"Do you know what happened here?"
Philis was taking care of a little girl in her arms and had not yet spoken, when an investigator with a solemn expression stepped forward. Since he knew of his interlocutor’s abilities and attitude from the bureau, he asked very directly,
"The investigator in charge of this area was also a victim of the explosion, and now apart from rescuing people as much as possible, we do not have any good leads on how to handle this incident."
Hearing the investigator’s question, Ronald first observed Eloise. After making sure his companion had no issues, he lowered the three in his hands and answered,
"I noticed the commotion here just as the explosion started."
"Since the time I began observing, there were no significant magic fluctuations in this area. Moreover, the center of the explosion has been completely destroyed, making it nearly impossible to find any clues."
The expression on the investigator’s face turned quite grim.
His response to Ronald, however, matched his recognition as a Caster.
"A spell that could even deceive a Caster?"
"There were no suspicious people around the industrial district tonight, how come..."
"Sir, you might have misunderstood," the investigator continued his analysis, but Ronald immediately interrupted him, "I mean, this explosion was not the result of someone’s spell, but purely a man-made industrial accident."
Upon hearing Ronald’s words, the investigator initially grasped the implication but couldn’t fully comprehend it. Staring at the solemn-faced Ronald, his expression turned to one of astonishment.
"You’re joking with me, right?"
"How could a non-magical person create an explosion of this magnitude, it must be a spell..."
Seeing the investigator completely disbelieving, Ronald directly pointed around them and said, "Take another close look at the current situation."
"The explosion was unexpected and you might not have observed it correctly, but what about these burning flames now? The sparks scattering from the explosion clearly flew out directly, can you really not see whether they carry any magic fluctuations or not?"
"Believe what’s before your eyes."
The investigator who was talking to Ronald fell silent.
He turned his head to look at the still burning center of the disaster, then glanced at the nearby fire scene, and finally just opened his mouth vacantly, unable to say anything.
However, the person accompanying him stepped forward and respectfully nodded to Ronald. After showing his respect, he pointed to the three ordinary people on the ground and said:
"Mr. Ronald, I can’t speak for others, but personally, thank you for your immediate action to help. As a powerful Caster like yourself, the people you saved must be no ordinary individuals."
This investigator was more direct and efficient than the other.
He didn’t care about the origin of the explosion, whether it was a mystical aspect or a factory accident, his most important job as an investigator was to get as much information as possible from the Original Holder in front of him.
Faced with such a question, Ronald of course wouldn’t hide anything.
"These are survivors I found in a sealed underground vault at the center of the explosion. The fact that they had time to hide there to save their lives suggests they might know something about the explosion."
The investigator brightened up, "Is that so!"
He immediately went to the three unconscious people, checked them using investigatory techniques, and the results were exactly as Ronald had described.
"No signs of magical use, indeed not Casters..."
Murmuring softly to himself, this investigator recited "Volume 11, Page 260, Entry 6" to activate a lie detector spell, then turned to look at Ronald standing behind him.
"Mr. Ronald, could you release the spell on this gentleman?"
"The other two can remain asleep, just him."
The investigator pointed to one of the three workers, a middle-aged worker.
A businessman might fuss around, and a child might misunderstand the situation; under the need for the most accurate information, it is best to interrogate a frontline worker.
Facing the completely reasonable request of the investigator, Ronald naturally agreed and lifted the control.
The mind constrained by the ’Fury’ returned to the body.
The man lying on the ground immediately reacted.
His tightly closed eyelids trembled slightly as they began to open, and his arm resting on the ground also began to bend.
Just as the worker was about to fully awaken, the investigator touched his forehead lightly.
The effect was immediate.
The worker’s eyes that had just opened immediately became vacant, though he did not truly faint.
Clearly, this was a spell used for interrogation.
Following that, the investigator spoke as Ronald had anticipated:
"Mod Chemical Station, foreman of the second team."
A series of basic questions went on till personal privacy.
The investigator obtained specific information from the worker.
He was a poor man named Adams, selected from the slums to be an apprentice in the factory, living a life similar to most workers, and usually not in contact with mysterious or suspicious individuals.
After querying up to this point, the investigator also monitored the man’s state in real time through the [Lie Detector]. The man was completely under the control of the spell, showing no variation in his responses to any question.
It was only after confirming this that the investigator continued:
"What do you know about this explosion?"
The worker under spell control directly responded:
"Tonight, while I was patrolling at night, I discovered there was a problem with a pressure pipe. Just as we were notifying the boss, we heard a lot of noise outside the factory, and then the boss took us to hide."
Hearing this series of responses, the investigator frowned deeply.
The worker’s reply was highly consistent with what Ronald had said.
Could this explosion really have been an industrial operation mistake, not a targeted action by some dangerous organization?
As the investigator pondered this,
Ronald stepped forward, looked at the worker, and asked:
"Did you notice any details when you checked the pressure pipe, whether it was sabotage or just aging equipment?"
The worker honestly answered again: