Klein met Jurgen Cooper in an office at the Ries Police Station. The young senior Lawyer was still dressed very formally, as if he were always ready to attend a high-society dinner party.
His double-breasted black tuxedo, stiff-collared white shirt, oversized bow tie, and gleaming leather boots made the police officers very polite to him.
Jurgen, holding a top silk hat, looked at Klein with his blue eyes and said:
"All the formalities are complete. You can leave after paying £10 bail."
"Thank you." Klein didn't say much, and followed the good-looking but old-fashioned Lawyer Jurgen to the police station's finance office next door, took out his wallet, and pulled out two 5-pound notes.
He was extremely glad that he had all 95 pounds in cash with him; otherwise, he might have had to borrow from his good neighbor Jurgen.
Of course, the most serious concern was that if the cash was kept at home, Klein had no confidence of how much would be left after a police search. However, he couldn't put it in the Gray Fog, because he might end up having to Bribe his way out.
Many newspapers and magazines are currently discrediting the police, claiming they lack oversight, act brutally, are rampant with corruption, frequently extort money, and are ruthless. Klein doesn't dare to believe it all, but he also doesn't dare to disbelieve it all, since the money on Meursault's body could very well end up benefiting the police.
After paying bail, Klein followed Jurgen out of the police station, shivering as the damp, cold wind blew in his face.
"Your bail will be refunded after the case is closed. Of course, you can't expect them to contact you on their Jurgen walked towards a carriage parked nearby.
The continuous rain during the day finally stopped at night, but the red moon was still obscured by dark clouds, and only the gas streetlights shone on the streets.
"Okay." Klein almost thought he was going to lose the 10 pounds.
He couldn't help but do the math on Ian's commission. The fee was five pounds, but a lot of furniture and teaware in the room had been damaged, so he would have to buy new ones or find someone to repair them. Add to that the cost of materials, the carriage expenses, and the subsequent clothing repair costs, and it seemed he might actually lose money...
If he can't get his £10 bail back, he'll suffer a huge loss! Hmm... Meursault's Beyonder Characteristic are worth quite a bit of money... Klein boarded the carriage, frowning slightly.
He always thought that private Detective who used their homes as offices wouldn't lose money, at worst, they wouldn't get any cases, but...
Klein glanced at the upright-sitting Lawyer Jurgen and said sincerely:
"Thank you, thank you for bailing me out. How much should I pay you for this?"
Jurgen nodded formally and said:
This order is free.
"I heard about your situation from Inspector Faxin, and I believe we'll have many more opportunities to cooperate in the future."
There will be many more opportunities for cooperation in the future... Klein chuckled:
" Jurgen, I Lawyer like you're cursing me."
Jurgen solemnly and said:
"No, that's not what you mean. It's perfectly normal for a private Detective to have a regular Lawyer working with them."
"Sir, you really have no sense of humor... even though you look very young..." Klein thought to himself, then smiled and said:
"I just happen to be looking for Lawyer to help me draft an investment contract."
"An investment contract?" Jurgen asked, sounding slightly taken aback.
"I know this isn't something a private Detective would do, but I've just come across a good investment opportunity," Klein explained simply. " Jurgen, Lawyer, according to your fee schedule, how much would such a contract cost?"
"It's generally determined by the total contract amount and the level of complexity," Jurgen replied meticulously.
"The total amount is £100, and the required terms are..." Klein detailed his needs, including priority purchase, veto rights, etc.
Jurgen thought about it seriously for a few minutes and said:
"£2, I'll give it to you Monday morning."
"Okay." Klein didn't say anything more about that matter, and instead asked Jurgen the information he had gathered regarding the case that evening.
Back on Minsk Street, Klein paid the 3 Soli for the carriage rental, bid farewell to the young but serious Lawyer, and headed towards his house.
Upon Door Opening and entering, Klein was met with a scene of utter disarray, and felt utterly exhausted.
His private Detective business started at a loss.
Just as Klein took off his coat and got down to cleaning up the mess, the doorbell rang.
He Door Opening in confusion and saw Julian, the maid from next door, dressed in a black and white dress.
"Hello, Mr. Moriarty, Summer. and Mrs. Summer would like to invite you over to talk about what happened before," Julian said, sounding slightly apprehensive.
Here it comes... the issue of compensation... Klein smiled and said:
"OK."
He changed into a clean, well-maintained coat and followed the maid to the next room, where Luke Summer and his wife Starling Summer, were waiting on the sofa in the living room.
Luke, a burly man with a neat mustache, stood up, extended his hand, and chuckled softly:
"Good evening, Mr. Moriarty. I only just found out you're a private Detective. As a neighbor, you're really unqualified."
