The Villain Saint is my secondary account

But for Ford, that's not enough.

He stroked his sharply defined chin, his brows furrowed.

He couldn't understand why these guys would suddenly evacuate so urgently.

Was it out of caution? If they had a plan for regular evacuations, then in the style of the theater attack, they should have carefully erased their tracks during the evacuation, instead of being so careless as to leave things behind.

This could only mean that some unforeseen event forced them to evacuate.

Strange... what exactly is going on?

Hiss...did they know we were coming?

Ford's expression turned serious. Since discovering the traces of soil yesterday noon, he had deliberately spent half a day analyzing other clues and combining them to ensure accuracy before finally focusing on this area.

Then early the next morning, they approached Greg to suggest a search, and shortly afterward, around the same time, the group began preparing to retreat.

Then, almost as soon as they arrived, the other party left.

What a coincidence! They were deliberately disguised and carried out a secret operation separately to avoid being detected in advance by spies who might be hiding in the streets and alleys, but they were still discovered in the end.

Why are they so well aware of everything the Royal Canadian Mounted Police do?

Ford suddenly remembered that night, the recording conch that claimed to be able to foresee the future.

That doesn't make sense. If they could really predict the future, why didn't they prepare earlier and erase all traces of it?

If it can't predict the future... then how does it know in a timely manner every decision that happens within the police station?

Thinking of this, Ford suddenly slapped his forehead.

Of course, someone was tipping them off!

I was so stupid to suspect that the other party could foresee the future. Didn't I even consider that there might be a mole within the Royal Malaysian Police?

Vampires have distinctive physical features, making them unsuitable for infiltration, but human blood servants or heretical followers of the Samuel Order could potentially do so.

But this makes things complicated.

Ford pressed his thumb to his temple. If there were moles within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who could tip off the enemy and keep them informed of their every move, then relying on the police force to make arrests would never yield any results until all the moles were found.

Even the police station was fully informed of the case's progress. As a result, Scotland Yard was like a cat with a bell on its head, only attracting the mockery of lurking mice wherever it went.

I'm so exhausted, I never even thought of this part.

Ford stood up and looked around, but if the police couldn't help, who else could he rely on to investigate the case?

The Sanctuary? To be honest, if the police station could be infiltrated by heretics over such a long period of time, wouldn't the Sanctuary also be a possibility?

It wasn't that he had any objection to the faith of the followers of the Fog City Sanctuary, but now that a sanctuary priest had fallen in love with a vampire princess, it wasn't entirely impossible for heretics to appear in the sanctuary.

Van Helsing? He is indeed exceptionally strong, but he alone is far from enough.

Opportunities don't come every time. Now that we almost caught them by mistake due to their carelessness, they might be more cautious next time. At the very least, once they've learned their lesson, any clues in this area that could lead to their next hiding place will definitely be their top priority to eliminate.

Ford pondered that there might be many places to investigate next, and he would need a group of people who could operate more covertly in the shadows to help him.

Fortunately, he quickly found the answer in his mind.

……

After searching two abandoned shipyards on the south bank of the Thames, Ford and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police detectives filed up the clues they had found and returned to Westminster.

But instead of returning to the police station with the detectives, Ford went to a pub on King's Cross Street.

If Ella saw this tavern, she would definitely recognize it, because it was the tavern owned by the Blackwater Gang. Even now, the repaired ceiling still bears the marks of the hole Ella cleaved open back then.

What would you like, sir?

The bartender behind the counter asked a question as usual, his face still bearing the bruises left by Li Cheng's fist.

But when he looked up and saw the tall, thin figure entering through the door, his previously listless eyes suddenly lit up. "Boss!? Oh my goodness, what brings you here!?"

"...If you keep calling me that, I'm leaving."

Ford's lips twitched when he heard the way the other person addressed him.

"No, no, please have a seat. I'll go get Boss Jolian right away..."

"No need, no need. It's not something that requires his help. I just wanted to ask you for a favor..."

"Ford boss!"

A loud shout suddenly came from behind, startling Ford.

