Chapter 992: Curiosity That Even Makes Me Feel Dangerous
"Mr. Hermes..."
Yasen hesitated, a look of embarrassment on his face.
This iris-shaped man with thick black curly hair, who always maintains elegance and grace, is now as speechless as a big boy who smashed his father's vase.
The great detective from Avalon, Sherlock Hermes... Yassen certainly knew where he was going.
Because the other party was kidnapped from his territory.
Now he made an exception and contacted Hawkeye, and it was actually for this matter. He had to rescue his friend.
"...Before answering this question," Yasen asked cautiously, "I want to know where you got this information?"
"Don't be so long-winded, Lord Yasen."
The Moon Child's words were cold and filled with murderous intent, but he still gave a detailed answer: "LeBlanc Cafe—that guy told me to go there if I wanted to contact him. I just asked the owner not long ago if there was anyone who might know where he was going... He told me to meet the person I'm looking for at this bar at noon today."
Upon hearing this, Yasen first breathed a sigh of relief—
Not many people know about LeBlanc Cafe, and even fewer know that Mr. LeBlanc can find them.
In fact, Morris LeBlanc is Yasin's "supporter" in his work as a phantom thief.
For example, helping him transform various alchemical props - such as a shovel that allows him to dig tunnels quickly, a hang glider that can land from a high altitude, a smoke bomb that makes people around him lose their vision and sense of smell, a spray that makes fingerprints or watermarks visible, and other magical props.
The weapons and armor Yasen used were all crafted by him. He also forged Yasen's writings, documents, and identification, drove him to designated locations, and hid him when he was being hunted...
——And the most important thing is to help him sell the stolen goods.
The reason why Arsene is called a chivalrous thief is because he really knows how to "rob the rich and help the poor."
After Iris eliminated the nobility, people didn't live a better life. Rather, only a handful of merchants or "new nobility" took their place, becoming the new elite. And they were even worse than the nobility—at least for the nobility, their subjects were their personal property, while for these merchants, people were nothing more than consumables.
Then, the "righteous thief" Arsene appeared.
He specifically targeted those with corrupt morals and those who were rich but unkind, using various means to obtain their property - either by stealing, defrauding, or forcing them to voluntarily give it up. He would then leave a letter for the person, stating why he was there and what crime they had committed... Sometimes he would leave it after completing the operation, and sometimes he would simply send it before the operation.
Even the process of his "stealing" is itself a punishment and an art.
For example, he kidnapped the wife and daughter of a gang leader who had engaged in human trafficking, and in the process, they both fell in love with the elegant Yasen. He also pretended to be a tax officer and checked the taxes of a businessman who had seriously evaded taxes. When the businessman realized he had been cheated and reported the case, Yasen's anonymous report attracted real tax officers, who then collected the same amount of money again...
The story of the "Phantom Thief" is well-known in Iris. The rich hate him, while the poor regard him as a hero.
The key point here is that Yasin would not spend a single cent of the stolen money except for making props. He would distribute all the money to the poor in this way after selling the stolen goods.
For example, a widow who has lost the only labor force in the family and has children to take care of may suddenly hear someone knocking on the door at night. When she opens the door, she will find a letter attached to the door - reminding the other party not to open the door to anyone at night, and a few hundred yuan attached to the letter; or a poor family whose parents are both sick, he will quietly deliver the purchased medicine directly to their home, so that the children will not be cheated out of their money by unscrupulous pharmacists when they go to buy medicine.
In this respect, the Iris people possess a unique complexity—on the one hand, they are victims of society, but on the other, almost everyone is a perpetrator. Orphans without parents become professional pickpockets, impoverished pharmacists prey on customers, even deliberately overcharging for goods to take advantage of their urgent needs, and able-bodied workers, vagrants, sailors, and other physically able-bodied individuals often moonlight in violent, underworld professions, even illegally reselling banned goods.
In Iris, there is almost no adult who has lived to the age of thirty without having committed a crime. This is why people worship Yassen as a hero.
