Tin City, where the afternoon sun made people drowsy.
Pollution from nearby industrial exhaust had blanketed the entire city in a layer of brownish haze, making the sunlight seem harsh.
Gallo was talking with a young engineer.
"You mentioned the problem of sealing and fatigue strength in piston connecting rods under high-pressure steam conditions..."
Gallo spoke to the well-dressed young man across from him, his voice calm and clear. "I suggest you consult these books..."
The young man took out a small, portable notebook and held a pencil in his other hand, ready to take notes.
Gallo then smoothly recited the titles and locations:
"Outline of Applied Thermodynamics, by Hobson, in the Engineering Basics section at New Knowledge Journal Press. It has a green cover, and the third chapter discusses the properties of sealing materials under different pressures in detail.
"Metal Fatigue and Mechanical Life is on the third shelf from the east on the second floor of Aofan Bookstore. It has a black spine, and includes case studies on the propagation of microscopic cracks under alternating stress. It's highly relevant to your problem.
"Also, John Joe Bookstore recently got a new shipment of Frontier Technology Applications, compiled by the Imperial Academy of Engineering. The second issue this year has a short article about a highly adaptable metal composite gasket technology recently adopted by the Empire. It might give you some new ideas."
The young engineer took notes rapidly, his face brightening with understanding. "Thank you so much, Mr. Gallo! These books you recommended will save me a lot of time! You're truly one of a kind in this field."
He readily paid the two-Fenso consultation fee, then hurried off, eager to find the books.
Gallo calmly put away the coins.
He'd recently been getting plenty of inquiries about improving steam engines and optimizing machinery. Students from Imperial Industrial University and young engineers had become regulars.
These young engineers had generally just graduated. When they ran into problems at work, they returned to their old school to seek help from former mentors and relevant professors. Some had heard about Gallo by chance from other students.
By now, Gallo had built quite a reputation among the students at Imperial Industrial University. His efficient and precise guidance was grounded in his vast reading and remarkable memory, and it was also what allowed him to make a living on Lubo Lane.
He had just picked up his teacup, ready to enjoy a moment of peace, when he saw a young man in a slightly rumpled suit stride toward him, looking anxious.
The man first eyed the black GG Sign beside Gallo, then asked hesitantly:
"Are you Mr. Gallo?"
His voice carried clear anxiety, and a sheen of sweat dotted his forehead. After Gallo nodded, he continued, "Sorry to trouble you, but have you seen Professor Vanason today?
"The professor often mentions you. He once told me that his favorite part of coming here for coffee every day was getting to talk with you for a while."
Gallo paused. Then a plan took shape in his mind. He invited the man to sit and spoke to him in a deliberately lowered voice so no one else could hear.
Gallo put on a suitably puzzled expression. "Professor Vanason? No, he hasn't been here today."
He paused as though recalling something. "Come to think of it, it is a little strange. The professor... hasn't come in for coffee for a few mornings.
"I heard from the staff here that Professor Vanason usually stops by for a while before work.
"And I haven't seen him during the day, either."
His words were like a stone dropped into a still lake, deepening the anxiety on the teaching assistant's face.
"Exactly!
"Professor Vanason hasn't been to the university for three days, and there's been no word from him!
"He didn't request leave from the department, and on the day he failed to show up, I went to check on him at home. No one was there.
"This is so unusual!
"There are still classes to teach, and I have no way to explain this to the students.
"And there are documents he needs to sign..." He was practically babbling.
Gallo furrowed his brows slightly, feigning concern and thoughtfulness.
He fell silent for a few seconds, then leaned forward and lowered his voice further. He spoke with a hint of uncertainty, but in a tone that sounded reasonable:
"Try not to worry too much.
"Professor Vanason is a highly respected scholar. He wouldn't disappear without a reason.
"I remember... he was very interested in Professor Jeffrey's expedition to the Southern Continent." He deliberately mentioned Jeffrey's name and watched the teaching assistant's reaction.
"Professor Jeffrey?" The teaching assistant paused.
"Yes." Gallo's voice dropped even lower, as if he were sharing a plausible theory.
"Think about it. Professor Jeffrey just returned from the Southern Continent with so much important expedition material.
"The two professors have been friends for years, and they co-authored a well-known history book.
"Could Professor Vanason be... so absorbed in researching those new discoveries with Professor Jeffrey that he lost track of time and even forgot to let the university know?
"Major academic breakthroughs can sometimes keep scholars so engrossed they forget to eat or sleep."
His explanation was perfectly reasonable, entirely in keeping with an outsider's idea of how scholars worked.
He didn't say outright that Vanason was definitely at Jeffrey's place. He simply offered what seemed the most likely explanation, and the one most apt to spark the teaching assistant's thinking.
The teaching assistant's eyes lit up as if he'd grasped a lifeline. "Right, right!
"It's quite possible Professor Vanason is at Professor Jeffrey's residence, researching with him. How did I not think of that?
"And Professor Jeffrey even applied to the department for leave. He must be at home right now.
"They used to spend so long discussing things in each other's offices that they'd lose track of time and forget to go home. Once, when I went to their office the next morning, they were still excitedly discussing things after a whole night without sleep."
He seemed to have found his next course of action. The panic on his face eased, replaced by an eagerness to find out for sure.
"Thank you, Mr. Gallo. I'll go check Professor Jeffrey's place right away." The teaching assistant hurriedly thanked him, turned at once, and almost ran out of the Moonlight Cafe.
Gallo watched him leave, lifted his teacup, and took a leisurely sip. An Eye of Spirituality appeared above the departing teaching assistant's head.
Gallo had placed it on him so he could keep track of the teaching assistant's movements. He had also deliberately steered him toward Professor Jeffrey's home.
Professor Vanason had gone into hiding after Malcolm threatened him. Now that the teaching assistant was heading to Professor Jeffrey's home, perhaps an official organization of the Empire would discover that Jeffrey's death involved the influence of supernatural forces.
The situation was still looking fairly good for him.
Before you continue