Chapter 299: Another Investigation

Franz showed no emotion, simply closing his eyes again and saying, “Understood.”

Brown, still worried, asked, “But Max… he’s from our Mozambi slums…”

“So what?” Franz opened his eyes and looked at Brown. “Max knows what to do. He’s a good kid.”

Seeing Franz’s calm demeanor, Brown began to relax. It seemed that Max’s situation wouldn’t affect them.

After thinking for a moment, Brown asked, “What if the people from Seranthiel come to investigate us?”

“Just answer truthfully. There’s nothing to hide, so why are you so nervous?” Franz replied in a deep voice.

Brown nodded silently, understanding what to do.

If Seranthiel’s people really came to ask questions, they only needed to answer honestly.

Trying to hide anything would only raise suspicion.

Max’s origins in the Mozambi slums were easily verifiable—there was no attempt to conceal it.

According to the records, Max hadn’t stayed in the slums for long.

Even if they were investigating Abyssal cultists, they wouldn’t suspect that Max had become one while in the slums.

After all, Max had only been a few years old at the time. It was more logical to assume he became a cultist later in life.

No one would ever guess that Max had already become an Abyssal cultist as a child.

Max had been raised by Franz, who had always been proud of him.

Although Max appeared to have cut ties with the slums after joining the merchant guild, he had secretly continued to follow Franz’s instructions, completing various tasks for him.

Everything had been kept hidden until Helag’s encounter with the beggar, which exposed Max’s secret to Seranthiel.

Max had always been cautious. He knew that he would eventually fall into Seranthiel’s hands, so he regularly erased some of his memories.

This was to ensure that if he were ever caught, he wouldn’t implicate Franz.

“Tell everyone to lay low for a while,” Franz instructed.

Brown nodded. “Understood.”

***

Helag stood on Lilac Street, hesitating as he looked at the palace complex across the road.

He had already visited two people that morning, and with just a glance, he could tell that neither of them were Abyssal cultists.

As for their purchase of wooden sculptures, Helag confirmed that the details didn’t match the records.

The first person, a man named Yarne, did own one of Max’s sculptures, but it was a small piece he had bought five years ago.

Helag examined it and found no traces of Abyssal energy. Yarne wasn’t a cultist.

Still, Helag had to confiscate the sculpture and record Yarne’s information.

Yarne wasn’t allowed to leave Silvermoon City until Seranthiel officially cleared him.

Helag knew Yarne wasn’t a cultist, but his word alone wasn’t enough—Seranthiel had to verify it.

The second person was an elderly woman named Lilu. According to the records, she had purchased a wooden basket sculpture from Max’s shop.

When Helag visited her home, she confirmed that she had bought the basket.

However, the problem was that the sculpture had broken last year, and she had thrown it away.

There was no way to retrieve it now—it was long gone.

Helag documented the situation and checked every corner of the house, confirming that no one in Lilu’s household was an Abyssal cultist.

The investigation wouldn’t end there, though. Someone else would likely come later to double-check.

Helag’s job was just to record the current findings and report them.

The first two investigations had gone smoothly, without any issues.

But when Helag reached the third file, he hesitated.

The person listed was Amisha Mori.

According to the records, someone had gifted Amisa one of Max’s sculptures, and it was likely still in the Mori family’s home.

Helag had arrived across from the Mori family’s estate, on Lilac Street.

The Mori family’s “home” was more of a palace complex. From a distance, Helag could see the sprawling buildings, a testament to the family’s power.

Owning such a large estate in this area wasn’t just a matter of wealth—it spoke to the terrifying influence behind the family.

Helag knew well that the Mori family was one of the major shareholders of Seranthiel Bank, a force to be reckoned with.

What made Helag uneasy was that he would have to enter the Mori family’s estate to investigate.

The last time he had interacted with the Mori family’s head, Shatar, the man hadn’t been particularly friendly. He seemed especially wary of Helag’s connection to his daughter.

In this situation, going to investigate Amisha might seem like Helag had ulterior motives.

Even though Helag knew he didn’t, others might not see it that way.

As a formal member of Seranthiel, it was normal for him to conduct investigations.

But out of all the people, why was he the one sent to investigate Amisha?

To anyone else, it would look like Helag had other intentions.

Unfortunately, Helag had no choice. The tasks were randomly assigned, and it was pure coincidence that Amisha’s name had ended up in his stack of files. It was bad luck.

After some thought, Helag decided to get the task over with as quickly as possible.

Maybe Shatar wouldn’t be home, and he could finish the investigation quickly and leave.

Helag approached the Mori family’s gate and knocked. A tall, muscular young man soon appeared and asked, “This is the Mori family residence. If you have no business here, please leave.”

The young man’s tone was cold and dismissive, displaying the arrogance of a powerful family.

He had every reason to be arrogant—the Mori family had little to fear in Silvermoon City.

“I’m Helag from Seranthiel. I’m here regarding matters related to Abyssal cultists. I need to speak with Miss Amisha. I’d appreciate your cooperation,” Helag explained politely.

His goal was to complete the task quickly, so he didn’t care about the young man’s attitude.

“Abyssal cultists?” The young man’s expression shifted, clearly surprised.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, he dropped his arrogant demeanor and said, “Please wait here. I’ll inform the steward.”