Chapter 608 - Reform (Patreon)

Protector Sherlock naturally noticed that Leyvi seemed more curious about him than the other Protectors. However, that alone wasn't enough to make him bother asking about it.

Since Gandolf had said they would be working together, the youngster would approach him later if he really had something to say.

Rather than being curious about Leyvi's interest in him, Sherlock was more interested in how powerful the young man's mental power was.

Among the Protectors, he possessed the strongest spiritual sense as a Qi Cultivator. Therefore, the fact that his spiritual sense had been completely blocked surprised him more than anyone else.

On top of his powerful spiritual sense, his soul searching technique was also more proficient than anyone else's.

That was the real reason he was in charge of the Bureau of Investigation.

To Sherlock, the fastest way to investigate something was to look directly into the mind of a criminal and examine their memories.

However, there was a major problem with this method.

They had to capture someone involved in the case first.

If they couldn't catch anyone connected to the incident, the case was much more likely to remain unsolved.

In the past, soul searching had indeed been an extremely effective investigative method. When evildoers committed their heinous deeds openly, capturing them and searching their souls was often the easiest way to uncover the truth.

But times had changed.

These evildoers no longer acted so openly. Instead, they operated from the shadows and had become increasingly skilled at concealing their traces. That made them harder and harder to catch.

Without anyone to extract information from, the cases naturally became much more difficult to solve.

The biggest case in recent years had been the destruction of the portal, where they had completely failed to identify the culprit. That incident had effectively become the final nail in the coffin for an investigative system that relied too heavily on soul searching.

Sherlock realized that he needed to change the way they conducted investigations.

A reform of their procedures was necessary.

Instead of prioritizing the capture of involved persons so they could be subjected to soul searching, they needed to focus on examining the available clues and carefully piecing everything together. Although this approach could be much slower, as long as it actually solved cases, that was all that mattered.

Furthermore, while he was still in charge of the Bureau, he could continue making sure his subordinates didn't misuse the soul-searching technique for the wrong reasons. But what about in the future?

Sherlock was clear about the justice in his own heart and would never knowingly harm an innocent person with it. Yet he remained doubtful that whoever succeeded him in the future would be equally principled.

After all, even during his own tenure, many innocent people had been wrongfully apprehended and subjected to soul searching. While some of those incidents had resulted from deliberate misleading by actual evildoers, most were simply mistakes.

The old method was no longer effective. A better one needed to replace it, one that could reduce or even eliminate such errors.

Thankfully, he had already found a suitable person who could make this reform possible in the future.

A young man named Tal.

Although still young, Tal had been solving case after case by relying solely on careful observation, systematic evidence collection, and logical deduction.

He examined every physical clue, reconstructed timelines, cross-referenced testimonies, and tested each possibility against the facts until only the most consistent explanation remained. He never depended on soul searching or heavy interrogation techniques.

The young man had even managed to solve several old cold cases simply by studying the preserved clues left behind. There had never been any need to dig into a person's mind.

Systematic observation, rigorous logical reasoning, and patient reconstruction of events. That methodology was exactly what Sherlock envisioned for the future reform.

He wanted Tal to gradually take the lead in carrying it out.

At this moment, Leyvi was naturally unaware of the huge change his disciple, Tal, would eventually bring to the entire Bureau of Investigation.

Sherlock responded with a nod after seeing Leyvi give him a respectful nod.

Gandolf then turned and pointed toward the next Protector.

It was another bearded old man dressed in a robe, with flames of different colors swirling around his body.

The flames occasionally made contact with objects around him, such as the chair and table, yet none of them were burned. They almost looked like illusions.

However, Leyvi could tell that the flames were indeed real.

In fact, he was quite familiar with this kind of display. He had seen Anda do the same thing many times, usually while coming up with some new prank.

This was something that people who had comprehended the Fire Concept could do. Those who comprehended the Dao could accomplish things that went beyond ordinary phenomena, and a heatless flame like this was one of them.

