.“ …… Hah. ”

Old Duroc rubbed his chin, and of course it was all his beard, the thick, supple, black-and-white sideburns. It must have felt good to the touch, like the hair of an old withered cow, but old Duroc must have long since stopped feeling too special, or he may never have felt special. After all, it was his own beard, and he had been touching them since they first came out, but he didn't know when he started to think while touching them.

"You mean," he said, his mouth slightly open, the middle and index fingers of his left hand unconsciously clasped. Figgling the back of his right hand, "Dark Paradise—or rather, on Safatina's side, one of her closest people is a traitor to Donfrie?" ”

"Let me think about it...... No, I never said that, I didn't think of anything, I didn't know anything. Ed shrugged his shoulders, clasped his hands in front of his chest, sat down in his seat, and said with his eyelids drooping in a serious manner, like a problem student who had been brought into the principal's office for education because he smoked. Needless to say, students are never taught this kind of problem well.

"I'm interested in what Bablore is doing right now – but after all, it's not my turn to worry about any of that. It's the job of you guys, isn't it? At the end, he added another sentence temporarily, and at the same time giggled twice, but there was no smile in his boring eyes.

Old Duroc's face elongated. He could see that the detective in front of him was simply listening to what he had just said as a story—it was good, it was funny, but it had nothing to do with him. He's not an actor, he's not on that stage. He was just an audience member, sitting comfortably in a chair, holding a bucket of oversized popcorn in his arms, and a baby elephant churning like a swim in it, and from time to time he raised his head and screamed happily twice, which was unpleasant.

What a mistake, I accidentally really had a serious discussion with this guy about the current situation in Bablore's underground world, and he was really a little old.

"Alright. Alright, alright. Fidging his hand irritably, Old Duroc decided that today's conversation could end here, "Anyway, go to the registration desk and get your things back, and go quickly." I want you to leave Barblair today and never come back! ”

“…… Wait a minute. What did you say? ”

Ed was about to stand up—he had already sat here enough. If it's a beautiful woman like Marcy on the other side – and even better if she's bigger breasts, of course – then he'll probably enjoy it a little, but an old man with a beard like Old Duroc, forget it. He wasn't much interested in having a one-on-one conversation with a guy he could call an uncle, and it wasn't a pleasant memory. However, the last words of old Duroc made his movements suddenly pause, and the butt that had just left the stool sat back again.

"You want me to leave Barblair Beach?" Ed frowned, staring at the old detective. He looked like old Duroc had said something really incredible.

"What do you think I'm talking about?" Ed's performance made the old Duroc's eyebrows reveal incomprehensible impatience, "Leave Barblair, go back to your ...... Wherever you go, wherever you like, as long as it's not here. ”

“…… You know, officer, I don't say that very often. Ed left his left mouth, put his hands back on the table, leaned forward, and clasped his fingers together, "But the cosmic star god is above, you should really consider considering my previous proposal for head replacement surgery - I didn't come to Barblair for sightseeing, have you forgotten about it?" I'm here because of work, and I'm not going anywhere until I'm done, and there's absolutely no way I'm going to leave. ”

Ed's words annoyed Duroc Sr. Stern anger appeared on the old detective's face, his eyes widened, and his teeth clenched together.

"What do you think I've been talking to you about since now?" He tapped his fingers on the table, "I could just let you get out of the way with your stuff, but do you know why I'm wasting so much time explaining all this nonsense to you?" The situation in Barblair is very delicate and dangerous right now – you understand? Especially now that you've ruined the good things for the Donfries, mixed up with their assassination of Tabillon, and confronted their killers, this place is even more unpleasant and dangerous. If you go now, it may be too late, but if you stay here, then you will be involved in the battle between these two behemoths, whether you like it or not. There's a good chance you'll not even know how you died. ”

"Perhaps," Eddard nodded knowingly, "maybe it will be so." ”

"So?"

"So I decided to get the job done a little bit faster."

Old Duroc clenched his fist and slammed the table. He turned his head in exasperation and sat down in his chair with his hands folded, not looking at Ed again. He didn't expect that he had been patiently talking for so long, but the guy on the other side had a harder head than him. He knew that it was useless for him to say anything, he knew that kind of people, once they made a decision, there was no way to change their minds.

But...... You can't just leave it alone, it's not in line with the old Duroc detective's professional style. So he sighed at the end and turned to look at Ed again.

"You're just going to find that girl, right? The one in the photo is called ......"

"Adele."

"Yes, Adele. You're not going to leave until you've found her? ”

"If there are no accidents, yes."

"And what are you going to do?" Old Duroc softened his tone and asked seriously, "I mean, your only clue is Tabillon, right- Tabillon can't speak for the time being...... I guess I can't talk for a while, how are you going to find Adele who no one else knows? ”

"I don't know." Ed shook his head dryly, "But I'll find her, no matter how long it takes—believe it or not, if she's the kind of person I imagined, then even if I didn't deliberately look for her somewhere, she would have appeared in front of me at a certain moment." Do you understand - 'sudden' appeared in front of me. ”

Eddard spoke casually and lightly, and it seemed like something like that, but old Duroc was completely just when he went crazy again. His upper and lower lips were unconsciously exerting force at this time, and if it weren't for the patches of beard to cover it, I'm afraid his face would have already shown a flush.

"If that's what you," he said patiently, holding his breath, and trying to look like a detective on Ed's business, "you might be in this place for a long time?" ”

"I'm prepared." Ed said, still in a tone and expression that was not salty, non-hurried, "Actually, I'm ready to fight the Donfrie killers again—if they really have the guts to send someone over." ”

"Oh my God...... That's enough! ”

Old Duroc finally couldn't stand it anymore. He jerked up from his seat, walked to the back of his chair like an irritable bull, and spun back and forth in the small space between him and the windowsill, venting his frustration. Ed raised an eyebrow and looked at Old Duroc quietly, as if enjoying a free show.

Finally, Old Duroc stopped. He walked back to the table, one hand on his waist, and the other slammed the table.

"Do you know how much willpower it took me to keep myself from punching your pretty face right now?" He gasped as he said viciously to Eddard, "I've had enough - you want to do your job, you want to find that girl?" Good! Of course! But if you just run out without any plan, wandering back and forth here and there aimlessly, then I'm sure the next time we meet again, you'll either be on an emergency stretcher or in a morgue - don't get me wrong, I don't really care if you live or die, you brought it on yourself anyway, but the problem is that you don't have to worry about anything anymore when you close your eyes for a hundred years, we're going to be in big trouble! ”

"Why," Ed amused, "do you think anyone might find your head because I'm dying here?" ”

"It's enough for Detective Marcy to pursue it, let alone ......"

Ed waved his hand. He already knew what old Duroc was trying to say.

"Don't worry," he said, "Marcy is a reasonable man, and will not be angry with you. As for the others besides her...... All I can say is that you think too close to me and them. ”

"Even so, I can't allow you to die here. Especially now that I know you're going to die. ”

"How do you think I'm going to die?"

"This is Stuttgar, recruit—it's not the battlefield you're used to. It's just a matter of luck that you've been able to survive these months with your old set of rules. ”

"I agree with that."

Old Duroc let out a long sigh. Then he seemed to give up, and with some frustration pulled out his chair and sat back down. He looked at Ed with a look of hatred and wilting, and then suddenly it seemed as if he remembered something.

"Wait a minute," he said, holding out a finger and looking at Ed, "the girl you're looking for - are there any other clues besides that picture?" ”

"Any other clues?"

Ed blinked. Old Duroc's words reminded him that there was indeed something else, and although he didn't pay much attention to it at the time, maybe it might help them now?