"I'll go get her."
Ye Li stood up to leave.
The Ancient One timely reminded, "Remember to put the book back in its place after you're done reading."
Ye Li chuckled and casually gestured, "OK, dear Master Ancient One, I'll put it back."
Outside the Inner Hall.
Wanda was sipping tea while waiting.
She couldn't help but feel a bit nervous...
If it was her turn to enter soon, that would mean stepping into a whole new world…
Pietro, on the other hand, looked depressed.
Could it be that out of everyone here... he's the only one who can't learn magic?
"Wanda."
Ye Li lifted the curtain and came out, calling out to the girl who was quietly playing on her phone.
"Ah...?"
The nervous Wanda reacted a beat too slow. After snapping back to reality, she quickly responded, "Ah... here!"
"Heh~ What do you mean 'here'?"
Ye Li rubbed her collagen-filled cheeks, which felt as smooth as a boiled egg.
"Go on in."
"Oh..."
Blushing, Wanda hurried inside as if escaping, heading off to talk with Gu Yi.
…..
New York.
Dragon National Theater (the one in Los Angeles' Hollywood, but moved to New York for plot purposes).
It was already the end of the movie screening. Viewers exited the theater in small groups, chatting as they went.
"There were no clues here either, another wrong guess."
Jessica ran her fingers through her slightly curly hair, speaking softly in frustration, "Ugh... the detective agency's reputation is going to be ruined."
She had been investigating that Chinatown case for a while but still hadn't found the culprit.
If she hadn't begged her brother to help analyze the case while they were cuddling at night, there might not have been any progress at all...
"Jessica, the detective agency never had a reputation to begin with."
"Only people trying to catch cheating spouses come to you."
Matilda, standing beside her, counted on her fingers...
After realizing she hadn't smoked this week, she pulled out a lady's cigarette from her pocket and happily placed it in her mouth.
Jessica looking at her sister's carefree behavior got annoyed.
Where did she learn this from?
She reached out and snatched the cigarette from Matilda's mouth in retaliation.
"You looked pretty happy watching the movie, huh? Forgot we had work to do?"
Matilda blinked.
"But we already bought the tickets, we can't waste them."
Jessica: "We bought the tickets to look for clues!"
Matilda: "There were no clues. Looks like we got the wrong place."
"Impossible."
Jessica declared confidently,
"I analyzed this for a long time. The victim came here before they died, so there must be clues!"
Matilda: "...." (My sister's detective skills are getting more 'brilliant'….)
"Miss, need a light?"
A man with a buzz cut and a roguish grin twirled a metal lighter, trying to strike up a conversation.
"Hmm?"
Jessica folded down her high collar, revealing her pretty face, and asked, "Do you know me?"
Eric Savin smirked wickedly,
"What a beautiful girl. I think I'll get to know you tonight."
Jessica frowned, pulled her collar back up, and dragged her sister away without a word.
Eric just chuckled, watching her back as he licked his lips.
Then, carrying a briefcase, he walked toward a hesitant-looking man sitting on a bench.
"Can you handle it?"
"Don't worry, I can handle it...."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure."
Receiving Jack Taggart's confirmation, 'Coldblood' Eric placed the briefcase beside the bench where Taggart was sitting.
"This batch is good~ Don't say I never looked out for you."
Taggart forced a smile and thanked him, "Thank you, thank you for understanding."
Not far away.
Happy was secretly observing, witnessing the whole transaction between Coldblood and Taggart——
——This casual-looking 'Coldblood' Eric Savin was the same guy who had accompanied Killian when he visited Pepper at Stark's place. He was one of Killian's subordinates.....
Thinking of this, Happy walked over just as Taggart was about to leave and pretended to bump into his shoulder——
Ding ding ding... ～
The briefcase hit the ground, and some of its contents spilled out—it looked like metallic objects...
"Eh..."
Jessica saw the scattered items at her feet, thought for a second, then squatted down to help. Along with Happy, she picked them up.
As she glanced at Happy from the corner of her eye,
The girl found him somewhat familiar…
She seemed to have seen him once or twice before—
Stark's former bodyguard.
"Thank you, miss."
Happy thanked her, "You're very kind."
He didn't recognize Jessica with her high collar up.
Taggart didn't pay attention to the two of them and quickly collected the briefcase and rushed off to a nearby corner——
He looked like he was about to relapse.....
"I've seen you before."
Jessica said to Happy, "You're Stark's bodyguard."