In a large racetrack on the outskirts of Queens Borough, but without Spectator.
Audrey Hall, leading a chestnut mare, deliberately sidled up to a corner, pretending to discuss something with Viscount Glaint.
She wore white trousers and knee-high black boots, with a simply decorated women's blouse paired with a fitted black jacket-style rider's outfit, along with a matching helmet. She looked exceptionally dashing and had a beauty unlike anything she had ever worn. Her golden retriever, Susie, sat obediently at her feet, seemingly carrying a small leather bag.
Hugh, disguised as Viscount Glaint's squire, glanced enviously at Audrey's long, straight legs and unconsciously tiptoed.
"Equestrian skills on their own are meaningless; they only come alive when combined with hunting. Of course, I'm referring to male equestrianism. A beautiful lady riding a horse is a sight to behold, no matter what she does," Glaint said, glancing at Audrey with a mix of admiration and a joke.
Audrey responded with a slight smile:
"There are still several months until the next hunt."
Every year from June to the New Year, the nobles of the Kingdom of Loen traditionally come to Backlund to attend various banquets, balls, and salons. This is a very important event for them, and many things are finalized during these months. As the years go by, this tradition has gradually acquired a fixed name: the " Backlund Social Season."
After the New Year, the landed nobles will gradually return to their fiefdoms, to their own mansions, castles, country estates, and large plantations, to spend leisurely and pleasant times. During this time, the most popular game is hunting.
Nobles would invite guests of equal status to enjoy the thrill of horseback riding and hunting together, and they were never stingy in purchasing hunting dogs, as long as their finances allowed.
The most famous of all hunting dogs is the foxhound.
"I've missed that kind of life. Backlund is a restrictive place, and its air is indescribably awful. Of course, I still love its prosperity and extravagance." Viscount Glaint put on his gloves and took a step back to make it easier for Audrey, Hugh, and Fors to talk.
"Miss Audrey, what brings you here today?" Hugh withdrew his gaze and asked proactively.
Her recent large sums of income all came from Audrey, who was honest, trustworthy, and generous—a rare find among good employers.
I seem to smell the ink of banknotes again... I hope it's not too difficult a task... Miss Audrey is perfect in every way, except for one thing: every task she undertakes is unexpected and extremely dangerous... Hugh thought with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation, and couldn't help but glance at Fors, only to find that her companion, disguised as a maid, was looking at her.
The expressions reflected in their eyes were so similar.
Audrey, holding the gloves, smiled with demure elegance:
"This is a simple request."
As she spoke, she gestured to Hugh and Fors to open the leather pouch on Susie's body.
Known for his strong initiative, Hugh immediately stepped forward, bent down, and reached out his hand.
In this brief moment, she had intended to pat Susie's head to show her goodwill, but as soon as her right hand reached out, Susie turned her head and half-turned her body, presenting the small leather bag to her.
I'm usually quite popular with animals... like mosquitoes... Hugh maintained his expression, pulled on the zipper, and took out a stack of papers from his leather pouch.
She straightened up, unfolded the paper, and saw that it depicted an ordinary-looking young man, but his neatly combed hair, round glasses, and brown eyes with a mocking smile all looked strangely familiar to her.
I'm sure I've seen this somewhere before! Hugh's gaze shifted downwards, and he saw the corresponding text description:
"Former name, Lanarvus, a wanted fraudster."
I know where I've seen him before! Hugh suddenly realized, almost making an unseemly gesture of slapping his forehead.
Before meeting Audrey, one of her main sources of income was reading newspapers, studying wanted posters, and using her connections within various gangs in the East Borough to find high-value Criminal.
I had considered looking for this Lanarvus; his bounty was £100, and he'd run off with over £10,000 in cash! But then I got busy with Miss Audrey's case and forgot all about it... Hugh and Fors exchanged a glance before speaking frankly:
"How much is the entrusted amount?"
The amount entrusted? Audrey paused for a moment.
She completely forgot about the payment, because in her view, this was a test by Mr. The Fool.
Where in the world would someone actually give money to the other party?
"Um... 100 pounds?" Audrey carefully gave a figure.
"Deal!" Hugh and Fors responded simultaneously.
"If we can capture Lanarvus, we can not only get Miss Audrey's £100 reward, but also the same amount of the bounty... What a great mission!" Hugh asked casually, his eyes shining.
Why are you looking for this scammer? He cheated you out of your money?
