Klein listened carefully and asked, "What's the matter?
"So, you suspect that the Zreal the detectives saw was someone else in disguise?"
Ian held his brown round hat and replied as though he had already thought about it.
"That's a possibility, but I think it's too difficult. It's so difficult that it requires a lot of risk. The party is held at night, and the lights aren't that bright, but most of the people who participate are detectives with keen observation skills. It's hard to hide from them with just wigs, beards, and makeup."
Perhaps some Beyonder power can do it … Just like what Creeping Hunger has … Klein's question had a tiny trap. He wanted to determine if Ian had come into contact with Beyonders or if he had a certain level of understanding of mysticism from his answers, facial expressions, and body language.
The preliminary answer was no.
Ian saw Detective Moriarty nod slightly in agreement with his reasoning, so he continued.
"I believe that the person those detectives saw was Mr. Zreal, but he's not free. He's under the strict control of someone else, so he can't send out a message for help. The reason why he didn't respond to my contact was to alert me so that I could find someone to help rescue him."
"A reasonable explanation." Klein unclasped his hands and sat back a little, making himself look more relaxed and more confident.
Ian was silent for more than ten seconds before he solemnly said, "Don't worry.
"I want to entrust you to investigate Mr. Zreal and confirm his current condition. That's all I need."
Considering that the other party was a semi-professional who helped detectives gather intelligence and information, Klein was interested in befriending him.
"How much do you plan to pay? You should know very well that this matter may be very dangerous. "
Ian discreetly looked down at the pocket of his old coat and deliberated before saying, "That's right.
"There are two ways. The first is for me to directly pay you enough to satisfy you. After that, no matter if the mission is easy or difficult, it will be the same amount, unless you suffer a relatively serious injury."
"Second, I'll pay five pounds in advance, and when you complete the task, I'll increase the fee depending on the difficulty of the task. But this can easily cause a dispute, even if there's a contract."
Klein pretended to think for nearly thirty seconds before he said in a deep voice, "That's right.
"Maybe we can do this? You'll pay me five pounds in advance, and when the mission is over, help me do three things. Don't worry, they won't be difficult things. They're all within your capabilities, and they won't make you feel too embarrassed. We can agree on this in the contract. "
Ian frowned and immediately stood up. He leaned forward and extended his right hand.
"Alright!"
Klein shook his hand and pulled out a standard contract that he had prepared earlier from the coffee table. He picked up a fountain pen, added all the details that they had just discussed, and pressed his fingerprint.
After signing the contract, he gave Ian a stack of white paper and watched him write down information about Detective Zreal.
After a while, he flipped through the information and asked casually,
"If there's an emergency, or if I confirm Zreal's condition, how should I contact you?"
Ian pursed his lips and did not speak for a long time. It was only when Klein raised his head and looked at him that he replied stiffly,
"There's no need to contact me. I'll appear when the time is right."
He didn't say anything else and took out a thick stack of bills from the pocket of his old coat. They seemed to be stacked neatly according to the denomination, from large to small.
Ian first pulled out three one-pound notes from the bottom, then counted six five-soli notes, and finally ten one-soli notes.
Seeing that the other party had arranged the bills neatly, even the portraits of the kings had to be facing up without any mistakes, Klein suddenly felt a little irritated.
This is late-stage obsessive-compulsive disorder … He exhaled silently and took the payment that the other party pushed over.
According to his visual estimation, Ian didn't have more than three pounds left in cash.
He probably brought all his savings with him … If I had asked for more, would he have shirked in the end? He doesn't look like that kind of person, but you can't judge a book by its cover … Klein casually folded the bills and stuffed them into his pocket, not caring if they were neat or not. Thus, he successfully saw Ian's expression distort slightly.
"I'll try to complete the investigation as soon as possible." Klein stood up and stretched out his hand, gesturing for the guest to leave.
"Thank you for your help," Ian thanked him sincerely because the other party had clearly given him a "discounted price."
Watching the boy, who looked much more mature than his actual age, leave, Klein stroked his chin and muttered to himself thoughtfully.
"The water in this matter is very deep."
"From the beginning to the end, Ian never mentioned what Detective Zreal was investigating recently or what kind of information he instructed him to collect …"
"Forget it. I don't care how much I get paid. I just need to confirm Zreal's current situation."
He turned around, walked back to the living room, and took out a quarter penny from his trouser pocket.
Ding!
As the copper coin tumbled upwards, Klein's eyes darkened as he silently wondered if there were any Beyonder factors involved in this matter.
Then, he spread out his right hand in an attempt to catch the falling copper penny.
Ding! The coin slid past his fingertips and fell to the ground, rolling far away.