——But it is obvious that there are quite a few bigwigs who hold a grudge against Yasen.
If Arsène were to sell the stolen goods himself, he would easily be caught. His official identity was Arsène de Vendôme, the married husband of Angelique de Vendôme, the Duke of Vendôme's second daughter. Although his wife was eight years older than him, she was also incredibly beautiful—and she knew Arsène's true identity.
In other words, she herself was once a "big shot" who had been robbed by a "phantom thief." Because of her lack of sympathy, she mocked a village girl for her rustic and dirty clothes, and soiled her skirt just by passing by. Yassen stole her ring. She used the money to buy the girl a set of decent and clean clothes so that she "would not have to worry about her image and feel inferior." She also bought Angelique a clean set of rural clothes, telling her that "this dress is actually quite nice."
——This kind of meaningless and completely selfless theft is a classic part of the phantom thief story.
Yes, Yasin is a follower of the Path of Devotion.
However, during this theft, Yasin had a minor mishap... and he stole the other person's heart. Later, when Yasin was cornered, it was Angelique who rescued him and took care of the seriously injured Yasin until he recovered.
Later they fell in love.
It was thanks to Angelique's protection and intimidation that Arsene's thieving actions were not exposed; or in other words, those who saw the flaws did not dare to attack the son-in-law of the Duke of Vendôme.
Maurice LeBlanc is Arsene—or rather, the "Phantom Thief"'s representative in the underground world. Many even believe he is the Phantom Thief himself.
He only told this matter to his friend Mr. Hermes in a foreign country... Since the gentleman in front of him knew this matter, it meant that he was probably a friend of Hermes.
...That arrogant detective actually has a Moon Child friend?
Still so fierce...
Yasen suddenly remembered the meaning of this outfit, so he asked hesitantly, "Are you... from the Pure School or the Turbid School?"
The ritualists of the ancient Parthian Empire were divided into two categories: the "Pure" and the "Dirty." Pure ritualists swore not to use materials from their own race, not to kill, and not to cast curses—of course, there were no fixed rituals to prove their affiliation. After all, if such a ritual could be mass-produced, then cracking it would itself be considered their graduation test. Therefore, this would be meaningless.
"Pure faction."
"Yeah, I knew it was the turbid school... huh?"
He was shocked.
The Moon Child doesn't use materials from his own kind, doesn't use rituals to kill people, and doesn't use curses?!
Is this really possible? Can this really be done?
The vampire with pale long hair narrowed his eyes and stared at him coldly: "I'm curious...how did you get to know that guy?
"When I heard he was in Iris and was involved with you, I had no idea he even knew the famous Phantom Thief Arsene."
"...We've actually only met once. And that was as rivals."
Yasen spoke up, frankly admitting his identity and speaking in detail without reservation: "Mr. Hermes once came to Iris to listen to an opera. And at that time, he encountered a case.
"I sent a letter to a wealthy, elderly businessman with a heart condition, claiming I was going to take his heart because he'd stolen other people's hearts. That scoundrel was in the real estate business, colluding with the Hawkeye organization. He used deception, intimidation, and other shady tactics to buy up many houses and then raze them to build his own. Many of these buildings, over two hundred years old, were destroyed... They were the hard work of many elderly people, and some even died of heart attacks after having their homes stolen.
"But I didn't intend to kill him—I only wanted to take away other people's wealth. The value of a luxury like life is not something someone like me is qualified to judge.
"However, he suffered a heart attack while listening to the opera. Because he was used to being alone, he dismissed everyone. And he died quietly in the private room... When he was found, he was almost dead. Even the church pastor didn't have time to treat him."
At this point, Yasin complained: "He obviously has a serious heart disease, but he likes to be alone... In fact, I think even if this didn't happen, this person would probably be dead soon.
"—and because the police found my notice on him, I was considered a criminal.
"Just as I was debating whether to solve the mystery myself, Mr. Hermes simply pointed out the true murderer. After that, I went to see him... After a thorough discussion, although we still couldn't agree on some things, we became friends. I've never met such a smart and rational person...
