An hour before dawn, Wiggins moved through the darkness.
Even in the dark, the shock on his face was impossible to hide.
It was simply too unexpected!
Maltz had actually gone to the Count's mansion.
Even more surprising, the reclusive Count had actually received him-Wiggins had seen Maltz enter the mansion with his own eyes.
Then he had come straight to Arthur.
It wasn't that he didn't want to keep watching, nor was he short of men.
Rather, once Maltz entered the mansion, the Count's guards had expanded their patrols.
Wiggins hadn't dared linger. After signaling his two subordinates to leave, he had headed straight to Arthur to report.
Vaulting over the fence at 2 Kirk Street, Wiggins didn't ring the bell. Instead, he knocked softly.
The next moment, the door opened.
Arthur stood there in his pajamas, holding a bowl. He slurped noodles as he motioned Wiggins inside.
A late-night snack?!
Wiggins blinked. Something about the scene felt strange, completely at odds with his impression of the mysterious, bloodstained Arthur.
Even a Medium ate late-night snacks?
Despite that thought, the Golden Fingers wasted no time telling his employer everything.
Arthur listened as he ate. Once he finished the last noodle, he lifted the bowl and gulped down every drop of broth.
Burrrp~~
The rich beef broth left Arthur thoroughly satisfied. Only after belching and setting down the bowl did he offer his heartfelt verdict.
"That hit the spot!"
In the dead of night, someone was always hungry.
There were no more grilled skewers, hot pot, fried chicken, or soda.
But there were still...
Noodles!
Even if they weren't instant noodles, they still satisfied Arthur's stomach.
And they put him in a good enough mood, too.
"Want a bowl?"
Arthur asked.
Wiggins immediately waved his hands. As a Golden Fingers, he had no habit of eating late-night snacks, but... those noodles smelled so good!
Should I have some?
But Wiggins immediately shook his head, driving the thought away.
There were more important matters to discuss right now.
"Boss, what should we do?"
Wiggins asked gravely.
Having accepted Arthur's employment, he was now in the same boat as Arthur.
If something happened to Arthur, he wouldn't fare much better.
Especially with the Count of South Los involved!
At this point, Wiggins's mind was already in turmoil.
Arthur, however, looked calm and relaxed.
"Just wait."
"Have faith in Maltz."
Arthur smiled as he reassured the anxious Wiggins.
That reassurance worked.
Wiggins soon calmed down.
He trusted that Arthur wouldn't say such things without reason.
But he still had a question.
"How could Maltz have any connection to the Count?"
Wiggins put it quite tactfully.
What Wiggins really wanted to say was that if Maltz truly had ties to the Count of South Los, how could he have been bullied so badly?
"Maltz doesn't, of course. But other people do!"
Arthur explained.
"Other people?"
"He only took Middle and Gitt with him, didn't he?"
Wiggins frowned deeply, still unable to grasp the key point.
Of course Wiggins had heard of Middle and Gitt, but just like Maltz, if those two had ties to the Count of South Los, would they have spent over two years as sixth-rank police officers before becoming full officers?
In a sense, Middle and Gitt were quite famous in the Shire District.
They were the only two probationary police officers in South Los's history!
After the new law came into effect, the Shire District police station's staffing consisted of one chief, who counted as a first-rank police officer, two third-rank police officers, three fourth-rank police officers, four fifth-rank police officers, and a number of patrolmen.
As for probationary officers?
They were sixth-rank police officers.
Middle and Gitt had passed one assessment after another to become sixth-rank police officers.
Then, although they should have become full officers after a year, it had taken them over two additional years to be promoted to fifth-rank police officers.
As a result, the Shire District normally had six fifth-rank police officers.
After that?
The Shire District had never had any more probationary officers. Likewise, although the new law called for a second-rank police officer to serve as deputy chief, that position had remained unfilled for various reasons.
Even Old Charlie had mentioned the pair more than once to Arthur's predecessor.
He had lamented both their good fortune and their misfortune.
