"Thank you for your service, good driver. Go home knowing that you have furthered justice today." Meld hopped down from the cart. She landed on a smoothly paved stone path was so immaculately clean it shone white like a diamond under the sun.

Li and Triple Threat also got down, with Azhar coming last as he ushered the beastwomen forwards. They, huddled under their cloaks, were evidently wary, but by now, had become somewhat used to the whole situation, carrying themselves with more confidence.

"Your steps are very light," said Sylvie as she came up to Meld. Side by side, Li noted the two women were similar in height, being quite short and similar in build with a sleek slenderness that spoke of agility. "Lighter than even mine, and I am an a.s.sa.s.sin by trade."

"In a way, I too could be called an a.s.sa.s.sin," said Meld. "But unfortunately, my kind do not mesh well with magic. A shame, really, as I have always wondered what it was like to be a normal human, though I cannot say he would agree."

Meld pointed forwards, towards Chevrette's estate. The estate oozed with gaudy wealth. Gold plated roof tiles, marble inlaid with golden patterns, golden statues of lions, gold everywhere. The garden and lawn circling the property even had a golden theme, with rows of golden flowers swaying in the wind, flas.h.i.+ng like little twinkles of sunlight. 

In front of the mansion door, however, was Thunderstrike, his arms crossed and a stern expression wreathed on his scarred face. The knights of Lys, recognizable by their dove banners, crowded around him. 

"You're late," barked out Thunderstrike. "I have been waiting here for twenty minutes when I could have s.h.i.+fted the entire lot of you with these knights."

Meld shrugged as she came forwards. Li followed, nodding back to Triple Threat to get them to follow his lead.

"s.h.i.+fting?" inquired Li. 

"Thunderstrike not only holds the might of thunder within his hands, but he can also move like it. If he wishes so, he may even take others with him in a flash of light. Quite a marvelous power," said Meld.

Li narrowed his eyes. Thunderstrike could teleport as well and take others with him. Though, judging by how shaky the knights of Lys were, it appeared that it did not bode well for the health of normal people. 

"I trust that you haven't wasted the time?" said Li. He stepped up to Thunderstrike, and the man looked at him with a neutral expression. "Have you arrested Chevrette? Circled the house? Gone through inside for evidence?"

"I do not have the authority to impose arrests, so I have been waiting for Meld," said Thunderstrike. 

"Thunderstrike is, how shall I put it, more of a frontlines person?" explained Meld. "His work is done outside the boundaries of the duchy, against foreign enemies. Whereas I am the only one among the Rays that specializes in civil cases."

Sylvie perked her head up, her curious eyes a.n.a.lyzing Thunderstrike, surely taking note of the fact that the man, built like a flying brick, probably did suit the battlefield far more than sneaking around a city. 

"Curious why he is here then," said Sylvie. "The enemies of the duchy are many such that it is strange to have a powerful hero such as him for a case about Riviera of all places."

"The slave trade is a serious matter deserving of our attention," said Meld. "Particularly when there is forbidden magic behind it. Heresy must be purged with as much force as possible."

"Then let's get on with this," said Li. "Chevrette might have escaped already with how much time sparky over here has wasted."

Thunderstrike scoffed. "Knights circle every inch of this perimeter, and my honed senses and lightning speed would never allow a mere man to escape me."

"The knights you got sick with your fancy teleportation?" Li motioned to the shaky knights. It was like they were seasick, some of them clutching at their stomachs, ready to vomit. "And you never thought about underground escapeways? Magical teleportation, too?"

"Preposterous," said Thunderstrike. "There exists no magic that can allow for such a feat."

"You're awfully confident about that," said Li as he realized that the people of this world were not familiar with any teleportation spell because even the weakest one was of a rank too high for them to see. 

Meld raised her hands up to diffuse the tension. "We are on a case, Thunderstrike, and the easterner is a valuable ally."

Thunderstrike stepped aside, leaving the path to the gold patterned door clear. "So be it then. Initiate the arrest."

Meld knocked the door loudly, a surprising amount of strength locked away in her tiny body as her closed fist left dents in the solid wood. She used her free hand to reach into her cloak and withdrew a golden, triangular piece of metal inscribed with an intricate pattern of a sun – the d.u.c.h.ess's seal.

A few seconds later, the door opened inwards, revealing something Li had never seen before.

Li could tell it was a robot, but it was nothing that had ever been in Elden World. It was not a golem that belonged in the pages of high fantasy, but instead a contraption that would have fit in with a steampunk setting.

The robot was about as tall as a man and built like a crude human. Its spindly limbs were made of bronze and copper, and as they moved to keep the door in place, they creaked with the groan of metal. Its torso was a rotating sphere of metal. Pipes ran from it, attaching at various points of its body and venting steam. 

