19 Hope Street, Cherwood Borough.
Here, near the Tussock River that flows through Backlund, pedestrians can see the slightly murky but unusually wide surface of the water through the gaps between the houses.
Mike Joseph, a reporter for the Daily Observer, stepped down from the carriage, pointed to the three-story gray-blue building ahead, and said to Klein beside him, who was wearing a black double-breasted suit, a top silk hat, and gold-rimmed glasses:
"That's the Golden Rose, the best legal brothel in the Cherwood Borough and Backlund Bridge Area. Door Opening at 3 p. m. every day and stays open until 2 a. m."
The best legal brothel in the Cherwood Borough and Backlund Bridge Area? That is to say, there are better but illegal ones in those areas? Klein muttered silently, glancing at the building's entrance adorned with a golden rose, but without any sign.
"This shouldn't be considered a streetwalker, right?" he casually replied.
"Of course, it's much more upscale." Mike led Klein to the building with practiced ease and pushed open the door to enter.
As soon as he entered, Klein smelled a slightly pungent, mixed fragrance and heard a soothing yet ambiguous melody.
He instinctively looked around and noticed that there were thugs in black coats and top hats standing on both sides of the entrance and in every corner of the hall. As a legally operating establishment, these were clearly there to deal with drunkards and brutes.
The golden hall was furnished with various sofas and chairs, and even a piano, while a dance area was set up in the center.
At this moment, ladies with hair of various colors—gold, brown, light yellow, or black—and dresses of varying styles—some elaborate, some simple, and some vibrant—sat in different places. Some were mature and elegant, some shy and innocent, some youthful and charming, and some quite beautiful.
The women either rested their chins on their hands to appreciate the melody, chatted and laughed with each other, quietly flipped through newspapers and magazines, or danced gracefully with the men.
It was only 3:30 pm, and there weren't many customers, just a handful. At first glance, it looked more like a formal dance party than the interior of a brothel.
"If you come after eight o'clock in the evening, you can see some interesting performances. Hehe, if you see a lady you like, go over and ask her to dance. Ask her price while listening to the beautiful music. If you can reach an agreement, you can go to a room on the second or third floor and spend a wonderful time. Hey, if you're willing to spend the money, you can sleep here all night." Mike tilted his head from side to side, suddenly losing his previous composure and gentlemanly demeanor, becoming slightly frivolous.
He walked into the hall with a smile and approached a young girl who looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old.
Is this a display of true nature, or a professional performance? Klein was quite dumbfounded and subconsciously followed behind Mike Joseph.
"The victim, Shermane, was only 16 years old. Theoretically, girls of similar age are more likely to be her friends and know more," Mike explained in a low voice.
He immediately raised his slightly sparse eyebrows and resumed his normal voice:
Which lady have you taken a fancy to?
"I'm just your bodyguard," Klein replied logically.
Mike nodded almost imperceptibly, then suddenly smiled:
"I'm not used to having people watching me do that kind of thing."
"I'll be guarding the door." Klein understood Mike's meaning and adopted a serious and professional demeanor.
Mike said no more, walked up to the shy girl, bent down and extended his hand, inviting her to dance.
Becoming a prostitute at such a young age, Backlund is both glamorous and filthy... Hey, there's actually a rather elegant middle-aged gentleman here, his temples are all gray... Klein lowered his hands, stood up straight, and watched Mike and that naive girl strolling slowly between them.
A few minutes later, Mike returned, looking slightly annoyed, and said to Klein:
"Too expensive."
As the two drew closer, he added in a low voice:
"That girl knows Shermane, but the owner here, Ms. Lopez, forbids them from talking about it with anyone, or they will be severely punished. God, the poor girl even trembled instinctively when the punishment was mentioned; I can only imagine how terrifying it must be."
Klein sighed sympathetically but helplessly, and asked in a low voice, "So, what do you plan to do?"
"I don't want to bring misfortune upon those girls, so I'm going straight to Ms. Lopez." Mike patted Klein on the shoulder and said, "Protect me!"
Klein turned to the side and solemnly gave a word of advice:
"If we encounter a dangerous situation, you must listen to me."
"Do you understand? Listen to me!"
"Okay, okay." Mike raised his hands to his shoulders and nodded repeatedly.
As he spoke, he walked toward a single sofa in the corner, where a woman with a charming appearance, brightly colored clothes, and heavy makeup sat.
"If you don't want to give up after dancing and lose face in front of those girls, I suggest you talk to Ms. Lopez first and find out the prices for the different girls," Mike raised his voice.
Hearing their conversation, the woman turned her head to look at them, then slowly stood up, forcing a smile.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'm Lopez. Do you have a girl in mind?"
"Yes." Mike suddenly looked the other person up and down, chuckled, and said, "I admire you."
I admire you too... for behaving like you're at home in a place like this... Klein's lips twitched.
Lopez's expression froze for a second, then he forced a smile:
"I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well today. You should know that women experience discomfort every month."
Seeing that he couldn't get Lopez into the room to talk, Mike paused for a few seconds, then suddenly became serious:
"Ms. Lopez, I'm a journalist, and I'd like to ask you about Shermane. Here are my credentials."
