Charlie – So I'm beginning to see that others were interested in my work. Time to find out what they're out to. (chuckles)

1892... Universe Ambrogio, Universe 12 of 20... England...

Isleworth Town was under the morning sun as Eli was walking casually in her commoner's attire. First thing's first on her to-do list was find any small incidences of having illegal firearms owned by anyone. Meanwhile, Rin and Nozomi were in the same attire theme as Eli, but they were tasked to get to the blacksmith of the town. He's the expert when it comes to shaping gun parts at such size, while he also makes swords, and bayonets for rifles. Rin and Nozomi however, are focused on the knife design that was possible on their matching dagger used as a murder weapon, while Eli will tackle a suitable gun that partners with a knife at close range, at Melusine's recommendation.

As Eli came to a carpentry business building, she entered it and was looking around, seeing different logging materials and humps of logs scattered around. Muscled men were just walking out from the building from her way. 'It seems legitimate here.'

"Welcome!" A male British accent of a voice spoke while she saw the black haired man in his thirties. That time, he was wearing a derby hat. "My, missus... You look like you just came out now. Can I help you?"

"Ah... Have you heard of what happened to Dean Grace? The police arrived this morning at his shop."

"Aye. That old man's life shouldn't have ended like that."

"I agree."

"So why are you here asking?"

"Actually, I'm doing something for a study of mine."

"Ah... Getting educated now, are you? Hope you get in your teachers' head that a few subjects matter instead of too many. It makes my head ache, missus."

"Okay... I want to ask a different question. "Have you by chance have any idea who would have guns?"

"What kind?"

"Just pistols."

"For a lady, you got quite a taste of such weaponry. To be honest, I never encountered a young woman of such."

"Let's just say things have been developing well on my education that I decided to try something different. It'll be part of my study as well."

"Well... I can point you to a man who owns pistols. For an enthusiast like you, he'd like ya. Really. Follow me." The man said this before walking out the building before Eli followed him.

Meanwhile, Nozomi and Rin were approaching the blacksmith's shop.

"There it is, nya!" Rin said it, excited of their assignment.

"Calm down, Rin," instructed Nozomi. "First thing we should do is find the blacksmith here. He should have an idea about different parts for pistols, as well as sizes for knives."

"Ah... It's related to gun parts sizes, and probably the knives that are designed at this time. The one that was examined after the little autopsy Melusine conducted would be compared to what we find now."

"But can't it be done just by the use of Melunsine's data?"

"She just wants this done to compare the blades England produces and how effective they are, as well as the shape. If it's identical or close, then it's the dagger model we've been looking for. This is just too assure that the dagger itself is real to anyone at this world. If it turns out there's nothing from here, then we're just gonna have to hope this little problem would be removed as time passes, I guess."

"Ah, I see, nya..."

"You know, Rin... You could have interrogation skills and you could have a higher perception on details in an area. Wanna keep an eye out on places?"

"Sure thing! I was a cop."

"It's exactly why. Oh... Here it is." Nozomi then led Rin inside the blacksmith's shop. They saw men inside, dipping hot metal in water, hammering down other hot metal shaped into sharpened blades, with tips terrifyingly sharp. Nozomi took note of the sizes of the blades, since most of them were to be installed with hilts. The lengths of some would be good enough for the overall products to be swords, while some are just called blades, knives or daggers since they're shorter.

"Keep at it, lads!" A man with a long brown beard, and looking to be in his forties was roaming around, watching the work of the others younger than him. "Harder on the pounding! Sharpen those tips! Those are knives, not dull swords from the plays! Is that all you can do?!" His shouting was stopped when he saw his two young female visitors looking around. They intrigued him and he approached the two ladies, looking to be more polite since they could be regarded as ladies of Isleworth. "Welcome of Branden's! Aren't you two too feminine to be interested in this lowly shop I got?"

Nozomi smiled at the man who was humble. "There's no need to be concerned about that. Actually, we came here since we're here for different blades you have available. We were hoping to find spare daggers. We're not buying, and just looking."

"Well I got myself a fine selection. What is it for, though? Is it for killing your husband? Or maybe killing your father? Or is this related to the man who was killed last night?" The man glared at Nozomi, seeming to understand her eye language. "I know it's pretty much related to the third one since it was a knife that killed him. Anyway... I've been browsing around, so try to look well at it. Come on." The man said, while leading the two girls to the small shop proper and to a desk. "Wait here."

Rin then whispered to Nozomi: "Nozomi, think we could trust him? Is he suspicious? He saw through us, nya..."

"Not quite, Rin. We might be interested in knives, but I don't think he suspects of bad things."

