Chapter 232
The Dancer’s Confession (Third Update)
Jacob Alexander recalled the stack of crisp White Crown Bills, and the even more bills in his bag.
This didn’t seem like payment. If it were payment, it would have been in an envelope, easy to seal and carry. Stuffing it haphazardly into a bag not only risked loss or damage but also potential unnecessary disputes.
And the newly acquired money was even less likely—there was no reason to hide it directly in a backpack. Besides, Shepherd’s Bay Country, a small town, couldn’t easily produce such a large sum of money.
If judging by the texture and material of the clothes… then this money should belong to the man who was shot in the back. That is, the owner of the coat, pants, shirt, and sweater that Jacob Alexander was now wearing.
The coat was intact, but the shirt and sweater had a gunshot wound that pierced through from the back. The wound was right in the center of the back, with not much blood. This indicated that his clothes were removed shortly after he was injured.
The couple claimed Agni was a murderer and seemed to know him—the two of them were either con artists, smugglers, or sellers of fake medicine. In short, they were definitely not good people, and they recognized Agni’s face at a glance.
This suggested that Agni was either very famous, or they had seen Agni’s face recently. For strangers who needed to introduce themselves, being able to remember a stranger’s face and react almost instantly to identify Agni… meant they should have only recently received news about Agni.
Under these circumstances, Agni’s claim of “I am a teacher, traveling with my daughter” was naturally unreliable.
But without seeing Daiya, they were convinced, based on Agni’s word alone, that Agni was accompanied by a “noisy little creature”… and were even willing to sell Jacob Alexander an expensive potion to quiet her down.
—In conclusion, there was only one possibility.
“Agni” was a wanted kidnapper, possibly an escaped convict, and that name should be his true name. There was no television or radio in this era, so the couple must have seen Agni’s identity in the newspaper recently.
Clearly, Agni had received the ransom. But Daiya was still with him.
And Daiya said she had a dream where her father was swimming naked in the river.
—Could it be that while he was taking off his coat, he was shot in the back by Agni? Then, after Agni removed his clothes, the body was thrown into the river?
Just as Jacob Alexander had forgotten this memory, Daiya had also forgotten it.
This could explain the money in the bag, the gunshot wound on the clothes, Daiya’s dream, and the anomaly on his body.
Only one point made Jacob Alexander somewhat doubtful.
Why was Daiya still with him? Or rather… why hadn’t he killed Daiya yet?
While Merlin was making small talk with the overly enthusiastic dancer, Jacob Alexander narrowed his eyes and fell into thought.
—The reason so many of them were gathered here in the storm must be significant. Perhaps in reality, there was no reason, just pure coincidence, but since this history would be extracted and modified into a ritual, it definitely had a reason and a connection.
This was like seeing a detestable person in a TV drama; you’d at most wonder how they’d get their comeuppance later. But if you saw such a person in “Detective Conan,” you’d start thinking about who the killer was.
Based on their apparent identities, there was indeed no connection between them.
But if “Agni” was considered a kidnapper, a murderer… or an escaped convict who kidnapped a little girl.
Jacob Alexander keenly sensed a problem hidden beneath their identities.
—The wanted news of “Agni” was in “The Cow and The Bay” newspaper, and the couple saw the newspaper, hence recognizing him; Merlin was currently playing the role of a reporter for “The Cow and The Bay”; and this Old Supervisor should also be tracking him. They all had a reason to gather together.
Then the question arose.
What was this dancer here for?
Or rather… is she really a stripper?
In this situation, who was she most likely to be?
Jacob Alexander’s heart stirred, and he vaguely had a guess.
Agni was not a good person to begin with. The couple was the same; whether fake medicine dealers or smugglers, they were not good people either. The reporter’s true identity was Jacob Alexander, the founder of the Serpent Hand, who liked to kill with curses and was, in a sense, a contract killer.
And what about the Old Supervisor played by Pure White—
He came here alone… so where was his Gryphon mount?
