Mr. Jimmy Cameron had just informed Xia De that the person who sold him the victor box was not a friend he had met in a tavern, as Xia De had imagined, nor was he Mr. Cameron's rhode cards playing partner.
The person selling the “victor box” had a respectable background, just like him, and ran a spice shop in Tobesk West District.
Even though the discovery of the New World had enriched the spice market, spices were still expensive luxuries in this era.
Mr. Krum, who ran the spice shop, although his shop was much smaller than Mr. Cameron's steam factory, had connections in the New World and controlled special channels for spice procurement.
Therefore, the spice merchant's family fortune was even wealthier than Mr. Cameron's.
According to Mr. Cameron's description, Mr. Krum was a relatively honest businessman who disliked rhode cards, smoking, and drinking.
In the autumn, the two met at a small shop owners' gathering in Tobesk West District.
During their casual conversation, the spice merchant revealed that he owned an extraordinary box, which led to the subsequent transaction.
The spice shop was in the northwest of the City.
After leaving the Three Cats Inn, the three of them took a carriage to their destination.
Along the way, Xia De also instructed Dorothy and Margaret to be ready for a fight, as they didn't know what might happen.
“Detective, do you often encounter such dangers in the cases you take?”
The princess from the southern kingdom, sitting opposite Xia De with Dorothy, asked, becoming increasingly curious about a Detective's life.
Xia De shook his head while organizing his spellcasting materials:
“I just said that most of the commissions I take are minor matters, like finding a cat.
My uncle, Sparrow Hamilton Detective, specializes in investigating extramarital affairs and infidelity.”
“So, what was the most dangerous commission you ever took?”
Margaret asked curiously.
Hearing this question, Dorothy also looked at Xia De curiously.
Xia De thought for a moment:
“A Baron friend of mine invited me to play cards somewhere and asked me to help him defeat his opponent.
The result of that incident… I don't want to recall it anymore.”
This referred to Baron Lavende inviting Xia De to Lakeview Manor, which was Xia De's first encounter with an evil god.
The wheels crushed the accumulated snow, passing through the silver-clad City, galloping through its streets and alleys.
The further north they went in the City, the fewer steam factories there were, and the more large slums appeared.
The trio's destination, “Krum's Spice Shop,” was located at the junction of the City's northern slums and the western factory district.
Great nobles certainly wouldn't frequent such a spice shop, but factory owners and wealthy middle-class people in the City's west enjoyed using relatively inexpensive spices to highlight their status.
When Xia De pushed open the shop's door and heard the crisp sound of the wind chime hanging at the entrance, it was eleven o'clock on Sunday morning, close to lunchtime.
Perhaps they could have lunch after the investigation.
The interior of the spice shop was filled with incense, and various strange spice odors mixed together, forming a smell that made Xia De feel nauseous and want to vomit, but the two girls were well adapted to it.
Spices were not sold directly in baskets but were contained in specially customized glass jars, arranged on shelves along the walls.
There were quite a few customers in the shop on Sunday morning, but they did not see the shop owner here.
Xia De told the two girls to look around freely, while he walked around the shop, and after confirming no traces of elements were found, he initiated a conversation with the young apprentice.
Xia De, of course, did not reveal his Detective identity, only stating that he wanted to purchase a large quantity of goods from here for a special purpose, and therefore wanted to know when the shop owner would return.
The young apprentice, who looked only fifteen or sixteen, was not as cunning as an Outsider and, without any guard, told Xia De that Mr. Krum had gone to the warehouse to take inventory and would only return in the afternoon.
Immediately after, Xia De left the spice shop and wandered around other shops along the street nearby.
Finally, in a corner shop that sold old clothes, old bedding, and also offered cotton fluffing services, he inquired about the location of the nearby large warehouses.
“Although I used eyeshadow to disguise my face, I don't know what will happen next, so I can't leave too deep an impression on the apprentice.
Spices are not durable goods, so the warehouse must be in a nearby block.
Therefore, it's better to inquire about the warehouse's location from other merchants.”
Xia De explained his motivation to Margaret, and the princess showed a look of realization.
The three walked together on the street, and Dorothy said:
“When you went to that old goods shop just now, I inquired about Mr. Krum's past behavior at the bookstore next to the spice shop.
He lives on the second floor of the shop.
In the eyes of his neighbors, although he is a bit stingy, he never has conflicts with people, his temperament is relatively peaceful, and he has never shown any abnormal behavior.”
“I've read in Detective stories that the more ordinary a person behaves, the more likely they are to be a criminal.
Moreover, Ring術士 often disguise themselves in daily life with seemingly normal behavior.”
Margaret immediately said.
Xia De shook his head:
“Before we meet that gentleman, let's not prejudge.
Besides, that spice merchant doesn't seem like a Ring術士 either.”
Ten minutes later, they passed through the alleys of the slum—though doing so during the day was very dangerous—and arrived at the warehouse, which was only one street away from the spice shop.
Most of the warehouses in the City's west were clustered together, and Mr. Krum had only rented the smallest type of warehouse.
The old man guarding the warehouse yard initially disagreed to the three entering directly to find someone, but when Xia De found two shillings he had dropped on the ground, the old guard allowed them to enter, but they could only stay for a maximum of twenty minutes.
