After signing the contract with Miller Carter and receiving a 10-pound advance payment, Klein did not rush to Williams Street, but made an appointment at four o'clock in the afternoon.

Miller understood this very well. In his opinion, detective Charlotte Moriarty, who was working alone, would definitely have to recruit people before she could start her exploration.

After the old-fashioned gentleman left, Klein immediately returned to the dining table and cut the already cold steak into pieces.

Really, doesn't he need to eat lunch? Why did he have to come at this time... After barely filling his stomach, Klein began to pack up with a sad look on his face.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Mrs. Mary came to visit as scheduled. Her eyes were slightly red and swollen, but her face became increasingly gloomy. Even Starling Summer, who was accompanying her, had to remain silent.

Klein placed the carefully selected photo in an envelope and handed it over:

"Ma'am, please confirm."

Mary hesitated for two seconds, took a deep breath, took the envelope, pulled out the photo, and examined it carefully.

"... Very good, very good, you are the most efficient and responsible detective I have ever met, and I am honored to introduce you to the members of the Craig Club... Here is the balance of 7 pounds, you deserve it." Mary took out a wallet from her leather handbag and counted out a 5-pound note and two 1-pound notes.

Then, without waiting for Klein's response, she stuffed the photo into the envelope, put it in her handbag, and suddenly stood up and left.

Her buttonless leather boots made a rapid sound of footsteps. Starling Summer tried hard to catch up, but was barely able to follow.

When opening the door to go out, Mary suddenly tripped and almost fell. Fortunately, Starlin caught her.

With this episode, Mary noticeably slowed down her movements and seemed to have grown quiet.

Madam, you forgot to bring your portable camera... I'll give it to Mrs. Summer later and ask her to bring it to you... Klein watched the scene silently, shook his head slightly, and said nothing.

He returned to the second floor, took a nap, and woke up comfortably to the punctual sound of the nearby church clock.

Klein had looked through the map before and confirmed that Williams Street was at the junction of the West Side and Queens, which was the core of Backlund and a suitable place for living.

The asking price for a nice house in the West and Hillston districts is about 2,500 pounds. Miller Carter's home is close to the Queens District and is the property of the former Viscount. The area must be quite large. The entire purchase would cost at least 3,500 pounds, or even 5,000 pounds, which could be exchanged for a very good magical item... He came to visit me without a butler or servants. Is it because he just arrived in Backlund and hasn't gotten on track in all aspects? Klein put on a double-breasted frock coat, put on his hat, picked up his cane, and went out to Minsk Street.

At this time, the gas street lamps had not yet been turned on, and the streets were even darker than in the evening, but the air was still acceptable, not as pungent as in the eastern districts.

After taking a hired carriage all the way to Williams Street, Klein saw the waiting butler outside the house at No. 8.

The servant, wearing a red vest and light-colored trousers, bowed respectfully to the visitor:

"Good afternoon, is this Detective Moriarty?"

"Yes, I have an appointment with Mr. Carter." Klein nodded slightly and followed the butler into the mansion with a lawn in front and a garden on the side.

This house has two floors. The first floor is quite messy, with a lot of construction materials and workers coming and going to do renovations.

Miller Carter came over without a hat and covered his nose:

"I'm very sorry that this place is so messy and dirty, but I hope that everything will be fine before my family arrives in Backlund. I can only urge them to work non-stop."

After saying this, he looked at the servant and gave an order:

"You keep watching them."

No wonder I didn’t bring servants with me before. The servants have become overseers... Klein smiled and said:

"I know a lot of doctors, and they told me that newly renovated houses are not suitable for immediate occupation. We need to wait at least three months for ventilation, otherwise the elderly and children who are not strong enough will easily get sick."

"Really?" Miller asked in confusion as he led Klein to the basement.

"I haven't verified it, but I choose to believe in authority. It is said that this comes from the words passed down by Emperor Roselle." Klein made it up casually.

Miller nodded, turned around and looked at the door, couldn't help but frowned and asked:

"Mr. Detective, you didn't bring your assistant?"

"There may be considerable danger hidden in that building."

I have an assistant, but you can't see it... Klein muttered to himself and said seriously:

"This is the first exploration. I will proceed cautiously and retreat immediately if there are any problems."

"I have extensive experience in this area and will not put myself in a dangerous situation. On the contrary, if I cooperate with unskilled assistants, my actions may be less flexible and less decisive."

Miller was stunned and said:

“You’re very professional.”

Professional deception… Klein added silently.

Miller no longer suspected anything and led Detective Moriarty through the messy living room, down the stairs, and into a fairly spacious basement.

There is no gas pipeline here, but there are four metal candlesticks embedded in the wall, and the dim light flickers.

