Chapter 555

"Regarding this grave robbery case, do we need to conduct a further investigation?"

Xia De then asked Iluna. The commission they had taken on was only to find Mrs. Fennel's corpse. Now that the corpse had been found, their mission was actually already over, and they could completely leave this remote and gloomy place to spend the rest of the day in the city.

"What time is it now?"

Iluna thought for a moment and asked. Xia De blinked and immediately got the answer:

"Three forty-five in the afternoon."

Detective Ma Liao, who was standing beside the two, originally thought they were asking him, so he also took out his pocket watch. After comparing the time, he discovered that the answer Xia De gave only had a two-minute error, and he was immediately very surprised:

"That's really accurate!"

Actually, his pocket watch was running slow.

"Then let's go into the city and visit that Mr. Julian."

Iluna sighed:

"Since we've encountered it, and I still have two days of vacation, I have to get to the bottom of this matter no matter what. Detective, I will give you an additional investigation report afterward. If we fail to solve the problem, we will also give you the investigation records."

"Alright."

Detective Ma Liao nodded, then directed the young men he brought to clean up the scene and went to notify the relatives of the two corpses that the bodies had been found.

Xia De and Iluna said goodbye to the old gravedigger, who was cursing the grave robbers, and then turned to leave the cemetery:

"Calculating the time, we should be able to reach the North District around six o'clock. How about we eat together first? I know the Three Cats Inn in Anthem Square has very good cooking."

Xia De suggested, and the girl with long brown hair walking side-by-side with him showed a smile:

"Of course, that's fine, but this time you can't bring your cat; it's just the two of us... I mean, we still have to visit others, so bringing a pet is very impolite."

Xia De usually prepared cat food for Mia in advance before going out. Although that cat was greedy, it had never happened that it overstuffed itself, so Xia De wasn't worried about it.

Taking a carriage from the public cemetery in the eastern suburbs of the city all the way to the North District. It was still very bright when they set off, but by the time Xia De jumped off the carriage first and reached out to help Iluna get off, it was already dark at Anthem Square.

The time was six-oh-three; the time Xia De estimated was very accurate.

Although the municipal construction of the Lower City was far inferior to the area around St. Teresa Square, Anthem Square at least had streetlights installed. As the lights were lit, this time of day generally meant that the street vendors on St. Teresa Square were leaving, leaving tranquility to the residents. And at Anthem Square, this meant the beginning of nightlife and the opening of the night market.

"I actually come here often; our squad often takes on missions in the Lower City."

Iluna said to Xia De:

"Look at the blacksmith over there."

While walking through the square, she pointed to a blacksmith shop that hung a sign reading "Superior Person," which was very conspicuous in the evening due to the bright light from the furnace:

"The old blacksmith there has excellent craftsmanship. The captain once helped him, so when our squad commissions him to forge ironware, he only charges the lowest price."

"Doesn't the Sun Church have its own dedicated blacksmith?"

Xia De asked curiously. Although it was already the steam era, the profession of blacksmith was still indispensable in city life.

"Of course they do, but the price is very expensive, and sometimes you have to wait in line."

Iluna shrugged, looking over Xia De's shoulder at a group of children running wildly on the side of the road. Not knowing what she thought of, a smile appeared at the corners of her mouth:

"Big cities are just better. When I was training at the Holy See, I also went on official business. There weren't many Ringed Shushis in those small places, and the black market didn't have much order. Even if you were willing to spend money, sometimes you couldn't find what you wanted."

"Although Tobesk is a big city, in reality, the black market trade in Coldwater Port is even more prosperous than here."

"I haven't seen the sea yet."

The seventeen-year-old girl said wistfully, glanced at Xia De, and the two walked into the Three Cats Inn together. Because it was the time for evening meals, there were quite a few guests on the first and second floors.

A poet playing a lute sat on a high platform by the wall, playing softly. But it wasn't the one Xia De saw last time; the one he saw last time was a female poet. The Three Cats Inn probably hired many bards to perform in turns. Although this couldn't bring considerable income to the inn on the surface, it should still be useful for attracting guests.

Many people had said that when night fell, one could find scantily clad streetwalkers in this inn, but at the current time, it looked no different from the daytime.

The buzzing sound symbolized the liveliness of the business. Xia De and Iluna chose a seat against the wall. The wooden tabletop, which had been stained by wine for years, was somewhat mottled, but this was more in line with the atmosphere here.

Because it was a bit busy now, the waiter didn't notice them, so Xia De asked about Iluna's food preferences and walked to the counter to order himself.

"Oh, isn't this Detective Hamilton?"

