My companions and I spent the next several hours in that underground chamber, going through all the notes. Well, as much of them as we could. They were more extensive than we realized. Thankfully, they were all organized, which made things much easier for us.

The notes were divided into two broad categories. The first was information about the city itself and its inhabitants. Influential figures, significant locations, and so on. While House Sandstrike ruled Eastwatch, they weren't the only ones who held sway in the city. For example, there was the collateral family from House Ironward. The notes contained a lot of information about them. This could prove useful if/when we needed to meet with them.

The other category were records of important events. This included any major changes in the city and the surrounding area, the arrival of important visitors, natural disasters, and much more. These records were organized by date, creating a comprehensive timeline of the city's history.

Mireya and her people had been here for years, meaning we had a lot to sort through. So much so, that we didn't get through it all. We just scratched the surface. Still, it wasn't a waste of time. The notes and records gave us a better idea of the situation in general.

Eastwatch wasn't as peaceful as it seemed. There was a lot of turmoil lurking beneath the surface. There were several families in the city that competed with each other in business and influence. Most of these families were commoners, but a few were minor nobles

What I found funny about this situation, in a morbid sort of way, was that all of these families were involved in Eastwatch's tourist industry in some form or another. Inns, restaurants, taverns, music halls, etc. Despite this, these families often resorted to underhanded means to deal with their rivals. Sabotage, vandalism, and sometimes even violence. In extreme cases, a few people had even died.

To my surprise, Emil and his uncle were members of one of these families. I would've never expected them to be involved in something like this. That just went to show that you couldn't judge a book by its cover.

More importantly, it was possible that one or more of these families were involved in the disappearances. On the surface this seemed like nonsense, since all these families relied on tourism to make a living.

However, if they were either demon worshipers or slavers, it wouldn't matter. For the former, all they cared about was serving their demonic masters. For the latter, the profits they made from selling people would more than offset any potential losses. Besides, given how House Sandstrike was suppressing news of the disappearances, Eastwatch's tourism hadn't suffered all that much.

Regardless, these families were worth looking into. According to the notes, the disappearances started several months ago, near the end of winter. If one or more of these families were involved, there would be traces. Even if Mireya and the others hadn't noticed, any rival families would.

"Ugh," Anna said, leaning back in her chair. "This is giving me a headache. I can't remember the last time I read this much."

Cally snorted.

"That's because you're a muscle-headed brute," she said without looking up from the papers she was reading. "Maybe you should spend less time jumping Gab-Ernest's bones and more time reading books."

"But reading is less fun than having sex," Anna said without batting an eye. "Not all of us can be boring prudes."

Cally gave Anna a disgusted look and rolled her eyes.

"While I don't have a headache, I am feeling a bit fatigued," I said, rubbing my temples. "And I say this as someone who reads for fun." I looked at each of my companions in turn. "Have any of you found anything?"

Cally shook her head while Anna snorted.

"If it were that easy, Mireya and the others would've already found something," she said.

Leroy placed the paper he had been reading on the table.

"I think we need to investigate the sites of the disappearances," he said, tapping the paper. "I have a list here. It details where each of the victims was last seen, and approximately when they disappeared. If we take a look for ourselves, perhaps we'll find clues." He looked at Cally. "Do you know any magic that will help us investigate?"

Cally sighed.

"No," she said. "Most of my spells are suited for combat. While I know some utility spells, none of them would be useful here." She paused. "However, I know one runic circle that might help. It reveals traces of demonic activity. I can use it to determine whether or not demons were involved with the disappearances. I just need a few hours to collect the ingredients necessary. They're not difficult to procure, just troublesome."

I nodded.

"That's a good idea," I said. "Confirming demonic involvement, or disproving it, will help us narrow down our search."

Anna placed her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand.

"What about you?" she asked. "Did you find anything useful?"

"Maybe," I said.

I gave my companions a brief summary of what I found. After I finished, they gave me surprised looks.

"Hmm," Anna said. "I never would've expected that." She raised an eyebrow at me. "You think these families might be involved?"

I nodded.

"It's a possibility," I said. "At the very least, talking with them might give us more clues. While Mireya and the others have lived in Eastwatch for years, these families have been here for decades. They know the city better than any outsider ever could." I shrugged. "Besides, each of them runs a business that caters to tourists. They interact with outsiders on a regular basis."

