Detective? A fellow detective... But the fact that he can assist the police department in handling such a serious case means he's a truly renowned Detective, at least very famous within the Sivellaus Yard... Um, a serial murder case involving Devil worship, shouldn't it be handed over to the Nighthawks, the Mandated Punishers, or the Machinery Hivemind? The police department could just send some assistants; why hire a private Detective?
Yes, 11 consecutive murders must have caused a sensation. The Sivellaus Yard are under immense pressure and are unwilling to just wait in agonizing agony.
Klein's mind raced with thoughts, but he maintained a smile on his face.
"OK."
He boarded the carriage hired by Isengard Stanton and saw a sharp-looking, brown-haired young man inside.
"This is my assistant," said Isengard, whose face was thin and angular. "Please have a seat."
He neither closed the carriage door nor instructed the driver to urge the horses forward, to show that he meant no harm.
Klein deliberately sat down awkwardly, and asked somewhat uneasily:
"Mr. Stanton, what would you like to talk to me about?"
Isengard pulled out a dark pipe and said, "I'd like to know what you've gained from following Ms. Lopez. What have you heard or discovered?"
"Well... I'm a Detective too, you should know that there are confidentiality agreements in our line of work," Klein replied, feigning difficulty.
"I'm asking you on behalf of the Sivellaus Yard; this has nothing to do with confidentiality," Isengard said, rubbing his pipe with his thumb. "One pound, um... how about two pounds?"
Having learned from the previous Meursault incident, and knowing there was no real need to keep it a secret, Klein answered without hesitation:
"Can."
"Okay." Isengard smiled and took two one-pound notes out of his pocket.
Klein feigned recollection and said frankly, "We only heard one sentence: Ms. Lopez tried to send her subordinates to tell Capim not to send anyone over recently."
" Capim?" Isengard nodded, slightly realizing. "I understand."
"You know Capim?" Klein didn't hide his astonishment.
Isengard handed over the banknotes, saying with a faint smile:
"He is a controversial billionaire in the Cherwood Borough."
"In Backlund, innocent young girls often disappear into quiet, deserted streets, and after a long time, they may be found by chance in various brothels, legal or illegal. Numerous rumors point to Capim, who is considered a bloodthirsty and filthy Criminal leader, but due to insufficient evidence, he remains free and knows many important figures."
If it's true, that guy deserves to die a thousand times over... Klein nodded and sighed:
"This is Loen, this is Backlund, Mr. Stanton. I must take my leave now."
"Thank you for your cooperation." Isengard politely rose slightly to see him off. "By the way, your fighting skills are quite outstanding. Perhaps we'll have the opportunity to collaborate in the future. What should I call you?"
" Sherlock Moriarty," Klein replied succinctly, stepping down from the carriage.
Once he boarded the newly arrived tram, Isengard Stanton had his assistant close the door and instructed the driver to go to Hillston Borough.
Turning his head to look out the window, the middle-aged gentleman with graying temples put down his dark pipe, took out a brass ornament from his pocket, and slowly rubbed it in his hand.
The brass ornament was a miniature, open book with a vertical eye in the center.
"That Mr. Moriarty just now was a bit out of place. He wore very refined gold-rimmed glasses, but deliberately grew a mustache around his mouth, which made him look vulgar and barbaric. This doesn't quite fit the normal image. In this day and age, people who wear gold-rimmed glasses are usually very conscious of their image, an image of knowledge and refinement. Perhaps he was deliberately hiding something... Of course, it's also possible that he's just a gentleman with an unusual sense of aesthetics..." Isengard seemed to be talking to himself, yet also as if instructing his assistant.
At this moment, Klein, leaning against the side of the carriage, muttered silently:
"That Detective Isengard Stanton. Ever since I gained Spirit Vision, he's maintained a rational, detached blue and aloof demeanor, with Spirituality dominating his purple; other emotional colors rarely surface."
"For normal people, unless they are concentrating on studying a difficult problem, it is difficult to maintain a similar state for too long. Other emotional states will inevitably appear; the difference is how long they last."
"Hmm... Either Detective Isengard Stanton is a genius, a prodigy who is constantly observing and reasoning, or he is Beyonder?"
The two-story horse-drawn carriage, carrying more than forty passengers, headed towards the Backlund Bridge Area. Klein gradually pulled himself out of his thoughts and turned his gaze to the window, admiring the various two- and three-story buildings across the street.
Occasionally, he could also see five- or six-story brown houses, which indicated the latest trends in Backlund and the kingdom's most advanced architectural technology.
After changing carriages once, Klein arrived at Iron Gate Street and disembarked opposite the Bravehearts Bar.
Since it wasn't the bar's busiest time yet, as soon as he entered, he saw Kaspars sitting at the bar drinking.
