Detective

Friday brought a sky blanketed in thick clouds, blocking out the sunlight. Yet instead of becoming cooler, the weather grew ever more stifling.

After school, Colin headed back to the Russell family home with his backpack on his shoulders. He wore only a single shirt, yet he was still drenched in sweat.

He quickened his pace, eager to get home and take a cold shower.

When he arrived at the front door, Colin spotted an unfamiliar black horse outside. Setting aside its coat color, he carefully examined the horse's frame, strength, and finer details.

"A purebred from the Aishier Highland." Colin fell into thought.

"Who could it be? It shouldn't be the person I invited, right?" Colin rubbed his chin, tightened the straps of his backpack, and headed for the door.

As Colin changed into slippers, Linda emerged from inside. She wore no apron today, carried no scent of cooking fumes, and held no spatula.

"A young gentleman is here to see you. He calls himself John Loring and says he's from Kent City." Linda wore a strange expression as she whispered to Colin.

"Could he really be the person I invited? He even travels on a purebred horse?" Colin looked astonished. Then he smiled at Linda. "Sis, I want roast chicken."

Linda froze for a moment, then understood and shot Colin a glare. "Don't do anything bad," she whispered. Then she went back to retrieve her small handbag, checked whether it contained enough money, and only then left the house.

Wearing slippers, Colin entered the living room and met a charming gentleman. He was tall and well-proportioned, with glossy short blond hair framing an exceedingly handsome face. The corners of his mouth curved slightly upward, revealing two shallow dimples. He was dressed formally and impeccably, and his black leather shoes had been polished to a shine.

"Hello, Mr. Colin. I'm the Private Investigator you arranged to meet, John Green." John rose with a faint smile and gave Colin a slight bow.

"Hello, Mr. John." Colin returned the slight bow.

After the pleasantries, Colin invited John to sit again. Two plates of small biscuits and two cups of black tea sat on the coffee table. Judging by the steam rising from the tea, John had only just arrived.

"I wrote to Mr. George and asked him to introduce me to a Private Investigator, but I never expected him to send such a wealthy gentleman." Colin shook his head, still surprised.

"I'm not merely a wealthy gentleman. I'm also a Lifetime Knight of the Empire, and one of Kent City's finest Private Investigators. I specialize in infidelity cases. So you should prepare yourself—my fees are very expensive."

John smiled at Colin and even gave him a mischievous wink.

Colin was at a loss for words. He had merely asked George VIII to find him a Private Investigator. How had he ended up with someone like this? An Imperial Knight, no less. Rather than being a proper Imperial Knight, he had gone off to become a Private Investigator. He clearly wasn't a serious person.

And his fees were high.

Colin's heart twitched, but he maintained a composed smile. "How expensive are your fees?"

"That depends on the case. Extraordinary incidents start at twenty Gold Coins. Ordinary cases start at ten Gold Coins. Infidelity cases depend on the target's security." John maintained his smile throughout.

Colin nodded. That was still within an acceptable range.

"His name is Kebir. He's a wealthy grain merchant and currently the vice president of the Grain Association in Will City. Investigate him thoroughly and find his dirty secrets." Colin went straight to the point.

"Fifteen Gold Coins." John considered it before naming a price.

"Deal." Colin agreed readily.

By the time Linda returned carrying a packaged whole chicken, the Private Investigator had already left. Linda did not ask any questions, merely warning Colin again.

"Don't do anything bad."

Colin agreed without the slightest sincerity.

Hiring a Private Investigator to investigate Brian's father, planning to bring him down in the process, and then entering the grain business to make a fortune—did that count as doing something bad?

After Mr. John's visit, he vanished as though he had never existed. Colin continued attending school during the day and brewing basic potions at night.

Time reached September 1st. That day, Colin asked Ms. Anna for leave and waited for a guest in his family's living room. He waited until Rhode handed over a full three hundred Gold Coins.

Colin packed the gold coins into a leather bag, went to the stables to rent an Eastland white horse, and rode toward Knight Victor's country villa outside the city.

After handing the horse over to the elderly gatekeeper, Colin went straight to find Knight Victor, who was training Smith. Victor promptly abandoned Smith, his own younger brother, and led Colin one after the other into the villa's living room.

Colin placed the leather bag on the living room's coffee table. The Gold Coins inside clinked crisply against one another.

"Lord Victor, these are the promised three hundred Gold Coins. You and your friends can get moving." Colin sat on a genuine leather sofa as a maid approached with black tea and biscuits. This time, Colin did not add any sugar cubes and simply picked up the tea to drink.

"Truly remarkable." Victor had noticed the suspicious leather bag the moment he saw Colin. Only now did he let out a sigh.

How old was this boy? Yet he could already produce such a huge sum of cash.

"First, we'll register a grain company at Will City Hall and divide the shares. Then, in our names, we'll borrow a sum from the Imperial Bank and use the loan to purchase the grain that originally belonged to those wealthy merchants." Victor looked up at Colin and smiled. "This is your plan, but you still haven't named the company."

"Noah." After thinking for a moment, Colin spoke a single word.

"Noah? What does that mean?" Victor froze. As a traditional Imperial Knight, he possessed extensive cultural knowledge, yet he did not know what the word meant.

"It is the name of a ship. With this company as our starting point, we'll embrace the stars and the sea." Colin smiled.

Knight Victor could not understand it at all and could only shake his head repeatedly.

"I'll handle it at once." Victor immediately rose, summoned the butler to prepare a carriage, and headed to City Hall to register the company.

Colin spent some time with Smith, freeloaded off the Victor household's lunch at noon, and did not leave Victor's villa until the afternoon, when he patted his backside and returned to Will City.

The following matters also proceeded remarkably smoothly. Noah Company was formally established, with agricultural products as its primary business. The company's actual controller was Colin Russell, who held sixty percent of the shares.

The shareholders were Victor Williams and four other Lifetime Knights of the Empire.

Afterward, Knight Victor smoothly borrowed three thousand Gold Coins from the Imperial Bank in the company's name, formally entering this year's grain trade.

The main reason was that the company's shareholders were simply too formidable. When the bank saw the company documents—five Lifetime Imperial Knights—they readily approved the loan.