After making an agreement with the two ghosts, Shade returned to the lawn in front of the entrance to the underground crypt to wait.
He waited for over half an hour. There was a simple farewell ceremony still taking place in the crypt, and the guests attending the funeral were all understanding of Old Mrs. Watson's feelings.
While Shade stood under the tree, someone finally took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him. It was one of Old Mrs. Watson's business partners, who owned a coal processing plant in the south of the city.
Knowing Shade's identity, he inquired whether Shade could help handle some troublesome permit documents
"To improve the city's air quality, Tobesk has recently imposed requirements on the operating hours of factories like ours that emit exhaust gases. Mr. Hamilton, do you know how much money this is costing me?"
The middle-aged, plump merchant in a tie coughed; it wasn't an act—his lungs seemed to truly have an issue.
"If you ask me, there is absolutely no evidence that the city's fog is harmful to the human body, nor is there evidence that these thick mists cause illness. I even believe this 'industrial scent' can make children stronger. Mr. Hamilton, I won't let you help for nothing."
He coughed again, his face turning bright red, his lungs sounding like a broken bellows.
Shade was certainly short on money, but he would not take this kind of unscrupulous money, not to mention he had no connections to grease the wheels at City Hall. Thus, he tactfully declined the fat merchant's request. The latter seemed to think Shade simply found the reward insufficient, so he walked away grumbling, muttering under his breath about the greed and shamelessness of "noble lords."
"There really is every kind of person," Shade thought to himself, gaining a deeper understanding of the madness and ignorance of this era.
During the wait, the already gloomy sky finally broke into a light rain. The people on the lawn could only hurry back to the small chapel to wait, while Old Mrs. Watson's servants waited in place with umbrellas for the party to return.
As the rain grew heavier, by the time the priest, the gravedigger, and Mr. Watson's relatives returned to the church, Mrs. Watson simply offered a few words of thanks and announced the end of the funeral.
The guests departed one by one. Old Mrs. Watson and the gravedigger stood by the church pulpit, discussing the management of the crypt, where she too would be laid to rest after her death.
Johns Watson, the younger brother of the funeral's protagonist, Mr. Watson, stayed behind to chat with Shade. In truth, even if he hadn't approached Shade, Shade would have sought him out; after all, he needed a reason for his upcoming conversation with Old Mrs. Watson.
Shade had no real connection to this middle-aged man, but Little Watson placed great importance on Shade's status. His words revealed that he knew Shade was quite favored by Duchess Galina. Besides thanking Shade for coming today, he spoke half-complainingly about his family affairs, attempting to build rapport with Shade
"Before this funeral, we hadn't been in contact with that woman for over ten years. Father and Mother always believed she was the one who caused Brother's death. Even though her brother has already died of illness, our family has remained unwilling to forgive her."
In Shade's view, whether it was the man having an affair or the woman killing in a drunken stupor, both were at fault. Fortunately, this was someone else's family matter and had nothing to do with him, so he didn't need to trouble himself with judging it.
"Perhaps this is a kind of balance. I only need to observe, not to think," the thought popped into Shade's head.
Agreeing with Mr. Johns Watson's words, the two exchanged business cards. Only then did Shade learn that this descendant of nobility, who had not inherited a title, held a position in the tax department of City Hall in addition to his own businesses.
Because he had to wait for his payment, Shade had ample reason to stay. However, the rain continued to intensify, making Shade worry about how he would get back. He then wondered if the windows at home were closed and if the cat at home would be frightened by the rain.
Summer was the rainy season in Tobesk; these sudden torrential rains were actually quite common.
The scent of dampness mixed with the smell of earth drifted in from outside the church with the wind, but it also dispelled the midsummer heat.
Seeing that the conversation on Old Mrs. Watson's side had not yet ended, Shade rose from the bench and walked to the church entrance, watching the rain fall from the eaves, blocking the church door like a curtain. This heavy rain would at least keep Tobesk cool for a while. The first summer the outsider spent in this world seemed not too different from the summers of his hometown.
Only when almost everyone had gone did Old Mrs. Watson finish talking with the gravedigger. She sat on the front row of the church benches to speak with Shade.
"I am truly sorry for making you wait so long. We were discussing matters after death, and I accidentally spent a few more words with the gravedigger here."
The old woman smiled apologetically, her voice still slow, the wrinkles on her face bunching together as she laughed.