"That's not a bad idea," Cally said with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Maybe one of them noticed something that Mireya and the others missed." She gestured to me. "Should we start with Marcio and Emil?"

I thought about it for a moment, before shaking my head.

"Not right away," I said. "Let's wait a few days for them to lower their guard. Otherwise, they might get suspicious of us and refuse to answer our questions. This will give us time to follow other leads."

"We should also look into Jackson's movements before he died," Leroy said. "He found a lead. While he didn't share it with Mireya and the others, perhaps he wrote it down somewhere. If so, maybe if we follow his footsteps, we'll find the same lead."

I nodded.

"Sounds like a plan to me," I said. "While Cally is gathering ingredients for her runic circle, the rest of us will look into Jackson's movements." I paused, before frowning. "No. It's best if none of us go out alone, just in case." I looked at Cally. "Take Leroy with you."

Both Cally and Leroy protested at the same time.

"I can look after myself!" Cally said.

"My lord, remember that I am your bodyguard," Leroy said.

I addressed Cally first.

"I know you're capable of handling yourself, but it's best to avoid trouble altogether," I said. "If you take Leroy along, no one will hassle you." I looked at Leroy. "You may be my bodyguard, but we're a team. We look after each other."

Leroy gestured to Anna.

"Then have Lady Anna go with Lady Cally," he said.

I frowned at him.

"Don't use our real names," I said. "We don't know who might be listening, even in this place."

Leroy scoffed.

"That's hardly the point," he said.

Cally narrowed her eyes at me.

"Are you using this as an excuse to spend time alone with your 'wife'?" she asked in an acerbic tone.

I shrugged, before grinning at her.

"The two of us are pretending to be newlyweds," I said. "It's not unusual for us to spend every waking minute together."

Anna raised an eyebrow at me.

"Just every waking minute?" she asked in a teasing tone. "I guess you want to sleep in separate beds then."

Cally scoffed and shook her head.

"You two are incorrigible." She threw her hands up in surrender. "Fine. I'll take Leroy with me." She pointed a finger at Anna and I. "Just make sure you actually do something productive instead of being all lovey-dovey with each other."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Leroy asked.

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"No," I said. "Consider this an official command from your lord."

Leroy let out a resigned sigh.

"Yes, my lord," he said, sounding put upon.

"Now then," I said, standing up. "Let's head back to the inn and get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for all of us."

With that, the four of us left the underground chamber.

The next day, Anna and I headed out to follow in Jackson's footsteps. Meanwhile, Cally and Leroy headed out to procure the ingredients needed to create Cally's runic circle.

Before we left her clothing store, we asked Mireya about Jackson's living arrangements. It turned out that he rented a house in the city and paid several months' rent in advance. Unlike my companions and I, he didn't stay at an inn. I guess he expected to stay in Eastwatch for a few months at least.

Mireya and her people had already searched the rented house, on the day Jackson died no less, but found nothing useful. However, maybe we would find something they missed. It was a slim chance, but it was better than nothing.

Jackson's rented house was located in an out of the way area of Eastwatch, near the northern cliff. Anna and I arrived in the early morning. This was a quieter, less popular part of the city. While there were tourists wandering about, they were few and far between.

I decided to enter the house alone, wearing my second disguise ring, the one that made me look like Grandfather Gabriel. Meanwhile, Anna would keep watch from a nearby tea house. We decided on this arrangement, just in case someone was keeping an eye on Jackson's rented house. Perhaps this was overkill, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

So, I found a quiet corner and switched disguise rings, before walking over. It would've looked weird if I walked around with my sword, so I just had a hidden dagger on me for defense.

Jackson's rented house reminded me a little of the one that Leroy and I rented in Icefall City. That felt like a lifetime ago, but it had only been a few months at most.

Jackson's rented house was a small, single-story building. Unlike most of the other buildings in Eastwatch, it looked plain. It wasn't painted or decorated in any way.

To my surprise, the front door wasn't locked. While this made getting in easier, it didn't bode well for my goal.

The interior of the rented house was as plain as the exterior. There were three rooms: a kitchen, which also served as the dining room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. There was minimal furniture, and no decorations of any kind.

I knew that some people preferred simple and spartan living spaces, but this seemed a bit much. Then again, it looked like Jackson hadn't planned on living in Eastwatch for longer than a few months. Maybe he didn't want to settle in when he knew he was going to eventually leave.

