Gift vouchers.
Dozens of pounds in cash were exchanged for this… Klein stared blankly at the two vouchers in his hand.
Why does this feel like when my boss before transmigrating used shopping cards as bonuses?
"Sigh, why did I come up with such a clumsy excuse back then?" He rubbed his Sun Temple in annoyance.
"Thinking back, that situation was truly awkward. If it weren't for my Clown ability, I probably would have been exposed on the spot."
Klein sighed softly.
Since Charles asked him that, he must have known the rumor came from him.
If he had just shaken his head and said he knew nothing, it probably would have only caused the other party's displeasure.
With no other choice, Klein could only nod and admit that he had said the wrong thing that day, and that his stomach problems were due to his own irregular diet and had nothing to do with the Union cafeteria.
And because of this, the original dozens of pounds in reward turned into two gift vouchers.
"The speed of rumor spreading in the Union is faster than I imagined!"
"It seems the rumor about my bad stomach will be confirmed…"
Klein exclaimed.
"Forget it, it's better than nothing." He sighed again, putting the vouchers into his pocket. He planned to visit that gift shop if he had some free time.
With a feeling of regret, Klein walked towards his rented residence at 15 Minsk Street. Before he even got close, he saw a figure pacing in front of his door.
Someone is looking for me? He had been handling work at the Union for the past few days, and he didn't expect anyone to come to his home to find him.
Klein looked forward and saw that the visitor was a boy of fifteen or sixteen, wearing an old, ill-fitting overcoat and a bowler hat.
Coming for a commission? Klein muttered to himself, then walked forward and smiled, "Excuse me, are you looking for me?"
"Uh…"
Ian, with his bright red eyes, was startled. He hurriedly turned around and looked at Klein approaching him.
He composed himself and spoke with a slight hesitation, "Are you Detective Sherlock Moriarty?"
…
"Please have a seat." Klein led the other party back to his rented room.
Then the boy named Ian told him the whole story. He came to him because he saw the advertisement Klein put out when he first arrived in Backlund.
He hoped Klein could help him gather some information about the whereabouts of his former employer, Mr. Zeruel Victor Lee.
That detective was suspected of encountering a Beyonder incident. Someone impersonated him and appeared in public multiple times. Moreover, the impersonator was very skilled, even deceiving many senior detectives.
For this, Ian needed the help of a capable but not famous detective.
"Why don't you go to the Union and post a commission?" Klein stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Union… Ian was stunned when he heard the word "Union." After a moment, his lips moved:
"There are too many people in the Union; commissioning there would be too conspicuous. I need the help of a detective who didn't know Mr. Xavier beforehand…
He hesitated for a few seconds and continued, "The most crucial thing is that Detective Xavier also doesn't like the Truth Union."
"He said that the Union snatched many private detectives' commissions, and the most crucial thing is that they are trying to monopolize the detective industry."
Is it possible that I am also a member of the Union…? Klein muttered to himself.
Because I just moved here, they assume I'm not part of the Union?
However, it seems not everyone likes the Union… Klein sighed upon hearing the other party's words but didn't say much more.
It concerns their livelihood; it's normal for everyone to have their own ideas. Klein understood the feelings of those detectives who were unwilling to join the Union.
However, since Ian had this request, it meant that he couldn't discuss this matter with the detectives in the Union during the investigation.
This could only be his personal, private commission that couldn't see the light of day.
"I generally understand your commission, but you should be very clear that this matter might be very dangerous."
"So…" Klein stared into Ian's eyes, "what kind of reward can you offer?"
Ian subtly glanced at the pocket of his large, old overcoat, then deliberated and said, "I have two options. One is that I directly give you a sufficient reward, a reward that will definitely satisfy you. But after that, no matter the difficulty of the task, it will be this amount, unless you suffer a considerably serious injury."
Klein nodded slightly, motioning for him to continue.
"The second option is that I pay 5 pounds in advance, and then, after you complete the commission, I will add more fees depending on the difficulty of the matter, but this is prone to disputes, even with a contract agreement."
5 pounds, that's not a small amount, Klein pondered the feasibility of this task.
Nominally, the Union prohibits members from taking private commissions.
But that's only nominally. After all, the Union and its members are not simply in an employment relationship. As long as it's not a high-value commission, the Union usually won't interfere.
5 pounds shouldn't count as a high-value commission… Klein recalled the relevant clauses in the Union handbook.
Thinking of the two gift vouchers in his pocket, a feeling of unwillingness suddenly surged within him.
In this day and age, who doesn't take on some side jobs?
Having made up his mind, Klein looked at Ian:
"Alright, I'll take this commission."
…
Bayam.
"Are his legs okay?" Luo En pointed at Danitz's wounds.
"Don't worry, the worm has been removed." Roy King put down the tweezers, revealing a gentle smile.
"Are you alright?" Luo En came to Danitz and asked with concern.
"Ah… uh…"
Danitz lay listlessly on the operating table, seemingly suffering from severe mental trauma.
He bent his injured arm and desperately shielded his buttocks with his hand, looking utterly resigned to his fate.
"Hey, hey!" Luo En tried to wake him up.
But unfortunately, no matter how Luo En called, Danitz remained like a dead fish.
'It seems he needs some stimulation.'
Seeing that Danitz didn't react, Luo En could only try to cheer him up in his own way.
He came to Danitz's head, bent down, and whispered in his ear, "You don't want others to know what happened today, do you…?"
"I'll hold this secret over you for life."
"You!"
"Ah…!"
Danitz's pupils suddenly constricted, and then he couldn't catch his breath and completely fainted.
Seeing Roy King's gaze turn to him, Luo En explained somewhat awkwardly:
"Uh, I think I messed up, but I really didn't mean to."
…
Due to the need to escort Danitz, Luo En still declined Roy King's request to take him as a disciple.
Roy King was not angry, merely saying that given their fate, he hoped Luo En could visit him again before leaving the sea. Luo En had no reason to refuse this request.
After leaving Roy King, Luo En and Danitz fell into an awkward atmosphere again.
The rift that had originally dissipated between them reappeared.
"Um, can we discuss this? You don't have to go to the Golden Dream. I'll figure out a way to fulfill the promises I made to you…" Danitz looked at Luo En and forced a strained, awkward smile.
"Cough, cough."
"Don't you think you're saying this a bit late?" Luo En looked at the other party speechlessly.
"To help you, I even rejected an invitation from a friendly high-Sequence Beyonder."
"It's a bit too late for you to try to push me away now." Luo En's expression was displeased, clearly unhappy with Danitz's treacherous behavior. He didn't give the other party a chance to continue speaking:
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, before leaving, I asked that gentleman that if anything unexpected happens to me and I don't send word for a long time, that gentleman wouldn't mind sharing what he saw and heard today with all of Bayam."
"You, you, you." Danitz trembled, pointing at Luo En, "You are so evil."
"Shit." He cursed under his breath, then mustered his courage, "In short, what happened these two days must absolutely not be known by anyone else. If 'Iron Skin,' 'Water Bucket,' and 'Flower Bow Tie' find out, I'll! I'll…"
"You'll what!" Luo En took a step forward. Danitz was injured now, so Luo En wasn't afraid of him.
"I… I." Danitz shrank his neck.
"Anyway, the Captain can't know about these things…"
"Otherwise, I… I…"
Captain, Captain, always muttering about that Captain… Luo En found Danitz's behavior somewhat inexplicable.
Does Iceberg Admiral really have such charm?