pdf-ebookys Chapter 213 How do you know about Tingen!
Chapter 213 How do you know about Tingen!
Chapter 213 How do you know about Tingen!
Outside Backlund, at the junction of Wildy Street and White Cliff.
Klein arrived at this somewhat remote location based on the clues provided in the forged letter.
In that letter, Lorne Disenke mentioned that he had once hidden near White Cliff for a while.
If he wants to continue hiding this time, then a place he is familiar with and has been to before is undoubtedly the most suitable choice.
In a coffee shop that looks cheap.
A middle-aged man, dressed in worn-out overalls and with graying temples, was stuffing bread and toast into his mouth.
"Glug—"
The man was caught in the bread, so he hurriedly gulped down a mouthful of hot soup, grimacing from the heat, but still forced it down.
"Nya—"
"Looks like... he's really hungry," Klein sighed, watching the other person wolfing down their food.
"Ha—I haven't eaten this much in a long time." The middle-aged man looked up. "Sir, for the sake of this meal, please feel free to ask me anything. I'm always around here, and I know pretty much everything that's going on around here."
Klein nodded. As a seasoned detective, he knew very well which types of people were easier to deal with and obtain intelligence from.
Have any unfamiliar faces appeared around here recently?
"Unfamiliar faces?" The middle-aged man thought for a moment and said, "There are a few. But they're mostly tourists—"
"A traveler—" After pondering for a few seconds, Klein took out a sketch of Lorne, copied through ritual magic, from his pocket and handed it to the other person.
Have you seen this person before?
The middle-aged man took the sketch and examined it carefully, falling into a long period of contemplation.
Just when Klein thought his investigation was going to be fruitless again, the middle-aged man suddenly looked up.
"I think I saw someone wearing a mask yesterday. They looked somewhat like the person in this painting—"
Klein's eyes lit up instantly, and he leaned forward slightly: "Where did you see it? And what were the circumstances?"
"At the time—it seemed he was in a hurry and accidentally bumped into me—"
"I thought I was going to get a scolding, but to my surprise, he actually apologized to me and even gave me a cigarette before he left."
"I still haven't smoked that cigarette; it's still in my pocket—"
"A person resembling Lorndison is nearby—"
After conducting interviews and investigations, Klein was fairly certain that there were indeed people resembling Lorne Disenker active in the vicinity. Moreover, he had roughly figured out the possible location of the person using various clues.
Should we go directly to him? Trying to find him won't do any good.
Considering the opponent's unusual behavior, Klein ultimately abandoned his plan to directly use the capture to pinpoint the opponent's exact location.
Before coming here, I had already secured a position above the gray fog. This investigation does indeed carry some risks. But Irene is currently lying in ambush not far away.
At this very moment, "Witch" Irene was in stealth mode, silently lying in ambush in the distance. To Klein, she was a secret weapon in this operation, hence the decision not to have her openly accompany him.
"It seems—he came alone."
From a high vantage point on a distant building, Lorne was observing Sherlock Moriarty, who was conducting an investigation alone on the street, through binoculars.
In the past two days, he has dyed his hair back to its original color. Furthermore, he has deliberately shown himself in this area several times, displaying his original appearance.
His purpose in doing this was to successfully catch the big fish, "Sherlock Moriarty".
As for the truth about himself, it might be known to the female bodyguard beside him.
Lorne ultimately chose to trust the other party's professional ethics.
After all, some things can't be hidden no matter how hard you try. For him, all he needed to do was keep his most crucial secrets hidden.
As for risks... what doesn't involve risks?
As long as the result is satisfactory, that's all that matters!
"I'm about to make my move—" Lorne muttered to himself, slowly putting on a black mask.
"Be careful," the bodyguard's ethereal voice rang in his ears, "there might be danger."
"Um."
Lorne took a penny out of his pocket and tossed it gently into the air.
The coin tumbled through the air. However, just as it was about to fall, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew in from nowhere.
The coin traced a strange arc in the air before plummeting straight down from the height.
"this--"
Lorne was shocked at first, then gritted his teeth.
What's meant to come will come.
"Strange, why did those two suddenly come here?"
Unable to find Klein's Clubs 5 on Minsk Street, while confirming the target's location by occupying the area, he also silently followed the traces left by the two and arrived near White Cliff Town.
"I remember there was a tomb around here."
"? Just as he was searching for the whereabouts of the two 'preys,' a figure wearing a baseball cap and a black mask suddenly flashed past him."
"What a pleasant surprise!"
The corners of the five of clubs turned up slightly, revealing a pleasant smile.
Following the direction of the previous investigation, Klein gradually narrowed down the possible hiding places of Lorne Disenk to the vicinity of a cheap-looking hotel on the edge of White Cliff.
However, just as he arrived near the hotel, he saw a man wearing a baseball cap and a black face mask slowly walking out of a nearby alley.
The man merely glanced casually at Klein before walking away in the opposite direction without lingering.
Klein stopped and watched the man's retreating figure.
It seems to be him—
Watching that figure gradually disappear into the distance, Klein was caught in a dilemma.
What should I do? Should I just follow him? But he seems to have become a little wary of me just now.
However, I've disguised myself now, so he shouldn't recognize me either.
After a moment's thought, he calmly followed and maintained a reasonable distance.
"Excuse me, sir," Klein said in a normal tone, like a traveler asking for directions.
"I have a question—"
"spray!"
The man wearing a mask didn't stop; instead, he sped up.
Seeing this, Klein chose to follow.
