90 Astute Observation

After separating from his Party, Linnaeus moved with purposeful intent as he deftly navigated various back alleys and lesser-trespassed roads. He wasn't fond of wasting time, so, while he had the intention of luring out his enemies, his primary goal was to investigate the previous evening's fire.

Though it didn't seem to have anything to do with them, the encounter with Khö had rekindled his suspicions. There was no way a Bapho's presence could be ignored, but, more importantly, Linnaeus hadn't heard anything about Khö's existence when he collected information the prior evening.

Linnaeus had paid the portly owner of the hostel to provide information, so it didn't make sense for the man to overlook mentioning the fact there was a Bapho working in his establishment. That wasn't something you just forgot to mention, making it seem as though the man hadn't actually known she would be making an appearance during the morning hours...

In order to ascertain the truth, Linnaeus wanted to learn more about the incident leading up to the fire. There were bound to be people still talking about the relatively recent event, so, using the opportunity he had been given, Linnaeus decided to take full advantage of his circumstances.

Fortunately, whoever had been assigned to tail him didn't seem that competent, causing Linnaeus to feel as if he had lost them a couple of times along the way. While there was no way to ascertain whether or not this was the truth, as he had been unable to identify them, Linnaeus always trusted his instinct when it came to such things. He had spent much of his life being hunted by others, so, even if it was derived from his paranoia, it had kept him alive.

Eventually, Linnaeus reached the section of the bazaar that had been burned down. He wasn't surprised by the fact that, even after such devastating fire, there were many merchants still trying to do business in the area. Some even seemed to be playing the part of victims, despite the fact they had no shops affected by the rampant flames...

While waiting for his Party to catch up, Linnaeus spent his time profiling all the faces in the area. It wasn't 'normal' for people to linger around the site of a fire, so, while some people wandered out of curiosity, the majority had a 'reason' for being there.

If you spent a lot of time watching people, it wasn't difficult to identify patterns that revealed their intentions. This was especially true for criminals and those involved in information trafficking as, compared to normal people, they were simply 'too good' at pretending to behave normally. This was enough to fool pedestrians and those who went about their business without minding such things, but, after seeing the same behaviors hundreds of times, it was almost too easy to notice when something amiss was taking place behind the scenes.

By the time Eliza, Emilia, and Krone neared his position, Linnaeus had identified at least thirteen people that seemed to be investigating the area. He had also ascertained that they were part of three different groups, with the largest consisting of eight people. The other five were cautiously observing this larger group, but, based on their positioning and how they proactively avoided each other, it was easy to see they weren't part of the same organization...

With a less-than-enthused expression on her face, Eliza approached until she was only a short distance away from Linnaeus before complaining, "We didn't find anyone. Even Emilia wasn't able to pick up anything."

Nodding her head in response to Eliza's words, Emilia added, "I followed your scent closely while keeping an eye on the rooftops. We did see a group wandering around, but they weren't going in the same direction as you."

Hearing the reports of the two girls, Linnaeus fell into silent contemplation before explaining his own views, stating, "I felt as though I had lost the person tailing me at several junctions. I tried to wait for them in order to reveal their identity, but they seemed to be able to find me again before I could discover their traces. Though unlikely, there is a chance my pursuer has something akin to the Blessing of [Invisibility]..."

Though she didn't immediately dismiss the possibility, Emilia lightly hummed before saying, "I would still be able to smell them if that were the case. [Invisibility] only affects the body of its user, meaning they need to be naked to benefit from its use. This makes their scent easier to pick up, as there is nothing to prevent the spread of their pheromones in the surroundings..."

As [Invisibility] was one of the better-known Blessings, as many people like to discuss how they would make use of it, even Emilia was aware of its capabilities. This was the reason Linnaeus had said the possibility was slim, stating it was similar to the Blessing of [Invisibility], rather than being one and the same.

After bouncing a few more ideas between themselves, all while observing the three groups that seemed to be investigating the fire, Linnaeus and Co were no closer to identifying their enemy.

The only things Linnaeus could be relatively certain of was that he had been followed and that the person following him wasn't that skilled, at least when it came to tracking. They were, however, very adept at keeping themselves concealed. This was a curious combination as, more often than not, those with the ability to hide were generally adept at pursuing targets...

As this thought crossed his mind, Linnaeus proposed, "The person tracking me may be using an artifact, or series of artifacts, to conceal themselves. That would explain why they seem incapable of tracking me, even when I tried making it easier for them..."

Hearing Linnaeus' remark, Emilia couldn't help but snicker, earning her a glare from Eliza. The latter was taking this situation very seriously, causing her to properly consider Linnaeus' words before saying, "If that is the case, the person tracking you has a lot of wealth to squander. That will help to narrow down the number of suspects quite a bit, but it also presents other challenges."