"Oh..." Rin then saw the bearded man come back with a tray of knives and daggers before placing them on the counter.

"You ladies better have a good reason why you're looking, or maybe a price for these or just one," the man said. He then looked at the two girls looking at the daggers with intrigued faces. The one with purple hair was carefully observing each one, while the other girl was scanning it. "You look to be rather young to be interested in these blades."

Nozomi then replies. "I've had fair knowledge of cutting tools and sharpened ones. My father was rather the admirer of them." She answered that to have a plausible alibi for the blacksmith boss. "Though... I was wondering if you have the throwing knives."

"Throwing knives are hard to make, and not mention the kind of material it uses. The sword doesn't match to that since since scouts and assassins come around and make sure the material's dependable and stronger than the ordinary weapon. Don't worry though. I don't know that business they have with England."

"Wait... Foreigners reside in England?"

"The French and Spanish have good relations so far. However, they have a little problem with the Scots since they're still asking for independence from England. That's what I know. England's representing for the big bridge construction happening at the Anglo-Scottish border. It'll allow mineral transfer if I got it right. They'll include trees or... I don't know. Right now, a 3 mile gorge stands in the way, but I heard they're going to be making a legitimate deal for the construction."

"Okay..." Nozomi is able to relate while looking at the blades. She then sighed a little later. "It looks like none of these catches my interest."

"W-what?" The man was surprised, as he saw an unsatisfied customer. "Wait... Are you sure? Or hasn't the blade chosen you?"

"I'm sorry, but it really isn't here. The kind I'm looking for has a longer hilt. Supposedly, it's a unique kind of design."

"Ah... I see. I'm sorry if I don't have it here then."

"It's okay. These are fine blades you have here. Many would appreciate these kinds. Whether it's served for evil or good deeds, the only thing that matters is the performance. Please... Keep it up, good sir. We'll take our leave."

"Oh... Thank you for the kind compliment. Good luck, young missus." He said this before the two left the blacksmith shop...

Rin, while leaving with Nozomi from the blacksmith shop, was somehow disappointed after finding out the blade's design doesn't fit their expected murder weapon. "Eh...? What now?"

"I guess we'll have to walk around town until Ericchi is finished with her task. Shall we?"

"Okay, nya!" Rin happily followed Nozomi, even skipping a few times past the other while they both walked the length of the town...

Wooden shooting range...

The Colt Single Action Army revolver's trigger was squeezed before the muzzle rang out, pushing the bullet furiously towards the glass bottle before it broke. The owner of the revolver pistol grinned while lowering his weapon, before looking at the nearby desk full of other handguns at his disposal. "You lads having fun?" He asked, looking at the direction of his other guns.

"Sir?" A familiar man's voice rang from the behind the gun owner, letting him turn and see his carpenter friend had a guest: A young woman. "You got yourself a guest. How is it?"

"So far, it's fine, Katch. So who's the young lady?"

Eli found it offensive, but smirked. "I happen to be a gun enthusiast, mind you."

"Oh? A toughened up one, huh? So you're not afraid if one was pointed at you then?"

"Strange... I found it refreshing."

"It happened to you before?"

"It hasn't been the most friendly of times, but I got used to it."

"Good. Adapting. It's the best thing in everyone's minds right now after what happened to the old coot running the sweets shop. He was a good man. Jolly..."

"You happen to have guns that fit well with a knife?"

"If you're asking that, then you could have been looking for a musket with an attachable bayonet. None here."

"I was actually thinking of the possibility of handling a knife next to a handgun that's quite handy."

"Close fights?"

"Perhaps."

"Oh, you are one swell and naughty lady at that." The gun owner chuckled before pointing at the guns on the table. "These are the ones I have in my disposal, but they're not for sale though."

"I'm not planning to buy them." Eli said this while looking at the gun the owner was holding. 'Colt Single Action Army... Sleek shape... and if customized with a shortened nose, it could be the ideal one that pairs up with a knife at the murderer's side. He used a knife as a primary weapon, but a shortened SAA could be a backup.'

The gun owner smiled at her noticing his weapon. "Oh, this? The Colt Single Action Army is one weapon that shouldn't be messed with. This comes from America, but it's been shipped here to my request. Being the gun collector rather gets me going, you know."

"I understand," Eli replied.

"Katch, you can go." The gun owner put this like a command and the man named Katch left the room. "Young lady, you're simply looking at a piece of work. You've been aimed at with a pistol." He was once holding the SAA, just before he rotated with a little throw, letting him hold the nose and extending his arm towards her. "Let's see you do the aiming this time."

