"Did you see a boy in his teens? He's wearing an old coat! "One of the men who had rushed into the carriage glared fiercely at the train attendant.
From the corner of his eye, Klein noticed that the man was thin and muscular. His skin was dark as though he had been exposed to the sun for a long time, and his eye sockets were much more sunken than the typical Rouen citizen.
A highlander? Or a mixed-blood? He nodded in thought.
In the middle of the Northern Continent, at the beginning of the Hornacis mountain range, there was a dry plateau. Most of it belonged to the Feynapotter Kingdom, with the west belonging to the Republic of Intis, and the east being occupied by the Kingdom of Rouen. The natives were thin and barbaric, but they were brave and skilled in battle. For a long time, they were one of the biggest headaches for the three countries, but with the improvement of gunpowder weapons and changes in the form of warfare, these highlanders finally recognized reality and submitted completely.
A large number of them left the plateau and entered Baekeland, Trier, Feynapotter City, and the various bustling cities and ports of the Northern Continent. Some became workers, while others became the fresh blood of the local gangs. They dared to fight and were not afraid of causing trouble.
The train attendant was a man in his twenties. When he heard that, he shrank back and pointed in the direction of the third-class carriage.
"I saw it … He went there."
The leader in the black coat and half top hat nodded indiscernibly. He led a few of his accomplices and rushed to the third-class carriage, ignoring the gazes of the surrounding passengers.
If I were that boy, I would've definitely alighted from the third-class carriage by now … As Klein read the newspaper, his thoughts wandered.
After more than a minute, the steam whistle sounded, and the carriage door slowly closed.
Clang! Clang! The steam metro sped up, but at that moment, Klein suddenly felt something. He looked up at the door that led to the other second-class carriages.
The fifteen-year-old boy in the old coat, round hat, and worn-out satchel slowly walked into the carriage.
His face was young, and his facial features were delicate. His bright red eyes were heavy and solemn.
… Impressive. He alighted from the third-class carriage, circled around, and boarded the first-class carriage? Are you afraid that the pursuer has accomplices waiting in the subway station? " Klein was slightly surprised. He felt that the boy in front of him handled things very maturely and cautiously, much better than many people in their twenties.
Tapping his left molar, he secretly activated his Spirit Vision and swept a glance at the boy. He saw that his body was in a state of exhaustion, and his emotions were tense and downcast. However, he still maintained the blue look of calm contemplation.
Not simple … in terms of age … Klein muttered to himself as he continued to read his newspaper.
The boy didn't realize that he had been scrutinized by a Beyonder as he walked towards the third-class carriage again.
The rest of the journey was smooth and calm. Klein arrived at one of the three subway stations in Cherwood Borough twenty minutes later.
After another ten minutes in the cab, he finally found Minsk Street, and following the description in the newspaper, he went to Number 17, next to Number 15, and rang the bell.
Cuckoo! Cuckoo!
As the bell reverberated in the room, a mechanical bird that didn't look too good appeared on the door. It was only the size of a palm, and it was made up of gears and other parts. It kept nodding its head, producing a sound similar to a cuckoo.
It's not a bad toy, but the workmanship is a little rough … Klein gave an objective evaluation.
Ten seconds later, the dark-colored door was pulled open. A young woman in a black-and-white maid's dress looked warily at Klein.
"May I know what you're here for?"
Klein smiled and waved the newspaper wrapped around the tip of his cane.
"I'm here to find Mrs. Sammer to rent a house. It hasn't been rented out yet, right?"
The full name given in the newspaper was Stelyn Sammer.
"No, please wait a moment." Please wait a moment. "The maid bowed politely.
She hurriedly entered and informed the mistress. After a while, she came out again and led Klein into the house. She helped him place his cane and suitcase in the hall, and hung his coat and top hat on the coat rack in the same spot.
A warm wave of air assaulted him, dispersing the coldness that he had brought with him. He swept his gaze and first saw the fireplace with a unique structure. He saw the pieces of red inside and the burning smokeless charcoal.
The Sammers' living room was rather large, almost the size of the entire floor of the Moretti residence. Certain areas were even covered in decorative carpets and hung with oil paintings of landscapes.
The maid brought Klein to the sofa area and said to the mistress in a pale yellow dress, "Madam, a guest is here."
The mistress was in her thirties.
She had blonde hair and blue eyes. She had beautiful looks and maintained herself well. She held a silver-inlaid imperial feather fan in her hand.
As she was in her own home, and the fireplace created a warm environment, she didn't wear high-collared clothes. Her chest was white, and her neck was slender and smooth.
"Hello, Mrs. Sammer." Klein pressed his hand to his chest and bowed.
Mrs. Sammer smiled reservedly.
"Good evening. Please have a seat. Would you like coffee or tea?"
Klein sat on the sofa and answered frankly, "Tea.
"Black tea, thank you."
"Julienne, marquis black tea," Mrs. Sammer instructed the maid, her eyes darting around slightly. "May I know how I should address you?"
"Sherlock Moriarty. You can just call me Sherlock." Klein had long thought of a pseudonym.
At this moment, he caught a whiff of the fragrance coming from the kitchen and saw the complicated pipes.
"Heh heh, this is my husband's design. Although he's a manager of the Coim Company, he's a machinery enthusiast in his spare time. He's also a member of the Kingdom's Soot Reduction Association," Mrs. Sammer explained with a smile when she noticed Klein's gaze.
Madam, there's no need for such a detailed introduction. I'm not here on a blind date with your husband … Klein lampooned as he maintained his smile.
"Madam, I wish to rent Unit 15."
Mrs. Sammer straightened her back and sat gracefully. She smiled and said, "Then I have to warn you beforehand.
