Ding ding dang dang dang, the bell that was pulled by the rope kept shaking, and the sound spread throughout the spacious but relatively empty living room.
Klein, who was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper and studying the investment opportunities, stood up. He was wearing a white shirt and a black vest without a bow tie, looking very casual.
The first commission of my detective career? However, I can't always wait at home, waiting for missions to come knocking on my door. Hmm … I have to get a guestbook and hang it at the door with a fountain pen. That way, customers can write down the time of their next visit, allowing me to prepare in advance … But for a new detective who has just entered the profession and isn't famous, this basically means that there won't be a next time … Sigh, I can only trouble myself for the time being. Every morning, I have to divine if there are any missions for the day and roughly what time period it will be. Then, I can make arrangements based on that … Of course, I might miss a mission from a powerful Beyonder. Hmm, so be it if I miss it. There's a high chance that it's a good thing …
Klein thought as he walked to the door. He did not need to look through the peephole for the image of the visitor outside to naturally appear in his mind.
One was an old lady wearing a black velvet bonnet. Her back was slightly hunched, her face was deeply wrinkled, and her skin was dry and yellowish. However, her dark dress was formal and very neat.
Her sideburns were completely white, but her blue eyes were quite spirited. She was looking at the young man next to her, signaling him to ring the doorbell again.
The young man was in his twenties and had a pair of eyes similar to the old lady's. In the increasingly cold weather, he was wearing a black double-breasted frock coat popular among the Baekeland gentry, a half top hat, and a bow tie like he was attending a banquet. It seemed that he would not relax his requirements for himself at any time or in any situation.
With the help of a Clown's premonition, before the bell rang again, Klein twisted the doorknob and opened the door.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Today is a good day. I've seen five minutes of Sun so far."
He talked about the weather in a slightly exaggerated way, a popular topic of conversation in Baekeland for over a hundred years.
"Yes, it always shyly hides behind the fog and clouds, and refuses to come out." The old lady nodded in agreement.
The young man asked,
"You're Detective Sherlock Moriarty?"
"Yes, what can I do for you? Excuse me, please come in. Let's talk on the sofa. "Klein turned his body sideways and pointed to the guest area.
"No, there's no need." "I don't want to waste any time. My poor Brody is still waiting for me to save him!"
"It?" Klein noticed the most important pronoun and suddenly had a bad feeling.
The very formally dressed young man nodded affirmatively.
"Brody is a cat owned by my grandmother, Madam Doris. It went missing last night, and I hope that you can help us find it. We live at the end of this street, and I'm willing to pay you five soli for this. Of course, if you can prove that the time and effort you've spent exceeds this amount, I'll compensate you in addition."
Looking for a cat? The reason why he asked me to do this is because it's on the same street. It's very convenient … Klein felt that this wasn't the detective career that he had imagined.
This makes me look like a clown … Alright, I can't turn down the first business deal. This is the point of view of a Seer … He pondered for a few seconds.
"Can you describe it in detail?"
Before the young man could speak, Madam Doris said, "Brody is an adorable, lively black cat.
"Brody is a cute, lively black cat. He is very healthy and has a pair of beautiful green eyes. He loves to eat cooked chicken breasts. Goddess, he ran away last night just like that. No, he must have lost his way. I put a lot of chicken breasts in his bowl, but he didn't want to come back and take another look."
"…" The corners of Klein's mouth curled up.
"I'm very satisfied with your description, Madam Doris."
"I accept this commission. Alright, I'll go to your house now. I need to find clues and traces. You should know very well that the core of inference lies in the details."
Madam Doris didn't seek her grandson's opinion and immediately nodded.
"You're the most proactive detective I've ever seen. Deal!"
Klein put on his coat and hat, picked up his cane, and followed Madam Doris and her grandson to the streets.
Unlike Tingen, many of the roads in Baekeland had been rebuilt with cement or asphalt. Even if it rained, it wouldn't be as muddy.
While the old lady was leading the way, his grandson came to Klein's side and said in a low voice, "I hope you can do your best to find Brody."
"I hope you can do your best to find Brody."
"Ever since my grandfather and parents passed away, it became one of the pillars of my grandmother's life."
