"Buddy, I advise you to confess truthfully, or even I won't know how horrendous Lady Rose might become later."
Ethan obediently raised his hands above his head, standing shoulder to shoulder with the bartender. He leaned close to him and whispered, "The last person she interrogated, not a piece of skin was left intact, screamed miserably all night before finally dying. I'm helping you here."
He roughly assessed the situation in the bar; this was the most well-informed place in the civilian district. Luoxang often came to this bar, named "Golden Rose," for a drink after finishing work. The only problem was that Golden Rose was linked to border gangs and naturally wasn't fond of Ave, a "cop."
Clearly, the exchange between the two parties wasn't going well, almost at the point of conflict.
When Ave pointed her gun at the bartender, he also reached for the dagger hidden in the bar's secret compartment.
Ave's face flushed red, and the golden hair on her head excitedly formed an "X" shape.
"You could say you did, perhaps he might confess out of fear."
Ethan felt frustrated. He just saw the bartender's hand shake. If Ave would only cooperate by flashing a cruel smile, his mental defenses would completely crumble. Unfortunately, he and Ave had only worked together for a day, and their synergy needed improvement.
With Ave's denial, the bartender slowly reached for the dagger again.
"Well, she hasn't tortured interrogation subjects, but she's killed 56 people just like you."
The bartender's small motion stopped once more. He glanced at Ave instinctively, but this time, Ave remained silent, merely frowning and not refuting.
The bartender was completely terrified now.
This woman killed 56 people!?
Even the most vicious thugs in the gang hadn't killed so many!
Ethan, who originally wanted to seize the moment and pursue, felt a chill in his heart. The 56 people were something he had made up on the spot to make Ave seem more intimidating, yet something unexpected happened.
Ave, she acknowledged it.
They accidentally found such a terrifying truth!
This time, even Ethan felt a flutter of unease.
Honesty is the ultimate weapon.
When the bartender noticed Ave avoiding eye contact with Ethan, feeling somewhat guilty, he almost immediately raised his hands above his head too, proclaiming to avoid becoming the 57th unfortunate victim, "I can tell you about Luoxang. This is a legally operated bar. I've always been a law-abiding Empire citizen. We can sit down and talk properly... Oh, would you two like some drinks? On the house."
No matter what murderous plan Ave was contemplating, at least the three of them had sat at the bar, allowing the interrupted conversation to continue.
"Listen, I don't know if this is related to your investigation, but as far as I know, Luoxang owes the Imperial Reserve a huge sum of money. He's living in poverty. They come to the bar every night to tell noble jokes, earning some extra cash. We've all advised him not to borrow from the Imperial Reserve anymore. He's so deep in debt he can't even pay the interest, but he won't listen—he's completely trapped."
Upon hearing this, Ethan asked, "Is he still borrowing from the Imperial Reserve? Why?"
Luoxang mentioned he took a loan from the Imperial Reserve to buy an apartment in the civilian district and would need to work in Ximu Town for over twenty years to repay the loan and interest.
Despite being somewhat offensive, Ethan immediately thought of some unpleasant things.
Like maybe Luoxang got into gambling or became addicted to magic potions made by some illicit alchemists; otherwise, he couldn't imagine anything causing such a quick personality change in such an optimistic, positive person, leading to repeated loans from the Imperial Reserve.
Luoxang must be aware of the consequences of such actions. When debt becomes insurmountable, his life will be completely bought out.
"It's for his daughter."
The bartender lowered his head helplessly. Initially, they thought Luoxang had picked up some negative habits, but whether it was gambling or magic potion addiction, they had ways to forcibly help him quit. But this particular matter was beyond their ability to intervene, "His daughter has a great talent for magic, and she was noticed by a Great Mage from the Astrology Association, who is willing to be her teacher."
All three simultaneously fell into silence.
Mages are recognized as the most costly path to transcendence. The materials for making scrolls and setting up arrays are accumulated with actual gold and silver.
Yet even so, few can resist the allure of stepping into the transcendental realm, especially when the other party is a certified Great Mage from the Astrology Association.
Ethan knew Luoxang had a dream: to repay the loans so the family could live harmoniously in Ximu Town.
A simple yet humble wish.
Yet it still didn't explain why Luoxang would suddenly end his life and leave a curse in that apartment.
"You see Luoxang every day, has there been anything unusual about him recently?"
"Unusual? A carefree guy like him could never be unusual, right?"
The bartender sneered, "Sometimes I envy him. He's drowning in debt but still manages to smile. Oh, a few days ago he told me his daughter was coming to town to see him. That girl passed the first-level magician certification exam, and he said she would perform magic tricks for us at the bar."
Ethan could imagine the scene after a nighttime performance, where Luoxang, with exhaustion, chatted with the bartender at the bar front.
The bartender was right, such a carefree...
Ethan's expression suddenly changed, accentuating his words, "Did you just say Luoxang's daughter was coming to see him?"
The bartender shrank back and spoke in a lower voice due to Ethan's intimidating expression, "That's what he said."
"When did this happen?"
"Just three days ago."
"Where did she come from?"
"How would I know? I haven't been to the Astrology Association. Does it matter where she came from? The man's already dead."
Whenever Luoxang's death was mentioned, the bartender's temper flared, "Anyway, you guys are here to investigate this case, right? Tell me, how did he die? It's impossible that he committed suicide—surely the Imperial Reserve drove him to death!"
"The Astrology Association closest to Ximu Town is in Morning Star City."
Ave, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up. Her tone was light, her face still showing no trace of emotion, as if only stating a fact based on the bartender's information.
"Morning Star City is southwest of Ximu Town. If his daughter came from there, she would have passed through Riverside Town two days ago."