He was no longer like the first time he discovered he could hear sounds that others couldn't, panicking and looking around in fright, searching for who was speaking from the shadows, and ready to grab a wooden club and rush at them. Instead, he stood quite calmly in place, thinking while observing the reaction of Pacheco, the deputy director of the Compliance Department.
Pacheco glanced at him and said: "Are you a scholar of Fourth Epoch history?"
"I have some knowledge," Barton replied modestly.
At that moment, he didn't pretend to be completely ignorant of Fourth Epoch history. First, his character wouldn't allow it, and second, his position came from his academic background in history. If he had a major deficiency in that area, he might be fired from the Foundation tomorrow.
Pacheco looked toward the door and said: "Then have you heard of the surname Tamara?"
"I've heard of it," Barton said, instinctively turning his head to look at Pacheco. "In the sparse and scattered historical records of the Fourth Epoch, the surname Tamara appears several times, second only in frequency to Tudor,
He paused and added: "Fornar recently discovered some ruins left over from the Fourth Epoch."
Because the hotel employee was nearby, he didn't directly point out that the surname Tamara might be related to Fornar's current anomaly.
Pacheco didn't respond. Instead, he turned to the hotel employee and said: "I am a police officer handling criminal cases. I suspect that the guest in this room has met with misfortune. Please unlock the door immediately."
As he spoke, Pacheco took out an ID and showed it to him.
The hotel employee was startled at first, then carefully examined the ID: "O-okay. I'll get the key!"
With that, he turned and ran toward the stairs.
"You're a police officer?" the observing Barton blurted out in surprise.
Pacheco looked down at the ID in his hand and chuckled: "This ID is absolutely real, and it was obtained through legal channels."
"Why say it so complicated?" Barton replied habitually. "I don't care if it's real or not. I just want to know whether you're actually a police officer."
Pacheco laughed: "That depends on how you perceive it."
This answer made Barton a bit irritable, but as a proper Loen gentleman, understanding that the other party was unwilling to give a direct answer, he politely shut his mouth.
Of course, the fact that the other party was the deputy director of the Compliance Department was also a factor.
In their silence, the hotel owner and that employee returned to the third floor.
After carefully checking Pacheco's ID and comparing the photo with the person, the hotel owner took out the key and opened the door while muttering under his breath: "How could something have happened? There wasn't any sound."
If a high-end hotel were to have a criminal case involving a death, it would definitely affect its image, perhaps even lead to bankruptcy.
"Don't worry too much. It might just be some small issue," Pacheco said in a comforting tone.
"I hope so. May the Goddess bless." The hotel owner withdrew his hand and made the sign of the stars four times clockwise on his chest.
Then he gently pushed the door, letting it slowly open.
At that moment, the interior of the room seemed to reconnect with the outside, and a faint smell of blood wafted out.