Lord of the Mysteries

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.”

No, no matter what you say, I will not pay a single penny more! Klein emphasized in his heart. He pointed at the thick stack of documents on the coffee table and asked, “Is this the investigation report?”

“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.

Hey, how can you expect me to pay for the paper used in the investigation report? That should be included in the fees already! Klein touched the five pounds eight soli he had left and muttered in his heart. He walked quickly onto Besik Street.

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.

a secluded corner and took a sip of his one-penny Southville Coffee before flipping

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

addresses and tenant records of each of those buildings. As per the request, the activities within the last three

…

occasionally making notes on paper he brought around with a

had seen, he realized that there was

would have a feeling of familiarity when I see those signs again. I’ll confirm the target that way. In other words, I’m a living investigation

a divination to get an answer if these

would mean that the

the new tenants know what the previous tenants look like… But since the person behind the scenes can control my fate without anyone noticing, to the point of making the coincidences feel so natural, he would definitely have a way to remove any traces he might have left behind… Sigh, I can only pray to the Goddess and hope that he left behind some sort of clue… Klein sighed. He pumped himself up and put on his

fifteen buildings with the red chimneys

quite troublesome if tomorrow’s investigation yields the same result. He might still be living in the house with the red chimney even after I saw it in my divination. This could say that he is very confident and isn’t afraid of my investigation; in fact, he might not even be afraid of the Tingen Nighthawks. Or perhaps, he doesn’t know that he’s been exposed. That would mean that the power resisting my divination was a

minutes later, he patted down his tuxedo and pressed on his hat before taking out his key and

and honey glazed

…

bade each other goodnight and returned

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

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

Woo!

that moment, a sinister wind blew at him without warning.

instincts made him tap his left molars twice. At the same time, he leaned toward the

the desk and under the gas lamp. It was a translucent

The face with

had his revolver in hand as he

want?” he asked

The face chuckled.

“I’m Daly.”

who was sent to

“Madam Daly?”

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