"The royal family..." Klein muttered to himself, holding the letter sent by Isengard Stanton.
He looked up and saw raindrops falling outside the window, and the gas streetlights emitting quiet halos of light.
Inside the living room, the coffee table was neat, and several stacks of newspapers were placed in a corner; there was not a sound around.
Klein sat on the sofa, leaning slightly forward, and remained silent for a long time.
After nearly ten minutes, he exhaled a breath of stale air, shook his head, and slowly but heavily threw the letter in his hand into the trash can.
He slowly stood up and walked expressionlessly to the second floor.
Meanwhile, the letter from Isengard Stanton inside the trash can silently caught fire and quickly rolled up, turning into black ashes.
On Monday morning, Klein stood in front of the bathroom mirror, pressed his right thumb and middle finger against his temples, and rubbed them with a little force.
After doing all this, he turned on the tap, buried his body, scooped up the cold tap water and splashed it on his face, washing his face with a shiver.
Feeling refreshed, he hung up his towel, went downstairs, and simply made a one-sided fried egg with toast with butter.
Of course, a cup of black tea with a few lemon slices is both thirst-quenching and refreshing.
After finishing breakfast, as Klein leisurely flipped through the remaining newspaper, he suddenly heard the doorbell ringing.
"Who? A new commission? Could it be that ' Machinery Hivemind ' has already explored the Amon Family's tomb? No, not that fast..." Klein muttered to himself, put down his napkin and newspaper, and slowly walked towards the door.
As he gripped the handle, the image of the visitor outside the door naturally came to mind:
He was a middle-aged gentleman dressed impeccably, his shirt was crisp and white, his thick gray-blue vest perfectly concealed his belly, and his long swallowtail coat had clean lines and was flawless.
The gentleman wore a pair of shiny leather shoes, showing no signs of having walked through rain and mud.
He wore white knitted gloves, a few strands of silver hair were mixed in at his temples, his face had deep nasolabial folds, and his light brown eyes were so serious that they did not contain a trace of a smile.
"Don't know him..." Klein muttered, opening the door.
"Excuse me, who are you looking for?" he asked politely.
The middle-aged gentleman removed his hat, placed it on his chest, and bowed with the most standard gesture.
"I am a butler, here on behalf of my master to invite you, Mr. Sherlock Moriarty."
"Do I know your master? What does he want with me?" Klein was completely bewildered.
But at that moment, he noticed a horse-drawn carriage parked across the cement road. Its exterior was thick and sturdy, and the inside of the windows was covered with curtains. It was clearly not an ordinary vehicle.
Understated yet luxurious... Klein stared intently and suddenly noticed a coat of arms prominently displayed in the carriage.
The main body of the emblem is a sword pointing vertically downwards, with a red crown on the hilt.
This... the " Sword of Judgment "... the " Sword of Judgment " representing the royal Augustus Family! Klein's heart skipped a beat, and he roughly understood the butler's background.
Perhaps he is a rather powerful Beyonder... Klein made a guess in his mind.
The professional and meticulous butler, unperturbed by his scrutiny, smiled politely and said:
"You and my master have never met, but you could say you know each other. You've been providing him with clues about the organization symbolized by tarot cards, and he's paid you the money you need."
Sure enough, it was that important figure Talym had mentioned. I've been using dubious information to swindle funding, even shifting the expenses that needed to be reimbursed from Old Kohler to him... Now it's hard to refuse their invitation, especially since Talym is dead... Klein hesitated for two seconds before saying:
"Your master summoned me here because of Talym's death?"
"Yes, Talym was his friend, and he was saddened and bewildered by his death. He heard that you were there at the time," the old butler said clearly.
"No, I didn't..." Klein instinctively wanted to deny it, but in the end he could only nod.
"Yes, I watched Talym die right in front of me."
"It is truly a sad and regrettable matter," the old butler said sincerely. "Would you be willing to accept my master's invitation?"
Do I have any reason to refuse? That would seem highly suspicious! I might get shot on the spot... Klein looked at the other person and said:
I happen to be free this morning.
"Yes, Mr. Moriarty, please." The old butler bowed slightly, extending his white-gloved right hand and pointing to the carriage across the concrete road.
Sigh, I've been avoiding contact with important figures all along, but because of Talym's death, I still have to face the person behind him... I wonder if this will attract attention or lead to more in-depth background investigations... I need to prepare in advance and be ready to abandon this base and this identity at any time... Also, I need to get the Human-skinned Shadow traits and the Deep-sea Naga hair as soon as possible, and advance to " Faceless " as quickly as possible! That way, my ability to withstand risks will more than double! As Klein changed his coat, put on his hat, and walked towards the carriage with the royal crest, he had already thought about some things to do next.
