Chapter 36: The Returning Doctor

“Detective, you are lucky. If I hadn't happened to have this relic in my hand, this transaction probably wouldn't have gone so smoothly. After all, for a weak Circle Practitioner, overly mysterious knowledge and overly powerful weapons are equally dangerous. Detective, as for the matter of the Dark Box, I no longer care. A pleasure doing business with you.”

The Lady in the Door seemed to be signaling for him to leave.

Shade closed the ring box and took it from the young maid. As the maid walked back toward the door, he did not bid farewell and depart; instead, he composed himself and spoke loudly

“Madam, I wonder if I might have the honor of knowing your identity.”

“You do not have that honor yet.”

The woman was blunt. Shade seemed to hear the black-haired maid, who was currently pushing the door, let out an accidental chuckle.

“I know what you are worried about. Now that I know your identity and your appearance, I can naturally find your address and the identity of the correspondence Circle Practitioner in your group. But so what? The most important thing for a correspondence practitioner is not to let the Church know their identity. Do you think I am one of the Church's people?”

Just as the woman believed Shade did not look like a devout believer of the True Gods, Shade similarly did not believe she was a devout believer

“You are free to tell your fellow correspondence practitioners about tonight's events; they naturally know the rules of this city. You may even mention our transaction. Do you have any other questions?”

Perhaps because she had obtained information from Shade, she seemed to be in a good mood despite the initial unpleasantness.

“Your appearance here tonight...”

“Certainly not for you; encountering you was merely an accident. I appeared in this undignified place tonight only because I heard the club collected a very rare Rode card.”

“May I ask which series?”

“It no longer matters. It was a forged Rode card.”

“That is truly unfortunate... Then farewell, Madam. May you touch that statue of the Old God as soon as possible.”

This was a reminder for her to look for it early, so that the [Mercury Blood] would not have time to relocate, preventing her from blaming Shade if she couldn't find the statue.

“Then we shall meet again, Detective... Speaking of which, I quite admire young people like you. Your reaction just now when the relic lost control was quite good; most first-circle practitioners would not have performed as well as you.

If you need anything, you can contact me through this club. But you understand—all gifts come with compensation.”

“Yes, Madam. I wish you a wonderful night.”

Shade gripped the ring box and turned to leave, but at the doorway, he suddenly turned back to look at the ajar door

“Madam, regarding the [Dark Box]...”

“A rare Third Epoch relic. Relics are accumulated from the resentment and hatred at the end of an era, so there is no need to be suspicious of what you might hear.

The Fifth Epoch was the era of Witches; the war of the last thirteen Witch Emperors nearly summoned terrifying existences from outside the material world.

The Fourth Epoch was the era of darkness and chaos; darkness shrouded the earth, and eldritch things roamed the material world.

In the Third Epoch, alien races coexisted with humans, but terrifying and strange humanoids occupied much of the material world—those were the evil spirits born from whispers. Humans and other normal lifeforms lived in secluded corners, protecting one another.”

She spoke no more. Shade bowed slightly to express his gratitude for the free knowledge and then walked out the door.

The maid was waiting outside and led Shade from the third floor to the bottom of the stairs on the first floor. There, Shade met up with a dejected little Franklin, and the two left the club together.

Returning from the noisy interior to the streets of a summer night shrouded in thin mist, his oppressive mood lightened considerably.

Shade remained immersed in the series of events that had just occurred, recalling the moment his finger had glowed and pondering the details of the transaction.

Consequently, the two did not speak much as they followed the gas-lit streets through the quiet night toward the apartment rented by the Franklin family.

However, just as they were nearing their destination, after little Franklin stepped into the shadow of an antique shop sign that the gas lamps could not reach, he suddenly turned and bolted. Prepared in advance, Shade immediately gave chase. They had not even run half a street before little Franklin was knocked down by the detective's boot

“Who exactly did your father look for this time? Do you practice long-distance running? Are you going to the Tobesk Youth Games? Where is the detective from last time?”

He was panting heavily, his hands held behind his back by Shade. His voice was hoarse as he fired off continuous questions, and he no longer tried to struggle; the young man was not good at running.

“Still trying to run? Weren't you caught by a detective last time too? Uncle Spyro is dead, and I've taken over his work, but I haven't practiced long-distance running.”

Shade felt the strength within this body; it wasn't just his status as a Circle Practitioner, but the physical constitution of the body itself was quite excellent. He wondered how Detective Spyro had managed to turn a vagrant into this in just a few months.

As for pretending to be someone else's nephew, it wasn't actually a problem, since Shade had truly inherited all of the detective's estate.

