"This won't do." Ye'ergei instinctively wanted to refuse.

Jiang Baimian wasn't discouraged and explained with a smile:

"Sheriff, we don't need to know any secrets. We just want a rough understanding of the unusual events in Gesterborg over the past two months to find clues to the Bodhi statue."

"The Bodhi statue mission?" Ye'ergei asked back in slight surprise.

He seemed to only then remember that the people in front of him were a genuine Ruins Hunter team.

Jiang Baimian nodded:

"The progress on this mission is almost at a standstill. We can only look for other entry points to see if we can find any clues."

"What does this have to do with the security disputes, criminal cases, deaths, and mental hospital admission records of the past two months?" Ye'ergei's memory was quite good, and he basically repeated Jiang Baimian's request, just in a slightly different order.

Yes, yes... Long Yuehong echoed the words in his heart.

He also had such doubts.

"Secret." Jiang Baimian replied with a smile, "Sheriff, the value of the clues we just provided should be worth more than one Grand Knight gold coin. Having already received the reward, it's not too much to ask for some additional information, is it? Besides, that information shouldn't have any confidentiality requirements."

She emphasized the words "already received the reward."

Having read all kinds of old-world materials and being sophisticated in dealing with people, Jiang Baimian knew that bribery also had to be done in the right way. Being too blatant would backfire at times.

Ye'ergei was noticeably stunned for a moment, seemingly suspecting that the other party had misspoke.

Soon, he understood and said with no change in expression:

"Your request is indeed reasonable.

"I'll go apply for the corresponding information now, but you'll have to bear the cost of photocopying."

"No problem!" Jiang Baimian smiled brightly.

After Ye'ergei left the reception room, Long Yuehong lowered his voice and said:

"Team Leader, aren't you afraid he'll refuse? The 'White Knights' value simplicity and are definitely wary of accepting bribes."

"If he refuses, I'll just pretend I used the wrong tense. That way, we can still get along amicably." Jiang Baimian smiled slightly. "But I judge that the probability of him refusing is very low. On the one hand, he's just an ordinary sheriff with a rank equivalent to a Knight Squire. On the other hand, he's almost forty years old. Unless he makes a great contribution, he has little hope of becoming a formal knight in this lifetime. Under such circumstances, trying to save more money for himself and his family is a very common idea. Besides, we're just asking him to be accommodating. The corresponding matters don't violate any rules or regulations."

The knights of the "White Knights" are quite precious. They involve positions of real power and the starting line for their descendants. They won't give a consolatory knight title to a squire just because he's old enough.

Therefore, they are completely different from "Pangu Biology" in this regard. Unlike the latter, an employee can always get at least two promotions by working step by step. By the time they retire, they might even get another promotion and enjoy higher benefits.

Shang Jianyao looked disappointed:

"What about their knightly spirit?"

"Not to mention the destruction of the Old World, it's been almost fifty years since the Chaotic Era. In a place with such a solidified hierarchy, poor mobility, and emphasis on the respect between superiors and subordinates, probably only a small number of squires at the bottom and even knights in the middle will strictly adhere to the knightly spirit when there's no hope of promotion." Jiang Baimian shook her head. "In some eras, we can talk about spirit to everyone. In any era, we can talk about spirit to a few people. But wanting to talk about spirit to everyone in any era goes against objective laws. The primary aspect of this world is ultimately material. Being practical and giving more benefits is often more useful than shouting slogans."

She adapted a famous sentence from the Old World.

"Not necessarily," Shang Jianyao disagreed.

Just as Long Yuehong thought he was going to say that a noble spirit never fades or becomes outdated, Shang Jianyao pointed at himself and said:

"In the presence of an Awakened, are you sure that the primary aspect of the world is really material?"

Jiang Baimian, who wasn't a physicist, didn't know where to start refuting.

At this moment, Bai Chen repeated Ye'ergei's question:

"What do those files have to do with the Bodhi statue?"

Jiang Baimian retracted her gaze and said with a smile:

"Didn't we previously speculate that the ascetic monk came to Gesterborg with the Bodhi statue to seek refuge and obtained preliminary confirmation?

"For the time being, we can't confirm whether he was killed or died of natural causes. We can only choose one of them to start with.

"If he really died of illness and walked to the steel furnace to sit in meditation and pass away, what would he do with the Bodhi statue?"

"Destroy it, hide it, or give it to someone trustworthy," Bai Chen answered thoughtfully.

Pudu Chan Master Shang Jianyao proposed another possibility:

"Maybe he just casually left it somewhere, like next to the corpse, for a destined person to obtain it."

