Lord of Mysteries: Return of the Stars!

He really wanted to ask, was this whole thing prearranged between his teacher and Mr. Hastur?

The script they had agreed on last night wasn't supposed to play out like this!!

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12 o'clock noon.

There was still no trace of Professor Wayne from the Almshouse. Dean Darn wore a gloomy expression and did not stop Hastur and Fron from calling the police.

By now, almost all the residents of the dock district were aware of Professor Wayne's disappearance, it was a fact that could not be concealed.

After filing the police report, Hastur and Lecturer Fron waited quietly at the scene. When Dean Darn invited them to have lunch, they declined, citing a poor mood and lack of appetite.

While the people from the Almshouse went out to eat, Fron finally got a chance to speak with Hastur alone.

He came to Hastur's side and asked in a low voice, "Will we be able to find the professor?"

"You must believe in the power of the law enforcement agencies." Compared to his mood when he first heard the news that morning, Hastur was noticeably more relaxed.

Based on his observations of Dean Darn today, it was clear that the dean truly didn't know the details of Professor Wayne's disappearance.

Otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have allowed Hastur and Fron to leave the Almshouse, let alone involve the police.

Now, Hastur had two hypotheses: one, the whole affair was staged by Professor Wayne himself; or two, he accidentally became involved with some Beyonder-related event, leading to his disappearance.

He leaned more toward the former but didn't rule out the possibility that it was related to the bell sound from last night.

"Did the professor discuss anything privately with you?" Fron finally voiced the question that had been nagging at him.

"No. Before you told me, I didn't even know Professor Wayne had disappeared."

"Ah." Fron sighed, his face etched with worry.

Hastur consoled him, telling him not to worry too much, and took him out for a walk, and perhaps to get a bite to eat.

They had been busy all morning searching for Professor Wayne and hadn't eaten yet. They had already looked in many places and were starving.

After wandering around the dock district for about ten minutes, the two of them found a small restaurant nearby.

Hastur ordered pan-fried veal steak with sausage and a serving of mushroom soup. Fron ordered grilled fish, sausage, and a glass of beer.

Even after finishing the steak and sausage, Hastur still felt a bit hungry, but since Fron was there, he didn't order any more food.

He sipped spoonfuls of the not-so-tasty mushroom soup while his gaze wandered out the restaurant window.

After about seven or eight minutes, the soup still wasn't finished, but Hastur caught a glimpse of a petite figure.

She had messy, shoulder-length blonde hair, wore a traditional knight's training outfit, stood barely over 150 cm tall, had chubby cheeks, delicate and soft facial features, and youthful eyes, still a bit naïve looking.

She looked a bit like Xio.

Hastur carefully compared her height and finally confirmed it: the person outside was Xio!

He didn't go up to talk to her, striking up a conversation at the wrong time was not very noble.

A while later, Xio actually came into the restaurant and sat not far from Hastur.

Was she here waiting for someone, or did she come specifically to find him and Fron?

Could she have news about Professor Wayne?

Many thoughts flooded Hastur's mind, but he still chose not to approach her first.

A little later, Xio took the initiative to walk over. As she neared Hastur, she said softly, "I'm very good at finding people. Would you like to hire me and see for yourselves?"

Hastur's eyes lit up slightly, and he replied with a smile, "We are indeed looking for someone and currently have no leads. Can you really help us find him?"

"I can't promise anything. I just think you need a professional. Rather than rely on that group of officers, it's better to trust in my expertise."

"Miss, although you have a certain charm that inspires trust, don't you think this approach is a bit abrupt?"

Xio sat down at another table, thought for a moment, then said, "I'll be honest, I'm personally interested in finding Professor Wayne. But that doesn't stop you from hiring me to help."

Hastur smiled and said, "If your reasoning convinces me, we can pay to hire you for assistance."

In fact, even if Xio hadn't approached them, Hastur was planning to find an excuse to invite her to help.

After all, she would be a future member of the Tarot Club, one of the protagonists of this Mysteries world. She likely had some good fortune.

Borrowing her luck to find Professor Wayne might prevent the situation from getting worse.

"Professor Wayne is a scholar worthy of respect. His lecture yesterday taught me a lot. Someone like him shouldn't suffer an accident."

There was one thing Xio didn't say aloud, even if Hastur and Fron didn't ask for her help, she would still search for Professor Wayne on her own.

Not for any other reason, just because she simply didn't want to see such a respectable figure come to harm, and she had attended his classes.

Hastur nodded and said, "I believe your reasoning. Now let's talk about the hiring fee."

"If I don't find him, you only need to pay me 10 pounds. But if I play a key role in locating Professor Wayne, then you'll need to pay me 50 pounds." Xio laid out her terms.

Fifty pounds was a reasonable price for a professor.

"Agreed. I trust in your character and abilities." Hastur did not reject the condition.

