242 Bakerland (1/2)

Early Tuesday morning, Klein woke up naturally and prepared two slices of toast, a piece of butter, a serving of bacon, and a cup of coffee before leisurely reading a newspaper while having breakfast.

With the terrifying Language of Foulness charm, he was much more at ease. He was no longer as tense as he was before.

Klein finished flipping through the Backlund Bulletin, picked up the Tussock Times, and saw a news article on the second page.

”At two o'clock this morning, there was a fierce gunfight at Red Brick Alley in the East Borough. According to the police, it is suspected to be a clash between two gangs, one of which is the notorious Zmanger gang.”

The Zmanger gang… Red Brick Alley in the East Borough… A thought occurred to Klein as he left the dining table and found the map of Backlund.

With just a glance, he noticed that Red Brick Alley wasn't far from Bacardi Street. Furthermore, Ian Wright had previously appeared at the telegraph office on Bacardi Street.

Was Red Brick Alley where Ian Wright was hiding? Was the violent conflict between the military's special department and the intelligence staff of the Intis Republic? I wonder what the result will be… Klein picked up the last of the bacon, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.

He had ”informed” both sides about the divination the previous morning and they had already locked onto Ian's location that very night, which implied quite a high level of efficiency.

After taking a sip of coffee, Klein put down the newspaper and fell into deep thought.

Suddenly, he heard the tinkling of the doorbell.

”Who is it?” Klein wiped his mouth with a napkin and headed for the door, puzzled.

Could it be a new commission? For the past few days, I've been out and about because of the Intis Ambassador. I wonder how many jobs and potential clients I've lost… It's such a waste of my advertising money… If this goes on, my finances will be stretched to the limit… Klein suddenly thought of something and opened the door.

Standing outside were two ladies, one of them being Mrs. Sammer, who wore a dressing gown. She had intricate makeup on her face, making her look more beautiful than at home and nothing like she was in her thirties. The other lady wore a wide-brimmed hat with a black tartan veil, and a darker, more fluffy dress.

”Detective Moriarty, I have a friend who needs your help.” Stelyn Sammer held onto her veiled hat, but there was no hint of a smile in her blue eyes.

”Please come in.” Klein pointed to the living room, and while he was turning around, he took the opportunity to fasten the top button of his shirt and adjusted his black vest.

Stelyn nodded slightly and, without another word, led the black-veiled lady into the room.

She knew the place very well, and without Klein's guidance, easily found the sofa and took her seat.

Klein wanted to immediately start asking, but then thought about Stelyn Sammer's style of doing things, so he asked with a smile, ”Coffee or tea?”

In his eyes, Mrs. Sammer was a lady who pursued a high quality of life and tried to showed her superiority all the time.

”There's no need.” The other lady took off her hat.

She had good features, but the combination was disappointing. In addition, her cheekbones were too high, and she looked older than her actual age.

A little anger, a little sadness, a little hesitation, a little fear… Klein read the lady's emotions.

It wasn't that he suddenly possessed the abilities of a Spectator, but that the lady's actions were just too obvious.

”Yes, neither coffee nor tea can solve the problem.” Stelyn imitated a position found in magazines, trying her best to appear classy. ”This is Mrs. Mary Gale, a shareholder of Coim Company.”

”What would you like to entrust me with, Mrs. Gale?” Klein sat down on a single-seater, leaning forward slightly and resting his arms on his thighs.

”Don't call me Mrs. Gale. Just call me Mary.” Mary Gale pursed her lips. ”I wish for you to tail my husband and confirm if he has a mistress. It's best if you can obtain material evidence.”

As a result of the Church of the Evernight Goddess's active push for years, the Loen Kingdom was more radical in its marriage laws than the other countries, such as Feysac, Intis, and Lenburg. It stipulated that those who committed adultery had to pay a financial price for it, which meant that the adulterer would be at an absolute disadvantage during the division of property.

I've heard that at least four out of ten of the other private detectives are investigating extramarital affairs… I didn't expect that I would receive such a job too… Klein said thoughtfully, ”Material evidence is not easy to obtain.”

”I'll lend you the latest portable camera,” Mary replied without any hesitation. ”As long as you have the evidence, I will pay you ten pounds. If you only confirm that he has a mistress, you will only receive three pounds.”

You mean the so-called portable camera that's about two-thirds the size of my head? 10 pounds, this isn't a low price… Mr. Klein has been focusing on entrepreneurship and knew about the latest cameras.

He hesitated for two seconds before saying, ”Alright.”

”But you have to provide me with detailed information about your husband and his regular activities.”

”… No problem!” Mary paused for a second before gathering all her strength to say it.

”Thank you for your help. I hope you won't tell anyone else about this,” Stelyn reminded him.

Hearing this, Klein immediately sighed, ”I'm a person who upholds confidentiality, and I often get into trouble for that.”

…

In the lobby of Count Wolf's house, men and women were dancing amid violin tunes.