Lord of Mysterious Wizard

Chapter 61: Chapter 61 Confusing Times

Under the guidance of two reception officers, a group of people entered the church.

This was a small church that appeared to have nearly a hundred years of history, with old chairs, mottled aisles, and stained glass windows inlaid on two walls. There was also the Mother of Light statue placed on a white stone platform at the front, exuding a comforting aura.

Unfortunately, this was quickly overshadowed by the corpses strewn across the ground.

There were seven in total, covered with white cloths, not fully concealed—revealing clothing clearly out of step with current trends.

The forensic expert, a young woman, was the first to express her dissatisfaction upon seeing the corpses. As she bent down to examine a body, following her professional instincts, she questioned the two reception officers, “Why are the dead bodies placed here? Shouldn’t they be in the morgue? Have you disregarded basic professional ethics just to shirk responsibility?”

Forensic expert Reine, normally mild-mannered, became serious when it came to her field, and her demeanor immediately shifted.

...

Both reception officers, clearly of lower rank, instinctively shrank as they were chided by the headquarters staff. The officer from Lopez Region was the first to respond in defense, “We were planning to send them to the morgue, but later discovered that these bodies have been maintaining a state of cold rigidity, showing no change. To facilitate your investigation, we brought them all here.”

“How could this be… Eh?”

Reine’s questioning was cut short as she noticed something off.

She took a small hammer from her toolkit and gently tapped the arm of the first corpse, immediately hearing a “thump thump” sound, as if she had struck ice.

“Try the scalpel.”

Tang Qi’s voice suddenly interrupted.

“Hmm?”

Spurred by Tang Qi’s hint, Reine and the others realized that none of the seven bodies had been autopsied.

This was inconceivable, considering autopsy is an inevitable step in multiple homicide cases.

But here, that step was missing.

As the scrutiny of the headquarters seemed to sweep their way again, and with the presence of the well-known female police chief, the two reception officers quickly explained in unison, “We tried, we tried every method, but autopsies are impossible. That’s also why we reported the case.”

Soon, everyone understood what they meant.

Reine took out a surgical knife and tried to make an incision along the chest of the first corpse. No matter how hard she tried, the sharp blade couldn’t penetrate the rigid skin’s defense, emitting only a grating noise.

As if it were the sound of metal scraping metal.

Human skin should not be able to do this, should it?

For the first time encountering such an anomaly, Reine, as if she hadn’t heard the officers’ earlier warning, stubbornly laid out other tools from her kit—saws, axes, and the like—in vain attempt, torturing everyone with the persistent, piercing noise for several minutes.

To no avail, the bodies remained untouched, the tools just tools.

“This is impossible!”

Reine had come full of confidence, yet found it hard to accept this supernatural phenomenon. If it were not for Stanna’s persuasion, she might have even requested more powerful weapons to forcibly breach the defense.

Everyone instinctively turned to Tang Qi—after all, he was the consultant of the Mysterious Side, right?

Faced with this supernatural scene, he should be able to do something.

At this moment, Tang Qi indeed became interested. His eyes slightly narrowed as he took a leisurely stroll to one of the bodies.

In his eyes, he saw a faint glimmer.

In fact, the moment he set foot in the church, he had seen it. @@novelbin@@

A faint radiance emanated from all seven corpses.

This was astounding.

For humans killed by Extraordinary Creatures should remain merely human, incapable of triggering Tang Qi’s Special Ability.

This scene now suggested that these bodies… had undergone some sort of unknown change.

“Humm”

Thoughts coalesced, and in Tang Qi’s eyes, that special interface finally took shape slowly.

[Curio: Alcohol Corpse.]

[State: Intact.]

[Information Fragment One: This is a sorrowful tale of a lost soul, clutching a cursed flagon, searching for her perfect lover. Upon finding one, she drips onto their body a drop of Eternal Wine, longing for their resurrection, but finds herself heartbroken every time.]

[Information Fragment Two: The bodies contaminated by “Eternal Wine” are exceedingly tough, nearly impervious to sharp weapons. Their flesh can be used as material for certain Secret Medicines or other Mystical purposes.]

“Eternal Wine?”

Tang Qi’s heartstrings were plucked in an instant.

Judging the power of a Curio by its name may sound unscientific, but it’s a common human flaw, and Tang Qi was no exception.

Previously not so concerned, Tang Qi suddenly became very serious.

It was in that moment that he suddenly noticed the clothing on these seven corpses.

They appeared to be gentlemen’s styles popular decades earlier, with a slightly different aspect: a neatly folded white handkerchief poking out of the top pocket.

Then, several terms simultaneously leaped in Tang Qi’s mind.

“Perfect lover?”

“Eternal Wine?”

Tang Qi seemed to have realized something, enlightened somewhat, but the curiosity that flashed in his eyes only grew more intense.

Everyone saw the change in Tang Qi’s expression and was about to ask something.

But Tang Qi slowly stood up, exhaled, and then directly said, “I think I know who the killer is, or rather, what it is. However, to find her, we will need to enlist the help of a handsome man – not just any handsome man, but the kind who could be adored by the masses in an era of chaos.”

“An era of chaos?”

Everyone paused, taken aback by his remark.

The quickest to react was Gideon, the elderly man.

As a seasoned detective who had solved many cases, Gideon caught on to Tang Qi’s hint as soon as he heard it, subconsciously glancing at the seven corpses on the ground and their attire. His expression changed as if he too had come to an understanding.

Yet, his face couldn’t help but show a trace of surprise, as if seeking confirmation, as if muttering, “Does our young consultant imply that the entity that killed these seven unfortunate individuals still indulges in the aesthetics of the chaotic era?”

“The era of chaos?”

Those four words evidently had a high recognition factor.

At least, everyone present understood what kind of era it referred to.

The Divine Eagle Federation, as one of the strongest political entities on Blue Star, had seldom faced defeat in war since its inception. However, decades ago, they unexpectedly lost to another equally powerful nation. The defeat, coupled with the Federation’s economic downturn, triggered a nationwide economic crisis.

The depression of most industries paradoxically allowed for the flourishment of the movie industry.

Many splendid films emerged, through which people nowadays can accurately understand the aesthetics of that era.

Given the same hint, everyone then realized that, besides the obviously era-specific clothing on the seven corpses, what truly felt Abnormal were their faces.

Despite the diversity in race and age, their faces had distinct, sharp features as if chiseled by a craftsman, radiant with an edge. A typical aesthetic of the chaotic era.

Quite different from the current movie stars.

Seeing this, everyone became slightly excited.

However, Tang Qi’s reaction was to first nod, then shake his head.