The cement road was dirty due to the long rain. The gas street lamps on both sides, which were as tall as adult men, emitted a bright but hazy light due to the moisture of the glass covers.
A horse-drawn carriage was driving in the night, and pedestrians around it were either wearing hats or holding umbrellas.
Klein leaned against the wall of the compartment, idly admiring the streets of Backlund at night.
At this moment, he suddenly felt that the temperature inside the car had dropped a lot, and a cold wind was swirling around.
Klein turned his head suddenly and saw that the bodyguard lady in a black Gothic palace dress had sat down opposite him at some point.
She said in a disembodied and erratic voice:
"That 'Eye of Wisdom' has noticed my presence."
As expected... Klein nodded without any surprise. "He has several magical items. Perhaps he was able to detect them because of these items. I even suspect that there is an organization behind him."
Otherwise, relying solely on the power of the "Eye of Wisdom", even if it took more than 30 years, it would be unlikely to collect several relatively powerful magical items. The previous "Vice Admiral Hurricane" Qilingos, as one of the seven pirate generals, only had one "Creeping Hunger". Of course, the latter is more likely to have high standards and look down on ordinary magical items. After all, relying on "Creeping Hunger" can be comprehensive and has no weaknesses.
Well, it's reasonable to say that the Eye of Wisdom is very rich. It organizes so many parties, and when it finds a suitable magical item, it will buy it at any price. After more than 30 years, it's not too surprising that it has several collections... Hey, this is like owning a mine or a bank at home... Klein complained in his heart.
He did not specifically mention that he actually guessed that the "Eye of Wisdom" was from the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, or the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, for fear of exposing the fact that he was not a new Beyonder in front of the bodyguard.
The blond bodyguard nodded slightly, as if agreeing with Klein's suspicion.
Suddenly, she frowned slightly, looked at the car window opposite and said:
“A strong smell of blood.”
A strong smell of blood... Klein turned around in confusion and looked out the window.
There was a quiet alley in the sparse rain.
Near the entrance of the alley, a woman in a gorgeous long dress was lying on the ground.
At this time, a pedestrian passed by, took a closer look, and suddenly screamed.
The horses were a little frightened by the screams, and the driver quickly tightened the reins, slowing down the speed of the carriage.
In the light of the gas street lamp, Klein saw that the woman lying on the ground at the entrance of the alley had a pale face and a deep cut on her abdomen. It seemed that her internal organs had been hollowed out.
The blood on the ground around her was flowing slowly, red and rich.
This... As a qualified former night watchman, he quickly thought of many cases with similar methods of committing crimes.
These instances are often related to devil worship!
When it comes to devil worship, it is difficult to bypass an ancient organization, the "Blood Cult" that first appeared in the Quaternary Period!
According to historical records, this is a loose alliance formed by the worship of demons. There are several so-called demon families within it, such as the North, Andrellad and Belia families, which are not subordinate to each other.
They persisted in spreading the devil's beliefs widely and committed many murders. Mrs. Orianna, an accountant of the Night Squad of Tingen, was one of the victims, but fortunately she was saved.
Of course, not all similar cases were committed by them. Many people thought those things were cool and started to imitate the crimes.
"It looks like the work of the Blood Cult." The bodyguard whispered, and her figure quickly became transparent and disappeared. She didn't care whether Klein understood or not.
At this time, the carriage had already passed the crime scene, and Klein also noticed that there were patrolling police officers coming, so he suppressed the idea of getting off the carriage to observe and treated himself as an ordinary citizen passing by.
Well, Mr. Citizen Moriarty…
The Blood Cult controls the "criminal" path, also known as the devil's path. It is said that after Sequence 7, the corresponding Beyonders will gradually become demons, but this will only manifest in specific occasions and circumstances...
Sequence 9, "Criminal", has a strong body, sharp intuition and various criminal abilities, but his conscience has not yet been extinguished... Sequence 8, anciently known as "Cold-blooded", modernly known as "Broken-winged Angel", meaning that he has lost his conscience and is in cahoots with evil desires, his body is even more inhuman, and he can gain some demonic spell-like abilities... Sequence 7, "Serial Killer", has mastered a lot of knowledge and rituals of worshiping demons, and likes to use special serial murder cases to please demons...
I don't know what the next sequence is...
Knowledge about the Blood Cult and the Demonic Path flashed through Klein's mind. The drizzle outside seemed to be a little heavier. The rain gathered on the car window and slid down. The whole world became quiet and unclear.
“Why should I think so much? There will definitely be a team of Beyonders to take over this kind of thing. Maybe they’re the Mandated Punishers or the Nighthawks. I don’t need to worry about it.” Klein shook his head and laughed, muttering to himself.
When he returned to No. 15 Minsk Street, he had already put the case behind him. He first knocked on the door of the Summers' house next door and asked Mrs. Starling to pass it to Mary and ask her to come and get the evidence tomorrow afternoon. Then he washed up and read the newspaper to learn about the current situation and various news about Backlund.
The next day, which was Saturday morning, Klein had a leisurely breakfast and went out to get the newly developed photos. He chose the one that could best show the faces of Dragú Gale and Erica Taylor, and the one that best reflected their fiery passion.