It had a dozen arms, and all of them, segmented like that of a spider's, was busy with some task, some holding papers, others holding cups, clothes, and other miscellaneous household items. 

"Bring me your master, golem," said Meld. 

The robot's head, a round ball of bronze attached to a neck of pipes and wires, nodded. Its face consisted of a screen that flashed with a pixelated emoticon of a smiling face. 

"An Elvish golem," remarked Sylvie as she saw the robot turn and withdraw into the house, perfectly balancing the many items it held on its arms. "I have seen their st.u.r.dier mining kinds in Montagne, but still, it is a marvel to see another."

"I wonder what magic they use, or whether they call upon some foreign G.o.d," said Jeanne.

"Whatever it is, it ain't sittin' well with us," said Azhar as he let the beastwomen stand behind him, cowed by the contraption. 

"Whatever it is, it is foul and unnatural," said Thunderstrike with disdain.

The irony that a hero whose powers did not belong on this world was calling the robot unnatural was not lost on Li, but he did not comment on it. Instead, perhaps because it was the first time he truly saw one of these Elven machines instead of just hearing about them, he began to understand that the world was much bigger than he had conceptualized, focused on the farm as he had been.

It did not take a minute before Chevrette came to the door, a.s.sisted by what appeared to be his daughter.

Li was a little taken aback. Dressed as he was in fine white suit, his wealth did not conceal his frailty. A man nearing sixty with a slightly hunched back and countless wrinkles on his face. An eyepatch covered one of his eyes but did not fully conceal scarring from burning that poked out through the fabric. Despite that, his smile was unharmed, being bright, wide and confident, belying his age. 

"By the Light!" said Chevrette. His voice had a youthful timbre to it that made it obvious he was used to public speaking and shouting. "Members of the Ascendant Order at my doorstep? And Riviera's finest adventurers, too? The great knights of Lys, also? What is it? Another demon invasion?"

Chevrette straightened his posture and held out a golden cane. He supported his weight on his daughter's arms. 

"It's been a while, but I've still fight left in me. The dark beasts can taste my cane. Perhaps I'll get some revenge for my eye, heh."

"Fortunately, the city is not under danger," said Meld. She got straight to the point. "But unfortunately, I am here to issue your immediate arrest. Starting from this moment forwards, you may not leave the confines of your home. You may not have any visitors, though I shall make an exception for your daughter. However, she also may not leave your house. 

You cede the right to your property's privacy. We will conduct a thorough investigation of your home. You may speak to us but know that your words may be used against you within the court of law."

"Truly?" Chevrette rubbed his eyes with a wrinkled hand. He patted his daughter's arm. "Ella, dearest, return to your room. This will be a good chance for you to focus on your studies. Father will be fine by himself."

Ella, a girl who could not have been past her mid-teens, cast a worried glance over to Meld's direction, but upon seeing Thunderstrike's intimidating expression, nodded, bowing before timidly leaving. When her footesteps were out of earshot, Chevrette began speaking again.

"May I ask what the arrest is for?"

Meld shook her head. "Details of the investigation are under secrecy." She flashed the triangular piece of golden metal in her hand like a badge. "The d.u.c.h.ess has vested upon me full authority to keep any matter of it from you."

"Hm, fair enough," said Chevrette. "Might I call upon my lawspeaker?"

Meld nodded. "You may bring a lawspeaker here. However, he or she will also face the same travel restrictions as you and your daughter do."

"That is fine. It is better to speak while having a man who truly knows the d.u.c.h.ess's good law by my side," said Chevrette. He leaned on his cane and s.h.i.+fted his body aside so that the way in the house was open. "I know not what it is that I have been implicated in, but it must be quite serious considering this response. I am a man of honor and beholden to the law, and I do not wish to halt you in any capacity. Please, conduct your investigations and know that I will back you at any turn I can, good heroes, adventurers, and knights of Lys."

Li stood in an alleyway beside Lakeside Bounty, the restaurant that was one of the three slave holding centers. It was pitch black, right during the time before dusk and dawn, between night and day where the darkness cloyed thickest. Beside him, Azhar stood as still as a tree, his eyes narrowed in caution.

They had found nothing in Chevrette's house. Li had expected this, though. He had generally overseen Meld as she and the knights rummaged through the house, but he had a feeling that Chevrette would not be foolish enough to have anything in his house against him. 

Several hours later, into the dark of night, and Li was proven right. They found countless financial doc.u.ments for the vast breadth of businesses that Chevrette owned or invested in, but nothing tying him personally to any of the three centers for slave holding.

