CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53 THE KIND AND FRIENDLY OLD LADY

When Lu Luo and the others looked toward the old lady, this spirited old lady also looked toward them.

Eyes met, and there was a moment of silence.

"Mom, you’re back."

"Xiao Ming, you have guests!"

Although the old lady was in high spirits, her frame was somewhat lean and her hair had turned completely white, but she was very clean.

Listening to the brief exchange between the two, Lu Luo learned the other party’s identity: Qian Ming’s mother.

After taking off her shoes, Qian’s mother didn’t put on another pair; she was barefoot. Her outdoor shoes were placed in the last slot of the shoe cabinet.

Lu Luo found it strange. Given Qian Ming’s wealth and assets, his mother, if not a lady of high status, should at least not be like this. She was plain to an extreme.

[This old person has a strong force of Holy Light on her, but this Holy Light is slowly fading and does not originate from within her.]

Holy Radiance, huh? Lu Luo habitually wanted to squint, but he restrained himself because he saw Qian’s mother staring at him.

The old lady’s gaze moved to Lu Luo’s and Zhou Kai’s feet. When she saw that both men were wearing shoe covers, her smile grew even wider than before.

"Who are these two?"

"They are from Circle Studio, here to investigate Man Ting’s disappearance."

"It’s about Man Ting again, huh. Well, it’s good to check, to check so one can let go. Oh right, today I bought some fresh Sharp-tongued Dragon meat; it’s very expensive. I’ll make you your favorite dragon meat hotpot later."

"Mom, I don’t want to eat meat, especially the flesh of Exotic Species."

"Sharp-tongued Dragon has been purified by the Church. It’s completely edible, and very expensive, okay?"

"I really don’t want it."

"Alright, alright, if you don’t want it, you don’t want it! Is beef okay then?"

Qian Ming didn’t speak. Lu Luo tried to read something from the old lady’s face, but he failed.

From the brief observation just now, Lu Luo had ascertained a few things.

The person who cooked was also Qian Ming’s mother. She was a very simple woman and very kind to Qian Ming. This kindness was the sort that cherished him, as if Qian Ming were still a child even though he was over forty years old.

Qian Ming didn’t have an obsession with cleanliness; his mother did, and it was a serious, unhidden one. Because he was considerate of his mother’s feelings, Qian Ming was particularly mindful about cleanliness.

He must care deeply about his mother’s feelings, yet internally, he strongly resisted her overprotectiveness. A rebellious mama’s boy, perhaps?

But Lu Luo remembered that Li Manting was a very extravagant woman, which clashed with Qian’s mother.

A mama’s boy, an extravagant wife, a plain mother-in-law—it all pointed to a classic case of a strained relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Coupled with the Holy Light on Qian’s mother, her motive was significant!

The only thing he couldn’t figure out was that Li Manting was pregnant with Qian Ming’s child. How could Qian’s mother possibly harm her own grandchild?

Forget it. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dynamic is an age-old problem humanity has never solved. If I could figure it out, I feel like I could win the Wasteland Peace Prize.

"Hello, Ma’am, my name is Lu Luo, and he is Zhou Kai. May we go up to the third floor to have a look?"

Lu Luo was prepared for Qian’s mother to refuse and had an answer ready, but to his surprise, she agreed quite casually.

"Of course. The third floor is the attic; I usually live there. Although I am old, I am still pretty mobile. However, I pray there all year round, so to avoid desecration of the Holy Light and Li Ming, I have locked the door to the attic."

"I see. Then we’ll be as careful as possible."

Under the guidance of Qian’s mother, Lu Luo and Zhou Kai arrived at the villa’s third floor, the attic.

It was still so clean and tidy. Although it didn’t receive direct sunlight, some light still shone in through the skylight.

[There are no bloodstains or female residues, nor any signs of a fight. This place is as clean as if it had been licked by a dog.]

Lu Luo wasn’t in a hurry. He slowly stepped back, observing the attic with a broader perspective until his gaze landed on the sacred tome of the Dawn Church.

"May I take a look?"

"Of course, the Holy Light is omnipresent."

As soon as Lu Luo touched the sacred tome, the Observer provided a new hint.

[Powerful energy item. This sacred tome has a very strong power of the Holy Light. Currently, its function is unknown. However, this Holy Radiance is the same as what is emanating from the elderly lady and is gradually fading away.]

Upon opening the first page of the sacred tome, Lu Luo’s eyes narrowed.

Because in the blank space of the first page, someone had hand-drawn a bouquet design, identical to the one previously seen on the floor of Circle Studio.

[It’s that pattern again. If you really want to know the meaning of this pattern, you’d better hurry to the library and look up the Church’s materials.]

Flipping through the sacred tome, Lu Luo saw a prayer commonly used by the Church.

"Those who seek the dawn shall always be illuminated by the Holy Light."

Lu Luo quickly went through the sacred tome but did not find anything special; at least, the Observer could not tell.

He tapped the attic railing, closed his eyes, and began to organize his thoughts.

Although the old woman didn’t appear to be a suspect, from the moment he saw the bouquet design, Lu Luo’s intuition told him that Li Manting’s disappearance was definitely related to Qian’s mother.

If the motive was conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, then the child was an inescapable key.

Wait! The child! I remember Lu Mengna’s death seemed to be related to a child too. The Church said Lu Mengna’s child was a disaster.

Lu Luo squinted slightly at the elderly lady who was bringing them fresh fruit at that moment.

"Do you like children, Ma’am?"

While eating the fruit, Lu Luo casually examined the items in the attic.

"Of course, I love children the most."

Qian’s mother’s expression seemed genuine, but Lu Luo’s next words made her, who had been composed all along, change her expression.

"But what if the Church does not approve of this child?"

The old lady’s smile faded as she looked at Lu Luo.

"The Holy Light will purify all filth; those who seek the dawn shall always be illuminated by the Holy Light."

Lu Luo was noncommittal about these sayings of the Church; he had actually anticipated this response.

He turned to Qian Ming, but Qian Ming unconsciously avoided Lu Luo’s gaze.

[There is something off with this man as well!]

About an hour later, after leisurely finishing the expensive Wasteland fruits at Qian Ming’s house, Lu Luo was ready to leave with Zhou Kai.

"We’ve been a bother, Ma’am, Mr. Qian Ming. We will follow up on the investigation. You don’t need to worry too much. I believe it won’t be long before the matter of Miss Li Manting will have an answer."

Seeing that Lu Luo had not discovered any significant clues, Qian Ming was somewhat disappointed.

"Is that so? Alright then, I’ll wait for your news."

"Take care, both of you," Qian’s mother said, bidding farewell to the two men. However, Lu Luo noticed something strange.

He had a feeling that Qian’s mother’s voice sounded older than before.

Even her posture was more stooped and her gait more faltering than before.

[Qian’s mother’s physical condition is rapidly deteriorating, and you must have noticed. According to the precise analysis of the great Grade S Sequence Observer, this decline in physical condition is related to the drain of Holy Radiance from her body.]