How's the captain's condition?"
Upon hearing this question, the "secret peeper" Isin Bruni, who had just left Chanis Gate and returned to the ground, subconsciously avoided the expectant eyes of his teammates. With a look of reluctance on his face, he shook his head slightly:
"...not very optimistic."
The "gravedigger" George Wood, who tried hard to force himself to appear cheerful, gradually lost the strength to maintain his smile. The upward curve of his mouth was deformed and distorted little by little, as if being dragged downward by some invisible heavy object, gradually revealing a ridiculous expression that seemed to be both sad and happy.
If it were in the past, when Isin saw George's abnormal behavior, they, as friends, would definitely play some harmless jokes on each other, and it would eventually turn into a situation where they would use Quint to decide the outcome.
But now, the mood surrounding Isin, George, and even the entire Connahda Nighthawks team is loss and depression. They are worried that captain Muni Kahn has not yet escaped the risk of losing control, and they are deeply confused about the future.
"They said... a bishop is considering downgrading the Night Squad of Connat, blaming our actions for not only the loss of a '2' level and a '3' level sealed object, but also causing most of the team members, including the captain, to be mentally infected by the evil pagans. This may lead to extremely serious follow-up hidden dangers... because they are not sure whether those who have been mentally affected have really broken free from control and returned to normal."
"This is complete nonsense!" George clenched his fists, "I don't believe they can't arrange the ritual magic. As long as we pray to the goddess, she will prove it all!"
"...But, George, you can't deny that we all thought the captain had returned to normal a few days ago, and even Deacon Dario agreed with the captain's judgment that he had 'escaped mental control'. As a result, within less than half a day, an informant reported that the captain had shown abnormal behavior... He ran to a well-known wedding company in the city and almost agreed with the account manager there on the location and time of the wedding. He also tried to find someone to make a wedding dress for his imaginary fiancée."
It was after this incident that Muni Kahn, who was believed to have returned to normal, was taken into custody and controlled again by the executors dispatched by the church, but this time it was no longer a simple isolation and observation.
Mooney was imprisoned behind the Chanis Gate underground.
"…Even if he can recover, the captain probably can't continue to lead us." Isin lowered his head and said slowly, "Maybe he will be arranged to be an internal guard, or he may be taken to the temple to wait for future instructions. Unless a miracle happens, the captain can only resign... We shouldn't be much better off. Maybe we will be disrupted, split up, and transferred to other teams. Then the temple will appoint a new team to be in charge of Connat City..."
George fell silent, and after a long while he found his voice again with difficulty:
"Why us?... No, I mean, why are we the only ones who escaped? If we also participated in the witch's escort mission, would the captain not..."
"We also join the escort team? Do you want Butterick to bear all the pressure of these days alone? He has just been promoted and his condition is not very good. Do you want us to lose another teammate? George! Don't think so important of yourself, as if nothing will happen with you around!"
At the end, Isin's tone was almost close to a roar, but she did not have the energy to restrain this unladylike and ungraceful emotional expression. It is better to say that it is precisely because she is fully aware of her own powerlessness that she hates the ruthless and cold reality before her.
The dead silence was like a malignant disease spreading in the room, corroding the bodies and minds of the night watchmen. No one spoke for a while until someone gently knocked on the door of the duty room where they were.
Isin turned his back, trying to control the hoarseness in his voice, and said loudly:
"Please come in! The door is not locked!"
"Sorry to bother you.
" The man was dressed in a black windbreaker and white shirt, which was common among night watchmen. His short golden brown hair was neat and clean, his face was thin, his lips were thin, and the collars of his shirt and windbreaker were stood up high.
"You are..." George looked up at the strange man, trying to search for a matching face in his mind.
However, when Isin's eyes met those deep dark green eyes, he suddenly jumped up from his seat in shock.
"Sir, Mr. Cecima! Why are you here?"
George was startled by his teammates' reaction and quickly stood up subconsciously, while constantly recalling this familiar name in his mind.
Cecima...wait, senior deacon, "Sword of the Goddess" Creste Cecima?!
That's a high-sequence strongman!
After realizing this fact, the two Night Watchmen from Conant City looked at each other, and saw surprise and a little panic on each other's faces.
"Sir Cecima, is there any new instruction from the headquarters..."
