Legend Management Bureau Chapter 122

[ … words ]

“That is correct.” Chada nodded. “You are called the Legend Administration, and we are called the Time Company. There are many Time Companies throughout the British Empire. Not only is the competition fierce, but employment is also highly unstable.”

“My god…” Du Yu gasped in amazement. “I suddenly feel like I misjudged you. It hasn’t been easy for you either…”

“This was my own choice, sir. I need money.” Chada lowered her head, her hair obscuring her eyes. “If given enough money, I can return to anyone’s past and help them reforge their lives. I have done a lot of dirty work for this.”

Du Yu and the others exchanged glances, sensing that this woman possessed a resilience others could hardly imagine.

“But… does your Time Company actually serve mortals?” Du Yu asked. “Wouldn’t recklessly altering someone’s past throw the world into chaos?”

“It is illegal, of course, but the company tacitly approves of it. The profits are simply too massive,” Chada replied with a bitter smile. “Even though the company appears to turn a blind eye, the moment a major issue arises, the responsibility falls squarely on us Controllers.”

The group fell silent, offering no response.

“Among the Controllers in our country, it is impossible for me to make any friends because we are all fierce competitors.” Chada crushed her cigarette in the ashtray and looked at the group. “Instead, I find you foreign Controllers to be quite approachable. I ended up speaking my mind before I even realized it.”

Du Yu shook his head helplessly. “If you weren’t so cold-blooded, I’d be willing to be your friend. But the things you do are truly terrifying.”

“Well…” Du Yu muttered. “You only have yourself to blame for choosing this legend. You actually have to help a murderer.”

“I have already told you, sir. The legend of Jack the Ripper involves a massive amount of profit. It cannot be ignored, much less erased.”

Du Yu could only sigh and change the subject. “What do we do next?”

Chada pulled out her pocket watch and glanced at it. “Today is August 7, 1888. We need to travel eight days into the future and have Jack commit the second murder.”

“What? Time travel from right now to eight days in the future?” Du Yu blinked in surprise. “I’ve never done something like that before.”

Chada stared at Du Yu for a long moment before asking, “Sir, I’ve wanted to ask this from the beginning. Do you not know how to use magic?”

“Me? How could an Operator not know magic…?” Du Yu let out a dry, awkward laugh. “I’m just… a bit specialized in other areas.”

“It doesn’t matter, sir.” Chada reached out and traced a pattern in the air. A moment later, a glowing circular portal materialized before them. “I will open a portal. Let’s go through together.”

Du Yu breathed a sigh of relief. So there was a method like this?

The group followed Chada into the portal. Stepping through, they found themselves in a room that looked exactly the same, with no discernible changes from before.

Once Chada landed, she opened her pocket watch and checked the time. “The time is correct. Let’s head out.”

Du Yu marveled inwardly. ‘This spell is absolutely incredible.’ However, he did his best to suppress his expression to prevent them from realizing he was merely a mortal.

“Where are we going?” Du Yu asked.

“Same as last time. We are selling information,” Chada replied.

“Even I know how to do this job now,” Du Yu grumbled. “We repeatedly sell her information, give her the addresses of the victims, and once she kills those few people, we can call it a day, right?”

“Of course not.” Chada smiled and shook her head. “Sir, did you know? The East End of London in 1888 is a famous hub for immigrants. A massive influx of immigrants from Russia and Eastern Europe gather here. They have meager incomes and low social status. Numerous crimes and deaths occur every single day. A prostitute dying on the streets wouldn’t cause any sort of commotion.”

“Then what should we do?” Shiranui Asuka asked.

“We need to make this case more brutal to attract the attention of the police,” Chada explained as she walked up to Lizzie’s front door.

This meeting was far more familiar than the last. Lizzie didn’t say a word as she ushered them into the house and directly brought out the money.

“Miss Detective, here is forty-five pence,” Lizzie said. “Adding the previous five-pence deposit, that makes fifty pence. If you have any information, please tell me directly.”

Chada, however, smiled and shook her head. “No, madam. You need to give me the deposit for next time, so the total is fifty pence. Because I will be returning.”

Du Yu furrowed his brows, thinking to himself, ‘This woman really won’t let a single penny slip through her fingers.’

“Miss Detective, you seem quite confident,” Lizzie remarked. “You should know that those who deceive me do not meet a good end.”

“I am well aware of that,” Chada nodded. “But I have already done two deals with you. I trust I haven’t disappointed you?”

Lizzie considered this for a moment, then pulled another coin from her parchment purse. “Alright, here is the other five pence. Speak.”

Only then did Chada accept all the money. She offered a satisfied smile and stated, “Annie Chapman. She lives at 29 Hanbury Street and is also a prostitute. Your husband is there right now.”