Eli didn't waste any time as she walked closer and held her arm out, before clasping her hands at the grip of the SAA. "The grip is refined wood." She mutters before pulling the pistol near her. "Six shots..." Then she examined the sights at the nose. 'Probably, the killer could put the sight on the nose of a modified SAA while it's shortened.' "It's beautiful, indeed."

"Why don't you give it a try?" The gun owner advised it, but she didn't need to be told to do just that.

Eli then looked at a glass bottle target five feet in front of her. She raised her SAA and pulled the hammer down with no problem before she aimed down the fight with one hand. Her posture was well used as one foot was behind the other while her arm is steady as she takes a deep breath, and slowly exhales before putting her finger on the trigger and squeezing it, firing a round. The bullet went straight to the glass bottle and it shattered on impact. She smiled at this as she lowered the SAA. "I thought so."

"You're amazing. You could be a sharpshooter at this rate. Where did you learn how to shoot a gun?"

"I learned it from a man trying to protect me. He died before I fired the first shot. At least his memory lets me keep going on the training. Years of it was there before I fired a revolver with ease."

"I see. He didn't die in vain then. Outstanding." He found her spinning the revolver as she held the hose and cylinder before he took it back and holstered it. "You should drop by sometime again."

"I think this may be the last time. But it's great to experience this again. I'm satisfied enough with what I did."

"Alright then. Stay safe. I doubt you'll be hurt by what you shown me." The gun owner smiles and she smiles back before she left.

And as Eli left the building, she sighed. 'The perfect weapon could be an SAA. Shorten its nose and it could be turned as a compact, and backup weapon for the dagger...'

In a private room of a saloon...

Eli placed the holographic transponder on the table before pressing a button, letting the hologram of Melusine with her hands on her workstation and her eyes on the screen appear to all three Sailors in the room. "Melusine?"

"Ah... It's you three. What did you want?"

"We made some progress. For now, it's nothing solid, but at least we should tell you. First off, the gun that could be used along with that dagger is a compact-custom Colt Single Action Army. The look of it definitely fits in as a secondary weapon to our murderer. I tested one and that great kick rather gets me convinced it's not only powerful, but also dangerous especially at close range. It wouldn't make difference on the distance either."

"An SAA? It's American and not British. Why would a murderer have an American weapon?"

"The best kind of assassins always get the ones that are more durable. In this case, our murderer's not only wise in picking the revolver, but also quite the enthusiast like I am. If I'd want to pick a weapon, it's the one that certainly catches my attention, and see if it's dependable. In the case of the SAA, it's an all-purpose weapon. It's more than dependable."

"You sure know your guns."

"Of course. My daughter almost got killed when I used one to shoot revolvers at oncoming attackers. I tried being a politician. Guess that didn't work out." Eli then looked at Nozomi and Rin. "What did you two find?"

Nozomi sighed. "Thing is, we didn't find anything else, Ericchi. That's really going to be a problem since our murderer won't take any chances the weapon could be identified."

"So that answers how covert he is. He won't take any chances recognizing him. And he's a murderer carrying Shadow energy and manipulating his mind. Plus... He knows the ins and outs of this town. That might explain he's using another comparable model."

"Whatever the case..." Melusine spoke and continued. "...We can only find him on the fact there were events placed on that year. Nozomi, what did you find?"

Nozomi then answers. "For now, there's information about a bridge construction at the gorge borders of this country and Scotland. I don't know, but so far that's all I can find."

"Okay... Stand by..." Melusine then typed at her computer, and eventually a few beeps were heard. "Okay, I got what you meant. This world's history points to a big gorge bridge construction. There are two bridges, with one of them for resource trade purposes, and the other for general use. See, the kings of the two countries are already deciding on Scotland's fate. It seems the Scottish are supposed to depend on the English parliament for resources, and the Scottish have a unique set of resources of their own. To make things work, they needed to go through swaps and trades to support both countries. You see, agriculture in Scotland was greater, and England was only giving out industrial resources to Scotland, which was perfect."

"That gives them more of the initiative." Nozomi muttered and interrupted Melusine. "They were once caught in a war for Scotland's dependence or independence from England. Hopefully, the trade bridge plan would extinguish the hate and be a source of peace."

"Well... at least we got something, because I see a connection of this to Dean Grace. Besides being a smuggler, he's a double-agent to two factions in England: Being a messenger for the royal parliament, and being a smuggler for various underground sides against the parliament. I found this new. Sorry if I didn't tell you guys before. Anyway, that's how it is. He lost interest in both fields and just dropped it. What he's murdered for might be the question we gotta ask ourselves next."

Rin hummed in thinking, just before she spoke. "Maybe there was a weapon that Grace was supposed to give?"

