Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam
Chapter 115 - 114: Going to Ximu Town

Chapter 115: Chapter 114: Going to Ximu Town

The situation developed beyond Lindong’s expectations; when they left the branch, every investigator was in a frantic state of alert, facing an unprecedented plague, which was likely another plot of the Evil God.

The danger had penetrated deep into people’s hearts, and everyone did their utmost to get into work mode.

And all of this was caused by Ethan, who only told a half-true story.

Compared with wantonly squandering magic, this seemed to be some more fearsome power; even she had only seen such a trait recorded in history books regarding certain individuals, and once again, Ethan’s breadth of knowledge exceeded her imagination—this guy even had insights into plagues and infectious diseases!

This made Lindong more curious about Ethan’s next plan, "Are you going to interrogate that thug next?"

"I have a general idea why he attacked Aisoke."

"How do you know?"

"Only those who hate Aisoke the most can meet Kane."

Last night, while buying clothes at the clothing store, he obtained an important clue that not long ago, a tragedy occurred in Aisoke’s mansion.

He hurried back to the clothing store, chatted with the clerk a little, showed his Reception Bureau investigator ID, and hinted that her friend was in big trouble recently.

The clerk panicked, sure enough, immediately revealing the home address and other information that Ethan wanted to know. She also mentioned that she used to work at the Guild in Gear City, but a sudden transfer to the mansion resulted in this tragedy.

The location was in the southern area of Gear City, where it was the poorest neighborhood.

The houses were dilapidated, most of the residents wore patched-up clothes, and homeless wanderers were everywhere, with a few skinny children wrapped in old blankets, curled up at the corners of building steps.

Another harsh winter was upon them.

Street children had always been a problem in each city of the Empire. During this era, detailed census records hadn’t emerged, making disappearances a norm. Recently, the Imperial Military Industry noticed that child labor seemed to be a more cost-effective choice, as most of these children couldn’t survive the winter anyway, they might as well make use of them to expend their last bit of value before dying.

Lindong felt heavy-hearted.

Two years ago, the Violet Commune couldn’t solve these issues; the Empire continued on its set path, and she also didn’t know how to resolve the Empire’s current situation. She used to only know how to fight and kill, seemingly only good at destruction, facing such situations always made her feel deeply powerless.

The tail wrapped around Ethan’s neck tightened slightly.

Feeling Lindong’s abnormality, Ethan gently patted her on the head, and the white cat on his shoulder squinted its eyes, no longer looking at the grim scene outside.

"Sir, please spare something."

As he passed the steps, a dirty-faced little boy looked at Ethan with hopeful eyes. He had seen the white cat, its fur immaculately clean, on Ethan’s shoulder, "You must be an extraordinary person."

"I am not extraordinary in any way."

Ethan took out a Gold Lion quietly and placed it in the little boy’s dirty hand. If lucky enough, this should help a group of children through the harsh winter.

The little boy’s eyes widened with surprise as he saw the golden object in his hand.

"Shh."

Ethan gestured for him to be quiet, using his back to block the view of the homeless people passing by on the street.

If they weren’t so lucky, a Gold Lion might bring misfortune to them, "Don’t tell anyone, spend it carefully."

The prosperous business at Old Sen Magic Technology Store allowed him to easily give out a Gold Lion as a gift, but the kindness he could express was limited to this; changing the Empire’s status quo wasn’t something a single store could accomplish anyway. Moreover, he didn’t possess such grand ambitions either—that was the burden of Saints and the Great Duke, far too heavy for him to carry.

"Thank you so much! When I grow up, I will surely repay you!"

"Don’t make promises that you can’t easily fulfill."

Ethan waited until the little boy hid the Gold Lion deep in his tattered clothing before he got up and headed towards the depths of the apartment.

Half a minute after knocking, a woman opened the door. Seeing Ethan standing at the entrance, she seemed to sense something, clenched her fists, and then let out a long sigh.

The woman hadn’t slept for several nights and looked extremely haggard.

Ultimately, she did not resist in any way, only saying softly, "Please come in."

The furniture in the apartment was old, but neatly arranged; most were discarded goods from the guild, clean, sun-dried maid uniforms folded neatly over the chair backs.

The woman stood in the foyer, occasionally and uneasily glancing towards the bedroom.

"This morning, there was an attack at the casino, a thug wielding a crossbow broke in, attempting to assassinate Mr. Aisoke."

Ethan gave a simple briefing of the case, but the woman’s face changed drastically, asking tremulously, "Master Aisoke... is he alright?"

"The assassination failed, the thug was captured and is probably on the way to be transferred to the Reception Bureau."

Upon hearing that Aisoke was still alive, the woman clenched her fists tighter, and her shoulders trembled slightly, as if desperately covering up the lingering resentment.

Ethan asked, "Do you have anything to add?"

"Did Master Aisoke send you?"

"Currently, it’s just a routine investigation."

"...Nothing."

No accusations, no pleadings, the woman didn’t even intend to defend herself.

She clearly understood the nature of the assassination, as well as the imminent outcome.

Here was only someone awaiting death’s approach.

"May I check on your daughter?"

"Please allow us our last bit of dignity."

Of course, she couldn’t stop Ethan.

Ethan did not enter the room but only glanced inside from a distance.

It was a cozy room, with a gas lamp on the desk, beside it an open fairy tale book.

There was an empty chair, and Ethan could imagine how, before they visited, the woman sat in that chair, telling her child lying still in bed stories she loved most as a child.

However, fairy-tale happy endings were destined to remain confined within books.

"Take me back to face the consequences then, she... probably can’t go with you."

The woman said.

"I have a rough understanding of your circumstances... Recently at the branch, I heard some rumors, some say that the Empire’s border town of Ximu Town seems to be a nice place, perhaps something good will happen if you go there."

"You..."

The woman stood frozen in disbelief at her ears.

Ethan advised her, "If you have plans to move elsewhere, it’s time to be on your way."

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