Chapter 212: The Final Clue |
Morale Support: Scherzo
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Reiner’s actions caught the butcher off guard. He had thought Reiner was just an ordinary student who hadn’t seen much of the world, but he didn’t expect him to use magic so decisively. He felt somewhat helpless. Originally, he just wanted to test Reiner and, if he found him to be an pushover, take advantage of him. But Reiner turned out to be much more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.
“Uh, let me see…”
In order to do business, the butcher had studied reading and writing for a while and could barely understand written words. But when he saw the address in Reiner’s hand, he still showed a surprised expression.
“You… why do you want to find this place?”
The butcher asked back, making Reiner even more curious. Why would such a vicious looking man show a cautious expression after seeing this address?
“You lead the way.”
As soon as he stepped out, the group of thugs who had gathered earlier seemed to want to come closer, but upon noticing the dozen or so kitchen knives hovering around the bald butcher, these brave young men fell silent.
“Tell me, how much do you know about this place?”
Reiner leisurely walked, asking the bald butcher.
“This used to be a slum area, even in Engel Street, this place was the lowest corner. The residents were all losers who wouldn’t even dare to commit crimes. Almost every day, you could see the corpses infested with maggots being carried out of this building. Even stray dogs wouldn’t come near.”
The butcher said slowly, his pronunciation somewhat strange, not like a local.
“But a few years ago, something changed there. I don’t know why, but the people there started to become positive and upbeat, contrasting with this abandoned street. In fact, I used to live there for a while too. Later, I earned some money and opened my own shop.”
As they walked, Reiner saw that the young people on the roadside were like walking corpses, their eyes devoid of any light. Living on such a street, it’s no wonder Lady Lisa said Sirius didn’t want to go home.
“But you might have come at the wrong time.”
The butcher said, suddenly stopping and pointing ahead.
“That’s where you want to go, 220 Engel Street, Belen Apartments.”
Following the butcher’s finger, Reiner saw not the imagined building.
It was a ruin.
It could be vaguely seen from the wreckage that there used to be a three-story building standing here, but it had been burned down by a big fire. The charred pillars emitted a repugnant smell, and under the collapsed walls lay the homes of many people.
Pedestrians on the street didn’t even spare a glance at this place, indifferent as if nothing had changed.
“The weather has been too hot lately. Tristan hasn’t seen rain for a month. Most of the houses here are made of wood, which makes it easy for them to catch fire in this environment.”
The butcher sighed.
“The cause might have been a group of young people gathering to smoke. They recently got hold of some special stuff that is said to be very stimulating when smoked. We long-term residents of Engel Street have no interest in such things, but those young people do. To avoid the police, they hid and smoked, and the cigarette butt fell into a corner, resulting in a big fire.”
Reiner remained silent. He looked at the address on the paper again. Indeed, it was 220 Engel Street, Belen Apartments.
“When did this happen?”
Seeing the ruins didn’t look like they had been abandoned for long. In fact, there was still a smell of burning in the air. He guessed the fire had happened recently.
“Last night.”
However, the bald butcher’s answer still surprised Reiner. He didn’t expect such a disaster to happen just the day before he arrived.
“The fire was discovered late at night and lasted all night until it was extinguished in the morning.”
The bald butcher said, his tone tinged with indescribable helplessness.
“Then the people who used to live here…”
Reiner thought of the worst-case scenario, looking at the charred remains. He asked.
“This is the most incredible part.”
However, the butcher’s answer was unexpected.
“Although it was late at night, someone woke everyone up. In a short time, most of them evacuated the apartment. Only a few people were smoked or burned. The whole apartment, not a single person died. It’s a miracle.”
“No casualties?”
Reiner found it unbelievable. Even well-trained soldiers might not be able to escape unharmed without any preparation, but the result of this fire could indeed be called a miracle.
“Yes, it was quite thrilling last night. When the last person escaped, the gate of the apartment collapsed. If it had been a few minutes later, there might have been casualties.”
As if last night’s events were happening again before his eyes, the bald butcher said.
“Where are the original residents now? Do you know?”
Reiner had already put down the knife. Although the bald butcher looked fierce, he unexpectedly turned out to be a straightforward guy, so Reiner didn’t need to coerce him anymore.
“Most of them went to the nearby public hospital, White Sail Hospital, just two blocks away.”
The bald butcher replied, rubbing his head and looking at the ruins again.
“Do you know Sirius Odman?”
Reiner asked casually.
But unexpectedly, when the bald butcher heard this name, he seemed to stagger backward.
“W-where did you hear that name from!?”
He looked a bit panicked, staring at Reiner.
“What’s wrong? Do you know Sirius Odman? What happened to him?”
Reiner immediately asked, feeling a premonition that the answer he had been seeking was right within reach.
“He… he’s already dead.”
The bald butcher replied, his tone hesitant.
“Sirius Odman died five years ago while he was looking for a bookstore. He was already not in good health, and then somehow he became even weaker. He lay in bed for a month of treatment and eventually passed away.”
“What? He’s already dead?”
Reiner felt a jolt in his heart, feeling like everything he had learned before was like a vortex looming in front of him, trying to absorb everything.
“Did he have any family, or did he leave anything behind…”
He subconsciously glanced at the already burnt-down apartment. Even if there were any belongings, they would probably have been lost over the years.
But a word from the bald butcher pulled Reiner out of the dark vortex and gave him a glimmer of hope.
“His mother suffered severe burns last night and is being treated at White Sail Hospital… Hey, wait…”
The bald butcher hadn’t finished his sentence when he saw Reiner running off, disappearing around the street corner.
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T/N: This is a purely scientific novel, ghosts do not exist.
