The "Strange Incident" in Gulain City
Unicorn sheep were not only sturdy and incredibly resilient—ideal for pulling rented black coffins—but their meat was also chewy and highly favored by certain gentlemen from the Northern Continent.
Some fashionable ladies and young misses even kept them as pets for novelty's sake, though such cases were rare. After all, while unicorn sheep had a distinctive appearance, they were not particularly adorable once fully grown.
Thanks to the ranch's income, the Riddle family had joined the middle class. They lived comfortably, with occasional vacations to the Rhodes Islands.
However, lately, Mr. Riddle had been deeply troubled, losing sleep night after night. Even his beloved youngest daughter, Valeria, dared not speak too loudly at home.
The unicorn sheep had been struck by an unknown plague, growing thinner by the day. Some could no longer even stand and seemed close to death.
For Riddle, the loss of even one sheep was unacceptable, let alone facing an entire herd's illness. If this problem wasn't resolved, he was at risk of bankruptcy and losing his small ranch.
In recent days, Riddle had made countless trips to the city, seeking help from experts, scholars, doctors, and even clergy from the Church of the Lord of Storms. Money was spent, but the problem remained unresolved.
Yesterday, after another fruitless day in the city, Riddle returned home and learned from Valeria that she had picked up a silver card. When she tried to return it to its owner, the gentleman was nowhere to be found—Valeria had been buying feed in the city while her father sought help.
Riddle initially thought nothing of the incident but still praised his daughter for her honesty, agreeing with the gentleman's words that Valeria's character shone brighter than the glimmering silver card.
However, what Riddle never expected was that, late that very night, when he was still tossing and turning in frustration, Valeria burst excitedly into his room with an unbelievable story.
She claimed that the card had taken her to an indescribably wondrous place, where she once again met the gentleman who had dropped the card.
The gentleman introduced himself as Doctor Strange and said that anyone who obtained his card and arrived at his mysterious abode could ask him one question—if he could answer it.
Although the gentleman was gentle throughout, Valeria had been so overwhelmed by the scene that she could barely speak.
But as her father's beloved daughter, she knew exactly what was troubling him. Without much hesitation, she asked how to cure the unicorn sheep of their illness.
After asking for detailed descriptions of the sheep's symptoms, Doctor Strange quickly provided a solution: a formula for a potion.
Once Valeria was sure she had memorized the formula, she suddenly woke up.
At first, she thought it had been a dream, but she soon realized the elegant silver card was nowhere to be found.
Convinced that she had truly experienced something extraordinary, Valeria rushed to wake her father.
Riddle was skeptical at first, thinking the story was too far-fetched. If not for his daughter's consistent honesty, he wouldn't have believed her at all.
But after hearing the potion formula and realizing the herbs were not particularly rare, he decided to take a chance. With several unicorn sheep already on the brink of death, what did he have to lose?
He spent the night gathering the necessary herbs, preparing the potion, and feeding it to the sickest sheep just as dawn began to break.
Initially, nothing happened, and Riddle felt foolish for trusting such an outlandish tale.
But about an hour later, the sheep that had consumed the potion suddenly regained their appetite and began eating on their own. One even managed to shakily stand up.
Overjoyed, Riddle quickly prepared more of the potion and fed it to the less-ill sheep. By midday, they had fully recovered!
It was only then that Riddle believed his daughter had truly had a "miraculous encounter." Together, they went back to the city, hoping to find Doctor Strange. But their search was fruitless.
Meanwhile, others across the city had similar experiences that night.
A scholar found sudden clarity on a difficult problem.
A young woman, forced into an arranged marriage, received a practical plan to resist and began acting on it.
A grieving drunkard, mourning mysterious deaths in his family, was given a lead and found decisive evidence to reopen an investigation.
At first, these incidents caused little commotion. But as more and more people realized the knowledge gained in their dreams was practical and effective, the secret couldn't be kept.
The name "Doctor Strange" began to spread throughout Gulain City.
Naturally, this drew the attention of the Nighthawks and the Mandated Punishers.
One Nighthawks clerk even found a silver card, though she hadn't been summoned by Doctor Strange. The card had vanished when she awoke.
Having previously encountered extraordinary events, the clerk immediately reported this to Tina Inkas, the captain of the Nighthawks squad in Gulain City.
...
Left Ear District, Earlobe Street No. 11
In an underground meeting room beneath the Church of the Lord of Storms, Nighthawks and Mandated Punishers gathered to discuss the events of the previous night.
A middle-aged Nighthawk stood up, opened an initial investigation report, and began presenting:
Case 1: The Riddle Family Unicorn Sheep Incident. Result: The sheep recovered, no signs of corruption or evil presence, and the potion formula involved only ordinary herbs with no extraordinary effects.
Case 2: Engineer Zella's Innovative Design Incident. Result: Factory efficiency improved by 10%, costs were reduced by 25%, and Zella received a doubled salary. No extraordinary interference was detected.
Case 3: Drunkard Old Tony Incident. Result: The previously closed case regarding his family's death was reopened after Tony found decisive evidence following the Doctor's clues.
Case 4: …
Case 5: …
Case 6: Baron Eckstrom's Potion Formula Incident. Result: The formula was verified and proven effective.
Case 7: Susan's Absence from Summoning Incident. Result: Nighthawk clerk Susan was not summoned to Doctor Strange's abode, suggesting deliberate avoidance of official church personnel.
The Nighthawks concluded:
Doctor Strange summons cardholders into his mysterious dreamlike abode and answers one question for them.
So far, there hasn't been a single question he couldn't answer.
The cards only appear in Gulain City, and not everyone who finds one is summoned.
Regardless of summoning, the cards vanish by dawn for unknown reasons.
"Although he hasn't caused harm yet, his motives remain unclear, and such behavior is incredibly dangerous. If left unchecked, it could lead to disaster."
After some discussion, they pinpointed a lead:
"Since this phenomenon only started recently in Gulain, the extraordinary individual codenamed 'Doctor Strange' likely arrived by ship. We'll begin investigations with hotel guest logs and rental records."
Everyone agreed—it was the most practical starting point.
...
Bayam, Fragrant Manor
In the distant city of Bayam, Ebner—whose actions were under investigation by Nighthawks and Mandated Punishers—was just waking up.
Reflecting on the events of the previous night, a smile appeared on his face.
"The essence of playing the role of the 'Polymath' truly lies in the word 'Polymath.' Not just knowledge of the mystical, but all-encompassing wisdom, applied practically to help others and demonstrate one's breadth of knowledge."
"This… must be the most important aspect of the Polymath's Acting Method."
(End of Chapter)