"After Brody went missing, my grandmother had mental problems. She even had auditory hallucinations. She always told me that she heard poor Brody screaming."
Klein nodded solemnly.
"I'll do my best. By the way, how should I address you?"
"Jurgen, Jurgen Cooper, a senior solicitor," the young man replied.
Soon, they arrived at 58 Minsk Street and entered the dark house.
"This is Brody's bowl. This is his favorite box. He always sleeps in it." Doris's wrinkled face was filled with worry and anticipation.
Klein crouched down and found several strands of black cat fur in the box.
He straightened his body and held the silver-inlaid cane with the hand that held the cat's fur.
Klein's eyes darkened as he pretended to observe his surroundings and silently recited a divination statement.
His hand quietly left the tip of the cane, but it didn't completely leave it, preventing Jurgen and Doris from noticing the fact that the cane was standing on its own.
Then, the black silver-inlaid cane tilted to the side. It fell very slowly and by a very small margin.
Klein held the cane again and looked in that direction, carefully observing it for more than ten seconds.
Then, he took a step forward and walked over to an old cupboard.
"Did you find any traces of Brody's departure?" Jurgen asked with concern. Old Madam Doris was also waiting for an answer.
Klein didn't answer. He crouched down and pulled open the door at the bottom of the cupboard.
Howl!
A black cat scurried out, its tail raised high as it ran towards its bowl.
"Brody … When did you get into the cupboard? How did you come to be shut up in the cupboard? "cried Mrs. Doris, surprised and perplexed.
Jurgen turned his head in surprise and glanced at Klein.
"How did you know it was in the cupboard?"
Klein smiled and replied in a low voice,
"This is reasoning."
…
After gaining the friendship of Mrs. Doris and Lawyer Jurgen, and receiving five soli as a reward, Klein returned to his rented 15 Minsk Street under the gloomy sky.
Before he got close, he saw a figure pacing back and forth in front of his door.
Another new business? Klein looked over and saw that the visitor was wearing an old overcoat and a round hat. He was a boy about fifteen or sixteen years old.
Him? Klein immediately recognized him as the boy who was being chased on the Steam Metro the day he first arrived in Baekeland.
The maturity and calmness he displayed at that time left a deep impression on Klein.
"What could he have entrusted me with …" Klein mumbled as he walked over with a smile.
"Excuse me, are you here for me?"
The big boy was startled and hurriedly turned around. There was an unconcealable fear in his bright red eyes.
He composed himself and said hesitantly,
"You're Detective Sherlock Moriarty?"
"Yes." Klein looked around and said, "Let's talk inside."
"Alright." Big Boy did not refuse.
After entering the house, Klein did not take off his coat. He only took off his hat and put away his cane.
He led the boy to the guest area and pointed at the long sofa.
"Please sit down. How should I address you? What do you want to entrust me with? "
"You can call me Ian." Big Boy looked around, and after a few seconds of silence, he said, "I was hired by another detective, Mr. Zreal Victor Lee, to help him gather some information and intelligence."
Klein sat down and clasped his hands together.
"Your commission is related to your former employer?"
"Yes." Ian nodded solemnly. "A few days ago, I suddenly realized that I was being followed with ill intentions, so I thought of a way to shake them off. Uh … I believe Mr. Moriarty witnessed this scene. The moment I saw you, I recognized you as the gentleman who sized me up on the subway that day."
… This level of observation isn't much worse than a Spectator's … Could it be that he was born with a special type? Or are they Beyonders? Klein activated his Spirit Vision and took a few glances at Ian, but he didn't find anything strange.
He nodded and calmly replied, "That's right.
"I'm impressed by your response."
Ian didn't dwell on this matter.
"I suspected that my encounter had something to do with Mr. Zreal, so I went to visit him at his place. I found that it looked normal, but many of the hidden mechanisms that indicated that someone had sneaked in had been triggered."
"Since that day, I haven't seen Mr. Zreal again. I suspect that something has happened to him."
"I tried to call the police, but he hasn't been missing for the required number of days. I tried to ask the other detectives I know for help, but they all rejected me. The reason was that they had just seen Mr. Zreal at a gathering of their colleagues."
"This surprised me because I used the agreed method to contact Mr. Zreal, but I didn't get any response."
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