“About this body-snatching case, do we need to investigate further?”
Xia De then asked Iluna. The commission they had taken on was only to find Mrs. Fennel's body. Now that the body had been found, their task was essentially over, and they could completely leave this remote and gloomy place to spend the rest of the day in the City.
“What time is it now?”
Iluna thought for a moment and asked. Xia De blinked and immediately got the answer:
“Three forty-five in the afternoon.”
Detective Mario, who was standing beside them, initially thought he was being asked and also pulled out his pocket watch. After comparing the time, he found that the answer Xia De gave was only off by two minutes, which greatly surprised him:
“That’s incredibly accurate!”
Actually, his pocket watch was running slow.
“Then let’s go into the City and visit Mr. Yulian.”
Iluna sighed:
“Since we’ve encountered this, and I still have two days of vacation, I must figure this matter out. Detective, I will give you an additional investigation report afterward. If we can’t solve the problem, we will also give you the investigation records.”
“Alright.”
Detective Mario nodded, then instructed the young men he brought to clean up the scene and notify the relatives of the two bodies that the bodies had been found.
Xia De and Iluna greeted the old cemetery keeper, who was cursing the body snatcher, then turned and left the cemetery:
“Calculating the time, we should arrive in the North City around six o’clock. How about we have dinner together first? I know the Three Cats Inn in St. Anthem Square has excellent food.”
Xia De suggested. The long-haired brown-haired girl walking beside him smiled:
“Of course, that’s good, but you can’t bring your cat this time. It’s just the two of us—I mean, we’re also going to visit someone else, so bringing a pet would be very impolite.”
Xia De usually prepares cat food for Mia before going out. Although that cat is gluttonous, it has never overeaten, so Xia De wasn't worried about her.
They took a carriage from the public cemetery in the eastern suburbs of the City, heading all the way to the North City. When they set off, the sky was still very bright, but by the time Xia De jumped off the carriage first and then reached out to help Iluna alight, St. Anthem Square was already dim.
The time was 6:03, Xia De's estimation was very accurate.
Although the municipal construction in the Lower City was far inferior to that near Saint Delan Square, St. Anthem Square at least had streetlights installed. With the streetlights just coming on, this time usually meant that the street vendors in Saint Delan Square were leaving, leaving tranquility to the residents. But in St. Anthem Square, it meant the beginning of nightlife and the opening of the evening market.
“I come here quite often. Our team often takes on tasks in the Lower City.”
Iluna said to Xia De:
“Look at the blacksmith over there.”
As they walked through the square, she pointed to a blacksmith shop with a sign that read “Superior People,” which was very conspicuous in the evening due to the bright light from its furnace:
“The old blacksmith there is very skilled. The captain once helped him, so when our team commissions him to make ironware, he only charges the lowest price.”
“Does the Sun Church not have its own dedicated blacksmith?”
Xia De asked curiously. Although it was already the Steam Age, the profession of blacksmith was still indispensable in City life.
“Of course, they do, but the prices are very high, and sometimes you have to wait in line.”
Iluna shrugged, looked over Xia De's shoulder at a group of children running wildly by the roadside, and, not knowing what she thought of, a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth:
“Big cities are good. When I was training at the church, I also went on official business. There weren't many Ring術士 in those small places, and the black market had no order, so even if you were willing to spend money, sometimes you couldn't find what you wanted.”
“Although Tobesk is a large City, the black market trade in Coldwater Port is actually more prosperous than here.”
“I haven’t seen the sea yet.”
The seventeen-year-old girl said wistfully, glanced at Xia De, and they both walked into the Three Cats Inn. Because it was dinner time, there were quite a few guests on the first and second floors.
A Poet playing a lute softly played on a high platform by the wall. But he wasn't the one Xia De had seen last time; last time it was a female Poet. Perhaps the Three Cats Inn hired many Bards to perform in rotation. Although this might not bring significant visible income to the inn, it should still be somewhat useful for attracting customers.
Many people said that when night fell, one could find scantily clad streetwalkers in this inn, but at the current time, it looked no different from daytime.
The buzzing sound symbolized the bustling business. Xia De and Iluna chose a seat against the wall and sat down. The wooden tabletop, stained with wine over the years, was somewhat mottled, but this fit the atmosphere better.
Because it was busy now, the waiter didn't notice them, so Xia De asked Iluna about her food preferences and walked to the counter to order.
“Oh, isn’t this Hamilton Detective?”
