Late at night, 7 Pinster Street.
Leonard Mitchell sat down in the chair, raised his legs, stretched them out onto the edge of the desk.
Then, he leaned back, making the joints of the wood creak, and his breathing gradually became long and deep.
After an unknown amount of time, his eyelids drooped, obscuring his eyes.
At this moment, Leonard's spirit had arrived in a gray world, but he was still in his bedroom.
He flew to the window and saw a thick Gray Fog enveloping the nearby streets and stretching outwards, seemingly engulfing the entire Backlund.
The gas streetlights along the street and the warm firelight inside different houses all appeared unusually dim at this moment, illuminating only a small area around them and casting a hazy glow.
At the same time, clusters of illusory oval-shaped orbs of light, sometimes hidden and sometimes visible, intertwined and enveloped the houses, seemingly the source of their existence.
This is the city as seen through the eyes of " Nightmare ".
Based on his previous investigation, Leonard leaped out of the window in his " Nightmare " form and flew towards 17 Minsk Street in the Cherwood Borough.
He didn't barge in; instead, he landed at the other person's door in the thick fog and politely rang the doorbell.
As the Starling Summer, opened the door.
She held the silver-inlaid court feather fan to her chest, and asked, both confused and puzzled:
Who are you looking for?
She was the landlady when Klein Acting Sherlock Moriarty; a blonde, Blue Eyes woman in her thirties.
Leonard, now dressed in a black and white Loen police uniform, casually showed his identification and said:
Do you know Sherlock Moriarty?
Because she was dreaming, Starling reacted slowly, taking several seconds to say:
"Did something happen to him?"
As she countered with her question, under Leonard's influence, the Sherlock Moriarty.
He wore a top silk hat, a double-breasted long dress, gold-rimmed glasses, and a mustache...
This matches the appearance of Sherlock Moriarty, whom Leonard acquired earlier, so he had no doubts and said directly:
He is involved in a case and is under investigation.
We hope you can cooperate with our work.
"Okay, okay." Starling wanted to lift her chin, but for some reason, she felt a little scared.
Leonard thought for a second and said:
When did he rent the house?
"Early September last year," Starling recalled.
Leonard continued to ask:
What do you know about him? Or rather, what kind of person is he in your mind?
When this was mentioned, Starling seemed to have already considered the answer, saying:
"He's from Awwa County, he has that accent, and he's a very capable Detective. He once helped Mary solve her husband's affair, but his income isn't high; he can't even afford a full-time maid, so he has to have my maid help out part-time... My child told me he's a great storyteller, especially good at Detective stories, which is probably why he chose that profession..."
Without giving Leonard a chance to interrupt, she continued speaking at length:
"He wasn't as rude as typical Detective. He attended grammar school, studied history, and most enviably, he received Mary's thanks and joined the Cragg Club, a place full of very distinguished people. I've been there a few times..."
"Later, he seemed to become famous in the Detective circle, and private Detective frequently came to him..."
Leonard grew impatient and couldn't help but raise his hand to rub his temple.
He didn't get any useful information from Mrs. Starling, except for the fact that Sherlock Moriarty wasn't in good financial shape and was good at telling Detective stories. Everything else was within the scope of the intelligence he had already gathered. He even knew that Sherlock Moriarty had a good relationship with Isengard Stanton.
Next, he started investigating the few people in the Cragg Club who were on good terms with Sherlock Moriarty... After patiently listening to Mrs. Starling's ramblings, Leonard immediately thanked her and left her dream.
160 Böklund Street, the residence of Dawn Dantès.
In the hall, which can accommodate hundreds of guests for dancing, Klein is dancing gracefully with a woman in her thirties.
This is the etiquette teacher Walter found, named Vahana Haysen.
She has a common female name, but she herself is anything but ordinary. Although her features are only slightly above average, she has a great temperament, and every move she makes is full of charm.
According to Walter, she was born into Baron family, received an excellent education from a young age, and later entered the court as a lady-in-waiting until her marriage.
Because her family had fallen on hard times and her husband's financial situation was also poor, she, a believer in the Evernight Goddess, chose to become a tutor in etiquette, frequently visiting different noble or wealthy families to teach their children.
Although the butler didn't say it explicitly, Klein knew that he couldn't make a bad impression on this lady, or his reputation would be ruined.
One of the important ways for nobles, the wealthy, and other members of high society to learn about someone was through mutual acquaintances. And sometimes, interactions between servants also had this connotation.
With light steps and a swaying body, Vahana, her black hair loosely tied back, nodded approvingly.
"Mr. Dantès, it's really hard to imagine that you haven't learned these dance steps before."
"In less than a quarter of an hour, you became as skilled as a nobleman who had received similar education since childhood."
"It's because you taught me well." Klein smiled modestly, his expression gentle and unassuming.
With the " Clown's" balance and coordination, dancing is a very simple thing for him.
Vahana lowered her head and chuckled softly.
