Chapter 94: The Royals

[Important announcement:The book is going premuim this Saturday, expect two mass release on Monday and 1 October]

Chapter 94: The Royals

Mo Fei returned to the apartment; most of the city was silent as he entered the building.

Tomorrow, the sun rose indifferently.

Mo Fei sat down on his bed and mumbled while clenching his head. "Good morning, Kiyori."

A voice responded behind his Mind. "You are awake, Fei. I have been trying to talk to you, but you were asleep."

"Yeah, I got a bad sleep last night." He stood and grabbed his Glaive, shaping it back to a revolver, then fixed his clothes and hair.

Kiyori’s low voice came again. "I have came out of the forest, but I noticed something."

"What?"

"There were multiple dead venomous animals." She paused for a second; her voice gradually increased further. "I feel like someone is collecting venom, but why? If a demon would do that, then why do they need venom when they have Miasma?"

Mo Fei’s pupil dilated as he saw the circle printed on the wall. "Kiyori, give me a minute."

"What happened?"

Mo Fei didn’t answer and walked toward the circle, his breath hitching as he saw the perfect circle and then a painting of a mask on wall. "Something is wrong..." He pulled his collar and looked at his shoulder where he saw a half-orb wound. He narrowed his eyes, realizing that he would become the next target.

He closed his eyes, and as he opened them, they turned piercing grey, then he walked out of his room. Murphy’s identity taking over again before coming out.

Outside, a crowd was gathered near the central circle. Murphy walked toward the place and saw a poster where the description of a missing man was written, but as his gaze landed on the name beneath the poster, he squinted at the name. ’Dr. Carlson. The one who used the clinic.’

Murphy turned toward the police station and found Hayes alive. He tilted his hat in a gesture, stopping at the door.

Hayes spoke first. "Det. Law, as you have read the poster... that doctor is missing now."

Murphy glanced toward him and entered the police station. "Give me the names of the royals here."

Hayes moved hurriedly, his hands searching for the names in the records. Finally, he brought a record of royals and spoke the names. "Jonathan E. Anthem, Platinum V. Carthen, and Prince Roosevelt."

"Intresting, tell me who has been living in Clockwork longer and has a high reputation... enough to hide things."

Hayes’ eyes read through the record, and he spoke again. "Platinum V. Carthen had been here longer; however, Prince Roosevelt is connected to him, as they both had been together multiple times."

"Who is richer?"

"Prince Roosevelt."

Murphy nodded then sat on the chair, putting his legs on the table, then tilting the chair backward slightly. "Hmm, tell me who handles the Hitten Cathedral."

"Why?"

"It is the largest Cathedral of Clockwork, isn’t it?" Murphy took a brief glance at Hayes and fixed his fedora, pulling his hand back.

"How is that connected?" Hayes question with a voice mixed with doubt and caution.

"Funding. Now think, why would royals fund a clinic and a Cathedral?" Murphy pulled out a cigarette while tilting his head sideways.

Hayes nodded then continued. "What are you planning?"

Murphy said nothing; he inhaled the cigarette and then let out a puff of smoke, finally standing again. "You are a fake officer; then why are you still here?"

"To earn for my family..." Hayes whispered, averting his gaze.

"Then tell me, where is justice here? Do you count justice as something that satisfies one side while ignoring others? You, yourself, were willing to hide the crime, forgetting the justice." With that, Murphy slowly walked out of the station, leaving Hayes standing without even revealing the truth of his crimes to other police officers. "Just like that, this city needs a Law of justice."

As he went outside, the voice of Kiyori again echoed in his mind. "Mo Fei! There is a snake!"

Mo Fei inhaled a long breath. "What am I supposed to do about that?"

"I mean you can’t; I just thought about telling you that."

"You literally have a damn big Serpent pet and you are still curious about other creatures?" Mo Fei whispered flatly as he waved his hand, stopping a carriage.

"That makes travel entertaining. Also, the story I told you about the deaths of venomous animals."

Upon hearing that, Mo Fei paused for a moment. Why would someone collect the venom of animals? Suddenly, his focus was broken by the sound of the carriage’s driver, who called out. "Sir, return. Where do you want to go?"

"Prince Roosevelt’s palace."

The driver looked at him, surprised by the location; he examined Murphy’s clothes and the detective star in his coat, then he slowly nodded and gestured toward the back to sit.

Murphy sat inside the carriage as his thoughts returned to Kiyori again. "Kiyori, you there?"

