Finally, the middle-aged man with graying temples took a sip of tea, smiled, and sighed:
"Actually, this is already much better than before, better than many people here, such as..."
He pointed to the homeless people huddled in the corner outside the window.
Klein and Mike followed their gaze and saw a dirty, sheltered spot where a group of homeless people, men and women, old and young, lay curled up on the ground.
In this cold, late autumn, they may never wake up again.
At that moment, Klein noticed an elderly woman in her sixties standing on the side of the street. Her clothes were old and tattered, but relatively neat, and her hair was combed meticulously.
The elderly woman with gray hair had the weariness often seen on the faces of homeless people, but she still insisted on not squeezing in with the group of people. Instead, she walked slowly along the roadside, occasionally staring blankly into the coffee shop.
"She's a pitiful person too." The former homeless man, having finished the remaining black bread, also noticed the old woman and sighed a few times. "She used to live quite well, I heard. Her husband was a grain merchant, and she had a very spirited child. Unfortunately, they went bankrupt, and her husband and child died not long after. She's different from us, really, you can tell at a glance... Sigh, she probably won't last much longer unless she can get into the workhouse every time."
As he listened, Mike's expression changed from calm to somber, and he slowly exhaled, saying:
"I'd like to interview her. Could you invite her for me? She can eat and drink whatever she likes here."
The middle-aged man didn't find the request strange; he simply glanced at Klein and Mike, as if to say, "You two really are colleagues."
"Okay, I think she'd be happy to." He took a sip of tea, got up, and walked out of the greasy coffee shop.
Not long after, the old lady, whose clothes were worn but neat, followed him in. Her pale complexion softened slightly in the warmth of the café.
She was trembling, as if trying to expel the chill from her body and absorb the relatively warm temperature in the café. Even after sitting down, it took her more than a minute to truly calm down.
"Please order whatever you like; this is your payment for the interview," Klein said on Mike's behalf.
After Mike nodded, the old lady reservedly ordered toast, cheap butter, and coffee, then smiled and said:
I've heard that you shouldn't eat greasy food when you haven't had food for a long time.
"So polite, so self-disciplined, not at all like a vagrant..." Klein sighed silently.
Before the food was served, Mike casually asked:
Can you tell me how you became a homeless person?
The old woman's expression turned to one of reminiscence, and she smiled bitterly:
"My husband was a grain merchant, mainly buying various grains from domestic farmers. Since the Corn Laws was repealed, we quickly went bankrupt."
"He was already quite old, and this incident devastated him; his health quickly collapsed, and he died not long after."
"My son, he was a fine young man who had always followed his father in business. He couldn't accept this blow, so on a the Moon night, he jumped into the Tussock River."
"His first suicide attempt failed, and he was brought to magistrates' court. The police and Judge were impatient, feeling he was wasting their time."
"If you're going to commit suicide, please do it quietly and successfully, without bothering us... Well, that's probably what they wanted to say, but they felt it was too direct."
"My child was imprisoned, and not long after, he attempted suicide for the second time, and succeeded."
The old woman spoke calmly, as if it were not something she had experienced herself.
But for some reason, Klein felt a strong sense of sorrow.
There is no greater sorrow than a broken heart... He suddenly remembered a saying he had heard in his past life.
In this world, suicide is not only forbidden by major churches, but it is also punishable by law.
As for the reasons, Klein knew them very well. First, many suicide victims choose to drown themselves in rivers, and if they are not discovered in time, there is a certain probability that they will become Water Ghost. Second, the emotions of suicide victims are often very abnormal. In this state, ending their own life is like a "sacrifice," and they may resonate with some strange and terrifying beings.
Therefore, their bodies or certain objects around them after death will be imbued with strange curses, harming others.
The " Misfortune Cloth Doll " behind the Chanis Gate in Tingen City likely originated from this.
Therefore, all seven major orthodox churches, based on their own doctrines, prohibit believers from committing suicide, and the royal family has also promoted corresponding legislation.
Of course, Klein found this somewhat ridiculous. Would someone contemplating suicide be afraid of the law or punishment?
Mike was Record away, about to say something, when the cafe owner brought over the food.
"Fill your stomach first, we'll talk later," Mike said, pointing to the toast.
"Okay." The old lady ate her food in small bites, appearing very well-mannered.
She didn't order much and finished eating quickly.
