Chapter 300: Inheritance

The end of the exam made life slow down a bit, but the subsequent 15 practical credits and the Holy Prayer Festival almost filled the schedule for next week.

Xia De didn't have time to give himself more opportunities to relax.

On Sunday morning, after eating breakfast, Xia De went out. After delaying for a whole week, the inheritance acceptance of Mrs. Lemaire could finally be carried out.

This middle-aged woman, who didn't have much courage, listened to the frightening rumors in the mouths of her neighbors. After the city-wide martial law ended last Friday, she took her children to live in the countryside temporarily.

Seeing that no other things happened in the Tobesk city area, Mrs. Lemaire finally returned to the city and, according to the original plan, accepted the inheritance of the dead sailor on Sunday morning. The location was her home.

Mrs. Lemaire had an unhappy marriage. Her husband left many years ago, and she raised her two children alone. The family of three lived in a narrow rental apartment in the north of the city. After Xia De jumped off the rental carriage, he found Silver Gray Lane according to the house number, and was also stunned by the dirty, messy, and poor living environment here.

This was a slum in the standard sense, the scene of the life of the lowest-level citizens in this era. The outsider from another land had impressions of the slums of the backward era only from his imagination, and only took one or two glances when passing by nearby before. Now walking into this place in a true sense, he understood that everything was even worse than he thought.

Even if it hadn't rained recently, the ground was still muddy. Taking a deep breath, the mud was sprinkled with liquid that emitted a strange smell, mixed with the smell of the narrow and rugged alley itself, making people want to vomit. The damp, dark, and even strange alley was different from the city streets. Even the police officers from Ridgewich Field who patrolled nearby wouldn't easily walk into it.

Compared to this prosperous and crazy era, the Tobesk slum seemed to be a time anomaly zone that lagged behind by three hundred years. Last night at the Queen Maria Opera House, Xia De saw the best side of this era, and at this moment, he saw the worst side of this era.

"Maybe this isn't the worst, I just can't see those places far away from the city... What was the soft thing I stepped on just now..."

He was very glad that he chose to wear boots today.

Mrs. Lemaire lived in the attic of No. 6 Silver Gray Lane, sharing the kitchen and restroom with the people in a building. After knocking on the greasy door downstairs, the one who opened the door was a fat woman wearing a hairnet.

Only after explaining his purpose was he allowed to enter. Xia De stepped on the narrow stairs. At the corner of the stairs, because he had to avoid a young man wearing patched clothes and holding a pile of books, he had to wait with his body sideways.

The first floor was where the landlord's family lived. The dark and damp second and third floors were divided into more than ten areas and rented to different poor families. A huge gas meter hung at the dark stairwell, and rust-covered gas pipes as thick as a wrist climbed the moldy walls to every household on the floor.

Every time this kind of old-fashioned gas meter jumped, it would make an unusually clear clicking sound. Although he knew that this kind of old goods that should have been eliminated long ago were still being used, it was highly likely that the landlord didn't have money to change to a new one, but Xia De still thought that the clicking sound of the old gas meter jumping was also a warning from the landlord to the poor people living here that every time they used gas, it meant pennies slipping from their hands.

The smell of mold in the air was mixed with many strange smells, and every step on the stairs under his feet would make a creaking sound.

Even though it was Xia De's first time here, he was very sure that this kind of place must be a location with a high incidence of epidemics and parasites. Not to mention humans, even animals accustomed to living in the wild couldn't live for too long in a similar environment.

The attic at the end of the corridor on the third floor led to the attic. After Xia De knocked on the door, the one who opened the door was indeed the middle-aged woman he hadn't seen for more than a week. Seeing that the detective arrived according to the agreed time, she smiled and let Xia De enter the room.

Xia De had clearly arrived ten minutes early, but he didn't expect that Lawyer Locke Laurier had arrived even earlier than him.

"It's you!"

The lawyer stood up and wanted to say hello, and then recognized this young man who had played Rod cards with him, surprised, and immediately thought of the abnormal performance that day:

"Wait, you approaching me that day wouldn't be to investigate me, right?"

"I have the right to keep secrets for my client."

Xia De said with a smile, and then walked up to shake hands with the lawyer:

"But this time, I am really here to help Mrs. Lemaire accept the inheritance."

"I know... I also know that you earned more on this trip than I did. Is the

The two shook hands lightly, and Lawyer Lao Ai indeed did not mention the money he lost to Xia De last time.

With work at hand, Mr. Luo Ke Lao Ai's image today was very different from that morning in the tavern. At least, he did not suggest playing another round with Xia De after work was finished.