"How can you tell?"

"He's a weapons smuggler, right? The weapons should be top-quality types, and could be devastating."

"True. There WERE some notable guns from different parts of Europe that can break through metal easily at that time."

"What are those? Anti-materiel armor-piercing rounds or something?"

"They were called metal-breakers back at that time, and not armor-piercing. But the same concept applies. There's a weapon of such. But a weapon of such isn't small. It'll have to be big and the murderer should have brought a cart..."

"Not necessarily." Eli interrupted Melusine. "Melusine, there are designs of small weapons with anti-armor capabilities. It's good enough if it's not going to last, but it'll only be around for a short time."

"That's crazy. Nobody else does... Oh, wait..." Melusine was heard typing again before a few beeps were heard. "Okay, I got another page consisting of custom-made weapons for smaller sizes in firing rounds that pierce armor."

"Make sure they're small enough to fit packages."

"You're joking. A pistol, maybe?"

"Something crazy like that."

"Well I have something for you guys then." Melusine's holographic image faded before another image appeared. It was the 3D view of a handgun, with a longer and wider nose of greater diameter. It also has a cylinder of its own, as Eli noticed there were three bullets that fit in it. They were rather large rounds to allow the weapon to have big cylinder holes. "This is one crazy example. But I only know of its history, and its usage. This is one of the filed armor-piercing pistols, shaped like the modern revolver you guys know."

Rin was fascinated by it. "This is crazy, nya! No wonder... This needs three hands to lift with one hand."

"One hand is three of them?" Nozomi analyzed Rin's words. "Couldn't it be two handed?"

"That's right, but it can't..." Eli said, looking disappointed. "This kind of weapon was not used by anyone by lifting it with one hand. If I remember correctly, it needed two people to operate this weapon."

"You know what else?" Melusine asked, while the image changed to a carriage, reinforced with metal plating. "Apparently, this world was focusing on having metallic carts, most especially England. This one you're seeing right here is a standard armoured cart. As I saw pretty much in this royal government's list of protective vehicles, they own an armour cart that can withstand almost all kinds of hostile objects, including bullets, with this model alone no match against theirs. England wasn't taking its chances with the Scottish trying to eliminate any leader inside a cart, apparently. But while the disputes are coming to an end, they're rarely seen. Though... I doubt it'll be the last time. According to my reports here with me, the royal government's armoured cart would be used to take the English Parliament Representative to the bridge construction area to oversee the first day. The Scottish Representative will be joining him, and it will be the time they both agree to the terms they've written to each other about the two countries stopping the disputes and beginning the construction officially. This event will tie the two countries significantly."

"An important event..." Eli muttered before speaking louder. "This might be what we have to protect."

"Perhaps. But will the culprit be the same one who killed our sweets shop owner and weapons smuggler? That might be true. The culprit would need a weapon to pierce the English parliament's armoured cart. It's almost impenetrable, but not to the custom armour-piercing rounds our smuggler must have passed against his will. We're not sure yet. He'll be making his next move at anytime, so we can't say for sure this would be the event he's targeting. Or maybe he's a female?"

"It's a male." Nozomi said, opening her eyes. "A minor vision tells me so. There's nothing else I could dig if I try to go deeper."

"That's helpful, at least. Thank you, Ms. Nozomi."

"Though I believe this might be it," Eli said. "I'll have to keep an eye on this and see events related to this. Nozomi, Rin... There's no need for the two of you. I can handle things on my own."

"What?" Nozomi and Rin were surprised of Eli's decision.

"It's better only of us see things closely. Or... You could try walking around Isleworth yourselves."

"Ericchi, I'm against your first call." Nozomi said this in response. "I might agree Rin isn't needed, but I need to guide you and..."

"I said... I can handle this on my own. Now if you will excuse me..." Eli then walks to the door. "I have a library to search." She opens the door and leaves the room while closing it behind her.

Rin winced at Eli's idea just now. "I think I saw another side of her, nya..."

Nozomi giggled. "That's Eli for us. If she has deep thoughts, we could at least see she's serious. If there's something she can't handle, it's others holding her back. Rin... Let's keep walking through the town and see what's what. We'll probably catch up to other events the history books didn't record anyway."

"Good luck to all three of you and stay safe." Melusine said this before her image disappeared from the holo-transponder as Rin used a pocket dimension to hide it.

"I'm right behind you, nya!" Rin happily followed Nozomi out of the door...

Hi ya! Short update, I think. I'm currently writing this chapter. I'm gonna write the next part so... YUP! :D Hope ya guys enjoyed. PM me or leave reviews.