Chapter 995: The Writer Miss's Art of Rhetoric

Mr. Jimmy Cameron just informed Xia De that the person who sold him that box was not a friend from the tavern as Xia De had imagined, nor was it a card-playing partner of Mr. Cameron's. The person who peddled the "Victor Box" had a respectable background just like him, running a spice shop in the West District of Tobesk.

Even though the discovery of the New Continent had enriched the spice market, spices remained an expensive luxury for this era. That Mr. Krum who ran the spice shop, although his shop was much smaller in scale than Mr. Cameron's steam factory, had a family fortune even wealthier than Mr. Cameron's because he had connections in the New Continent and controlled special spice supply channels.

According to Mr. Cameron's description, Mr. Krum was a relatively honest merchant who did not like card games, smoking, or drinking. The two met during the autumn at a small-scale gathering of shop owners in the West District of Tobesk, and during their casual conversation, the spice merchant revealed that he possessed an extraordinary box, which led to the subsequent transaction.

That spice shop was in the northwestern part of the city. After leaving the hotel, the group of three took a carriage to their destination. On the way, Xia De also instructed Dorothy and Princess Miss Jia Lin Na to prepare for battle, as it was uncertain what might happen in a moment.

"Detective, do such dangers often appear in the commissions you accept?"

The princess from the Southern Kingdom, sitting opposite Xia De with Dorothy, asked. She was becoming increasingly curious about the detective's life.

Xia De shook his head while organizing his spellcasting materials:

"I just said it earlier, most of the commissions I take on are trivial matters, like finding cats. My uncle, Detective Sparrow Hamilton, is the one who specializes in investigating extramarital affairs and infidelity."

"Then, what is the most dangerous commission you have ever accepted?"

Miss Jia Lin Na asked curiously. Hearing this question, Dorothy also looked at Xia De with curiosity. Xia De thought for a moment:

"A baron friend of mine invited me to a certain place to play cards and asked me to help him defeat his opponent. As for the outcome of that incident... I never want to recall it again."

This referred to Baron Lavender inviting Xia De to the Lakeside Manor; that was the first time Xia De encountered an Evil God.

The carriage wheels crushed the snow on the ground, passing through the silver-clad city and racing through the streets and alleys. The further they went toward the north of the city, the fewer steam factories there were, and the more vast slums appeared. The trio's destination, "Krum's Spice Shop," was located at the junction of the northern slums and the western factory district.

Great nobles would certainly not patronize such a spice shop, but the factory owners of the Chengxi and the wealthy middle class loved using relatively inexpensive spices to set off their status.

When Xia De pushed open the shop door and heard the wind chimes hanging at the entrance ringing crisply, it was 11:00 AM on Sunday morning, very close to lunchtime; perhaps they could go for lunch after the investigation.

The interior of the spice shop was lit with incense, and the scents of various strange spices mixed together, creating a smell that made Xia De feel nauseated and unable to stop himself from wanting to vomit, but the two young ladies were quite accustomed to this smell.

The spices were not sold directly in baskets but were packed in specially customized glass jars, lined up on the shelves along the wall. There were quite a few customers in the shop on Sunday morning, but they did not see the shop owner here. Xia De let the two young ladies look around casually while he walked around the shop. After confirming that he found no traces of elements, he took the initiative to strike up a conversation with the young apprentice.

Xia De certainly would not reveal his identity as a detective; he only explained that he wanted to purchase a large quantity from here for special purposes, so he wanted to know when the shop owner would return.

That young apprentice, who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, was not as cunning as the outsiders and told Xia De without any suspicion that Mr. Krum had gone to the warehouse to take inventory and would not return until the afternoon.

Immediately afterward, Xia De left the spice shop and wandered around other shops along the street nearby. Finally, at a street-corner shop that sold old clothes and old bedding and could also fluff cotton, he inquired about the location of the large warehouse nearby.

"Although I used eyeshadow to disguise my face, I don't know what will happen next, so I can't leave too deep an impression on the apprentice. Spices are not goods that are resistant to storage, so the warehouse must be in a nearby block, so it is enough to ask other merchants about the location of the warehouse."

Xia De explained his behavioral motivation to Princess Miss Jia Lin Na, and the princess showed an expression of sudden realization.

The three walked together on the street, and Dorothy said from the side:

"Just now when you went to that old goods shop, I went to the bookstore next to the spice shop to inquire about Mr. Krum's past performance. He lives on the second floor of the shop. In the eyes of his neighbors, although he is a bit stingy, he never has conflicts with others, his temperament is considered peaceful, and he has had no abnormal performance."

"I have seen in detective stories that the more ordinary such people appear, the more likely they are to be criminals. And Ringed Shushi usually disguise themselves with seemingly normal behavior in their daily lives."

Princess Miss Jia Lin Na said immediately, and Xia De shook his head:

"Before meeting that gentleman, let's not set a premise. Moreover, that spice merchant does not look like a Ringed Shushi."

Ten minutes later, they passed through the alleys of the slums—if it weren't for the fact that doing so during the day was very dangerous—and arrived at the warehouse only one street away from the spice shop. Most of the warehouses in the Chengxi were distributed in patches, and Mr. Krum only rented the smallest type of warehouse. The old man guarding the warehouse courtyard originally did not agree to let the three go in directly to find someone, but when Xia De found the two shillings he had dropped on the ground, the old guard allowed them to enter, but they could only stay for a maximum of twenty minutes.