Stepping on the stone slabs on the ground, Klein couldn't help but sigh in his heart:

As expected of a nobleman’s property, even the basement has been “finely renovated” and is almost as big as the living room of my current house…

At this time, Miller pointed to the front and said:

"There is a secret door there. The workers found it when they were renovating it."

Klein stared, and with the help of the dim candlelight, he saw a gray-white stone door in the corner. It should have been integrated with the wall, but now it was exposed.

"I'll leave it to you now. Be careful." The old-fashioned gentleman Miller handed Klein a lit lantern and gave him some advice.

"Have you checked the wind beforehand?" Klein asked cautiously.

Miller shook his head imperceptibly and said:

“It wasn’t particularly dull in there, but I didn’t let the workers go too far.”

“Okay.” Klein checked his belongings and put on a black glove. Under Miller’s gaze, he walked slowly toward the stone door with the lantern in hand and pushed it open with his cane.

Amid the slightly heavy rustling sound, he followed the light from this side and saw a corridor paved with dark stone slabs.

There are several wooden doors on both sides and at the end of the corridor. They show signs of decay but are still barely usable.

It's not too old... but the door's ostentatious style doesn't quite match the heavy stone slabs... Has the previous viscount family changed? Klein quietly opened his spiritual vision, held his cane tightly, and carried the lantern, moving forward step by step.

The light dispelled the darkness, and as he passed by the rooms on both sides, since the workers hired by Miller had not explored deeply, he could see the slightly empty scene inside through the open door, and see the benches and tables that were quite consistent with the style of the door.

There was no flash of inspiration... Klein took a quick look and continued forward without stopping until he came to the black double stone door at the end.

He stretched out his gloved right palm, half-clamped the cane, and slowly pushed the door with force.

The teeth-grinding friction sound began to echo, and the stone door gradually cracked open. Klein's eyes suddenly showed a little light, reflecting the countless entangled aura colors.

His heart tightened, and he pushed the door open with all his strength, then took a few steps back.

The crack in the stone door quickly widened, and a piece of a black, slippery creature suddenly fell from above.

It was a long snake with a triangular head and red patterns!

It straightened its upper body, spitting out its core, and looked at Klein with its cold brown eyes.

Snap, snap, snap, one snake after another fell from the door and piled up at the entrance.

Passing them, Klein saw a hall inside. In the center of the hall, there were countless snakes of various colors wriggling and huddling together, forming an exaggerated snake nest that was ten meters long and wide. The slippery and disgusting feeling hit him in the face.

Klein's scalp suddenly went numb, and he couldn't help but take two steps back. He even wanted to look away, not daring to look directly at it.

Although he is a man, he is still afraid of snakes, and the animal he fears most is snakes.

This stems from a psychological trauma of his. When he was a child, he liked to secretly open the door of his room when he was supposed to be sleeping, and watch movies with his parents through the gap.

Unfortunately, his parents once watched a snake disaster movie. There was a scene in the movie where a building was demolished and a large nest of snakes was dug out. The dense wriggling of snakes is still vividly remembered in his mind.

Can the Sleeping Spell affect so many snakes? Klein swallowed hard and said to the air:

"What can you do?"

The bodyguard lady in a black Gothic dress quickly appeared beside him, her mouth tightly pursed, saying nothing.

Klein looked at her, and she looked at Klein, but neither of them spoke.

When a snake slowly swam away, Klein finally coughed and repeated:

"What can you do?"

The bodyguard lady did not answer and floated up. A cold wind suddenly blew in the corridor.

Woo!

The wind blew into the hall with a loud sound, and the temperature here dropped rapidly.

Woo!

The densely packed snakes in the center of the hall suddenly dispersed and swam in all directions, looking for a warmer and more suitable place for survival.

After two or three minutes, a thin layer of frost formed on the surface of the hall and the corridor, and the countless snakes had disappeared into nowhere.

Woo!

The wind hadn’t stopped yet. Klein shivered and said:

"Not bad, almost there."

The fierce cold wind slowed down, but the chilly feeling did not weaken, and the figure of the bodyguard disappeared in mid-air.

Klein raised his right palm, which was holding his cane, and covered his mouth and nose. He sneezed, then raised the lantern and carefully walked through the stone door into the wide hall.

The style here is consistent with the corridor outside, mainly dark black stone slabs, with eight columns of the same color standing tall.

Metal rods hang from the high dome, at the bottom of which are candlesticks carved into different creatures.

Inverted candlesticks... As a university student majoring in history, and as someone who could barely be called an elite in this field, Klein made a preliminary judgment based on this unique arrangement:

"Fourth-era buildings?"

PS: Both chapters are sent today.