374 The Crystal Bottle And The Golden Bowl
Selma Payne’s POV:
Before the murderer who attacked the capital city was caught, the elves had already imposed martial law. After eight o’clock in the evening, the streets and alleys of the western city-states and the immediate areas entered curfew time. This made the city, which was sparse due to the low population of the elves, even more quiet, so quiet that it made people feel uncomfortable.
Dorothy and Master Hayley did not do anything along the way. They tried their best to track down the traces of Azazel’s gang, but they seemed to have borrowed the power of the demons again, so they could not find any useful clues.
We did discover a few evil sacrificial formations, some of which had lost their effectiveness while others were still in operation. No matter what, we destroyed all of them.
Up until now, the elves still needed to provide us with helpful information about Azazel’s party. They seemed to be focused entirely on internal strife and were unaware of it. They were at ease in leaving the task of eradicating Azazel’s party to us, the outsiders.
Although we could move freely without anyone pointing fingers, without the help of the host, our investigation stagnated.
“It would be great if there were prisoners,” Dorothy said disappointedly. “As long as I can use my Eye of Insight to look at the prisoners, their schemes and plots will be exposed.”
Who said we didn’t? Unfortunately, all the members of Azazel’s party had escaped.
The following day, we finally arrived at the Elven Capital City. This ancient city, with a history of more than 3000 years, exuded a mesmerizing historical aura. The ancient elven-style buildings made people feel as if they were in the old era hundreds of years ago. It was as if a team of archers carrying bows and arrows on their backs would appear in the next second and take the thieves they had caught to the City Hall to complete their mission.
However, the disharmonious ruins and construction sites had completely destroyed the ancient beauty here. The guards who came and went were no longer guarding against thieves but every person walking on the street.
The palace, made up of giant vines and towering ancient trees, was the most spectacular landmark of the Elven Capital City. Although it was also covered with ugly patches like the other buildings in the capital, it did not prevent it from showing its majesty and magnificence.
As a diplomatic mission, we only suffered a few inspections and interrogations before we entered the palace. The elven elders hurriedly met with us. They were the core members of the interim government, so their faces were filled with fatigue and helplessness that was a thousand times heavier than Kaya’s.
Let’s not talk about the dry pleasantries for now. We also needed to spend some time getting our passes and identification documents. In short, the Council of Elders arranged for us to stay in the envoy suite in the palace as usual.
Otherwise, we could only move freely in the immediate area. If we needed to go to other city-states, we would have to go through different procedures according to the different policies of different city-states. Azazel’s party would have already fled to the next place when these lengthy procedures were completed.
We didn’t stay idle while waiting for our identities and travel documents to be processed. The elders had gathered as many clues as possible about Azazel to find their traces. I even asked if I could meet the Elf King, who was in a deep sleep, subtly saying that I could try to help him purify his evil powers. As expected, the Council of Elders rejected me.
Come to think of it, who would casually hand their King into the hands of outsiders? Even if she could purify evil power, if there were any problems or the results did not meet expectations, it could become an excuse for those who wanted to attack the relationship between the two races. At that time, it would not be something that could be explained with a few words.
I felt a little regretful for my reckless suggestion -why did I have to be so kind? I should remember my goal and principles.
Among the clues provided by the elder group, Dorothy and Master Hayley placed the most importance on the crystal bottle and the golden bowl left behind by Azazel’s party. The former was a container for concentrated evil power, which made it much easier to find traces of Azazel’s party.
The paint left on the bowl was used to draw the evil sacrificial array. It was different from the evil sacrificial array we saw in the four cities of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter and the ones we found on the road this time. The paint was highly accurate in terms of composition and proportion. It was made by a professional. And who was this professional? Although I didn’t know the specific candidates, the scope must be among the wizards and witches who had joined the dark side.
Thinking of the missing Adele, I suggested, “Could it be Adele? As a powerful witch, mixing paint and drawing formations were child’s play for her.”
“It’s unlikely,” Master Hayley said, shaking her head. “Adele’s magic power has been completely sealed, and she’s almost useless. Without the participation of magic power, neither paint nor formations will have any effect no matter how accurate they are.”
If it wasn’t Adele...
“Maybe it’s a Kafka?” Dorothy suddenly said, “Adele is his adopted daughter and subordinate. Perhaps to save Adele, he joined forces with Azazel’s party?”
Kafka?
I had to admit that I was stunned when I suddenly heard this name and realized who it was.