“Dead? That guy who pointed a gun at my head and told me to leave the gambling table is dead?”

Little Franklin was somewhat surprised, but his tone was filled with joy

“A villain like that... it's better that he's dead.”

But according to the commission records Shade had found left by the detective, the two times Spyro Hamilton had taken little Franklin away from the slums' underground casinos and clubs, he had relied on the power of his words. Detective Spyro Hamilton had described himself as a charming man, quite skilled at persuading others.

“It seems his records cannot be fully trusted. Did he really lose his gun? Or did he hide it somewhere I haven't found?”

“Speaking of which, how about you let me go? I'll give you more gold pounds if I win the bet.”

Little Franklin tried to struggle again.

“I truly feel sorry for your father.”

“Give it a rest, you only came to catch me for the money.”

The young gambler mocked him, expecting a verbal retort from the detective, but to his surprise, the detective simply nodded

“Yes, gold pounds are certainly important. Otherwise, why would I be out catching you on a misty night instead of staying home under the gas lamps tending to my lovely cat?”

Although there had been an accident in the club, the process of submitting the commission and receiving the reward had been smooth. The Franklins did not make things difficult for their son, and Shade simply took his half-pound reward and the two pounds of casino debt paid in advance at the door before leaving directly.

As he left, he saw little Franklin in the house making obscene gestures at him. Shade wasn't angry; he just truly felt some pity for Mr. Franklin.

“Every era and every family has its own stories. I should focus on my own affairs first.”

With his hands in his pockets, he walked into the long night, bidding farewell to his first official employer.

The night was deep. The cash-strapped detective did not take a carriage but instead walked home. He had to scrape together 10 pounds within a month; even if the relics in his home could be pawned, he had to cultivate the habit of being frugal.

Thus, by the time he reached home, it was well into the early morning. Leaving the hazy outdoors and climbing up the dim stairs, he felt an extraordinary sense of loneliness and solitude. Upon entering, he had been worried that the orange cat, "Mia," would relieve herself everywhere, but fortunately, she had very well left her "marks" in a pile of sand Shade had prepared on the balcony before leaving.

As for the cat herself, she rushed over the moment the exhausted detective opened the door, grabbing his pant leg to be held, exceptionally excited by Shade's return. This gave Shade, who had walked the night streets alone for several hours, a sense of profound emotion and inner warmth.

“Even if your owner doesn't come to pick you up, I will adopt you.”

“Meow~”

He said as he picked up the well-behaved cat. Mia rubbed her soft little head against Shade's chest to express her affection. The detective then used a blanket on his desk to make a temporary little nest for Mia in his bedroom.

Since it was late, he did not continue researching the [Vampire Ring], but even though he had gone to bed very late that night, he woke up punctually at six the next morning without feeling any drowsiness at all.

The goat milk and milk he had ordered yesterday arrived along with the newspaper. For the first time in this house, Shade ate breakfast with the well-behaved orange cat Mia while planning his itinerary for the day.

Today was Tuesday; he didn't need to see Dr. Schneider until tomorrow, but because of the note he had left yesterday, he certainly had to make a trip to the doctor's.

Completing two commissions in a single day had given Shade great confidence in taking over the agency's business.

However, he did not intend to deal with the previous detective's leftover cases today. He planned to carefully inspect his home after returning from the doctor, search for that pistol, and continue reading the doctor's notes and past commission records to study his own spiritual runes.

With Mia staying behind to watch the house, Shade carried the relic [Vampire Ring] with him as he traversed the city through the thin mist.

The walk from the center of Tobesk to the doctor's clinic in the eastern district took him several hours of the morning, but the unique scenery of the Steam Age and the European architectural style were quite novel to Shade.

As he walked along the beautiful, wealthy Rinchen Avenue and saw a four-wheeled carriage parked outside the psychiatric clinic and a gentleman in a black top hat stepping down from it, Shade was still worrying about whether the doctor had returned.

Fortunately, the several hours of travel were not in vain; the blue-eyed doctor had returned, though he looked quite troubled while receiving Shade.

Shade remembered Miss Louisa saying his luck was usually quite bad; this time, he had also encountered something vexing

“This is why I have always hated dealing with nobles. If they can be treated, they don't take their psychological issues seriously; if they cannot be treated, they think my skill is the problem.

This case of bulimia is very problematic. That lady is likely hiding some secrets she is unwilling to speak of. People are always distrustful of doctors... Shade, if you ever encounter a commission from a noble, you will certainly understand what I mean... Please, sit down. I saw your note, but what is the specific matter?”