The rented house felt like it hadn't been lived in for a while now. Combined with its near-empty state, this gave it a rather desolate atmosphere.

It didn't take me long to search through the entire house. Jackson's spartan preferences extended to his personal belongings as well. He kept the bare minimum necessary, but nothing more. Clothing, a few weapons, some Healing Potions, etc. I found no personal mementos or anything of the sort.

The kitchen was a little better. It was stocked up on foods that lasted long and kept well, so it felt less desolate than the rest of the rented house. However, this didn't really help me with my goal.

Just as I considered leaving, I heard footsteps from outside heading towards the rented house. I debated on whether or not to hide, before deciding against it. If this was an enemy, I'd rather face them head on. If this wasn't an enemy, hiding would only make me look suspicious. I mean, I was wearing a disguise, but still.

A few seconds later, the front door slammed open, revealing an old lady with gray hair. She wore a conservative variant of a typical Eastwatch dress, one that showed far less skin, and wielded a broom in her hands. The moment she saw me, the old woman's nostrils flared.

"Who are you?" she demanded, pointing the broom at me. "What are you doing here? Answer me, before I call the city guard!"

I stared at her in surprise. Of all the situations I considered, an irate old woman with a broom hadn't been one of them. It took me a moment to regain my composure.

"My name is Gabriel," I said, going with my real name. "I'm here looking for a comrade of mine, Jackson. I heard he was in Eastwatch, so I decided to pay him a visit."

The old woman narrowed her eyes at me.

"How do I know that you're telling the truth?" she asked. "For all I know, you could be a thief."

I gave her a wry smile.

"Look around," I said. "Even if I were a thief, there isn't much here to steal. In fact, I'd leave behind a few coins out of pity."

The old woman studied me for several moments, before she lowered the broom.

"Ain't that the truth," she said, still eyeing me with suspicion. "Now get out. It doesn't matter whether you're a thief or not. I don't take kindly to trespassers."

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"You own this house?" I asked.

The old woman nodded.

"Then do you know what happened to Jackson?" I gestured to the near-empty house. "It's clear that he hasn't been here for a while, but his stuff is still here."

"He's dead," the old woman said in a blunt tone. "The city guard found his corpse a few weeks ago." She shrugged. "At first I thought about selling his stuff and renting the house to a new tenant. However, since Jackson paid in advance, I figured I'd wait until his rental period ended."

I put on a shocked expression.

"Jackson's dead?" I asked. "But how? What happened?"

The old woman shook her head.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe he poked his nose where it didn't belong and someone killed him for it. That happens more often in this city than people think."

I studied the old woman for a moment. My intuition told me that she knew something, though I wasn't sure what.

"Do you know anything?" I asked. "Please tell me. While we weren't close, Jackson was still a friend of mine. At the very least, I want to know how and why he died."

The old woman barked out a bitter laugh.

"What would I know?" she said. "I'm just an old woman minding her own business." She gave me a meaningful look. "I suggest you do the same. Otherwise, you might end up like your friend."

I took out a few gold sols.

"I'll pay you," I said.

When all else failed, there was always bribery.

"Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?" the old woman asked, giving me a smile. Her teeth looked good for someone her age. "Payment first, then information."

I gave the old woman the gold sols. She gave them a quick count before pocketing them.

"Your friend was looking into something," the old woman said. "I don't know what. I didn't care to ask. It wasn't any of my business. However, I once heard him mention something about food stalls. I didn't think much of it at the time, but looking back on it, he seemed strangely intrigued. If you want to find out what happened to him, that's as good a place to start as any."

I frowned. Food stalls? What did Jackson mean by that? There were plenty all over the city. Would we have to investigate each one to figure it out?

"Now get out," the old woman said. "And take Jackson's stuff. You might as well, since you were his friend."

I nodded, before headed over to the bedroom to pack Jackson's things under the old woman's watchful eye. There was so little that they all fit into a single bag. Once I finished, I left the rented house.

Afterwards, I headed towards the tea house where Anna was waiting. However, along the way, I felt someone's eyes on me. Nothing in particular clued me in. It just felt like someone was watching me. I looked around, without making it obvious, but I didn't see anyone suspicious. There were a few people out and about, but none of them stood out to me.

For a moment, I wondered if my mind was playing tricks on me. However, I dismissed that thought right away. Given the circumstances, it was better to be safe than sorry. I'd rather waste a bit of time and effort to deal with a potential pursuer than risk the alternative.

