“The sage-level relic, 【Jack the Thief】, only appears in human settlements with a population of over 30,000. It typically emerges at night to commit random thefts, and even if encountered, it will only accelerate its escape. Under normal circumstances, it will not harm people. The items it steals must possess special value, and this is a thief that grows stronger with stronger opponents. Even for a Ring術士, if there are no special anti-theft measures at home, he will only steal using ordinary methods. However, if Angel-level (Grade 1) relics are exaggeratedly used for anti-theft to conceal secrets, then 【Jack the Thief】, rated as Sage-level (Grade 2), can unleash strange powers exceeding the Angel-level.”
Iluna introduced, “‘Jack’ is not its name; it’s merely given that moniker because Jack is a common male name, meaning this relic is hidden among countless ordinary people.”
“I understand, just like ‘Mary’ is one of the most common female names. That sounds interesting. Does ‘growing stronger with stronger opponents’ have other characteristics?”
Xia De asked with great interest.
“Of course. The true negative characteristic is that the personality of the object stolen by 【Jack the Thief】 may undergo slight changes. Early on, it manifests as annoyance at not having guarded one's property well, then this annoyance ferments into regret over losing the valuables, until it transforms into a desire to compensate for losses by stealing from others.”
“Assimilated by 【Jack the Thief】?”
Xia De asked, and Iluna nodded cautiously: “It’s not just the bad habit of kleptomania; their internal bodily structure also changes, and their entire soul is gradually permeated by whisper elements. Jack the Thief itself is merely a thief, but the relic derivatives infected with kleptomania by him are all mysterious madmen.”
Seeing Xia De listening intently, Iluna smiled awkwardly, “The information actually explains it very clearly, but I couldn't memorize it all, so I can only explain this much.”
“This is already very detailed. At the Lakeview Manor banquet on Tuesday, I heard Miss Jialinna mention this matter. So, Professor Manning has lost something?”
He asked again, and the part-time police officer immediately nodded: “Three days ago, this Monday, someone broke in here at night and stole an antique vase collected by Professor Terris Manning. Our team received the task of visiting the victims of theft cases to use the divine artifacts prepared by the Church to confirm whether the stolen person was affected and thus infected with kleptomania.”
Iluna showed Xia De the iron ring she was wearing on her finger, and Xia De's eyes could see the sun pattern on the surface of the ring.
“Look, it’s this. The first step is to touch the Professor with this ring, and the second step is to assess the Professor’s psychological state through some simple questions. Theft cases have been frequent in the city recently, so the captain assigned me to visit the victims in the University District.”
This kind of task was just the right difficulty for Iluna and could also train this immature girl. She took off the ring and handed it to Xia De, who put it on his finger while lamenting Professor Manning's bad luck.
A carriage passed through the thick fog behind Iluna, the dense mist allowing them to only see the carriage's silhouette. They temporarily stopped talking, silent under the low sky. Xia De tilted his head to look at the street scene of Cat Tail Lane behind Iluna, while Iluna subtly observed Xia De.
“I already talked to Luvia about Lakeview Manor on Wednesday night. Regarding the trials of Venars, has the Church made any progress?”
After the carriage passed, Xia De brought up the matter again, and Iluna nodded: “‘The Unseen’ could refer to many things, possibly even 【Jack the Thief】. The Church is still investigating. The Three Great Arcane Academies have already intervened in this matter, and the first trial will likely end soon. Even if it cannot be seen, the Church, the Academies, and even the Truth Society will find a way to locate it.”
“Luvia is still verifying the identity of the fourth Chosen One. However, what I'm more concerned about is, since Apner Library and the Truth Society exchanged information, didn't the Orthodox Church punish them?”
When Xia De asked this question, Iluna's face showed dissatisfaction: “The Orthodox Church only cooperates with Ring術士 organizations, including the Prophet Association; it’s not a superior-subordinate relationship. Generally speaking, as long as they don't go too far and can compensate for their mistakes, the Church will not impose punishments or similar measures.”
“They went too far this time?”
“Yes, they had a fragment of the poem in their possession but didn’t share it with the Church immediately. Oh, Xia De, I'm not saying the Church is the most reliable, but sharing such a thing with the Truth Society clearly had selfish motives. Apner Library admitted its mistake to the Church immediately after Tuesday night and handed over all information about the poem fragment, but we are still not satisfied, and there will be warning measures later.”
“I don’t understand, why did Apner Library do this? Do they also want to invest in the Chosen One?”
Xia De found this incredible. Given the scale and organizational nature of Apner Library, they did not possess such capability.
