Shade listened to the introduction and nodded lightly, thinking this stranger might be a paid tour guide:
"It really is a massive project. I've been to quite a few places, but even Tobesk and Wilundell don't have bridges like this, do they?"
After all, the rivers running through Tobesk and Wilundell were nowhere near as broad as the Tatton River here in Moon Bay.
Shade then asked:
"Come to think of it, who are you?"
The man in the brown robe answered with a smile:
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I could tell from your appearance that you're a guest who has come all the way from Delarion. There are indeed quite a few regional discriminators in this city, but I'm not one of them."
He warmly shook Shade's hand, then asked:
"Sir, have you heard of the 'Eternal Light'?"
Shade searched through his Mystic Knowledge, then decisively shook his head:
"Sorry, no. Is it some Moon Bay Area folk custom or legend?"
"No, no. It's an idea that has emerged in recent years."
He clenched his right fist and held it to his chest. Standing beside Shade at the riverside railing, he spoke very seriously:
"This Wealth City may be prosperous, but the sin and darkness festering beneath its surface have long threatened its very foundations. Sir, please allow me to ask you a few questions. If it is inconvenient for you to answer, you need not."
The middle-aged man in the brown robe asked:
"Don't you think that the wages you earn through hard work every day are unworthy of your efforts?"
"This..."
Shade did not actually work all that hard. As for his detective fees, he often felt that he had been paid too much, yet people insisted that Famous Detective Hamilton was worth the price.