Chapter 130 - Tracing the Suspect

“What’s the matter, Miss Zhao?” The plump Earl Shum looked at Char Char with concern. He smiled and winked, “I suppose it must be dreary, entertaining two old men instead of dancing and going around the party.”

Char Char smiled sweetly as she shook her head, “Oh, not at all, I just- I was supposed to meet someone, I’m concerned that they are waiting for me.”

“A shame.” The tall, stern looking monk stroked his beard wisely, “I was looking forward to hearing about this maiden’s shrine.”

“Oh, yes. What a mystery! What a twist. This mysterious spirit’s home is right outside the city.” Earl Shum nodded vicariously, “And what’s more, she’s actually able to heal the diseased! Please, once you find your friend, you must come find us again and tell us more.”

“Indeed.” Abbott Glass nodded as well.

“You have my word.” Char Char curtseyed politely, bowing her head, “Until then I will take my leave. If we do not bump into each other after a bit, pray come find me.”

“I certainly will.” Earl Shum smiled.

After Char Char had left out of ear shot, the Earl wiggled his eyebrows at the Abbott, “What a delicate, radiant girl Char Char is. Why, I dare say she is the most attractive young lady at the party.”

“Ah?” The Abbott muttered a noncommittal response.

“Oh, that’s right, you monks take a vow of chastity, don’t you?” The Earl grinned, “But even so you must admit that she is something special.”

“I suppose so. She certainly has caught my interest.” The Abbott smiled sagely, his eyes watching as Char Char exited the room, “I most certainly want to hear the rest of her stories about the maiden before the night is over.”

“Yes, let us go find her in a bit. Until then, why don’t you tell me about your proposal for the opening festival of the ceremony next week...”

The two men wandered off, continuing their discussion.

In the corner of the room, sitting on a chair behind a pillar, Yuzu observed the golden tapestry with a pensive expression. She had not yet found a way to deal with the black knot squirming outside in the ballroom, nor had she dealt with Sansen Zhao’s looming death.

The strings that governed those fates were taut and thick and difficult to manipulate. These were not happenstance events, but the result of intricate planning with heavy Exalted influence.

Yuzu had quietly observed the conversation between Char Char and the Abbott, only interfering once at the beginning, tersely telling her friend, “Be careful! The Abbott is not a friend.”

This warning was enough to temper Char Char’s enthusiasm and alter her stories. Rather than talk about her personal connection to the maiden, Char Char had steered the conversation towards escaping from the theatre and the drama of the whole situation, glossing over or avoiding the parts where the maiden contacted her directly. The topic of the White Maiden’s shrine in the woods had been specifically brought up by the Abbott, but Char Char had gracefully exited the conversation before divulging too much information.

It was too bad that Char Char wasn’t able to speak freely in that conversation. The Earl was one of the key individuals that Yuzu had identified as someone who could give official support to the maiden. If it had just been Earl Shum and Char Char by themselves, Yuzu would have let the conversation continue without interference. However the presence of the Abbott changed everything.

This Abbott... His string is black. Yuzu examined the tall, solemn man through the strings. What was it Argus had said? That he was originally a Disciple of Spirit, which was in the Kingdom of Humanity... but then Medusa said he’d recently reattuned to the Demonic Domain of Life and was now a Disciple.

Argus had previously warned her that no matter how skilled or strong an Apprentice was, the chances of them being able to survive a straight up fight with a Disciple was close to zero. Even multiple Apprentices would struggle to deal with a Disciple who was prepared. In other words, the path to victory against Exalted of higher ranks depended on surprise and planning more than brute force.

Even though Yuzu was observing the Abbott indirectly, she felt a terrifying pressure coming out from him. She didn’t dare to do more than observe him from a distance, carefully avoiding making any changes to his string of fate in case he was able to sense her. She made sure to stay out of line of sight of him as she pretended to be resting casually while picking at a small plate of food.

Char Char had left the room in search of Yuzu, but Yuzu was in no rush to follow her. Her first priority at the moment was finding the bottle of wine that killed Sansen Zhao. She cast her gaze over to the refreshments table, sifting carefully through the threads as she specifically examined the bottles behind the table. A small frown pulled at her lips as she failed to find the string of the bottle.

