Chapter 45: A Murder Case

Chapter Forty-Five
A Murder Case

The concrete road had been dirtied by long days of rain. On both sides, gas streetlamps as tall as grown men gave off light that was bright yet blurred by their damp glass shades.

A rental carriage drove through the night. Around it, pedestrians either wore hats or carried umbrellas.

Klein leaned against the carriage wall, idly admiring Backlund’s evening streets.

Just then, he suddenly felt the temperature inside the carriage drop by quite a bit. A cold, eerie wind swirled around him.

Klein abruptly turned his head and saw that Miss Bodyguard, wearing her black Gothic court dress, had appeared at some unknown time and sat down opposite him.

In her illusory, drifting voice, she said, “That Eye of Wisdom noticed my existence.”

As expected… Klein nodded, not surprised. “He has several mystical items. Perhaps he relied on them to notice you. I even suspect there is an organization behind him.”

Otherwise, relying only on Eye of Wisdom’s own strength, even after spending more than thirty years, it should not have been very possible for him to collect several relatively powerful mystical items. Previously, Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos, as one of the seven pirate admirals, had only possessed Creeping Hunger. Of course, the latter was more likely simply too picky, looking down upon ordinary mystical items. After all, with Creeping Hunger alone, he could become comprehensive and have almost no weakness.

Mm, Eye of Wisdom being wealthy himself is also a reasonable explanation. He has organized gatherings for so many years, and whenever he discovered a suitable mystical item, he bought it regardless of cost. After more than thirty years, having several collectibles is not too unbelievable… Sigh. This is the tempo of either owning mines at home or running a bank…

Klein silently mocked in his heart.

He did not specifically mention that he actually suspected Eye of Wisdom might be someone from the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, or the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. He was afraid of exposing before Miss Bodyguard that he had not only just become a Beyonder.

The pale-gold-haired Miss Bodyguard nodded lightly, seeming to agree with Klein’s suspicion.

Suddenly, her brows furrowed slightly, and she looked toward the carriage window across from her.

“A very strong smell of blood.”

A very strong smell of blood…

Puzzled, Klein turned back and looked out the window.

In the sparse drizzle, there was a secluded little alley.

Near the alley mouth lay a woman in a brilliantly colored dress.

At that moment, a pedestrian passed, glanced carefully, and suddenly let out a scream.

Amid that scream, the horses were frightened slightly, and the coachman hurriedly tightened the reins. The carriage’s speed slowed.

By the light of the gas streetlamps, Klein saw the woman lying at the alley entrance. Her face was bluish white, and there was a deep wound in her abdomen. The organs inside seemed to have been hollowed out by someone.

The blood on the ground around her slowly flowed, scarlet and dense.

This…

As a qualified former Nighthawk, he swiftly associated it with many cases that had similar methods.

Such cases were often tied to demon worship!

And when speaking of demon worship, it was difficult to avoid an ancient organization that had first appeared in the Fourth Epoch: the Blood Sanctify Sect!

According to records, this was a loose alliance formed from the worship of demons. Inside it were several so-called demon families, such as the Nois, Andariel, and Beria families, none of which belonged to the others.

They obsessively and widely spread demon faith, creating many bloody cases. Madam Orianna, the accountant of the Tingen City Nighthawks team, had been one of their victims, but had fortunately been saved.

Of course, not every similar case was their work. Many people felt that such things were cool and began imitating the crimes.

“It looks very much like something done by the Blood Sanctify Sect,” Miss Bodyguard murmured. Her figure swiftly turned transparent and vanished, without caring whether Klein understood what she meant.

By then, the carriage had already passed the crime scene, and Klein saw patrolling policemen rushing over. Therefore, he suppressed the thought of getting off to observe and treated himself as an ordinary citizen passing by.

Mm, citizen Mr. Moriarty…

The Blood Sanctify Sect controls the Criminal pathway, also known as the Demon pathway. It is said that after Sequence 7, corresponding Beyonders will gradually demonize, but only under specific circumstances and in specific situations will that manifest…

Sequence 9, Criminal, has a strong body, sharp intuition, and all kinds of criminal abilities, but their conscience has not yet been extinguished… Sequence 8, anciently called Cold-blooded, modernly called Winged Angel, means that from this point onward, they lose their conscience and sink into evil desires. Their body becomes even less human, and they gain certain demon-like spell abilities… Sequence 7, Serial Killer, grasps much knowledge and many rituals of demon worship and enjoys using special serial murders to please demons…

As for the later Sequences, I do not know what they are…

Knowledge regarding the Blood Sanctify Sect and the Demon pathway flashed one by one through Klein’s mind. Outside, the fine rain seemed to grow a little heavier. Water gathered on the carriage window and slid down, making the entire world quiet and less clear.

“Why am I thinking so much? This sort of matter will definitely be taken over by a Beyonder squad. Perhaps the Mandated Punishers, perhaps the Nighthawks. There is no need for me to worry.”

Klein shook his head and laughed, muttering inwardly.

By the time he returned to 15 Minsk Street, he had already cast aside the case from earlier. He first knocked on the Sammer residence next door, asking Madam Stelyn to tell Mary to come collect the evidence tomorrow afternoon. After that, he washed up and read newspapers, learning the current situation and various news in Backlund.

The next day, Saturday morning, Klein leisurely finished breakfast, went out, and collected the newly developed photographs. He selected the one in which Dragor Gale’s and Erica Taylor’s faces could be seen most clearly, and which best displayed their fiery passion.