"Yes! I’m waiting; you haven’t spoken anything for so long." Her voice held a slight soft anger over the wait.

"I have some work to do, as for your observation. It is unclear to me why someone would do that, but it doesn’t seem like a pretty good thing; be careful and tell me if something goes wrong."

"I’m starving now. What should I do now?"

"I didn’t ask you to tell me every single thing that goes wrong." Mo Fei pinched the bridge of his nose. Suddenly, a thought came into his mind. "Kiyori, you still have that artifact, right?"

"Mhm." She nodded in her place as if he could see her.

Mo Fei stared at the carriage moving toward the palace. "I’ll ask you about it later; keep it safe till I return."

"I’m not careless."

Mo Fei laughed softly. "I know, but you know that sometimes it gives even more motivation to prove me wrong."

"Eh? The village is close; I’ll tell you more later."

Mo Fei looked at the morning sky, then back to the driver and surroundings, and spoke softly in his mind. "I’ll wait."

Almost an hour passed as the carriage stopped near the palace. Murphy jumped out of the carriage and flipped a silver shilling to the driver, whose eyes were already locking onto the towering, gothic iron gates of the Roosevelt estate.

The guards outside surged forward, stopping near Murphy as he tried to enter the estate. "Where are you going?" The guard yelled.

Murphy pulled out his detective card, but the guards only read that; their eyes didn’t catch Murphy’s birthdate... 16 June 1906, which he slickly hid behind his finger. Both of the guards moved away and let him enter with muttering.

He entered the estate, a large building that gave the vibe of richness he hadn’t seen in the past. Before he could process the thought, the massive mahogany doors of the palace creaked open on their own.

Out stepped a man wearing an impeccable white suit, who was entirely unbothered by the morning dampness of the rain. He was Platinum V. Carthen. His face held a polite but entirely hollow smile.

"Ah, a Detective. I’m Platinum V. Carthen." Platinum purred, clapping his hands together, which echoed in the empty courtyard. "We didn’t expect one here. Tell us the reason, Mr. Detective."

"Where is the Prince, Carthen?" Murphy asked, his voice a low, dangerous rumble as he shifted his posture, weight distributed perfectly to strike.

"The Prince?" Platinum laughed, a high, reedy sound. "The Prince is inside. Come, see for yourself." Platinum stepped aside, gesturing toward the palace.

From the darkness, two massive, glistening black eyes uncoiled from the shadows of the royal foyer, but as soon as it appeared it disappeared too.

But what can be hidden from someone whose whole purpose was to unravel mysteries?

Carthen walked forward inside; Murphy quietly followed him behind. His hand hovered near the revolver as if expecting something to happen. As they both entered the palace, the gate was closed shut, and Platinum looked back. "Don’t get scared; we made a machine to do that."

Murphy Law remained silent. They reached near a table where Prince Roosevelt sat with a cup of tea that rested on the table alongside toast and a boiled egg on a plate; a few spoons and forks rested there to keep an elegant etiquette manner. Platinum walked forward, then sat on a sofa, and gestured toward a seat before them.

Murphy examined both of their faces, then glanced at the food, finally sitting down on a sofa.

With a slow, careful movement, Prince Roosevelt put down his porcelain teacup; a deliberate click echoed against the saucer. His hand grabbed a crisp linen napkin and tapped the corners of his mouth, then fixed his cold gaze upon Murphy.

"We are not accustomed to unannounced visitors at such an ungodly hour, Mr. Detective. Particularly for those who carry themselves with so little regard for courtly decorum."

Murphy leaned back into the plush sofa, crossing one leg over the other, his hand still near his revolver. "My name is Murphy Law, and decorum is a luxury for people who aren’t looking for a missing doctor, Prince Roosevelt. I’m here for Dr. Carlson, and the funding behind Hitten Cathedral and the clinic."

Platinum chuckled from his seat, then leaned forward to get a glass of water from a crystal decanter. "Ah, that good doctor. A man of science, surely. Science is just of fickle of pursuit, Mr. Law. Men of that nature often wander off into their own ambition. Why bring such common worries to our doorstep?"

"Because his ’Ambition’ involves a clinic funded by royal pockets." Murphy countered. "And especially since all the murder cases are revolving around the clinic and the Cathedral, and now the doctor himself is missing. Tell me then..."

He paused and looked at both of them with a cold expression. "Are you truly not behind that?"