Isin, who had just returned from outside Chanis Gate, knew a little more details than George. At least she knew clearly that the discussion she was allowed to listen in on did not include the follow-up of their team and Captain Mooney.
But that doesn't mean that these matters were not decided in the discussion after she left...
"Don't be nervous, come, let's go downstairs and talk. It's not very convenient here."
Crestai Cesima smiled slightly and pointed in the direction of Chanis Gate with the hand that was not holding the box.
Seeing this, the two young night watchmen had no choice but to suppress their doubts and uneasiness, and followed the senior deacon to the underground, passed through a secret door, and stopped in a not very big room with almost no clutter.
"Please sit down."
Since His Excellency "Sword of the Goddess" had spoken, Isin and George were no longer restrained and each found a chair and sat down.
As for Krestel Cecima, who was wearing a black windbreaker and a white shirt, he simply placed his suitcase on the only wooden square table in the room, then casually pulled over a simple small round stool and sat down opposite the two young night watchmen.
"The first thing I want to inform you is about the witch you encountered half a month ago...well, that is, the pagan who was given the nickname 'Mirror Witch' in later reports. Now the Temple has readjusted her danger level, and you don't need to worry about the subsequent pursuit. The case involving this witch is now fully handled by me and my team.
As for the wanted warrant that has been announced... it will not be withdrawn for the time being, but the headquarters will issue new guidelines to each night watcher team, to prevent ordinary night watchers from discovering clues but wasting opportunities due to rash actions."
His Excellency "Sword of the Goddess" and his team were personally responsible for the pursuit of the witch at that time?!
Isin and George looked at each other, both finding it a little unbelievable.
"Then, then our team..." Isin began tentatively.
"The Connahte Nighthawks team has done a great job. There is no need to blame you."
Creste Sesima nodded slightly, and his eyes, as calm as moonlight and lake water, swept across the two haggard Nighthawks.
"The evidence left at the scene and the subsequent investigation have shown that the nature of the black magic ritual being held in the 'Green and Lake Lady' manor was most likely to offer sacrifices to a hidden existence and pray for the descent of a spirit... The 'witch' you encountered at the time was not necessarily the host of the ceremony, or in other words, although she appeared to be a member of the witch sect presiding over the ceremony, her inner essence was already dominated by the spirits of the gods they believed in..."
"The birth of the evil god?!"
Although both of them have joined the Night Watchers for many years, such concepts have only appeared in classics. Neither Isin nor George had ever thought that they would actually experience such a terrible thing in person.
"I know you find it hard to believe, but I have received the oracle from the goddess, and you don't need to question the authenticity of this matter."
"No, no... of course we are not doubting it, it's just... Goddess, please forgive our ignorance and negligence. If we could have prevented those disappearances from happening, wouldn't everything have turned out like this today..."
George pondered for a while, and did not fall into self-blame with his teammates who closed their eyes and began to pray. Instead, he looked up a name from the only knowledge he had about the Witch Sect.
"Is the secret existence believed in by the Witch Cult called the 'Original Witch'?"
Krestey looked deeply at the gravedigger.
"That's right. Let's not talk about the original witch herself. Even if it's just the carrier of the newly born soul, for the mid- and low-sequence Beyonders, direct visual contact may cause serious contamination and lead to loss of control... You are really lucky that you didn't go crazy on the spot, so don't think about revenge. It's best not to even think about such thoughts. In addition, you mentioned the missing case..."
At this point, he paused, as if looking for the right wording.
Soon, Isin and George found out why the senior deacon behaved like this.
"In addition to the remains of the victims of recent disappearances, we, the Night Watchmen, together with the Punishers and the Mechanical Heart team, have found no less than 500 human corpses in the Green and the Lake Manor... I don't think you would want to know the specific scene at that time. In short, the earliest year of death among the corpses can be confirmed to be three years ago, which matches the time when the manor was last undergoing large-scale renovations."
Krestey said that the three Orthodox churches had reached a preliminary consensus that the dead in the manor should all be missing people in recent years.
Moreover, judging from this astonishing number, it is not just the city of Conant, but the disappearance cases in the entire Disi County may be related to this inhumane sacrifice...
Obviously, the Witch Cult had planned this long ago. They carefully manipulated the disappearance incidents in Disi County as a whole, keeping the crime frequency data within normal error limits for several years. Until the ceremony was about to be performed, they hurriedly accelerated the execution of the plan because they did not have enough sacrifices for the ceremony, and the official forces noticed something was wrong.