After putting the photograph away, he took advantage of the time before Madam Mary arrived and made another trip to Rice Police Station, smoothly recovering the ten pounds of bail.

During the process, he even saw the real Sergeant Fassin there, which made him rather uncomfortable.

After withdrawing the remaining five hundred pounds in cash from his account, Klein, who had been busy for the entire morning, finally had nothing to do.

Before preparing lunch, he paid Miss Bodyguard the remaining six hundred pounds in one breath. On him, he had a total of 146 pounds, 8 soli, and 5 pence remaining. This was the entirety of his available wealth.

Apart from what I owe Miss Justice, I no longer have any debt…

Relaxed, Klein fried himself a bone-in steak and poured black pepper sauce over it.

Just as he was in a good mood, tasting the medium-well texture, the doorbell was suddenly pulled, and dinging, clanging sounds echoed continuously.

“Madam Mary? Isn’t this too early?”

Puzzled, Klein set down his knife and fork and walked toward the door.

He paused for two seconds. In his mind, the image of the visitor outside naturally surfaced.

It was an old-fashioned gentleman wearing a light-gray coat and a half-top silk hat, carrying a black cane inlaid with gold. He had sharp blue eyes, graying temples, and deep nasolabial folds carved into his face, making the muscles appear somewhat sagging.

“May I ask whom you are looking for?” Klein opened the door and asked.

The old-fashioned gentleman spoke with a strong accent from the east coast of the Midseashire.

“You are Detective Sherlock Moriarty?”

“You have a commission?” Klein nodded, stepped aside, and led the old gentleman into the living room.

He hesitated for two seconds before asking, “Would you like coffee, or black tea?”

“A cup of hot water. Thank you.”

The old-fashioned gentleman had already taken off his hat and sat down.

Good. This is simple… Perhaps I should consider hiring an assistant, someone specifically to pour tea, serve water, and clean the room…

Klein’s thoughts scattered as he turned toward the kitchen and rinsed a cup.

After placing the hot water before the old gentleman, he walked to the single sofa, sat with his hands clasped, and asked, “How should I address you?”

“Miller Carter.”

The old gentleman answered concisely.

“Mr. Carter, what would you like to commission?”

Klein did not make small talk. He asked directly.

As he spoke, he quietly activated spirit vision and observed the person opposite him.

This old gentleman’s body was fairly healthy. There was a slight issue with the aura color around his left leg joint, probably arthritis… Emotionally, he is mainly in the blue of calm thought, with some anxiety mixed in…

With that one glance, Klein had roughly reached a conclusion.

Miller Carter lifted the white porcelain cup, rubbed its outer surface, and said, “The matter is this. I bought a house on Williams Street. Heh. I come from Midseashire, but because of business, I will be settling in Backlund from now on.”

Williams Street… Where is that?

Having arrived in Backlund less than a month ago, and having to either consult a map or rely on intuition whenever he went out, Klein worked hard to make himself seem calm and reliable.

Miller Carter glanced at him, then continued under his gaze.

“It is said that the house originally belonged to a bankrupt viscount. That was probably twenty or thirty years ago. After changing hands several times, it was finally purchased by me.”

“I planned to renovate it in a style better suited to modern tastes. But during the work, we discovered a hidden door in the basement, leading to a very large underground structure. Considering that it might be unsafe inside, I temporarily halted construction and did not allow the workers or servants to explore it rashly. I hope you can help me confirm the situation inside that underground structure.”

Underground structure… Ancient ruins? Secret treasure?

Klein thought for a moment and said, “Why not call the police?”

“The police can mobilize dozens or hundreds of times more resources than a private detective. The exploration’s results would certainly be better and more secure.”

Miller Carter rubbed the area between his eyes.

“I do not wish too many people to know of this matter, especially government departments.

“If that underground structure is confirmed to contain no danger, I plan to make it part of the entire house and replan its use.

“I know this involves fairly high risk for you. I am willing to pay fifty pounds for it, but the assistants you find cannot exceed three people. Afterward, based on what specifically happens, I can also provide a certain amount of additional compensation.”

Fifty pounds. The price is quite high… If I were an ordinary detective, that would already be equivalent to two or three months of income… He has just arrived in Backlund and does not know other detectives, so he could only read newspapers and hire someone. That is why he found me…

Klein weighed the matter for several seconds.

“I will consider it.”

He suddenly showed an apologetic smile and pointed behind him.

“I will use the washroom.”

Miller Carter nodded almost imperceptibly and drank a mouthful of hot water.

After entering the washroom and closing the wooden door, Klein looked at the wash mirror and took out a half-penny copper coin.

Because Miss Bodyguard was present, he could not go above the gray fog to confirm. He had to rely purely on his own level of divination.

“I should accept this commission.”

…

Klein silently recited the statement seven times, then flicked the coin. His eyes darkened as he watched it tumble down.

Pa!

The copper coin landed in his palm, with the king’s portrait facing upward. It represented affirmation.

Klein nodded slightly and whispered toward the air, “What is your intuition?”

Inside the mirror, Miss Bodyguard’s figure swiftly appeared. Still expressionless, she answered, “There is some danger, but not much.”

Excellent…

Klein put away the coin, washed his hands, turned, left the washroom, and entered the living room.

He looked at Miller Carter and smiled.

“I accept this commission.”