Inside the private detective agency.
"Sir, your commission has been completed." The drunken private detective, Henry, looked at the gentleman in a black tuxedo, half top hat, and dark face mask before him. He heaved a sigh of relief and said, "This really wasn't an easy mission. It wasn't difficult, but it took up too much of our energy. Frankly speaking, I'm very regretful. I regret that the price I offered was too low."
No, no matter what you say, I won't pay an extra penny! Klein emphasized inwardly as he pointed at the thick stack of documents on the coffee table. "This is the investigation report?"
"Yes." Henry pressed down on the investigation report that was at least sixty pages long and sighed. "This is the most troublesome …"
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Klein hand over four one-pound notes. Hence, he turned his attention to identifying the authenticity.
"This is the final payment." Klein reached out to hold the thick investigation report.
Henry coughed and said, "You really are an honest and trustworthy gentleman.
"You really are an honest and trustworthy gentleman. Sigh, I didn't expect that the investigation report would use so much paper. It was completely out of my budget."
At that moment, Klein picked up the extremely thick investigation report and stood up.
He bowed slightly and immediately walked towards the door with his cane in hand.
Just like that, Detective Henry's subsequent words were stuck in his throat.
Heh, how could I possibly pay for the cost of the investigation report's paper? It's included in the overall commission fee! Klein touched the remaining five pounds and eight soli of his private stash and grumbled inwardly as he walked briskly to Besik Street.
He first observed his surroundings and confirmed that no one was paying attention to him before he agilely left the area and found an opportunity to remove his mask.
Klein didn't plan on returning home immediately. Instead, he planned on finding a coffee shop nearby to quickly sort out the investigation report. He wanted to find the houses that had changed tenants after his divination of the red chimney. Then, he would use the time before dinner to check those houses.
There were quite a number of coffee shops in the neighborhood, but almost none of them met Klein's requirements. Ever since steam and machinery became the symbol of the era, more and more coffee shops lowered their standards and became cheap restaurants. They provided tea, coffee, bread, toast, and dishes like lamb stew with peas to the busy laborers. Hence, respectable gentlemen and ladies no longer went to coffee shops to chat. They no longer used such behavior as a symbol of their status. All kinds of clubs began to appear, replacing the original social functions of coffee shops.
After walking for a while, Klein finally found a coffee shop with a decent environment.
After sitting at a booth in a secluded corner, he took a sip of his Southville coffee, which only cost three and a half pence, and carefully flipped open the investigation report.
"… In Tingen City's North Borough, East Borough, West Borough, Golden Indus Borough, Dock Borough, and University Borough, a total of 1,179 houses have dark red chimneys … In Tingen City's suburbs, a total of 546 houses have the red chimneys described by the employer … This doesn't include the towns and villages that belong to Tingen but are relatively far away."
"The following is the address of each house and the corresponding landlord and tenant information. According to the employer's request, I have done a more detailed investigation of the situation in the past three months."
…
Klein scanned through page after page, constantly making notes on the piece of paper he brought with him with a fountain pen.
Finally, he discovered that after he had divined the red chimney, a total of twenty-five houses had experienced a change in tenants.
Not too many. I'll try to finish the investigation within two days. Yes, I've seen that red chimney in my dream divination, and I've seen parts of that house. As long as I encounter it again in reality, I'll definitely feel a sense of familiarity from my spirituality, and thus confirm the target. To put it simply, I'm a human detector … Klein nodded silently. Based on the different locations of the houses, he planned the fifteen houses that he had to visit that day.
As for whether such an operation would be dangerous, he didn't need a divination to know the answer.
Since there was a change in tenants, it meant that the mastermind who caused his fate to be inconsistent and kept encountering coincidences had already left!
I hope I can find out what the previous tenant looked like from the landlord … However, since the mastermind can influence my fate without me noticing and make the coincidences appear natural, he must have a way to erase the traces of his existence … Sigh, I can only pray to the Goddess to make that guy make a mistake … Klein exhaled and forced himself to perk up. He put on his silk top hat, picked up his cane and report, got up, and walked out of the coffee shop.
Following that, he spent two soli to hire a two-wheeled carriage and went to the fifteen houses with red chimneys before dinner. Unfortunately, they weren't the ones he had seen in his dream.
If the results of tomorrow's investigation are still the same, things will be troublesome. He's actually still living in the house with the red chimney that I previously divined … This either means that he's confident enough that he's not afraid of my investigation or even the arrest of the Tingen Nighthawks, or it means that he doesn't know that he's exposed, and that the power that resisted my divination was a power that doesn't completely belong to him … Klein stood at the entrance of 2 Daffodil Street, analyzing one possibility after another.
