The Doll Lady

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the Guide was the first to speak: "I have ten portions of fresh human blood here. This is a rare Y-type blood, an excellent alchemical material. Who wants it?"

Irina observed the Guide, a robust figure even under the heavy black robe.

The trade of human blood was clearly forbidden, outlawed by the Kingdom of Night. It was only in these illicit gatherings that such transactions could take place.

"Is Y-type blood that rare?" Irina thought to herself. She wasn't aware of such a thing. All she knew was that the people of Scarlet Moon Continent generally had H-type, K-type, L-type, or Y-type blood.

"Y-type blood? That's the special blood type possessed only by those born during the Scarlet Moon Festival!" A female voice rang out, filled with interest.

The speaker was a woman draped in a black robe and wearing a ghostly mask. Her figure was striking, and she was known by the codename Egret.

"People born during the Scarlet Moon Festival have Y-type blood?"

Irina was surprised. The Scarlet Moon Festival fell on the first day of the year, January 1st, symbolizing the beginning of a new year. Coincidentally, Irina herself was born on the Scarlet Moon Festival.

"Does this mean my blood could also be used as alchemical material?"

The thought sent a chill through her. "Am I just a walking supply of rare material?"

Meanwhile, the Guide and Egret swiftly completed their transaction. Holding the acquired material, Egret smiled in satisfaction:

"Y-type blood is unlike other blood types—it possesses certain mysterious properties. Looks like my experiments can continue."

Irina controlled her expression, pretending to be H-type blood instead.

At that moment, a deep male voice broke through the chatter:

"I have a question. If anyone can provide me with a satisfying answer, I'll pay ten thousand Feil."

Everyone turned toward the speaker.

Ten thousand Feil—that was no small sum.

"I believe you go by Substitutor, correct? Go ahead, ask your question," Egret said, her interest piqued as she looked at the man who called himself Substitutor.

Under the collective gaze of the crowd, Substitutor slowly spoke:

"Lately, in Seraphite, a serial killer has been on the loose. I assume you've all heard about this?"

"You mean the Strangulation Maniac who has killed five times in five consecutive days using the exact same method?" Egret asked curiously.

"That's right. Do any of you know his whereabouts?" Substitutor questioned.

"I don't know, but I'm more curious as to why you're asking. Shouldn't the Mystery Bureau be the most interested party in this case? Could it be… you're a member of the Mystery Bureau?" Egret cast a suspicious glance at him.

With her words, the others in the room also turned their attention to Substitutor. Given that most of them were engaged in illegal dealings, the last thing they wanted was a bureaucratic presence among them.

Sensing their doubt, Substitutor quickly clarified:

"How could I be associated with those useless fools in the Mystery Bureau? I'm not looking for him to solve the case. As for my reasons, that's none of your concern."

Though some remained skeptical, as Extraordinaries, they all had confidence in their own abilities and didn't press the matter further.

Substitutor continued asking around, but no one had useful information.

At this point, Irina couldn't help but ask:

"Mr. Substitutor, I know nothing about this case, but I am curious—how does the Strangulation Maniac kill his victims? From the name, it seems like he suffocates them."

"Doll Lady, you're exactly right. Every victim of the Strangulation Maniac died from asphyxiation," Substitutor confirmed.

Hearing this, Irina's heartbeat suddenly quickened.

Asphyxiation…

What a familiar cause of death.

Wasn't that exactly how her original self died?

Could it be that this Strangulation Maniac was the very person who had killed her before?

"Why is this person killing so frequently? And why always using the same method?" Irina asked casually.

"It's likely an Advancement Ritual. If I'm not mistaken, he's a Duelist attempting to ascend to an Assassin. Killing in the same manner repeatedly seems to be a requirement for the Assassin's advancement ritual," Substitutor replied.

As his words settled, a tense silence filled the basement.

A Duelist belonged to the third-tier class.

Meanwhile, an Assassin was a fourth-tier class.

"So the Strangulation Maniac has already reached this stage… If he successfully advances to Assassin… that would be terrifying," Egret muttered, echoing everyone's concerns.

The gathering continued, with more illegal goods being traded.

Throughout this, Irina remained silent. She had nothing to trade, having come only to gather information. Learning about the Strangulation Maniac had been an unexpected gain, but the question now was how to handle this issue.

Irina frowned in frustration.

She was only an apprentice. Even if she completed her own advancement ritual and became a Spirit Sensor, she would still be far weaker than a Duelist. How was she supposed to deal with this threat?

Perhaps, for now, she had no choice but to ignore it.

As the meeting drew to a close, the Guide turned to Irina.

"Doll Lady, since you've made the effort to come, don't you plan on trading anything?"

Irina smiled deliberately and replied:

"It's my first time here, and I wasn't prepared. But next time, I'll be sure to bring something. I hope you'll all be ready to buy."

Y-type blood was a tradable commodity here, wasn't it?

Coincidentally, when she had used "Night's Lock" to deal with Fred, she had left behind a bloodstained pair of underwear in the back mountains of the academy. It was soaked with Y-type blood. If these people wanted Y-type blood, she could just sell that.

The Guide had no idea what Irina was thinking and simply smiled:

"I look forward to that day. Until then, everyone, farewell."

The Guide then took out a compass-like object and placed it in front of him.

The next moment, the compass emitted a dazzling green light, spreading outward.

By the time Irina regained her senses, she was no longer in the basement. Instead, she found herself in a narrow alleyway, two streets away from the gathering site.

"A supernatural artifact that randomly teleports people? That's quite the item. I just wonder what its negative side effects are…"

Though shocked, Irina didn't dwell on it.

Her next stop was the academy.

But before that, she had someone to tease first. After all—who would say no to more experience points?

Elsewhere…

"Miss Heria, we couldn't find the person you were looking for."

On the streets, Heria marched along, flanked by a group of guards, frustration evident on her face.

As a noble lady from a Count's family, she couldn't stand the humiliation of being flirted with by some unknown girl.

She refused to let it go.