“This is your stop, Count. Though I would be thrilled to continue our conversation, we shall wrap it up.”
The woman sitting across me was Great White, the pearl representative of the Gemsoil Heptagon. Like all pearls, she had features of aquatic animals. Her shiny jet-black skin was like an orca’s. Large white circles around her red eyes glared into my soul as we spoke. Her pure white suit was sharp and only enhanced her commanding aura even further. Her elegant tail stood just a little bit above the ground at all times, I knew she hated contact.
Not only was she stunning to look at, but the way she carried herself was also a sight to behold. To be in the Heptagon demands finding quick solutions to seamlessly impossible problems, it forces the members to make tough decisions that affect all of Gemsoil. A place that fits her. Her sentences are always perfectly tailored even in our friendly conversations. I know her well enough to know that it’s just her nature to be perfect at all times so I do not think of it as her being insincere.
“If only time would stop around us, only then we can talk until we are satisfied. However, I am grateful for this conversation. Though it could’ve been longer, these brief moments with you give me the power I need to strive further in life. Until our threads cross again, White.”
As I stood up, she held my hand to lay a gentle kiss on the back of it. Her razor-sharp set of teeth flashed white when she smiled in her most charming manner. Her voice was controlled as usual but I felt the warmth behind it.
“You truly are an excellent wordsmith, Count. I appreciate the flattery. Of course, the feeling goes both ways. Always a pleasure to have a chat with you.”
I pulled out a small piece of raw glassrock from my satchel and shaped it into an elegant glass tulip. She gave me a grateful gesture as she accepted my simple gift.
Before I left the Threadseeker I sensed an overwhelming aura but I lacked the time to investigate. One of my companies, Hotroad, had messaged me about an incident so it was an urgent matter.
Hotroad’s current project was a simple slidetunnel. Slidetunnels are short-distanced tunnels with ruby-assisted vehicles that move at high speeds. Their purpose is to provide the fastest travel possible between two points. Since they need a trained ruby to operate, they are reserved for emergency purposes.
The construction was nearing completion but an unfortunate incident happened during the blasting phase. The report I received wrote that everything was done correctly but it somehow led to a disastrous outcome. For workplace accidents at Hotroad, normally a supervisor would handle it so it must’ve been something complicated if I was alerted. I was more curious than nervous because no one was hurt, which was another point of curiosity.
When I reached the construction site, the overseer of the project, Maroon Baron welcomed me. Baron was one of the first people I hired for Hotroad. Back in the day, we worked together on a three-sided crossbridge and his work ethic stuck to me well enough that I hired him at the first chance I got. We shared a nostalgic and friendly smile as he spoke.
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“Always a delight to see you in person, Count. Though the purpose of our meeting is quite unpleasant. Most of the details of the incident were in the report but let’s go over it again inside the site.”
I nodded and followed him to the place where the incident took place. A well-trained eye can see traces of gemcraft of their own kind. Our company uses only ruby gemcraft and my eyes are more than well-trained. He knew how I worked so he paused until I was done analyzing the area. I crouched to touch the ground and sent a raw wave of gemcraft to bounce around the field.
As per the plans, the next step for the tunnel’s construction was the blasting phase. First, the workers plant the gunpowder mix which was my recipe in the places that were determined in the plans. Then the workers evacuate the area and the explosion specialist arrives. Using gemcraft, the specialist controls the explosions to give the tunnel its wanted shape. This process of blasting is a fast and precise method for tunnel carving.
First, I checked the source of the gemcraft, where the explosion specialist stood. Everything was in its right place. Next, I checked the trajectory of the gemcraft, starting from the source. I didn’t have the ability to see the actual direction of the gemcraft but I could see the road it traveled. Ruby gemcraft wasn’t capable of creation, we could only shape existing matter and increase its heat.
The gemcraft that set off the explosions was in order. But the gemcraft used to direct the explosions was weird. Something was way off about it. An inexperienced eye would just write them off as faulty use of gemcraft but that wasn’t it. Looking at the fundamental layer of it, you can easily see that the gemcraft was used correctly. This wasn’t a user error, something or someone tampered with it.
I turned to Maroon Baron with slight frustration. He was dressed in stylish formal wear and the gold brooch of Hotroad only added to his lean form. His dark red hair was slicked back to showcase his beautifully scaled forehead. Us rubies carried features of our Eji’derr and the Baron was graced with the hexagonal scales of a magmapython.
“There is evidence of tampering in the gemcraft. I want the full list of every personnel who came to work that day.”
Baron was flabbergasted by my words. His expression was unexpected since this was just a simple deduction and procedure. I curiously waited for his reply.
“Count… since the explosion specialist was quite busy, he arrived at a sweetmarigold bloom after the preparations were completed. One of our workers wanted to watch the specialist during his work but he was a diamond. There was no other personnel during the procedure. I went over this as I checked for the possibility of temperament. But other than those two people, no one was sighted near the zone.”
So that was the reason for his confusion. My already burning curiosity flared into a wildfire with this information. I had to investigate further to satisfy that desire but I knew that this was well above me, also I didn’t have the time for such personal tasks.
I needed a professional investigator and I, unfortunately, knew the best one. She was a grumpy and grizzled detective but she was unrivaled in her profession. Just the thought of trying to get her on my case was chilling. I never figured out how she picked her investigations but she did owe me a favor. It was finally the time to pull on that favor string. I quickly left the main continent for Bridgegarde to find her.