They all call me an Outer God.

Chapter 173 Don't Think Too Much
The tentacle gradually split into two, each with an eye growing from its tip, looking somewhat like a snail's antennae.

It flicked its tentacles, wrapped them around Ria's neck a few times, and then watched as its host suddenly looked up at the sky, as if it had discovered something, and ran back to the office, going upstairs and straight to the roof.

"Squeak-"

Ria pushed open the dusty attic door and looked out at the surrounding sky.

He saw a faint gray line stretching from the west, which seemed to be the location of the factory. They were emitting polluting gases without any regard for the consequences, and Adeline's prosperity began with this "pollution."

These are not the key points. The key point is that for a moment just now, Ria mistook the long plume of smoke for a slender human figure.

This is quite intriguing. Lia doesn't think he would make such a basic visual mistake, especially since his current visual organs are the golden eyes on his body.

"Perhaps Ivand is right, there is indeed something wrong with that place... but how exactly are the figures and the smoke connected?"

This puzzled Ria, and he decided to go and investigate the place thoroughly. However, at that moment, he suddenly heard someone calling him from below.

Ivand rolled up a book into a megaphone and shouted at him, "Don't be so smug, my friend. Life is wonderful. We can talk about whatever's bothering us!"
No one here will mind if you have an eye problem, please don't jump off the building!!!

Ria: "...It's not what you think."

Knowing that his proximity to the building could easily lead to misunderstandings, he turned around and went downstairs to explain. After much persuasion, Ivand seemed less panicked.

He patted his chest: "I've seen too many examples of people giving up their lives for all sorts of reasons."

But you need to understand one thing: suicide goes against the church's principles. What if someone shoots you to stop you from committing suicide if I don't call out to you?

"No, who made this law..."

Lia wasn't afraid of bullets, but he didn't want to get shot for no reason if he could.

"Speaking of which, I've already finished fabricating my thesis. Have you written yours yet?"

"Ah, what?"

"Among the students who came, one specifically asked Evander Charlie to help write his thesis. He said he needed to receive about 86,000 words of content by tomorrow, otherwise he wouldn't be able to graduate."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier!"

Ivand clutched the thick cloth covering his legs in anguish: "Eighty-six thousand! The deadline is tomorrow. How could those brats even come up with something like this? What kind of lousy thesis is this? Is he trying to publish a book?"

"You...me, him—"

After stammering for a while, the man finally snapped his fist and decided to ignore the paper and let the student fend for himself.

"Young people nowadays always think about taking shortcuts, but they will never achieve great things this way. When they enter society, they will realize how wrong their initial decision was."

"You have a point."

"Of course, after all, I am very knowledgeable and my wisdom is beyond description. A roadside test said my IQ is at least two hundred."

Ivand smiled knowingly, but his expression quickly turned cold again when he saw a car drive by on the side of the road.

His expression was as if he couldn't wait to catch up with the car and devour it.

“I think we need to speed things up. Just looking at these steam monsters makes me sick. If we let them run around on the streets any longer, more and more people will die because of them.”

Ivand seemed particularly interested in investigating these things. He even prepared a large amount of material within his firm to report the factory to the court, just waiting to find the factory's real weakness and overthrow them in one fell swoop.

"I believe justice will be served." "I hope so."

Ria did not deny this. He had been paid to be a qualified assistant. A detective's assistant is to help the detective complete the case, and Ivand had even given this case a name.

"How about calling it 'The Murder at the Western Factory in South Adeline'?"

"Mr. Ivand, how old are you this year?"

"Thirty-five years old, so what?"

"It's nothing, you have a very youthful mindset."

“Kelcha, we are discussing serious matters now.”

He kept a straight face, trying to project the image of a serious elder.

"I think as my assistant, you need to meet with the families of those workers first, and then tell me your deductions from them. Consider this a test of whether you have the potential to become an excellent detective."

"Of course, I have high hopes for you."

He said this to Ria, and Ria agreed to his request.

So soon after, they went to a private hospital.

Looking up at the building, Ria inevitably thought of the building where she fought with Garn, but everyone in that hospital was dead, so there was nothing to worry about.

The two of them went up to the third floor. During this time, Ivand could not go up the stairs and could only take the elevator, but this did not make him angry. It seemed that the only things he was hostile to were steam cars and factories.

"Lanna! I've come to see you again."

As soon as he pushed open the door, Ivand opened his arms to the person wrapped in layers of bandages on the hospital bed, as if he wanted to give him a hug.

Hugging is a common way of greeting in Endlers, but Ria doesn't like being touched and usually tipes his hat in a friendly gesture before being hugged.

"Waaah!" Lanna, lying on the hospital bed, looked over with her cloudy eyes, seemingly genuinely happy for Ivand's arrival.

But when Ria looked into his eyes, she was surprised to find that the man's pupils were completely white, and it was impossible to tell unless you looked closely. Moreover, the man's eyes had no luster, like the eyes of a fish that had been cooked.

"Praise the sun..."

Lia gestured the symbol of a radiant sunrise over her heart: "Can you still speak, sir?"

"But...it's okay."

The weak Lanna moved his lips, and his voice was barely audible unless you listened carefully.

Ria's expression became even more pitying: "It's so sad to see you like this. Let me introduce myself. My name is Ria, Ria Kercha, and I'm also Detective Ivand's assistant."

Now, for some necessary investigation, could you please reveal some details about what happened at the time? For example, the factory environment, the factory owner's appearance, and his attitude towards you. Of course, it would be even better if you could also provide information about the usual food and lodging at the factory.

These things may seem insignificant, but they are crucial points for Ria, who is now beginning to suspect that the factory owner might be one of his kind—a black marketeer.

With such qualities, it would be a waste not to portray a shady businessman.

(End of this chapter)