Chief Anlos had heard some inside information about what happened at the reading salon and knew it was related to the church and those mysterious events, so he touched his nose and said nothing.
“Speaking of which, does this count as a work-related injury?”
Xia De said jokingly, then his expression became a little more serious:
“I investigated and found that the Princess sometimes sneaks out. I originally thought she wanted to meet with a mysterious person, such as the so-called ‘Gray Headed Eagle,’ but in the end, I found that the Princess just wanted to stroll around the City.”
“We also know that the Princess sometimes goes out alone, and the Carson Rick delegation is quite helpless about it. But she wants to see the City, and we can’t really blame her; we can only try our best to ensure her safety. However, I don’t think the Princess would personally meet with the Gray Headed Eagle; she could just arrange for her people to do such things.”
Chief Anlos analyzed while sitting on the sofa:
“You’ve been doing very well recently, and His Majesty has also heard about your interactions with the Princess in social settings. Regardless of whether she came with ulterior motives, we just need to ensure that our people are always by her side in any situation.”
Saying that, he took out a card and handed it to Xia De:
“Continue working next week. On Friday, the Princess will visit and attend lectures at the Delarion Third National Mechanical College in the University District, from morning until evening. This is an access permit for the National Mechanical College; you will also go with her that day. There will be many people then, so pay attention to whether any suspicious individuals approach the Princess. Try to directly interact with the Princess; we all know you have a good relationship with her. If possible, I hope you can stay by the Princess’s side the entire time.”
“Alright.”
Xia De took the access permit. Chief Anlos then stood up; he was also very busy and didn’t have time to stay long with Xia De:
“After the visiting delegation leaves, His Majesty will reward those who contributed, and there will also be rewards within the Six Divisions. I won’t contact you frequently recently, and you shouldn’t contact the Six Divisions either.”
This was the reason he came in person:
“Recently, our agents are not only fighting against the Gray Gloves; there are quite a few strange fellows in the City. Your task is only to observe and report; you don’t need to worry about other matters. The Six Divisions are quite professional.”
He waved goodbye to Xia De, opened the door himself, and left.
Xia De put away the access permit, carried Mia, and returned to the second floor. Before the girls could ask, he spoke first:
“My superior came.”
“Superior?”
Princess Margaret, who was sitting on the sofa talking to the Golden-haired girl, was very curious:
“Does an independently operating Detective also have a superior? Is it the so-called Detective Guild?”
“Oh, Princess, although my profession is quite respectable in Miss Louisa’s books, a Detective doesn’t always get work.”
Xia De sat down on the short sofa to the side. The orange cat, thinking about its breakfast, ran back to the dining room:
“This winter after the snow, I haven’t received a single commission, though there were quite a few jobs in late autumn. I can’t always sit at home waiting for commissions, so sometimes I also cooperate with Leedweich Field. Oh, Leedweich Field is…”
“Yes, I know.”
Princess Margaret nodded. Dorothy smiled and helped Xia De explain, as she knew what Xia De was half-truthfully trying to say:
“Detectives like Xia De sometimes need to work closely with the police, accept official commissions, and assist in investigations, which is why he calls the chief who contacts him his ‘superior.’”
“At least Leedweich Field is generous with payments, but not so generous with reimbursements.”
Xia De said, tilting his head to watch Mia finish her leftover food in the dining room:
“Where were we? Yes, meeting Sir Prisha alone, that’s not necessary for now. However, I’m very interested in the ancient Prisha family. I’ve heard of ancient surnames that pass down Ring術士 power through generations, but I always thought those families were affiliated with the Three Great Academies.”
Actually, Miss Aurora’s family is an exception.
“The Prisha family doesn’t awaken Ring術士 in every generation, and the rumors of ancient families are just legends. Nobles always like to boast about their family history. I’m quite certain that at least in the past few hundred years, no special figures have emerged from their family.”
Princess Margaret said, borrowing paper and pen from Xia De and drawing the Prisha family crest:
“The thorny patterns around it are honors added after they pledged allegiance to my ancestors. The main body of the crest is an ancient family crest, related to the surname itself.”
In heraldry, family crests that appear quite complex and ornate to ordinary people actually have incredibly rich meanings. Although Xia De had some understanding of Delarion noble crests, he wasn’t very familiar with Carson Rick nobles. Fortunately, Dorothy had Leia’s Knowledge, and in the education the Princess received, noble heraldry was a mandatory basic course. She looked with great interest at the pattern Princess Margaret drew, then pretended to be curious and said:
“When I was organizing writing material, I learned about the ancient noble heraldry of the southern region of Carson Rick. These three folds of blue ribbon, plus the golden cross decoration, are typical of ‘holy’ meaning. Did Sir Prisha’s family have anyone above a regional archbishop in the Five Gods Church in the past?”
