St. George Borough, Saki Street.
As soon as Klein and Jurgen stepped off the carriage, they saw a huge object parked in front of the inventor Leppard's house.
It is entirely iron-black in color, has three pairs of twelve wheels, and a tall chimney on top, like that of a ship, from which residual smoke is being emitted.
This is a Steam- powered vehicle that Klein had seen in magazines and on the streets before. It was described by the public as an ironclad warship that moved on land, with a rather exaggerated size.
If the streets weren't built or renovated in the last two or three decades, they would take up the entire road surface, leaving little space for horse-drawn carriages, so this mode of transportation could only be seen in certain areas and places.
At that moment, the heavy car door with the glass window was opened, and two figures stepped out.
One of them was none other than Flammy Cage, the Steam- powered car tycoon Klein had met before Franky Cagg. He was one-quarter Feynapotter Empire blood, had pale blue eyes, was tall but overweight, and had a pipe in his mouth.
The man next to him wore a heavy black wool coat and a gray scarf. He had an unremarkable appearance, with the most common black hair and brown eyes, but he gave off a strange sense of friendliness.
"Hi, Detective Moriarty, you're right on time. This is my Lawyer and partner Pacheco Dawn."
As they were talking, two burly men stepped out of the Steam- powered vehicle; they were clearly Flamie's bodyguards.
"How unprofessional! Shouldn't you get down first and then Door Opening for your boss?" Klein muttered, smiled and greeted him, then introduced his Lawyer Jurgen.
While waiting for Leppard to Door Opening, he casually chatted:
"Mr. Cage, are these Steam- powered vehicles popular? Will many people like them?"
Franky Cagg laughed:
"Those who consider themselves respectable say it's too barbaric and crude, and ordinary people can't afford it; only a fervent enthusiast of machinery and Steam would be willing to buy it."
"The main problem is that many streets are too narrow," Klein said reassuringly.
Franky Cagg was the investor he brought in; it wasn't Leppard's doing.
While playing cards at the Cragg Club, he brought up the matter intentionally, and the riding instructor, Talym, immediately said that Flamie liked similar inventions and could introduce them to each other.
This made Klein very emotional: the club was indeed a great place to develop connections; the members who actually joined never valued the free food, drinks, and event venues the most.
"Haha, that's certainly one reason. As the population grows and cities expand, horse-drawn carriages will inevitably be phased out because they're too slow. Efficiency is what this world values now!" Flamie said confidently.
He immediately smiled:
"Furthermore, I have secured a contract from the military. They want me to make certain improvements, just as mentioned in Roselle's manuscript: adding armor for bulletproofing, covering the tracks to allow movement on rough roads, and adding a large cannon barrel. This will be a completely new weapon of war."
Roselle's manuscript... Klein sighed silently, momentarily at a loss for words, until Leppard finally opened the door.
In the ensuing discussion, the main characters were Jurgen and Pacheco, the two Lawyer who sometimes clashed and sometimes negotiated terms with their clients, while the unprepared inventor Leppard stood by in a daze, only offering his opinions when asked.
Ultimately, the three parties reached an agreement: Flamie would invest £1,000 for a 20% stake, while Klein and Leppard's stakes would decrease proportionally to 28% and 52%, respectively.
At the same time, Flamie will acquire an additional 18% stake from Klein at a premium, for which he will spend £1,000 after tax.
Similarly, he will buy 9% of the shares from Leppard for £500 after tax.
Through this transaction, Flamie became the largest shareholder of the newly established Backlund Bicycle Company, holding 47% of the shares. He will be responsible for subsequent factory production and marketing, and the company will have his initial investment of £1,000 in its accounts.
Leppard is the second largest shareholder, with a 43% stake, and his job is to assist in the mass production of the assembly line.
Klein now only owns 10% of the shares, making it a purely financial investment.
The £1,000 he received from selling his shares boosted his personal wealth to £2,235, enough to buy a " Faceless " main material. As a private Detective, he continued to accept cases for over a month, and his daily expenses did not require him to use his savings.
I still have to pay Jurgen's Lawyer 50 pounds, leaving me with only 2185 pounds... I should thank Talym later... Klein had a sudden thought, so he wrote down his name, signed, stamped his seal, and then stood up to shake hands with Flamie and Leppard, saying:
"It's a pleasure doing business with you."
Flamie took out his gold pocket watch, glanced at it, and chuckled:
"Normally, we should have lunch together to celebrate the agreement, but a very important person is waiting for me. I'm sorry, there will be many more opportunities in the future."
