In terms of size, Duststar city wasn't even up to half of Calton city, making Blake's journey to the central region quick.

Unlike Calton city which was divided into 3 regions, Duststar city only had 2; Normal region and Central region.

There was little to no difference between what was meant to be the slums and the middle region, but the moment Blake's carriage entered the central region, it was like going from 0 to 100 in a second.

Most of the buildings in the central region consisted of luxurious manors and beautiful story buildings that made the marginalization of the commoners outrightly clear.

Blake didn't have any issues with the buildings in the central region being beautiful because those of Calton was even better. The problem he had was that the living conditions of the commoners were below standard.

"I wonder if this is the same thing in other cities?" Blake thought.

Calton was the capital city of the eastern region of the empire, so it was meant to be the best in terms of development. It was just that Blake hadn't expected the difference between it and a city like Duststar to be so huge.

[Why do I have a feeling that this is why Prince Bryon sent you here?] The system asked.

"How?" Blake was confused by the system's statement.

[Think about it. From what we have seen so far, it is more than clear that the nobles in Duststar are corrupt. So there is a high chance that you will end up exposing them in the course of your investigation.]

With how marginalized the commoners of Duststar city were, the system could swear on its main body that the nobles were heavily involved in the crimes going on in the city.

"How does that have anything to do with Bryon sending me here?" Blake was even more confused.

[Imagine a situation where a commoner exposes the evil doings of nobles in a city, which would end up improving the standard of the common citizen.] The system painted a picture for Blake.

"It would not only further his agenda of giving commoners equal rights, but it would also boost the common man's confidence." Blake said in realization.

[Exactly.] The system said. [My guess is that once the activities of the Cobra mob and corrupt nobles are exposed, Prince Bryon would come in and fully restructure the city.]

"We are here!" The voice of the carriage driver snapped Blake out of his thoughts.

"Finally." Blake said as Ebony and Ivory returned to their sword form before placing them back into his dimensional pocket.

Just like every other thing in the city, The Square was way smaller than that of Calton city, but it made sense.

Since Duststar wasn't as big as Calton, it would require a lesser number of Ash corps to police the city, meaning a smaller station.

"Now that we have arrived at our destination, what will you be doing?" Blake asked Jerry.

"On request, I can take you to any part of the city you want. Also, I am the one to take you back to Calton when you are done with your mission. " Jerry replied.

"Alright then."

Blake left Jerry and walked into the square before going straight to the top floor.

Knock! Knock!

Blake knocked on the door of Major Garret, before walking in.

Major Garret was the commanding officer of the Ash corps in Duststar. He was 5'9 in height with a receding hairline and a frown plastered on his face.

On entering the office, Major Garret lifted his eyes off the piles of documents on his desk before moving them to Blake.

"Welcome to Duststar Captain Blake!" Major Garret said with a stoic expression that was in no way welcoming.

'He is the opposite of Colonel Darius in all aspects. ' Blake thought.

"Is there any way I can be of help to your investigation?" The Major asked with an underlying tone of bitterness which Blake didn't miss.

The fact that they sent someone from a different city to investigate a matter in his own city was a clear indication that the higher-ups saw him as incompetent.

The worst part was that it was not someone of higher or the same rank, but a Captain. This pissed him off but the worst part was that there wasn't much that he could do about it.

He was aware that Blake was in possession of a royal seal, so if he tried to interfere in the investigation or even try to make Blake's life hard, he would be in big trouble.

"Yes, I just need a detailed map of the city." Blake answered.

"Then that won't be a problem at all." Major Garret replied as he called his secretary to bring Blake a map.

"If that is all, then I hope you enjoy your stay in Duststar." Major Garret said with a forced smile.

The moment Blake left his office Major Garret took out a communication amulet from his dimensional amulet and made a call.

"He is here. Inform everyone to play safe till he has left the city." Major Garret said before cutting the communication link.

When he had first been informed of Blake's mission in Duststar he had wasted no time looking into his profile.

Apart from the well-known feet of winning the Regional competition and bringing glory to the Eastern region of the empire, Major Garret found extra information that made him fear Blake.

He found out that when Blake was still in the magic school, he was the leader of the order of chaos adventurer party that had a 100% success rate in investigations.

One of his greatest feet as an adventurer was discovering the hideout of the notorious gang leader, Slade.

Then as he joined the Ash corps, his team busted multiple gangs, with the highest bust being the Cobra mob that just happened some months back.

With so many investigative accomplishments, Garret was afraid that even with his help his associates would still be caught. That was why he had informed them to reduce all their activities until Blake returned to Calton.

Once Blake left the Major's office, he went back to the carriage before opening the map that was given to him.

"Seems both maps are the same thing." Blake said after comparing the map given to him with what he had gotten from Colonel Darius.

The request for the map was a test to know if Garret was against him.; he had passed the test but Blake still didn't trust him one bit.

With that done, Blake moved over to the next agenda on his list, accommodation.

He told Jerry to drive him around the city to see a few hotels in the normal region.

Blake wasn't looking for the best hotels, instead, he was looking for a hotel where he couldn't be monitored so easily.

After close to 2 hours, Blake finally settled for one named Serene Angel hotel. It was a 4 story building located not too far from the Central Region.

"I have been in Duststar multiple times, and I have heard a lot of bad things about this place. Are you sure this is the place you want to stay in?" Jerry couldn't help but ask when Blake made his decision.

"It's perfect, you don't have to worry about me." Blake said to the carriage driver as he alighted from the carriage and went into the hotel.

The theme of the reception was white and blue which Blake thought was genius, but the decoration and arrangement of the reception were a major letdown for him.

He went straight to the receptionist before requesting a room with a view of the city.

He got a room on the 2nd floor, and without wasting any more time, Blake moved into the room.

'At least the room arrangement isn't as bad as their reception.' Blake said as he sat on his bed.

'Where are the monitoring devices in my room?' Blake activated the Locator skill and began scanning the room in an inconspicuous manner.

The clairvoyance lights instantly pointed out the locations of the hidden monitoring devices, and without making a move, he used telekinesis to destroy them.

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