In the office of the private investigator.
“Sir, your request has been completed,” Detective Henry said to the gentleman in front of him with his hoarse voice. He heaved a sigh of relief. “This wasn’t an easy mission, nor was it too difficult, but it used up a great deal of our resources and energy. To be honest, I’m a little regretful. I regret setting too low a price for this mission.”
“Yes.” Henry pressed on the report that had at least sixty pages and sighed. “This is the most troublesome report that I’ve completed…”
He hadn’t even finished his sentence when he saw Klein hand over four pounds in cash. His attention shifted to determining the authenticity of the notes.
“This is the remainder of the fees.” Klein held the thick stack of notes.
Henry coughed.
“You sure are a gentleman that keeps to his word. Sigh. I didn’t expect the investigation report to use this many pieces of paper. It was completely out of my budget.”
At that moment, Klein took the thick investigation report and stood up.
He gave a slight bow and immediately made his way to the door with his cane in hand.
Detective Henry’s last sentence was left stuck in his throat.
He surveyed the surroundings and confirmed that no one was paying attention to him before leaving the place. He found an opportunity to remove his mask.
Klein didn’t intend to head home right away. He wanted to search for a cafe and organize the investigation report. He wanted to find the houses that had a change in tenants after divining the red chimney. He could then conduct his search before dinner.
There were many cafes in the area, but none of them met Klein’s criteria. Ever since steam and machinery became the symbol of the times, more and more cafes had toned down on their decor and become something like cheap restaurants. They provided refreshments, coffee, bread, and dishes like pea and mutton stew to the busy workers. Thus, respectable ladies and gentlemen no longer went to cafes to discuss things. They no longer viewed these actions as being symbolic of their status. Various clubs started appearing and replaced cafes as a place for socializing.
After some time, Klein finally found a cafe that had a decent atmosphere.
He sat in a secluded corner and took a sip of his one-penny Southville Coffee before flipping open the investigation report.
“In Tingen City’s North Borough, South Borough, East Borough, West Borough, Golden Indus, Harbor Borough, and University Borough, there are a total of 1179 buildings that have a dark red chimney… Along the outskirts of Tingen City, there are a total of 546 buildings with the red chimney the requester described. This doesn’t include buildings in towns or villages that are relatively further away despite them falling under the jurisdiction of Tingen.”
“Below are the addresses and tenant records of each of those buildings. As per the request, the activities within the last three months are recorded in more detail.”
…
Klein flipped through page after page, occasionally making notes on paper he brought around with a fountain pen.
Finally, when he found the type of red chimney he had seen, he realized that there was a change of tenants in twenty-five buildings.
He didn’t need to do a divination to get an answer if these investigations would prove dangerous.
Since there was a change of tenants, that would mean that the mastermind behind the coincidences had already left!
Klein spent two soli on a rented carriage and visited fifteen buildings with the red chimneys before dinner. Unfortunately, none of the buildings was the one he saw in his dream.
A few minutes later, he patted down his tuxedo and pressed on his hat before taking out his key and entering the house with a smile.
He intended to prepare stewed mutton and honey glazed barbecue for Benson and Melissa that night.
…
At eleven in the evening, the siblings bade each other goodnight and returned to their respective rooms.
Klein closed the door to his room and stood before his desk. He looked outside the oriel window with the light of his gas lamp. At that moment, the streets were engulfed in darkness, with only a few street lamps illuminating the way. Stars dotted the screen that was the night sky. There were many stars, they were just not clearly visible.
“I wonder what Backlund is like, with its titles of the Land of Hope and the Capital of Capitals…” Klein muttered to himself. He extended his hand to grab his curtain, intending to draw it.
At that moment, a sinister wind blew at him without warning. The light from his lamp turned a dark green.
Klein subconsciously took a few steps back. His occupational instincts made him tap his left molars twice. At the same time, he leaned toward the bed and tried to reach for his revolver under his pillow.
In his vision, a face suddenly protruded from the wall above the desk and under the gas lamp. It was a translucent face without any eyes or nose. All it had was a mouth!
“Do not fire.” The face with a mouth spoke.
“What do you want?” he asked in a deep voice.
The face chuckled.
“I’m Daly.”
Daly? Spirit Medium Daly? The Spirit Medium Daly who was sent to the Backlund diocese? Klein raised his brows in doubt.
“Madam Daly?”
“I know that this method of visiting you is a little rude. I should’ve given you a warning so you could make the necessary preparations. But it isn’t convenient for me to meet you right now, and so, I can only communicate with you using this little guy.” The translucent face laughed.
“If I were you, I would first seal the bedroom with spirituality. Otherwise, your family members might think of you as crazy.” The translucent face quipped, “Heh heh, you need not be so cautious. I came back to Tingen in secret because of Dunn’s letter. You know that a Nighthawk cannot leave the area they are assigned to at will.”
“The Captain’s letter?” Klein didn’t approach the desk. Instead, he felt for the Holy Night Powder he had in the hidden pocket of his black windbreaker.
“Dunn and I are both Beyonders that started with the Tingen Nighthawks. We have always maintained a good relationship. Last Thursday, yes, Thursday, he sent me a letter and mentioned you. He said that you emulated the maxim of a Mystery Pryer, came up with a set of rules for a Seer, and claimed that it was effective in helping you grasp your potion. From then on, you no longer hear sounds and see visions that you shouldn’t. Dunn said that it was similar to what I did.
“Heh heh, are you not going to seal the room? I personally do not mind your brother and sister misunderstanding…” the translucent face said at an adequate pace.
He quickly built up a wall of spirituality before turning to the protruding face.
“Madam Daly, what else did the Captain talk about in the letter?”
“That’s the reason you came looking for me?” Klein neither confirmed nor denied her statement.
Daly’s translucent face revealed a slight smile.
“Yes.”
Klein fell silent for a while after hearing Daly. He then smiled honestly.
“That’s because I have you as my role model.”
He wanted to say that he was “standing on the shoulders of giants,” but ultimately decided not to give the Emperor Roselle a chance to appear in the conversation.