Their good fortune was becoming police officers.
Their misfortune was never fitting in with the existing officers.
But that was before!
Now?
It no longer mattered.
A new order was about to emerge within the Shire District police station-the new law had been implemented in South Los three years ago with the Count of South Los's approval. Otherwise, Middle and Gitt would never have become probationary officers. Even if pressure had forced his hand, at least the law had been implemented.
Even if it had later met resistance at every turn and existed more in form than in substance, that didn't matter.
Arthur believed Maltz would overcome all that resistance.
And turn it into momentum.
All he needed to seize upon was-
Profit!
Yes, profit!
If Arthur had been handling tonight's business himself, he would have visited the Count in Middle and Gitt's names and plainly offered him all the wealth of the Shire District's remaining third-rank police officer, three fourth-rank police officers, and four fifth-rank police officers.
He would also have promised that Woolt's and Lark's wealth would belong to the Count.
At the same time, he would have promised that the wealth of the remaining chiefs and officers would eventually find its way into the Count's hands.
In short, he would have made the promises as extravagant as possible.
As long as the Count was tempted.
Everything would be settled.
And would the Count be tempted?
He would!
No one would turn down wealth handed to them for nothing.
Especially when their finances weren't in particularly good shape.
As the master of South Los, the Count owned estates, farms, hunting grounds, and a fleet-possessions anyone would envy.
But maintaining the hunting grounds and fleet also cost an astronomical sum each year.
Balancing his accounts on the proceeds from his estates and farms alone was impossible.
He could only rely on his fleet to do that.
But this year's rainy season had lasted over a month longer than usual. The relentless rain had kept the Count's fleet trapped in port.
Some of the cargo aboard was probably on the verge of going moldy.
The Count must already have been frantic.
After all, besides those two money pits, the hunting grounds and the fleet, he also had to pay substantial taxes to the Grand Duke of Inner Bay every year.
And the tax deadline was fast approaching.
So Arthur could already picture Middle and Gitt's meteoric rise.
But Maltz was still the most important part!
With profits in hand and more to come, the Count would surely install Maltz as chief of the Shire District.
Of course, there was one other thing: a good reputation!
After eliminating these parasites, these Blue-Skinned Devils, the Count would inevitably earn a better reputation among the people of South Los. Everyone would sing his praises.
With all that in his favor, why wouldn't the Count do it?
Of course, if the Count turned out to be insane, rejected all of this, and simply killed Maltz-though judging by past rumors, the chances were vanishingly small.
Arthur, who always made contingency plans, had already packed his bags.
If anything went wrong, he would run immediately.
Whether he hid in the mountains as a bandit or went to sea as a pirate, he was ready.
But he told Wiggins none of that.
He simply took out a one-gold banknote and handed it to him.
Wiggins had done an excellent job watching Maltz.
Next, Arthur would still need him to find Toad's real hideout-during yesterday's battle, his viewing angle had given him a clear look at Toad's face before the sulfuric acid destroyed it.
"Thank you for your generosity!"
Although Wiggins still had questions, he accepted the banknote and put those questions out of his mind.
Keeping his curiosity firmly under control was the cardinal rule that had allowed Wiggins to grow up safely on the streets.
Then Wiggins rose to take his leave.
By now, the sky was gradually brightening.
People would soon be out on the streets.
Neither Arthur nor Wiggins wanted to be seen.
Wiggins slipped swiftly out through the gate of 2 Kirk Street and headed straight down the street toward Dale Lane.
Just then, a group of newsboys carrying newspapers burst out of Dale Lane-
"Extra! Extra!"
"Officer Maltz solves the murders of Chief Woolt and Officer Audo!"
"The fearless one born of the storm, guardian of the Inland Sea, owner and ruler of the Southern Islands, Chief Justice, champion of the new law, the Count of South Los has signed the appointment promoting Officer Maltz to chief of the Shire District!"
Wiggins froze on the spot.
Before you continue