Similar to the living conditions of all the residents in this vicinity, Mrs. Le Mei Er's home, squeezed into an attic, was equally dilapidated. Because the attic ceiling was low, Xia De subconsciously lowered his head when entering the door, then realized he would need to be at least the length of a Little Mia taller before his head would hit the ceiling.

The children were not at home now, and Mrs. Le Mei Er treated the detective and the lawyer with teacups that had been washed very clean.

The three sat down at the dining table with table legs propped up by old newspapers; the three chairs were all of different styles, and there was reason to believe these were second-hand goods of unknown origin.

The home was kept very clean. Perhaps the family's life was very destitute, but this middle-aged woman maintained an optimistic attitude. Sunlight shone in from the attic window, and the stains on the floor that could not be removed for years were reasonably covered by furniture. The attic was not divided into rooms; upon entering the door was the dining table, followed by two mattresses placed directly on the floor.

This family needed money. Although this thought was somewhat cruel, that sailor who died because he provoked the mermaid statue really died at the right time.

Everything on the dining table had been cleared away. Although there was still a pungent, sour smell, at least it looked very tidy. The lawyer took a kraft paper document bag from his briefcase and took out the documents inside with great solemnity. He first handed them to Mrs. Le Mei Er, and Mrs. Le Mei Er turned and handed them to Xia De.

She was not very literate, and the advertisement for the Han Mi Er Dun Detective Agency was read to her by a neighbor.

That document was the main text of the will, handwritten in blue ink, and dated one year ago. It seems the sailor, who often went to sea, had long thought that he would encounter an accident sooner or later.

"If there is no problem with the will, we will start transferring the inheritance now."

Lawyer Lao Ai said. Xia De asked him to wait a moment, then read it through carefully:

"No problem."

Mrs. Le Mei Er was very satisfied with the detective's seriousness.

"The inheritance is divided into three parts. First is the cash portion. Mr. Jonathan Le Mei Er stored 53 pounds and 4 shillings in cash with a friend. Because the inheritance notarization involves inheritance tax, you will be able to get 49 pounds, 16 shillings, and 7 pence."

The lawyer pushed the envelope containing the money and the tax return to the middle-aged woman on the other side of the table. She took the envelope somewhat at a loss and counted the number of banknotes inside, while Xia De took the tax return to read.

If the inheritance were only transferred privately, then of course it would not involve tax reporting, but this kind of inheritance notarized through the City Hall must be reported. It is no longer the war era, so the tax rate is not very high. An inheritance tax of about five percent is actually mainly because the property is being transferred across regions.

"No problem."

Xia De whispered to his employer, who nodded nervously. The banknotes in front of her had already been stacked and classified by denomination, and it was indeed that amount.

"The second part of the inheritance is Mr. Jonathan Le Mei Er's personal collection, mainly some souvenirs brought back from the New Continent, as well as items obtained during sea voyages. The value of these items is difficult to estimate because... most are not worth much. So it does not involve tax issues. In addition, Mr. Le Mei Er did not leave a manifest recording what he had; these were handed directly to me by his friend, so I cannot guarantee that everything is here."

The lawyer said, bending down to lift a black suitcase placed at his feet onto the table. After opening the latches with a few 'click' sounds, he opened the lid of the case and then pushed it laboriously to Mrs. Le Mei Er. There were marks made in red ink on the suitcase, but the things inside were placed together very casually, without being neatly arranged:

"By the way, this suitcase also belongs to the relics; it was not provided by me."

The lawyer added, probably thinking that the suitcase itself might be worth more than the things inside.

The sailor's collection was very rich: pitch-black ore, fish specimens, colorful masks with eerie smiles, badges of unknown origin, anchor-shaped pendants, wooden toys, and so on. They all looked like miscellaneous items, but if one said these were travel souvenirs, it could also be accepted by people.

Xia De had originally worried that there would be something dangerous among the relics, and even worried that the mermaid statue belonging to the sailor had also been sent to Tobesk. But until the suitcase appeared in front of him, he did not feel any whisper elements.

After getting Mrs. Le Mei Er's permission, he took the items in the suitcase out one by one to check them. When touching them with his hands, the voices in his head did not give any hints either.

"Sure enough, it's not that easy to encounter 【Relics】."

"Distant relative," "Sailor who died in a shipwreck," and "Inheritance"—these key phrases combined together looked like the opening plot of a classic horror novel, but it seemed at least this time everything was normal, so Xia De signaled to the lawyer that he could read the final content of the inheritance.

"The third part of the inheritance belongs to Jonathan Le Mei Er's personal effects. He went to sea all year round and left some personal items with a friend, roughly diaries, clothing, and some books. This part of the relics also does not need to be taxed, but there is also no inventory."

He laboriously lifted the last suitcase onto the table, opened it, and pushed it to Mrs. Le Mei Er.