In the evening, Klein, who had just returned from Saint Samuel Church, was about to enter the second-floor dining room when he saw the butler
"Sir, the matter you asked to investigate has been clarified."
Without asking in front of the surrounding male and female servants, Klein nodded calmly and said:
"To the study."
Walter followed behind him, all the way to the third floor. He watched
Klein walked at a moderate pace to behind the desk, sat down, looked at the butler, and waited for him to speak.
Walter gestured for Richardson to guard outside the door, moved closer to the desk, and chose his words carefully.
Once the door was closed, he said:
"Mrs. Vahana's husband is a cloth merchant. Previously, he cooperated with someone and invested 1,000 pounds, but that person ran off with the goods. She has already asked Councilman Macht and Lady Liana to urge the police department to solve the case as quickly as possible. However, the police department can't guarantee they will find the target."
Klein picked up the black round-bellied fountain pen on the desk, stroked it, and said:
"For Mrs. Vahana's family, 1,000 pounds is not a small amount."
As far as he knew, a normal tutor's annual income did not exceed 150 pounds, and it was even less if the employer provided room and board.
Although Mrs. Vahana served high society and had multiple employers, her annual income was at most four or five hundred pounds, and she had to spend a large part of that on her clothing, posture, and appearance, to avoid being considered improper by her employers and unable to teach etiquette.
"Yes, her husband's income can only be considered average among cloth merchants. For him, 1,000 pounds is a considerable investment," Walter said tactfully.
For me too... Klein sighed with a smile and said:
"I've just come to
Walter immediately responded:
"Sir, when I served Viscount Conard, I got to know several members of the Backlund Senior Police Officers Association."
Backlund Senior Police Officers Association? These were all top figures from Sevillas Yard. Even a chief superintendent responsible for the safety of a district was not qualified to join.
— Sevillas Yard referred to the Backlund Police Department, named after the street where it was located.
No wonder he was a butler from an aristocratic family... Klein sighed inwardly, smiled, and shook his head:
"No need for now. In this regard, Mrs. Vahana has too many people she can ask for help. Whether Councilman Macht or anyone else, they all have enough ability to make Sevillas Yard pay attention to this case."
He paused, then said in an offhand manner:
"I've seen the bottom rungs of this society and understand their survival rules. Sometimes, the police are not as useful as gang members or bounty hunters.
"Walter, go to the police department to get the relevant information, then go to the famous bars in the Backlund Bridge area and the East Borough to post a bounty mission.
"Whether they find the criminal or recover the batch of fabric, I'll give a 200-pound reward.
"Heh, I just hope those swindlers are still in Backlund."
"200 pounds?" Walter repeated the amount, couldn't help but glance at his employer, seemingly unable to believe he was willing to pay so much for Mrs. Vahana's matter.
He opened his mouth as if to remind something, but in the end didn't say it. He just replied seriously:
"Very well, sir."
"I'll give you this money directly." Klein slowly stood up and took out his wallet.
As Walter took the thick wad of cash, he thought for a moment and asked:
"Should we tell Mrs. Vahana?"
Klein smiled:
"No need."
Walter nodded in understanding, bowed, and said:
"Your reputation for generosity and warmth will spread in this neighborhood."
…………
East Borough, Darawi Street, inside a narrow but lively tavern.
Having carefully combed her short golden hair before going out, Xio squeezed through the area filled with the smell of alcohol and sweat and arrived at the bar counter.
She tapped the wooden board with her bent finger and said to the bartender:
"What new commissions are there today?"
If it were someone else, ordering without buying a drink would be ignored by the bartender, but seeing it was Xio, a bounty hunter whom everyone preferred to have not drink, he could only sigh and say:
"There's a very lucrative commission, 200 pounds."
"200 pounds?" Xio wondered if she had misheard. Except for tasks from Miss Audrey, she had never encountered such a high-paying commission in the East Borough or the Backlund Bridge area. Even the
For an ordinary bounty hunter, completing this commission meant not having to work for a whole year!
For Xio, it was equally important. Over the past few months, she had been working for a mysterious man wearing a golden mask, and she had learned that he belonged to Military Intelligence 9. Accumulating merits could allow her to exchange for the "Interrogator" potion formula.
As a result, she had taken very little payment for working for him; most of it was converted into merits. Her own savings came entirely from her advantages in searching and pursuing criminals after becoming a "Sheriff".
Once she got the potion formula, she would still need money to buy Beyonder materials. And I only have over 300 pounds now... Fors said it well: money is not everything, but it's certainly important... Thinking this, Xio looked at the bartender and asked cautiously:
"What kind of task? Who issued the commission?"
"Find a few swindlers. They cheated someone out of fabric worth 1,000 pounds." The bartender handed the materials to Xio and said, "The client appears to be a butler, named Walter, serving Mr. Dwayne Dantès of Berklund Street. If you can catch the swindlers or recover the fabric, you can go there to collect the reward."
Xio quickly flipped through the materials. An image of the criminals rapidly formed in her mind, and she intuitively had a direction for investigation.
"I'll take this task." She immediately looked up.
The bartender shrugged and said:
"Not just you; every bounty hunter who has come in has taken this task.
"And they also have other ideas."
"What ideas?" Xio asked curiously.
The bartender chuckled:
"They said Mr. Dwayne Dantès is so generous that if he still needs a bodyguard, they could recommend themselves.
"But later they gave up that idea because being a bodyguard isn't as free as being a bounty hunter. Even drinking has to wait until off-duty hours."
That's not a problem for me, but I can only be a bounty hunter... Xio nodded, jumped off the high stool in front of the bar, and headed for the door without wasting time.