“Of course not to invest in the Chosen One, but for the Keeper.”
“Keeper?”
Xia De still didn't understand, so Iluna reminded him: “With the appearance of the Chosen One, Keepers will frequently appear by his or her side to provide tests and trials. Don't forget, only by not making any wishes can one obtain the 【wise man's stone】; but if one doesn't want the wise man's stone, those ‘Keepers,’ whether they are relics or other existences, can fulfill a certain degree of ‘wishing’ functions. Especially wishes leaning towards wisdom and Knowledge, these are what Apner Library desires.”
“So that’s how it is.”
Xia De nodded knowingly, but then thought of the three “wishers” he encountered in Huntington City. Professor Drake had to pursue past memories because of his wish, the Poet gained luck but also bore a heavy burden, and only the old fisherman who liked fishing could accept his wish with equanimity, not regretting even when his fishing rod broke later:
“The current Chosen One wants to acquire five wise man's stones, which itself is a trial. But if one tries to use this opportunity to endlessly gain wishing opportunities, wishing comes with a price, and I hope everyone understands this.”
Although Iluna enjoyed standing by the street and quietly chatting alone with Xia De, and hoped that Professor Manning would be a little late, even the Chosen One could not make Professor Manning late.
The Old Professor, in good spirits, returned to Cat Tail Lane punctually. Although the seventeen-year-old girl was a little disappointed, she knew the importance of work, so she and Xia De went to meet him.
“Long time no see, Professor.”
Xia De greeted him warmly and extended his hand, which wore the ring. Professor Manning was also pleasantly surprised by Xia De's appearance and naturally shook his hand.
The ring showed no reaction, indicating that Professor Manning was very likely not affected by the relic. Even a relic like the 【dream pen of joy】, which directly manipulates deep dreams, failed to leave permanent after-effects on Professor Manning. Xia De actually didn't think 【Jack the Thief】 could. This weathered archaeologist and history Professor had remarkably strong mental resilience.
The Professor and Xia De were very familiar friends, so there was no need for excessive pleasantries. As for Iluna, because there was a pre-arranged appointment letter from Leedweich Field, there was no need to waste time explaining the reason for her visit at the door.
Xia De subtly returned the ring to Iluna, and Professor Manning invited both of them inside. Upon learning that Xia De and the part-time police officer had known each other from a Detective assignment, the Professor visibly relaxed.
Clearly, a police visit in this era was never good news for anyone. Even though Professor Manning was the victim, and the visiting officer was a lady, the Professor still felt a bit uneasy.
Iluna was on “official business,” so Xia De let Iluna handle the theft case first.
Although she was only a nominal police officer, she had actually received police training. Therefore, after entering, she professionally inquired about the details of Monday's investigation, inserting psychological questions into the inquiry. After confirming that no details were missed in the report, Iluna also invited Xia De to inspect the scene with her.
The antique vase Professor Manning lost was not highly valuable, but it was a retirement gift from the Professor's students, an antique Professor Manning treasured greatly. The vase was originally placed in the corner of the living room on the first floor. Xia De had seen it many times when visiting the Professor, and after careful inspection, he indeed found extremely faint residual traces of whisper element.
Xia De couldn't even trace them using those elemental traces.
According to Iluna's professional judgment of the traces, the thief opened the locked window late at night, directly entered the room, and after finding the vase, carried it away. The entire process did not exceed five minutes, appearing very professional.
“Look at this.”
Iluna, wearing white gloves, pointed to the window facing the street in Professor Manning's living room. The window had a groove on the sill, and a bolt that could tightly lock the window with a downward press. Iluna pointed out the edge of the window frame, which clearly had metal friction marks. Xia De thought carefully:
“A wire was inserted through the window gap, and the wire hooked the bolt and pulled it up?”
“Yes, Detective, it seems you are also very professional.”
Iluna nodded and recorded this detail. Xia De once again understood the meaning of “ordinary theft methods.”
After confirming the method of intrusion, Iluna used a small knife to collect some rust from the window and put it into a small paper bag. Professor Manning might not understand this behavior, thinking it was an advanced Detective method, but Xia De understood that it was to provide the Church with material for accurate divination.
After inspecting the scene, Iluna and Xia De cooperated in searching the living room. The result, of course, was nothing. Although famous thieves in the Outsider's perception like to leave letters or their own emblems at crime scenes, 【Jack the Thief】 does not have such a ridiculous bad habit.
---Extras---
PS: Someone answered yesterday's question correctly. I'm quite busy with the end of the semester recently, so I'll find time to add more updates.