After a few minutes, he patted the dust off his black tuxedo, pressed down on the half top hat on his head, took out his copper key, and opened the door to go home with a smile.
He planned to prepare braised lamb and honey roasted meat for Baansen and Melissa that night.
…
At eleven o 'clock at night, the three siblings entered their respective bedrooms after saying goodnight to each other.
Klein closed the door and stood in front of his desk. Under the light of the gas lamp, he looked out of the oriel window. At that moment, the nearby streets were completely dark. There were only a few street lamps guiding the way. The stars in the sky were embedded in the black curtain, and they were not very clear.
I wonder what Baekeland, which is known as the Land of Hope and the Capital of Capitals, looks like … Klein muttered silently. He reached out to grab the curtain and was about to pull it open.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a cold wind blew without warning, and the light from the gas lamp suddenly turned dark green.
Klein subconsciously took a few steps back, and very professionally, he tapped his left molar twice. At the same time, he leaned towards the headboard and tried to grab the pistol under his pillow.
In his vision, a face suddenly appeared on the wall above the desk and under the gas lamp. It had no eyes, no nose, and only a translucent mouth!
"Don't shoot," the face said with its mouth open and closed.
It can communicate? Klein already had his gun in hand, and he aimed at the target.
"What are you trying to do?" he asked in a deep voice.
The face let out a light chuckle.
"I'm Daly."
Daly? Spirit Medium Daly? The Spirit Medium Daly who was transferred to the Baekeland diocese? Klein frowned in puzzlement.
"Ma 'am Daly?"
"I know that this kind of visit is too rude, and I should inform you in advance so that you can be fully prepared. However, it's not convenient for me to meet you directly, so I can only communicate with you through this little guy." The translucent eyeless and noseless face laughed.
Although her voice isn't right and is ethereal and ear-piercing, it's indeed Madam Daly's style of speaking … The powers of a Spirit Medium sure are cool … Klein sighed inwardly. Without lowering his gun, he asked,
Without lowering the muzzle, he asked, "Ma 'am, what do you wish to communicate with me?"
Without lowering his gun, he asked, "If I were you, I would first seal the bedroom with spirituality. Otherwise, your family will think that you have a mental problem." The translucent face joked. "Heh heh, you don't have to be so wary. I only returned to Tingen in secret because of Dunn's letter. As you know, Nighthawks are not allowed to leave their jurisdiction as they please."
"Captain's letter?" Klein didn't go near the desk. Instead, he took out the Holy Night Powder from the inner pocket of his black trench coat on the coat rack.
"Dunn and I are both Beyonders who grew up in the Tingen Nighthawks. We have always maintained a good relationship. Last Thursday, yes, Thursday, he sent me a letter and mentioned you. He said that you imitated the maxim of a Mystery Pryer and concluded your own Seer's Code of Conduct from divination. He also claimed that this effectively helped you grasp the potion, preventing you from hearing things you shouldn't hear or seeing things you shouldn't see. Dunn said that this is very similar to me."
"Heh heh, are you really not going to seal the room? I personally don't mind being misunderstood by your brother and sister, "the translucent face explained unhurriedly.
So that's how it is … It's really Ma 'am Daly … Klein heaved a sigh of relief and stuffed the Holy Night Powder back into his inner pocket. He then walked to the desk and took out a silver knife used for ceremonies from the drawer.
After quickly constructing a wall of spirituality, he turned to look at the strange face that protruded from the wall.
"Ma 'am Daly, what else did the Captain say in the letter?"
"He only expressed his doubts and felt that he had grasped something, but he was unable to understand it clearly. He hoped to get my opinion." Daly said with the help of the strange face that had no eyes or nose. "And when I finished reading the letter this morning, I knew that you were definitely not as ignorant as you described yourself. Heh heh, Mr. Moretti, I believe you have already concluded the acting method!"
"Is that why you came to me?" Klein asked without confirming or denying it.
Daly already knows about the "acting method" … He calmly made a judgment in his heart.
Daly made the translucent face reveal a smile.
"Yes."
"I believe we should be honest with each other on this matter. I know that you have concluded the acting method, and you definitely know that I have grasped the acting method. Sigh, what's unpleasant is that it took me nearly two years to clearly understand it. As for you, you have only been a Beyonder for a month and a half."
Upon hearing Daly's words, Klein deliberated for a moment before calmly smiling.
"That's because I have you as my role model."
He originally wanted to say, "I'm only standing on the shoulders of giants," but he ultimately decided not to give Rosell The Great another chance to appear in his ears.
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