“This sounds like - like a cover up attempt.” Marcus sighed.

  “Ohing that caught our - I mean Keryn’s eyes, is that the description of the body. It was charred, like you would expect. Iingly acc to the forensics report, it showed signs of halted or slowed decay, which could not be expined by soil or weather ditions.” Kevin added from the side: “And - there is ion of Blood Rainbow occurrence during the time.”

  “Yes. But it’s still minor. ” Keryn gave Kevin an appreciative look but sighed: “Or - it could be an issue with the timing? It might have happened a few months before the cruise ship i. Mick made the e that the oldest electric-power-pany-ran personnel dormitory dated back at most 20 something years. So it would make sehat it relude to the cruise ship i. They like to ramp things up before the big ritual, right?”

  “That’s - that’s a good reason.” Marodded.

  Just this moment, the water boiler clicked, signaling the water was heated to maximum. Elvin rushed into the kit and poured the hot water into an open noodle cup. The smell of instant mushroom and chi soup filled the air.

  “e to think of it, this might be the first ever case on record that indicated the e betweericity and paranormality. ” Keryn signed: “Hey, at least we have firmation now.”

  “And then there’s 1148, the one requested by Ms. Gloria Lee.” Kevin stretched while fixing his eyes on Marcus, just in time to see him tense slightly.

  “What of it? It’s just before the one we need, about the Pearson family right?” Marcus soothed his breath before asking.

  “Yes. It’s about a grimoire. The very grimoire Luo Zhuge just mentioned.” Kevin coughed to clear his throat and tinued: “It was a bounty of the city from the flict betweey and the South-Eastern District, kept in a ‘secure’ vault managed by the city. Which - well, you know, turned out far from well managed and secured.”

  “And - what justified its status?” Marcus sighed.

  “Cover up? ” Kevin sounded uain.

  “Oh, please, it’s a fug cover-up” Keryn almost ughed out loud: “We kinda knew already. And what Luo Zhuge said pretty much proved it. So yeah, Marcus, I’m afraid your dy friend is gonna be disappointed.”

  “Lady friend?” Marcus tensed again: “She’s not - ”

  “Yeah, yeah, it’s okay.” Keryn waved her hand. “We know - ”

  “- to get back to the case.” Kevin coughed again, trying his hardest to suppress his smile: “I guess Luo Zhuge had already said a lot. Half of the case notes are basically pages of excuses and official jargon. The city’s position was that, they had dohe best and paid due respect for the importance of the grimoire and maintaihe proper tai protocol suggested by the unity collective. After they discovered that the grimoire was repced, they checked the security tapes and found no obscurity - ”

  “Which means, what Luo Zhuge said was true.” Mick sighed: “The grimoire probably was never in the vault. They repced it very early on, and cut the book into many different smaller bits. So they have some kind of union - ”

  “Oh wait. ” Marcus almost sat straight up, before he id back down from the sore in his muscles: “Who hahe case? I mean - who put the case under Blue Envelopes?”

  “It doesn’t really say. I guess we o get into the city archive or records library to see it.” Keryn shrugged.

  “What are you thinking, Marcus?” Mick asked.

  “I am thinking - whoever hahe whole process must be in cahoots, right? Or at least, uheir employment.” Marcus rubbed his temples: “Damn, I should’ve thought of this earlier. Ask him about the names!”

  “I don’t think he tell us even if he knew.” Kevin pulled out another folder: “This is something we found here - or should I say. Something the captain wanted us to find.”

  “What is it?” Marcus turned and looked at the folder. It was made of old parts with a lot of folding lines and stains: “Another Blue Envelope?”

  “Yes. And ohat is very - very early on.” Kevin chuckled: “And maybe because it’s early on, or maybe it’s because it’s so secretive, it’s very heavily redacted. It’s 097.”

  “Woah. What year was it?” Marcus asked.

  “We don’t know, but - I suspect it’s at least two cycles ago.” Kevin shrugged.

  “I thought it’s around 30 years ago.” Mick sighed: “So - that’s two cycles ago - I guess.”

  “What is it about?”

  “A spell, a dark ritual.” Kevin shivered even just mentioning it: “Something called ‘Borrowed Fate of Three Spirits’. It’s uh - it’s a spell that uses your blood, a piece of your finger, and some other body parts along with some materials used only in dark rituals. It basically sacrifices your own future, and your offspring’s future, in order to gain riches for now.”

  “What the fuck?” This time Marcus actually sat up straight on the sofa: “That’s - that’s basically - ”

  “Yeah. That’s basically what is happening now.” Kevin sighed: “Just - just slightly different and much - much bigger.”

  “Are you - are you sure?” Elvin asked, his voice was trembling.

  “Yeah, I’m afraid. Pretty sure.” Keryn sighed and took a look at Marcus. Marodded at Keryn, and then his father. What he heard from the Lady in White pretty much said the exact same thing already.

  “So - what - what we even do? That kind of ritual must take a lot of sacrifice, and it takes a lot of - a lot of preparations to do.” Elvin scratched his head: “And - we even stop it? Or escape it?”

  “We also need preparations, of course.” Marcus grunted: “I’m afraid we will have to take too much time. Alright - alright - ”