After putting the photos away, he went to the Rice Police Station before Mrs. Mary came to his house and successfully got back the 10 pounds bail.
During this process, he also saw the real Sheriff Farthing there, which made him feel quite uncomfortable.
After withdrawing the remaining 500 pounds in cash from his account, Klein, who had been busy for the entire morning, finally had nothing to do.
Before preparing lunch, he gave the remaining 600 pounds to the bodyguard in one go, leaving him with a total of 146 pounds, 8 soli and 5 pence, which was all the property he could use.
Apart from the debt to Miss Justice, there was no debt left... Klein relaxed as he fried himself a bone-in steak and poured black pepper sauce on it.
Just as he was enjoying the taste of the medium-rare meat in a good mood, someone suddenly rang the doorbell, and the sound of ding-dong echoed in the room.
“Mrs. Mary? Isn’t it too early?” Klein put down his knife and fork in confusion and walked towards the door.
He paused for two seconds, and the image of the visitor outside the door naturally emerged in his mind.
He was an old-fashioned gentleman wearing a light grey coat, a half-high silk hat, and carrying a black cane inlaid with gold. He had a pair of sharp blue eyes, with a few gray spots on his temples, and nasolabial lines deeply engraved in his face, making his muscles look sagging.
“Excuse me, who are you looking for?” Klein asked as he opened the door.
The old-fashioned gentleman said in a thick East Coast accent:
"Are you Detective Charlotte Moriarty?"
"Do you have something to entrust?" Klein nodded, made way, and led the old gentleman to the living room.
He hesitated for two seconds, then asked:
"Would you like coffee or tea?"
"A cup of hot water, thank you." The old-fashioned gentleman had taken off his hat and sat down.
Very good, this is simple... Maybe I should consider hiring an assistant to pour tea and water and clean the room... Klein thought about it in a distracted manner and turned to the kitchen to rinse a cup.
After placing the hot water in front of the old gentleman, he walked to the single sofa, sat down with his hands clasped together and said:
"What should I call you?"
"Miller Carter." The old gentleman answered concisely.
"Mr. Carter, what do you want to ask for your permission?" Klein asked directly without any greetings.
While speaking, he quietly opened his spiritual vision and observed the opposite side.
The old gentleman was in relatively good health, but there was something wrong with the color of the aura around his left leg joint, probably arthritis... His emotions were mainly blue, which represented calm thinking, with a hint of anxiety... Klein only took a quick glance and had already come to a rough conclusion.
Miller Carter picked up the white porcelain cup, rubbed the outer layer and said:
"Here's the thing. I bought a house on Williams Street. Haha. I'm from Jianhai County. Because of business, I will settle in Backlund in the future."
Williams Street... where is it? It has been less than a month since he arrived in Backlund. Klein, who either looks up a map or relies on his intuition when he goes out, tries to appear calm and reliable.
Miller Carter glanced at him, and at his beckoning, he continued:
"It is said that the house was originally owned by a bankrupt viscount. This was probably 20 or 30 years ago. After changing hands several times, I finally bought it."
"I was planning to make some modern renovations, but I discovered a hidden door in the basement that led to a large underground building. Considering that it might not be safe inside, I temporarily stopped the construction and did not allow the workers and servants to explore rashly. I hope you can help confirm the conditions inside the underground building."
Underground buildings...ancient ruins? Secret treasures? Klein thought for a moment and said:
"Why didn't you call the police?"
"The police can mobilize dozens or hundreds of times more resources than a private detective like me, so the results of the investigation will definitely be better and more guaranteed."
Miller Carter rubbed the space between his eyes:
"I don't want too many people to know about this, especially the government."
"If it is confirmed that there is no danger inside the underground building, I plan to repurpose it as part of the entire house."
"I know this is a high risk for you. I am willing to pay you 50 pounds for it, but you can't hire more than three assistants. I can also make some compensation based on your specific experience afterwards."
50 pounds, the price is very high... If I were an ordinary detective, this would be equivalent to my income for two or three months... He had just arrived in Backlund and didn't know any other detectives. He could only look at the newspaper to hire people, so he came to me... Klein pondered for a few seconds and said:
"I'll think about it."
He suddenly smiled apologetically, pointed to the back and said, "I'm going to the bathroom."
Miller Carter nodded imperceptibly and took a sip of hot water.
After entering the bathroom and closing the wooden door, Klein looked into the mirror and took out a half-penny copper coin.
Because of the presence of the bodyguard, he could not go above the gray fog to confirm, and could only rely on his own divination skills.
"I should take this commission."
…
Klein recited the phrase seven times in his mind, ejected the copper coin, and watched it tumble down with deep eyes.
Bang!
The copper coin fell into his palm, with the king's head facing up, indicating affirmation.
Klein nodded slightly and whispered to the air:
"What about your intuition?"
The figure of the bodyguard quickly emerged in the mirror, and she still replied expressionlessly:
“There is some danger, but it’s not great.”
Very good... Klein put away the coins, washed his hands, turned around and walked out of the bathroom and into the living room.
He looked at Miller Carter and said with a smile:
"I'll take this commission."
PS: Ask for recommendation votes on Monday and monthly votes at the end of the month~
Recommend the new book of the urban master Lao Shi: