Chapter 273 : Patron

In the small, private room, on the soft sofa, Adèle leaned close to Ed, her voice sultry as she whispered into his ear. Seeing this, Dorothy couldn’t help but feel a bit startled. She now understood why Adèle had immediately sensed something was off about Ed—Adèle hadn’t felt any desire from him.

"Haha, I admit, Miss Adèle, you are indeed very charming, and I greatly appreciate your allure. But I have my limits," Dorothy controlled Ed’s body to give a slight shiver, then chuckled softly in response. Hearing this, Adèle moved slightly away and gave Ed a scrutinizing look before speaking.

"Are you saying my charm isn’t enough to move you, Detective? Or are you, like Maria back then, just a flesh puppet?" Adèle said to Ed, who immediately replied.

"Have you ever seen a flesh puppet that can talk and perform rituals?"

"True, a flesh puppet that can talk and perform rituals is beyond common sense even in the mysticism world. But in the realm of the extraordinary, anything is possible. No one has said it can’t exist," Adèle said lightly, then quickly changed the subject. Ed responded promptly.

"If anything is possible, isn’t it also possible that I’m using some extraordinary means to block your perception?"

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Hmm... that’s also true. Perhaps it’s more likely that you have some mystical item or sigil related to Shadow that can block emotions. Although such items are rare, they do exist. If those guys got their hands on something like that, I’d be in trouble."

Adèle continued.

"While Shadow-related items and abilities can have concealment effects, the scope of what they can hide varies. For example, the Concealment Ring can only hide mystical traits, preventing one’s mystical features, carried items, and spiritual traces from being detected. But it can’t conceal sounds, physical forms, or emotions, as these are things everyone has and aren’t defined as mystic."

"So, are you trying to uncover my secrets now, Miss Adèle?"

Dorothy controlled Ed to ask Adèle. She could see that Adèle wasn’t entirely sure whether Ed was a flesh puppet.

"No, no, absolutely not. In this situation, how could I start probing into an ally’s secrets? It’s just that the conversation led here, so I thought I’d ask. After all, I’ve already revealed some of my abilities to help you with the case, so I thought it’d be fair to learn a bit more about yours.”

"But time is tight, so let’s get back to the case itself, Detective."

Adèle continued, then steered the conversation back to the case.

"As I mentioned earlier, within my perception range, I can sense if someone harbors murderous intent toward me. The entire stage and most of the audience area fall within my perception range. While I was dancing, the only desires directed at me were the usual lust and admiration. There was no murderous intent.”

"Whoever controlled the puppet to kill must have harbored murderous intent. Since I didn’t sense any, the culprit controlling Maria couldn’t have been one of the other dancers."

Adèle explained to Ed. Hearing this, Dorothy couldn’t help but frown slightly.

“Most of the audience area is within Adèle’s passive perception range. She didn’t sense any murderous intent, so the marionette owner clearly wasn’t on stage or among the other dancers.”

“But that’s strange. If the other dancers aren’t the culprits, how did the killer learn the Crimson Mother’s dance?”

Dorothy pondered this. In Adèle’s room, Ed appeared deep in thought, while Adèle sat quietly, watching his face.

Suddenly, Dorothy thought of something and had Ed ask.

"Miss Adèle, even if the culprit isn’t among the dancers, is it possible that someone in the dance troupe leaked the secretly taught dance to the outside, allowing the killer to learn it?"

"Well, that’s unlikely..."

Adèle began to say, then paused as if remembering something. She frowned slightly and murmured, "No... perhaps it is possible. Some of the dancers in the troupe often perform private dances outside the theater."

"Private dances?"

"These dancers, who work for the theater troupe, don’t just earn their wages from the theater. Sometimes, they take on extra work, dancing in taverns or dance halls after hours. The dancers I personally train, being more outstanding and benefiting from my reputation, often have patrons who hire them to perform private dances. These patrons are usually wealthy and pay exceptionally high tips. Many dancers in the troupe have their own patrons, and some even have multiple."

Adèle explained. Hearing this, Dorothy was taken aback.

“So, it’s like taking on side gigs, and they even have dedicated patrons? I had no idea Adèle’s dance troupe was so sought after.”

"I see. But do you not regulate this private dancing, Miss Adèle?"

Ed nodded in understanding and asked. Adèle quickly replied.