“I don’t know much about that.”
Princess Margaret shook her head:
“I haven’t heard of the Sir’s family having any connection with the church. Besides, Ring術士 like us, who come from the Three Great Academies, are inherently wary of having any ties with the church.”
Xia De was also observing the family crest, but before he could express his opinion, the doorbell rang again downstairs:
“Oh, what’s going on today? Did everyone specifically choose today to visit me?”
He picked up the cat, which had run over after hearing the doorbell, and walked to the living room window to look down:
“An unfamiliar hired carriage, a very common carriage in the City. Who is it this time?”
“Xia De, take your guest to the second floor to talk. The Princess and I will hide over there.”
Dorothy pointed to Room Two, and Xia De nodded. So she walked directly to the wall by the fireplace, pulled open the door that was almost integrated with the wall, then turned to signal the Princess to follow.
Princess Margaret followed Dorothy into the other room, her mind once again speculating about the relationship between Dorothy Louisa and Xia De. Earlier, she had thought that the Golden-haired Writer coming here so early meant there was something to discuss within the group. But now it seemed not to be the case, after all, this Golden-haired Writer seemed too familiar with this house.
On the other side, Xia De had already taken Mia downstairs. After opening the door, the person outside, who was paying the coachman, was a well-dressed middle-aged gentleman Xia De had never seen before.
He had pretty brown hair, and two very delicate little mustaches that were quite pretty. He was wrapped in a black leather coat, and around his neck seemed to be a fox fur scarf. The leather wallet in his left hand looked like crocodile skin or similar material, and the yellow metal decoration on the cane in his right hand was, without surprise, likely real gold.
He paid a very generous tip, and the coachman, clutching the banknotes and coins, bowed very deeply when he took off his hat.
The middle-aged gentleman tucked his wallet into the pocket of his wide leather coat, turned around, and saw that the door had already been opened. He blinked:
“Xia De Hamilton Detective?”
“Yes, that’s me. May I ask who you are?”
The man took off his black leather glove and extended his hand to Xia De:
“Boris Cameron, Baron.”
He grasped Xia De’s hand and shook it, a heartfelt smile on his face:
“Hamilton Detective, I’ve long heard of your great reputation. It’s like this, I have a case I’d like you to handle. Do you have time now?”
“A commission?”
Although Baron Cameron’s enthusiasm was unexpected, Xia De still nodded:
“Please come in.”
He stepped aside from the doorway. The Baron, wearing leather boots, wiped his shoes on the doormat just like Chief Anlos, and then followed Xia De upstairs to the second floor.
Dorothy had already put away the teacups, so Xia De prepared fresh tea. Meanwhile, Baron Cameron sat on the sofa, looking with great interest at the furnishings of Room One on the second floor, and politely only observed, not attempting to touch any items.
After Xia De brought up the black tea, the handsome middle-aged gentleman began to speak about his business:
“Detective, this isn’t something that happened to me; it’s my younger brother, Jimmy Cameron. Although we come from the same family, he didn’t inherit the family title. When our father passed away, he divided the factory to him.”
The Baron explained his family background, which was a very common way of dividing property:
“Little Jimmy—I don’t really like to complain about my brother, but he clearly has no talent for business. He doesn’t go to the factory often; instead, he idles around the City. I often have to go to underground casinos or those illegal clubs to bail him out. He truly gives me a lot of trouble. But Jimmy isn’t a so-called bad person; he just isn’t very capable and is fond of pleasure, and my relationship with him is still quite good.”
The Baron sighed, took out a black-and-white photo from his breast pocket, and handed it to Xia De. The photo was a single portrait. The man in the picture resembled Baron Cameron in his eyebrows and eyes, but it was also clear they weren’t the same person. The Baron looked to be in his forties, while the person in the photo looked to be around thirty, and noticeably much fatter than the Baron.
“Don’t worry, my brother isn’t missing. It’s just that last week, he mysteriously found me and told me he had bought a very magical item.”
Xia De looked up at the Baron:
“Magical? That’s a very interesting adjective.”
“Yes, it was a…”
Baron Cameron showed an embarrassed expression. Speaking of this matter made him feel quite awkward:
“A box that can replicate banknotes.”
