Dr. Schneider took a sip of his tea in between speaking, then looked at the cup with some surprise.
“This tea is quite good.”
“The church and the academy?”
Shard had no interest in Dr. Schneider’s taste in tea nor did he care much about the previous detective. He was focused on digesting the information.
“Yes, the church can also train ring warlocks. In fact, the formal channels for training ring warlocks, at least in my view, are the five divine churches and the three major academies of thaumaturgy. Other dark god churches, secret societies, ancient organizations, and random groups either use unorthodox methods or are filled with hidden dangers. So, it’s fortunate for both of us that you happened to meet me during your period of talent awakening.”
“So, the church…”
Compared to the unknown origins of the academy, Shard was more interested in the church that could cooperate with the kingdom’s authorities. This thought was obvious to the doctor, who smiled and shook his head, indicating his understanding, and explained further:
“The academies and the divine churches are not hostile to each other; they even cooperate occasionally. However, the church dislikes the academy students, whether they are correspondence students or official students, because they believe we are dangerous trouble magnets.”
Raising an eyebrow lightly and seeing that Shard didn’t inquire further, he continued:
“Therefore, although we correspondence students from the academy are not illegal, we typically don’t let the church know about our existence or identity. I understand you might be interested in the church, so please answer a question of mine—”
Dr. Schneider smiled.
“The church requires a completely clean background for recruitment. Even if one has a criminal record, they need a complete life trajectory to ensure they aren’t dangerous. Can you provide such?”
Bill Schneider was a psychological doctor, and at this moment, he seemed to be consulting a patient.
“Have you investigated me?”
Shard spoke without thinking but immediately regretted it.
“Not investigating would be abnormal.”
He thought to himself.
“I only investigated some basic information. After all, the academy admissions need to confirm the identity of the person. I cannot recommend a dangerous individual to the academy. But since we are only correspondence, do you understand what correspondence means? Therefore, the identity requirements are not as strict as the church.”
Dr. Schneider smiled at the young detective sitting opposite him.
“The probability of ring warlock awakenings affecting one’s psyche is why you transformed from the former Shard into the current one. Only after investigating your identity did I understand why, at our first meeting, your eyes seemed to reflect fear and confusion about the world. For you, the moment of talent awakening was truly your ‘awakening,’ wasn’t it?”
He had probably misunderstood the reason for Shard’s transformation, but Shard was happy to let him think that way, so he nodded as if his thoughts had been seen through.
“If I explain this to the church…”
“You certainly can, but I hope you’ll first get to know the academy and understand what ‘Ring Warlocks’ are about. Isn’t it better to make a decision that way? I believe you understand that I am not a bad person.”
Dr. Schneider stated. Shard nodded again, acknowledging that the doctor made a valid point. He solemnly replied:
“Alright, thank you, Dr. Schneider. I am willing to learn about these things first.”
The doctor took out a pocket watch and glanced at it.
“We don’t have much time. The talent awakening usually lasts around 72 hours but varies based on individual differences. To prevent missing the timing—”
“What happens if one isn’t guided to become a ring warlock during the awakening period?”
Shard interrupted the doctor rather apologetically.
“I’m curious about that.”
The doctor casually shrugged.
“Curiosity is a good thing, indicating you don’t reject ring warlocks and the mystical. You seem to know almost nothing, which actually makes guiding you easier. People fear the extraordinary and dread the mystical. You show no rejection, only curiosity; I’m very pleased with that. As for your question, I don’t have specific data, but I can tell you, if a ring warlock’s talent awakening period isn’t guided, the high probability is they go insane, with a slight chance of their head exploding. Yes, have you seen a watermelon being smashed by a hammer? Pink and white stuff flying everywhere.”
The doctor politely inquired.
“No need for such a description, that’s vivid enough for me to almost see the scene.”
Shard quickly said, feeling slightly nauseous from having skipped breakfast.
