Emlyn glanced at Ian, raised his hand and pinched the tip of his nose, and laughed:

"It seems you don't understand. Well, a simpler description is to help me collect intelligence on foreigners from the southern continent, especially from the Star Plateau and the Pas River Valley."

"What kind of information specifically? There are quite a few purebred Southern Continent people in Backlund, and those with corresponding bloodlines are often seen." Ian did not get angry at being despised, and calmly asked his question.

Emlyn laughed and said:

"The kind that is more abnormal, the kind that acts sneakily and mysteriously. You should know what I mean."

"There must be many people from the plateau and valleys who fit your description. In Backlund, they are either servants or workers, or thieves or gang members. The latter all meet the criteria of abnormal behavior, sneakiness and mystery." Ian sincerely pointed out the unrealistic nature of Emlyn's request.

Emlyn was prepared for this. With a subtle smile, he nodded slightly and said:

"Well, give me all the intelligence that meets the requirements and I will screen it myself. Well, I will pay you 50 pounds for this commission as the basic fee for the preliminary investigation. Later, I will calculate the amount based on how many valuable pieces of intelligence you have collected, and pay you an additional 20 pounds for each piece."

"Who has the final say on whether it's valuable or not?" Ian thought for a few seconds and asked.

With him, he could accept the commission as long as he had an initial income of 50 pounds. This money was enough to hire more than a dozen people to conduct an investigation from the East District to Cherwood District for half a month from morning to night.

He didn't care how much he could earn from the 50 pounds, because many people depended on him for survival and he had to arrange some paid work for them from time to time, otherwise he would not be able to stay informed.

Emlyn looked at Ian and said with a chuckle:

"Of course it's me. You should be well aware of my credibility."

"Detective Moriarty never told me this..." Ian muttered, then sighed, "Well, our last cooperation was quite pleasant. I choose to trust you."

Emlyn nodded with satisfaction, took out his wallet, and counted the notes totaling 50 pounds.

During this process, Emlyn felt a little reluctant to spend the money when he thought that he only had 407 pounds left in his savings.

Now it's 357 pounds... He withdrew his gaze from the banknotes and handed the cash in his hand to Ian.

Without stopping, he put on his top hat, walked out of the billiard room and left the Brave Bar.

When they reached the street, Emlyn loosened his fingers that were pinching his nose, looked up at the clouds that looked like fire, his expression gradually became solemn, and he muttered to himself silently:

"That 'ghost' isn't here this time... where did it go?

“Humph, Ian acts like he’s never heard of the Rose School, but his accelerated heartbeat betrays him…

"Also, he didn't even ask Sherlock Moriarty whether he had returned to Backlund this time. He didn't seem worried at all... Could it be that Sherlock had already returned to Backlund and met with him?"

…………

Rorsted Archipelago, Bayam, the "City of Generosity".

Outside a house with a gas wall lamp on near the port, "Admiral of the Stars" Cattleya walked to an empty corner with Frank Lee, who had rolled up his shirt sleeves to reveal his brown sweat hair, and watched a figure emerge from the darkness.

This is Heath Doyle, the "Bloodless One" who is in charge of monitoring the "Craftsman" Sharf. He is tall and thin, with skin so pale that it seems transparent, and he looks so weak that he will fall down if the wind blows.

"Has there been any unusual situation during this period?" Cattleya pushed the gold-rimmed glasses on her nose.

Heath Doyle hummed and said:

“On the third day after you left, a stranger came to visit Sharf and stayed for about a quarter of an hour. I didn’t approach him because I was afraid of being discovered.

"According to your instructions, Captain, I had my men follow the stranger, but they got away."

"What does that stranger look like?" Cattleya nodded slightly.

Heath Doyle took out a piece of raw beef from the leather bag at his waist. The blood on it was still fresh, but it did not contaminate any place it touched. It seemed to have turned into pure solid.

Then, the piece of beef melted in Heath Doyle's hands, dripping to the ground like water, wriggling as if with life, and forming a portrait.

"This is the effect I want!" Frank Lee looked at the scene with bright eyes and expressed his thoughts excitedly.

Heath Doyle seemed to be dodging under his gaze. He leaned his body slightly and pointed at the ground, saying:

“It probably looks like this.”

At this time, a bloody painting has taken shape. The main subject is a man with two mustaches and facial features similar to those of the Pas Valley people. His biggest feature is that he has three earrings on each ear.

"Earrings made of gold. Slim body, not much fat, but very healthy." Heath Doyle added.

Cattleya then retracted her gaze towards the ground and said:

"Then what?"

