Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 450 The Glimmer of Light in the Dark Empire

Chapter 452 The Glimmer of Light in the Dark Empire

"So, what happened to that bearded man?"

The thief, whose physique had recently become increasingly muscular, tapped his fingers on the table and asked a perfectly reasonable question.

"How would I know?"

He gulped down a large mouthful of the ale that Lian Wu had bought for him. The spicy liquid made him grimace, and he quickly wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "That drunkard who was talking nonsense disappeared the next day like a stone that had fallen into a lake. How many people in Black Crocodile can stay sober in the middle of the night? Nobody knows when he slipped away."

"Hmm—." The female monk shook her long hair, rubbed the rosary hanging from her waist that could increase defense, and pondered, "It feels a little strange."

Indeed, fake beards have always been a classic prop for those with a guilty conscience to conceal their identity, and the speed at which rumors spread is a bit too fast; there's definitely more to this story than meets the eye.

For some reason, the two travelers seemed to recall the voice of the magician who had just been kicked out of the shop—perhaps he had used a telepathic spell.

Because of this pleasant conversation, Mr. Stalker downed a huge amount of cheap alcohol from 500 years ago, stood up from his seat, and tried to express his long-held love to the waitress.

Gadriya and Lian Wu exchanged a glance and decisively attacked together, starting a fight before the situation could escalate further. One threw a punch while the other tripped, instantly knocking unconscious the cloaked man who had just been chatting happily with them.

This "hero saves the beauty" event deeply moved the waitress, whose eyes sparkled with the light of a bear seeing a tree fruit, and she even took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Lian Wu and Cattleya.

Unfortunately, despite the successful negotiations, the waiter was unable to provide any further clues about the origin of the rumors or the mysterious bearded man. Instead, he lowered his voice—

"If you are interested in the situation of the person in the palace, I do know an apprentice in the palace who is responsible for taking care of the garden near His Majesty's bedroom. That person may have seen some things that others have not noticed. If you would like, I can introduce you."

"It feels like a very strong quest guidance. It seems the tavern battle we just had was a side quest to make up for our failed roll."

The magician's voice echoed in the travelers' hearts once more, and he himself, wearing that flamboyant pointed mage's hat, reappeared at the tavern entrance—only to be stopped at the door by the tavern staff as he was now blacklisted.

"So, do you want to see that person?" Ignoring her companion's cries for help, Cattleya asked the thief.

Lian Wu thought for a moment, then nodded.

"I think it's necessary. The reason we're investigating this rumor is ultimately because of the prophecy your master saw in the oracle, Cattleya. We'll have to investigate the royal palace sooner or later."

The two successfully reached an agreement with the receptionist and met up with Yueju, then rested for the night at a cheap hotel in the capital.

The next day, led by the waitress, they met the apprentice who was said to be a future court gardener. Due to the previous "great failure", Lanju needed to cast a [concealment] spell on herself throughout the entire process.

"Did you all sleep well last night?"

The smiling receptionist waved to the travelers who had successfully completed their nightly rounds, with the legendary "palace attendant" standing beside her.

"Don't underestimate this child. Although she's a girl, she's quite adept at taking care of the royal gardens."

The waitress eagerly gestured to the apprentice beside her and introduced him to everyone, saying, "Not only is he an expert in pest control and fruit gathering in the garden, but he is also highly regarded and trusted by Earl Black Moon in the court. The reason I am fortunate enough to know this expert is because he occasionally visits our Black Crocodile Tavern to purchase cider, which is favored even at court banquets."

The waitress took every opportunity to introduce her pub's best-selling items, and she was very enthusiastic.

However, including the oblivious Blueberry, the three travelers completely ignored her words and stared dumbfounded at the new character who had suddenly appeared before them.

"Hello, I'm Luna, a gardener!"

"Here comes a guest star for a limited time! Wanlong, are you finally letting loose to liven things up?"

The magician could no longer contain his emotions and suddenly revealed himself, raising the wand that had just been used for casting spells and loudly complaining.

Luna, however, seemed completely oblivious to these nonsensical remarks, simply tilting her head playfully: "Wanlong? Who's Wanlong? I'm Luna."

"Yes, who exactly is this Wanlong you're talking about? We've never had such a strange customer in our shop before."

The tavern waitress covered her mouth and chuckled as she left, a glint of cunning in her eyes like that of a novelist.

"You're clearly an intelligence agent! Even Hugo is busy with his work, and you're participating in the game so enthusiastically—don't you feel any remorse?"

"No, not at all. And it's not your place to say that." Luna said calmly, smiling without any burden.

"Forget it, lingering on this will only embolden the host," Lian Wu advised helplessly from the side. "Let's focus on advancing the plot."