Xio stood up, looking a bit pleased. "This will be the wisest decision you've ever made."

'No, all my decisions are wise' Hastur quietly joked to himself.

Lecturer Fron looked puzzled and finally asked about the lady's background.

"Xio Derecha."

Xio introduced herself and gave a brief self-introduction. Her words were quite convincing, quickly dispelling Lecturer Fron's concerns.

After accepting the employment, Xio immediately got into character. After analyzing the situation for Hastur and Lecturer Fron, she concluded that Professor Wayne was very likely still in the Almshouse.

This conclusion matched Hastur's own suspicions.

Lecturer Fron said with some doubt, "The Almshouse has already been searched more than once, but no one was found."

"Precisely because of that, it's the most suitable hiding place."

"We have to trust the judgment of professionals," Hastur added.

"Alright then," Lecturer Fron said no more.

"Let's head to the Almshouse to search now."

"No rush, we'll wait until the police are involved," Hastur stopped Xio's action. He didn't want to find Professor Wayne just yet.

It was better to wait until the police got involved, otherwise, things would become very awkward.

Xio was clearly smart and understood the deeper meaning behind Hastur's words.

They didn't trust the Almshouse!

That made sense, a living person couldn't just vanish in front of everyone. The Almshouse was indeed the most suspicious.

It wasn't until after 1 p.m. that six police officers arrived at Hastur's location. After a brief verification and explanation, the group set off together for Sunrise Almshouse.

Hastur was somewhat reluctant about this decision. He didn't want to set foot in the Almshouse again. But as a noble concerned about his teacher's whereabouts, he couldn't just walk away at a time like this.

With the involvement of the police, Dean Darn cooperated fully, opening all the rooms in the Almshouse and gathering people to make it easier for the officers to question and search.

The six officers split into three teams, two per team. One team was responsible for questioning the Almshouse personnel. Another, led by several Almshouse staff members, searched every room.

The final team followed Hastur, Xio, and Lecturer Fron, along with two staff members from the Almshouse.

"There should be a basement or something like that in the Almshouse, right?"

Xio decisively shared her insight. She didn't believe a normal search would uncover Professor Wayne.

"That's not something we can decide, we need to consult Dean Darn."

"I believe Dean Darn wouldn't overlook any possible lead."

Hastur spoke up, and a staff member quickly ran off to get approval from Dean Darn.

Soon, the staff member returned, and Dean Darn came along with him.

Hastur was quite uncomfortable with this.

It was like having a boss-level enemy tagging along before the battle even started.

Of course, Dean Darn might be innocent, but that possibility was slim.

Xio also frowned slightly, clearly not wanting to be in the same group as Dean Darn.

"Dean Darn, weren't you busy handling other matters?" Lecturer Fron asked in confusion.

Dean Darn explained, "The basement is usually used as a place for people with bad tempers to reflect. Since their tempers aren't good, it's better that I personally take you down to search."

Hastur's internal alarm went off. That reasoning sounded off.

Xio also sensed the possibility of unexpected danger and smiled slightly. "There should be more than one basement here, right?"

"There are three in total. Two are connected, separated by an iron door. The other is directly below the bell tower."

"Then let's split up. It'll be faster that way."

Dean Darn nodded. "Alright, I'll go with the three of you. Vice Dean Bard and the others will go with the other two officers."

There were eight people present, making two groups of four.

"Alright, we'll trouble you, Dean Darn."

Xio nodded in agreement. She was confident in herself, this Dean Darn looked quite old. Even if he tried something, he wouldn't be a match for her.

Damn, this setup was even worse!

Hastur really didn't want to be in the same group as Dean Darn.

He was already thinking of a tactful excuse to leave.

"No trouble at all. It's our duty. This unfortunate incident happened because we failed to take proper care of Professor Wayne."

Dean Darn sounded genuinely remorseful, and Lecturer Fron offered some words of comfort.

Their group of four was assigned to the basement beneath the bell tower. The entrance was on the first floor of the bell tower.

The main door was tightly shut, with a rusty iron lock hanging from it.

The person responsible for ringing the bell usually used an exterior ladder to climb to the top floor directly, without entering the ground floor of the tower.

Dean Darn stepped forward, opened the lock, and pushed the door open. Inside, it was pitch black, making it hard to see anything.

"This place doesn't get much sunlight, so it's quite dark."

Dean Darn carried an oil lamp and walked ahead, illuminating a large area, allowing the three behind him to see clearly.

It was very empty, with only a desk near the wall, no other clutter.

On the floor, there was clearly a sealed trapdoor.

Xio and Lecturer Fron, also carrying oil lamps, walked in and looked around but didn't find anything unusual.

"Since this place is locked up, Professor Wayne is probably not here," Hastur said from the doorway, forcing a smile.

He had no intention of going in.