After regaining his senses slightly, Wayne climbed out of the shed and walked out, vacating the spot so that Inessa, who hadn't rested well these past few days, could rest a bit longer.
The freight carriage was parked on the roadside next to the house from last night. At this moment, many monks were busy moving in and out, some Agents were helping, and several police officers were guarding the outermost perimeter.
Outside the house's main door, a monk was carefully placing a magnificent brocade, seemingly embroidered with a holy emblem pattern using golden threads, into a large box opened by another monk. The brocade wrapped a 'snake-head staff' within it.
The four walls of the box looked thicker than a safe, as if giving a sense of security that 'even an evil spirit wouldn't be able to escape once inside.'
Merlin stood by with Lina, observing the two monks' actions. Seeing Wayne appear, Merlin waved to the police officers guarding the perimeter, allowing him to pass, while also scrutinizing Wayne from head to toe: "I heard you were injured last night. Do you need the Cathedral to arrange treatment?"
"It's nothing serious, just some impact at the scene. I'll be fine after some rest."
Wayne replied as he approached, his gaze involuntarily rising towards the upper floors. "Is the damage to the house really that severe? I remember when I passed out last night, the ceiling on the second floor should have been fine..."
At that time, the Wise Sage primarily unleashed "spiritual pressure." For the chosen target, it might have been enough to devastate, but its physical impact on the surrounding environment seemed to be restrained, even less than the commotion caused by the cultist detonating the array a few days ago.
How did even half the roof collapse now, and a portion of the "third floor" give way? Looking up from outside the house, one could actually see the blue sky through the second-floor window.
How much money is this going to cost? It feels like the repair costs might be almost the same as tearing it down and rebuilding it.
Before Merlin could speak, Lina's gaze had already subtly swept over.
Wayne paused slightly, then immediately raised a hand to his head, pretending to rub it. "Hmm... no, my head still feels a bit dizzy, and my memory seems a bit confused. I might really need to rest a bit longer..."
Fortunately, Merlin's attention was primarily focused on the "snake-head staff" at this moment. He only briefly looked up again upon hearing this. "We've all witnessed what the Coatle phantom looked like when it erupted a few days ago. The core figure among these cultists that you unexpectedly discovered last night seemed to cause such destructive power again, which is not surprising."
Having not thought of coordinating stories with Lina just now, Wayne didn't dare to interject randomly. He nodded his chin in agreement with Merlin's view, then quickly turned his head, pretending to be carefully examining the situation inside the house.
The Dock Area is not a prosperous area; the internal structures of brick and stone houses are mostly low and compact. Wooden houses are the ones that offer a slightly more comfortable sense of space for residents.
This house belonged to the latter. Now, an irregular spherical space had been hollowed out inside, with its center roughly where the tentacle monster was torn apart last night. However, the destructive effect seemed more like what would be caused by a sufficient amount of high explosives, with destructive force spreading outwards in all directions from the same origin, and many fragments and debris showing a "pushed from inside out" directional pattern.
Not smelling any obvious residual gunpowder, Wayne turned his head and found Airflow among the Agents, mentally reconstructing the approximate process.
Sanders, that tough guy, must have contributed to this. It looked as if someone had been searching for survivors in the ruins, but in reality, he was just rummaging around and causing secondary damage to the scene.
At this moment, the disguised scene felt logically acceptable.
When the small wooden house's magic array erupted in the winery before, the scene was a mess. Last night, there were several cultists here, so it's reasonable that the power after the eruption would be even greater.
With the initial setup now complete, it shouldn't be difficult for Lina to weave a story.
The large box containing the "snake-head staff" was escorted by two monks to a Church carriage by the roadside, with mounted guards before and after responsible for the escort.
After watching them leave, Merlin let out a soft sigh. "The cultists seem to have all been apprehended, and the staff carrying the evil god's aura has been officially contained. Once the scene is cleared, this matter can probably be brought to a close.
"It's a pity that none of the cultists who remained in the house last night left behind any extraordinary materials. Their spiritual power seems to have been drained when the Coatle phantom descended, becoming fuel for the eruption. Only the extraordinary materials of the two cultists who tried to break out from behind the house remained."
Wayne tried to say as little as possible to avoid mistakes, so he could only nod and hum expressionlessly.
Merlin was in a good mood at this time and quite kind. He patted Wayne on the shoulder. "Although the number of spoils isn't large, their ranks should be high, and items carrying evil god auras are usually given importance. More crucially, the Silent Sect's conspiracy was stopped in time, preventing casualties among the Dock Area's residents. I will emphasize your contributions in the report to see if I can secure rewards and commendations for you."
"That's not necessary. I think the monks worked harder; the Detective Agency's role was mainly assistance."
Wayne wasn't being polite. Anyway, the scope of the reward had already been determined, and what could be discussed was merely the specific division ratio, which was unlikely to change much.
As for a bit of empty fame, the Detective Agency's security commissions for the steam train lines are already "oversaturated," and Willie is helping to build prestige, so they don't lack it for now. If this matter could make Tiriel a little more "in the Emperor's heart," Wayne would consider it good.
Moreover, the Detective Agency secretly took some extraordinary materials. How could one secretly take kickbacks and then make a big fuss about it…
Many things often can't withstand close scrutiny from everyone. Why would one be so tactless as to run into the spotlight and attract attention? When he meets the Cathedral treasurer again, Wayne will also choose to decline.
The two exchanged words for a while. Merlin's intentions were genuinely good, but Wayne could only appreciate them.
However, a monk passing by overheard their conversation and seemed surprised that the Detective Agency was even willing to give up the credit for discovering this cultist hideout last night. His gaze towards Wayne seemed to become even friendlier.
But Wayne wasn't without his own thoughts: "Merlin, regarding the follow-up handling of this matter, I actually have a private suggestion."
Merlin seemed to have just updated his perception of Wayne at this moment, and his attitude of listening was quite serious. "Speak."
"Although the cultists all seem to have been apprehended, their lingering influence might still be present. I believe the Cathedral's previous bounty on rat tails is still necessary to continue."
Wayne explained as he spoke, "Anyway, it shouldn't cost much, and our Detective Agency will continue to investigate and monitor the Dock Area during this period. This will prevent isolated cases of accidental infection from spreading into a small-scale plague, completely eliminating the hidden danger."
Merlin nodded involuntarily: "That makes sense. You've considered it very thoroughly. I will include this suggestion in the report."
"You don't need to emphasize that this was my suggestion."
Wayne added, just in case, "After all, our Detective Agency's business leans towards solving cases and security. Some suggestions are better put forth by the monks; they will appear more convincing on a professional level."
Merlin seemed to have misunderstood something, hesitating before slowly nodding: "I understand... I didn't expect you, Wayne, to be so low-key. The news in the newspapers clearly underestimated your actual abilities."
Oh, please don't mention those rotten newspapers.
I'm now worried that I might end up in the newspaper again one day, with a headline like "Famous Detective Sentenced to Prison for Murdering Reporter" or something.
