Chapter 787: Chapter 29: No Need for Assistance (Part 1)

Since the Prince Charlie case ended, Gongsun Ce’s life fell into an “unstable” calm.

The investigation into the country’s myths had hit a dead end. On one hand, because of the Queen’s remarks at the end of the meeting, both Loningles and Alandia had to temporarily stop their investigations; on the other hand, they didn’t have more clues at hand. They went to ask Kerky, but the apprentice only knew about the drama they had watched. They inquired Douglas, but the old craftsman’s memory had clearly been manipulated, and he couldn’t recall his investigation findings.

The only clue left was that thick paper report, which was in the hands of Situ Yi. Gongsun Ce later went to the theater troupe, and the top hat with a white robe leader just laughed and said the play was still in rehearsal, and they would be invited once it’s ready. So the clues were broken, and they couldn’t make deductions closer than that night, and had to return to their daily lives.

His brother’s daily life was just running to repair armor, finishing work on time and that’s it, while he, having nothing to do, followed the Dawn Knight running around. Often, when Alandia’s phone rang, some police officer or subordinate knight would nervously claim to have encountered an inexplicable mystery case. The Dawn Knight would put on her deerstalker hat and lead her (superpower-wielding) superpower user to the crime scene.

The most common cases were murder, followed by theft, and occasionally fraud. Cases without fatalities often involved high-ranking personnel, since without major issues, no one would dare bother the kingdom’s most famous detective (even though he thought Alandia wouldn’t mind investigating some ordinary cases), so they ran all over the kingdom’s streets and alleys.

Three weeks quickly flew by, and there were only a few days left until the duel. This afternoon was a rare free moment, and he called Kardesia for a chat. The hat lady on the phone curiously asked, “Is traveling around the kingdom fun?”

“Not fun.” Gongsun Ce said listlessly, “I’ve been woken up three times at midnight, almost every day waking up early; it’s more like being imprisoned rather than traveling.”

“…are you sure you went to Supibia and not some concentration camp?”

Gongsun Ce yawned, “I’m sure, the place is rotten to…”

As they spoke, the elderly lady at the cafe served him a hot coffee and gave him a small cookie. Gongsun Ce quickly smiled and nodded to the lady, sent the cookie into his mouth and chewed. The slightly bitter flavor with a touch of sweetness spread, making him feel good.

Outside the seat came a tapping on the window, a girl of high school age waved at him from outside the store and then shyly ran off. This was a client they helped casually a few days ago. She was suspected of theft while working at a supermarket, Gongsun Ce used telekinesis to help find the lost item.

“This place is alright.” The superpower user corrected himself, “Not too good, but not too bad either.”

“Tsk tsk, your skill in saying nothing has increased again.”

“I’ve had no use for my nonsense lately, I’m almost losing my job. Ping, bye.”

Gongsun Ce hung up the phone, and across the table, the Dawn Knight put down her detective novel. He hurried to speak before the other could open her mouth, “Just a regular friend, not a girlfriend!”

“I’m puzzled that you have friends too, Mr. Gongsun.” Alandia said.

Gongsun Ce slammed the table, “Do you see me as a socially-challenged, reclusive weirdo with zero social skills?!”

“You are indeed reclusive and odd.” Alandia agreed.

“Please don’t use that ‘Watson, you’ve noticed a key point’ tone! And why can’t us introverts have friends, your prejudice against social anxiety is showing!”

“In fact, you don’t have social anxiety, on the contrary, you’re good at bridging relationships with strangers.”

Alandia pushed her coffee cup forward a bit, letting it get closer to Gongsun Ce’s cup. She drew a line between the two cups.

“But you deliberately maintain distance with others, keeping relationships in a space that’s below being close friends yet above acquaintances. Such people rarely have friends because you’ll actively block those wanting to cross the line.”

Gongsun Ce adjusted his glasses and countered, “Speak with evidence.”

“You resist physical contact. You never talk about your own life. When someone actively proposes solitary or going out invitations, your first reaction is usually rejection.” Alandia listed observations one by one, “To maintain distance, you’ll lower your image in others’ eyes, for example, when Miss Kerky invites you out, you’ll deliberately criticize her figure.”

“That’s an exaggeration. I just don’t like flat-chested girls.”

Alandia looked into his eyes, saying, “But you understand respect more than the image you present: you’ve never commented on others’ appearance or mocked them.”

Gongsun Ce was momentarily speechless. He felt a bit of pride because Alandia rarely praised him; simultaneously, he felt a burst of embarrassment, akin to the awkwardness when a delinquent is found secretly feeding a kitten—my crafted persona is aimed at being mysterious and cool, yet here you say ‘you respect well’, how am I supposed to keep it up on the streets afterward?

“Alright, I admit I deliberately keep distance; it’s a habit from our side. Also, you can’t say I’m special because of this…do you go around telling people about your past?”

“I don’t.”

Gongsun Ce clapped his hands, “There you go! I have friends outside my brother because we’ve known each other for a long time, and unknowingly grew close and became buddies, we know each other’s backgrounds so there’s no worry about this issue. But for those less familiar, I’m sure I’d have concerns. This concern is not quantifiable because there’s no definite boundary in people’s minds.