Klein listened carefully, then asked a question in return:
"So, you suspect that the Zerrell the Detective saw was someone in disguise?"
Holding his brown Round Tower hat, Ian answered thoughtfully:
"That's a possibility, but I think it's too difficult, too risky. The party is at night, and the lighting isn't very bright. Most of the participants are Detective, Detective with keen observation skills. It's hard to fool them with just wigs, beards, and makeup."
Perhaps some extraordinary ability can do it... just like the " Creeping Hunger " possesses... Klein's question just now had a little trap, trying to judge from the content of the big boy Ian's answer, his facial expressions and body language whether he had come into contact with Beyonder and whether he had some understanding of the mystical realm.
The initial answer is no.
Seeing that Detective Moriarty nodded slightly in agreement with his reasoning, Ian continued:
"I believe that the Detective did see Mr. Zerrell, but he wasn't free; he was under tight control and unable to send out a distress signal. The reason he didn't respond to my calls was to alert me and make me find someone to help rescue him."
"A reasonable explanation." Klein loosened his grip on her hands, leaned back slightly, and tried to appear more relaxed and confident.
Ian was silent for about ten seconds before speaking with a slightly solemn tone:
"I would like to ask you to investigate Mr. Zerrell, to ascertain his current situation, that's all."
Considering that the other party was a semi-professional who gathered intelligence and information for Detective, Klein was interested in making his acquaintance and smiled, saying:
"So how much are you planning to pay? You should know very well that this matter could be very dangerous."
Ian glanced discreetly down at the pocket of his old coat, and said carefully:
"There are two options. One is that I'll give you a sufficient reward, a reward that will satisfy you, and that will remain the same amount regardless of whether the task is simple or difficult, unless you suffer a relatively serious injury."
"Secondly, I can pay £5 upfront, and then add more fees depending on the difficulty of the task once you complete it. However, this is prone to disputes, even if there is a contractual agreement."
Klein pretended to think for nearly thirty seconds before speaking in a low voice:
"How about this? You pay £5 upfront, and after the task is finished, you do three things for me. Don't worry, they won't be difficult; they'll all be within your capabilities and won't put you under too much pressure. This can be stipulated in the contract."
Ian frowned, then stood up, leaned forward, and extended his right hand, saying:
"OK!"
Klein gave him a perfunctory handshake, pulled out a standard contract he had prepared beforehand from the coffee table, picked up a round-bellied fountain pen, added all the details they had just discussed into it, and pressed his fingerprint to confirm.
After signing the contract, he gave the young man Ian a stack of blank papers and watched him write down information about Detective Zerrell.
After a while, as he flipped through the documents, he casually asked:
"How can I contact you in case of an emergency, or if I've confirmed Zerrell's condition?"
Ian pursed his lips and remained silent for a long time until Klein looked up at him, at which point he answered somewhat stiffly:
"No need to contact me, I'll show up at the right time."
He didn't say anything more, and pulled a thick stack of banknotes from the pocket of his old overcoat. They seemed to be stacked neatly in descending order of denomination.
Ian first pulled out three one-pound notes from the bottom, then counted out six five- Soli notes, and finally ten one- Soli notes.
Seeing that the banknotes were arranged so neatly, with even the portraits of several kings facing upwards without any mistakes, Klein suddenly felt a little annoyed.
This is severe obsessive-compulsive disorder... He sighed silently and accepted the payment offered to him.
Based on his visual estimation, Ian had no more than £3 left in cash.
He probably brought all his savings with him... If I had asked for more money, would he have skipped out on the bill? He doesn't look like that kind of person, but you can't judge a book by its cover... Klein casually folded the banknotes and stuffed them into his pocket, not caring whether they were neat or not, and he successfully saw Ian's expression Distortion slightly.
"I'll try to complete the investigation as soon as possible." Klein stood up and gestured for him to leave.
"Thank you for your help." Ian thanked him sincerely, because the price offered was clearly a "discount."
Watching the boy, who seemed much more mature than his actual age, leave, Klein stroked his chin, silently muttering to himself, lost in thought:
"This matter is very complicated."
" Ian never mentioned what Detective Zerrell was investigating recently, or what kind of intelligence he was instructed to gather..."
"Forget it, I'll take care of whatever amount of money I'm paid for. I just need to confirm Zerrell's current condition."
He turned around, walked back to the living room, and casually pulled a copper coin worth 1/4 penny from his pocket.
when!
The copper coin tumbled upwards, Klein's eyes deepened as he silently wondered if there were any extraordinary factors involved in this matter.
Then he opened his right hand, trying to catch the falling penny.
Clang! The coin slipped from his fingertips, fell to the ground, and rolled a long way.