Leyvi could already guess the identity of this flaming old man, especially after catching the familiar scent coming from him.

"This old man here is Protector Edward Elrock, or more popularly known by his profession, Alchemy Emperor Edward Elrock." Gandolf introduced.

Leyvi had guessed correctly. As the husband of an alchemist, how could he not know about the Alchemy Emperor?

"He is the only alchemist in the history of Cloud Continent who has reached the Alchemy Emperor level. The rapid advancement of alchemy in our continent is largely thanks to him and the Alchemy Association he leads." Gandolf continued.

No, he's probably the only Alchemy Emperor in the entire world.

Leyvi corrected him inwardly.

He remembered Dastan telling him that even the Protogaea Continent had yet to produce an Alchemy Emperor or Empress. The highest level there was still the Alchemy King or Queen.

If that was the case, he doubted the other continents had an Alchemy Emperor either.

Cloud Continent was an exception because it had once been inhabited by an ancient alchemy civilization, leaving behind countless alchemy relics.

That said, Leyvi couldn't be certain. He knew far too little about what was happening on the other continents.

Maybe there really was another Alchemy Emperor somewhere else.

"Young man, did you come here with an alchemist?" Alchemy Emperor Edward Elrock suddenly asked.

Hm? The question caught Leyvi slightly off guard.

"Yes, Senior. It was my wife." Leyvi replied politely.

He didn't even bother wondering how the Alchemy Emperor knew that he was traveling with an alchemist.

This was an Alchemy Emperor, after all. He could probably tell what kind of alchemy products Anda had recently made just from the lingering residual traces that had stuck to him.

"Later, let her come see me." The Alchemy Emperor said.

Leyvi's eyes widened slightly.

The Alchemy Emperor wanted to see Anda? Why? Could it be that he wanted to find a successor as well? If that was the case, then...

An image of Anda becoming a Protector suddenly appeared in Leyvi's mind.

For a moment, he imagined her sitting among the Protectors with that mischievous smile of hers.

No, no, no!

Leyvi immediately shook his head inwardly. He couldn't trust Anda with that kind of authority. She might end up using her position to carry out some wicked agenda.

"Don't worry. I just want to have a little alchemy talk with her." Alchemy Emperor Edward clarified.

"Ah, yes. I'll inform her. She'll definitely benefit a lot from the discussion. Thank you, Senior." Leyvi returned from his thoughts and replied earnestly.

Alchemy Emperor Edward simply nodded and didn't say anything further.

As usual, Gandolf timed the transition perfectly and moved on to the next Protector.

This time it was a smiling middle-aged man with a scholarly appearance.

“This is Protector Newton. He is in charge of all the research and development taking place across our continent. He used to be the most brilliant scholar we had,” Gandolf introduced.

“How can you say that, Brother Gandolf? I believe I am still the most brilliant even now,” Newton replied with a light smile.

“Then why haven’t you produced a fast, continent-wide communication system already? Everyone has been waiting for it,” Gandolf teased.

Newton gave a wry smile. “Brother Gandolf, you’re poking me right where it stings.”

He had only just discussed the same topic with Jade, and now Gandolf was bringing it up again. He really needed to complete the communication project this time so no one would mention it anymore.

Newton then turned toward Leyvi.

“Have you learned the ocular technique Leo gave you?” he asked with a smile.

Leyvi was surprised. Is he talking about Supervisor Leo? This guy... He definitely knows who I am.

“Hahaha. Don’t look so surprised. I was the one who ordered Leo to give that ocular technique to you. After you revealed your Spiritual Cultivation talent back then, how could I not take notice?” Newton explained.

“I see… so that was the case,” Leyvi nodded, understanding the connection.

“So, did you learn it?” Newton asked once more.

Instead of answering, Leyvi simply activated the ocular technique. A complete pattern formed clearly in his eyes.

Gandolf, standing right beside him, became completely dumbfounded when he saw it.

What the heck? Isn’t that my ocular technique? This scoundrel Newton!