Chapter 23: Time-Related Pet Beast?!

Luo Qingyue was briefly stunned, looking at Lu Yu’s expression which didn’t seem like he was lying. Her expression stiffened as she turned her head to glance at the large pit beside her.

Among the heaps of rubble, one could vaguely make out the remnants of a frog-like pet beast that appeared to have suffered inhuman abuse.

But…

Wasn’t there talk of an inside traitor?

How did it turn into a frog?

Is this to suggest some dark twist on the Frog Prince tale?

But at least in those stories, a kiss might lift the curse. Here, only a pile of remnants remain, and it would take a ghost to recognize where the mouth is.

“You…”

Although she very much wanted to ask if he was playing a joke on her, Luo Qingyue, striving to become a legendary investigator, always remembered the sentence written on the title page of “The Investigator’s Book”, penned by the initial legendary investigator, which she adopted as her lifelong motto:

“Practice is the ladder to truth!”

Without practice, everything is nothing but armchair strategy.

Even if evidence sounds bizarre, one must maintain doubt and awe to find the correct clues.

Moreover, she did indeed feel a faint aura of the undead in the pit, which was somewhat out of place in the vibrant Taohua Forest.

With that in mind, Luo Qingyue tossed her hat to the lion-faced deer, removed her tactical glasses and held them in her mouth by the temple, took out a hairband and tied her smooth long hair into a high ponytail, all with crisp efficiency.

Once her hair was done, her demeanor became suddenly calm, her gaze sharpened as she scanned the surroundings and quickly found scattered puppet fragments on the ground.

She picked up a piece with her fingertips, gave it a light pinch, and the cursed-powered epidermis turned to ash. Bringing her delicate and petite nose close, she sniffed and muttered to herself:

“A stench of rotting leather, the fishy smell of the innards is faint, indicating that it’s a cursed puppet made after eating all the innards and flesh. There are many with this habit, but to use the art of puppet-cursing, belonging to the undead and yet also a frog, only leaves the Ghost Face Curse Frog.

Judging by the number of puppet fragments here, it can be inferred that hundreds of frog and bird puppets were created. In this case, the strength of the Ghost Face Curse Frog should be between the early and mid-elite stages; it hasn’t gotten through its weak period, but isn’t weak either.

Logically, given its cautious and cunning nature, it should wear you down from a distance. Why then did it leave the riverbank and get its body severed by a sharp weapon nearby, and it seems to be fatally wounded before being killed on the spot until utterly dead…”

She continued to reason based on the surrounding environment, calmly reconstructing the events.

“What terrifying deductive ability.”

At first, Lu Yu was wondering why she didn’t come to ask about the process and was playing some deduction game, which seemed off-key, but after listening, all that remained was shock.

It’s important to note that after extracting the curse organs, only some dregs of the Ghost Face Curse Frog remained, and the other cursed puppets were mostly destroyed by the Little Spider.

If he weren’t a specialist in frog pet beasts, even identifying them would take some time, possibly even requiring the use of instruments.

However, the girl named Luo Qingyue quickly identified the presence of the Ghost Face Curse Frog from some dregs and the environment and even more or less deduced the entire battle process.

Is such ability really that of just an intern investigator?

The Alliance investigator is an extremely special position, reporting directly to the highest authority in human society – the Supreme Council.

Whether it’s cleansing the cults of evil gods, investigating environmental anomalies, assessing the development of human cities, and so on, all fall within their scope of work. In critical moments, they can even mobilize a part of the military, wielding tremendous power like the ancient emperors’ envoys combined with special forces.

In fact, becoming an investigator, even an intern, is akin to an ascension.

However, even for investigators, it is impossible for all interns to each be a genius with high intellect, right?

If that were the case, humans would have dominated the entire world long ago.

“No need to be so surprised, I was a formal investigator before, just that I was temporarily demoted because of some issues.”

Luo Qingyue raised her head, her eyes clear, and Lu Yu met her gaze as if looking at the moon in the water, or bamboo by the clouds.

She pursed her lips and calmly explained:

“Also, this deduction process isn’t difficult, as long as one understands the relevant information. ‘The Investigator’s Book’ states: Knowledge is the strongest weapon for investigators, it allows them to find the right direction through numerous fogs, in finding the truth and researching myths alike.”

