At Besik Street, under Henry's Private Detective Company, Klein went across the street and entered the stairway.
In the office of the private investigator.
"Sir, your request has been completed," Detective Henry said. "This wasn't an easy mission, nor was it too difficult, but it used up a great deal of our resources and energy. To be honest, I'm a little regretful. I regret setting a low price for this mission."
Klein pointed at the thick stack of documents on the coffee table. "Is this the investigation report?"
"Yes." Henry pressed on the sixty-plus-page report. "This is the most troublesome report that I've completed..."
Klein handed over four pounds in cash. "This is the remainder of the fees."
Klein took the thick investigation report and left. He surveyed his surroundings and confirmed that no one was paying attention to him before leaving the place. Klein didn't intend to head home right away but to search for a cafe and organize the report.
After some time, he finally found a cafe that had a decent atmosphere and sat in a secluded corner before flipping open the investigation report.
"In Tingen City's North Borough, South Borough, East Borough, West Borough, Golden Indus, Harbor Borough, and University Borough, there are a total of 1179 buildings that have a dark red chimney... Along the outskirts of Tingen City, there are a total of 546 buildings with the red chimney the requester described. This doesn't include buildings in towns or villages that are relatively further away despite them falling under the jurisdiction of Tingen."
"Below are the addresses and tenant records of each of those buildings. As per the request, the activities within the last three months are recorded in more detail."
Klein flipped through page after page, occasionally making notes on paper he brought around with a fountain pen. Finally, when he found the type of red chimney he had seen, he realized that there was a change of tenants in twenty-five buildings.
That's not too many. I should try to finish my investigations within two days. After all, I've seen that red chimney and parts of the house in my dream, and my spiritual sense would have a feeling of familiarity when I see those signs again. Klein split the buildings based on their location and planned to investigate fifteen of them that day.
He didn't need to do a divination to get an answer if these investigations would prove dangerous. Since there was a change of tenants, that would mean that the person had already left.
Let's hope that the new tenants know what the previous tenants looked like... But that person would definitely have a way to remove any traces he might have left behind... Sigh, I can only pray to the Goddess and hope that he left behind some sort of clue...
Klein left the cafe and visited fifteen buildings with the red chimneys before dinner. Unfortunately, none of the buildings was the one he saw in his dream.
...
At eleven in the evening, Klein closed the door to his room and looked outside the oriel window with the light of his gas lamp.
"I wonder what Backlund is like, with its titles of the Land of Hope and the Capital of Capitals..."
Woo! At that moment, a wind blew at him, and the light from his lamp turned dark green.
Klein took a few steps back and tapped his left molars twice. At the same time, he leaned toward the bed and tried to reach for his revolver.
In his vision, a translucent face protruded from the wall above the desk.
"Do not fire." The face spoke.
It can communicate? "What do you want?" Klein asked.
"I'm Daly."
"Madam Daly?"
"I know that this method of visiting you is a little rude. I should've given you a warning, but it isn't convenient for me to meet you right now, and so, I can only communicate with you using this spirit."
Klein asked, "Madam, what do you want to talk about with me?"
"If I were you, I would first seal the bedroom with spirituality. Heh heh, you need not be so cautious. I came back to Tingen in secret because of Dunn's letter. You know that a Nighthawk cannot leave the area they are assigned to at will."
"The Captain's letter?"
"Dunn and I are both Beyonders that started with the Tingen Nighthawks and have always maintained a good relationship. Last Thursday, he sent me a letter and mentioned you. He said that you emulated the maxim of a Mystery Pryer, and came up with a set of rules for a Seer that were effective in helping you grasp your potion. From then on, you no longer hear sounds and see visions that you shouldn't. Dunn said that it was similar to what I did.
Heh heh, are you not going to seal the room? I personally do not mind your brother and sister misunderstanding..."
Klein walked to the desk, took out the ritualistic silver dagger, and quickly built up a wall of spirituality.
"Madam Daly, what else did the Captain talk about in the letter?"
"He only expressed his own confusion and said that he seemed to understand something—yet, he couldn't describe it clearly. He hoped to get my opinion on the matter," Daly said. "And when I read the letter this morning, I knew that you aren't as clueless as you pretend to be. Heh heh, Mr. Moretti, I think that you have deduced the 'acting method!'"
"That's the reason you came looking for me?"
"Yes. I know that you have deduced the 'acting method' and know that I grasp it as well. Sigh. But what's making me unhappy is that I used nearly two years to understand it — yet, you've only been a Beyonder for one and a half months."
"That's because I have you as my role model."