"Then I have to warn you in advance. House No. 15 doesn't have such pipes, reclining chairs, card tables, mahogany sideboards, fine ceramic plates, silver cutlery, gold-plated tea sets, removable carpets …"
She pointed at the things in her house and introduced them one by one. Finally, she added, "That's right.
Finally, she added, "It originally belonged to my sister and brother-in-law, but my brother-in-law's business failed. They had no choice but to move to the Southern Continent. They still have a plantation in Balam, but I don't agree with their choice. It's unfair to my poor nephew and niece. There's no good grammar school there, and they don't even have good home tutors."
Madam, this isn't something I want to know … Klein nodded sincerely.
"Apart from the weather, there's nothing in the Southern Continent that can compare to Baekeland."
His agreement pleased Mrs. Sammer as her eyes darted around.
"That house still has a three-year lease. I hope you can pay a year's rent in one go. 18 soli a week, and 1 soli for the furniture. I can only take a small deposit, a total of 50 pounds."
Klein shook his head and smiled.
"Mrs. Sammer, you should be able to tell that I've just arrived in Baekeland. I don't know what I'll encounter next. Paying 50 pounds in one go will lower my ability to withstand risks. My limit is half a year, 25 pounds."
He also planned on renting another room in Baekeland's East Borough to change his clothes, disguise himself, and escape any pursuers. This was a necessary preparation for the things he planned on doing.
Stelyn Sammer nodded slightly and asked, "Did you go to grammar school?"
"Did you go to grammar school?"
Klein chuckled and said, "Yes.
"Yes, I studied history by myself."
"Do you have any proof of identity?" Stelyn asked casually.
"I'm very sorry. I left home in a hurry and forgot to bring it with me. Heh heh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm from Midseashire." Klein deliberately used the accent that his classmate, Welch, was used to.
Just as he said the word "forgot," he thought of Captain Dunn Smith, and the smile on his face widened.
At this moment, the maid, Julienne, came over with a cup of black tea. The cup was pure white with classic patterns, and parts of it were plated with gold.
Klein took a sip and found the fragrance to be distant. The sweetness and sourness were just right, and it was clearly much better than the Sibe black tea he was used to drinking.
"Very pure marquis black tea," he praised with an impeccable description.
The corners of Mrs. Stelyn Sammer's mouth curled up slightly.
"Then let's rent it for half a year. 25 pounds."
Klein thanked her and chatted with her for a few minutes until another maid found the standard contract from the study.
After signing their names, Klein painfully counted out 25 pounds in cash and pushed it to Mrs. Sammer.
Stelyn spread it out and did the math before raising her chin slightly.
"Mr. Moriarty, you're probably looking for a job in Baekeland, right?"
"Yes," Klein answered in a daze.
The corners of Stelyn's mouth curled up slightly.
"Then I can give you some advice. It's very difficult to live in Cherwood Borough with a weekly salary of less than 3 pounds. Your rent, food expenses, water, gas, charcoal, and transportation costs add up to at least 2 pounds and 5 soli. Believe me, this is Baekeland. The rest will still have to consider new clothes and good cutlery and tea sets … A weekly salary of 3 pounds is barely the bottom line."
"If your weekly salary reaches 5 pounds, you can hire a maid. At 6 pounds, you can consider hiring a chef. At 7 pounds, you can add a male attendant. At 8 pounds, you can hire an additional maid …"
Mrs. Sammer, I think you're showing off … I once earned 10 pounds a week … Klein maintained his smile as he listened attentively.
At this moment, the door suddenly opened as a burly man walked in. He was wearing a black double-breasted frock coat and leather gloves of the same color. He had a beautiful mustache above his lips.
"Luke, this is Mr. Moriarty. He's now our neighbor." Stelyn Sammer went forward and introduced him.
Luke, who was clearly the male host, took off his coat and handed it to the male servant behind him.
He smiled politely and said, "Mr. Moriarty, would you like to accept an invitation to dinner?"
This is the manager of the Coim Company, a member of the Rouen Kingdom's Soot Reduction Association … Klein said with a smile, "I'm very sorry, Mr. Sammer.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Sammer. I've eaten it on the steam locomotive, although the taste left a deep impression."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Klein left the Sammers' house under the guidance of the maid, Julienne, and entered the neighboring Unit 15.
The layout was very similar to the one next door. On the first floor, there was a large living room, a dining room with good lighting, two guest rooms, a bathroom, a basement, and a kitchen that extended out. On the second floor, there were four bedrooms, an activity room, a solarium, a study, two bathrooms, and a huge balcony.
"Madam said that you can rent out a portion of it, but not to the workers. Also, it can't be too noisy or crowded here. Hmm … I'll bring clean blankets, bedsheets, and pillowcases over later." Julienne returned to the Sammers' house after giving some instructions.
After tidying up, Klein finally settled down in Baekeland.
He sat in the empty living room and suddenly felt lonely. Hence, he forced himself to think about what he needed to do next.
Regardless of whether he was willing or not, revenge and advancement weren't things that could be done in the blink of an eye. Therefore, he needed to have a job that paid him well to avoid a financial crisis.
However, a job couldn't restrict him or affect his actions and arrangements. In other words, he had to have sufficient freedom.
After some deliberation, after eliminating unsuitable jobs, Klein was left with three choices.
First, he could plagiarize novels and become an author. However, his identity was sensitive, and the more famous he was, the more fatal it would be. All he could do was reluctantly give up.
Second, he could become a news reporter. This was a rather respectable job in this era. Applying for the job required academic credentials and other documents. Klein could only express his helplessness.
Finally, he chose the third job.
Private detective!
This was also the reason why he had chosen a fake name.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