"These are all possibilities." Jiang Baimian nodded lightly. "Needless to say, if it's destroyed, everyone will never find it. But whether it's hidden or obtained by someone in Gesterborg, the Bodhi statue is so important that it might occasionally produce some anomalies.

"Also, three years have passed. If the Bodhi statue has indeed fallen into the hands of someone in Gesterborg, can he really ensure that no one discovers it or notices it?

"After the corresponding mission is posted, will someone go to him, try to extort a sum, and then be silenced?"

Hearing this, Long Yuehong suddenly understood:

"No wonder Team Leader, you want to check Gesterborg's security disputes, criminal cases, mental hospital admission records, and death lists for the past two months..."

Perhaps the statue holder's actions of dealing with those in the know are hidden within.

"What if the silencing work was done two or three years ago?" Shang Jianyao smiled coldly. "I don't think many murderers have procrastination when it comes to this."

Jiang Baimian exhaled and said:

"Therefore, this is just a preliminary screening. If there are no results, we'll ask for the past three years' worth.

"Taking so much at once would make the sheriff very embarrassed."

Clap clap clap, Shang Jianyao clapped his hands, ending the topic.

Long Yuehong sighed sincerely:

"So much information to check one by one to confirm if there are any problems. That's a lot of work."

"The Bodhi statue was lost three years ago. Without a digging-three-feet-into-the-ground spirit, I'm afraid we won't be able to find any clues. Jitis is such a strong information merchant, yet she can't provide valuable information either?" Jiang Baimian recalled and said, "Sometimes, the stupidest method is the most effective method. Before in Initial City, didn't we also rely on rummaging through the trash cans to find the real 'Father'? Moreover, we still have Old Ge, who can directly do big data analysis."

"That's true." Long Yuehong and Bai Chen nodded at the same time.

Suddenly, Jiang Baimian frowned.

"What's wrong?" Shang Jianyao asked curiously.

Jiang Baimian asked back thoughtfully:

"Did I just say that Jitis is such a strong information merchant, yet she can't find useful clues?"

"Almost," Shang Jianyao affirmed.

Jiang Baimian looked around and said:

"Didn't Wei guess before that Jitis or one of her informants has 'Clairvoyance'?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Shang Jianyao admitted very happily.

Bai Chen pursed her lips and said:

"Team Leader, do you mean that the Bodhi statue has fallen into the hands of Jitis or someone on her team?"

"So she can monitor the situation in various places in Gesterborg in real-time, obtain first-hand information, so she often spaces out, likes to be in a daze, as if living in her own world, so she deliberately avoids the Bodhi statue matter and doesn't give valuable clues?" Long Yuehong said, increasingly feeling that this was a possibility. "If the Bodhi statue involves the power at the level of a Year Disciple, then it's quite normal for Jitis to see things one or two kilometers away from the hotel front desk."

Jiang Baimian nodded lightly:

"If it really involves the Year Disciple level, then it's also reasonable that she hasn't used up the statue's power after three years.

"Next, we need to confirm when Jitis started to space out and often be in a daze."

Their current speculation is a bold hypothesis based on Jitis's unusual performance and her ordinariness in the Bodhi statue matter, but there are too many reasons to explain it, and it needs to be verified carefully.

The "Old Task Force" didn't rush to leave. They waited for Ye'ergei to return, and Genava completed the scanning of the corresponding data.

The photocopying fee was naturally saved.

…………

The front desk of the "Fire and Iron" hotel today was another employee. He didn't know Jitis as well as Sipanette did. The "Old Task Force" asked a few questions but didn't get any valuable answers.

Helplessly, the "Old Task Force" once again chose to have lunch at Old Henry's Restaurant and found the brown-haired waiter from before.

After confirming the menu, Jiang Baimian asked as if casually:

"Will Jitis be coming at noon today?"

"I'm not too sure." The brown-haired waiter shook his head. "She doesn't seem to be on a break today, and she still has to work tonight."

"Then where does she live? We want to ask for more information," Jiang Baimian said smoothly.

The brown-haired waiter immediately became vigilant:

"Just look for her at the 'Fire and Iron' hotel tonight."

Jiang Baimian "hmm"ed and asked instead:

"Her information is really very well-informed. It's hard to imagine that she's only been an information merchant for a few years.

"Uh, how many years ago did she start working as an information merchant?"

"When she started working at the front desk of the 'Fire and Iron' hotel," the brown-haired waiter recalled and said, "It's been about three years."

Three years... the members of the "Old Task Force" all had their eyes light up.