He stopped running on the streets of Berlingwich, utterly drained of energy.
Waving down a rental horse-drawn carriage by the roadside, he instructed the driver to head to Long Beach Street, then lazily reclined against the seat’s backrest.
Squinting his eyes, Ronald Adler surveyed the emotional activities of the people around him.
It turned out to be safe at the moment.
The carriage moved through the streets, carrying him peacefully to Long Beach Street as always.
After hopping off the carriage and paying the driver, Ronald began surveying his surroundings.
The Office of Investigation, usually desolate in front of its building, still had few pedestrians today.
He could see a few men dressed like workers, busy repairing the damaged reception area on the ground floor, with piles of bricks, wood, and sand around them.
Meanwhile, a protective fence of iron netting had been erected around the building.
Among the traces of these people, figures of various construction personnel could be seen, but one type of person was notably absent.
Having left for just one day, fundamental changes had occurred here on Long Beach Street.
Without the spells to expel loiterers, nor the usual investigators coming and going, this building, nestled right next to the police station, seemed to have completely lost its mysterious attribute.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Ronald...?"
Just as Ronald was intently observing the scene before him, a child’s voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
Turning around, he saw a little boy dressed as a newsboy.
Despite the time approaching dusk, the boy still wore a wooden box around his neck, displaying small items like matches and cigarettes.
With a hint of confusion, Ronald nodded at the little fellow:
"I am Ronald, hello...?"
Seeing Ronald’s affirmative nod, the little boy immediately said,
"Sir, a lady who claimed to be named Nicole asked me to keep an eye out for someone like you and to give a message."
The boy paused and then tried his best to mimic Nicole’s tone,
"If you’re looking for me, head to the cathedral."
"And remember, dress casually, don’t be too formal."
Without waiting for a reply, the boy turned and ran off.
Ronald thought for a moment, and the boy’s figure had already disappeared around the corner.
It seemed he wouldn’t need to pay the child after all...
Thinking this, Ronald stuffed the coin he had pinched back into his pocket.
Now, it was the message Nicole had the child relay.
He had heard of Berlingwich Cathedral, and in fact, it was quite close to Long Beach Street.
It would be about a half-hour walk.
With this in mind, Ronald turned and walked away from Long Beach Street.
His stamina had returned; this time he decided against hiring a carriage.
Half an hour later, Ronald arrived at the cathedral district without incident.
Berlingwich Cathedral, belonging to the church and overseeing the entire surrounding area of Berlingwich, was known as Saint Lierdel Cathedral.
Because he had no usual interaction with the place, this was Ronald’s first visit here.
Standing before Lierdel Cathedral, he carefully examined the cathedral before him.
It was a stark, towering structure.
The simple yet aloof white color scheme formed the main body of the cathedral. Its high domed spire stood firm against the sunset, giving it an immediate impression of sanctity and inviolability.
After all, it was the headquarters of a parish.
A considerable number of clergy worked here regularly, and believers constantly came and went.
Even though it was dusk, the scene of people coming and going was still frequent.
But even with the abundant flow of people, Ronald Adler, as he looked around, couldn’t find what he was looking for among the pedestrian traffic.
—There were no investigators in disguise.
Ronald bowed his head and pondered for a moment.
He recalled the message that Nicole had the newsboy bring to him.
He silently took off his hat and then removed his coat, folding it and hanging it over the crook of his right arm.
Disguised as an ordinary citizen after work, he was about to head into the church.
However, after just a few steps, someone called out to him.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Ronald Adler?"
Ronald looked up to see a nun with a gentle smile.
Clearly, she was a clergy member from Lierdel Cathedral.
He studied the nun in front of him.
She appeared to be no older than 25, with long golden hair cascading down her shoulders and falling gently curled around her waist.
Her gentle and soft features at first glance gave a very good impression, especially when she smiled; that kind of gentle smile seemed to soothe one’s heart.
Then, the nun looked at Ronald and spoke,
"Then come with me, it’s more appropriate to talk inside."
The nun didn’t hurry away; she stood still for a few seconds and then led the way into the church.
Knowing the role of the church organization, Ronald simply followed her.
Walking into the interior of the church, the nun led Ronald through a side corridor to a separate small cabin built around the corridor.
—This was a very common confessional within the church.
It was a place where confessing believers and clergy would be alone, confessing their sins and asking for God’s forgiveness.
Due to its confidentiality and special location, almost no one would pay attention to this part of the circular corridor in the church.
Leading the way, the nun naturally opened the door of the confessional.
Then she continued walking down with Ronald.
Continue walking down!
Behind the confessional was a broad staircase extending downward.
The architectural style on this mysterious side really does burrow underground...
While reflecting on this, Ronald was also analyzing what he had observed in the past hour.
After the Investigative Bureau headquarters building was attacked, other than ordinary construction workers repairing the building and a few security personnel, key personnel and documents of the Investigative Bureau headquarters had likely been urgently moved.
At this moment, they should be hidden underground beneath the Lierdel Cathedral.
Having the church, which could detect mysterious characters, to guard them was also a special measure during this period.
But apart from this, there was something else more concerning.
From the time Ronald returned to Greenwich, up to now, he had not seen a single investigator dressed in their typical attire.
It meant that the investigators in Greenwich had abandoned their standard disguise of coats and wide hats.
When these official personnel took off the coats and wide hats and simply wore regular clothes, they essentially became indistinguishable from ordinary civilians!
At most, those who can identify mysterious characters would realize they are not ordinary people. Without using magic, no one could distinguish the true identity of an investigator in a crowd.
Abandoning their usual standards, the investigators had simply infiltrated society’s dark side, just like cultists.
Following behind the nun, Ronald’s mood gradually sank.
The current situation in Greenwich.
It was probably more complex than he had anticipated...