Lopez's face immediately darkened, and he replied impatiently:
"I've already told the police everything I know, you should go find them!"
" Shermane was a homeless orphan whom I adopted. That night, she accepted an invitation from a guest to spend the night at his house, and died on her way back in the early morning."
"Alright, please leave now! Or go and invite the ladies to dance."
As he spoke, Lopez waved for the two thugs beside him to come over.
Klein took a step forward, standing in front of Mike Joseph and protecting him as he returned to the hall. Seeing this, the two thugs did not rashly drive him away.
After taking a few steps, Klein lowered his voice and said:
She's lying.
"Huh?" Mike turned his head in surprise.
"Her gaze was shifty when she spoke, avoiding direct eye contact while secretly observing you. This indicates she was lying and watching your reaction. Furthermore, her posture was very defensive, and she seemed quite anxious," Klein calmly offered his analysis.
Mike opened his mouth, and after a few seconds exclaimed:
"You truly are a great Detective. Only someone with both keen observation skills and outstanding reasoning abilities could discover such useful details."
This was simply because I activated my Spirit Vision and noticed that Lopez's emotional expression was off... everything else was just an excuse I made up afterward... Klein chuckled.
"Thank you for the compliment, we should go now."
Mike Joseph looked back at Lopez and saw her heading towards a side door in the lobby, seemingly to her own lounge. The side door was in a very quiet corner, out of sight of what was happening from most parts of the lobby. Two thugs were guarding it as well.
"Perhaps we should follow Ms. Lopez and observe her reaction afterwards. Maybe her anxiety will lead her to do something..." Mike suddenly turned to Klein and said, "Can you handle those two thugs quickly?"
"Sir, I'm only responsible for protecting you, and besides, it's illegal," Klein replied with a smile.
"I'll add more money! Five pounds in total, based on whether there was a fight! If there's still a fight when we escape, it'll be ten pounds!" Mike Joseph said through gritted teeth.
"Deal!" Klein extended his hand and shook hands with the other party.
Then, the two of them circled around, avoiding the two thugs from before, and quietly arrived near the side door.
"Guests, stop here. Please leave." One of the thugs stepped forward and blocked Klein and Mike Joseph.
"I'm sorry, we'll do it right away..." Klein bowed politely in apology.
Just then, his right fist suddenly shot out, striking the assailant in front of him hard in the abdomen.
The thug instinctively clutched his abdomen, bending his body into a bow shape, while Klein had straightened up again, raised his left palm and chopped it down on the back of the man's head.
Snap!
The thug collapsed to the ground, unconscious, while his companion, clearly unprepared for this turn of events, stared blankly, unable to react effectively.
Klein immediately slid over, covered his mouth with his right hand, and punched the abdomen with his left fist.
Bang!
The thug suddenly bent over and vomited up undigested food, while Klein promptly withdrew his right hand and chopped down with his palm.
At the same time, he supported the other man with his left hand, causing the thug to fall to the ground slowly without making a thud.
After exchanging a glance, Klein turned the handle, pushed open the side door, and slipped inside, Mike Joseph crouched down and quickly followed.
Why are you so skilled... You're just a reporter! Klein thought to himself as he walked lightly but quickly down the paved corridor.
Suddenly, they heard Lopez's voice:
Tell Capim not to send anyone over recently!
"Capim? Give him away?" Klein looked at Mike beside him and found that he was equally puzzled.
At that moment, they heard Lopez's footsteps coming down the corridor.
"Let's go!" Klein grabbed Mike's arm, turned and ran towards the entrance without looking back, then ran out.
During this process, he closed the side door and broke the lock, preventing the person inside from getting out for a while.
Then, the two pretended nothing had happened and quickly walked across the hall, approaching the exit, and strode away amidst the faint sounds of anger.
Once outside on the street, Mike breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed sincerely:
"I've been through similar situations many times, but never has it been as simple and easy as today."
"Thank you. I need to go back and find out who Capim is."
As he spoke, he took out his wallet, pulled out a five-pound note, and muttered:
"But frankly, your price is really expensive; it's equivalent to almost half a week's salary for me."
"But you can get reimbursed, can't you?" Klein replied with a smirk, then asked with some concern, "Aren't you afraid Lopez will use your identification to find your newspaper and call the police to arrest you?"
"That's a fake document." Mike Joseph shrugged knowingly.
"..." Klein could only express his deepest admiration.
After watching Mike get into the carriage and leave, he walked diagonally across the street to wait for the public carriage, keeping a close eye out for anyone chasing after him.
Just then, a horse-drawn carriage slowly drove up and stopped in front of him.
A middle-aged or elderly man in a black overcoat stepped out of the carriage and nodded to Klein.
He had blue eyes, a thin face, and graying temples; he was the old gentleman Klein had seen in The Golden Rose.
He wasn't a customer of Golden Rose... just like us... Klein suddenly had this realization.
"Hello, I'm Detective Isengard Stanton. Can we talk?" The middle-aged man pointed to the driveway.
PS: Updates will be earlier, around midnight.