Chapter 266 The "New" Member of the Tarot Club
Angel hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to tell the detective about the "master key".
She was not worried about exposing her magical item. The function of this key did not involve combat. It was just to make it convenient for her to walk around the streets or open some ordinary locks.
Just because a magical item had caused him to lose all his money, and he even often got lost in the alleys of Backlund like a headless fly, it would be extremely embarrassing to tell others about it...
"Haha..." After listening to her story, Moriarty really showed an exaggerated smile. "Could it be that the reason we walked into the nameless alley that day and encountered the demon dog was because of this key?"
"Yes."
Angel nodded in response with a dark face, regretting a little for bringing this up.
Seeing her unfriendly expression, Moriarty quickly stopped laughing and said seriously, "The curse on this key is indeed strange, but if you use it a little, it might be very effective. For example, if you want to track down a dangerous person, it might lead you to them, just like a guiding object."
"this……"
Angel was somewhat dumbfounded. Being able to find a way to take advantage of such a negative effect, shouldn't he be considered a detective who was often sought help by his peers?
Looking at the stunned Angel, Moriarty seemed to be extremely satisfied, and revealed the smile hidden behind his beard. He took out his exaggerated gold pocket watch, took a look at it, and said to Angel with a hint of apology:
"Miss Watson, I agree to take on your commission to investigate 48 Riverbend Avenue, located in the south end of the bridge, and the man called 'Emlyn White.' Similar commissions typically command between 50 and 100 pounds, but since I've received the same assignment from another detective, we can proceed together. The fee is tentatively set at 40 pounds. Half will be paid upfront. If there are any other unexpected events, we can negotiate for additional compensation."
Angel nodded. This price was very reasonable in Backlund, and could even be said to be on the low side. You have to know that this was a commission that clearly involved Beyonders and aliens. If she hadn't known that the other party was a Mid-Sequence Beyonder and a "magician" with strong self-preservation abilities, she would never have trusted him to conduct such an investigation.
"Be careful. That vampire dared to reveal this address. There might be one of his kind inside. You are a master of divination. Remember to do a divination in advance to confirm that the danger is controllable."
Angel couldn't help but remind Moriarty as he watched him skillfully take out a folder from the bookshelf, pull out a standard contract, and add some commission details on it.
Hearing the word "fortune-telling master", Moriarty looked at Angel with a strange look, reminding the latter of her boasting when they first met here.
After signing his name on the contract, Angel handed 20 pounds to Moriarty, and the agreement was reached.
"The investigation will officially begin tomorrow. I already have other plans today. I need to escort a reporter to the East District to interview some homeless people and poor people. Although he has great sympathy for the people there, he also knows to protect himself."
After putting away the contract, Moriarty began to change the subject to something irrelevant. Angel knew that this was a veiled order to leave. He should just respond with a few words and then make an excuse to leave.
But the detective's tone didn't sound like he was looking for a random topic, but rather carried a hint of heaviness and worry. This reminded Angel of the homeless people he met on the road every time he returned to the East District safe house. They were pale and thin, with lifeless eyes, like zombies. But once night fell, they would become a safety hazard to anyone passing by.
Although there is no shortage of jobs in the factories and docks there, the severely malnourished poor do not even have the strength to perform these physical labors. The lack of money means they have no food to eat, becoming even weaker and forming a vicious cycle. Eventually, they fall asleep in hunger and cold and never wake up again.
It is not known whether the reporter Moriarty escorted was merely going to the East End to look for gimmicks and add some scraps to the newspaper's gossip and editorial sections, or whether he was truly preparing to conduct in-depth reporting and give voice to the homeless and the poor.
If it's the latter, then hopefully this interview will allow more people to know the truth about the East District and other impoverished areas of Backlund, or promote the advancement of certain bills.
"Pushing the bill? I don't think it's that simple," Moriarty shook his head after hearing Angel's sigh, putting down his gold pocket watch he had taken out to check the time. "Everyone originally thought that the amendment to the Poor Law would allow the imprisoned poor to find jobs, but it turned out to be just a 'prison' with even worse conditions and heavier labor than a factory. When the Corn Laws were repealed, the propaganda was that farmers would be able to afford to buy their own food, but in reality, farmers went bankrupt and flocked to the cities to find work, forcing the original workers to keep their jobs by suppressing wages. And this vicious competition ultimately benefits the factory owners and the aristocracy."
Angel raised an eyebrow. The current situation of the Kingdom of Loen, and even other kingdoms in the Northern Continent, was very similar to the predicament her country had faced in her previous life when it had just completed industrialization. This gave her a perspective that transcended the times and enabled her to see the root causes behind various problems.
But this detective was able to discover these things within the limitations of the times. Even if it was just a sharp comment without the ability to change it, he can be considered a truly smart person.
But what could he do about the other party's sharp comments? Even as a Beyonder, there was only so much he could do in this era.
"But the more people who know, the more likely it is that something will change. I hope you can protect that reporter and allow him to write an excellent report."
"I just take the money and do the job."
Moriarty replied in a flat tone, but Angel could clearly sense that his spirits had become a little higher.
————
On the first day of the new week, Angel still spent the morning making various extraordinary bullets and talismans. She was busy until noon, then she had a good lunch, took a short rest, and came to the study before three o'clock in the afternoon and sat at the desk.
Two months later, she once again greeted Monday afternoon, the day of the Tarot Club, with trepidation mixed with a hint of excitement.
Facing the afternoon sunlight streaming into the study through the window, Angel raised her right hand and looked at the palm where the teardrop-shaped mark was hidden. This mark, which represented her joining the Tarot Club, had not appeared again after the Tingen tragedy, and for a time she thought the Fool had forgotten her.
Fortunately, when he was promoted to Sequence 6, he accidentally called out the Fool's name and asked for help from Him. He was then allowed to return to the Tarot Club, which gave Angel a sense of security that he had "refound the organization."
Seeing the hour hand on the pocket watch pointing to three o'clock, a teardrop-shaped mark suddenly appeared in the center of Angel's fair palm, and then endless crimson light poured out from it, wrapping her whole body in it.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a towering palace shrouded in gray mist, as expected. He sat on a high-backed chair beside a long bronze table. Across from him appeared the figures of the Hanged Man and the Sun, and beside him were Justice and the newly joined magician.
The mysterious Mr. Fool sat at the head of the long table, his figure hidden in the mist, only his outline visible.
This is the Tarot Club I am familiar with!
Angel was about to take the initiative to say hello to the members he had lost contact with for a long time, but an unexpected member appeared at the edge of his sight. He was sitting at the other end of the long table opposite the Fool, wearing a black robe and a hood, and his figure was equally hazy and illusory.
Are there any new members?
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