"At present, we are still unable to determine the connection between the missing persons... that is, the criteria used by the Witch Cult to select 'sacrifices'." Krestey said solemnly, "The oracle sent down by the Goddess revealed that all the keys are in the number '6'. I personally guess that the number of deaths implicated in that ceremony should be exactly six hundred and sixty-six."
The two Night Watchmen fell silent.
They understood what this "Sword of the Goddess" meant.
Even if the night watchmen in Conant City successfully solved the missing cases and rescued the dozen victims, they were powerless to nip in the bud other evils in the bud in Disi County, and this bloody and cruel sacrificial birth ceremony would happen sooner or later.
There is no need for them to blame themselves for things that are beyond their ability.
But...
both Isin and George knew that this was right, but realizing this right mistake undoubtedly made them feel painful.
"--I promise you."
Krestel Cesimar put his hand on the surface of the silver suitcase on the table and opened it.
In the eerie silence and darkness of the room, with only the pure white holy sword in the box emitting a pure light, he solemnly read out his oath.
"I swear to the goddess, I will take responsibility and put an end to this evil."
When the two night watchmen walked out of the room and returned to the ground, they still felt a dreamlike trance.
They were asked by Krestey to swear that they would not reveal the details of the birth of the "Original Witch" spirit to the outside world. It is said that the rest of the Conant City team will go through the same process one after another to avoid unnecessary accidents.
As for their captain, Muni Kahn, who is now imprisoned behind the Chanis Gate, according to Kresty, it is difficult to draw a clear conclusion at this stage.
But as long as "Nightmare" can distinguish the difference between dreams and reality, there is still hope of recovering from the brink of losing control.
"Don't worry, Isin, the captain will be fine." George grinned, saying both to the mystery-peek lady beside him and to himself, "He still owes Patrick and everyone a big meal, we can't let him get away with it like this."
"...Well, everything will be fine."
Without the need for verbal communication, the two Night Watchmen drew the scarlet moon on their chests with extraordinary tacit understanding and piety.
"Praise the goddess!"
...
Ding, ding.
As the gavel rang out, signaling a recess, a lawsuit at the docks of Tingen entered its intermission, which was set at fifteen minutes.
This short break can't really do much.
The judge and several court staff must seize this opportunity to finish today's lunch quickly, because there are still many messy cases and even messier and more helpless defendants waiting for them to face in the afternoon.
For example, there is a young boy who steals bread, an unemployed vagrant who sleeps on the street because he has no money to stay, and a violent person who almost commits murder just to make a poor tenant pay the two weeks' overdue rent.
The cases being tried today are of a similar nature.
A woman has been charged with murder after she attempted suicide by jumping into a river but lost her baby instead.
So after she was out of danger and left the Welfare Charity Hospital, she was charged with murder and now sits in the dock in court.
This was the scene that Eric Warden, a member of the "Manufactured Punishers" team, saw when he entered the small magistrates' court -
a haggard middle-aged woman with disheveled hair stood in the dock, laughing and crying, and occasionally swearing, using vulgar words.
But the few people sitting in the gallery didn't seem to care about any of this. A man dressed as a dock worker had a sad and numb expression on his face. He and three children in worn-out clothes were huddled in an inconspicuous corner. When he saw a stranger entering the courtroom, he just glanced over here blankly and then looked away.
This has something to do with Eric's appearance at the moment.
The dirty navy blue worker's uniform and the rough face from years of exposure to the sun and rain made the Punisher look like an ordinary dock worker, who made a living by selling his labor like thousands of other laborers who made a living by the water.
Eric walked over to the defendant's husband and children, sat down several seats away, and directly handed them a cheap cigarette.
"Do you have any matches? Lend me a light. But if you can answer one of my questions, that would be even better - you can have this cigarette."
The dock worker just looked at him without answering, and at the same time stopped his four or five-year-old child from reaching out to take the rolled cigarette - with the storm above, Eric felt that he would probably never be able to tell whether these dirty children were boys or girls.
"Don't be nervous. I work for Bob Dad's Shipping. I was sent here to learn about some recent events."
The Punisher casually mentioned the name of a local tyrant in the dock area and chatted for a few more words. He quickly dispelled the middle-aged man's vigilance with his reasonable choice of words and the aura of a "sailor" on his body.
