“Good, young Gyuu. Very astute observation.” Chef Tang nodded again: “But, it’s only been one day, so we can’t be certain. And even if we know what it is, I’m afraid it’d be a very dangerous secret. I’d advise you to stay away from it unless you are absolutely ready.”
“Underwater? Can’t we just rent some diving equipment and check for ourselves?” Sue asked.
“Have you tried to dive in the water near the docks?” Chef Tang chuckled.
“It’s heavily polluted - waste and oil wise, even if you dive into it the visibility is really low. Unsafe unless we have a big operation and you’re trained and experienced. Even if you could, it’s hard to find anything.” Gyuu Park shook his head: “Which is to say - diving underwater in the mud river is - well, very very unwise.”
“I see…” Sue sighed, “So, it makes even more sense then?”
“Yes. ” Chef Tang said, as he tucked the piece of paper with his drawing into one pile of notes: “And this will be the last thing I’ll tell you today. So pay attention: the things you saw in your visions, from what I can tell, represent different aspects that used to ride on the tides of Qiyun. And in many ways they reflect what you have encountered more than what is in that warehouse. So when you get the chance, I suggest you compare what you saw with each other. I’ve included some tips in deciphering those visions in these notes as well.”
“Thank you, Chef.” Gyuu Park sighed, then bowed towards Chef Tang.
“But - what should we do next?” Gloria rubbed her temples, then asked: “I’m sorry, Chef, I meant no disrespect, but this information is … I don’t know how to act on this information. I think we need something we can act on. How can we avoid the omens? How do we figure out what happened at that substation?”
Chef Tang sighed, shook his head then looked Gloria straight in her eyes: “I understand. Believe me I understand more deeply than you think. I know this doesn’t answer your questions. And to be honest, I wouldn’t advise you to act on anything. Take this from me: some questions are better left unanswered. And don’t ask for more on this - this is all I am going to say.”
Gloria shook her head: “I - I don’t understand - things are happening. Bad things. And I just don’t know anyone else who is looking into it. The thing at the coffin home is already far from normal. The - the killings at that electric substation is still barely mentioned in the news. How can I just let this go?! Things are happening, we’re moving into another cycle - ”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Gloria!” Gyuu Park raised his voice to cut Gloria off before she would speak some more that could get them in trouble.
“It’s fine. Gyuu. I know you’ve been looking into things.” Chef Tang shrugged and scratched his jaw: “And - my suggestion still stands - this is very very dangerous knowledge and information. There are things I could look into, if circumstances permit. But I need to look after my people as well. And I’d recommend you do the same. Look after yourselves first. If you DO want to proceed as you were, then do as you please. But like many others, you’ll need to pay in order to get any help from my shop. And the price for the information you’re asking for is steep. People suffered horrible fate to obtain that information. And I’ll need much more from you, any of you, to divulge those people’s blood and sweat.”
“But - can you tell us anything else that could be related to this situation? At least, how can we stay safe and help our friends and family stay safe, if we are to look after ourselves first?” Gloria thought for a moment then asked with a slightly exhausted tone: “I have something I can offer you as well.”
“Gloria, you don’t have to …” Gyuu Park tried to stop Gloria.
“No! No…” Gloria rubbed her own eyes, then sighed: “I - maybe it is indeed very unwise for us to proceed with looking into things like this. Trust me, I get it. But - ”
“Okay. Then the police documents.” Gyuu Park shook his head after a long sigh: “That’d be something useful.”
“Yes, YES! ” Gloria almost snapped her fingers but she fought back the urge: “Yes, we have some documents with regard to the killings at that electric substation - I think Chef you might have heard of it - ”
“Yes, we’ve heard of it. But information from the PCPD is nonetheless appreciated.” Chef Tang nodded: “What do you have?”
“Case files from the lead detectives working on it. Torn, but much of it is still readable.” Gloria answered.
“Yes. And with some very important information on it.” Gyuu Park stepped up from the side: “It contains clues we can follow to find out who those who died were, and if you can get to the work schedules of S&S Corp, you can even figure out more details.”
“Alright, let’s take a look.” Chef Tang considered it for less than ten seconds, then nodded at Gyuu Park and Gloria: “I’ll price it right now, so that you can at least get something actionable after your visit.”
“Okay. ” Gloria ruffled through her jacket, and found the original copies of the torn case files she stole from the 17th Precinct with the help of Gyuu Park.
“Original case files, not just pictures you snapped.” Chef Tang looked mildly impressed, then as he flipped through the pages, he went silent, and his facial expression became stern.
“Gloria also saw - Gloria you tell the Chef.” Gyuu Park added from the side.
“Yes. I saw a Blood Rainbow on site. And I fought a spirit that lingered there.” Gloria immediately recalled her experience with language as concise as possible: “And - the scene was scattered with aqua weeds from the lake, which is why we went to the docks to investigate in the first place.”
“And… you found some good things.” Chef Tang sighed again and tucked the files away.
“So… what do you think it’s worth?” Gloria asked.
“Two things, I think you’d appreciate both of them.” Chef Tang thought for a while: “First - this is a way of protection some clergymen figured out recently: find some clean water, place it in clean containers under the midday sun for about an hour. Then wash your forehead, top of head and shoulders with it to alleviate the effects of omens. I trust that you already know how to detect omen influence. And secondly, you might want to be careful with the community collective people. Some kind of internal investigation has been launched against you, Gloria Lee, and not the kind about opening a shop. It is a serious step in the inquiry of what happened at Fuman’s. And the original person handling the case was reassigned. Think of this what you will, but you might not want to give them a reason to sanction you.”