Heath Doyle hummed again:

"No one came to visit Sharf after that, except for the temporary servants and cooks he hired. I arranged for my men to investigate, and there was nothing wrong with them.

"Charles would take a walk every evening, find a streetwalker and take him home, and not let her leave until dawn... I have been following him, and I didn't find him contacting any strange people along the way."

"He has been behaving normally all this time?" Cattleya asked with a frown.

In her opinion, the absence of abnormality is the biggest abnormality!

After all, this involves members of the Rose School who believe in the "original moon."

Heath Doyle nodded affirmatively:

"Yes."

Cattleya turned her head to look at the front door of the house, and after a moment's hesitation, she said:

"I originally planned to use my extraordinary ability to sneak in and control Sharf as quickly as possible, taking him away to avoid any accidents. But now it seems that the best way is to knock on the door and visit directly."

Unknown dangers are the most frightening.

"Captain, I'll go with you." Frank Lee thought that he had been busy with experiments recently and had not done what a first mate should do for a long time, so he quickly opened his mouth and asked.

Cattleya took off her heavy glasses and hung them on the belt of her black wizard robe. She nodded and said:

"good."

After saying this, she left the dark corner and walked towards the main entrance of the residence of the "craftsman" Sharf.

When she got closer, she looked up at the red moon that was penetrating the clouds in the sky, bent her fingers, and knocked on the door three times.

Not long after, footsteps approached and the front door creaked open.

The "craftsman" Sharf has not changed much since last time. He is still thin and dark, with a little puffy bags under his eyes. There is a smile that he is trying hard to squeeze out in his brown eyes:

"Admiral, what's going on this time?"

He stood at the door, blocking the light from the gas wall lamp behind him, making the area appear dim and gloomy, and making himself seem immersed in shadows.

Cattleya stared at him for a few seconds and spoke slowly:

"I have a new idea. I plan to make you a member of my crew."

She stood there motionless, with no intention of entering.

The expression of the "craftsman" Sharf twisted, and his tone suddenly became a little gloomy:

"Why?"

Cattleya's eyes suddenly froze slightly, and then she slowly spoke:

"Because I'm a pirate."

Pirates don't need a reason, they do whatever they want, all based on their own desire.

The muscles on Charles' face twitched, and a hint of smile reappeared in his eyes:

"I can be your sailor, but as a 'craftsman', I can be more useful in a big city."

"I agree with you." Cattleya disintegrated the other party's will to resist, "But before that, you need to stay on my 'Future' for a while and become a companion with others."

Sharf's expression slowly turned cold, and he responded in a slightly ethereal voice:

"I'm afraid I can't control myself. I have a strong desire to reproduce every day..."

"Strong desire to reproduce?" Frank Lee's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he asked back as if to confirm.

Charles was stunned, not knowing whether to nod or shake his head.

Frank then looked at the Admiral of the Stars, Cattleya, and asked excitedly:

“Captain, this is the lab assistant for me?

“I love this trait of his so much!”

Cattleya was silent for several seconds, then nodded slowly and solemnly:

"Yes."

Frank immediately smiled brightly and extended his right hand to the "craftsman" Sharf:

"Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself. I'm Frank Lee, the first officer of the Future."

Sharf's expression returned to normal. He shook hands with the other party in confusion, and then said:

"You're really only going to stay on the 'Future' for a while?"

"I guarantee it with my reputation." Cattleya responded sincerely, and silently added in her heart:

It won't be long before the Queen herself comes to deal with your problem...

"Well, I can't beat you anyway." Sharf shrugged, "Please allow me to pack my personal belongings."

He then took two steps back, turned around, and walked towards the stairs at the end of the hall.

As he was walking, he suddenly paused, turned his back to Cattleya and Frank Lee, and said slowly and lightly:

"The moonlight tonight is as beautiful as ever, isn't it?"

Without waiting for a response, he continued walking and disappeared at the top of the stairs.

It was only at this moment that the solemnity on Cattleya's face gradually became apparent.

After Sharf opened the door, she had already seen the other party's abnormality with her own eyes:

If the spirit of Sharf in the past was a normal human being, now he is a conjoined twin!

This "conjoined twin" is growing rapidly under the moonlight.

This is not a problem I can solve. I have to write a letter to the Queen. Also, I can't forget Gehrman Sparrow's request for a meeting... Cattleya sighed silently and raised her face subconsciously.

High in the sky, the clouds are thin, and a red moon is bright and quiet.

…………

Backlund, Hillston District, "East Balam Veterans Club".

Dwayne Dantès and Congressman Macht got off the carriage and entered the lobby together.

PS: Ask for a guaranteed monthly ticket at the beginning of the month~