"No, it's just good luck. God was watching over me." Klein modestly stepped aside and invited Stuart in.
What he said was the truth, and this matter did involve good luck. Long before Stuart had accepted the mission, he already knew of Emlyn White's whereabouts.
Stewart shivered as he took off his coat and hat and hung them on a rack in the hall.
"The darn weather is getting colder. Perhaps I should try using those coats with cotton stuffed inside them," he said.
"You can't call this cold, right? If you go to the north of Midseashire and live in Winter County for a day, you'll understand what truly low temperatures and true winter are like." Klein chuckled.
Then, he generously asked, "A cup of hot coffee?"
"I would love one." Stuart followed him to the activity room on the first floor. "I've been to north Midseashire, and I know about the cold and the snow there. It was a nice vacation, but Backlund's cold isn't inferior either. It went through my clothes like magic and seeped into my bones. Oh, what a wonderful fireplace!"
Stuart stood in front of the burning fireplace for twenty seconds before he sat down on the sofa. He looked at Klein, who was busy brewing instant coffee, and he said, "I'm going south for a holiday to go fishing at Desi Bay for new year's. What about you? Do you have any vacation plans? We put up with Backlund's air for a year and work hard to save money, all for such a holiday."
"Perhaps, I should head to Desi Bay as well..." Klein said hesitantly. He turned his head to the side of Stuart's face, and for a moment, he seemed to be in a trance.
This involved an agreement.
An appointment with his elder brother, Benson, and sister, Melissa.
"Haha, I'll show you my fishing skills when the time comes." Stuart continued without end, "We still aren't rich enough, otherwise I'd like to travel to Feysac, Intis, and even to the Southern Continent."
After he finished making the coffee, Klein handed the man a white porcelain cup. He took two steps back and sat down across from him.
Holding the cup in his hand, Stuart took two deep breaths of the fragrant and warm steam.
After resting for a few seconds, he put the cup down and said very formally, "According to our agreement, I'll share the reward I received this time with you.
"The Whites gave a total of fifty pounds, and you obviously did more than I did.
"Sherlock, how about thirty pounds? I still have to pay my informants for their work."
Only fifty pounds? A vampire is only worth fifty pounds? Klein couldn't help but silently lampoon.
But he also knew that it wasn't that the Whites didn't want to increase the bounty; it was because they were worried about giving too much money and scaring the detectives into making unnecessary associations, attracting the attention of the police or some official Beyonder organization.
To the average private detective, a fifty-pound mission was already tempting enough, and Klein had only used seven pounds back then to hire detectives to investigate all the red chimney houses in the whole of Tingen City and the towns along its outskirts.
"In addition, the Whites gave you an extra pound, claiming its for your transportation expenses for the past few days." Looking somewhat puzzled, Stuart produced six five-pound notes and one one-pound note.
Klein reached out to take them, casually checked their authenticity and didn't explain the transportation fees.
Stuart didn't ask any further questions and instead said with a smile, "Apart from Mr. Stanton, you're the best detective I've ever met. Did you join this profession midway, or have you studied under a great detective prior to this?"
What great detective have I studied under? There's quite a number. There's Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, the forever elementary school student 1 , and that guy who swindles others in the name of his grandfather 2 ... Klein silently lampooned.
He thought and said, "I come from Midseashire, and I did various jobs before I became a detective."
"That's why you're so rich in knowledge and experience!" Stuart said in enlightenment.
Hey, I'm a bit embarrassed by your flattery... Klein smiled but didn't respond.
Stuart took a sip of his coffee and said, "Sherlock, I hope you can provide me with help in the future if I encounter a difficult case that I'm unable to solve."
My social connections in the detective circles have widened... Klein replied cautiously, "If I have the time when the time comes."
After some idle conversation, Stuart tactfully offered to take his leave, and Klein accompanied him to the door.
After putting on his coat and hat, Stuart was about to open the door and leave when he suddenly turned around and sincerely said, "Sherlock, you live too simply.
"Your talent deserves better coffee."
Ah? Klein was stunned for a moment, but then he immediately felt a bit embarrassed.
He laughed dryly and said, "I can't tell the quality of the coffee. It's all the same to me."
...
After sending Stuart off, Klein went to the butcher's to buy a few ox bones and some beef. He went to the vegetable shop to buy some ingredients such as white radish, rounding up all the required condiments.
He wanted to prepare beef bone radish soup for dinner and eat it with the leftover rice. As for noon, he found a random restaurant on the streets and ate a small serving of lamb chop.
After a leisurely afternoon, Klein continued to study the Book of Secrets, and the more he read, the more he realized that he knew little about mysticism.
Fortunately, he had a solid foundation. He quickly grasped many things once he came into contact with them and pondered over them.
In the evening, he smelled the tantalizing fragrance of the beef bone soup, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down twice.
He heard the doorbell again, as though it was a bugle to signal dinner time.