After reluctantly drinking the last sip of her coffee, she rubbed her temples and pleaded:
"Can I sleep for a while before we talk? It's too cold outside."
"No problem," Mike replied without hesitation.
The old lady thanked her several times gratefully, then sat down in the chair and curled up to fall asleep.
Mike looked at the middle-aged man next to him and said:
"You seem quite familiar with this place? I'd like to ask you to be our guide. How about 3 Soli a day? Sorry, I forgot to ask your name."
The middle-aged man quickly shook his head and said:
"No, no, no, that's too much. At the docks, many times I only earn 1 Soli a day."
You can just call me Old Kohler.
"Well, two Soli a day, that's what you deserve," Mike declared decisively.
After witnessing this strange bargaining, Klein wiped some snot off a piece of paper and was about to get a refill of his coffee when he suddenly realized something was wrong and turned to look at the old lady curled up asleep in the chair.
Her face, which had been flushed from drinking coffee, turned pale again, and her aura and emotional color had vanished.
"..." Klein stood up and subconsciously reached out to check the old lady's breath.
Under the surprised gazes of Mike and Kohler, he said heavily:
She's dead.
Mike opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. Kohler tapped his chest three times and smiled bitterly.
"I knew she wouldn't last long..."
"This kind of thing happens every day in the East Borough."
"At least she had enough to eat and died in a warm place. Hopefully, haha, I can have that someday too."
Klein paused for a moment and then said:
" Kohler, go and get the police."
"Okay." Kohler tapped her chest three times again and ran out of the cafe.
The boss glanced in their direction but didn't come over, as if it wasn't something he needed to worry about.
After a while, a policeman wearing a black and white checkered uniform, carrying a short baton and a pistol, entered the cafe.
He glanced at the dead old woman, asked Mike and Klein a few questions, and then waved his hand, saying:
"It's alright, you can leave once I get someone to collect the body."
"That's it?" Mike exclaimed in astonishment.
He was clearly not very familiar with the East Borough.
The policeman scoffed.
"These kinds of things happen all the time in the East Borough!"
His eyes darted around, glancing at Klein and Mike:
"You don't seem to be from around here. What are your names? What are your identities?"
Mike produced his press pass, while Klein claimed to be his private Detective.
The policeman immediately straightened his face and looked at Klein, saying:
I suspect you of illegal possession of a firearm!
"I need to search your belongings. Please cooperate, otherwise it will be considered resisting arrest!"
Mike became worried because he knew that private Detective commonly possessed firearms illegally.
Klein spread his hands expressionlessly and said:
"OK."
He allowed the policeman to search him, but the officer found nothing.
After the old woman's body was taken away, the disappointed police officers left. Mike clenched his fist and slammed it on the table.
"A living, breathing person died here, and all he was thinking about was investigating illegal gun possession!"
At this point, Mike turned to look at Klein, and asked in confusion:
You didn't bring a gun?
Klein shook his head, pulled out his gun holster and revolver from under the table, and calmly said:
"As a Detective, I have extensive experience in this area."
As a " Magician," he could place a pistol right in front of his opponent without them noticing.
Moreover, since he hadn't bought regular bullets and the extraordinary bullets were temporarily left on the Gray Fog, his revolver was currently empty. However, this didn't prevent him from shooting with his pistol; he just needed to mimic a "bang" with his mouth when pulling the trigger.
Seeing this, Old Kohler whispered something to himself:
"So you're Detective."
Klein pointed at Mike and casually explained:
"I was also commissioned by this gentleman last time."
Mike sat there, not refuting, and after a moment of silence said:
"Although I've investigated gangs and witnessed the miserable lives of some prostitutes, I'm not familiar with the situation in the East Borough. Could you please take a look at this investigative report and see if there are any problems with it?"
As he spoke, he took out several sheets of paper from the inside pocket of his clothes and spread them out on the table in the cafe.
Klein glanced at it and said:
"Interviews with residents of different age groups in the East Borough?"
"This is too complicated. I think we can categorize them by location: nicer apartments, apartments where five or six people squeeze into one room, sheltered corners of the street, park benches, bars, and workhouses."
"In addition, we can divide work hours into work hours and rest hours."
Mike listened attentively and nodded.
"Good idea, Kohler, what do you think?"
Old Kohler pinched his nose and said:
"I don't know the words... but I think what the Detective said makes sense."
Mike thought for a moment, revised his plan, and then said:
"Let's go to the nearby apartments first, just pick one at random."