Walker Of The Worlds

2783  Investigating Rumors

Lin Mu perked up his ears as he overheard the men a couple of tables over from him. They spoke in hushed tones, but their conversation was clear enough for him to catch.

”So, whatʼs the update on the disappearances?” one of the men asked his companions, leaning in slightly.

Sigh.

”Still the same. It doesnʼt seem like there are any traces of them at all,” the other man replied, shaking his head with a grim expression.

”Still none? I thought the Order would have managed to find at least a couple of clues with their skills,” the first man said, frowning.

”I thought the same, but it doesnʼt look like thereʼs anything left. The people seem to have disappeared into thin air,” the other man replied, his voice laced with frustration.

”Really? But I heard some other rumors…” the first man trailed off, lowering his voice and glancing around cautiously to make sure no one was paying them any attention.

Lin Mu, however, remained still, his gaze fixed on the book in front of him, though his ears were fully attuned to their conversation.

”What rumors?” the second man narrowed his eyes.

”You know… about heretics,” the first man said in a near whisper.

”What?” The second man sat up straighter, his surprise evident. ”What did you hear?”

”The Order apparently hasnʼt revealed this since it might panic the people, but there were traces of some heretical activity,” the first man stated, voice dropping even lower.

”Again?” the second manʼs expression darkened. ”Are you sure?”

”Yeah… Itʼs surprising how theyʼre becoming active again. I hadnʼt thought that after the last purge, they would dare to act up.” The first man shook his head, exasperated.

Hearing this, Lin Mu became even more intrigued. Heretical activities? Who are the heretics in question this time? Demons? Cultists? Or just some unfortunate travelers caught in the crossfire? He pondered, his curiosity piqued.

”And so many people disappeared last time, too,” the second man muttered with a tone of disappointment.

”Yeah, perhaps the number of heretics has increased. I went by the Travelerʼs District a few days back, and apparently, thereʼs a lot of them recently. Maybe some of them could be part of this,” the first man speculated.

”Damn them. First, they dare to come to our world, and we offer them our hospitality, and yet they still go against us,” the second man huffed, his anger barely restrained.

ʼWhat hospitality?ʼ Lin Mu resisted the urge to scoff. From everything he had observed, the so-called hospitality was nothing more than imprisonment under a kinder name.

”So what does the Order intend to do?” the first man asked, his concern apparent. ”They wonʼt just continue like this, right? I wonʼt feel safe until something is done.”

”Hopefully, they do another purge. I wouldnʼt be surprised if another inquisition campaign starts soon,” the second man said, his tone cold.

”That would be good. We canʼt have those heretics get away,” the first man stated with righteous indignation.

Lin Mu continued to listen, hoping to glean more useful information, but their knowledge seemed limited beyond speculation. Where exactly did this happen? He wondered. If he could pinpoint the location, he might be able to uncover something worthwhile.

However, outright asking them was out of the question—it would be too suspicious.

ʼIʼll have to find others who might have more concrete information, he decided, standing up and making his way toward the exit.ʼ

”Hey… was that a Keeper?” the first man asked, lowering his voice.

”Looks like it,” the second man replied, watching Lin Mu disappear through the doorway.

”Strange. I thought the Keepers didnʼt usually leave their work at this time.”

”Maybe he has some work outside and is on break?”

”Hmm… maybe.”

Unaware of their scrutiny, Lin Mu moved through the city, visiting various places in search of more information. Unfortunately, all he found were variations of the same rumors, with no real details.

Looks like the information here is tightly controlled. If I want real answers, I need to go to the source.

The whispers he had gathered pointed to two possible leads: The offices of the Order… or the inquisition itself.

Determined, he started seeking out details on their locations. It didnʼt take long to find the information he needed.

Standing a hundred meters ahead was his destination—the Office of Law and Order.

The building bore an architectural style similar to the churches, albeit slightly larger. Though it was still smaller than the grand cathedrals.