This result meant that the divination had failed.
It looks like Ian is hiding more than I thought … There's so little information that I can't even get a vague divination result … Klein pursed his lips, took a few steps forward, and bent down to pick up the copper coin.
...
That night, in the wee hours of the morning, at 138 Long Rose Street in the Baekeland Bridge area.
Klein had changed into a cheap, light-blue worker's uniform. His mouth, chin, and cheeks were covered in a black beard. At first glance, he looked rough and barbaric.
He wore a dark cap, the brim of which was pressed down so low that it almost covered his eyes.
This kind of hat originally belonged to the hunters of the Republic of Intis. It was different from the traditional deerhunting hats of the Kingdom of Rouen, but it had recently become popular among the middle and lower classes of Baekeland.
Hiding in the shadow of the Intis sycamore tree by the side of the road, Klein used the elegantly designed gas street lamps to size up the house opposite.
That was Zreal's house.
The detective was from Southville, where his parents, relatives, and friends were. He traveled alone in Baekeland and gradually became famous.
He was still a bachelor and only hired two temporary maids. They were the kind who came to clean every three days, and he didn't need to worry about food and lodging.
At this time, there was no light in the townhouse he rented. It was pitch black.
Klein untied the silver chain in his left wrist cuff, allowing the topaz pendant to fall naturally.
"There's danger inside."
"There's danger inside."
…
After repeating it seven times, he opened his eyes and saw the spirit pendulum spinning clockwise, but very slowly.
"There's danger, but it's not serious." Klein whispered and once again confirmed the tarot cards, self-made charms, and Holy Night Powder he was carrying.
After doing all of this, he looked around and, in the dead of the night, nimbly flashed across the house.
Zreal's house didn't have any verandas, gardens, or lawns. It was directly next to the road. Klein circled to the side, followed the water pipe, and easily climbed to the small balcony on the second floor where the clothes were hung.
Following that, he took out a tarot card, stuffed it into the gap, and opened the door to the corridor.
Following the layout of the house that Ian had drawn, Klein's footsteps were almost silent as he arrived outside Zreal's bedroom.
He tapped his left molar, activated his Spirit Vision, and looked inside through the wooden door.
Spirit Vision could penetrate obstacles without spirituality and see the colors of auras, but this was closely related to one's standards. Klein could currently observe through the wooden door, but he couldn't overcome the stone wall, and what he saw wasn't too clear.
In his line of sight, there were three human-shaped auras in the bedroom behind the door. The colors were hazy, and they were located in different positions.
There are three people lying in ambush … In order to capture Ian, or someone else? The bedroom isn't big … Klein stood in the darkness, calmly considering the results of his observations.
At this moment, he suddenly retreated towards the balcony, his footsteps still very light.
Returning to the balcony, Klein took out a thin silver piece from his pocket.
This was the Slumber Charm he had tried making in the afternoon.
He didn't pray to the Evernight Goddess. Instead, he held a ritual with himself, The Fool that doesn't belong to this era, and then entered the world above the gray fog to respond.
As this method was difficult to mobilize the power of the mysterious space above the gray fog, Klein could only "respond" with his own spirituality. In the end, the charm he made was worse than a normal one, but it was better than the one he made with "my name." It was barely enough.
Looking around again, Klein covered his mouth and whispered a word in ancient Hermes:
"Crimson."
After feeling the coldness of the charm, he quickly but silently moved to the door of Zreal's bedroom. As he held the handle, he injected his spirituality into the silver piece.
Creak! Klein carefully twisted the handle and quietly pushed the door open a crack.
Then, he threw the Slumber Charm in his hand in.
Retracting it slightly, Klein closed the door again and began to count silently.
“3”
“2”
“1”
He suddenly pushed open the door and rolled on the ground.
As he didn't sense the movements of the three people, Klein stood up and began to size up the room with the help of the crimson moonlight shining in from the window.
It was a bedroom with a normal layout. There was a bed, a row of wardrobes, a desk, a small sofa, and a coat rack.
On the other side of the bed was a man in a black coat. He was sleeping soundly.
In addition, there was another person beside the sofa and in front of the wardrobe. They had all fallen into a deep sleep.
After confirming the state of the three people, Klein lightened his movements and walked to the head of the bed. He bent down and found a few strands of short, tawny hair.
According to Ian's notes, Detective Zreal was a man with short, tawny hair.
There should be no mistake … Klein muttered as he held the few strands of hair that had fallen. He came to the small sofa and slowly sat down. Sitting in the darkness that was dyed crimson, he planned on using dream divination to find Zreal.
Leaning back on the sofa, the corners of his mouth curled up as he silently mocked himself.
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