Tamara… Barton ruminated over the name and wondered what it meant.
He was no longer the same person who realized that he could hear sounds that others couldn't. He didn't look around in panic, hoping to find someone who was hiding and speaking in a dark corner. There were no signs of him constantly being prepared to grab a wooden pole and rushing over to strike the person. He stood on the spot calmly, observing the reaction of the deputy director of the Compliance Department, Pacheco.
Pacheco glanced at him and said, "Have you done any research in the history of the Fourth Epoch?"
"A little," Barton replied modestly.
At this moment, he didn't pretend that he didn't know anything about the history of the Fourth Epoch. Firstly, his character didn't allow for that. Secondly, his position was a direct result of his academic background in history. If he had any major flaws in this field, he might be fired by the foundation tomorrow.
Pacheco looked at the door and said, "Have you heard of the name Tamara before?"
"I've heard of it." Barton instinctively turned his head to glance at Pacheco. "In the little-known history of the Fourth Epoch, the name 'Tamara' has appeared several times, and its frequency is only second to Tudor, Solomon, and Trunsoest. From this, it can be determined that this represents a great noble of some empire in the Fourth Epoch."
After saying this, Barton paused and said, "Vernal recently discovered some ruins from the Fourth Epoch."
As the hotel waiter was by his side, he didn't directly mention that the name "Tamara" might have something to do with the current abnormality Vernal was facing.
Pacheco didn't respond. He turned to the hotel attendant and said, "I'm a police officer in charge of a criminal investigation. I suspect that the tenant in this room has encountered some misfortune. Please open the door immediately."
As he spoke, he took out an identification document and showed it to the other party.
The hotel attendant was shocked and looked at the identification carefully.
"Okay, okay. I'll get the keys!"
As he spoke, he turned around and ran towards the staircase.
"You're a policeman?" Barton, who was watching from the sidelines, blurted out in shock.
Pacheco looked down at the identification in his hand and chuckled.
"This document is 100% real. It was obtained through legal channels."
Why do you need to make it sound so complicated… Barton habitually replied, "I don't care about its authenticity. I just want to know if you're a police officer."
Pacheco laughed.
"That depends on how you view it."
This answer left Barton rather irritated, but as a typical Loen gentleman, he knew that the other party was unwilling to give him an answer directly, so he politely shut his mouth.
The two of them remained silent as the hotel owner and the attendant returned to the third floor.
After carefully inspecting the identification document in Pacheco's hands and matching it to the face, the hotel owner took out his keys and opened the door. He grumbled, "How did something happen? Nothing was heard."
If a high-end hotel was involved in a murder case, it would definitely affect their image and reputation. They might even go bankrupt.
"Don't worry too much. Perhaps it's just a small problem." Pacheco gave him some friendly consolation.
"I hope so. May the Goddess bless me." The hotel owner retracted his hand and tapped his chest four times in a clockwise fashion, outlining the stars.
Then, he gently pushed the door open.
At that moment, the interior of the room seemed to connect to the outside world. A faint smell of blood filled the air.
"Oh…" The hotel owner noticed this and could only use an exclamation to express his disappointment and fear.
Only an environment like this can make the envelope not stained with blood have the smell of blood… This thought flashed through Barton's mind immediately.
It was only then that he noticed that the furniture was neatly arranged in the room, and there were no obvious wrinkles on the carpet. It stood in contrast with the smell of blood.
It didn't seem like there was a fight… A fatal shot? Barton's hobbies included reading popular novels, especially those that mixed murder and love. Therefore, he had a rather rich "experience" in such situations.
And among all the best-selling authors, the one he loved the most was undoubtedly Fors Wall.
In the beginning, the one who bought Fors Wall's few novels was his wife. Barton had once read through one of them and ended up being engrossed in it.
Of course, he wouldn't reveal this in front of his wife. He would always use an authoritative tone, saying, "These kinds of novels are shallow and worthless. They're only suitable for killing time."
Amidst Barton's thoughts, Pacheco put on a pair of white gloves and walked into the room.
After surveying the area, this experienced solicitor walked to the desk and picked up the stack of letters with the Lavender Castle pattern embossed on it. He said to the hotel owner and waiter, "Do you know how many pieces there were originally?"
"W-we d-don't replenish them e-every day." The attendant looked at his boss and stuttered.
What he was trying to say was that after having the guests living in this room rotate out a few times, he had no idea how many letters were left when Vernal moved in.
Pacheco scoffed and shook his head. He said to Barton, who was standing beside him, "That's why this world needs order and rules.
"If they used a set of strict rules, replenishing the number of letters to a set number every time a customer checks out, we could've used this to find some clues."
"I don't understand what you mean," Barton answered truthfully.
Pacheco smiled and said, "Simply put, only light can cause shadows.
"Of course, enough chaos also means an opportunity."
Barton nodded and said, "Yes, Emperor Roselle once said that chaos is a staircase that leads one up."
"No one knows if he's the one who said that. There are too many people in this world who don't dare to directly express their views, so they can only rely on the names of others," Pacheco casually replied.
Then, he picked up the blank piece of paper at the top and held it against the sunlight that passed through the glass windows.
"I love dealing with people who are careless." Pacheco suddenly laughed.
After saying this, he put the letter back in its original position.
The next second, he took out a sharpened pencil from his pocket and lightly scribbled it over the letter paper.
Before long, the traces of Loenese text appeared one after another, forming several scattered sentences:
"…I've been targeted…
"…The ruins have traces of some religious rituals…
"…I took away the items on the altar…
"…It… It saw me!
"…No! It's always been by my side!"
When he wrote these few sentences, the archaeologist, Vernal, seemed to be undergoing upheavals in his mood, so he had used plenty of force, leaving the most obvious of traces with his pen.