The inn owner, Mrs. Sangmei, greeted him warmly. The gas light on the wall beside the counter was very soft. Amidst the mixed scent of wine and dishes, he slightly turned to look in the direction Xia De had come from:
“I noticed you when you came in, Detective. This time your female companion is different from the previous two.”
She showed an ambiguous smile, clearly taking Xia De for a playboy type:
“But I have to admit, your taste is really good.”
Xia De didn't correct her view but turned to look at Iluna, who was curiously looking around and gave him a smile. Gu
“I’ll have the usual. My companion wants something light, but like me, she wants a bowl of meat soup.”
“You’re lucky, a freshly slaughtered beef arrived this afternoon. What about drinks? When dining out with a pretty girl, you always have to drink some wine, right? That also makes it easier for other things at night.”
She recorded while “kindly” reminding him. Xia De shook his head:
“We have something else later, so we won’t drink.”
“That’s a pity, but since you’re here at this time, you can stay a bit longer. At seven o’clock, our female Poet Ashara will come out to perform. She’s very famous.”
She reminded him again. Xia De calculated the time; spending an hour here for dinner didn't seem to delay things much.
“Oh, by the way, do you know this person?”
After ordering, he wanted to turn and leave, but then remembered something and took out a photo from his notebook. The proprietress tore off the paper with the order, impaled it on an iron nail on the counter, waiting for the waiter to take it to the kitchen. Hearing Xia De's words, she leaned forward to look:
“Is your business that good? It seems you always get commissions.”
Xia De took out a photo of Mr. Toby Yulian, the brother of the missing female corpse they were looking for. This was given by Detective Mario.
“No, I don’t. Who is this?”
Mrs. Sangmei shook her head. Although Xia De was disappointed, it was understandable. The Lower City was so big, the proprietress couldn't possibly know everyone.
“Toby Yulian.”
“Oh, the brother of the girl who hanged herself?”
Mrs. Sangmei asked with interest.
“You know him?”
“Of course, there aren’t many fresh stories in the Lower City. A girl who hangs herself for love doesn’t happen every month. I haven’t seen them, but I’ve heard others talk about it.”
The proprietress said with a smile. She had nothing else to do for the moment and didn’t mind chatting with Xia De:
“I heard our regulars here talking about it. The Yulian siblings relied on each other since childhood. Many people know how heartbroken Toby Yulian was when he learned of his sister’s death.”
It was unclear if her information was based on rumors, but since the siblings had a good relationship, Mr. Toby Yulian should not mind cooperating with the inquiry later.
“Oh, I also heard that Mr. Yulian seems to be getting married. Someone said he ordered a very expensive women’s wedding dress last week. Not rented, but bought a set. He must be rich.”
“His sister just died, and he’s getting married already?”
Xia De asked suspiciously, placing two 1-shilling coins on the counter. This was the cost of the meal. Without ordering drinks, a good meal in the Lower City was very cheap.
“I don’t know about that, but people always have to look forward.”
The proprietress shook her head, as if sighing:
“Mortals will all die eventually. It’s better for the living to look forward than to be held back by the dead.”
Seeing Xia De standing still, she swept the two coins into a cardboard box under the counter and asked again:
“Detective, is there anything else? I only know this much.”
“You haven’t given me change yet.”
Xia De pointed out.
“You want five pence too? Oh, Detective, consider this the fee for listening to my story.”
Iluna had no other plans for the evening, so when she heard Xia De suggest staying a bit longer to wait for the supposedly famous Bard to perform, she happily agreed immediately.
So, the two of them spent a full hour and a half at the Three Cats Inn, discussing the commission, their respective lives, Iluna’s preparations to follow Miss Jialinna to learn the way of Balance, and even Luvia.
Iluna was quite envious of Luvia’s eye color and believed that her purple eyes were prettier than anyone else’s eyes she had ever seen.
But when Xia De asked the seventeen-year-old girl in front of him with a smile if she would be willing to exchange her magical left eye with Luvia, Iluna Bayas refused without hesitation:
“Of course not.”
It seemed Iluna was also a pragmatist.
“Why not?”
Xia De asked while stirring his meat soup with a spoon. Dining in a restaurant and dining at home gave completely different feelings.
“Because—”
Iluna looked up at the young man sitting opposite her, smiling under the light. In her hazy gaze, she seemed to see some golden glints on Xia De, but they disappeared with a blink.
Raising an eyebrow, the seventeen-year-old girl smiled sweetly:
“Because you gave it to me.”