Nor were there any doc.u.ments that tied Chevrette to the farmers' houses. 

Chevrette had helped them, getting his robot a.s.sistant to arrange and give out whatever doc.u.ments or items the searching party needed. His att.i.tude was accommodating and respectful, avoidant of anything that could leave him under suspicion.

Li knew that Chevrette was guilty for a fact, but he knew that Meld and Thunderstrike did not know. After the heroes had left, Li had filled in Triple Threat as well as Launcelot and his group to keep quiet about the farmers' relation to Chevrette.

Li still did not fully trust the heroes. He wanted to keep crucial information to himself so that he and those he trusted for now. For that reason, he wanted to go on this raid. He knew that by now, the other two groups were infiltrating the other two centers, but none of them would get any real information. 

Only Li was truly equipped to deal with the situation at hand, making him the first one to access new details for this case, letting him decide what he wanted to do with them.

It was interesting to consider, though. How would a lich interact with him?'

"Let's go," whispered Li. He and Azhar were both wrapped in cloaks, making them rather shady figures, but they used the darkened paths of the alleyways to get around. And also, Meld had preemptively called off security patrols in the area to prevent unnecessary interference.

Li and Azhar got to the entrance of Lakeside Bounty. It was quite a large building, and far unlike any of the regular taverns elsewhere. It was a building of polished marble and lacquered woods and expensive decorations themed with nature. Flowing vines dotted with flowers hung from the restaurant's walls like colorful banners and drooped down to the entrance like curtains.

"We're just gonna' break in through the front door?" said Azhar, worried. "This ain't no lowtown tavern or somethin'. Ingredients in the pantry here's worth more than gold, you can bet this place is locked down mighty hard. Probably got dozens of protective runes on this door as well as scryin' spells all around that'll notify guards to come pourin' in."

"Azhar, you're my follower now, right?" said Li. 

"Yeah, but what's that got to do with this?" 

"Then it's about time you understood what I can do."

Li closed his fist and cast [Bloodborne Seed]. He felt his health deplete as the A ranked spell consumed a chunk of his max health to create a seed that could form into a powerful familiar. He did not need a familiar, but this was the only way he could deal enough damage to himself. 

Li opened his fist and held a gleaming red seed the size of a peach's pit to Azhar. "Take this and keep it with you. Think of it as a gift, I guess. Toss it on the ground when you're really, really desperate."

"alright?" said Azhar as he took the seed and pocketed it. 

"Now then, surveillance is what you're worried about, right? And low tier magical defenses?" Li raised an arm. He summoned his Celestial tier item, the [Thousand Eye Bands], and manifested it around his forearm. 

The black cloth wrapped around his human arm like a snake. Red eyes gleaming with chaotic knowledge opened from all around the cloth, blazing with a power that warped the s.p.a.ce around them.

"What the h.e.l.l is that!?" said Azhar as he took steps back, his eyes wide as he met the stare of the crimson pupils that radiated with an alien power infinitely beyond any he had ever felt in his life. 

"Keep quiet," said Li. "It's a favorite item of mine. It has a friendly pet in it that can cast some spells for me."

Li channeled his damage, converting it into an offering for Sho'Gath, the ent.i.ty trapped within the band. His damage flowed out of him in red strands of magical energy that flowed into the band, feeding the eldritch force within.

"Cast [Thousand Layered Veil]," said Li. 

The eyes widened, glowing even brighter in response. 

"If you feel your mind slipping away from you," said Li to Azhar. "Then try not to look at me. But don't worry, if you go insane, I can heal you."

As Li finished his words, a surge of solid darkness swirled around his form. It thinned out into a translucent dark aura. Angry red eyes swam through the aura, and as they cast their hateful gaze on the door, countless runic inscriptions flashed momentarily before shattering into wisps of broken magical energy.

Inside the restaurant, several scrying spells meant to spy on whoever stepped in faded away, destroyed by eldritch forces infinitely beyond their capabilities to withstand. 

"This is an anti-magic spell," said Li. "It grants me an aura that destroys any low tier magic around me, including clairvoyance and defensive runes like this. Also makes it so that my presence is obscured, though since I'm not an a.s.sa.s.sin, the effect is just limited to making me look like a monstrosity so hideous it would drive any mortals looking at me insane or something like that.

In general, though, very helpful for wiping out traps in dungeons or confusing people in tense fights."

Azhar nodded, and by now, he had closed his eyes.

"Follow my footstep. You can keep your eyes closed for now. Don't worry about your safety, either." Li grabbed the door in front of him and pushed, tearing it from its hinges like it was made from paper. "So long as you're with me, I can guarantee that there is nothing in this world that can harm you, whether you're blind or not."