Of course, walking in through the front entrance would be far too risky. Instead, Lin Mu found a secluded alleyway and sank into the ground, phasing his way toward the buildingʼs interior. Along the way, he navigated through defensive arrays designed to detect intruders, but to his satisfaction, they were relatively weak.

ʼThe standard here is lower than I expected, he noted. It seemed their knowledge of formations wasnʼt particularly advanced.ʼ

ʼThat works in my favor, he thought as he slipped inside.ʼ

The building had seven floors, each filled with numerous rooms and halls. Around three hundred people occupied the space, all seemingly engaged in their respective duties. As Lin Mu extended his Immortal Sense, he quickly picked up on one thing.

ʼThey talk. A lot.ʼ

Unlike the hushed paranoia of the outside world, the people here conversed openly, albeit in a formal manner. Their speech carried an air of bureaucracy rather than genuine urgency.

For two hours, Lin Mu scoured the building, searching for something of value. Eventually, he found it.

The Archives.

Located on the sixth floor, the Archives took up the entire level. Hundreds of shelves lined the vast space, filled with various documents, reports, and records. However, he noticed a distinct lack of jade slips.

This will make information-gathering more time-consuming, Lin Mu mused. Had jade slips been available, he could have copied the knowledge instantly. Instead, he had to rely on manually reading the physical texts.

Thankfully, the archives were well-organized, sorted chronologically. Lin Mu began scanning the most recent records and worked his way backward.

As he sifted through reports, he uncovered the truth behind the so-called rumors.

They werenʼt rumors at all.

The Order had, in fact, confirmed the involvement of heretics.

ʼAura of heretics detected at the scene?ʼ Lin Mu read, raising an eyebrow.

At first, he questioned how they determined this, but then it struck him—

ʼIt must be easier for them since their people lack Qi entirely. Any energy signature outside their norm would be flagged as heretical.ʼ

Flipping through more reports, he found that the disappearances occurred in a district on the cityʼs outskirts. The affected households had been completely abandoned overnight.

Lin Mu then dug further into past records, eventually finding similar incidents dating back ten months. On that occasion, five houses had emptied in the same fashion, with entire families vanishing without a trace.

Strangely, the investigations noted no signs of a struggle. There were no bloodstains, no signs of forced entry—nothing. It was as if the people had simply ceased to exist.

Lin Muʼs fingers tightened around the paper as he continued reading. What kind of force can erase people so cleanly?

Then, he came across another crucial detail—

ʼThe involvement of inquisitors.ʼ

These were elite members of the Order, tasked with hunting down heretics and interrogating suspects. They were feared even among their own people, known for their ruthless methods. Many who were taken in by them never returned, even if proven innocent.

Lin Mu exhaled slowly, a new determination settling over him.

ʼThe inquisitors are key. If I want answers… I need to find them.ʼ

Finding the information about the inquisitor turned out to be harder than Lin Mu had thought though as there was no direct mention of them in the archives. It was as if they had a different level of secrecy and that information was simply not kept here.

ʼThis is difficult… perhaps Iʼll need to look elsewhere.ʼ Lin Mu thought to himself and went to the seventh floor.

It was the last floor that he had not explored and from his immortal sense he could tell that there were considerably fewer people up there.

ʼJust twenty.ʼ Lin Mu counted.

He moved upwards through the thick walls and quickly arrived there. He then spent a few minutes dealing with the additional formation array that was protecting the floor before entering it.

SHUA

Passing through the barrier with ease, Lin Mu arrived in the new hall.

ʼThe Office of Daily Affairs and Administration.ʼ Lin Mu read the name plate.

The people here were wearing all higher quality robes and even their cultivation was higher. Or at least thatʼs what Lin Mu managed to tell from their appearance.

His instincts could tell if someone was stronger just from a glance.

ʼThey should all be immortals.ʼ Lin Mu reckoned.

He then began to look through the documents here that were also kept under extra protection.