He turned around and saw a middle-aged gentleman with a cigar in his mouth and a tie leading a group of burly men in brown trench coats into the tavern through the doorway behind him.

It was none other than Jolian Bartholomew, the Blackwater gang's "acting boss" who had been standing before and behind Ella.

As for the loud shout, it came from a burly man next to the other party.

"Why would Ford's boss need to use the word 'please' when asking us to do something?"

Jolian took the cigar out of his mouth. "Please feel free to ask me anything."

“Boss Jolian, I did help you out back then, but you also helped me a lot. We can be even now. You don’t need to flatter me like this.”

Ford took a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped his forehead. "I'm just an ordinary private investigator."

"No, no, no, Mr. Ford, what you did five years ago was a life-saving favor, a debt of gratitude I will repay for a lifetime. Therefore, you can only ever be the boss of the Blackwater Gang."

Ford could only smile helplessly. "Let's not talk about that for now, Jolian. I have a request for you... but I should warn you beforehand that it's going to be quite troublesome and dangerous."

Ford explained the whole story to Jolian, including the need for manpower to investigate.

However, Jolian looked troubled after hearing this. "Mr. Ford, it's really difficult to find a group of completely trustworthy subordinates. We have indeed investigated the Samuel Order, but I have a hard time fully grasping how many followers this secret cult has developed in Chongqing over the years."

"If even the Royal Police Force has their followers, it's hard to say that our gang doesn't also have their followers."

"Um……"

Ford frowned; this was indeed a problem.

"But Mr. Ford, have you raised this issue with the Holy Maiden of Light?"

"Do you mean seeking help from the sanctuary?"

Ford raised an eyebrow. "I did consider contacting the Sanctuary of the Mist, but after careful consideration, I feel that even the Sanctuary isn't entirely reliable..."

"No, no, I mean there's a gang under the Holy Maiden of Light that might fit the description of the person you're looking for."

"……what?"

Ford was taken aback. "The Saintess's...gang?"

Ford wasn't stunned, but he genuinely couldn't connect the words "Saintess of Light" with "gang".

"Um, it's like this..."

Jolian leaned closer to Ford and whispered, "That saintess... is actually also the boss of a rather notorious foreign gang..."

Chapter 147 Sweetheart's Home

After hearing Jolian's description, Ford's expression became quite complicated.

The image of the elegant and holy saintess he had seen before remained in his mind, making it difficult for him to associate her with the gang leader.

But according to Jolian, that outside gang was indeed the most suitable choice.

Obeying the saintess, and with all members coming from Loren, they were completely free from the risk of being infiltrated by the heretics of the Fog City.

"How about it, Mr. Ford? I think that if I select some trustworthy people here and assign their staff to work together, that should be sufficient to meet your needs."

"Alright, then I'll go to the sanctuary and pay my respects to the Holy Maiden."

"No need for that, I can have someone contact them directly."

Jolian whispered, "That saintess probably doesn't want others to know about this aspect of her identity either."

"That makes sense, that makes sense, it was my oversight."

Ford nodded knowingly. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Jolian."

"How can this be called trouble?"

Jolian smiled and turned to his deputy beside him. "Zhang Fan, show Ford the way. You know where to find them, right?"

……

The Seven Stars Society rented a three-story building on the street corner as a temporary base, so Zhang Fan quickly brought Ford to Li Cheng.

It didn't take much effort for the two sides to reach an agreement quickly.

After the theater attack, the Septian Society had been helping Ella investigate information about the Samuel Order and vampires in the streets and alleys, but unfortunately they hadn't found any clues.

Ella had also mentioned Ford's name to Li Cheng. Now that this detective was willing to give some important information to the Seven Stars Society for priority searching, that was the best thing ever.

Of course, Ford didn't mention that he knew about the relationship between the Seven Stars Society and the Holy Maiden; he only said that as a partner of the Royal Police Department, they needed to secretly find a third-party outside gang to help them.

Li Cheng also sent a message to Ella about this through the community system, and Ella naturally agreed.

