160 Berklund Street, dining hall on the second floor.
Klein had just taken a bite of the toast buttered by a servant when he saw the butler walk in.
Walter bowed and said:
"Sir, someone of unknown origin rang our doorbell last night.
"Since it was already very late, I didn't wake you; I only had the servants arm themselves with double-barreled shotguns and stand watch in shifts through the night.
"If you permit, I will visit the nearby police station today and ask them to strengthen the night patrols in this neighborhood."
Hiring a butler like this has no drawbacks except the cost… Klein nodded slightly, took a sip of the freshly delivered milk, and said:
"Very good."
…………
39 Berklund Street, Councilor Macht's residence.
Hazel entered the second-floor living room and saw her mother Liana chatting with the housekeeper.
"Did something happen?" she asked, tucking a strand of dark green hair behind her ear.
Liana chuckled:
"Someone rang the Dantès' doorbell late last night."
"A prank?" Hazel found a seat and sat down.
"No one knows. Anyway, the Dantès' butler went to the police station specifically this morning." Liana relayed the news she'd heard from the servants.
Hazel gave a very slight nod and said:
"Getting the police involved is the best approach."
"But it's completely useless, because we don't know who rang the bell; they say there was no one at the scene." Liana shook her head with a laugh.
Hazel was taken aback and blurted out:
"No one at the scene?"
"Right. It seems the Dantès' butler only asked the police to strengthen night patrols in our neighborhood. That's a good thing." As the wife of a member of the House of Commons and the daughter of a prominent lawyer, Liana had very good connections in the police department.
"No one…" Hazel repeated in a low voice and fell silent.
After a while, she left the living room and headed back to the third floor.
Along the way, she couldn't help clenching her fists and swinging them forward a few times, as if testing something, her expression showing clear confusion.
…………
In the master bedroom, Klein stared at the large pile of gold coins before him, his eyes full of gleaming colors.
This was a sum of gold coins equivalent to 4,000 pounds!
After a week of fundraising, "Star Admiral" Cattleya had finally completed the "Lucky Balance" transaction; besides these gold coins, she had also paid 6,500 pounds in cash.
Frankly speaking, such a large pile of gold coins is indeed more visually striking than a similar volume of banknotes… Klein sighed to himself, took out 13 Loen gold coins he'd obtained from "Blood Admiral" Senyor from his pocket, and tossed them into the same pile.
After doing all this, he took out his adventurer's harmonica, brought it to his lips, and blew.
Silently, Reinette Tinecol appeared in front, carrying four blond-haired, red-eyed heads.
"Madam, this is the first payment, totaling 4,013 pounds." Klein averted his gaze from the pile of gold and looked at the messenger lady.
Admittedly, he was a bit curious how the messenger lady would carry away such a large pile of gold coins; he remembered that when she collected letters, she used her teeth.
"Very good…" "Left…" "Five thousand…" "Nine hundred…" "Eighty…" "Seven…" Reinette Tinecol's heads said in sequence.
Don't remind me… Klein forced a smile and said:
"I'll raise the funds as soon as possible."
Reinette Tinecol said nothing more; one of her heads strained to open its mouth.
Suddenly, the space in front of her turned dark and deep, and all the gold coins, like water drawn into a whirlpool, surged in.
Within a few seconds, that large pile of gold coins had vanished.
Reinette Tinecol's four heads nodded simultaneously, and then she returned to the Spirit World.
He still had 8,156 pounds in cash and 5 Loen gold coins… He could barely be considered a rich man… If there were any investment opportunity, he could actually produce the money instead of just haggling or talking big… In the short term, this would keep him from being suspected of being a swindler… Heh, be optimistic; maybe the next investment opportunity could earn back the previous fees. Money makes money quickly… Klein silently exhaled, turned his gaze to the window, and forced himself to admire the street view shrouded in thin fog.
…………
After nightfall, the East Borough, with its scarce and largely broken gas lamps, was pitch-dark, as if hiding countless monsters and evils.