“Alright then. Also, there’s an even smaller chance that something strange happens, but we’ll discuss that later. For now, let’s focus on Ring Warlocks. A simple explanation isn’t as illustrative; please follow me.”
The doctor stood up.
“Where are we going? To St. Byrence Comprehensive Academy?”
Shard waved the academy admission documents in his hand.
“Certainly not. We correspondence students can only go to the academy hidden in the extreme northern ice cap of the Old Continent after the fifth year. The academy’s location is a secret, associated with some subspaces and different races attached to the material world. Until then, we continue our lives and study within our living areas. Remember, Mr. Hamilton, we are in adult education, we are correspondence students of the academy.”
This meant that even if Shard joined the academy, he wouldn’t need to study at a secret location like “Hogwarts.” That had both advantages and disadvantages but at least offered some freedom while gaining power.
“Now, I will take you to find the person who killed Sparrow Hamilton.”
The doctor gestured invitingly.
“What?”
Shard stood up abruptly, surprised.
“Yes, I discovered this problem while investigating your identity. Given that you’ve encountered the extraordinary and mystical, why not use this opportunity to resolve it? You might be worried that the person who killed the original Detective Hamilton could implicate you.”
Even though the original detective had promised not to involve Shard, Shard was still concerned.
“It’s not a complicated matter, and the other party didn’t deliberately hide their traces because Sparrow Hamilton was just an ordinary person. Let’s go now; we should be able to resolve it before lunch. Do you have a gun?”
The doctor inquired again.
“No.”
Shard shook his head.
“Then please don’t stand in front of me. I guarantee that if you stay behind me, there will be no danger today. After all, we’re not facing a ring warlock.”
Sparrow Hamilton had mentioned the opposite before his death.
“Ordinary people can’t distinguish and tend to see anyone capable of using extraordinary powers as a ring warlock. But for officially employed ring warlocks, this is easy to distinguish. After all, that person doesn’t have a [Fate Wheel], hasn’t accumulated spirits, and can’t sense the four elements of [Miracle], [Enlightenment], [Blasphemy], and [Whispers]. They are just someone who’s occasionally obtained a [Relic], or rather—”
The doctor paused and corrected himself.
“No, an unlucky guy.”
“You seemed to mention many terms just now.”
Shard remarked. He had actually heard about the four elements and [Relic], but there was no need to show that now.
“Don’t worry, we can talk while we walk.”
The detective profession was extremely dangerous, and in the doctor’s investigation, the former Detective Sparrow Hamilton had encountered an accident during one of his investigations.
Probably to prevent Shard from investigating, Sparrow Hamilton had erased all records of that commission before he died. Still, the doctor’s information network fully restored that incident.
“Did you investigate the whole thing in one night?”
Shard didn’t miss the opportunity to ask, but the doctor vaguely avoided answering, suggesting he’d tell him after the matter was resolved.
“Here we are.”
The two took a carriage (the doctor paid) from the square, and after nearly two hours of travel, they crossed the city and got off the carriage by the embankment of the River Orsel.
As the northern capital of the kingdom, Tobesque City was abundant in water systems, with inland river navigation supporting the city’s prosperous steam industry and commercial trade.
Several rivers flowed through Tobesque, with the River Orsel running through the northern part of the city. It was now the wet season in summer, and the river was turbulent.
This area was already nearing the city edge. The doctor mentioned that the city hall was planning to establish a new industrial area nearby, taking advantage of the Orsel River’s waterway to find new development opportunities for Tobesque and connect to the kingdom’s northern industrial zones. It would also supplement the kingdom’s steam locomotive railway network.
But for now, this area still had vast wastelands. After they got off and looked around into the misty distance, they could still see Tobesque’s buildings.
“To avoid alarming him, we’ll start walking from here. I noticed your boots are suitable for hiking. Mr. Hamilton, you probably haven’t had breakfast yet; after this is resolved, I’ll treat you to a meal.”
The doctor said, carrying his briefcase and walking with Shard, who was holding a notebook, into the roadside grass. Soon, they found a small path.
