New Gods of North America

In the reception room, David Mills began discussing the matter with Wayne and Ineisha.

Lena, meanwhile, took Emma back to the cottage to prevent the little loli, who kept thinking about wheat juice, from being secretly given alcohol by some drunken sot.

"A magic mirror?!"

Wayne's first reaction upon hearing this word was to think of fairy tales, but his second reaction was to think of the thirty thousand dollars the detective agency had recently pocketed.

That thing… surely Simon Sherman, that sucker, didn't use it to stir up trouble…

Please don't tell me it was bought from us…

"Yes," David Mills nodded, "From a secular perspective, that's what you could call it."

David Mills gave a general introduction:

"It's an antique mirror, almost life-size, said to be from Venice in the Old World, and nearly two hundred years old.

"A merchant from Georgeburg claimed to have bought it at a small auction and brought it home about a month ago.

"Then, two days ago, something happened at his house. The male homeowner murdered the female homeowner and their three children, along with several servants, and then died at the scene."

"Was it the mirror's fault?" Wayne asked.

David Mills nodded:

"We believe so. After examining the shattered mirror surface, preliminary identification suggests that the magic circle drawn inside the frame was the work of the evil organization 'The Radiant Church'.

"Combined with what happened at the Georgeburg Church before, we have reason to believe that some surviving descendants of The Radiant Church seem to be directing the release of negatively impactful sealed objects in Georgeburg, but the specific motive is still unclear."

Huh?

The facts of the case are clear, the cause and course are roughly complete, and the "culprit" has been smashed…

Wayne thought for a moment, "Are you hoping we can assist in investigating the mirror's origin?"

"No. Investigating and capturing members of evil and hidden organizations is a long-term task. From the current situation, it seems that the other party is not so easily traced."

David Mills' expression wasn't good. "What I want you to help with is capturing or eliminating the evil spirit that escaped from the mirror."

What the hell?!

Shouldn't dealing with this kind of thing be what you guys are most professional at?

……

Wayne and the others were in a carriage,

following David Mills to a relatively nice middle-class or wealthy neighborhood in Georgeburg's city center.

This area is located on the "edge" of the bustling city, filled with villa-style detached houses, with a dozen rooms and small gardens in the front and back.

If classified according to stereotypes,

the family conditions of the residents in this area have an upper limit of rich people who have money but don't feel the need to buy a manor locally, and a lower limit of lucky people who inherited relatives' estates,

but the mainstream is probably still the middle class with high income levels but not enough "accumulation" compared to the wealthy.

In a sense, they are probably the group that best represents a city's "public opinion"—the number of wealthy people isn't large enough, and they aren't considered "ordinary people," while the voice of the working class is usually not as loud as theirs.

Passing through the casually drawn-out cordon and guards, and entering the house,

the scene was indeed a bit gruesome, with blood splattered everywhere. Just looking at the bloodstains could make one imagine scenes of slaughter or desperate fighting.

Looking more closely, most of the green plants in the house had withered, and the interior of the entire house was filled with a bloody smell, making it a bit gloomy.

Although the simple lines of sight didn't reveal anything unusual, it was basically in a state of "if this isn't haunted, it would be a bit impolite."

These days aren't friendly enough for detectives.

The scene isn't well protected or sealed off, the deceased's death isn't marked with chalk, and scene photos are even more out of the question.

If this case didn't involve an "evil spirit," there probably wouldn't even be a caution tape outside the house.

While casually making suggestions, Wayne followed David Mills to the reception room where the "magic mirror" was located.

It really was a big mirror…

The mirror surface was about one meter high and nearly one meter wide, with an ornate black hardwood frame on the outside. The outline looked a bit like an abstract gingerbread man.

However, the mirror had been taken off the wall and placed on the carpet, and the glass lens had been pulled out and placed aside, revealing the magic circle and patterns inside the frame.

Looking at the signs at the scene, it felt like someone had fought in front of the mirror, one of whom had a knife,

and then someone's back of the head or something had finally smashed into the mirror surface, shattering the mirror.

Wayne and the others observed the scene and the mirror, while David Mills explained from the side:

"According to the exorcist priest's judgment, if analyzed solely from the magic circle, this was originally an item used to seal evil spirits. However, as time passed, the effectiveness of the seal gradually diminished, and this thing seems to have been gradually 'contaminated' by the evil spirit.

"The preliminary conclusion is that the magic circle hasn't been completely destroyed, and the evil spirit hasn't completely regained its freedom, but its range of activity has expanded. At least for now, it doesn't seem to be in this house.

"Since it's related to The Radiant Church again, Father Barzini's order to me now is to control the situation as soon as possible and secretly dispose of it, without causing panic among the surrounding residents before the evil spirit is contained, and without reporting to the cathedral without authorization."

"Are you hoping we can help you investigate the nearby residents' homes?" Wayne asked.

"Yes."

David Mills didn't deny it. "The identities of church personnel and the police are too sensitive. I've already arranged for people to deliver holy water within the neighborhood and conducted preliminary observations and subtle reminders. But it's difficult for us to conduct detailed inspections in their homes on a large scale without revealing the relevant situation.

"Considering the danger of this evil spirit, if another case occurs, it probably won't be a small one. But as long as you can help determine the evil spirit's location, the exorcist priests are confident in controlling it."

Wayne thought this was unscientific. "A murder occurred in the neighborhood, and the surrounding residents are unwilling to cooperate?"

"At the time of the incident, this house should have been affected by the evil spirit's power, so the surrounding residents didn't notice it at the time. Now they may already know that a murder has occurred here, but in the police's files, the murderer himself also died at the scene."

David Mills was also a bit helpless:

"The residents aren't unwilling to cooperate. In their view, the case has occurred, the murderer is dead, and the matter is over. Allowing us to enter for a preliminary inspection and slightly strengthen daily vigilance is already out of goodwill.

"Without being allowed to reveal the truth, even if we spread the news that 'the murderer is still at large,' the residents are still wary of 'people'.

"And to say that it was an evil spirit that killed people and is on the run, the church clergy's reminder will cause panic among devout believers, and the church has never advocated doing so. As for reminding them in the capacity of the police, it will turn this matter into a joke and a scandal."

Hmm…

Dude, you might be a little too serious about things…