Discussion

Black City is located in the northeast of the Bremen Empire, belonging to the Great Forest District of Kawa Province.

However, the entire area of Black City is only 24 square kilometers, making it small enough to be called a "town," and it is the smallest city in the Great Forest District.

Because the urban cluster is built on hilly terrain, Black City contains many hills. The highest one, named "Fengdeng," is located in the city center. It connects to "Fengdeng Lake" at its foot, forming a natural buffer zone that serves as the boundary between the wealthy and poor districts.

With the parliamentary building, "Fengdeng Castle," at the mountainside as its center, the surrounding urban area is called "Horst," the gathering place for the most powerful and wealthy people in Black City.

At this very moment, inside a detached apartment in the second block of Horst, four or five high-society figures were sitting on the living room sofa, drinking tea and chatting.

"Parr, you were in such a hurry to call us over—is there something important?"

A man with short brown hair and a gaunt face sat sideways on the edge of the sofa, holding an exquisite teacup. With his legs crossed, he smiled with a cynical expression.

"Call me elder brother, Kurt. Don't forget the etiquette Father taught you."

The man named "Parr" had his hair neatly combed and sat bolt upright. Combined with his well-fitted striped suit, he looked extremely handsome. He glanced at his younger brother and said indifferently.

However, Kurt did not take this to heart and merely smiled.

Beside him, a young woman wearing a sky-blue, low-cut dress set down her teacup. Her lightly made-up face revealed a smile as she spoke with red lips:

"Brother, has something happened with the Oak Gang?"

"Yes." Parr nodded with a grim face. "Lucas Parr is dead, along with his confidants and over a dozen other gang members."

Upon hearing this, the several direct descendants of the Louis Family present changed their expressions.

The Oak Gang was their cash cow, providing a steady stream of Gold Caesars every month. Even for nobles like them, while not a fortune, it was a considerable sum—a fine "dessert income."

The men had to go to clubs for recreation every month, occasionally watching horse races or fighting matches, and the ladies needed to buy various perfumes and scents to "ward off miasma." Expenses were everywhere.

If the Oak Gang stopped operating, their comfortable lives would inevitably shrink.

More importantly, the Oak Gang was an informant network and tool that their father, Layton Louis, valued immensely.

As far as they knew, their father had always had Lucas secretly collecting contraband art and heretical books. The true purpose was to search for the legacy left behind by the ancestors of the Louis Family in their hometown, Black City!

Their father once said that their ancestors possessed power beyond the mundane. If they could obtain that legacy, the Louis Family would be more enduring and glorious, perhaps even leaping up to become one of the few top-tier noble families in the Bremen Empire.

This was the real reason why, after retiring from the Imperial Chamber of Commerce, their father was willing to give up years of accumulation in the capital, Muse City, to return to this peripheral small city.

Their father had handed the management rights of the Oak Gang to his children, allowing them to use the monthly proceeds as they pleased, but the secret mission must never stop!

Now that Lucas Parr, the gang leader, was dead, and his confidants were gone, all the arrangements their father had made might be interrupted. They, as his children, would inevitably face their father's wrath.

Because of this, the living room fell into a deathly silence.

"Could it have been the Redwood Street Police Station?" Kurt bit his finger, his eyes flashing with resentment. "We haven't given the city police department few benefits; how could they dare to risk offending Father just to kill Lucas!"

"It has nothing to do with the police station." The elder brother, Parr, shook his head and sighed. "It was done by a low-level member of the Oak Gang."

"Hm?" The brothers and sisters were deeply confused.

"Internal gang strife?" Beatty, the second eldest, spoke up. "But how could a low-level thug kill so many people?"

"His name is Gilan Iros, 20 years old, just an ordinary hoodlum who grew up on Redwood Street. A few days ago, he was arrested and imprisoned by 'Prohibition Agents' while peddling moonshine. But strangely, this guy killed eleven cellmates in the Redwood Street Police Station single-handedly, as well as nine police officers, including a two-star inspector, and managed to escape."

Parr spoke in a low voice, recounting the intelligence he had gathered for his siblings.

"This matter even alarmed the police superiors. Mr. Staven from the Propaganda Department personally signed the arrest warrant, determined to catch him... all because this guy stole the core item of an important project for the 'Purification Department,' a mysterious black film reel."

"This..." Everyone looked at each other, finding it unbelievable.

"After this Gilan escaped the police station, he returned to the Oak Gang. Lucas originally intended to secretly hand him over to the authorities, but before he could act, he was killed by that guy."

As Parr spoke, he rubbed his temples, feeling a headache.

Kurt slammed his teacup down, gritting his teeth:

"Where did that guy run off to now? We can't just let it go! If Father finds out we messed things up..."

As he spoke, a trace of fear flashed in his eyes.

The expressions of the other siblings were also quite ugly. At this moment, the elder brother, Parr, spoke:

"Of course we can't let it go. We must find him before the police do, force the location of the film reel out of him, and then hand it over to Father for a decision... The 'Purification Department' isn't so easily fooled; even Father couldn't withstand that pressure. All we can do now is try our best to make up for our mistakes."

Everyone naturally understood what Parr meant.

After all, that Gilan was a member of the Oak Gang, and the Oak Gang was controlled by their Louis Family.

Now that the police station had lost something important, and the "Purification Department" and even the Minister of Propaganda were blaming them, even their father wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.

"Let's pool our money and hire Mr. Granny to take action."

Parr scanned the group and spoke.

"Father has some history with him; perhaps we can even get a discount on our commission."

Unexpectedly, none of those present objected; instead, they were highly in favor.

Granny Remo was the most famous private investigator in Black City, with top-tier professional skills. Most importantly, he had another identity—

He was an "Instructor"-level fighter!

This was not an "instructor" comparable to those coaches in fighting clubs, but a professional fighter who had passed the Bremen Empire military assessment and been issued a certificate.

Mr. Granny was even qualified to serve as a coach for the local military!

"Each of you contribute 45 Caesars," Parr said, summoning the butler to bring his wallet. "As the elder brother, I will contribute 70 Caesars... totaling 250 Caesars. That should be enough to ensure Mr. Granny gives his full effort."

"Fine!" Although it pained him to spend the money, Kurt gritted his teeth. "We must make that brat pay the price!"

Sister Beatty, however, sighed.

The Oak Gang had suffered such a major oversight. Although it wasn't caused by their own mistakes, their father wouldn't listen to their explanations. Now, they could only try their best to recover the losses and redeem themselves.