"A big shot, another big shot... Is it the one behind Talym? The one whose expenses I got reimbursed for by spreading some false information pointing to the Aurora Order?" Klein suddenly felt a little guilty and quickly smiled and said it was nothing, don't worry about it.
After leaving Leppard's house and getting into a carriage, Jurgen suddenly frowned slightly and said:
" Sherlock, you agreed too readily."
"Why do you say that?" Klein asked, puzzled.
He didn't even know which matter Jurgen's Lawyer was referring to.
Jurgen said quite seriously:
When discussing share transfer.
"Based on your description and Flamie's performance, I can imagine a bright market prospect for bicycles. Although it is just an invention now, the overall valuation will not be too high. £5,000 is a good price, but you should retain more shares so that you can have better returns in the future."
"I originally thought you would only sell for 8% and were confident you could negotiate to £500, but you actually agreed to 18%. Even at only £500, you've already recouped your the Original investment several times over. You shouldn't have been in such a rush."
Because I urgently needed the money... But I did agree too readily just now, without any hesitation. This is a large transaction, which isn't like me normally... Klein recalled the scene and gradually began to have some doubts.
Had I unknowingly been influenced by Flamie or that Lawyer Pacheco? Was one of them Beyonder? Fortunately, the price was still relatively reasonable... Klein pondered as he spoke to Jurgen, who was awaiting an answer:
The New Year is almost here...
He hadn't figured out how to explain it, so he just picked a random starting point.
If the other party is intelligent, they will follow this lead and refine their reasoning themselves, without Klein needing to elaborate further.
Of course, this is a tactic aimed at intelligent people; ordinary people will ask, "So?", "What exactly is it?", "What happened?"
Jurgen, the Lawyer, was clearly a smart man. Seeing Klein's brief silence, he nodded and said:
"I see."
What did you understand? I haven't even figured it out myself... Klein pointed to the Steam subway station ahead and said:
"I'm getting off here to find an informant."
The Steam- powered vehicle roared forward with imposing presence. Inside, Flamie, sitting in the front seat, rolled down the window, exhaled a smoke ring, and said to the unassuming Lawyer Pacheco beside him:
"You just used your ability?"
"It was just a passive, somewhat arousing response," Pacheco smiled. "My abilities aren't best suited for scenarios like this; I prefer dealing with government employees and corporate staff."
Flamie nodded slightly and said:
I'm just reminding you.
"There's no need to use your abilities in this situation; don't let it delay important matters."
"I understand," Pacheco replied in a low voice.
An inexpensive coffee shop in the East Borough.
When Klein arrived, Old Kohler was already waiting there.
He took off his scarf and hat, sat down opposite him, and handed him a stack of 1- Soli banknotes.
"The total budget for next week's activities, plus the reward for this news, is £1."
He's been quite generous with his rewards lately because he's found someone to reimburse him for expenses.
Old Kohler's complexion was noticeably rosier than before, and he accepted the cash somewhat embarrassedly, saying:
"The information I gave last time doesn't seem to be too important..."
"No, whether something is important or not depends on who sees it. Many things you consider insignificant might be someone else's source of income," Klein explained with a smile. "What's going on this week?"
Old Kohler took the stack of banknotes, stuffing them into his pocket while thinking for a moment, and said:
"As before, many people are still looking for followers of ' The Fool,' haha, how could anyone believe in ' The Fool '? It's not a good title."
... Klein's lips twitched slightly as he said:
Have they made any progress?
The Aurora Order is really persistent... Klein thought helplessly.
"No, there's no such person at all." Old Kohler shook his head, then said, "Recently, someone has been organizing a strike and has contacted me several times, saying they want to fight for more reasonable working hours and wages."
This is a normal thing in this era, but it could lead to rather serious consequences... Klein said thoughtfully:
"Keep an eye on who's organizing this, but don't rush things; safety first."
"Okay." Old Kohler cleared his throat. "These past few days, a lot of gangsters and bounty Hunter have been looking for someone. I don't know why, but someone must have put a bounty on his head."
"Who are you looking for?" Klein felt the cold weather and took a sip of his coffee.
The warm liquid slid down his esophagus, warming his stomach.
Old Kohler thought for a moment and said:
"A man named Azik Eggers."
Azik Eggers... Azik Eggers Klein lifted his gaze from his coffee cup and looked at Old Kohler across from him.
"Isn't that Mr. Azik's full name? How come he suddenly has a bounty on his head?" Ince Zangwill Klein, relying on his " Clown " abilities, asked casually.
Did they say what kind of person he/she was?
Old Kohler recalled, saying:
"He seems to have Balam blood; he used to be a university lecturer."