"...What questions do you have? Just ask."
The dock worker took the cheap cigarette from his hand, but did not light it immediately. He just put it in front of his nose and sniffed it with an intoxicated look. After a while, he reluctantly put it into his jacket pocket.
Eric waited until the other party had finished enjoying the light tobacco smell in the cigarette before he spoke slowly:
"I heard that when your wife was found jumping into the river and rescued, she claimed that she saw a monster... a huge, deformed monster, right at the dock. You know, my boss always attaches great importance to such rumors, so he sent me to ask you... Where was your wife's choice of jumping into the river in the dock?"When the substitute punisher Eric left the small magistrate's court with the information he wanted, the verdict of the accused woman had just been finalized with the hammering of the gavel - she was sentenced to ten years in prison.
However, because the woman had shown symptoms of mental disorder and was deemed "insane" by the judge, her ten-year prison sentence was reduced at the discretion of the court. In the end, she only had to serve four years in prison before she could be released.
When Eric came out, the defendant woman's husband stood up with a stiff smile, constantly thanking the judge and court staff for their tolerance. The three children beside him turned their heads around in confusion, not understanding that their mother was about to leave them. The youngest one, with a dirty nose running, opened his arms and shouted for his mother to hold him.
In fact, anyone with a little common sense knows that if you throw a half-crazy woman into prison, what the probability is that she will be able to survive and be released from prison.
"It seems that you have gradually gotten used to these things... You have controlled your impulsive bad temper, which is not bad."
When the elderly Substitute Punisher Steve Hellend saw him coming out, he patted the young "sailor" on the shoulder and said half encouragingly and half with emotion.
"I'd rather not have that habit." Eric sighed deeply.
"So, are the rumors about the 'Dock Monster' true?"
"Not completely sure... the laundry lady wasn't quite mentally clear-headed. It could be that she had the sequelae of witnessing an extraordinary event, or she could have gone insane when she jumped into the water to commit suicide. But her husband did circle out a rough range..."
Eric said, taking out a map that had been folded several times from the big pocket on the worker's suspenders. After unfolding it, he roughly pointed at an area of the dock.
"This is the Tyrell warehouse and the seafood processing plant owned by Bob's father."
Steve is a seasoned expert with decades of execution experience. He has been through life and death with two captains of the Mandated Punishers. With his sharp eyes, he recalled the distribution of buildings in that area in just a flash, and said with certainty:
"If it is this area, we haven't sent anyone to patrol and investigate there in the past few days, so there may indeed be omissions."
"Then should we go over and take a look at the situation?" Eric asked.
"Don't worry. There may be other details on the defendant's side that are worth noting. Think about it carefully." Steve replied.
Eric said uncertainly:
"The laundry lady seemed to have only seen that it was a strange-looking gray-white monster that was not afraid of water and did not even hurt people. Instead, it saved her who was about to jump into the water to commit suicide... Assuming that her description of the monster's appearance is correct, it sounds a bit like a Beyonder who is close to losing control. And the other party was willing to save the laundry lady who fell into the water, which shows that he still retains a certain degree of rationality..."
"Stop." Steve's expression sank, "Boy, how long have you joined the Mandated Punishers? About two years."
"...Almost."
Eric has always been in awe of this stern and old-fashioned old man. Although they are both Sequence 9 sailors, as long as Steve uses this tone, he knows that he will be criticized again.
Sure enough, old Steve, who was in his fifties but still energetic, quickly used different words to scold him.
Those who are out of control are out of control, they are alienated monsters, they are a condensation of madness that has deviated from human nature. Any unnecessary understanding and sympathy for them will lead to greater tragedy.
Eric thought to himself that of course he knew that, since the old "sailor" had often warned all the younger Punishers of the same sort.
And currently, Old Steve is the oldest Extraordinary in their team.
But Eric, who grew up in the slums, knows that sometimes human nature is more terrifying than the monsters that the fallen have turned into.
Just like the dock worker sitting in the courtroom just now.
The area where the laundry worker was found in the water and rescued was almost a block away from where she jumped into the water to commit suicide. Surprisingly, her husband knew where she chose to end her life.
What does this mean... Eric didn't want to delve into it, nor did he think it was necessary.