"No, it's my own problem. I don't know if I'm suited for this industry, and maybe I'll find another job someday." Klein shook hands with the host and said, "I'm very sorry about tonight. I will make amends."
"It was just an accident," Luke said reassuringly.
Starling, with her blonde hair, Blue Eyes, and beautiful features, asked curiously:
"You really killed an intruder? Ha, I knew you wanted some tea, didn't you?"
Klein nodded:
"Perhaps he's just a thief."
He didn't mention that the matter stemmed from a commission he had accepted, lest the Summer harbor any resentment.
Since the police didn't tell them, there's no need for me to go through the trouble... Klein added silently.
Luke Summer laughed:
"You must have excellent fighting skills. As your neighbor, I feel very safe with you. Perhaps we'll need your help in the future."
Klein half-jokingly mocked himself:
"Actually, I was almost killed."
"No matter what, you are the ultimate victor," Luke said.
After exchanging a few words on this topic, Starling picked up her white porcelain teacup inlaid with gold, took a sip, and said:
"I'm curious, how many cases does a private Detective handle in a week, and how much do they earn?"
Klein didn't hide anything and chuckled:
"It depends. Just like with farmland, there are times of Harvest and times of poor harvests. Last week I earned £ Soli, but after what happened last night, I might even lose money."
Starling seemed not to have heard the second half of his sentence and continued speaking to herself:
"If you can maintain this income, £5 a week can provide you with a fairly good life in Backlund's Cherwood Borough. You won't need to rent a room anymore, you can hire a maid for chores, attend a concert or opera every other week, play tennis or squash once a week, participate in a book club, and go to a nice restaurant... Of course, if you're already preparing for marriage, you'll need to be more frugal; £5 a week is still a bit short of truly decent living."
"So how much weekly wage does true respectability require?" Klein asked cooperatively.
"Seven pounds, at least seven pounds," Starling said, slightly raising her chin.
Klein turned to Luke and said casually, as if chatting:
"I heard from your wife that you work for Coim Company. I wonder what your main business is?"
"Anthracite and charcoal," Luke replied with a smile.
No wonder you're a member of the Soot Abatement Society... Klein pondered for a moment and said, "How much do managers earn in Backlund? I rarely see that mentioned in newspapers and magazines."
"Haha, it depends on the industry, the company, and the specific position. The top manager at Bank of Backlund earns £5,000 a year, while I only make between £430 and £440 including bonuses," Luke said casually.
That's about £8 a week... No wonder... Before Klein could even speak, Starling Summer complained:
"Actually, we could live in the suburbs. I would have a garden and a lawn, and Luke would get a stable, buy the brand-new carriage he'd been wanting for so long, and two young horses. But that would waste too much of his time commuting to and from work, which is even more precious."
A new carriage with horses costs about 100 pounds... A weekly wage of 8 pounds is indeed remarkable, but unfortunately, not long after my raise... Klein could only smile in response.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he took his leave, silently sighing to himself:
Mr. and Mrs. Summer are essentially good people. If it were a harsher landlord, after tonight's incident, they would have already deducted the rent, refunded the money, and kicked me out...
Back home, Klein began working, not in a hurry to examine the warm current on the back of his hand above the Gray Fog, nor in a hurry to perform Divination, because he was worried that the military's special department was still secretly watching him.
He decided to go to the bar Ian had described the next night to buy a gun in case someone took the risk of attacking him.
Klein even planned to use this opportunity to hire bodyguards, Beyonder bodyguards, powerful Beyonder bodyguards. One reason was to take the opportunity to make contact with the Beyonder circle without revealing himself, and the other was because he was afraid that the follow-up attackers found by the ambassador would be able to deceive the special military departments.
While it might seem a bit comical that a Sequence 8 Beyonder, a vengeful Evil Spirit lurking in the shadows, needs bodyguards, safety is paramount for Klein.
If the price is too high, I'll blow the copper whistle and find Mr. Azik, but of course, that might be even more dangerous... I don't know enough about the Sealed Artifact "0-08"... Klein muttered silently as he tidied the room.
After the Purification ritual, the man wearing the white hard-shell mask said to Hugh and Fors:
"Whatever the evil spirit, I've already exorcised it. Ha, if it had reached the level of Evil Spirit that I couldn't exorcise, it would have reacted just now, but it didn't."
As he spoke, he poured the water droplets that had condensed on the Sun badge into a small metal vial and handed it to Hugh:
"Go back and sprinkle it in the room to remove any residue."
"Thank you." Hugh paid the money with a pang of regret, but also felt much more at ease.
As soon as she and Fors returned to the living room, a waiter brought them a note:
"Miss Arbiter, who purchased the ' Sheriff ' formula, would you like to have a chat in the study? I might have something you need."
P. S.: Two chapters today, no more tonight.