After listening to Lily Daniel’s account, Leo pondered for a moment and then asked, “What type of archives does the City Archives mainly store?”
“It’s quite varied, with all sorts of archives, and most of them are quite old. Generally, only the police department’s criminal investigation team would go there to retrieve files,” Lily Daniel replied.
Something seemed off; it looked like a visit to the site was necessary.
Leo poured tea for Lily Daniel and Madame Godwin and said, “Let’s eat first. After dinner, I want to visit the City Archives.”
After dinner, Lily Daniel took Leo and Madame Godwin to the City Archives.
By eight o’clock at night, it was completely dark outside.
Although the streetlights were on inside the City Archives, there was an inexplicable eerie feeling.
After parking the car, Lily Daniel led the two towards a five-story building.
The five-story building looked somewhat old, likely built in the 1980s or 1990s.
On the second floor, Lily Daniel pointed to the left. “Mr. Bloomer, the City Archives I mentioned is the room at the very end. Let me take you inside.”
As she spoke, Lily Daniel took out a key to lead them over.
Leo raised his hand to stop her. “Miss Daniel, you two wait here. I’ll go in alone.”
“This…” Lily Daniel hesitated.
“Lily Daniel, listen to him,” Madame Godwin said, knowing Leo’s capabilities. Usually, when Leo showed a cautious expression, it meant there was an issue with the City Archives.
“Alright.” Lily Daniel handed the key to Leo. “Mr. Bloomer, thank you.”
Leo walked to the end of the hallway and faced the wooden door of the City Archives. He scanned it with his senses.
Through his senses, he detected a faint wave of malevolent energy emanating from inside the room.
Using the key, he opened the door. As soon as it swung open, a cold wind rushed out.
Leo’s lips curled into a cold smile as he stepped inside.
The malevolent energy in the room was dense, but it posed no threat to Leo in his current state.
He reached out and flipped the switch on the wall. The fluorescent light flickered twice before finally turning on.
The room wasn’t large, with five rows of large shelves neatly filled with files.
Scanning the room, Leo quickly identified his target.
Interesting, it was a Seduction that had taken human form.
A Seduction is a variant of a ghost.
It doesn’t enter reincarnation, lingers in the mortal world, neither dissipates nor becomes a vengeful spirit, and exists by absorbing ambient malevolent energy.
In a way, a Seduction is like a stray cat or dog in the mortal world.
Unlike vengeful spirits that harm people, Seductions enjoy playing tricks on humans.
For those with weak mental fortitude, being tormented by a Seduction could lead to severe illness or even mental breakdown over time.
For instance, if Lily Daniel woke up in the middle of the night to see a ghastly white face before her, someone timid or with a weak heart could be scared to death.
It was unclear how Lily Daniel had attracted this Seduction’s attention.
Sensing Leo’s power, the Seduction cowered in a corner, trembling.
Leo raised his right hand, ready to eliminate it.
Sensing danger, the Seduction transformed into a black mist that morphed into a gaping black maw and lunged at Leo.
Impatiently, Leo waved his right hand. After a sharp, eerie scream, the black mist dissipated, and the Seduction vanished completely from this world.
With the problem solved, Leo turned to leave but noticed a file on the ground.
The file folder was made of kraft paper and looked very old.
Curious, Leo picked it up. The folder felt light as if nothing was inside.
Intrigued, Leo opened the folder.
Inside was a black-and-white photo.
The back of the photo had some red marks; it was unclear if they were blood or something else.
When Leo saw what was depicted on the front of the photo, he couldn’t help but gasp.
The photo showed six black beads arranged in a circle with a strange mask in the center.
The background seemed to be on a large rock; besides the black beads and mask, there was nothing else.
Could there really be just one inexplicable photo in this file?
Leo turned the folder upside down and shook it vigorously.
A small yellow note fell out of the folder.
Picking up the note, Leo examined it closely.
The note was old and yellowed with coarse paper quality. It had three words written in brush strokes: White Dragon Pond.
This seemed to be a place name. Leo took out his phone and opened the map app to search for White Dragon Pond.
The map showed no results for this place name.
Putting the note and photo back into the folder and returning it to the shelf, Leo turned off the lights and locked up before leaving the City Archives.
Clearly hearing the strange noise earlier, Lily Daniel and Madame Godwin were anxious when they saw Leo come out. Lily Daniel quickly asked, “Mr. Bloomer, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. There was indeed something unclean in that room, but I’ve taken care of it. Miss Daniel won’t see anything scary when she sleeps anymore,” Leo said as he handed back the key.
“Really?” Lily’s face lit up with joy. “Thank you so much, Mr. Bloomer.”
“By the way, Miss Daniel, do you know of a place called White Dragon Pond?” Leo asked.
“White Dragon Pond?” Lily thought for a moment and shook her head. “I’ve never heard of it. It might be an old place name that’s been changed. I’ll look into it for you.”
“Alright, thank you.”
It was late at night; they didn’t linger at the City Archives any longer. Lily drove Madame Godwin home while Leo drove himself back to his clinic.
The next evening after dinner, Leo’s phone rang.
The caller ID showed an unfamiliar local number.
Leo answered and heard Lily’s voice on the other end. “Mr. Bloomer, it’s me.”
“Miss Daniel?” Thinking about last night’s events, Leo felt intrigued.
“Mr. Bloomer, you wanted to know where White Dragon Pond is?”
“Did you find it?”
“Yes, after some research I found out that White Dragon Pond has been renamed Submerged Dragon Park in Langstel North Suburbs.”
“Thank you very much, Miss Daniel.”
“No need to thank me; I should be thanking you. I slept very well last night after your help.”
Ending the call, Leo planned to visit Submerged Dragon Park later that night.
At eleven o’clock that night, instead of driving himself, Leo hailed a taxi outside his clinic to go to Submerged Dragon Park.
The taxi driver was a local who knew Langstel like the back of his hand.
During their conversation in the car, Leo learned more about Submerged Dragon Park.