This result means the Divination failed.
"It seems Ian is hiding more than I thought... The lack of information is so great that even a vague Divination result cannot be obtained..." Klein pursed his lower lip, took a few steps forward, and bent down to pick up the copper coin.
That evening, in the early hours of the morning, at 138 Rose Street in the Backlund Bridge Area.
Klein changed into a cheap light blue work uniform, and his mouth, chin, and cheeks were covered with black stubble, giving him a rugged and savage appearance at first glance.
He wore a dark baseball cap with the brim pulled low, almost covering his eyes.
This hat originally belonged to the Hunter of the Republic of Intis and differed somewhat from the traditional deer-hunting hat of the Kingdom of Loen, but it has recently become popular among the lower and middle classes of Backlund.
Hidden in the shade of Intis plane trees along the roadside, Klein used the elegantly designed gas streetlights to observe the houses across the street.
That's Zerrell's home.
The Detective was from Southville County, where his parents, relatives, and friends lived. He ventured alone to Backlund and gradually gained some fame.
He was still a bachelor and only hired two temporary maids, the kind who came to clean every three days, and didn't need to provide food or lodging.
At that moment, the row house he rented was completely dark, with no lights on at all.
Klein unfastened the silver chain from his left wrist cuff, letting the citrine pendant dangle naturally.
"It's dangerous inside."
"It's dangerous inside."
After repeating this seven times, he opened his eyes and saw the pendulum spinning clockwise, but very slowly and with a small amplitude.
"There's danger, but not much," Klein muttered, checking once again the tarot cards, homemade charms, and Holy Night Powder he carried.
After doing all this, he looked around and, taking advantage of the quiet of the night, nimbly slipped to the other side.
Zerrell's house had no porch, no garden, no lawn; it was right next to the street curb. Klein went around to the side, followed the water pipe, and easily climbed up to the small balcony on the second floor where clothes were drying.
He then took out a tarot card, slipped it into the crack, and opened the door leading to the corridor.
Following the house layout drawn by Ian, Klein arrived almost silently outside Zerrell's bedroom.
He gently tapped his left teeth, activated his Spirit Vision, and peered through the wooden door into the room.
Spirit Vision allows one to see the colors of an aura through non- Spirituality barriers, but this is closely related to one's own level of skill. Klein can currently observe through a wooden door, but he cannot overcome a stone wall, and the vision he sees is not very clear.
Within his line of sight, in the bedroom behind the door, there were three humanoid auras, their colors hazy, each positioned in a different location.
Three people were lying in ambush... to capture Ian, or someone else? The bedroom wasn't big... Klein stood in the darkness, calmly considering his observations.
Suddenly, he retreated towards the balcony, his steps still very light.
Back on the balcony, Klein took a thin silver disc from his pocket.
This is the " Sleeping Charm " he tried out this afternoon.
He did not pray to the Evernight Goddess, but instead performed a ritual on his own behalf, on behalf of " The Fool That Doesn't Belong to This Era," and then entered the Gray Fog to respond.
Because this method couldn't mobilize the power of the mysterious space above the Gray Fog, Klein could only "respond" with his own Spirituality. The resulting talisman was worse than the normal one, but better than the one made "in my own name," and barely usable.
Klein looked around again, covered his mouth, and whispered an Ancient Hermes word:
"Crimson."
Feeling the talisman suddenly turn cold, he quickly but silently moved back to the door of Zerrell's bedroom, gripping the handle as he infused Spirituality into the silver sheet.
With a creak, Klein carefully turned the handle and quietly pushed the door open a crack.
Immediately afterwards, he threw the " Sleeping Charm " in his hand inside.
After a brief pause, Klein closed the door again and began to count silently.
"3"
"2"
"1"
He suddenly pushed open the door and rolled on the floor.
Not sensing any movement from the three people, Klein stood up and, using the crimson Moonlight streaming in through the window, began to survey the room.
This is a normally laid-out bedroom with a bed, a row of wardrobes, a desk, a small sofa, and a coat rack.
On the other side of the bed lay a man in a black coat, fast asleep.
In addition, there was another person next to the small sofa and in front of the wardrobe, both of whom were fast asleep.
After confirming the condition of the three people, Klein moved quietly, walked to the bedside, bent down and found a few strands of short, yellowish-brown hair.
According to Ian's writings, Detective Zerrell was a man with short, tan hair.
"It should be right..." Klein murmured, clutching the few strands of hair that had fallen out. He walked to the small sofa and slowly sat down, settling into the dim, slightly crimson light. He planned to use Dream Divination to find Zerrell.
Leaning back against the sofa, he curled the corners of his mouth and silently mocked himself:
"This is reasoning..."