Moreover, Gryphons were not afraid of storms, not even half-blood Gryphons. After all, a Gryphon’s means of attack were storms and thunder.
Or perhaps…
Was he really a Supervisor?
Or was he just wearing leather armor and carrying an Elven Short Sword… but not a Supervisor at all?
From this perspective, it seemed they were all bad people except for Daiya. So, what could a dancer with an unremarkable face and a good figure, active in a rural area, be?
Jacob Alexander had no evidence. But he could test them one by one.
“I have something I want to say to this lady,” Jacob Alexander suddenly said to the reporter and the supervisor.
“Say it alone?” the reporter asked. “Do you need me to be present?”
“No, you can leave too.”
“Okay, no problem.” The reporter readily agreed and immediately stopped his conversation with the dancer, pulling the Old Supervisor away.
The Old Supervisor seemed somewhat doubtful, but he did not resist the reporter. He followed him out obediently.
“Sir, are you looking for me… to talk business?”
The dancer was alone with the strong Agni, yet showed no fear.
She leaned in smiling, her right hand gently resting on Jacob Alexander’s chest: “The price is negotiable…”
Jacob Alexander did not take her hand. He merely asked, “Do you recognize me?”
“Are you someone famous? A star player on the rugby team?” the dancer said with a smile, unconcerned.
But Jacob Alexander shook his head and whispered two sentences in her ear. The dancer’s expression changed instantly.
Jacob Alexander’s first sentence was: “Shadows are our mother, poison and medicine are our sisters.”
Then, he added, “Master Cirlex sends his regards.”
After that, Jacob Alexander asked again, “Do you recognize me now?”
The dancer looked at Jacob Alexander with surprise and uncertainty. She hesitated for a moment, then took out a lipstick from her purse: “Do you know what this is?”
—Excellent, guessed correctly on the first try.
Jacob Alexander had originally thought that if he guessed wrong this time, he would continue trying one by one. After all, in the next layer, she would remember nothing.
And this was crucial information that a normal player could never obtain—in other words, this was at least a hidden clue.
He cautiously took the lipstick, careful not to touch it. Seeing his posture, the dancer breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking at its Dark Red luster, Jacob Alexander asked uncertainly, “Is it [Affection]?”
“That’s right, my brother. Be careful, don’t touch it.” The dancer relaxed and put the lipstick away.
After a moment of thought, she replied, “Your current identity should be Agni Shiva, who was imprisoned for robbing a bank. Escaped three days ago and kidnapped the banker’s daughter, Daiya… Why are you using this identity?”
“Or is there a problem with your memory?”
“I actually suspect everyone’s memory is having problems—I just had a hallucination, thinking I was Daiya’s father. I doubted if I was still myself until I saw you.” Jacob Alexander said solemnly, “In fact, I suspect we are all in a dream. Why don’t you recall, what have you forgotten?”
Hearing this, the dancer’s expression also turned serious.
She frowned and pondered for a while but still couldn’t remember.
She asked, “Are you saying there’s something wrong with this inn?”
And Jacob Alexander merely retorted, “What did you come here for?”
“I came to…” the dancer blurted out.
But before she could finish, her voice gradually became astonished.
“What did you originally want to say?”
“…I wanted to say I came to shelter from the rain,” the dancer frowned deeply, “but that’s unlikely…”
Jacob Alexander directly reached out and grabbed the dancer’s arm, ordering in an irrefutable tone, “Give me a way to gain your trust quickly. I suspect you will forget all of this at any moment.”
“I am ‘Honey Badger’, and I’ve only been in Shepherd’s Bay Country for two weeks. These two are enough.” The dancer still maintained basic caution: “Is this how the Serpent Hand also joined your investigation team?”
“Yes, Jacob and I are investigating this matter. But don’t reveal my identity.” Jacob Alexander nodded, a somewhat terrifying smile appearing on his scorched face: “Then, see you later, sister.”
“See you later, brother.”
Today is the third update~