The Old Man with the red nose ordered a glass of Lerunqi, savoring the aroma of the malt and the burning sensation in his throat, and squinted his eyes contentedly.
Klein leaned closer, tapped the bar, and asked with a smile:
Is Maric there?
At the same time, he put one hand in his pocket, gripping the Azik Copper Whistle, using his Spirituality to shield it from its negative influence.
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a gaze sweep over him, full of scrutiny.
After he finished asking his question, his gaze shifted away, seemingly looking at Kaspars.
The Old Man with a huge scar on his face opened his eyes and, seeing it was Klein, said irritably:
He didn't come, and he didn't come yesterday either.
He didn't come... Klein breathed a sigh of relief and stopped using his Spirituality to envelop the Azik Copper Whistle.
When I mentioned Maric just now, someone was looking at me... But when they realized I was asking about Maric's whereabouts, their gaze shifted... Someone is looking for Maric... Klein resisted the urge to turn around and observe, mentally analyzing the previous anomaly.
Combining this with one of his original doubts, he felt that the question seemed to have a general answer.
I was puzzled last week as to why a bodyguard of Sequence 5 caliber would accept a 3-day protection assignment for 1000 pounds. It's not that the price is too low, but someone of that caliber is already considered strong. In the Church of the Goddess, she would be qualified to serve as Nighthawks deacon or a diocesan bishop. If she could also gain the favor of a "holy relic," she could even compete for the positions of archbishop or senior deacon...
In various Concealment organizations and intelligence agencies, Sequence 5 signifies the status of a regional leader or the second or third most powerful figure in that region. Even a wild, unorganized Beyonder with this level of strength is capable of establishing their own small organization...
From any perspective, female bodyguards can enjoy the services of their subordinates; there's no need for them to personally "take orders"...
At the time, I thought the most likely solution was to hire a Sequence 6 bodyguard who could hold off the strong fighters sent by Bakerland for a while and create an opportunity for me. Who knew the bodyguard was so incredibly strong...
Judging from today's events, the bodyguard and Maric are probably in a similar situation to me—sensitive identities, forced to live on the run. In fact, their situation might be even worse, constantly worried about being hunted down... Hiss, to be able to hunt down the bodyguard, that organization, even without High-Sequence experts, must possess a "sacred artifact," or at least several Sequence 5 experts...
Of course, these are all just my guesses. Perhaps it's because Maric's Beyonder status was exposed, and he's been targeted by the Machinery Hivemind team...
Amidst a flurry of ideas, Klein spoke up regretfully:
"Oh, I was hoping to play cards with him."
Hearing these words, which were clearly out of character, Kaspars immediately became alert. Without even glancing around, he chuckled and said:
"I'm organizing a poker game tonight, Texas Hold'em, do you want to join?"
"No, I just want to play until dinner. Sigh, I think I'll just go home." Klein sighed and left " Bravehearts Bar " without ordering any drinks.
He had originally intended to ask Kaspars for information about other gatherings of Beyonder, but after this situation arose, he cautiously abandoned the idea.
In fact, he could have gone to a relatively private place like the card room to discuss the relevant issues with Kaspars, but to be on the safe side, he decided to wait until another time.
Klein didn't rush home either. Instead, he went to the one-bedroom apartment he rented in the East Borough and performed Divination above the Gray Fog to confirm that no one was following him.
Relieved, he arrived at Minsk Street before it got completely dark and found the mailbox overflowing with various newspapers he had subscribed to.
"I was in a rush to leave today and didn't have time to look around. At the Cragg Club, I practiced shooting, had a good meal, took a nap, and then Talym dragged me to play a few tennis matches. Heh, my technique isn't good enough, but my physical fitness can make up for it..." Klein muttered silently for a moment, Door Opening the door, went inside, and turned on the gas valve.
He took the newspapers, went into the living room, sat on the sofa, turned on the wall lamp, and casually flipped through them.
Klein first browsed the Backlund Morning Post, flipping directly to page five, where he saw an advertisement for Ernst Firm's acquisition of goods!
The prices are as follows: flour 7 pence/liter, butter 1 Soli /pound, lard 6 pence/pound, cream 1 Soli 3 pence/pound, Marquis tea leaves 8 Soli /pound...
In other words, there will be a gathering of Beyonder at the usual place at 8 PM tomorrow night. The password to Door Opening is to knock 7 times hard and 1 time lightly, with an interval of 6 long knocks followed by 1 short knock, and so on... The numbers 3 and 8 at the end are meaningless... Klein deciphered the message, leaned back on the sofa, and began to look forward to tomorrow night's gathering.
He wants to sell part of the formula to see if he can buy the corresponding materials or items!
P. S.: Requesting recommendation votes and monthly tickets on Monday!