Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength
Chapter 83: Leather Shop

Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Leather Shop

On Ron Avenue, which they had previously mentioned, Nicole did not lead Ronald directly to No. 37.

First, she headed to a small locksmith’s shop by the street.

Staring at the locksmith in the chair, the investigator approached and then whispered:

"Pine, the key for No. 37."

With a swoosh—

The locksmith pulled open a drawer, then took out a bunch of keys and began to search through them.

At the same time, his gaze uncontrollably shifted towards Ronald, who was standing by the door.

"Miss Nicole, is this gentleman..."

Nicole explained:

"He’s a new recruit I brought along."

"I see."

Nodding, the locksmith found a brass-colored key, wrapped it in note paper, and handed it over.

"Good luck with your work today."

"Thank you."

After nodding her thanks, Nicole did not linger any longer.

She turned her head and called Ronald, and the two continued down the street.

Soon, they arrived at the store numbered 37, as listed on the mission document.

Sandwiched between a tool shop and an iron store, the street’s No. 37 was a leather shop that both processed and sold leather goods.

However, at this time of day,

when the surrounding stores had already begun their business, this particular shop at No. 37 remained securely closed.

"This is the place."

Looking at the leather shop in front, Nicole muttered softly, then took the lead and walked to the door.

Holding the key up to the lock, she gently inserted and turned it.

Click—

The door opened.

In any case, with the help of the locksmith, who was an informant for the investigation agency, they easily unlocked the shop’s main door.

Although some passersby couldn’t help but notice their actions, a glance was all it took for them not to dare to come over and inquire or interfere.

Ordinary residents of Ron Avenue knew what sorts of things were better left untouched. Approaching individuals like Ronald and Nicole, given their social standing, could easily land one in danger.

"Ronald, stay close to me."

"Let’s go in and take a look."

Carefully pocketing the key, Nicole motioned to Ronald, and she stepped into the room first. At the same time, she tore open the paper that had wrapped the key, and the investigator read the contents softly:

"Hoff Leather Processing Factory retail outlet, owner Haywood Nelson, who completed a new large batch order three days ago. It was also his last appearance in the official records. Interestingly, this store only closed yesterday."

Listening to this information, Ronald immediately asked:

"Does this sound like just an ordinary citizen’s disappearance?"

In this era, similar security issues should be quite frequent; surely not every disappearance requires the investigation agency’s involvement, right?

What’s the role of the police then?

Hearing Ronald’s question, Nicole immediately shook her head:

"If it were just a regular disappearance, the police would typically handle it."

"But the situation has been unusual lately, and the issue with this store just happened to occur in this timeframe, which is why this case was handed over to us."

While talking, Nicole and Ronald passed through the shop’s front hall.

Entering the work area at the back of the shop, they immediately saw densely packed leather, among which the most striking were the raw hides that had been stripped from the game and only cleaned once.

On the outer side, however, were the finished leather goods, already treated and completed.

According to the information, this shop was a retail outlet for a leather factory.

But judging from what they observed, it also seemed to function in the acquisition of raw hides.

"Let’s pause for a moment."

Just as Ronald was still looking around and examining the environment, Nicole raised her hand to stop him.

Subsequently, the investigator paused in her tracks.

She didn’t chant any spells or perform any sort of casting motion.

Just two seconds later, she proceeded further into the depths of the shop.

However, from that moment on, Ronald could read a very serious demeanor from the young girl’s figure.

Nicole sensed something was off.

The original tome silently appeared in her hand, and Ronald immediately chanted the verses in a voice only he could hear. Black mist representing ’Fury’ enveloped and twined around his palm, ushering him into battle readiness.

Unfortunately, though the feedback from the emotional detection ability was frequent, most of it originated from outside Ron Avenue.

In this room, there were only the emotional fluctuations of the two of them—hers and Nicole’s.

—Continue forward.

Bypassing the area with oiled leather, they advanced deeper into the back of the shop.

Nicole, leading the way, frowned.

They had now departed from the shop itself, approaching a private living room.

However, the door to this room, which should have been locked and shut tightly,

was now wide open without obstruction.

Due to their deep ingress, sunlight could not illuminate the inside; the pitch-dark room gave off an immediate sense of danger at first glance.

"..."

Silence enveloped the leather shop.

The investigator’s gaze flickered, and without hesitation, she picked up an idle kerosene lamp from nearby.

Then, an interesting scene unfolded.

She didn’t take out any fire-making tools, but merely rhythmically moved her fingers across the outside of the lamp, and suddenly, the lamp blazed into life!

—It was sorcery.

Ronald instantly realized Nicole was using a spell.

Though he couldn’t identify its roots, his linguistic comprehension ability informed Ronald that the characters Nicole’s fingers had traced meant "ignite"!

At the same time.

Holding the lamp, Nicole stepped into the living room first.

"Hmm?"

Almost immediately upon entering, the investigator let out a dissatisfied exclamation:

"Hey! Are you still alive? Can you hear me talking?"

"Not dead yet? How about moving a bit?"

Ronald followed close behind and also saw the scene inside the room.

The room’s space brightened by the lamp light, beside the shadow of a bed, a middle-aged man with a potbelly lay sprawled on the floor.

The man was stark naked, his head lifelessly resting on the ground.

The bed’s tangled bedding, however, indicated the room had been recently occupied.

And this man was likely dragged out from there.

"Ronald. Hold the lamp for me."

Eyeing the motionless man on the floor, Nicole briskly handed the kerosene lamp to Ronald.

Then, the investigator pulled out a revolver from her wide coat, first tracing her fingers over the barrel and then over the bullets in the chamber.

Her movements were extremely swift and subtle.

Before Ronald could get a good look, Nicole, with the revolver’s cylinder back in place, pointed the gun directly at the man lying on the ground.

"Three seconds, get up now."

"1—2—3!"

Without further explanation, the moment the countdown ended, the investigator pulled the trigger.

"——"

The bullet flew close past the man’s skin.

Yet throughout the process, Nicole’s gun and the bullet it fired made absolutely no sound.

From loading to firing, every action was utterly silent!

It was as though this place was in outer space, devoid of any medium to carry sound.

And opposite this, was the man still sprawled on the ground.

Even with death brushing past him, he remained completely immobile.

"Tsk—"

"Is it this situation again?"

Seeing the scene unfold before her, Nicole clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.

She then walked forward and touched the man’s neck.

—The man was still alive.

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