The Devil’s Cage

”A missing ferry that might harbor some unidentified monsters!” Schmidt corrected Kieran’s words and talked about the matter at hand in greater length.

”The Sunshine Mary left the East Coast in June of Er875. Its original destination had been Hologest Port on the West Coast. Its cruising time was around four and a half weeks, but by the fifth week, it had not appeared in Hologest Port yet. People noticed that something was off and started to search for it, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. After a continuous year-long search, in August of Er876, the local government declared the Sunshine Mary and its crew and passengers, a total of 400 people, dead in a shipwreck.”

”I went through some papers of the time that had been left behind. Although the government declared that all the people onboard had died, the family members of the missing people never gave up their search. It went on for another 10, perhaps 20 years. God knows how long it really was. However, according to an article on entertainment news, there was a notorious shaman at the time who said that he had seen the crew and passengers on board, suffering in some strange place… Of course, he was exposed as a liar afterwards. Unlike you and Rei!”

Kieran shrugged over Schmidt’s interpretation of the case.

Nikorei was a genuine shaman, and although it would be wrong to say that Kieran was a total fraud, he was still far from holding such a title. At least he could spot spirits and solve cases related to the supernatural.

”Maybe the ferry got into some kind of accident. The sea is merciless after all!”

Kieran did not want to stay on that awkward topic for long. He needed to ask about more information.

”There were no major storms that month, the wind was mild and the sun was bright. The weather was perfect for a ferry cruise. That was also the reason the Sunshine Mary had left the port that day. The Sunshine Mary was a luxury cruise for the rich. There was no way they wouldn’t have noticed such weather conditions. The armed forces and the arsenal they used were pretty advanced for that particular time period. That rules out the possibility of pirates hijacking the ferry,” Schmidt said in an affirmative tone.

”I see. Can you tell me how it reappeared then? It disappeared over 100 years ago. I am curious. Why didn’t it sink?” Kieran asked.

”I am even more curious than you. A week ago, on the morning of October 28th Er999, the ferry miraculously reappeared on the Golden Beach of the West Coast. The beach handler took some crew members and boarded the mysterious ferry. That was the last we heard of them. That is where Boller and I came in. We…”

”Wait! You said Boller?” Kieran interrupted Schmidt.

”Yeah. After the five teenagers that were suffering from magic repulsion died, Boller shifted his attention to preventing such incidents. He joined my special operations unit. Surprisingly, he was much better than the previous goons I’d had in the office. Truth be told, the fact that I can still even be the special operations unit team leader is because of Boller. Didn’t Simones and Elli tell you?” Schmidt asked.

”That’s why I said I needed a good rest, to catch up on things! I don’t even know what’s happened!” Kieran sighed, pretending to be frustrated.

”The problem is that Boller has gone missing. After Boller and I boarded the Sunshine Mary, I unexpectedly passed out before the investigation could even begin. When I woke up, I was off the ferry and Boller was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, no one could approach the ferry anymore! An invisible force field was keeping us away. Even bullets, explosives, and canons were useless against it! That’s why I needed someone who specializes in that field to help me get back to the Sunshine Mary. Or at least help me get my partner back!” Schmidt said in a serious tone.

”Boller has gone missing?” Kieran frowned.

He still had a general impression of Boller. He was a secret potionologist who had joined the Hatch Heresy with his own agenda. Other than that, Kieran could not think of anything else. This did not stop him from accepting Schmidt’s Sub Mission though.

[Sub Mission Unlocked: Ghost Ferry]

[Ghost Ferry: The Sunshine Mary, which disappeared 124 years ago, has suddenly been sighted again. No one knows what really happened during its last cruise 124 years ago. Schmidt has requested your help to find Boller, who has gone missing on the ferry. You need to find him!]

[Note: If you are able to solve the mystery of the Sunshine Mary, your dungeon rating will be boosted up significantly.]

...

”My dungeon rating will be boosted up significantly?” Kieran squinted his eyes over the note.

No matter the words used, every sign indicated that the Sunshine Mary incident was no simple matter.

Judging by Kieran’s experience in the game so far, such a significant dungeon rating boost would surely be accompanied by looming danger.

As Kieran recalled the events that had boosted up his rating before, he let out a long sigh. However, his curiosity was uncontrollable.

”Hidden secrets, huh?” he thought silently.

Fortunately, Kieran was not someone who tended to mess up their plans because of their curiosity.

Driving Simones’ Picard, he reached Ciaran Street.

The street was not much different than it had been two years ago. It was still the meeting point of low and average income families. The only difference was that the parked patrol cruisers were significantly fewer.

”Although I hate to admit it, thanks to the Cursed Society, this place has become a lot safer. Petty thieves know not to step on the Cursed Society’s turf!” Schmidt explained with a sigh after noticing Kieran’s face, which was filled with questions.

”Still, I’m glad you took out the Fiery Hounds, the Muller Society and the Syken Society at the train station! Each and every one of them have tried really hard to solidify their power and would not mind destroying other factions’ meeting points in the process. During the last year alone, the West Coast casualty rate has gone up by 200%, crime rate has gone up by 300% and I can guarantee that the actual numbers are even higher than the collected data! Everything was covered up by high position maggots that feed off the weak! Plus, these mystical rascals are pretty smart as well. They won’t target the rich or any government officers. Instead, they are willing to provide certain services to them… Goddamnit!” Schmidt suddenly cursed, seemingly recalling something frustrating.

Kieran got a general idea from Schmidt’s expression.

Higher ranking individuals always had their hands tied away from certain incidents. If they could spare an extra pissing pot for their secret business, they did.

As for the Syken Society, Kieran remembered them, not because they were the first enemies he had had to fight, but because he had gotten a quite useful Magical ring from them.

[Name: Illusion Puppeteer Ring]

[Type: Accessory]

[Rarity: Magical]

[Attack/Defense: None]

[Attributes: Puppet Illusion]

[Effects: None]

[Prerequisites: None]

[Able to bring out of the dungeon: Yes]

[Remarks: The honest, the dishonest, the bad and the good, Who is really telling the truth?]

...

[Puppet Illusion: Create a 10-meter radius puppet illusion field where one cannot attack, is unable to communicate and is immobilized. Puppet Illusion will not disappear after the attack, it will change according to the damage it received, until its threshold is maximized. Duration: 10 seconds, once per day]

...

The [Illusion Puppeteer Ring] gave Kieran a strange feeling when he wore it on his left middle finger. There was a soft black spiral texture to it. It seemed ambiguous, but its effect was one of a kind.

Kieran had put the ring to practical use during the battle in front of 1st Black Street. If he had not created the puppet illusions that had bewitched the thugs, his energy would have been drained, even if he had managed to take every single one of them out.

After all, if Kieran had not been able to take out the melee thugs fast enough and allowed the spell-caster thugs to finish their incantations, he was unsure whether he could have withstood all their attacks by using [Primus Scale].

The breaks made a screeching noise as the Picard stopped in front of a two-and-a-half story building.

Schmidt got out of the car and waited quietly for Kieran to go in.

As the leader of the special operations unit, Schmidt had been through supernatural cases before more than once. As a result, he knew the importance of staying away from the mystics. Especially when someone was trying to invade a mystical individual’s house.

Kieran walked up to the house and inspected the gate with a smile. As he observed the place thoroughly though, his face turned serious.

He saw some traces in front of the house. Someone had been there before them!

Translator’s Thoughts

Dess Dess

So Boller was a good guy after all? I thought he was with the doctor before this???