At this moment, the old butler's servants opened the carriage door for him.
Stepping onto the thick, brown carpet, and looking at the wooden cabinets filled with red wine, white wine, champagne, Ranzig, and Blackland Rand, along with rows of crystal glasses, Klein felt a little awkward and found a seat by the window.
--Lonzi refers to a strong distilled spirit made from pure malt, and there are many varieties, such as " Lerunqi," which is a favorite among Sailor. The bottles in the cabinet now are clearly high-end. As for Rand, it refers to a strong distilled spirit that is fermented with other grains. Like Langzi, it is a specialty of Loen.
As the carriage drove through the wet streets, Klein casually asked:
"To Queens Borough?"
"No, my master is waiting for you at the Red Rose Manor outside Queens Borough." The old butler did not hide anything.
It seems to be a royal estate... Klein thought for a moment, then smiled and asked again:
"Now can you tell me the identity of your master?"
The old butler's already straight back became even more ramrod straight, and his chin was slightly raised.
"He is a descendant of the ' Founder ' and ' Protector,' a son of the ' The Assertive,' the fifth child of His Majesty the King, Lasting Rastin, His Highness Prince Edessak Augustus."
It turned out to be the third prince, the second youngest of the princes, though he seemed to be around twenty-one or twenty-two years old... Klein recalled what he had seen at the Cragg Club and the occasional descriptions in newspapers and magazines.
The carriage traveled through streets and around an area with an artificial lake, heading northwest. After more than an hour, it finally arrived at a vast manor.
At the manor gate, Klein was inspected by two soldiers wearing white trousers and red uniforms, making no attempt to conceal the presence of his gun holster and revolver under his arm.
He believed that there must be someone around Prince Edessak who could tell he was carrying a gun, and that trying to Deceit with Illusion would easily backfire.
Anyway, the prince knows I'm a private Detective, so his men certainly won't take a guest to the police station just because I'm illegally possessing a gun... Klein watched helplessly as the soldiers took the gun holster and revolver, and told him to pick them up when he came out.
After two more checks, Klein followed the old butler around the main house and arrived at a wide area with hills and streams.
The only drawback here is that the vegetation has long since withered due to the harsh winter, leaving the area desolate.
Clop, clop, clop, several horses galloped over from a distance and stopped in front.
A young man dressed in white trousers, high black boots, a fitted shirt, and dark riding clothes dismounted nimbly and walked over, with the rest of the group following closely behind him.
He removed the helmet-like hat protecting his head and smiled at Klein:
"Finally, I've met you, Detective Moriarty."
Upon seeing him, Klein felt a sense of awe, not because he was particularly handsome, but because he resembled Henry Augustus I.
Edessak Augustus also had a round face and narrow eyes, but he was not serious at all. Instead, he always had a smile on his face, and he was young and energetic.
"I didn't know that Your Highness had entrusted me with this task." Klein bowed.
Edessak held the riding crop in his palm, weighed it in, and chuckled:
"I've heard about your crucial roles in the ' Serial Killer ' and ' Apostle of Desire ' cases. Talym's recommendation was indeed excellent. Alas, who could have imagined that he, who was racing horses with me just a few days ago, would leave this world and go to the land of storms and lightning."
Since the founding of the nation, the Augustus Family had always worshipped the " Lord of Storms ".
Before Klein could reply, he said with a serious expression:
"The investigation into Talym's death did not involve me, Mr. Moriarty. I hope you can help me find out the truth."
The conclusions drawn by other members of the royal family? Your two older brothers? This level of infighting right off the bat is too much for me to handle... Also, Your Highness, your style is really direct... Klein sighed:
"It's regrettable, but I still want to say that Talym died of a sudden heart attack."
"Is that so? News has come from the ' Mandated Punishers ' that a great Detective named Sherlock Moriarty has identified a curse mark on Talym." Prince Edessak chuckled.
Klein could only respond with a wry smile:
"Your Highness, you should know my principles. I want to live another fifty years."
"Isn't Talym your friend?" Prince Edessak immediately retorted.
Just as Klein was wondering how to answer, a maid came from the main house, quickly approached the prince, and whispered a few words.
Edessak immediately put on a stern face:
Tell her she can't go out!
After he finished speaking, he paced back and forth a couple of steps, his serious expression softening, and a hint of tenderness and helplessness appearing in his blue eyes.
"But I allowed her to leave the room and wander freely around the manor."