She knew that the bottle had come from the room, but perhaps it wasn’t one from the collection behind the tables. After being distracted by Char Char’s conversation with the Abbott she lost track of the thread. She’d have to sift through the strings in the room and find the sole thread that belonged to the bottle. A trivial, yet somewhat tedious task, given that there were hundreds of threads all packed in the small space.

Then again, maybe she didn’t have to find that string specifically...

The Abbott was now attuned to the Domain of Life, with a close connection to blood and sacrifice. The red wine in Sansen’s glass was a thick, rich red, resembling blood. Perhaps the Abbott used his powers to directly control the liquid?

Furthermore, she knew the monks were actively plotting against Lord Noga by working with Medusa’s cult. The guests at this event represented a large portion of the city’s upper class; disrupting it would certainly cause a lot of chaos. As for why he was targeting Sansen Zhao specifically, Yuzu didn’t know.

Regardless, Yuzu had a strong suspicion that Abbott Deacon Glass was the main culprit of the events that would unfold.

Detective Yuzu was on the case!

Yuzu calmly closed her eyes, reaching out towards the Abbott’s string as she carefully held her hand over it. She was careful not to disturb it as she looked into his future.

In two hours, he would be in the ballroom, standing off to the side by himself. Sansen Zhao would make his speech, then halfway through it the liquid in his glass would come to life and kill him. Throughout this time the Abbott watched the events unfold with a quiet, intense gaze.

After Sansen fell from the balcony, the Abbott kept his distance, avoiding mingling with the crowd that gathered around the dead tycoon. When the giant reptile burst out of the floor and began tearing through the crowd, the Abbott’s cool composure broke and he even looked surprised.

This isn’t right. Yuzu frowned as she watched the Abbott quickly escape out of the manor along with the rest of the guests. He moved swiftly, exiting the building without issue and rushed down the steps leading to the road. However instead of leaving the mansion grounds he turned a corner onto a hedged path separating himself from the crowd. Even when he was alone he had a look of concern and anxiety. His lips would twitch occasionally and he would shake his head and mutter wordlessly under his breath. The appearance of the monster seemed to bother him very much.

When he was completely alone he stopped walking and looked up into the clear night sky. Stars glittered overhead, and a thin crescent moon shone a thin silver light down onto the darkened grounds, providing a tiny bit of light. He held his hand out towards the moon palm up as if trying to gather the light.

“It’s just enough...” The Abbott muttered quietly as he closed his eyes. His body began to shimmer and turn translucent as he slowly faded into the moonlight and disappeared.

His string took off across the sky toward the northeast.

Yuzu brought her attention back to the present and then quickly read into the past. The Abbott had arrived by a rental cab and had spent the evening up to this point in an entirely mundane way.

In other words, even after examining his entire activities this evening, Yuzu could not find any solid evidence of any wrongdoing on the Abbott’s part. The only suspicious part was that when Sansen Zhao was killed he did not seem surprised or agitated at all.

Yuzu sighed softly, shaking her head. Was her gut wrong for once? If the Abbott wasn’t here to disrupt the upper class of society then what was he even doing here? From her knowledge of his involvement with the God of Life and the fact that she’d confirmed he was attuned to the Demonic Kingdom, she was sure that he was not completely innocent. However, the facts were the facts.

If the Abbott wasn’t the one responsible for Sansen Zhao’s future murder, and didn’t release the creature, then the perpetrator was still out there.

Yuzu stretched her shoulders as she sat up in the chair, glancing over to a clock on the wall. It had been fifteen minutes since Char Char had left the room. Time had flown by so quickly, immersed as she was in reading the Abbott’s string of fate. The Abbott and Earl had continued their discussion casually and just left the room, leaving Yuzu free to leave her ‘hiding’ spot behind the pillar.

She walked over to the doorway, fully activating her spiritual vision as hundreds of golden strings bloomed around her. She walked through the thick web of threads, searching for the single string of the wine bottle.

When she reached the doorway she immediately locked onto Sansen Zhao’s string, the only string that flew over the balcony railing. Wrapped around it was a thin golden thread, thinner than all the others, that carried the spirituality of the wine inside the bottle.

Got it. Yuzu nodded as she focused her vision on the string. All the other threads faded into the background as the golden thread sharpened and came into focus. It traced a straight path from the balcony through the refreshments room, exiting through the doors at the opposite side of the room.

With a look of determination Yuzu followed the thread into the mansion.