Gulping down his saliva, Klein walked behind the door and reached for the handle.
The image of the visitor naturally appeared in his mind. It was the handsome but not masculine red-eyed vampire, Emlyn White.
There's no need to rush him at all... What a man of his word... Klein opened the door and smiled.
"Good evening, Mr. White"
Emlyn raised his chin, letting his impatience show in his expression.
He was about to say something when Klein looked at his brown clerical robes and said with a knowing smile, "You just came over from the Harvest Church?"
Who was the one who said he could resist last night?
Unable to maintain his gentlemanly demeanor, Emlyn gritted his teeth and said, "That old man, that old man...
"Dammit, how do I get rid of this inducing suggestion?"
Before Klein could reply, he patted the clothes on his chest and said with a stern face, "Take me to the patient.
"There's a good dinner waiting for me."
As he spoke, he sniffed indiscernibly, as if he had smelled something.
Klein picked up his coat and hat without saying another word.
"Alright, I'll take you there now."
After closing the door and taking a few steps, he cautiously asked, "Do you have a certificate to practice medicine?"
How else am I supposed to convince Lawyer Jurgen to allow Mrs. Doris to take the medicine?
Emlyn looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle and said, "I don't need those papers to prove my abilities."
Before Klein frowned, he casually added, "It's too simple. I obtained it easily by going through the process."
... This tone makes it sounds like he's rather proud of receiving a certificate for practicing medicine... Klein smiled without a word.
Looking at the wet ground in front of him, Emlyn casually said, "Do you know what I like most about Backlund?"
"What?" Klein responded without any curiosity.
Emlyn chuckled and said, "The persistent gloomy sky with fog that blots out the sun. This allows me to go out during the day without feeling too much discomfort.
"It's great, except for the air."
In other words, the sun really would deal certain damage to vampires? Fortunately, I thought of this yesterday and didn't bring the Sun Brooch with me; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to communicate with Emlyn...
Klein seemed to gain an understanding.
As they conversed, they had already arrived outside the Jurgens, and Klein went up to ring the doorbell.
After a while, the door opened, and Mrs. Doris, who was dressed thickly at home, said with pleasant surprise, "Mr. Detective, I wasn't expecting you?"
Brody the black cat crouched to the side, looking at Emlyn warily, as though it felt that something was amiss about him.
Klein pointed to the vampire beside him.
"I became acquainted with a doctor who's good at treating lung diseases, so I've asked him to come and give you a checkup. Let me do the introductions. This is Dr. Emlyn White."
"Is that so? You still actually remembered this? What a good child!" Doris happily invited the two inside.
Child... Klein's mouth twitched, but he didn't say anything in the end.
On the way into the living room, Emlyn whispered, "The patient's problems are irreversible. She's very old and rather weak.
"Even if I give her the medicine, she would only be able to live through this winter. She would pass away in three to five years.
"Unless she's given an immortal potion or the like as spoken in the legends, that's all that can be done. Or should I turn her into a Sanguine? But at her age, she can no longer endure the changes a Beyonder characteristic can do to her body. Furthermore, my parents and I don't have any excess characteristics left."
Irreversible... Klein was startled and silently sighed.
He said to Emlyn, "Make her the medicine first. We'll leave that to after the winter."
"Alright, I have a type of ready-made medicine with me that's suitable for this kind of situation." Emlyn didn't stand on ceremony as he sat down on the sofa.
At that moment, Lawyer Jurgen was walking out of the kitchen as he took off his apron. He asked Klein about the purpose of his visit.
"Dr. White, what do you think of my grandmother's lung disease?" Jurgen asked seriously.
Emlyn was obviously very experienced in such situations. He first explained the ins and outs of lung disease, and after most of it flew past Jurgen's head, he said, "What she needs most is warm and healthy air. That's my most sincere advice.
"In addition, I have special medicine that she can take for free."
As he spoke, he took out his certificate and a small metal bottle.
"Will there be any side effects?" Jurgen asked cautiously.
"No, the only problem is that it can't cure the root of the problem completely; it's just a temporary cure," Emlyn replied in a very professional manner. "If it weren't for Detective Moriarty, I wouldn't let anyone try it."
"Perhaps I can give it a try? Cough..." Mrs. Doris interrupted.
Jurgen glanced at Klein who, having performed a divination prior to this, nodded affirmatively.
"Alright." Jurgen finally made his decision.
He watched warily as Mrs. Doris drank the bottle of medicine and carefully observed her reaction.
There wasn't much change to Mrs. Doris at first, but she gradually began to feel her breathing lighten.
She stood up and bent down to pick up the cat. She happily said, "I feel much better!"
Seeing this scene, Jurgen's usually stoic face had his lips curl up slightly.
However, Klein was thinking about the three to five years.
He curled a smile and sighed to himself.
This can also be considered a type of magic show, I guess. Using Beyonder powers to create fake outcomes to make the audience happy...
