsk—"

Frankly, Ronald felt somewhat helpless.

If he were a bit more crazed, he could now expand the scope of "rape’s" influence, unrestrainedly squandering the power the original text provided, and thus easily extricating himself from the current trouble.

But unfortunately, Ronald would not do that.

As a human being, his ethical bottom line was unbreakable, to flaunt power and place desires above others’ pain was simply...

—Revolting.

"So what should I do..."

With a sorrowful expression, Ronald even gave up sitting upright and simply lay down on the seat.

His hands were crossed under his head, and his legs restlessly kicked up.

Just like lying in his own living room as if he were in his bedroom, Ronald stared blankly at the ceiling of the carriage.

Forget it, I choose to give up—

Just let things fall where they may.

No more thinking!

After all, it involved the military.

Based on his previous observations, that middle-aged soldier, or rather officer, didn’t seem like someone accustomed to wrongfully accusing others.

After all, he hadn’t committed any crime; at worst, he’d be detained for a while.

At most, he still had his identity as a noble of the Grid to assist him.

Since crossing over, he had never really had a moment’s rest.

Perhaps it’s time to relax a bit.

After Ronald lay down, the train continued to be stopped for about three more hours.

As the inspection personnel left, although people were still unsettled, the commotion brought by this search in this carriage gradually came to an end.

At least, that’s how it was for the ordinary passengers on board.

The world outside had completely darkened.

It was now deep into the night.

Laying in his seat, Ronald opened the window and quietly sniffed the cold air.

Under the pitch-black night sky, the chilly air was somewhat unexpected.

He had heard that Berengridge was a major city in Grid, also one of the largest urban conglomerates in the world.

Given the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution, Ronald had braced himself for severely polluted air.

But reality?

—Was not so.

Approaching Berengridge, the air blowing in from the window merely felt low, nowhere near as filthy as imagined; he could even still see stars in the sky.

"It seems living in Berengridge isn’t a wrong decision."

"At least the industrial pollution isn’t so severe yet."

He knew, back on Earth, industrial pollution in London had once been so severe its impact spread over 50 kilometers.

His current position still allowed him to smell fresh air, so the residential environment in Berengridge couldn’t be too bad.

If he got leisurely, he could even try his hand at planting some flowers and plants.

And also learn about the plant situation in this world.

Muttering these mixed thoughts to himself, the train beneath Ronald remained motionless.

"There goes someone..."

"Isn’t that Mr. Swift?"

"You must be mistaken!"

"He’s supposed to be in Berengridge, why would he be on a train?"

"..."

Suddenly, the voices of people discussing in another compartment came through the window.

This also made Ronald Adler, who was lost in wild thoughts, startle.

Turning over, he rose from the chair and began to peer out the window, resting his head to the side.

The sound came from a carriage quite a distance away, so the fellow who made them exclaim should now be approaching his own position...

Clang clang clang—

Just as Ronald made his judgment, a rapid knocking sounded at the compartment door.

Immediately after, the compartment door was roughly pulled open.

Accompanied by a young guard, a middle-aged man wearing a brown coat and pince-nez glasses walked in.

Looking at Ronald sitting by the window, he quickly asked:

"Are you Ronald Adler?"

"That’s me."

"A noble from Yizi?"

"Yes, that’s correct."

"Where were you between seven and nine this morning?"

"In the carriage, sleeping."

"You..."

"Hold on a minute!"

Just as the man was about to continue, Ronald interrupted him.

"Let me clarify, I have nothing to do with the incidents on the train."

"Don’t talk to me with the attitude of interrogating a criminal!"

Ronald’s mind, which had rested just three hours, was reminding him about the newcomer.

—This is trouble!

A series of rapid questions did not just emphasize the dominance and control in their conversation,

it was also an opportunity for the other party to force him to reveal flaws with intensive questioning.

Unlike the officer last night.

This man in the brown coat was definitely an expert in negotiations or someone related to criminal investigation.

He could not be careless!

As expected, right after Ronald had interrupted him,

the man’s gaze became sharp, and he no longer had that urgent tone.

He stood staring at Ronald, then reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a pipe, lit it, and took a puff.

"Alright, Mr. Adler."

"Let’s start off with introductions."

"I am a professional detective from Berlingwich, Swift Lewis."

"I am here to solve the incident that occurred on the train."

"Now, I would like you to answer a few questions."

As expected, Ronald had guessed right.

This guy was a detective.

Seeing Swift’s classic style and hearing his meticulous questioning, Ronald even felt as though he had stepped into a detective novel and was being targeted by some famous detective.

"Sigh—"

He sighed, straightened his posture, and responded seriously:

"Please ask."

"As long as it does not bring me unnecessary trouble, I will answer all your relevant questions."

"Very well."

Seeing the posture Ronald took, Swift also realized this man was not simple.

For such an interviewee, he straightforwardly asked:

"So first question, your clothes clearly do not fit well. Why is that?"

"These clothes are what I was wearing before boarding the train."

Swift’s first question hit right at home.

The clothes changed on Black Mountain were not his own.

In front of a keen observer, discrepancies were bound to be noticed.

In such cases, a detective’s habitual thinking might consider whether the change was due to an attempt to disguise traces after committing a crime.

For this scenario, Ronald had already prepared his explanation.

While responding, he also showed the traces left on his clothing from the outdoors:

"Look here, these are from earlier in the Yizi Forest, you should be able to tell the time, right?"