"Why should I? This is money they’ve earned through their own hard work. As long as it doesn’t interfere with their regular duties, there’s no need to regulate it.”

"Besides, these patrons are wealthy. If things go well, when the dancers decide to leave the theater, they might find a good match."

Adèle’s words revealed that she genuinely cared for the dancers in her troupe.

"So, many of these dancers have patrons outside the theater, and they perform private dances for them during their personal time. Is it possible that they leaked the new dance you taught them to these patrons?"

Ed asked, understanding Adèle’s point. Adèle nodded and continued.

"Yes... I’ve repeatedly warned them not to perform the dances I teach them before the official performances. But if these patrons use money, or even love, as leverage, some of them might not be able to resist…”

"Flowers, jewelry, sweet words, grand promises... Heh, men’s old tricks are too effective on young girls.”

"If these dances were leaked to ordinary people, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But if one of these patrons happens to be one of those people, then it would be disastrous..."

Adèle tapped her chin, her voice tinged with anxiety. Her words reminded Dorothy of what Maria’s friend had said during the earlier questioning.

According to her, Maria had left the theater after the second performance, full of excitement and anticipation. Why was she so happy? What was she looking forward to?

"Miss Adèle, do you know if Maria had any patrons outside the theater?"

Dorothy controlled Ed to ask Adèle. Hearing this, Adèle paused, then looked at Ed and replied.

"Are you suggesting... that Maria might have leaked the dance? That her patron could be one of those people, the culprit?"

"Exactly. Based on the information I’ve gathered, Maria left the backstage immediately after the second performance. According to the other dancers, she left in high spirits, as if she had been called out by someone.”

"Let’s make a hypothesis. Suppose Maria’s patron was a member of the Wolf Blood Society. They used their status as a patron to get close to Maria, using money and love to gain her trust and get her to leak your dance. After learning the dance, this patron arranged to meet Maria somewhere in the theater after the second performance today. During this meeting, they killed Maria, turned her into a flesh puppet, and sent her back to assassinate you."

Dorothy, through Ed, laid out her hypothesis. This theory could explain how Adèle’s dance was leaked and why Maria had left so happily after the second performance.

"That... does seem plausible. This assassination and framing were clearly planned long in advance. Maria, as a key part of their plan, must have been chosen long ago. So, her leaving after the second performance couldn’t have been a coincidence…”

"These people used their status as patrons to get close to Maria, using her as a tool to target me. Heh... they’ve been plotting this for a long time."

Hearing Ed’s words, Adèle nodded thoughtfully. After listening to Adèle, Dorothy had Ed ask another question.

"Miss Adèle, do you know anything about Maria’s patron?"

"Their patrons... I’ve never really inquired about that. You could ask Rufus at the theater. He’s my direct subordinate and a Beyonder. He handles mail and communications at the theater, including delivering letters to the dancers.”

"Many of the dancers live at the theater, so any letters sent to the theater go through Rufus, who then distributes them. The dancers often exchange letters with their patrons. You could ask him if he’s delivered letters to Maria regularly and if he’s seen who the senders were."

Adèle suggested to Ed. Hearing this, Dorothy didn’t waste any time and immediately had Ed stand up.

"Thank you for the advice, Miss Adèle. Time is of the essence, so I’ll continue investigating."

"Alright~ I’ll be waiting for your good news, Detective."

After bidding farewell to Adèle, Ed left the room and went to find Rufus at the theater. He asked the police to help locate him, and soon, they brought Rufus to him—a middle-aged man dressed in a server’s uniform.

"Hello, Mr. Rufus. I hear you work at the theater, and one of your duties is handling mail for the staff here?"

Ed politely addressed the man, who responded respectfully.

"Yes, sir. If there’s anything I can help with, I’ll do my best."

"Thank you. I just wanted to ask... did Maria often receive letters?"

Ed continued to ask Rufus, who thought for a moment before answering.

"Maria... poor girl... Yes, she did receive letters regularly, and it seems like there were multiple senders. She seemed to correspond with quite a few people."

Rufus replied. Hearing this, Dorothy’s spirits lifted, and she had Ed ask another question.

"Do you know where Maria usually kept her letters?"

"That... I think she probably kept them in her room. Maria came from a rural area to the city to make a living. She’s only been here for two years and hasn’t rented or bought a place outside, so she usually lived at the theater. Her letters are likely hidden in her room."

