Lord of the Mysteries

“No, it’s just good luck. God was watching over me.” Klein modestly stepped aside and invited Stuart in.

What he said was the truth, and this matter did involve good luck. Long before Stuart had accepted the mission, he already knew of Emlyn White’s whereabouts.

Stewart shivered as he took off his coat and hat and hung them on a rack in the hall.

“The darn weather is getting colder. Perhaps I should try using those coats with cotton stuffed inside them,” he said.

“You can’t call this cold, right? If you go to the north of Midseashire and live in Winter County for a day, you’ll understand what truly low temperatures and true winter are like.” Klein chuckled.

Then, he generously asked, “A cup of hot coffee?”

“I would love one.” Stuart followed him to the activity room on the first floor. “I’ve been to north Midseashire, and I know about the cold and the snow there. It was a nice vacation, but Backlund’s cold isn’t inferior either. It went through my clothes like magic and seeped into my bones. Oh, what a wonderful fireplace!”

Stuart stood in front of the burning fireplace for twenty seconds before he sat down on the sofa. He looked at Klein, who was busy brewing instant coffee, and he said, “I’m going south for a holiday to go fishing at Desi Bay for new year’s. What about you? Do you have any vacation plans? We put up with Backlund’s air for a year and work hard to save money, all for such a holiday.”

“Perhaps, I should head to Desi Bay as well…” Klein said hesitantly. He turned his head to the side of Stuart’s face, and for a moment, he seemed to be in a trance.

This involved an agreement.

An appointment with his elder brother, Benson, and sister, Melissa.

“Haha, I’ll show you my fishing skills when the time comes.” Stuart continued without end, “We still aren’t rich enough, otherwise I’d like to travel to Feysac, Intis, and even to the Southern Continent.”

After he finished making the coffee, Klein handed the man a white porcelain cup. He took two steps back and sat down across from him.

Holding the cup in his hand, Stuart took two deep breaths of the fragrant and warm steam.

After resting for a few seconds, he put the cup down and said very formally, “According to our agreement, I’ll share the reward I received this time with you.

“The Whites gave a total of fifty pounds, and you obviously did more than I did.

“Sherlock, how about thirty pounds? I still have to pay my informants for their work.”

Only fifty pounds? A vampire is only worth fifty pounds? Klein couldn’t help but silently lampoon.

But he also knew that it wasn’t that the Whites didn’t want to increase the bounty; it was because they were worried about giving too much money and scaring the detectives into making unnecessary associations, attracting the attention of the police or some official Beyonder organization.

To the average private detective, a fifty-pound mission was already tempting enough, and Klein had only used seven pounds back then to hire detectives to investigate all the red chimney houses in the whole of Tingen City and the towns along its outskirts.

“In addition, the Whites gave you an extra pound, claiming its for your transportation expenses for the past few days.” Looking somewhat puzzled, Stuart produced six five-pound notes and one one-pound note.

Klein reached out to take them, casually checked their authenticity and didn’t explain the transportation fees.

Stuart didn’t ask any further questions and instead said with a smile, “Apart from Mr. Stanton, you’re the best detective I’ve ever met. Did you join this profession midway, or have you studied under a great detective prior to this?”

What great detective have I studied under? There’s quite a number. There’s Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, the forever elementary school student 1 , and that guy who swindles others in the name of his grandfather 2 … Klein silently lampooned.

“I come from Midseashire, and I did

in knowledge

a bit embarrassed by your flattery…

me with help in the future if I encounter a difficult case that I’m unable to

social connections in the detective circles have widened… Klein replied cautiously, “If I have the time when the time

idle conversation, Stuart tactfully offered to take his leave, and Klein accompanied him to

and hat, Stuart was about to open the door and leave when he suddenly turned around

deserves

a moment, but then he

dryly and said, “I can’t tell the quality of

…

buy a few ox bones and some beef. He went to the vegetable shop to buy some ingredients such as white radish, rounding up all

it with the leftover rice. As for noon, he found

afternoon, Klein continued to study the Book of Secrets, and the more he read, the more he realized

quickly grasped many things

of the beef bone soup, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down

though it was a bugle to signal

his saliva, Klein walked behind the door and

appeared in his mind. It was the

rush him at all… What a man of his word…

“Good evening, Mr. White”

raised his chin, letting his impatience show in his

when Klein looked at his brown clerical robes and said with

was the one who said he

gritted his teeth and said, “That

how do I get rid

patted the clothes on his chest

good dinner waiting for

indiscernibly, as

coat and

I’ll take you there

steps, he cautiously asked, “Do you have a

am I supposed to convince Lawyer Jurgen to allow Mrs. Doris to take

sky at a forty-five-degree angle and said, “I don’t need

Klein frowned, he casually added, “It’s too simple. I obtained it easily by going through the

rather proud of receiving a certificate

at the wet ground in front of him, Emlyn casually said, “Do you know what

Klein responded without any

said, “The persistent gloomy sky with fog that blots out the sun. This allows me to go out during the day without

great, except

bring the Sun Brooch with

they had already arrived outside the Jurgens, and Klein went

a while, the door opened, and Mrs. Doris, who was dressed thickly at home, said

cat crouched to the side, looking at Emlyn warily, as though it felt that something was amiss