It was a family tragedy, and even if he intervened, he couldn't change any problems. It would just be a waste of sympathy.
Eric is no longer the reckless young man who had just entered the extraordinary world and felt that he could solve the injustices in the world by his own strength.
"Let's report the situation first and let the captain worry about these problems." After the old sailor finished preaching, he raised his hand and patted the young punisher on the shoulder, "Young man, go to the 'Dragon Bar' to ask Swain for a drink and have a good rest. Maybe we will have work to do tonight."
Eric nodded slightly and did not reject old Steve's kindness.
That night, the Punishers did receive a notice of emergency action, but the content was not what the two sailors expected.
News came from the "Mechanical Heart" team that a dangerous suspected Beyonder had arrived in Tingen a few days ago. He was initially assessed to be a Sequence 8 "instigator", and the Punishers were needed to cooperate in investigating suspicious people in the East District, South District, and Dock District.
Along with the request for support, there was also an internal wanted poster.
There was a picture of a young boy with a round face and a kind and shy smile, and the name "Tris" was written at the bottom.
…
The next day, Wednesday afternoon.
Considering that he would be going to the underground market with Old Neil to buy extraordinary materials in the evening, Klein did not go to the Divination Club. Instead, he sorted out the relevant reports on the "Dicey County Serial Disappearances" in the Deville Library. Then, he took his old notes and rushed to Halls Street where the cafe was located.
Yesterday evening, after finishing his divination, he reluctantly walked to the Deville Café not far from the club. With a guilty conscience, he waited on the street opposite the café for someone to come out of work...
As a result, nothing unexpected happened, except that Alice laughed at him and said that he was like a cat peeking at the door to see if the breeder had returned home...
Of course, Klein strongly opposed this statement.
Well, until the girl took out a 10-pound note, indicating that this was the down payment she intended to pay him for his work.
…And so he remained shamefully silent.
Of course, if you get paid, you should do your job well. Klein understands this.
So this time, wearing formal leather shoes and holding a silver-studded cane, he walked into the cafe with his head held high and his chest puffed out with a calm demeanor.
"Hello, sir. How many people are there? Have you made a reservation?"
As soon as he entered the door, a receptionist dressed in black and white maid attire approached him and asked with a smile.
Klein only glanced at her, then looked away and gave his answer.
"This is my first time here and I don't have a reservation... Is there any room for two?"
...He had thought it was some kind of maid shop before. Perhaps he was too deeply influenced by the movies, TV shows and animations on the Internet. He subconsciously imagined it as some two-dimensional maid cafe, where the waitresses wore skirts that exposed their cleavage and the absolute area of their stockings.
It turns out that this cafe is not like that at all...
If I had to make an analogy, it would probably be a classic Victorian maid's dress, which is thick and warm, and can probably fit a lot of petticoats inside.
Under the guidance of the maid receptionist, Klein complained inwardly while looking around the interior of the cafe inconspicuously, trying to find a familiar figure.
So before sitting down, he actually found someone he knew.
Klein was obviously stunned, which caused the maid who was about to ask him what kind of coffee he wanted to subconsciously look in the direction of the guest's gaze. She then smiled as if she had understood something.
"Here's the menu. Once you've decided what kind of coffee you want, ring the bell on the table and someone will come over to take your order."
Klein nodded a little late and took the menu, indicating that he understood.
The maid who was in charge of reception felt that this was also a guest who couldn't take his eyes off the pretty girl, so she kept a polite smile on her face and left silently.
Indeed, Klein was indeed attracted by Alice, who was now dressed as a maid.
The conservative and old-fashioned black and white uniform skirt seemed to have changed her appearance when she wore it, outlining her plump and slender waist in a particularly attractive way. Her soft light golden hair was no longer loose, but was tied into a long braid, adding a bit of fresh pastoral style to her overly delicate and beautiful face.
But, but Klein, who had become more or less accustomed to her foul-level beauty, was not stunned by these things.
But beside her! That young man with the messy black hair!
He has a good-looking face, with calm and deep green eyes, a slight smile on the corners of his mouth, and a poetic and romantic aura.
——There's no doubt about it, it's Leonard. Oh, this guy is off today...
Klein looked away in confusion and glanced at the menu that listed the coffee flavors and their corresponding prices. He glanced at it absentmindedly.