"Da, da, da—"
Two sets of footsteps, one after the other, echoed through the empty street.
Finally, Klein cornered the masked man in a deserted dead end.
"What—what do you want?" The man turned around, his voice filled with obvious fear.
However, before Klein could answer, he sighed heavily to himself and said, "Sigh—I didn't expect you guys to find it after all."
"Sir, I will find a way to pay back the money my father owes you. But right now, I really—? I have absolutely no money left."
"Please, give me some more time—"
"What?"
"Are they treating me like a debt collector?" Klein looked completely bewildered.
He hesitated before speaking, "Sir, I think you may have misunderstood. I'm not a gangster, nor am I here to collect debts."
"Really?" The man looked incredulous.
"Really." Klein nodded emphatically, while silently cursing to himself.
Was Lorne Disenke really that timid? No wonder he went straight to report him back in Tingen.
"Oh, I see!" The man seemed to suddenly realize something. "What's wrong?" Klein instantly tensed up.
"You're a loan shark!"
"Ahem—" Klein cleared his throat. "Anyway, are you Mr. Lorne Disenke?"
"I'm not!" The man was clearly taken aback and tried to squeeze past Klein, but Klein blocked him from the side.
"Sigh—okay, that's me." The man nodded dejectedly, as if resigned to his fate. "But I really have no money."
Klein's lips twitched involuntarily.
Do I look like a gangster debt collector?
After a brief moment of self-deprecation, seeing the other person's terrified expression, Klein felt a surge of nameless anger.
It's this guy! He's the one who reported me! He forced me to leave Tingenklein.
Calm down, calm down. This is not the time to act impulsively. We must first calm him down.
Klein forcibly suppressed his emotions and, using the "Joker's" abilities, managed to force out a relatively gentle smile.
"Mr. Disenck. My name is Sherlock Moriarty, and I am a private detective."
"detective?"
"Yes." Klein nodded. "I came to see you on behalf of your friend, Mr. James Scott."
Actually, there was another Miss Hugh Deercha. But she had already withdrawn her commission. He silently added to himself.
"So it was him." Lorne seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "This isn't the place to talk. You—come with me."
Seeing that the other party seemed to trust him, after hesitating for two seconds, Klein followed Lorne to the second floor of the nearby small hotel and entered a room that looked very ordinary.
The room was small, containing only a simple bed and a worn-out cabinet. It certainly looked like the kind of accommodation someone struggling financially would choose.
"If it's about the shares, you can rest assured, James. I will never go back on my word. The main reason I haven't gone to see him is because my father's creditors—? They've come looking for me again."
Otherwise, I wouldn't have hidden in a place like this.
“No, Mr. Disenke,” Klein said. “Your friend, Mr. Scott, doesn’t care about those shares. He cares about your safety.”
"Really?" Lorne's face showed doubt.
"Yes." Klein nodded affirmatively.
He then recounted the questions that "James Scott" had asked him.
Lorne seemed quite surprised that his "friend" cared so much about him. He provided detailed answers to all of his questions.
The two chatted happily, and the atmosphere in the room became more and more harmonious, as if the previous awkwardness had disappeared.
Seeing that things were going very well, Klein took the opportunity to ask the question that concerned him most:
"By the way, Mr. Disenke, Mr. Scott would also like to know where you've been and what happened recently. Since it's inconvenient for you to return to Backlund, why don't you write him another letter?"
Lorne paused for a moment, then said, "Detective Moriarty, I trust you. I'll tell you directly, and then please relay it to Scott."
"Thank you for your trust. I will definitely keep it a secret."
Klein had no reason to refuse an opportunity that was presented to him. "To escape my father's debts, I went to many places. Actually, I just returned from Bansi Port not long ago." Klein listened attentively, silently memorizing the information while also feeling somewhat anxious.
None of that matters! The important thing is the situation in Tingen. "Actually, at the beginning, I traveled all the way north by steam train—I hid there for a while."
Tingen is just north of Backlund, and it's finally about to begin!
Klein forcibly suppressed his inner excitement, maintaining his gentle smile as he gestured for the other to continue. "Ugh—that period was truly miserable. Being in a foreign land, and with hardly any money—"
Lorne first let out a heavy sigh, then his tone became lighter as if he had suddenly remembered something happy.
"But you know what? I seem to be pretty popular with women. Back in Narcissus Street, I met a really lovely girl. She was kind-hearted and good at managing a household, and we got along really well. I even—"
Melissa!
Klein immediately realized that Lorne was talking about his sister Melissa!
What exactly happened between you and her?! Tell me already! I'm so anxious!
Seeing Lorne's unhurried tone, Klein became somewhat impatient.
"I--"
Just as Lorne was about to continue speaking...—
"Knock knock knock".
A crisp knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
"Who is it?" Lorne asked.
"Sir, your dinner order is ready. Please remember to dine at the restaurant downstairs."
"Okay, I understand."
Lorne turned to Klein: "Mr. Moriarty, would you like to have dinner with me?"
"No need, I already had dinner before I came."
Klein gently shook his head.
Now is no time for eating!
All I want to know now is what exactly happened between you and Melissa in Tingen!
"Well then—let's not waste any more time. Let's continue."
"Where were we talking about just now?"
"Speaking of which, you met a very lovely and kind girl in Tingen," Klein reminded her.
"Oh—yes, yes, that's the point." Lorne looked as if he had just realized something.
"but..."
"Mr. Moriarty, when did I ever say I had been to Tingen!"