"Continue what you were saying, Mr Zavi," Albert said softly.
He stood up and walked over to the cupboard next to the other cupboard to fetch two glasses and a bottle of wine.
He placed the two glasses on the table, opened the bottle and poured half a glass into each. Albert handed one of the glasses to Liam and told him to drink it.
Liam was shocked; when he was still on Earth, he had never drunk alcohol like this before. He chuckled after seeing the glass of wine in his hand.
"All right," said Liam, placing the glass on the table. "What do you mean by 'handling' supernatural cases?" he asked with a cold stare.
Albert chuckled. "As I said before... about the unnatural death." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing, "And also the mark, the black dot on the neck. It's not just an ordinary decoration."
"What do you mean?" Liam interrupted reflexively.
"Sorry, when I said 'decoration,' that black spot cannot be explained. It could be said that it is the work of an evil spirit."
"I also don't want to deal with the death of someone who has that mark," said Albert, holding his breath.
Liam was silent, thinking deeply about those words. Half a minute later, he felt the presence of someone above his left shoulder.
He turned his head and saw a silhouette between the gaps in the corridor divider. Liam chuckled softly, "Look above your right shoulder, Mr Albert."
Hearing this, Albert turned his head and saw what Liam had seen earlier. He immediately stood up and walked silently to check it out.
After climbing the stairs, he saw a familiar figure sitting and looking back towards the sofa.
Anastasia had been watching Liam's movements, unaware that her brother was standing behind her, watching her.
But she only realised it when she glanced further to her left. "Gone!? Where did he go?" she said, confused to find her brother had disappeared from her sight.
Albert chuckled after seeing her panic. "Why are you so panicked, Anastasia?" he asked with a small smile, and then took a sip of wine.
"What! How did he know I was here?" she said softly. "It must have been that person who told him I was here." Anastasia looked at Liam, who was still sitting there smiling at her.
Seeing that mocking smile, her heart suddenly hardened. She calmed her mind, took a deep breath and turned around.
"Eh, brother. Why are you here?" she asked, trying to change the subject.
"Just go to your room! Do I need to call the maid?" Albert said threateningly, because his sister was afraid of the maid he was referring to.
But that fear was Anastasia's previous cover. She remained silent and obeyed her brother's orders to return to her room.
"Okay," she replied listlessly. After that, she turned around and walked unsteadily towards her room.
Albert smiled before going downstairs. "I'm sorry if she made you uncomfortable, Mr Zavi," said Albert, walking towards him with a glass of wine.
Liam suddenly stood up. The information he had received was not enough, and he was still curious about what else existed in this world.
However, he was reluctant to ask further questions because it could arouse suspicion. He smoothed his shirt and took two steps forward.
"In that case, can we end this meeting?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"All right," he paused for a moment, walked towards the table to put down the glass and turned around. "Would you like to take me to Forn's house?" he asked, hoping Liam would accept his invitation.
Liam was surprised, thought for a moment and replied, "All right."
Albert immediately rushed up the stairs, telling Liam to be patient and that he wouldn't be long. Liam nodded, standing and waiting for him to return.
Two or three minutes later, Albert walked down the stairs, wearing a shirt under a knee-length black coat, a hat and carrying a cane.
In his coat pocket were two shiny silver revolvers to be used if the situation turned dire. He had stashed them away and would give one to Liam if necessary.
"Let's hurry," Albert said anxiously, hoping Forn was all right.
Liam nodded, walked ahead, opened the large door and walked down the path to the house. Afterwards, Albert told the two guards to open it.
Both stood up straight, saluted with their right fists clenched over their left breasts before opening the gate.
The gate opened, and the two of them went out. Albert did not forget to give the two guards a small smile. They returned their master's smile by closing the gate again.
Now, they were looking for a vehicle that could take them to Forn's house as quickly as possible. Right on Xiza Road No. 12. They were finally able to board a horse-drawn carriage after searching for a long time for one that was empty.
Fifteen minutes had passed, and they had arrived at the road leading to Forn's house. Liam got out first and stood under a street lamp waiting.
Albert stopped in front of the carriage door. "How much is the fare?" he asked.
"One Zen and thirty Sen, sir," replied the pale-faced conductor expressionlessly.
Albert nodded, took out a banknote and three silver coins, and handed them to the man.
The conductor remained silent, counting the money in his palm. After about ten seconds, he nodded, then turned, climbed the small stairs and sat down next to his friend, the coachman.
The phrase "One Zen thirty Sen" was a common everyday term used in markets, steam train stations, and horse-drawn transport services. For small purchases, Zen could be combined with Sen.
However, for large sums or official transactions, such as tax payments, document processing, and expensive purchases like houses, Sen were no longer used. All values had to be stated directly in Zen to be clearer and in accordance with city administrative standards and Bank directives.
Zen was a high-value paper currency, equivalent to two gold coins. Meanwhile, one Sen had a value of two silver coins.
This system has been in place for a hundred years, established by King Rerise De Norn as a major reform: replacing some coins with paper money for efficiency, while retaining silver coins as a form of respect for the ancestors.
Meanwhile, they walked leisurely towards their destination, seemingly unaware that the house they were heading for had been burned to the ground.
After crossing a small bridge and turning right, there was a small road, and from a distance, they saw a crowd of people looking at something.
Liam knew exactly what the people were looking at, so he hurried over and was shocked when he got there.
"What the hell is this? How did this happen?" he said, confused by the situation.
Albert followed him from behind, and he was shocked when his eyes scanned the surrounding scene. In front of them, only the charred remains of the building were left, including cupboards, sofas, and other items.
The wind blew the burnt clothes and dresses everywhere, causing anyone who breathed them in to feel pain in their chest.
However, the people there were curious as to why the house, which had been fine before, had suddenly caught fire. Several police officers arrived to investigate whether there were any casualties.
Meanwhile, firefighters were still extinguishing the remaining flames to prevent them from spreading to neighbouring houses.
"Hey, Zavi," said Albert. "What actually happened?" Of course, he was confused after witnessing it.
"I don't know... It was fine before," replied Liam, confused and not knowing what to say.
Meanwhile, one of the police officers found a pool of fresh blood under a small fire in the wooden debris.
"Captain, look at this!" he said in surprise, as it was the first time he had found something so strange.
The captain and several of his subordinates approached. When they got there, they were shocked. The three of them, including the captain, couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the pool of blood creating a small fire.