After examining the traces printed on the paper, Pacheco turned his head to speak to Barton, who was beside him:
"What follows will be quite complex. I will be seeking assistance from the police."
"As for you, you may return to the Foundation and await further inquiries."
Barton, who had been staring at the paper, felt not disappointment but a wave of relief upon hearing this. He nodded hastily:
"Alright."
After reading the written traces left by Furnar, Barton's instincts told him the matter would be extremely dangerous.
And as an ordinary person, avoiding danger was the natural choice.
Of course, this was also because Furnar could only be considered a casual friend, not someone worth risking great personal safety to get involved with.
Having given his response, Barton immediately turned around, threaded his way between the hotel owner and the waiter, and stepped out onto the street.
This time, he did not opt for public transportation but climbed into a hired carriage.
Barton's outing this time was for special business, somewhat urgent, and he had the Vice Director of the Compliance Department as his witness, so the expenses could be reimbursed.
There was a vast difference between spending the Foundation's money and spending his own salary.
On the way, Barton gazed out the window at the passing scenery, unable to stop his thoughts from turning to Furnar's current state:
"Is he still alive?"
"The room was thick with the smell of blood..."
"May he still be alive. The Lord protect him."
"If he is alive, where would he be now?"
"Where..."
"Could it be?"
"This!"
As his thoughts raced, Barton suddenly considered a possibility. He hurriedly instructed the driver to change course and head towards the neighborhood where he lived.
Before long, he had returned home.
"Has something happened?" Barton's wife approached him, her face full of surprise.
It was still a considerable time before lunch, let alone the end of the workday.
Barton didn't remove his hat, didn't take off his coat, didn't bother answering the question, and asked directly:
"Has Fernal been here?"
"He came to see you a quarter of an hour ago. I had him wait in the study and sent Wells to the Foundation to find you." Barton's wife answered truthfully.
Wells was their family's manservant, and clearly, a quarter of an hour was not enough for him to reach the "Loen Historical Artifact Collection and Preservation Foundation."
That was what Barton's wife found most puzzling.
"Mm." Barton nodded heavily, hurried through the living room, went up to the second floor, and entered the study.
Inside, the window was wide open, the curtains swaying gently, and the room was empty.
"Fernal?" Barton called out, but no one answered.
He jumped out the window… Barton furrowed his brow and carefully looked around, discovering that several books on his bookshelf were out of order.
It was a set of history volumes, divided into upper, middle, and lower books.
Barton's habit was to arrange them from right to left, but now they had been changed to left to right.
He drew a silent breath, strode over, and pulled out the three volumes.
After a careful inspection, Barton found that one page in the middle volume had been folded down by someone.
He hurriedly flipped to that page and unfolded the creased corner.
Written in pencil was a passage of hastily scrawled words:
"The remnants of the Fourth Age are worshipping evil gods."
Hiss… Barton was struck by both panic and terror, and forcefully shoved the book back into its place.
Without much thought, he thundered out of the study, rushed to the staircase, planning to find Pacheco, the deputy director of the "Compliance Department," tell him about his discovery, and ask him to bring police to protect his family.
Only after stepping outside did Barton slow his pace and consider a rather important question:
Where should he go to find Pacheco?
The Crowe Inn, the Stone Police Headquarters, or the Foundation?
After a brief moment of thought, Barton decided to return to the Foundation and find another "Compliance Department" employee.
Just at that moment, a hired carriage pulled up in front of his house, and Pacheco Doane stepped down from it.
"We noticed Fernal coming to your home again." The deputy director of the "Compliance Department" explained in a rapid tone.
Barton let out a sigh of relief and answered without hesitation: