Klein squinted slightly, sizing up the man in front of him.
The burly man standing in front of him was estimated to be around 1.9 meters tall, with solid muscles, wearing a dark brown vest. His strong arm was impatiently tapping the doorframe, as if ready to punch through at any moment.
"Sherlock Moriarty?" The burly man's voice was low and unfriendly as he spoke: "You've got some nerve, being a private detective on our turf."
Their turf? A gang collecting protection fees? Klein analyzed in his mind.
Klein knew that Backlund was full of gangs, but he hadn't expected to be targeted by them.
Could it be that Backlund's public security had deteriorated to such an extent…
His fingers subtly slid towards his cuff, where some playing cards were hidden. For a Clown, playing cards were even more effective than knives; they were discreet and deceptive.
Although Klein's spiritual intuition didn't give any warning, the current situation was clearly not right.
He maintained a polite smile, but his tone carried appropriate caution, "My apologies, I just moved here recently and am not very familiar with the local rules."
"Rules?" The burly man sneered, "The rule is, without our permission, you can't even…"
"Alright, Bart, calm down. Don't scare our new friend."
A gentle voice came from behind, and the burly man snorted, stepping aside.
Only then did Klein notice that behind the burly man stood a man of medium build, dressed in a well-tailored dark suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and sporting a shrewd yet brilliant smile.
"Mr. Moriarty, nice to meet you." The man with glasses extended his hand, "I am Charles Horn, a director of the Truth Union. This is Bart, our… security personnel."
Truth Union? This term immediately put Klein on alert.
Klein shook his hand, noticing that the other's palm was dry and his grip was moderate, clearly a person accustomed to negotiations.
"So, what brings you two here today…"
"An invitation." Charles smiled, pulling out a gold-embossed business card from his inner pocket and handing it over, "We've noticed your abilities. The Truth Union is a guild primarily involved in detective work.
Although you only take on small commissions, we've found that you have an efficiency far exceeding that of normal detectives, which is rare in Backlund's detective circles."
"Such a promising newcomer perfectly fits our standards."
Divination is indeed very efficient. Listening to the other party's praise, Klein muttered to himself, and at the same time, he also saw the division of labor between the two people opposite him.
One plays the bad cop, one plays the good cop.
Klein was not a child and instantly saw through their trick.
He reached out and took the business card, his fingertips gently caressing the gold-embossed emblem on it, and asked calmly, "What are the benefits of joining the guild for me?"
Charles's smile deepened, as if he had long anticipated this question.
"Information sharing, commission allocation, networking… As an outsider, you'll definitely need these. Of course, there's also the most important—" He paused, "Stable income."
"How stable?" Klein raised an eyebrow. The nature of a private detective's work itself determined that it was by no means a job with a stable income.
"2 pounds." Charles held up two fingers: "As long as you accept guild tasks, you'll have at least 2 pounds of income per week.
Moreover, the guild will hold regular exchange meetings every week to share clues about cases."
Klein's expression remained calm, but he had already begun to calculate in his mind—a weekly salary of 2 pounds, which indeed exceeded his current income from scattered commissions.
"Sounds good." He slowly nodded, "But what's the cost?"
There's no such thing as a free lunch, Klein was very clear about that.
Charles's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes sharpened for a moment: "The cost? It's just adhering to some industry norms, such as… not taking high-value bounties without guild approval, and not interfering with other members' cases."
Klein immediately understood… What kind of "guild" was this? It was clearly a monopoly organization in the detective industry, ensuring that all profitable commissions flowed first to their people.
He was about to politely decline when he heard Charles add:
"Oh, by the way, if you join, you'll get money too~"
Money…
"And the guild also provides free lunch."
This… There really is such a thing as a free lunch!
Klein swallowed the words of refusal.
"…Lunch?"
"Yes." Charles said with a smile, "Every noon, the guild's restaurant serves hot meals, including steak, grilled fish, stews, and unlimited bread and black tea."
Klein fell silent; this was much more convenient than cooking at home.
"…Is there dessert?" He heard himself ask.
Charles's smile grew even wider: "There's cream pudding and Dixie pie."
Klein took a deep breath.
"What about the money then?"
"There's a 5-pound subsidy for joining, how about it?" Charles stared into Klein's eyes.
"I need to think about it."
"Of course." Charles nodded elegantly, "However, Bart might not be very patient."
The burly man snorted at the opportune moment, his fists cracking.
…
Just as Klein was thinking about whether to make an excuse to go to the washroom for a divination, Charles stepped back. He took out a pocket watch from his Arms, opened it, and glanced at it.
"How about this, Mr. Moriarty, time is precious. If you want to join, report to the guild headquarters at the address on the business card tomorrow at ten in the morning."
"Alright." Klein nodded.
Charles patted his shoulder: "I hope to see you at the guild tomorrow, Mr. Moriarty."
"Goodbye."
After the two left, Klein closed the door, leaned against it, and rubbed his Sun temple.
"I almost compromised because of free meals…" He muttered to himself, "I was never this shabby when I was with the Nighthawks team in Tingen."
"However, since it's an organization… perhaps I can gather a lot of useful information."
…
Above the Grey Mist, Klein sat at the bronze long table performing divination.
"Joining the guild is harmful to me."
"Joining the guild is harmful to me."
…
"Joining the guild is harmful to me."
After repeating it seven times, Klein opened his eyes and saw the topaz pendulum rotating slightly counter-clockwise.
Harmless? Klein frowned slightly, resting his chin on his hand as he pondered.
If he didn't join the guild, those two probably wouldn't give up. Judging from their tone just now, the exclusionary atmosphere in the circle was still very strong…
Moreover… I currently lack necessary intelligence sources. The clue for Ince Zangwill still has no lead.
Thinking of his goal and current situation, Klein fell silent.
Perhaps, joining this guild is not a bad choice.