The thief, Lian Wu, used his muscular arms to stop his flailing companion and attempted to negotiate with the gardener's apprentice.

Luck struck at that moment.

Perhaps it was because Lian Wu's honest and kind appearance particularly appealed to Luna, but as soon as she asked a question, the court apprentice immediately started talking like a floodgate opening: "About the King? Ah, that terrible rumor, right? Actually, I don't know much about it either, after all, His Majesty has been a strange person for a long time. If there's anything suspicious about him lately, it's probably that he's been coming to the garden less and less, and he's become much more gloomy and doesn't want to talk to us much. But I think this abnormality is just a matter of mood—after all, His Majesty is a strange person."

Luna seemed a little unfamiliar with the lines, uttering a long string of information somewhat awkwardly, with a subtle sense of incongruity in her tone.

As a key figure in this ancient kingdom on the verge of collapse, the king's image was far from glorious: ambitious but incompetent, indulging in pleasure, and extravagant—he could hardly be considered a wise ruler. The rumors of him being "possessed by an evil dragon" were probably not entirely unfounded.

In fact, various clues in the earlier stages of the game had already hinted at this: whether it was the vague prophecy of the character Cattleya's master, the former organization of the thief Lianwu—that gang that openly occupied the village, or the magic academy that the character Yueju once studied at—now filled with bloated noble children due to corruption, all signs pointed to the deep-seated decay in the roots of this kingdom.

"Apprentice, can you take us directly to the palace?"

Listening to the other person's somewhat noisy narration, Cattleya, a little annoyed, cut straight to the point.

"Oh, you're going to the palace?" Apprentice Luna circled the group of unfamiliar travelers, blinking.

Could it be that they're planning an assassination?"

"No way!"

The mage immediately retorted, "Although our team's composition does seem a bit militant at first glance, and we all dislike this country, and we recently completed the tavern brawl achievement—we certainly don't want to end up wiped out so soon and prematurely end the game!"

"Hmm—" The apprentice seemed to waver easily. "If it's not an assassination, it shouldn't matter if I bring people in, right?"

"Is the palace so poorly guarded?"

"I've been thinking about an inspiration," Cattleya suddenly said, her gaze carefully examining Luna before her.

The monk's devout faith sometimes brings divine intuition and a bit of luck—she, who often uses similar superpowers in reality, relies on this skill even in another world.

"Indeed, the fact that we could get in so easily makes me think it might be a trap," Lian Wu nodded in agreement.

"Hmm," Cattleya said, feigning a gesture of clasping her hands together, then closed her eyes for a moment before letting out a curt "—." It seemed she had failed in a seemingly ordinary way.

"That's impressive, you didn't cheat this time!"

Do you want to start a fight?

The blueberry, who made an inappropriate remark, received a fierce glare from the female monk, who pricked up her ears as if listening to a distant sound, before continuing to speak.

"Although I can't sense whether there is any hostility within the palace, there seems to be something strange about this Miss Luna in front of me."

"Looks like we accidentally triggered some side quests because we were just barely close to passing." The thief rubbed his chin with his rough fingers and turned to his companion beside him. "What do you think, Blueberry?"

"Speaking of which, didn't the waitress say that this guy was highly regarded by a certain count in the court, I think it was Count Black Moon? His behavior of testing us to see if we should assassinate him as soon as we met is a bit suspicious."

The magician lived up to expectations, displaying his keen insight.

"Given Wanlong's style, she wouldn't just let Luna play some ordinary role—is it possible that besides being a gardening apprentice, she also holds some other profession?"

"Could it be some kind of spy lurking in the capital—though this is just a wild guess."

Lian Wu scratched his head, and couldn't help but recall the scene when he first met Luna Silvia in the hospital.

"Oh dear!"

The moment Lian Wu voiced his guess, a sharp, hawk-like alertness flashed in Luna's eyes—a quality far beyond what an ordinary gardener could possess. Her entire demeanor seemed to undergo a complete transformation. "Truly astute," she said, "it's a real waste of your talents that you haven't served the kingdom."

"No, so it was just a lucky guess—"

"Haha, you guessed right!"

The "horticulture apprentice" in front of me suddenly let out a loud and clear laugh.

"I am Luna Silvia, a palace spy serving under Count Black Moon and part of the Night Rose Squad, tasked with monitoring unusual movements within the royal palace!"

"It's a complete copy of the real-world setting!" The magician wiped away imaginary sweat. "What kind of secret agent would introduce themselves like that in broad daylight on the street—"

However, Agent Luna was increasingly getting into character, her eyes gleaming – "That terrifying rumor about possession happens to be something I've been secretly investigating. Since you're all so interested in our Emperor – why don't we come with me to see him in person!"