---o---
Caelus and March 7th cautiously chiseled forward a few more blocks until they could faintly hear the sound of running water from above. That's when he knew he was in the right place.
The next part of the task, however, presented a bit of a dilemma. If he wanted to confirm the status bar on his target, he needed to be close enough and have a direct line of sight. But if he broke through the floor directly, Cocolia would definitely discover him, and the ceiling wasn't thick enough to support him if he tried to chisel a peephole through it.
However, Caelus quickly devised a plan. Bathrooms usually have a mirror. He could use the mirror to observe Cocolia's status.
With this in mind, Caelus immediately perked up his ears, listening intently to the movements above to judge where the mirror might be located. After listening for a moment, he gripped his iron pickaxe and made his move. He carefully knocked a small hole in the ceiling directly above them. Under the cover of the sound of running water, he cautiously took out his phone, opened the camera app, and aimed it at the mirror. He managed to get a perfect view of Cocolia, who was showering with her back turned to them.
Caelus had no time to appreciate the view before him. His eyes were focused solely on Cocolia's status bar.
[Bewitchment V: 59:59]
Although he didn't see the expected Stellaron-related buff, this Bewitchment V buff made Caelus realize that the "Mother of Deception" title he'd noticed earlier was no simple matter. This probably wasn't a case of a simple 'imposter'.
After confirming that there were no other buffs on Cocolia, Caelus carefully filled the hole with a block. The very instant he sealed it, Cocolia, who was washing her hair, paused. She quickly turned around, her eyes narrowed as she scanned the spot where Caelus had just been. However, with her vision blurred by shampoo, she didn't spot anything out of the ordinary.
---o---
"Strange..."
Cocolia stared for a moment longer before turning back to continue washing her hair.
A meter below her feet, Caelus gave March 7th a look, and the two began to make their way back along the tunnel. To prevent anyone from finding traces of their investigation, Caelus meticulously filled in all the blocks they had previously dug out as they retreated.
It didn't take more than a few minutes for Caelus and March 7th to emerge from the original corner. There were no Silvermane Guards on the ground, and their infiltration had been a complete success.
"Caelus, let's hurry back to the hotel and wait for Dan Heng!" March 7th urged impatiently the moment they were out.
"Right."
Caelus had no objections this time. He also needed to get back and think about what exactly that Bewitchment V buff on Cocolia meant.
When the two returned to the hotel, Caelus asked the front desk if Dan Heng was back. The clerk nodded and pointed upstairs.
"The gentleman returned a short while ago. He also asked if you two were back. When I told him you weren't, he went to his room to rest."
"Thank you."
Caelus offered his thanks and led March 7th quickly up the stairs. When they reached Dan Heng's door, he raised a hand and knocked.
Before long, the sound of footsteps came from inside. The door opened a crack, and Dan Heng peered out cautiously. Only after confirming it was Caelus and March 7th did he open the door with relief, stepping aside to let them in.
---o---
"Come in."
The moment she was inside and Caelus had closed the door behind them, March 7th rushed toward Dan Heng in a panic. "Dan Heng, this is bad! Cocolia is sending people to arrest us tomorrow morning!"
Dan Heng's brow furrowed instantly. "What happened?"
"It's... that thing..." March 7th was in such a hurry that her thoughts were a jumble, and for a moment she didn't know how best to explain it to Dan Heng. She simply grabbed Caelus and pulled him forward.
"Caelus, you explain!"
Caelus quickly organized his thoughts and said to Dan Heng, "It's just as we suspected. Cocolia sent Bronya to tail us, but I spotted her. Afterward, March and I secretly infiltrated Qlipoth Fort and eavesdropped on their conversation. Cocolia discovered the Stellaron in my body and is using it as a pretext, claiming we will bring disaster to Belobog, to have Bronya arrest us tomorrow morning."
Dan Heng was a bit puzzled after hearing this. He didn't understand how Cocolia could have possibly discovered the Stellaron in Caelus's body. When they were in Qlipoth Fort, he hadn't noticed any detection devices around.
Seeing the thoughtful frown on Dan Heng's face, Caelus knew what he was thinking and offered his own theory.
"Perhaps it's because the Stellarons can sense each other. Dan Heng, do you remember when I told you I felt a sense of familiarity from Cocolia? Now that I think about it, the familiarity I sensed was probably the aura of a Stellaron."
"I see." Dan Heng understood. He then asked, "Did you find out anything else?"
Dan Heng had only been asking casually, but he was surprised when Caelus actually nodded.
"Yes. Cocolia has been bewitched."
"What?"
March 7th, who was standing to the side, was stunned. She asked, completely bewildered, "How do you know that?"
Dan Heng also looked at Caelus with a questioning expression, but he immediately thought of Caelus's eyes that could see through people's identities.
Still, the fact that Caelus could see through people's hidden identities was already outrageous enough. How could he now see their status as well?
Caelus looked at March 7th and pointed to his own eyes. "I can see people's current statuses. For example, March, if you drank Sister Himeko's coffee, you'd gain a few statuses, like being poisoned."
March 7th was instantly shocked. She covered her mouth and said in disbelief, "What? Sister Himeko's coffee is that terrifying? No wonder it tastes so bad!"
Is that the important part?
Caelus and Dan Heng couldn't help but roll their eyes. Dan Heng, with a hand on his chin, adopted a thoughtful expression.
"Since you say Cocolia has been bewitched... then it's very likely because of the Stellaron. Did you find out where the Stellaron is?"
Caelus shook his head. When he had infiltrated Qlipoth Fort earlier, he had been keeping an eye on his minimap, but unfortunately, he hadn't seen a Stellaron. It was highly probable that Cocolia had hidden it somewhere else.
At the very least, it definitely wasn't within Qlipoth Fort proper. Otherwise, given all the wandering he and March 7th had done in Belobog that day, they would have surely discovered its location.
Seeing that Caelus hadn't found the Stellaron's location either, Dan Heng couldn't help but feel that things were getting tricky. Cocolia was going to make her move tomorrow morning. They didn't have much time.
March 7th looked at the two of them, both silent, and started to get anxious.
"Say something, you two! What are we going to do now?"
Caelus suddenly looked up, a bold idea forming in his mind.
"I have a plan."
---o---