After that, I veered away from the tea house. If I was being followed, there was no need to let them know about Anna just yet. Thankfully, I was wearing my second disguise ring, so "Ernest's" identity was safe. For now.

I took a random route, trying to figure out who was following me without being obvious about it. Despite this, I didn't see anyone. That's when it occurred to me. What if they were using an invisibility enchanted item? Those were rare, but it wasn't impossible to procure one. I mean, I had one and so did Anna.

Yesterday, Mireya mentioned that some people had disappeared from busy areas in the middle of the day. If the kidnappers used an invisibility enchanted item, that would explain a lot. Thankfully, I had ways of dealing with invisible foes.

I broke out into a run. This attracted a lot of attention from the other people nearby, but I paid them no mind. I ran as fast as I could, trying to break my pursuer's line of sight.

After turning a few corners, I dove into a deserted alleyway and pulled out my own invisibility enchanted item, the bracelet, and put it on. Afterwards, I stood there and controlled my breath, restraining my presence as much as possible. I strained my senses to pick up any traces of my pursuer(s).

At first, I didn't notice anything. Beyond the mouth of the alleyway, I watched as the rest of the city moved along. Tourists wandered about, gawking at the sights around them, while the locals tried to get as much coin from them as possible. The seconds passed like minutes as I waited. Despite this, I remained in place and didn't move a muscle.

My patience paid off. Less than a minute after I entered the alleyway, I heard footsteps approaching in my direction. They were soft and quiet, almost impossible to hear against Eastwatch's background noise. If I hadn't been searching for my pursuer specifically, I wouldn't have noticed them at all.

When the footsteps drew close enough, I breathed out a cold white mist in their general direction. This was the Ice variant of [Concealing Mist], which I named [Freezing Mist].

Despite the heat and humidity of Eastwatch in the alleyway plummeted, and a layer of frost formed on every surface that my [Freezing Mist] touched. The cold mist also revealed a person's outline: my pursuer. Ha! This tactic worked against Anna back in Icefall City, and it worked now.

The moment my [Freezing Mist] revealed my pursuer's position, they tried to run. However, I threw the bag filled with Jackson's stuff at them. This distracted them long enough for me to lunge forward. I wanted to capture them alive and interrogate them, so I didn't draw my dagger just yet.

After the two of us started to fight, it soon became obvious that my opponent was stronger than me. I guessed they were at Third Star, since they relied on physical strength rather than magic. While I could kill with Third Star martial artists thanks to my Supreme level of mastery, fighting them unarmed was a different matter.

When my opponent realized that they were stronger than me, they stopped trying to flee and tried to capture me in turn. Realizing that the situation was turning against me, I decided to kill my opponent. Gathering information was important, but so was saving myself.

I feinted, letting them think I had faltered, to lure them in close. When they moved in for the finishing blow, I evaded their attack and drew my dagger, slashing it across their throat. Blood gushed from the wound, as if appearing out of nowhere.

Even in their death throes, my opponent kept trying to attack me. I evaded their attacks, until they crumpled to the ground, blood pouring from their slit throat. Just to be safe, I didn't relax until their invisibility enchanted item stopped working and their body became visible.

I gave my opponent a quick once over. He had been a lean man wearing a skintight gray outfit that covered most of his body. A hood and a cloth mask hid his face. A sheathed dagger hung from his hip.

Afterwards, I looked out towards the alleyway's mouth. The fight hadn't lasted long, nor had it made much noise, so no one else noticed what happened. Good. Even if they had, I was still invisible, so they wouldn't have seen me. However, they would've seen my opponent's body.

Rather than risk that happening, I grabbed the body and dragged it deeper into the alley, leaving a bloody trail. If anyone saw this, they would've been shocked, since it appeared that an invisible force was dragging a corpse across the ground.

Once I was far enough away, I searched my opponent's body. He didn't have much on him. His gray outfit left little to the imagination. Other than his sheathed dagger, the only item he had on him was a bracelet that looked almost identical to mine. I assumed this was his invisibility enchanted item.

This had a lot of interesting implications.

I grabbed the bracelet, searched the body one last time, before I retrieved Jackson's things and fled the alleyway. Once I was far enough away, I found a hidden corner and removed my invisibility bracelet. After checking to make sure that I didn't have any blood on me, I switched disguise rings and headed to the tea house to meet with Anna.

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