"I summoned him this time because I needed his help. I encountered a very troublesome case... and when he was almost done with it, he was taken away by a group of people.
"I know those men—my father-in-law, the Duke of Vendôme's personal soldier. I haven't seen him since..."
Just as Arsen was narrating, the Son of the Moon suddenly waved his hand.
Yasen shut his mouth, confused. Meanwhile, Alice suddenly let out a "huh" and looked around in bewilderment, her face etched with confusion.
——The eagle feather decoration hanging on her chest just shook.
That means someone holding the Eagle Feather dagger is nearby.
After her last accident, the Hawkeye organization gave her this equipment for her safety. It can sense the number of people holding Eagle Feathers around and immediately send them a rescue signal "I'm here".
Is...are they going to fight?
Alice was a little nervous.
But she wasn't quite expecting Hawkeye's men to show up and fight Mr. Yassen...
They were both poor people, and both had thieves' trade. But when Arsene was hostile to Alice, his hostility towards Hawkeye outweighed his hostility towards himself, the "young lady"... This made Alice a little confused.
And the next moment, Alice suddenly opened her eyes wide.
An assassin girl who had blended into the shadows suddenly emerged slowly from the shadow behind the white-haired vampire.
"The stalkers have been dealt with."
Her voice was quite gentle, yet Alice felt her worldview becoming confused.
Without a doubt, it was the Hawkeye Organization's unique skill—shadow stealth! Besides the genius Chloe, only the outstanding members known as "Master Assassins" could master this secret.
Why... did the Son of the Moon and Hawkeye's Master Assassin get together?
Even Yassen was stunned.
At this moment, the door of the bar was pushed open again.
A little girl who looked no more than eleven or twelve years old unsteadily pushed open the door. What a beautiful little girl she was—she had long black hair, a face so delicate it looked like a doll, and a strange sense of inactivity.
But everyone in the bar turned a blind eye to this, and no one told her that "minors are not allowed to enter here." Apparently, she had already been in once, or...her guardian was here.
"I checked, and there are indeed Moon Children lurking nearby," the girl walked over to the white-haired vampire and sat on his lap affectionately, "I ate them all, meow."
As she spoke, she meowed coquettishly, as if hinting at something.
The white-haired vampire had no expression on his face and knocked her head lightly.
"...your daughter?"
Yasen asked subconsciously.
——Hearing this, the vampire actually thought about it!
"Yes."
He answered, but after thinking for a moment, he quickly and seriously added, "I guess so."
"that is!"
The little girl was obviously dissatisfied and shouted loudly: "It's obviously!"
She smiled and extended her hand to Yasen, like a little adult: "Hello, Mr. Yasen... My name is Aleister."
"…That sounds like a boy's name, Miss Aleister."
Yasen couldn't help but say something gaffe, but he still squeezed the girl's fingers as a polite handshake: "Hello."
This name, if pronounced in Iris language, becomes a common male name - or surname.
Alexander.
Yasen always felt that he seemed to have heard this surname somewhere recently.
"In a sense, it is."
Miss Aleister smiled with a pair of sweet dimples and agreed inexplicably: "It is true in every sense."
Yasen looked at the strange arrangement of the three people in the group:
A white-robed Son of the Moon from the ancient Parthian Empire, the "Land of Thirst"; a female eagle-eyed master assassin whom he trusted enough to let go of his own shadow; and a young Moon Child with a distinct sense of nobility, even the daughter of the white-haired Son of the Moon...
What a strange trio! They clearly seem like sworn enemies...
How the hell did they put it together?!
Are they all Sherlock's friends?
A curiosity that even he felt was dangerous gradually arose in Yasen's heart.
Update! Today is another update of over 7,000 words!
The update will probably be a little late tomorrow. After I get up, I will go to the hospital for a comprehensive check-up. I will continue writing after I come back in the afternoon. I will not post a single chapter tomorrow morning!
(End of this chapter)
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