Chapter 207: Sherlock Moriarty?
After leaving the Beyonder gathering, the faint sense of unease in Luo En's heart never dissipated. That gaze… was it really him?
He didn't go straight home. Instead, he made a detour to visit Detective Eisenger in the Hillsdon District.
To his surprise, the detective's investigation had made significant progress.
"Through my friends in the Detective Guild, I've narrowed down a few detectives who resemble your target in both appearance and behavioral characteristics," Eisenger said slowly, taking a puff from his pipe. "I should be able to investigate one of the targets tonight. So, if you come back to me around this time tomorrow—"
"Alright, thank you for your trouble."
After bidding farewell to the efficient great detective, Luo En's heart, far from relaxing, tightened even further.
He knew very well that since Detective Eisenger was close to the truth, it meant that now was the most dangerous time!
Once the other party realized they were being investigated, they might launch a direct attack on him for self-preservation!
Moreover, the strange "exorcism" incident he encountered at the gathering today remained like a thorn in Luo En's heart, making him feel uneasy. Having a professional bodyguard by his side would make him feel a little more secure.
Now, it was time to activate the bodyguard.
At the same time, on the second floor of the Brave Bar, in the quiet card room.
Maric and Sharon were also discussing the severe situation they currently faced.
"Those guys from the 'Indulgence Faction' have noticed us," Maric's voice was a little low. "We—we must prepare to relocate."
"Mm." Sharon's exquisite doll-like face showed no expression, only a slight nod as she fell into a moment of thought.
Then she spoke in her ethereal, emotionless voice:
"After this bodyguard commission is over."
The next day.
Luo En once again went to the Brave Bar in the Backlund Bridge area, intending to find Maric and officially activate the bodyguard commission.
He found Kaspars again. Led by the old man with a limp, he arrived at the quiet card room on the second floor and found Maric sitting alone at the card table.
After Kaspars tactfully left and closed the door from the outside, Luo En looked at the other party and said directly, "The protection can begin."
Maric's gaze, however, went over his shoulder, looking behind him, then he nodded slightly and said, "Alright, she agreed."
She?
Luo En instinctively looked behind him, but there was nothing there; he didn't see any trace of anyone.
"You can go back," Maric said in his indifferent tone. "She has already begun protecting you, in a very—covert way."
On his way back, Luo En would occasionally activate his Spirit Vision, vigilantly scanning his surroundings. But even so, he could at most only see an extremely blurry, fleeting outline in some shadowed corners.
A very experienced Wraith, very patient. Luo En made this assessment of his new bodyguard in his heart.
He did not return directly to 69 Rose Street. To avoid his troubles unexpectedly implicating Mrs. Griffin, he used a disguise cufflink to change his appearance and rented a temporary room elsewhere.
He even temporarily entrusted the unwilling Lachi to Mrs. Griffin's care.
Although the Orange Cat showed strong reluctance, and Mrs. Griffin repeatedly assured him that he was absolutely safe in her house, Luo En ultimately chose to take the risk.
He had to figure out who was investigating him behind his back!
Luo En came to the washroom of his newly rented hotel room, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold tap water on his face to calm his thoughts, which were somewhat chaotic due to tension.
He looked up at the mirror in front of him. He found that the unfamiliar face of himself in the mirror suddenly began to ripple like water.
Finally, it transformed into a young woman with golden hair and blue eyes, dressed in a Gothic black court gown, as exquisite as a doll.
She's manifesting?
The woman in the mirror lifted her elaborate skirt, curtsied slightly to Luo En, performing a standard, impeccable court bow.
"Uh—hello," Luo En said to the unfamiliar bodyguard lady in the mirror. "I'll be troubling you for the next week. As you can see, I am also a Beyonder."
The woman in the mirror just remained silent and nodded slightly.
From beginning to end, she hadn't said a word. This made Luo En's original idea of chatting with her and subtly extracting some information impossible to act upon.
She really is a bodyguard lady with a personality, Luo En thought to himself.
But… is she just going to keep watching me like this? Will she also watch when I sleep? Does that mean I can't even take a bath?
...
After an extremely uncomfortable night in the hotel, Luo En tiredly got out of bed.
The thought that he had been constantly stared at by a "female ghost" all night made him feel like he couldn't sleep at all.
She's my bodyguard, and I paid a lot for her, don't overthink it—don't overthink it—Luo En desperately warned himself in his heart.
After leaving the hotel, he took a hansom cab and once again arrived in the Hillsdon District.
Following Detective Eisenger's words from yesterday, he found him again. When the great detective saw him arrive, his usually amiable expression inexplicably became more serious. He vigilantly scanned Luo En up and down a few times before slowly speaking:
"Through my connections in the Detective Guild, I have successfully identified the identity of one of the gentlemen. As per my previous deduction, he is indeed a detective."
"As for the lady," he shook his head, regretting, "I haven't found any useful clues about her at all—"
Upon hearing this, Luo En immediately expressed his sincere gratitude to the other party, praising him as a truly great detective.
For him, finding the identity of one person so quickly was already a very good result. He didn't press for more.
Eisenger handed over a piece of paper full of information from a drawer and said, "The detective you're looking for is named Sherlock Moriarty."
"What?!"
Luo En's hand, which was taking the information, suddenly trembled!
His name is Sherlock Moriarty?!