"You are a gentleman who can make ladies very happy."
Her light brown eyes then lifted, sweeping over Dawn Dantès's silver-streaked sideburns and deep blue eyes.
"That's the best compliment I've heard all day," Klein replied with a smile, his steps unwavering as he lightly twirled Vahana around. In the distance, the band he'd hired continued to fill the hall with beautiful melodies.
He was keen to get to know Vahana, not only to improve his reputation, but also because she had served as a lady-in-waiting in the palace.
After correcting Dawn Dantès's minor Error, Vahana said:
"Inviting a lady to dance is not just about dancing; there must also be a conversation. You can't just act like two Puppet, unless you're both so engrossed in the music and the rhythm of the dance that you don't want to talk. Of course, this is also a form of communication, a communication of the soul."
"When speaking, you must be subtle. This is Loen, not Intis."
Simply put, avoid being direct or rude, and strive to appear courteous.
"For example, if you want to compliment a woman's perfume, you can't directly say how nice it smells, nor can you ask what kind of perfume it is and then give the compliment. You have to think of a more subtle meaning and mention it indirectly. You could say something like, 'I feel like I've come to the countryside in spring.'"
"Of course, this must conform to the characteristics of the perfume."
Lacking literary flair, shouldn't one say "The moon is beautiful tonight"? Klein muttered to himself, using a subtle Japanese slang term, and then chuckled self-deprecatingly:
Thank you for not saying my compliments weren't polite enough.
Vahana's smile deepened immediately:
"Mr. Dantès, do you know what kind of gentleman is popular with women in social situations?"
"I don't know." Klein shook his head frankly.
Vahana said with an undiminished smile:
"The second most popular type is the man who makes women think he's intelligent."
"And first place?" Klein asked cooperatively.
Vahana glanced at him and said:
The most popular type of man is one who makes a woman feel that she is intelligent.
She smiled and didn't say anything more, but Klein immediately understood the hidden praise in her words.
This is the kind of subtlety that Loen has... unlike the Intis side, where everyone's all about sex... Hmm, these are all reports from newspapers and magazines. We can't be sure what the real social scene in Intis is like based on this. Anyway, the two countries are always slandering each other... The era of the Great Emperor does fit that description quite well... Klein nodded in realization.
The two-hour etiquette lesson came to an end in such a harmonious atmosphere. Klein, accompanied by his butler Walter and personal valet Richardson Vahana Haysen to the door and gave her a small gift.
That's the " Moonlight " perfume from the Dream Company, which contains grey amber and is quite expensive.
As for the exact amount, Klein didn't know, because it was the butler Walter who was in charge of the purchase, and the expenses came from the housekeeper. Taneja would only bring the receipts and forms to him for review when the 1,000 pounds were almost spent and new funds were needed.
Klein knew which company and what perfume it was because the butler had told him beforehand, so that he wouldn't appear insincere if he knew nothing when Ms. Vahana asked.
From these details, he gained a profound understanding of the role of a good housekeeper.
Watching a satisfied Vahana Haysen leave, Klein resisted the urge to rub his temples and sincerely sighed inwardly:
"This is even more tiring than fighting Beyonder. I have to be constantly mindful of my movements and carefully choose my words... I need to take a break."
Just then, Walter, wearing white gloves, stepped forward and said:
"Sir, since you are making such good progress in etiquette, you can move up the rest of your courses."
"What course?" Klein felt a headache coming on.
"History, international politics, philosophy, music, and general knowledge of sports such as golf, horse racing, and hunting..." Walter answered meticulously.
"Philosophy?" Klein asked, slightly taken aback.
Walter and said:
"This is one of the easiest topics to discuss in high society. You don't need to have very in-depth knowledge, but you should at least know what others are talking about, know that the source of pragmatism is Consizo, Mared, and Patterson, not Emperor Roselle, and know that it was Leodero who proposed 'Man is born free'."
"Many wealthy people, when they first enter high society, are prone to making mistakes in this regard; they tend to attribute unfamiliar words and philosophical ideas to Emperor Roselle."
Klein's headache grew worse, and he forced a smile:
"I'm not busy lately, except for afternoon naps and church. You can schedule the class anytime."
In a dimly lit room, the envelope floated up, opened on its own, and shook out the papers.
Sharron, wearing a small soft hat, stood nearby, holding the letter and reading it carefully.
She immediately wrote a reply, arranged the ceremony, and began summoning Sherlock Moriarty's messenger.
During this process, she did not forget to add a gold coin.
Soon, Sharron finished reciting the incantation and saw the candle flame expand and turn a sinister green.
Reinette Tinekerr, carrying four blonde, red-eyed heads, emerged from the candlelight and stood before Sharron.
Sharron's gaze froze, and a sudden, intense emotional shift appeared on her Puppet- like face.
She blurted out:
"Teacher!
"You've already..."
P. S.: Requesting monthly votes and recommendation votes on Monday!