One-Eyed Monster

Elder Rostellum looked as if he had been struck by a lightning bolt after seeing Mayor Babasha's corpse, almost passing out on the spot.

The mysterious death of the highest-ranking official of the City Administrative Office within his jurisdiction was indeed a serious matter.

Elder Rostellum's initially good mood plummeted instantly. It was as if he had been savouring a delicious meal only to bite into a stone, leaving him at a loss as to whether to swallow or spit it out.

What a terrible thing to happen first thing in the morning.

Elder Rostellum had been dreaming joyfully. Just the previous night, during a casual visit to Aliusan's tavern, he had unexpectedly found two expert route-guides. These 'human maps', though they seemed a bit silly, had solved a problem that had been bothering him. Elder Rostellum had planned on introducing these two living treasures to the big shots at the Alchemy Workshop today. But before he could rise from his dreams, an urgent and unwelcome knocking seemed to gallop right beside his ear.

Grumbling, Elder Rostellum got up. He had barely dressed when a servant outside reported that a murder had occurred at Guru Bar.

Upon hearing the name of the Guru Bar, all sleepiness left Elder Rostellum. After all, Mayor Babasha and League Guard Rostov stayed there.

These people originally resided in Lubin Tavern. However, the bosses of the Alchemy Workshop had apparently gone crazy and driven them all out. To accommodate his superiors, Elder Rostellum had to arrange for these important figures from Luona and Liuli City to stay at Chief Old Hamu's Guru Bar.

Granted, this tavern wasn't up to the standards of Lubin Tavern or the Non Intoxication Tavern, but it was an official tavern run in the name of the village. It had complete facilities, especially game cards; they had as many of these ancient tabletop cards as one could want.

Elder Rostellum knew that if he didn't give these big shots something to do, he would ultimately be the one to suffer.

Indeed, his decision proved correct. The game cards kept Goding and Lord Babasha quite settled, and the time they spent nagging Elder Rostellum also diminished. Even though there were no chamber pots in the tavern rooms and one had to go outside to use the restroom, important figures like Lord Goding and Lord Babasha didn't complain much.

After all, these game cards were considered classics throughout the entire Yowein Continent.

But now, these cards might become an excuse for others, and I, Rostellum, might also be implicated because of them...

Elder Rostellum could imagine Lord Babasha's face turning green with anger. A murder had occurred—how ridiculous! Lord Babasha would surely jump up, blaming him for his lack of vigilance, and then attribute everything to those game cards... 'Distracted by amusements and neglecting one's duties'—such an excuse often surfaced in these situations. When there was nothing else to blame, they could only pile all fault onto the silent cards.

These were the consequences Elder Rostellum had originally anticipated.

It was not until he came to the Guru Bar and witnessed Lord Babasha, slumped in a chair in the center of the tavern's main hall, that he realized everything he had been thinking about had become meaningless.

The consequences of this incident might be even more serious. My status as the head of Gaga County could be at stake...

Elder Rostellum, feeling as if he'd been struck by lightning, quickly adjusted his mentality. After all, the incident has already happened. If I don't come up with measures now, it will be harder to handle later.

As the leader of Gaga County, he had to take responsibility for this murder case. He needed to trace the source, find the killer or the cause of death, and then report to his superiors. Although Mayor Babasha was gone, the Vice Mayor and the Court Chief of the Court of Guards were still there. A message had already been sent to these lords via Mail Bird; by the time they reacted, the killer could probably be found.

At this moment, Elder Rostellum couldn't help thinking about his head steward, Uli, the Fighter. Uli is very skilled at handling matters like these. If he were here, he would definitely resolve it efficiently. Unfortunately, he's currently nowhere to be found.

Elder Rostellum glanced at Guard Goding standing nearby. Although Goding was a Fighter, he didn't seem inclined to help at all. The man had his arms crossed over his chest, his head tilted, an obvious look of impatience on his face, as if this murder case were disrupting his usual interests.

Now, I need to find out what exactly happened.

Elder Rostellum, having calmed his emotions, proceeded to handle matters in his usual way.

This wasn't his mansion in Gaga County; he couldn't just ring a bell and pass down an order. This was Guru Bar. His competent assistant Uli had disappeared. The only person he could count on was that cripple, Aliusan.

The most prominent characteristic of Elder Rostellum's problem-solving was his speed.

No matter how tricky the problem, he had to reach a conclusion quickly. Regardless of whether the conclusion was good or bad, he needed an answer. He wouldn't dwell on a problem. For example, when he spotted Liko and Pita at Aliusan's place, he didn't hesitate about whether these two 'living treasures' could meet the requirements of the Alchemy Workshop's big shots. All he cared about was that these two could guide the way, enabling him to complete the tasks assigned to him on time.

So he didn't bother to verify whether Pifu's words were true or not.

Although from a certain perspective, Pifu's words were full of holes, Elder Rostellum felt he no longer had time to care about such things.

Now I need to project an attitude, one that can be justified...

No matter how one looked at it, this wasn't just a murder case; it was also a test for me as a Luona Politician.

Guard Goding must have already relayed this matter to Governor Du's Mansion via Mail Bird. If I don't handle this with the right stance, my political career might genuinely be over.

Speed in all things. No matter what you do, a faster approach can't be wrong.

For now, Elder Rostellum could only count on a handful of people; the others were either gone or missing...

"Given Pifu's statement, Bunan is a prime suspect. Currently, Bunan has fled, but reasonably, he couldn't have run far," Elder Rostellum stated formally, pacing around the room.

"In that case, we cannot just sit back and wait," Elder Rostellum went on, his eyes revealing a steely determination.

"Chief Hamme, go find the people in the village who have done odd jobs in Witch Biggs' Divination House. The body needs to be examined."

"Alright," Chief Old Hamu scampered off.

"Leader Aliusan, your task is more challenging. You must find Bunan, even if you have to dig three feet deep."

Elder Rostellum enunciated this through gritted teeth, clearly adopting the determined stance required to handle the problem.