John quickly discovered that something was amiss, and it concerned a ce both men had visited.


    Although Gideon and stair seemed to have no obvious connection, a significant link emerged through their social interactions...


    Their wives were both dancers at the same bar!


    Gideon had married his wife three years ago, but the details of how they met were not particrly clear.


    She had been working at the Rose Bar.


    It was said to be another clichéd tale of a hero saving a damsel.


    Gideon had rescued his wife, and they had been together ever since—a story not unheard of, and not much could be said against it.


    However, the fact that stair''s wife also worked at the Rose Bar raised suspicions.


    stair''s wife had been just a waitress there, with no notable background, seemingly just an ordinary staff member.


    But a careful investigation revealed that stair and Gideon''s wives actually knew each other, having been part of the same group of employees.


    Amelia also quickly discovered this and exchanged a knowing look with John.


    A thought instantly formed in their minds: if they were to truly understand what was going on behind the scenes with these two men, they would have to start with their wives.


    After all, that was the only ce where their paths crossed!


    "Let''s go, to the Rose Bar!"


    Amelia nodded in agreement, realizing that their only connection was indeed their wives.


    This also meant there was more for them to explore.


    Not knowing what dys might bring, they had to reach the Rose Bar as quickly as possible.


    However, when they arrived at the Rose Bar, they were surprised to find Isabe also standing at the entrance.


    John looked at Isabe with slight astonishment, "What are you doing here?"


    Isabe nced at John and then at Amelia beside him, quickly grasping why they hade.


    "You were assigned this task too?"


    After seeing them nod, Isabe immediately understood.


    It seemed their investigations had all led them to the Rose Bar.


    "Since we''ve all ended up here, let''s not waste any more time," she said.


    The three exchanged looks and nodded; they could not afford any further dys, not knowing what might be unfolding.


    They needed to resolve the matter swiftly.


    The Rose Bar was open 24 hours, though it was typically quieter during the day—after all, few sought revelry in broad daylight.


    But as they pushed open the grand doors and entered, they found the scene inside unsettling.


    The bar was eerily empty as if no one had visited for ages, with only broken bottles scattered on the floor, silently proiming its past life as a bustling bar.


    John furrowed his brow slightly and took a closer look, only then realizing that the ce was indeedpletely cleared out, and it seemed as though it had been swept clean.


    There were traces of shattered tables and chairs on the floor, suggesting that a fight had taken ce here before.


    The three exchanged nces and began to search the area separately, each in a state of high tension.


    Initially, they were not entirely sure if this Rose Bar was indeed rted to the incidents they were investigating.


    However, seeing the ce almost entirely emptied now, they understood that it matched their suspicions perfectly.


    It seemed likely that the wives of Gideon and stair were indeed problematic.


    The bar was nothing like they had imagined; it appeared to have been thoroughly cleaned out.


    Of course, this ''cleaning'' wasn''t in the literal sense of the word, but rather that anything of value had been swept away.


    John headed down to the basement, which usually stored liquor, so he didn''t expect to encounter any significant issues there.


    Meanwhile, Amelia went to the office and found no traces of anything unusual, except for a stamp with a strange mark in a drawer.


    John carefully examined the basement, noting that the previous barrels had all been moved out, leaving only some marks on the walls.


    He meticulously searched the area, hoping to find something else of use.


    Suddenly, he spotted a very strange mark on the wall that closely resembled the sigil he had seen before in the secret realm.


    Upon closer inspection, he confirmed it was indeed the same mark he had recognized earlier, and he couldn''t help but frown slightly.


    Could it really be the Dusk Sect?


    He had thought it was just an illusion, but it turned out this ce was indeed connected to the Dusk Sect.


    Taking the mark, he headed upstairs, but as he stepped on the wooden boards, he sensed something off about the sound they made.


    He paused, tapping on the floor with care.


    Everywhere else felt solid, except for one spot that was hollow.


    Without hesitation, he grabbed a crowbar from nearby and pried open therge section of wooden flooring.


    The basement, already poorly ventted, was suddenly filled with a rush of dust, nearly choking John.


    He staggered back several steps before he could breathe somewhat easier, but soon he noticed something unusual.


    Behind the floor, it wasn''t entirely hollow as he had expected.


    Instead, it seemed there were other items hidden here—severalrge wooden crates.


    These crates were all sealed; tampering with them carelessly would only damage their contents...


    John nced at the wooden crates and a different thought crossed his mind.


    If these crates really contained something of great importance, they wouldn''t just be carelessly left here.


    They were probably just some unimportant items, left behind because they were inconvenient to move.


    Without much hesitation, he marked the crates and then exited the basement.


    "Find anything?" he asked upon seeing Amelia and Isabe already outside, each holding something in their hands.


    Amelia looked at the items in her hand and nodded slightly, indicating they had found something worthwhile.


    "I found some stamps in their office. The patterns on these stamps have started to fade, hard to tell what they were for."


    "I found some strange powder where they mix drinks," Isabe added, showing what she had discovered.


    The powder looked unremarkable at first nce, indistinguishable from ordinary flour.


    However, a closer look revealed that the white powder was interspersed with shimmering particles, which, upon careful observation, seemed to cause slight dizziness.


    They also found simr powder among the remains on the floor of the bar area, likely used for controlling people.


    "I found several crates in the basement, all sealed, not something we can just open without risking damage to what''s inside. I think we should look around first, see if there''s another way to open them," John said.


    Although he doubted anything of importance was inside, finding something useful would certainly be a bonus.


    The two women nodded in understanding, but their priority was to search for anything else that might be useful...


    "Rose Bar used to be quite the renowned spot. It''s surprising the owner just up and left, and so thoroughly, without leaving a trace of a clue. They must have prepared in advance, and I refuse to believe otherwise."