Chapter 49: “Conjoined Person”

Chapter 49: “Conjoined Person”

Emlyn glanced at Ian, raised a hand, pinched the tip of his nose, and laughed softly.

“Looks like you don’t understand. Fine. To describe it more simply, help me gather intelligence on foreigners from the Southern Continent—especially those from the Star Plateau and the Pas River Valley.”

“What specific kind of intelligence? There are quite a few pure-blooded Southern Continent people in Backlund, and those with corresponding bloodlines can be seen even more often.” Ian did not grow angry from being looked down on. Instead, he calmly raised his own question.

Emlyn laughed once and said,

“The comparatively abnormal sort. Those who act furtively, mysteriously, secretively. You should understand what I’m talking about.”

“There are definitely many plateau people and valley people who fit your description. In Backlund, they either work as servants and laborers, or become thieves and join gangs. Those in the latter category all satisfy the conditions of abnormal behavior, furtiveness, and mystery,” Ian sincerely pointed out the impracticality of Emlyn’s request.

Emlyn, however, had been prepared for this long ago. With an inconspicuous smile, he nodded very slightly.

“In that case, give me all information that fits the conditions, and I will do the filtering myself. Mm, for this commission, I will first pay you fifty pounds as the basic fee for the preliminary investigation. After that, payment will be calculated according to how many pieces of intelligence you collect that have concrete value. I will pay twenty pounds extra for each valuable item.”

“Who decides whether it has value?” Ian thought for several seconds before asking.

For him, with fifty pounds in preliminary income, this commission was already worth accepting. That amount was enough to hire more than a dozen people to investigate from the East Borough to Cherwood Borough from morning until night for half a month.

He did not care too much about how much he himself would earn from those fifty pounds, because quite a few people depended on him for survival. He had to arrange paid work for them from time to time. Otherwise, he would never be so well informed.

Emlyn studied Ian for a couple of seconds, then gave a “heh.”

“Me, of course. You should know my reputation very well.”

“Great Detective Moriarty never told me that…” Ian muttered. Then he sighed. “Fine. Our last cooperation was fairly pleasant, so I choose to trust you.”

Emlyn nodded in satisfaction, took out his wallet, and counted out banknotes totaling fifty pounds.

During this process, when he remembered that his savings had dwindled to only 407 pounds, Emlyn suddenly felt a little reluctant.

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

He did not linger. Putting on his top hat, he walked out of the billiards room and left the Bravehearts Bar.

Once on the street, Emlyn released the fingers pinching his nose, raised his head, and looked at the clouds that blazed like fire. His expression gradually turned grave as he silently muttered to himself:

“That Wraith wasn’t there this time… Where did he go?

“Hmph. Ian acted as if he had never heard of the Rose School of Thought, but his accelerated heartbeat betrayed him…

“And this time, he actually didn’t ask whether Sherlock Moriarty had returned to Backlund. He didn’t seem worried at all… Could Sherlock have already returned to Backlund and met with him?”

…

The Rorsted Archipelago, Bayam, the City of Generosity.

Outside a house near the harbor, where gas wall lamps were lit, Star Admiral Cattleya brought Frank Lee, whose shirt sleeves were rolled up to reveal the brown hair on his forearms, to an empty corner. Together, they watched as a figure grew out from the darkness.

This was the Bloodless Heath Doyle, the one responsible for monitoring Craftsman Sharf. He was tall and thin, his skin pale to the point of being nearly transparent. He had the…