Old Town is the fourth district investigated in Criminal Case: The Conspiracy.
Better known as the Historical Center, it seems not much has changed in Old Town for the past five years. Elderly and cultured people still live in the district, historical buildings such as museums are still prominent landmarks, and a peaceful way of life has remained in this part of Grimsborough... for the most part, as not only a notorious Cult has taken Old Town as their headquarters for the past year or so, but an an ancient, Underground City pertaining to the long-lost Xerdan civilization has also emerged from the ground depths after being unearthed by the earthquake that struck Grimsborough a few weeks ago.
Old Town focuses on dealing with the aforementioned cult known as The Higher Truth, a Church of Happyology promising eternal happiness and ascend to other planes of existence to its followers in exchange for monetary donations. At the same time, it also focuses on the excavation of Xerda, an ancient civilization that's been discovered not long ago and now has attracted the interest of a lot of people, be good archaeologists or evil tomb raiders.
- The Lost City: An archaeologist is forced to ingest tar until she asphyxiates at an excavation site.
- No Mercy for Old Men: An elderly man is shot multiple times while sitting on a bench in a park.
- Writer's Blocked: An author and historian is bludgeoned to death at a museum.
- Color Me Murdered: A comic artist's torso is slashed open in a destroyed street.
- I Lost My Heart in Xerda: A grave robber's heart is cut out at a sacrificial altar.
- The Truth Hurts: A cult leader is stabbed in the eyes at an annual fair before he incites a mass suicide.
Tropes:
- Arc Villain: While Steven Crowe is initially hyped as the main antagonist of Old Town due to being the leader of The Higher Truth, it's his second-in-command Grayson Rosewater who is exposed by the end of the district as the true mastermind behind the cult being a Scam Religion designed to strip people out of their money, as he's revealed to be working for DreamLife, the ones receiving all the cult's profits to keep funding their company.
- Church of Happyology: The police department arrives to Old Town to investigate The Higher Truth, a cult promising eternal happiness, enlightenment, and reaching higher planes of existence to its followers in exchange for donating all of their money; money that has been mysteriously going to DreamLife due to the cult's belief that their crashed satellite is actually a divine messenger from heaven. Eventually, this plot raises its stakes when it's revealed the cult is planning to commit mass suicide, believing that getting rid of their physical forms will allow them to reach the aforementioned higher planes of existence.
- A Day in the Limelight: One for Gabriel, as his interest in the long-lost city of Xerda and The Infiltration into The Higher Truth are given a lot of emphasis, practically making him the main character of Old Town.
- Lost World: A lesser but still important plot of Old Town is witnessing the excavation and exploration of Xerda, an Underground City pertaining to a lost civilization that went missing in the 3rd century but now has been unearthed thanks to the earthquake that struck Grimsborough.
- Recurring Character: The main recurring characters for Old Town are Steven Crowe, Grayson Rosewater, and Skylar Sage for The Higher Truth storyline, and Ray Parker, Bruno Camper, Laura Crosby, and to a lesser extent Marcus Butler for the Xerdan sections of the plot.
- Two Lines, No Waiting: Old Town puts equal amount of focus on dealing with The Higher Truth and the discovery of the city of Xerda. In fact, each arc is given three out of the district's six cases to focus on, as Xerda mostly takes the spotlight in cases 19, 21, and 23, while The Higher Truth is mainly investigated and tackled on during cases 20, 22, and 24.