Rufus explained. With this crucial lead, Dorothy immediately had Ed say, "Thank you for the information, Mr. Rufus. This is very helpful."

Afterward, Ed bid farewell to Rufus and went to find the theater manager. From him, Dorothy obtained the key to Maria’s room. At Ed’s request, the manager had a server guide him to Maria’s room.

In the staff living quarters behind the theater, the server led Ed to a wooden door in a dimly lit hallway.

"Thank you. I can take it from here."

Ed said to the server, who nodded and left. Dorothy then had Ed use the key from the manager to unlock the door and enter a small bedroom.

The room was simple and tidy, containing only a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe. Aside from a few small trinkets on the desk, there were no other decorations.

Once inside Maria’s room, Dorothy didn’t waste time searching blindly. Instead, she had Ed close the door and walk to the center of the room, placing his cane upright in the middle. Then, he silently recited:

“The location of the letters hidden by Maria Dokana.”

After reciting, Ed released the cane, letting it fall naturally. As the coin inside the cane’s decorative tip dimmed, the cane fell in a specific direction, pointing toward the bed.

Seeing this, Dorothy immediately had Ed pick up the cane and crawl under the bed. After some searching, he finally found a small wooden box.

Dorothy had Ed place the box on the desk and open it, revealing a thick stack of letters—at least thirty or forty of them. This surprised Dorothy.

“So many?! Maria was quite the social butterfly.”

Dorothy then had Ed take out all the letters and, using the Scholar’s ability, quickly scanned the handwriting of the senders. In no time, she identified the four most frequent correspondents—each had sent Maria several letters.

“Now, I just need to figure out which of these four is Maria’s patron.”

With this in mind, Dorothy had Ed select one letter from each of the four correspondents and read through them to determine who Maria’s patron was. However, after quickly skimming through the four letters, Dorothy was shocked.

“Damn... Maria was a player…”

Dorothy thought to herself. Indeed, based on the contents of the letters, all four correspondents were Maria’s patrons. She had four patrons at the same time! She danced for all four and had romantic entanglements with each of them!

“Seriously... this lifestyle is so wild? Four patrons with romantic connections at the same time? And from the looks of it, one of them is a woman. She’s playing both sides.”

Dorothy couldn’t help but complain in her mind. She had heard Adèle mention that some dancers had multiple patrons, but she hadn’t expected Maria to be one of them—and with four at that! This added a significant layer of complexity to the investigation.

Among these four correspondents, these four patrons, who was the Beyonder, the one who killed Maria and turned her into a flesh puppet?

Staring at the four letters laid out before Ed, Dorothy fell into deep thought, trying to figure out a way to quickly identify the real culprit.

After much deliberation, Dorothy finally settled on... divination!

Yes, Dorothy could use divination to identify the real culprit among these four candidates. Even if the culprit had anti-divination measures, Dorothy could use those measures to determine which of the four correspondents was suspicious.

All Dorothy needed to do was perform divination on each of the four letters, setting the divination query as: "Is the writer of this letter the Beyonder who intended to harm Maria?"

This query directly involved the culprit, who was protected by anti-divination measures. So, if Dorothy used minimal resources, she wouldn’t get a result—and the lack of a result would be the most telling outcome.

She would perform divination on each of the four letters. If a result was obtained, it would mean the writer of that letter wasn’t the culprit. If no result was obtained, it would mean the divination was being interfered with by anti-divination measures, indicating that the writer of that letter was suspicious.

Using this method, Dorothy would perform divination on each letter, and the one that was interfered with would be the one linked to the culprit.

Dorothy had the method figured out, but she didn’t act on it immediately. While the method was feasible, it could waste a significant amount of Lantern spirituality.

“No... If I’m unlucky and have to perform divination four times, only getting a result on the last try, that would cost me four points of Lantern. I’ve already used two points earlier, and now another four... That’s too much.”

Dorothy thought to herself. This trial-and-error method, while effective, was too inefficient. It was like playing a mobile game and pulling four times in a row for a guaranteed character. If she was lucky, she might get it on the first try, but if she was unlucky, she’d have to pull all four times.

Dorothy wasn’t one to rely on luck, so she wasn’t keen on using this divination method.

“No, I can’t waste my spirituality like this. There must be a better divination method that can save me spirituality and get me the answer in one go.”