Of course, the fact that two shillings could solve the problem was also related to Xia De's companions being two pretty ladies.
Even if Xia De was truly a thief who dared to steal in broad daylight, there was no reason for him to bring two ladies who clearly came from extraordinary backgrounds to commit theft.
When they met Mr. Krum, the spice merchant was directing workers to move goods from the warehouse.
They were temporarily moving empty boxes out of the warehouse to rent them out; merchants wouldn't let their items pile up in the warehouse for nothing.
“Are you looking for me?”
The spice merchant, wearing black leather boots, sized up Xia De and his companions' attire, then took off his hat and asked doubtfully.
He looked to be in his forties, with somewhat dark skin, but his eyes were very sharp:
“May I ask what the matter is? Do you want to discuss business?”
The excuse of discussing business was fine for fooling a young apprentice, but it was a bit inappropriate to use now.
“No, no, we're not here to discuss business; we have something else we'd like to ask for your help with.”
Xia De said with a smile, extending his hand to shake Mr. Krum's.
【Normal person.】
“It's like this, do you happen to know Mr. Jimmy Cameron?”
Xia De asked, also taking off his hat.
His demeanor confirmed to the spice merchant that this handsome young man in front of him was definitely of extraordinary background:
“Yes, we've met a few times.”
“I am also a friend of Mr. Jimmy Cameron.
It's like this, I heard about the victor box from him.
It truly is a very magical box.”
Xia De exclaimed, and Mr. Krum nodded in agreement, gesturing for them to speak aside:
“Yes, my wife originally thought I had been swindled.
But I've had that box for a month now, and the total cash I've accumulated has already exceeded the initial cost of the box.
It truly is a magical technology, but didn't I tell Jimmy not to casually tell others about it?”
He looked at Xia De with an inquisitive gaze, while Dorothy couldn't smile now.
If such boxes were truly to circulate in large quantities, it might indeed have a huge impact on Delarion's currency and prices.
“It wasn't me who inquired of Mr. Cameron; he told me himself.”
Xia De maintained his smile:
“Actually, I... we met at a banquet.
Do you know about Princess Margaret's visit to Tobesk?
My uncle knows an envoy in the visiting delegation and can introduce Mr. Cameron to sales channels in the south.”
The princess behind him certainly didn't know that Xia De wasn't lying at this moment, at least not about the “uncle” part.
The spice merchant showed a knowing expression, understanding that Jimmy Cameron had revealed the secret to climb the social ladder with nobles:
“Since that's the case, you've come to me for...”
“I also want to own one of those boxes.”
Xia De made himself show a perfectly appropriate embarrassed expression, then introduced:
“These two ladies, one is a distant relative of the royal family, and the other is from Cavendish.
They are both ladies of noble birth, and we all wish to own such a magical box.
So, Mr. Cameron introduced us to you.
I wonder if you could introduce us to the merchant who sells that box?”
The spice merchant clearly hesitated:
“Mr. Fanny allows me to introduce friends to him, but he doesn't let me casually...”
“Sir.”
Dorothy said with a gentle smile, her voice very soft:
“I think we are all trustworthy people.
Even if you don't know our work, our address, or even our names, don't you know our gender?”
The voice was so convincing that the spice merchant immediately nodded:
“Yes, I already know your gender; that is quite a significant piece of private information.”
Margaret glanced sideways at “Dorothy,” somewhat suspecting that the Writer often used this method to gather writing material.
“Isn't that enough?
I think that's enough for you to fully understand and trust us, and to tell us Mr. Fanny's address.”
The spice merchant opened his mouth, still hesitating, so Xia De added:
“I can also tell you a secret about us: I like pretty girls.”
Mr. Krum was startled, and this time he nodded without the slightest hesitation:
“Since you've told me such a secret, yes, I can tell you the address.”
Margaret stiffened her face, wanting to laugh but knowing she couldn't make a sound.
“Can you tell us about him?”
Dorothy asked softly.
Mr. Krum already completely trusted her because what she said made a lot of sense:
“Victor Fanny is the maker of those magical boxes.
He's a very amiable person, and not only does he make money himself, but he also allows us to make money.
He stipulates that everyone can only buy one box, but if we can introduce business to him, he can give us a commission.
I earned a 10-pound commission by introducing Jimmy to him.”
Dorothy looked at Xia De, and Xia De nodded:
“So where does the other party live? Or does he have his own factory?”
“Mr. Fanny is a craftsman.
He's not a local but from the Eastern Isles region.
After coming to Tobesk, he rented a room in a Three Cats Inn and assembles those magical boxes there daily, occasionally going out for a walk.
He has a strong artisan spirit.”
Xia De, who was very sensitive to this phrase, pursed his lips, and Dorothy continued to ask:
“So the Three Cats Inn's address is...”
“Tobesk North District, St. Anthem Square, Three Cats Inn.
Mr. Fanny usually doesn't see strangers; he will only see you if you say I recommended you.”
“Three Cats Inn again?”
Xia De sighed softly in his heart, but the Three Cats Inn was indeed the most famous inn in the City's north, otherwise, it couldn't have been one of the merchants eligible to sponsor the rhode cards competition during the Great City Player period.
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