He was quite far away from the other two people, and the cafe's chairs and decorations blocked his view, so he wasn't worried that they would notice him... But how did Leonard know that Alice worked here? Was it just a chance encounter? It couldn't be such a coincidence...
Oh, damn, the coffee here is really expensive...
After hesitating and choosing the coffee he wanted to order, Klein rang the bell at hand.
Of course, it was still the same choice as the original owner had made last time, original Southwell coffee, which was only 2 soli and 5 pence, the lowest priced of all coffees.
Although if he was a little thicker-skinned, he could choose not to order anything and wait for Alice to find him and come over. But Klein felt that he still had some dignity to uphold and would not do such a thing.
And perhaps he had already gotten used to this kind of pink-and-coffee atmosphere before traveling through time, and unlike the original owner who was restrained, he acted quite relaxed and casual, and even had the mood to observe other people in the cafe.
He soon noticed that a maid approached Alice, whispered something to her, and then gestured in his direction.
Although he knew that he couldn't see his face clearly from that direction, Klein still felt inexplicably guilty and covered his face with the open menu cover, pretending to be studying the pricing issue.
About a minute later, he heard footsteps approaching him, and finally stopped beside his seat.
"What would you like to order, sir?"
"...A cup of Southwell coffee."
After being greeted by her rare formal and polite tone, Klein almost forgot why he came here.
But until he met those eyes full of malicious smiles, he suddenly reacted, lowered his voice and whispered:
"No, you said before that if I have any clues, I can come to the cafe to find you...but you didn't say at all that I must pay and order before entering!" "
Of course, you can choose not to order."
Alice's smile was so pure and kind that it didn't make people angry.
She then took out a booklet and pen from her apron to record the order, and scribbled on it while muttering:
"A cup of Feynaport Plateau coffee, a pot of jasmine tea, two Intis-style colorful round cakes... a total of 15 soli and 8 pence. However, because the guest has a 10 soli voucher given by Danitali and a 5 soli donation from Alice, you only need to spend 8 pence to enjoy a delicious afternoon tea. Isn't it a good deal?"
When Klein heard the girl quote the sky-high price of 15 soli, he felt like he was suffocating.
But after she finished speaking, she took out two friendly and lovely paper coupons from her apron, put them together with the note with the order and handed them to him. He felt that those few lines of beautiful small words were so beautiful and moving.
By the way, the so-called "Intis-style colorful round cakes" refer to the macarons in this world, right? I have only seen them in newspapers before, so I don't know what they actually taste like. Maybe next time he could bring Benson and the others over to broaden their horizons...
Klein, feeling greedy, stopped imagining and nodded to Alice modestly.
"Then please wait a moment."
After saying that, she smiled again and left, leaving Klein sitting in his original seat, rubbing his hands with some uncontrollable anticipation.
A moment later, Alice returned to the window seat with a cart and saluted professionally. Then she dropped her pretentious service tone and said,
"Come, let's go to the private room."
"... Are you still working? Touching like this... Ahem, is it okay to be so lazy?"
Klein swore that he was definitely not worried about her. He was just giving her a friendly reminder as a fellow worker.
"It doesn't matter. If I'm not in the lobby, others will be more comfortable."
Alice said this as she pushed a cart with drinks and desserts through the narrow corridor, then lifted the curtain at the door of a private room and walked straight in.
Klein turned around subconsciously and noticed that several maids and waitresses had no time to look away. He suddenly felt something indescribable.
But he was silent for only two seconds before he felt that he was thinking too much and meddling too much, so he shook his head, put aside these distracting thoughts, and followed her into the slightly dim private room.
"Wait a moment... Well, the switch should be here..."
After lighting the gas lamp installed in this independent small room, Alice lowered the heavy curtain at the door and made a strange gesture with her right hand. Klein could now tell that she successfully constructed a spiritual wall at the moment the gesture was completed, and it blocked the room.
Now, their conversation will be protected by an extraordinary level of power and there is no need to worry about the risk of leakage.
...Uh, why is the gas lamp in the private room shaped like a heart?
Klein's mouth twitched, and he quickly looked away, watching Alice place the porcelain cups and dessert plates on the table one by one.
As the refreshing aroma gradually spread throughout the room, Klein seemed to remember something. He took out a notebook from inside his coat and spread it out on the table.
"I almost forgot about it... I have made some preliminary progress on the small issue you asked me to help you investigate."