The possibility of a mole within the police station wasn't entirely unexpected for Ella, given that she had witnessed the methods of the Samuel Order in Loren before. However, the fact that today's arrest operation failed proved that such a thing was indeed true.

It seems that some key information will have to be kept out of reach of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police... Ella pondered. Greg and Van Hessingford will probably give her a heads-up from the police, but she should also keep an eye on the Holy See and look for any hidden heretics.

[The Saintess's Dog 2: Ford said he has a lead that could very well lead to their hiding place, and we'll be making our move tonight.]

[Late Night Snack: Okay, be careful.]

[The Saintess's Dog 2: Waaaaah, you're so considerate, Miss!]

[Late-night snack: Stop acting crazy here!]

Ella sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

……

That night, in the eastern part of the foggy city, a light rain was falling.

Li Cheng, Zhang Fan, and Ford, all disguised, got off the carriage and came to a narrow, crowded street.

Unlike the bustling Westminster district, the eastern part of the city is mostly inhabited by the poor and lower classes.

Although it's not quite as bad as the shantytowns, you can often see homeless people in tattered clothes or ordinary-looking citizens dressed simply on the streets here.

The houses on both sides were dilapidated, with mottled walls. Cheap stalls with oilcloth awnings took up even more space on the already narrow street. A strange smell lingered in the air, and occasionally a large rat would dart by, splashing water as it stepped on the sewage on the ground.

Despite the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's notice advising citizens to minimize nighttime travel, this had little effect on the lower-class poor in the East End.

Since most of them have just finished get off work in the factory area, and the only time they have left to enjoy themselves is in the evening, who would care about those alarmist things?

If something really happens, it might not be a bad thing. Ending this miserable life early might even earn the family some compensation from the municipal council.

Amidst the noise, a hoarse, melancholic tune drifted from a secondhand gramophone in some building, accompanied by the pattering raindrops falling on the shoulders of passersby.

Li Cheng and his two companions stepped inside, searching for their target along the small shops and buildings on the street. Before long, the three of them finally stopped in front of a narrow doorway that was glowing with a pink halo.

"Sweetheart House".

Zhang Fan silently read the words written on the doorplate, then looked at the scantily clad but emaciated women leaning against the door, and turned to Li Cheng and Ford, "Hmm... are you sure this is the place we're looking for?"

"Yes, I remember there was a blood servant attack before the theater attack. At that time, the police investigated a blood servant named Smith, whose mother's brother, who was also his uncle, was suspected of being the one who converted him into a blood servant."

"The theater attack happened later, and this case was temporarily shelved. But looking back now, Smith's mysteriously missing uncle was very likely a member of the Samuel Order, who gained some vampire abilities through the relic... Therefore, if we can find him, we may be able to find the hiding place of the Samuel Order, one of the masterminds behind the theater attack."

Ford, with a pipe in his mouth, explained, "The Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigated his movements before his disappearance, and according to a description of an underground workshop he frequented, this shop was one of the places he used to go."

"But wasn't it said he was missing?"

Knowing about this, Li Cheng asked in confusion, "Since he has disappeared, he probably won't come back."

“I borrowed the case file of the investigation at the time, and some people who had met him said that this guy was a gambling addict.”

Ford glanced around. "These kinds of people have one thing in common: they can't control their desires."

"The Westminster Theatre attack was clearly a long-planned scheme by the Secret Order. I believe the Secret Order must have warned that guy beforehand to keep a low profile and avoid unnecessary complications."

"But he carried out an attack the day before the incident, and the target was a high-ranking member of the Holy Church in Loren (a saint). In hindsight, that attack had no connection to the theater case, so it was clearly a irrational act driven by his bloodlust."

"Oh, I get it,"

Li Cheng's eyes lit up. "So even if that guy becomes a heretical vampire, he still won't be able to control his lower body and come here again, right?"

"I don't think Mr. Ford meant that..."

Zhang Fan said in a low voice, "There's more than one shop like this here, but that guy used to come here often, so he probably has a regular 'target'. And after he gains great power, there's a high probability that he'll come looking for that target again."