Understanding what Eliza was trying to get at, Linnaeus nodded his head, adding, "If they have that kind of power, there is little reason for them to associate with a branch office. This means the person pursuing me has a fair amount of influence...they may even be involved directly with the Guild's internal affairs. I need to learn more about the hierarchy of the Guild, as everything stems from Renka as the source..."

If it turned out he was being targetted by another influence within the Guild, Linnaeus knew their best option was to simply move to another branch. The person targeting him undoubtedly had a fondness for Renka, so it didn't seem worthwhile to continue operating in the same area, even if it drastically decreased their chances of joining the main expedition.

Linnaeus was willing to do whatever it took to leave the Fifth Floor and exit the Crucible of Souls, but that didn't mean he wanted to get in between some kind of lover's spat. He had absolutely no tender feelings towards Renka so it was more than a little annoying to be targetted due a mistake committed by the careless Receptionist. There was a chance he could reap various benefits from staying the course, but, in the grand scheme of things, getting involved in someone else's drama was never a good idea.

With this in mind, Linnaeus gave a curt nod before saying, "I'm going to spend much of tonight collecting information. Depending on what I'm able to discover, we may move to another district. There are too many strange occurrences in this area so it doesn't seem wise to stay..."

Though she was also aware of the fact this was actually an opportunity for them, Eliza wouldn't pass on the chance to distance Linnaeus from Renka. He might have no interest in her, but, based on everything that had happened, it was transparently clear that Renka had an interest in him. This might have little to do with personal feelings, but that didn't really matter when she was willing to get them involved in matters completely unrelated to them.

Linnaeus might consider Renka's faux pas an honest mistake, but Eliza wasn't foolish enough to believe this was the case. If that had been the case, she would have at least warned him of who he should be wary of, rather than leaving him to gather information for himself. With how things had developed, Eliza was all but certain than Renka had decided to use Linnaeus as a way to dodge one of her own problems, disregarding the trouble it would bring their way...

In response to Linnaeus' proposition, Eliza nodded her head several times, saying, "I am all for leaving this area and moving to another. The Guild contract didn't stipulate which branch we operated out of, only that we accept and report Quests through them. Our encounter with that Bapho, alone, is enough reason for us to move far away from this area."

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Though he didn't disagree with her, Linnaeus knew he wouldn't be able to relax without learning exactly why he was being targetted. Trouble seemed to follow them wherever they went, so, while it was tempting to just move around to evade trouble, establishing themselves would be virtually impossible. He imagined this was a difficulty every Potentiate Party faced during their stint on the Fifth Floor, so, rather than run away, he wanted to at least understand their situation better.

After deciding this, Linnaeus turned his gaze toward Emilia, asking, "How many have you been able to notice...?" in a subdued tone.

Hearing Linnaeus' question, Emilia made a rather theatrical, yet convincing, show of yawning before answering, "I'm kind of sleepy, but I can still handle seven or eight more drinks before calling it a night. We should look for a tavern. The smell of burnt wood is unpleasant."

Going by Emilia's words, Linnaeus was pretty sure she hadn't noticed the two groups that were moving about along the periphery. This indicated she still had a lot to learn, but, as he had spent years mastering this particular skill, it wasn't like he could blame her.

Seemingly nodding his head in agreement with Emilia's previous statement, Linnause said, "I know about three places nearby. Try not to order more than two or three drinks, though. We're a little tight on funds these days so we'll have to be more frugal in our spending."

Understanding what Linnaeus was trying to convey, Emilia scrunched up her nose, eyes darting to the surroundings for a brief moment as she answered, "You're the boss, Lin. Go ahead and lead the way."

Following Emilia's remark, Linnaeus began to lead the Party through the area, eyeing the remains of several burnt buildings while discreetly pointing out the location of all thirteen people he had been able to discover. In the process, a fourteenth individual also made an appearance, but, as they only stopped to check in with the main group, it was easy to deduce they were nothing more than a messenger.

Even after Linnaeus had pointed them out, Emilia wasn't able to understand why he thought they were spying on the main group. It wasn't until one of them looked toward her for a brief moment, causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end, that she knew he was telling the truth...

Fortunately, as she was accustomed to being stared at, Emilia didn't show any sign that she had identified the man as a spy. Instead, she offered an awkward smile before rolling her eyes at him, seemingly dismissing his attempts to flirt with her. This left the man slightly gobsmacked, earning him a few teasing remarks from his companion, who, for a brief moment, looked over with a hawk-like gaze...