The scent of ’food’ wafted from the young man before him.
Moreover, there was not just one scent.
To be exact, it came from his chest, wrist, and neck!
He carried multiple items that could be called ’food’.
Is this the heritage of a great family?
Items that commoners seldom see, do they carry several of them on their person?
The four major Onmyoji families, even richer in heritage than imagined!
Jason thought to himself, nodding.
Towards a stranger, Jason’s attitude was essentially cautious, caution hidden beneath indifference.
Don’t talk to strangers.
In the Nightless City, this was common knowledge.
And to Jason, facing a stranger carrying ’food’, he needed to be even more cautious.
After all, while ’food’ is delicious.
However, the young man from the Hanakaiin Family seemed blind to Jason’s indifference and caution. After Jason nodded in response, the young man immediately asked, "Have you discovered anything?"
He didn’t consult Ryosuke, who appeared more professional.
He didn’t ask the elderly Monk from Tongshou Temple as he should have.
He didn’t even glance at Hui Lijing.
He just asked Jason...
Ryosuke looked indifferent.
Hui Lijing was so angry she gritted her teeth.
The elderly Monk from Tongshou Temple, however, slightly shook his head.
Clearly, this was another common issue with young people from great families.
At this moment, the young Hanakaiin was comparing himself to Jason.
Or rather, he wanted to see why Jason could become the successor of Tongshou Temple.
His answer was concise.
"May I ask what it is?"
The young man asked with interest.
"Why should I tell you?"
The young man was taken aback.
He looked at Jason somewhat blankly, feeling that something was amiss. Shouldn’t it be that Jason speaks openly, then he exposes the flaws in his words, ridicules him, and then Jason leaves in shame?
Why does it feel like it’s ending before it even started?
This made the young man very unwilling.
After slightly frowning, the young man spoke.
"What do you want in order to tell me?"
As he spoke, the young man put on a sincere expression, looking at Jason.
It’s not shameful to bow down at the moment.
Soon, he will take back what he wants with interest.
"Do you know about Alchemy?"
Jason asked a seemingly abrupt question.
The young man nodded.
Although from an Onmyoji family, he was also familiar with foreign Alchemy, especially certain alchemies rumored to break ’the taboo of life’, which were particularly intriguing.
"Then do you know the most famous words in Alchemy?"
The young man frowned.
There were many famous sayings in Alchemy.
One is all, all is one.
Beyond the gate lies not Shambhala.
There is nothing that is perfect; the world is imperfect, that’s what makes it beautiful.
And so on, these were considered famous quotes in Alchemy.
However, the young man from the Hanakaiin family quickly came to his senses.
"The principle of equivalent exchange?"
"You mean I need to give something of the same value to know your findings?"
The young man was not foolish, connecting the dots with what was happening before him, he quickly had his answer.
That was the answer he wanted.
"To obtain something, an equal price must be paid!"
"This is the principle of equivalent exchange! At that time, we believed it to be the truth of the world — but the real world is not perfect! There is no principle that can explain everything, and so is the principle of equivalent exchange!"
"But sometimes we still like to think so."
"Because most of the time, we have no choice."
"So what do I need to give to learn of your discovery?"
The young man from the Hanakaiin Family asked, slightly nodding.
He very much approved of Jason’s words.
Most of the time, they had no choice.
His interest in Jason’s findings grew even more.
"One of the items on you."
Even though there were several items on the young man, Jason wanted them all.
But he was also very clear that this was impossible.
Not to mention wanting them all.
Even for just one of them, Jason was prepared to negotiate.
Unexpectedly, the young man in front of him nodded without hesitation.
"With one of the items I carry as a chip, tell me what you’ve discovered."
The young man agreed readily.
Jason was even more forthright.
"They were murdered."
"The murder occurred before the rocket landed."
"Moreover, the murderer inside the car did not escape."
Hearing Jason’s first sentence, the young man from the Hanakaiin almost laughed out loud.
After all that talk, he thought there would be something significant.
But it was just a murder.
The thing is, anyone can tell it was murder just by looking at the scene.
However, following Jason’s words, the young man from the Hanakaiin reigned in his smile, his expression turning solemn.
He turned his head to look at the charred car and corpses, his eyes narrowing slightly.
A cold glare flickered through those narrow slits.
Information that others were unaware of connected in his mind.
Meanwhile, Ryosuke turned his head to look at the blackened scene.