I don't even know who he is... It was indeed a simple commission, settled for 100 pounds... There's no need to discuss this with Mr. " The Fool " anymore... Only 100 pounds... Audrey, with a polite smile, ignored Hugh's question and instead mentioned:
"I received word that he's in Backlund."
"Oh right, there are more than a dozen portraits here, different portraits. I figured Lanarvus would definitely disguise himself, so I gave him portraits of him without glasses, with a beard, and with a different hairstyle, um... portraits of my guesses."
"I'm also very good at sketching and oil painting!" Audrey raised her chin slightly.
Hugh immediately forgot his earlier doubts and said with delight:
"This is really great news!"
She could almost see the £200 bounty beckoning to her.
The mysterious person she met at Mr. A's party has yet to establish contact with her, so she can only continue her money-saving endeavors.
Audrey nodded almost imperceptibly and pondered for a moment before saying:
"Any leads on the Psychology Alchemists?"
Fors smoothed her long, curly hair, glanced at Viscount Glaint who was listening in, and said:
"I recently joined a new gathering of Beyonder, where the Potion recipes for ' Spectator ' and ' Mind Reader ' have supposedly been discussed. I suspect there are members of the Psychology Alchemists among those gatherings."
"Next time there's a gathering, I'll ask to take you with me."
"Okay." Audrey deliberately made no attempt to hide her delight.
She had just discerned Hugh and Fors ' true state of mind from their aura, body language, and subtle expressions, thus concluding that they were enthusiastic about the mission and had not lied about the Psychology Alchemists.
Viscount Glaint muttered:
" Audrey's plan is almost complete, but where's my ' Apothecary ' formula?"
"There really aren't any leads for now. The ' Apothecary ' route is more likely in the south, in the Kingdom of Feynapotter." Fors made a gesture of deep regret.
"Well, I'm still young, I'm only in my early twenties, I have time to wait," Glaint replied humorously.
"Alright, thank you for your help. See you next time." Audrey gave a graceful bow, put on her gloves, mounted her horse, and rode along the track.
Susie followed happily behind, seemingly having found a way to play.
Because he stayed up all night doing "experiments," Klein didn't wake up until 9:34 a. m. on Tuesday.
He grabbed a piece of bread with butter, put on his coat and hat, hurried out the door, and wrote in the guestbook hanging next to the bell cord:
"The owner is out and will return after 5 PM."
Actually, he didn't have anything to do; he was just trying to prepare for a possible visit from Mr. Miller Carter.
If the client discovers that the Detective they hired for a full £50 is not busy searching for information, organizing manpower, and confirming the building layout, but is instead leisurely drinking tea and reading the newspaper at home, they will definitely cancel the engagement and refuse to pay the remaining £40!
"I really don't have much to do, just waiting for Miss ' Justice's ' information..." Klein stood at the street corner, gazing at the gloomy sky, and muttered to himself helplessly.
He had already decided last night where he should spend his time today:
In the morning, I practiced shooting at the Cragg Club, read the newspaper, and had a free lunch. In the afternoon, I took a nap and exercised with sports like squash. When the " Bravehearts " bar Door Opening, I took a car there to see if I could learn more about the Beyonder Gathering from Kaspars.
Klein didn't plan to approach Maric, even though the latter was certainly part of more than one circle of Beyonder, but he feared that the bodyguard might also belong to those circles.
This would make it inconvenient for him to sell Potion recipes; it would arouse great suspicion.
Since the " True Creator " gave you the ability to Divination and a strong body, would he really bestow upon you Potion recipe that you yourself don't need? Just thinking about it makes no sense! Klein imagined it for a moment, then boarded the public carriage to Hillston Borough.
About half an hour later, he entered the Cragg Club and saw an acquaintance.
That was Talym Dumont, the equestrian instructor who recommended him to the club, and a friend of Mary Gale.
Wearing a black wool coat and sporting short, curly brown hair, Talym approached, scrutinized Klein from head to toe, and said with a strange smile:
Good morning, Mary and Doragu are finalizing their divorce.
Is this a suspicion about my motives for joining the club? Klein, relying on his " Clown " abilities, easily feigned a surprised expression:
"Really? That's surprising!"
Talym gave him a suspicious look, then suddenly laughed:
"A friend of mine is currently troubled by something, and I'd like to know how good your marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat skills are."
A commission? It only asks about marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat, not deduction. This is a commission involving violence... Klein chuckled.
"I was just planning to go to the shooting range to practice, you can come and watch, but in hand-to-hand combat, you need an opponent to judge your skill level."
"I've studied martial arts," Talym replied eagerly.