The innkeeper, Madame Sangmei, greeted him enthusiastically. The gaslight on the wall to the side of the counter was soft. Amidst the smell of mixed wine and food, she turned slightly to look in the direction Xia De had come from:

"I noticed you when you walked in just now, Detective. This time your female companion is different from the last two times."

She showed an ambiguous smile, clearly treating Xia De as a playboy-like figure:

"But I have to admit, your taste is really not bad."

Xia De didn't correct her view but turned to look at Iluna. Iluna, who was curiously examining the surroundings, gave him a smile.

"I'll have the usual, and my companion would like some light food, but like me, she'll have a bowl of meat soup."

"You're in luck; a beef cow that was just slaughtered was delivered this afternoon. What about drinks? When going out to eat with a beautiful girl, you should always drink some wine together, right? That also makes it convenient to do other things at night."

She reminded him "kindly" while recording, but Xia De shook his head:

"We have things to do later, so we won't be drinking."

"What a pity. But since you've come at this time, you can stay a while longer. At seven o'clock, our female poet Ashara will come out to perform; she is quite famous."

She reminded him again. Xia De calculated the time; spending an hour eating here didn't seem to delay things much.

"Oh, by the way, do you recognize this person?"

After ordering and wanting to turn away, he remembered one thing, so he took out the photo from his notebook. The female innkeeper tore off the paper with the order written on it, skewered it on the iron nail on the counter, and waited for the waiter to take it to the kitchen. Hearing Xia De's words, she stretched her head to look:

"Is your business so good? It seems you are always able to receive commissions."

What Xia De took out was the photo of Mr. Toby Julian, the brother of the missing female corpse they were looking for, which Detective Ma Liao had given him.

"Don't recognize him. Who is this?"

Madame Sangmei shook her head. Although Xia De felt regretful, this was also within reason; the Lower City was so big that the female innkeeper couldn't possibly know everyone.

"Toby Julian."

"Oh, the brother of that girl who hanged herself?"

Madame Sangmei asked with great interest.

"You know him?"

"Of course, there aren't many fresh things in the Lower City. A girl who commits suicide by hanging for love isn't something that happens every month. I haven't seen them, but I've heard others chat about this matter."

The female innkeeper said with a smile. She had nothing else to do for the moment, so she didn't mind chatting with Xia De for a bit:

"I heard it when our regular customers were chatting here. The Julian siblings had depended on each other since they were young. Many people know how heartbroken Toby Julian was when he learned the news of his sister's death."

She didn't know if these pieces of news were hearsay, but since the siblings had a good relationship, that Mr. Toby Julian shouldn't mind cooperating with the investigation inquiry in a while.

"Oh, I also heard that Mr. Julian seems to be getting married. Some people say he ordered a set of female wedding dresses last week, a very expensive kind. Not renting, but buying a set. He is really rich."

"His sister just died, and he's getting married?"

Xia De asked suspiciously. Two 1-shilling coins were placed on the counter. This was the cost of the meal. In the case of not ordering drinks, eating a good meal in the Lower City was very cheap.

"Then I don't know about that, but people always have to look forward."

The female innkeeper shook her head, as if sighing:

"Mortals are destined to die, and it's better for the living to look forward than to be tied down by the dead."

Seeing Xia De standing still, she asked while sweeping the two coins into a cardboard box under the counter:

"Detective, is there anything else? I only know this much news."

"You haven't given me the change yet."

Xia De pointed out.

"You want even five pennies? Oh, Detective, let this be the fee for you listening to me tell stories."

Iluna also had nothing else to do in the evening. When she heard Xia De suggest sitting here for a while longer to wait for the supposedly famous bard to appear, she happily agreed.

Thus, the two spent a full hour and a half at the Three Cats Inn, chatting about this commission, chatting about their respective lives, chatting about Iluna preparing to follow Miss Galina to learn the way of "balance," and even chatting about Luvia.

Iluna was quite envious of the color of Luvia's eyes and believed that those purple eyes were more beautiful than anyone else's eyes she had ever seen.

But when Xia De smiled and asked the seventeen-year-old girl in front of him if she would be willing to exchange her magical left eye with Luvia, Iluna Beias refused without even thinking:

"Of course not."

It seems Iluna was also a pragmatist.

"Why is that?"

Xia De asked while stirring the meat soup with a spoon. Dining in a restaurant and dining at home were completely different moods.

"Because..."

Iluna looked up at the young man sitting opposite her, smiling under the light. In her blurred vision, she seemed to see some golden traces on Xia De, but they disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Raising an eyebrow, the seventeen-year-old girl smiled:

"Because this is what you gave me."