When entering the investigator mode, Luo Qingyue became serious and humble, less flirtatious but exhibiting a cool and handsome charm.

Having said that, Luo Qingyue let down her hair, and the black strands fell to her waist, adding a touch of weariness between her brows as she put back on the tactical glasses, the corners of her mouth lifting.

“Ding, legendary investigator Luo Qianqiu logging off, now it’s mythologist Luo Qingyue!”

Her smile brightened, revealing slightly sharp canines. Although beautiful, compared to the previously “detective mode” Luo Qingyue, there was a noticeable change in her working style—now more enthusiastic and energetic, yet the impression she gave…

Was like the difference between a silly adorable rabbit and a noble and intelligent older fox sister.

Could this be…

A split personality?

“I always feel like you’re thinking about some very presumptuous things.” Stretching languidly and shaking her name tag, Luo Qingyue’s eyes settled on Lu Yu as if looking at a rare treasure, incredulously saying: “It’s unexpected that a frog is the culprit, but what surprises me is you, a Copper Tamer, defeated the elite-level Ghost Face Curse Frog with only a mid-tier servant pet beast.”

Lu Yu humbly replied, “I was lucky to encounter the Ghost Face Curse Frog that hadn’t passed its weak period.”

“Luck is also part of strength!” Luo Qingyue hummed, speaking with an air of worldly wisdom, “Not every luck person can grasp the correct future. Young man, sometimes modesty can be a form of arrogance too!”

The adversary Lu Yu faced controlled vast puppet curses and could curse and kill from a distance, and he beautifully manipulated and killed the Ghost Face Curse Frog.

Moreover, after a big battle, he didn’t even have a scratch, which cannot merely be explained by luck.

The only downside was that he was too heavy-handed.

A creature with potential as a leader turned to dregs…

Thinking of this, Luo Qingyue reminded him, “Generally, only a living Ghost Face Curse Frog has value. Yours is almost reduced to ash, likely without any usable materials, completely worthless. If there is no video evidence to vouch for you, you won’t be able to exchange it for school points…”

Lu Yu frowned slightly; in reality, he did have materials of the Ghost Face Curse Frog that could serve as evidence, but there was a good chance he would have to hand them over in exchange for points. However, he would prefer to use them to craft a special skill secret dish that could greatly strengthen the Little Spider.

But these thoughts weren’t something he could share with Luo Qingyue, so Lu Yu played along with a look of regret, his expression dimming as he sighed:

“Then let it be. Cameras have been continuously destroyed in this area and weren’t reinstalled afterward.”

Missing an opportunity to fleece the school did indeed pain Lu Yu.

For a capitalist, earning less is akin to a loss, isn’t it?

Luo Qingyue also felt some disappointment, having thought she stumbled upon a major event where she could show her mettle, only to find out it was already resolved by someone else.

That felt like finding an attractive boyfriend only to discover he’s already taken when things got serious.

Suddenly all sense of excitement left her.

Wait a minute, the criminal may be gone, but the battle can still be viewed!

A fascinating fight where the weaker overcame the stronger!

The more Luo Qingyue thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

Although that ability would have a cost, it could be worth selling a favor and investing ahead of time in the promising young man before her.

Nothing beats being an early investor; she’s quite adept at that!

With a smile, Luo Qingyue said, “However, there’s still a way. Lucky for you I am, Luo Qingyue, famously benevolent… and generous. I have a method to help you!”

“What do you mean?”

Upon hearing that, Lu Yu, looking at Luo Qingyue’s sly rabbit-like expression, had a nagging feeling that something was not right…

However, Luo Qingyue didn’t explain, instead snapping her fingers as a summoning circle appeared beside her.

A caterpillar-like creature crawled out of the circle resembling a baby silkworm, but unlike common pure white silkworms, it had a little yellow flower on its head. Its body had a husky yellow tint, not from decay but like a page of an ill-preserved book, gradually fading and yellowing under the assault of time.

There was an aura of time passing emanating from it.

Is this…

A time-related pet beast?!