After sharing some interesting stories and gossip among the nobility, Audrey stopped writing and pretended to be thinking seriously.
Relying on her excellent memory as an " Spectator," she meticulously pieced together fragments of her father Earl Hall's words and occasional teachings, as well as snippets of information she overheard at banquets, balls, and salons, organizing them into paragraphs.
After carefully planning her thoughts, Audrey finally put pen to paper and wrote:
Regarding your inquiry about the political situation in Backlund, that's not within my area of interest. I can only describe to you details that I happen to know, based on my recollection.
"Just recently, my father told me that after the Corn Laws was repealed, food prices plummeted, and rents for fields and ranches also dropped drastically. I don't know the exact figures, but I can give you an example to illustrate this."
"As you know, the Duke Negan is the most landed nobleman outside the royal family, boasting over £12 million worth of fields, pastures, and forests. Last year, his rent income reached an all-time high of £1.3 million, while this year, the foreseeable total rent income is £850,000, a decrease of a full £450,000, which is more than all the property I can inherit."
"I don't need to explain further, my dear brother. You surely understand the characteristics of most old-fashioned nobles. They take pride in owning land, rely primarily on land rent, and value appearances above all else. Even if they are in debt, they will maintain a lifestyle befitting their status, with annual castle repair costs in the tens of thousands of pounds, clothing and jewelry expenses of several thousand pounds each year, as well as constant hunting trips, social banquets, occasional grand weddings, luxurious funerals, and so on."
"Due to the severe decline in land rent income, as far as I know, some nobles are experiencing financial difficulties. As a result, the Earl Wolfe sold 840,000 acres of land in the countryside for 290,000 gold pounds, while Viscount Conrad sold his collection worth 55,000 gold pounds to the National Gallery."
"Apart from a few shrewd nobles who had already shifted their focus to industries such as steel, coal, railways, banking, and rubber, everyone else suffered severe damage in this Corn Laws turmoil. Let us here give a shout-out to our dear Earl Hall!"
"My father told me that financial difficulties would reduce the aristocracy's control over party politics and seats in the House of Commons. It's conceivable that the number of MPs from landed aristocrats will decrease significantly in next year's election."
"In order to raise funds, both the Conservative Party and the New Party promised that anyone, regardless of their criminal Record, who donated enough money would be eligible for a knighthood, provided that the gentleman possessed the minimum land area required to match the title."
"One example is the wealthy Mr. Sindras, who purchased the minimum 600,000 acres of land required for Baron, then donated £100,000 to the Carlton Club, £400,000 to the Conservative Party, and a total of £300,000 to charity, ultimately succeeding in receiving a royal decree from His Majesty the King to become a distinguished Baron. I've heard of a price list for this, ranging from £300,000 for Baron and £700,000 to £1,000,000 for a hereditary Baron. There's no definitive answer for Viscount and earls, but I imagine it's certainly extravagant enough."
"In that year, many nobles facing financial difficulties began to seriously consider the possibility of forming alliances with wealthy merchants. Within just two months, there were three such marriages, with the brides' dowries being extremely enviable."
"Furthermore, while the workers who marched to protest the Corn Laws did indeed see a reduction in food prices, their quality of life did not improve, and may even have worsened, because bankrupt farmers entered the cities, competing for jobs with their low wages, causing the wages of the working class to plummet."
"I remember that day, after we finished talking about these things, my father asked me, 'Who do you think is the Winner in this Corn Laws incident?'"
"My dear Alfred, you surely know the answer, and you can certainly obtain a hereditary title through your own efforts."
Xio Derecha and Fors Wall, having received Audrey's reply, are returning to the Backlund Bridge Area by carriage.
With his blond hair disheveled, Hugh gazed out the window, his eyes so bright they seemed to hold two burning flames.
She kept repeating the word "450 pounds" to herself, as if chanting a spell, and each recitation gave her a boost of courage and strength.
" Darkholme hasn't come to see us today to tell us about the latest investigation. Let's go straight to his house!" Suddenly, Hugh turned to look at Fors.
Darkholme is the head of a gang in the East Borough Backlund, controlling many beggars and thieves.
Although he always appeared kind, with a friendly smile constantly gracing his round face, little did anyone know that he was a cruel and vicious villain. He had once broken the hand of a thief who was only thirteen or fourteen years old, simply because the boy had kept the loot for himself.
If it weren't inevitable, Hugh wouldn't even want to see Darkholme, but the other man was one of the people who knew the city's homeless best.
Fors brushed her slightly wavy brown hair behind her ear and said:
"As long as it doesn't interfere with my lunch."