Of course, the fact that two shillings could solve the problem also had to do with Xia De's companions being two beautiful ladies. Even if Xia De were really a thief who dared to steal during the day, there was no reason to bring two ladies who looked extraordinary to steal.

When they met Mr. Krum, the spice merchant was directing workers to move goods out of the warehouse. They were temporarily moving empty boxes out of the warehouse to rent them out; merchants would not let the items in their hands pile up in the warehouse and go to waste.

"Looking for me?"

After sizing up the attire of the three, the spice merchant wearing black leather boots took off his hat and asked suspiciously. He looked to be in his forties, his skin was a bit dark, but his eyes were very shrewd:

"I don't know what the matter is? Want to talk business?"

The excuse of talking business was fine for fooling a young apprentice, but it was a bit inappropriate to take it out at this time.

"No, no, we are not talking business, we have other matters we want to seek your help with."

Xia De said with a smile and reached out to shake hands with Mr. Krum.

【Ordinary person.】

"It's like this, may I ask if you know Mr. Jimmy Cameron?"

Xia De asked, and he also took off his hat. That demeanor made the spice merchant confirm that this handsome young man in front of him definitely had an extraordinary background:

"I know him, we have met a few times."

"I am also a friend of Mr. Jimmy Cameron. It's like this, I heard about the Victor Box from him, that is truly a magical box."

Xia De exclaimed in admiration, and Mr. Krum also nodded in agreement, signaling for the few to go to the side to talk:

"Yes, my wife originally thought I had been cheated. But I have had that box for a month, and the banknotes I have received cumulatively have long exceeded the principal for purchasing the box. That is truly magical technology, but, didn't I tell Jimmy not to tell others casually?"

He looked at Xia De inquiringly, and Dorothy could not laugh at this time. If such boxes really flowed out in large quantities, it might really have a huge impact on the currency and prices of Delarion.

"It wasn't me asking Mr. Cameron; he told me on his own initiative."

Xia De still kept a smile on his face:

"Actually, I... we met at a banquet. Do you know about Princess Miss Jia Lin Na's visit to Tobesk? My uncle knows the envoys in the visiting delegation and can introduce Southern sales channels for Mr. Cameron."

The princess behind him certainly did not know this. Xia De was not lying at this time, at least not about the "uncle" issue.

The spice merchant showed a look of sudden realization, understanding that Jimmy Cameron had revealed that secret in order to climb up to the nobles:

"Since that's the case, you came to find me to..."

"I also want to own one of those boxes."

Xia De let himself show an appropriately embarrassed expression and then introduced:

"These two ladies, one is a distant relative of the royal family, and one is from Cavendish. They are both ladies of noble birth, and we all want to own such a magical box. So, Mr. Cameron introduced us to find you. I don't know if you can introduce the merchant who sells that box?"

The spice merchant was clearly hesitating:

"Mr. Fanni allowed me to introduce friends to him, but he didn't let me casually..."

"Sir."

Dorothy said with a smile, her voice very soft and slow:

"I think we are all people who can be trusted. Even if you don't know our work, don't know our address, and don't even know our names, don't you know our gender?"

That voice was so convincing that the spice merchant nodded immediately:

"Yes, I already know your gender, this is quite a remarkable privacy."

Princess Miss Jia Lin Na looked at "Dorothy" sideways, somewhat suspicious that the writer miss often used this method to collect writing materials.

"Isn't this enough? I think this is enough for you to fully understand us, trust us, and tell us the address of that Mr. Fanni."

The spice merchant opened his mouth, still hesitating, so Xia De added:

"I can also tell you a secret about us: I like beautiful girls."

Mr. Krum was startled, and this time he nodded without any hesitation:

"Since you have told me such a secret, yes, I can tell you the address."

Princess Miss Jia Lin Na kept a straight face, wanting to laugh but knowing she couldn't laugh out loud.

"Can you talk to us about him?"

Dorothy asked softly. Mr. Krum already trusted her completely because what she said made a lot of sense:

"Mr. Victor Fanni is the creator of that kind of magical box. He is a very gentle person, and not only does he make money himself, but he also allows us to make money. He stipulates that everyone can only buy one box, but if we can introduce business to him, he can give us a commission. I introduced Jimmy to him and earned a 10-pound commission."

Dorothy glanced at Xia De, and Xia De nodded:

"Then where does the other party live? Or does he have his own factory?"

"Mr. Fanni is a craftsman. He is not a local; he is from the Eastern Islands region. After coming to Tobesk, he rented a room in a hotel. Every day, he assembles that kind of magical box in the hotel, and only occasionally goes out for a walk. He has a great craftsman spirit."

Xia De, who was very sensitive to this phrase, curled his lips, and Dorothy continued to ask:

"Then the address of the hotel is..."

"North District of Tobesk, Chant Square, Three Cats Hotel. Mr. Fanni usually does not see strangers. If you say you were recommended by me, he will see you."

"Three Cats Hotel again?"

Xia De sighed softly in his heart, but the Three Cats Hotel was indeed the most famous hotel in the North City; otherwise, it could not have become one of the merchants qualified to sponsor the Luo Luo De Pai Tournament during the Great City Player period. ===== CHAPTER 996 =====