Seeing that Angelina was curious, Shade told her the contents of the letter. Angelina then asked:
"So what did Wilundell ask you to investigate? What exactly was stolen from the Royal Mint?"
Shade shook his head.
"It doesn't say."
"It didn't say how you were supposed to investigate? There had to be some clues, right?"
"The first agents assigned to track down clues about the theft know those details. I need to complete the rendezvous before I can get the specific information. This has nothing to do with my original purpose, but... well, I'm curious about what the Mint lost too. After I complete the rendezvous, I'll look into it."
Tracking down Big Mouth Sparrow had been Shade's original purpose in coming here. Now that the investigation could finally resume, he did not waste time. After confirming the location and password in the letter, he bade Angelina farewell and set off again.
"Let's find some trace of Big Mouth Sparrow today!"
Gray Gloves had many secret local safe houses. The one Shade had been told about was located in the Lower District. The meeting was set for ten thirty in the morning. Shade arrived at the secluded alley ten minutes early, found the apartment by its room number, and quickly knocked four times as required for the rendezvous. There was no sound from inside.
"Stone Heart. There's no heartbeat in the house. There are still ten minutes left. Is the contact really that punctual?"
He wanted to wait a little longer, but after taking a few light sniffs, he frowned.
"The smell of blood. I have a bad feeling about this. All right, Door Key."
The door opened, and Shade entered the two-story apartment. Though the building had two floors, each was even smaller than Shade's living room. It looked