Wu Chang looked out at the Hills River outside the carriage and said to the driver, Raventon:

"I’m starting to seriously suspect that what we’re doing right now is just indulging your hobby of driving."

Raventon drove the carriage, the corners of his oil-shiny mouth drooping as he said:

"You really wound me saying that. I’m clearly doing this to help you fulfill Her Majesty the Queen’s commission."

"You have to understand, as a detective, in most cases, the cases that require you to step in don’t come with ready-made clues."

"If you want to solve a case, the detective has to go find the clues themselves, and those clues exist in all kinds of tiny details."

Wu Chang clapped his hands and said:

"As expected of the best detective in Grimland, even what you say sounds professional."

"But the problem is, what does you taking me on a leisurely tour of the city have to do with investigating the Prime Minister assassination case?"

Raventon spoke in a steady tone that sounded as if he saw through everything:

"My Lord Leader, who do you think killed His Excellency the Prime Minister?"

Wu Chang pondered the crime scene and said:

"It must have been a powerful Transcendent who excelled at Spiritual Ability, or someone who could forcibly control a target’s body."

Raventon shook his head. "No, of course not."

"A single Transcendent cannot kill the Prime Minister."

Wu Chang raised his brows slightly and asked, "You mean it was a group operation."

Raventon said, "What I’m saying is, the killer who murdered the Prime Minister is this society."

"This society that stands at the summit of the world, at its most glorious moment, about to decide whether its next step will be a soaring ascent or a plunge into the Abyss."

Wu Chang rolled his eyes and said carelessly:

"I may be the Secret Magic Knight Order Leader, the Queen’s Sword, tasked with easing the Queen’s burdens, but I can only do what falls within my scope of duty."

"In a sense, I’m just a detective hired by the Queen. I only care about catching the killer—the physical, concrete killer."

"Those abstract ’social contradictions’ you’re talking about are for the Queen, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Ministers to worry about. They have nothing to do with me."

Raventon glanced back at Wu Chang and said:

"In fact, I’m talking about the actual killer."

"The situation in Stilan is far more complicated than you imagine. It’s not just one side that wants the Prime Minister dead—every side does."

"This murder was carried out under the tacit consent of multiple parties. It was just a matter of who lost patience first and struck first, and whoever did will be punished."

"Grimland is a microcosm of Stilan. Seeing Grimland clearly will help you get a grasp of each side’s condition and find out who couldn’t hold back and made the move."

Wu Chang clicked his tongue. "I didn’t expect our esteemed Prime Minister to be this unpopular."

Raventon burst out laughing. "Believe me, he’s far more unpopular than you think!"

When they first met yesterday, while pretending to be a coachman, Raventon had moonlighted as a tour guide and introduced Grimland to Wu Chang.

Now he had truly turned into a tour guide, talking about everything they encountered along the way.

"Captain Sean, the West District where you’re staying is the quietest and also the most prosperous part of Grimland."

"Look at the Hills River not far ahead—still so clear, without any nauseating stench. Remember what it looks like now; once we leave the West District, you’ll miss it."

The Hills River is a river that runs west to east and cuts through all of Grimland.

The West District is where the Hills River flows into the city, and the water source here has not yet been polluted.

Raventon’s planned route also followed the course of the Hills River, crossing the whole of Grimland.

As the carriage left the West District, they began to enter the political and economic core of Grimland.

The roads were smooth and clean, splendid buildings worthy of being called works of art were everywhere, and the shop windows lining the streets displayed all kinds of exquisite jewelry.

Respectable gentlemen and ladies sat in their carriages, chatting about what new oddities had occurred in the city the previous night.

Wu Chang told Raventon to stop the carriage. He went into a shop by the road, bought the white diamond necklace displayed in the window, and said:

"I think it suits you very well."

Erin’s face flushed slightly as she said, "Thank you, but I’m not used to wearing accessories."

Wu Chang shrugged and said, "It’s fine. It’s the Queen paying anyway; we’d be fools not to take it."

"Ever since we entered Grimland, you’ve been talking a lot less and you look out of sorts. I’m a bit worried."

Erin shook her head slightly and said, "I find this place very oppressive."

Wu Chang looked up at the sky. The heavy gray haze hung overhead like a lid, constantly shrouding the sky, making Grimland seem perpetually overcast.

No wonder the BBC’s ’hell filter’ is used so effortlessly—some places really do come with a built-in hell filter.

"True, I think this place is oppressive too. I’ll think of a way later to clear up the sky."

He wondered whether the Water and Thunder Technique that calls the wind and summons the rain could do anything about smog formed from industrial dust.

Erin said:

"What makes me feel oppressed isn’t the weather, but the atmosphere. I can feel the air of this city filled with a great many powers of faith of despair, all of them waiting for salvation."

Wu Chang’s brows furrowed slightly. Powers of faith of despair and a longing for salvation—that was a big problem.

"Raventon, adjust the route. See if you can avoid the commoners’ districts and the slums."

Raventon frowned slightly. "Then we can only move around near the West District."

Wu Chang sighed and said, "Otherwise, you could go back and rest first, or I could use the Tree of Miracles to make a wish and temporarily seal off your perception of the Power of Faith."

He had forgotten that Erin couldn’t bear to see people suffer. In Grimland, that meant she really shouldn’t be looking around everywhere.