This was a stack of photographs showing five victims — some bodies were still well-preserved, others had already decayed. Buck stood beside Heidi, explaining: "Three days ago, because the Magic Circle inside the 'Claire' alchemy workshop had malfunctioned, some of the night-shift alchemy workers left early. While crossing through the Egret District on their way back to the Sadney District, they heard the scream of the victim in the first photograph. Under the lead of a supervisor with the capabilities of a Magic Apprentice, they approached the location."
"Perhaps the killer had spotted them in advance — only this body remained at the scene, and even the footprints had been wiped away by this cruel and calculating murderer. Later, we discovered four more hidden bodies in nearby secluded areas, sewers, and such places. Every last organ had been removed, and not a single clue had been left behind."
Heidi nodded gently. "Judging by the degree of decay, this serial murder case may have started earlier than we assumed, and the number of dead is certainly greater than we imagined. But why simply bury the bodies instead of finding ways to destroy them?"
"Destroying a body thoroughly and without attracting attention is quite troublesome. There are no piranhas in the rivers near Lentart — unless you haul them to the Black Forest." Buck based all his judgments on the assumption that this killer's Arcane Magic or knightly strength was not formidable. It was a fairly logical deduction — if the killer truly possessed great power, they would surely hold a position befitting that strength, so why bother targeting these paupers?
Heidi turned the photographs over and over in her hands, then asked casually, "Has there been an investigation into missing persons over the past few months?"
Buck grimaced. "The Egret District is a slum, packed with people who've come from all over the kingdom to Lentart seeking their fortunes. Even the gang leaders in the slums can't tell who's gone missing and who just moved on..."
Heidi set down the photographs. "Take me to see the bodies and the scene. Black-and-white photos alone can't tell the full story."
She had an inexplicable sense of gravity about this type of murder — one where every organ was removed. It struck her as especially eerie.
Buck had been trying to figure out how to suggest that Heidi visit the morgue and the scene in the slum district. Hearing her ask on her own, he was naturally relieved. He quickly stood and said, "This way, ma'am."
As he spoke, he strode quickly to his police vehicle and opened the passenger door. After Heidi climbed in, he circled around to the driver's seat, turned the key, and let the steel beast roar to life with a deep rumble.
"The car's size has finally been reduced," Heidi remarked, surveying the comfortable interior with genuine appreciation.
Buck chuckled. "If it were still as massive as the old ones, there'd be no way to drive them through the streets. Thanks to the mages simplifying the requirements for the alchemical circles and materials, and finding new energy sources to partially replace the arcane steam engines..."
Given the condition of most streets in Lentart, only one primitive alchemical car could pass at a time — even horse-drawn carriages could barely get through. After the improvements, most streets could accommodate two vehicles side by side without encroaching on the sidewalks. Of course, these improved alchemical cars were enormously expensive, available only to the great nobles and certain kingdom departments. Even Buck, a man of real authority in the police bureau, would never have been allowed to drive one if today's passenger hadn't been Heidi.
Heidi ran her hand along the metal door, feeling its cool texture. "If not for the contributions Leilya and Katrina made in material synthesis, simplifying the alchemical circle requirements wouldn't have been nearly so easy..."
She knew all too well how difficult simplifying these things was. Fortunately, over the past few years, guided by the new alchemy, the fields of elemental science and alchemy had seen tremendous development. Material synthesis and refinement had broken through again and again — and the credit belonged not only to Archanists like Leilya, Katrina, Lazar, and Roke from the Atomic Research Institute, but also to the efforts of over a thousand mages like Larry, Ulysses, Timothy, K, and others.
The field of materials was perhaps the area that demanded the most painstaking accumulation of countless experiments. Apart from using divination to eliminate many wrong paths, there was no room for luck.
The dwarves had brought with them the design philosophy of the steam civilization era, which gave the mages inspiration for simplifying the alchemical car. They also purified and produced high-energy coal essence. At the same time, they had begun seeking new energy sources to serve as substitutes — for instance, solar energy pre-stored in energy pools, much like in arcane towers, or other combustible materials that contained even greater energy.
In this regard, thanks to the mages' vast knowledge and the assistance of the elves — allies whose traditions stretched back tens of thousands of years — progress came quickly.
Thinking of the revolutionary changes sweeping through the Magic Council and the Four Strait Nations, Heidi couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement — excitement at living in such an era.
"Perhaps I don't possess Annik's or Sprint's talent in the microscopic domain, nor Katrina's and Leilya's sensitivity to material properties and patience, but I believe I can make a breakthrough in the field of artificial intelligence and win the Holme Crown Award..."
Heidi clenched her fists to motivate herself. The mere thought of granting alchemical items — items with no soul participating — the ability to handle most problems, even surpassing most Archanists in certain aspects; the mere thought of what wondrous changes would occur when soul fragments were later fused into such alchemical items — it was enough to set her blood boiling. And among the teacher's six students, only she and Cherry had yet to receive the highest honor in some field!
Buck drove the alchemical car with his eyes fixed straight ahead, extremely cautious and focused on the road. "Ma'am, we'll head to the morgue at the Violet Hospital first."
"Good." Heidi had no objections. She also wanted to visit the hospital system jointly operated by the kingdom and the Magic Council — a system that was beginning to show ordinary believers that healing was not the exclusive domain of the Church of Truth. The Magic Council could do it too.
Buck dared not neglect such an important guest, so he kept searching for topics of conversation. "The alchemical car still isn't fast enough. I think the direction of future development shouldn't be about further reducing size, but about strengthening the driving Magic Circles and energy sources. I read in the Archanist and Arcane Magic Herald that Their Excellencies the Storm Sovereign, the Atomic Controller, and the Elemental Dominator have completed the preliminary theory of elemental decay. Does that mean alchemical cars could eventually be powered by decay energy?"
"Nuclear power, huh..." Heidi's cheerful personality got the better of her, and she couldn't help but laugh. Buck was a textbook example of someone who read the newspaper and only picked up a few buzzwords. Research into nuclear power was the Atomic Research Institute's primary project, personally led by their teacher. Jerome, Lazar, Roke, and she herself took turns working on it. This cutting-edge, terrifyingly powerful energy source was probably beyond the reach of most high-ranking mages, let alone alchemical cars.