"No problem! Maybe after this week, I'll treat you to a fancy meal at Intis!" Hugh promised, feeling very pleased with himself.
"Should I thank God for this?" Fors asked, amused.
Unlike Hugh, she was a novice believer in the God of Steam and Machinery.
As they spoke, the two girls changed to another public carriage and arrived in the East Borough Backlund, where they found Darkholme's house.
This is a townhouse located in a narrow alley, with lush green plants growing on the walls, and the surrounding environment is quite messy.
Xiu walked to the door, raised his right hand, and knocked lightly on the door a few times in a unique rhythm.
With a creak, the door, which wasn't properly closed, swung open as she knocked.
Hugh's slightly confused expression instantly turned serious, like a lion with its mane bristling.
She drew the triangular dagger she always carried, carefully pushed open the door, and slowly stepped inside.
Fors also changed his nonchalant demeanor, and pulled out a dagger from somewhere.
Neither of them smelled anything strange, but their extensive experience made them keenly aware that something was amiss.
One step, two steps, three steps, Hugh and Fors entered Darkholme's house.
Then they saw the pale, severed arm draped over the gas lamp, the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys on the coffee table, and strips of flesh and blood scattered on the floor and hanging on the coat rack!
The bones, cleanly shaved, were piled haphazardly in front of the entrance.
Amidst the cluster of bones, there was a head with empty, hollow eyes—that of Darkholme.
His round face still held a kind smile, and everything seemed normal. There was no smell of blood inside the house, not even a trace.
As a former clinic Doctor and later a bestselling author, Sequence 9 Beyonder, Fors had seen far more gruesome death scenes than this. She patted the tense, nauseating Hugh, looked around, and said in a low voice:
" Qilangos? ' Admiral Hurricane ' Qilangos?"
"He discovered that Darkholme was investigating missing homeless people, so he followed him and went directly to his door?"
"Or perhaps Darkholme tracked him down, but he discovered it?"
Suppressing his nausea, Xiu nodded solemnly and said:
"As expected of a pirate general known for his ruthlessness and cunning... and the eeriness here matches the characteristics of his magical item."
"Cunning..." Fors exclaimed suddenly, "Could he still be waiting nearby, trying to ambush and investigate his mastermind?"
Xiu paused for a moment, then replied somewhat flusteredly:
"Very likely!"
That's Sequence 6 " Wind-blessed," a great pirate who possesses a magical item, while the two of them are only Sequence 9!
This is a very simple and easy comparison!
In the house across from the Darkholme's, a man in his thirties with a distinctive broad chin and dark green eyes stood by the window, coldly watching Hugh and Fors push open the door and slowly step inside.
This is none other than " Admiral Hurricane " Qilangos!
The black glove on his left hand suddenly began to wriggle as if it were alive, and a layer of fine, dark gold scales appeared on its surface.
Qilangos revealed a cruel and gleeful expression, his dark green eyes turning into pale gold, merciless vertical pupils.
Fors quickly changed his mind and pulled Hugh to the other side, avoiding the area directly opposite the door.
Then, she gritted her teeth and removed a bracelet that was hidden under the ruffles of her cuff.
This silver bracelet features three rough, dark blue stones with uneven, burn marks on their surfaces.
Fors snapped a stone off his shoulder and whispered in Ancient Hermes:
"Door!"
She held tightly to Xio Derecha, watching the stone emit an ethereal, pale blue light.
The figures of the two women blurred and became almost invisible.
They saw indescribable forms, things so transparent they seemed nonexistent; they saw beams of clear light of different colors, containing boundless knowledge. They entered the mysterious Spirit World.
In that bizarre world beyond reality, Fors pulled Hugh along and took a step in a certain direction.
After three breaths, they emerged from their transparent, illusory state and returned to reality, back to Backlund.
However, the place where they were was no longer Darkholme's home, but an empty cemetery.
Wearing fine-scaled gloves, Qilangos appeared silently at the entrance to Darkholme, his cold gaze sweeping inside.
He paused for a moment, frowned slightly, and muttered to himself:
"' Traveler '?"
In the cemetery.
"What do we do next?" Fors breathlessly, her voice filled with both heartache and lingering fear.
That bracelet was a magical item she obtained during her serendipitous encounter with the " Apprentice " recipe and materials. Apart from the strange, indistinct murmurs she would hear during the Full Moon each month, it posed no other threat.
The bracelet originally had five stones, which allowed her to travel through the Spirit World, doing something similar to Teleportation, but now only two remain.
After calming his mind and spirit, he nodded solemnly and said:
"First notify Miss Audrey, then, then call the police!"