She signaled the servant beside her to hand the payment to Shade, who thanked her as he took it. The 20 pounds in cash went straight into his pocket, while he toyed with the special rule Rhode card in his hand
[Southern Folklore of Casenric · Moon Dance Festival], Suit: Sun 4.
When this card is drawn, if the player holds a card of the Moon suit and the sum of the points does not exceed 7, then if the player busts this round, the total points are adjusted to 1.
Aside from [Genesis · Silver Moon], among all the special Rhode cards Shade had seen, the function of this card was quite useful. Holding this card allowed one to gamble on luck with an opponent with confidence, and in bets where busting doubled the loss, it could minimize the amount lost.
Shade had heard about the [Southern Folklore of Casenric] series of cards from Baron Lavender. This series of Rhode cards was issued over fifty years ago, and a single special card would absolutely not cost less than 70 pounds.
"You are truly too generous."
Shade put away the card and expressed his gratitude to the client; the reward far exceeded his effort.
"My husband also loved Rhode cards during his lifetime. This was part of his old collection; it didn't cost many gold pounds when it was first bought. Rather than waiting for it to be taken by those dividing my estate after I die, I would rather give it to a young person like you," Old Mrs. Watson said, her cloudy eyes seeming to recall days gone by.
Beside Shade, the two ghosts began discussing the topic of Rhode cards again, and thus Mr. Watson, whose image in Shade's heart was already not great, gained another label: "fond of gambling."
Having put away the card, Shade spoke as if casually
"Speaking of which, Mr. Johns Watson, Mr. Watson's brother, spoke a few words with me just now."
"What did he say?" the old woman asked alertly. Shade glanced at the servant and guard standing nearby, so Mrs. Watson told them to go prepare the umbrellas and the carriage for the return trip.
There were still other people in the church, such as two young priests cleaning and the priest watching the rain at the door. But these people were far away, so Shade could speak freely
"He said... sorry, I shouldn't say this, but the Watson family seems to believe that regarding Mr. Watson's death back then..."
He shook his head.
"I mean nothing by this, I am only telling you because the subject came up. They seem to believe that you and Mr. Mason murdered Mr. Watson together."
The old woman sat there expressionless.
"For all these years, they have always thought this. Perhaps this resentment will only finally disappear once I enter the grave."
Shade glanced at the two ghosts listening intently by the side.
"Mr. Johns Watson mentioned to me that after the incident back then, besides putting pressure on Ridwich Field, Earl Watson also hired private detectives to investigate."
"But they obviously didn't find anything."
"Yes, but..."
While praising his own acting skills in his heart, Shade glanced around and lowered his voice
"But I just heard from Johns Watson that he intends to hire a detective again to investigate what exactly you discovered behind the wall in the basement. He seems to believe that some key evidence was hidden behind the wall by you."
"Mr. Hamilton, he wants to hire you?" the old woman inquired, using a formal honorific.
Shade nodded with a serious expression.
"He didn't directly ask for my opinion, but he has such an intention. He believes I can easily gain your trust, making me more suitable for this job than other detectives. But I cannot do such a thing. My current scope of business only includes finding people, searching for pets, marriage investigations, delivering cards and letters, transporting goods, and purchasing agent services for Coldwater Port. You are my current client; I cannot harm your interests, so..."
He lowered his voice even further.
"If there really is any evidence, please be sure to hide it well."
"Mr. Hamilton, I thought you would directly ask me whether there is any so-called evidence." Mrs. Watson's voice rose slightly.
Shade shook his head.
"I'm not the type to accept a commission from that side and then come here to lie to you that I didn't, just to trick you into giving me the so-called evidence. Ultimately, this matter has nothing to do with me. Moreover, thirty years have passed, and you are nearly 70 this year. Even if there is a so-called truth, what difference would it make?"
This was the truth. Shade only wanted to satisfy his curiosity; he had no intention of sending anyone to prison. Thirty years had passed, and two of the three principals were dead. If Shade had encountered this case thirty years ago when it happened, he certainly would have reported the so-called truth. But now, none of it mattered.
"Yes, with the truth, what difference would it make?" Old Mrs. Watson said, then let out a long sigh.
Shade waited patiently until the old woman spoke again
"When I went to the underground crypt just now, I also visited my brother. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed. It really has been so many years."
The ghost, Mr. Mason, looked at his sister with eyes full of sorrow.
(End of Chapter)