Lizzie’s expression instantly darkened, a trace of despair flickering in her eyes.

“I gave him everything I had, yet this is how he treats me.” Lizzie slowly stood up, her voice trembling with fury. “Not only does he seek out prostitutes behind my back, he even brought those filthy diseases back to me…”

“Unfortunately, we are not doctors. Your husband is. We cannot help you with health issues.” Chada smiled as she stood up. “We will be waiting for you there again tonight. I hope you will have another fifty pence prepared. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee whether you will draw the attention of the police.”

Gritting her teeth, Lizzie nodded and escorted them out of the house.

“If I were Sister Lizzie, I would just kill my own husband first,” Shiranui Asuka declared the moment they stepped outside.

“Good lord.” Du Yu shook his head in disbelief. “Shouldn’t we have options other than murder? Girl, maybe you should go see a psychiatrist when you have the time?”

“Oh, you make a good point.” Shiranui Asuka suddenly realized something. “I unknowingly got caught up in Sister Lizzie’s train of thought. Why resort to murder? Wouldn’t getting a divorce solve the problem?”

The group wandered the streets for a while until Chada checked her pocket watch. “It’s about time.”

Watching how comfortably and familiarly she moved, Du Yu knew she must have visited this legend many times before.

“Let’s go. Time to clean up the scene.”

Following Chada, they arrived at 29 Hanbury Street. A faint light flickered from within the house.

Chada stepped forward and knocked. The door was opened by none other than Lizzie.

“Good evening, Ms. Lizzie. Are you finished?” Chada asked with a pleasant smile.

Truthfully, there was no need to ask. Du Yu could see that Lizzie’s face was splattered with blood, making for an incredibly macabre sight under the dim lighting.

Lizzie slowly opened the door wider to let them in, then grabbed the victim’s towel and began wiping the bloodstains from her own face.

“Ms. Lizzie, please take that towel with you when you leave,” Chada instructed her.

“Of course.” Lizzie quickly finished cleaning the blood off her face, washed the towel clean, wrapped it around her wrist, and pulled out fifty pence.

“Here is the money for this time,” Lizzie said. “I am leaving the rest in your hands, Miss Detective.”

“Excellent.” Chada collected the coins. “Our transactions are going smoother and smoother. This is a good omen, madam.”

Lizzie still remained silent as she stepped out the door. Chada watched her go and called out, “I wish you a good night, my lady.”

“Good night.”

Lizzie replied coldly before shutting the door behind her.

“How can any ‘night’ be ‘good’ after this?” Du Yu truly had no idea what went through a homicidal maniac’s head. “If I were a murderer, I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep for half a month.”

“Let’s get to work.” Chada smiled as she approached the corpse. She began cleaning up Lizzie’s footprints, then examined the body. A frown crept onto her face as she murmured,

“The Ms. Lizzie in this legend is far too gentle this time.”

Du Yu peered closely. The victim’s throat had been sliced wide open. The wound was shockingly gruesome, with blood still gushing out. And she called this gentle?

He then watched as Chada pulled out the same scalpel from earlier and strode toward the corpse.

“Hey!” Du Yu shouted. “What are you going to do to the body now?”

“Sir, I hope you understand,” Chada replied. “I didn’t kill her. I am simply finishing my job.”

Du Yu knew Chada was right. The murderer was Lizzie. Coupling that with his knowledge of Chada’s situation, he found himself hesitating. This woman didn’t want to do this dirty work either, but she was just trying to make a living.

While he was hesitating, Chada skillfully sliced open the victim’s abdomen with her scalpel.

A bizarre, foul stench immediately filled the entire room, smelling like unwashed, fresh pig intestines.

Du Yu had never imagined that human intestines would spill out like a puddle of water. He held it in for a moment, but unable to bear it any longer, he began violently throwing up.

Seeing this, Shiranui Asuka hurriedly went over to pat his back. “Senior, what’s wrong? Is it your first time seeing a scene like this?”

Du Yu shot Asuka a glare before wiping his mouth. “What, do you see this often?”

“I…” Shiranui Asuka let out an embarrassed laugh. “People dying is a frequent occurrence in legends, so I really have seen quite a lot…”

“Sir, you will need to clean up your own vomit,” Chada stated expressionlessly as she draped the victim’s intestines over the corpse’s shoulder.

“Hey… what on earth are you doing now?” Du Yu asked.

“I am simulating the psychological processes of a pervert.” Chada pondered for a moment, then took her scalpel and began cutting something else on the victim’s body.

Du Yu truly did not dare to look anymore. He tightly shut his eyes, but the sounds of slicing flesh still reached his ears.

“Alright, sir, you can open your eyes now. I have already excised her reproductive organs. You don’t need to be afraid anymore.”

Hearing this, Du Yu’s eyes snapped wide open.