Chapter 213: How Did You Know About Tingen!
Outskirts of Backlund, at the intersection of Verdi Street and White Cliff Town.
Klein arrived at this somewhat remote location based on the clues provided in the forged letter.
In that letter, "Lorne Disenk" had mentioned that he had hidden near White Cliff Town for a while.
If he wanted to continue hiding this time, a place he was familiar with and had visited before would undoubtedly be the most suitable choice.
Inside a cheap-looking coffee shop.
A middle-aged man, dressed in worn-out overalls and with graying temples, was frantically stuffing bread and toast into his mouth.
"Gulp—"
The man choked on the bread and hastily gulped down a large mouthful of hot soup, grimacing from the heat but still forcing it down.
"Ugh—"
It seems… he's really hungry. Klein, sitting opposite him, sighed as he watched the man devour his food.
"Ha— It's been a long time since I've eaten so much." The middle-aged man looked up, "Sir, for the sake of this meal, feel free to ask whatever you want. I've been active around here, so I basically know what's going on in the vicinity."
Klein nodded. As a detective who was already considered to be in the business, he knew very well who was easier to get information from.
"Have there been any new faces around here recently?"
"New faces?" The middle-aged man thought for a moment and said, "There have been some. But they're basically all travelers—"
"Travelers, huh—" After a few seconds of contemplation, Klein took out a sketch of Luo En, copied by ritualistic magic, from his pocket and handed it to the man.
"Then have you seen this person?"
"This person?" The middle-aged man took the sketch, examined it carefully, and fell into a long period of thought.
Just when Klein thought this inquiry would again be fruitless, the middle-aged man suddenly looked up.
"I think—yesterday, I did see a person wearing a mask. He looked somewhat like the person in this drawing—"
Klein's eyes instantly lit up, and he leaned forward slightly: "Where did you see him? What was the situation at the time?"
"At that time—he seemed to be rushing, and accidentally bumped into me—"
"I originally thought I'd get scolded, but unexpectedly, he actually apologized to me and even gave me a cigarette before leaving."
"I haven't even smoked that cigarette yet; it's still in my pocket—"
"The person suspected to be Lorne Disenk is nearby—"
Through a series of interviews and investigations, Klein could basically confirm that there was indeed someone suspected to be Lorne Disenk active in the vicinity. Moreover, he had already roughly figured out the person's possible hiding place through various clues.
Should I go directly to him? Divination wouldn't work on him.
Considering the other party's abnormality, Klein ultimately gave up on the idea of directly using divination to pinpoint his exact location.
Before coming, I had already performed divination above Grey Mist. This investigation does carry some risks. But Irin is currently ambushed not far away.
At this moment, "Demoness" Irin was in an invisible state, silently ambushed in the distance. For Klein, she was his secret weapon in this operation, so he did not let her act openly with him.
"It seems—he came alone."
From a vantage point on a building in the distance, Lorne was observing Sherlock Moriarty, who was investigating alone on the street, through a telescope.
These past two days, he had dyed his hair back to its original color. And he had deliberately shown his original appearance in this area several times.
The purpose of him doing this was to successfully bait the big fish, "Sherlock Moriarty."
As for the fact that some of his truth might be known by the Bodyguard Miss beside him—
Lorne ultimately chose to trust the other party's professional ethics.
After all, some things are impossible to hide. For him, as long as he can hide his most crucial secrets, that's enough.
As for the risks… what doesn't have risks?
As long as it's worth the outcome!
"I'm about to make my move—" Lorne muttered, slowly putting on a black mask.
"Be careful," Bodyguard Miss's ethereal voice sounded in his ear, "There might be danger."
"Mm."
Lorne took a one-penny coin from his pocket and gently tossed it into the air.
The coin tumbled in the air. However, just as it was about to fall, a strong gust of wind, coming from who knows where, suddenly blew.
The coin drew a strange arc in the air and fell directly from a height.
"This—"
Lorne was shocked at first, then gritted his teeth.
"What's meant to come will always come."
"Strange, why did those two suddenly run over here?"
At Minsk Street, Meihua 5, who couldn't find Klein, confirmed the target's direction through divination, and silently followed the traces left by the two, also arriving near White Cliff Town.
"I remember there's a mausoleum nearby—"
"? That person is—" As he searched around for the whereabouts of his two "prey," a figure wearing a baseball cap and a black mask suddenly flashed past him.
"What an unexpected surprise."
Meihua 5's lips curved slightly into a pleasant smile.
Following the previous investigation direction, Klein gradually narrowed down the possible hiding place of Lorne Disenk to a very cheap-looking hotel on the outskirts of White Cliff Town.
However, he had just arrived near the hotel when he saw a man wearing a baseball cap and a black mask leisurely walking out of a nearby alley.
The man merely glanced casually at Klein's direction, then made no further stop, walking straight in the opposite direction from him.
Klein stood still, watching the man's retreating figure.
It seems to be him—
Watching the figure gradually receding into the distance, Klein fell into a dilemma.
What should I do? Should I follow him directly—but he seemed to have become somewhat alert to me just now.
However, I'm also disguised now, so he shouldn't—recognize me either.
After a moment of thought, he calmly followed, maintaining a reasonable distance.
"Excuse me, sir." Klein spoke in a normal tone, like a traveler asking for directions.
"I'd like to ask—"
"Pfft!"
The masked man did not stop but instead sped up.
Seeing this, Klein chose to follow.
"Tap, tap, tap—"
Two sets of footsteps, one in front and one behind, echoed on the empty street.
Finally, Klein cornered the masked man in a deserted dead-end alley.
"You—what exactly do you want to do?" The man turned around, his voice tinged with obvious fear.
However, before Klein could answer, he sighed heavily to himself again: "Ah—I didn't expect to be found by you.
Sir, I will find a way to repay the money my father owes you. But I really—don't have any money right now."
"Please, give me some more time—"
"What?"
This is… taking me for a debt collector? Klein was full of questions.
He spoke hesitantly: "Sir, I think you might have misunderstood. I am not a gangster, nor am I here to collect debts."
"Really?" The man's face was full of disbelief.
"Really." Klein nodded heavily, while also silently muttering to himself.
Is Lorne Disenk really that timid? No wonder he went directly to report back in Tingen.
"Oh, I know!" The man suddenly seemed to have an epiphany. "What's wrong?" Klein instantly tensed up.
"You're a loan shark!"
"Cough cough—" Klein cleared his throat, "Anyway, excuse me, are you Mr. Lorne Disenk?"
"I'm not!" The man was visibly startled, trying to squeeze past Klein, but he was blocked by him turning sideways.
"Ah—alright, I am." The man seemed to resign himself to his fate, nodding dejectedly, "But I really don't have any money."
Klein's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Do I really look that much like a gangster collecting debts?
After a brief moment of self-mockery, seeing the other party's frightened appearance, an inexplicable anger surged in Klein's heart.
It was this person! He was the one who reported me back then! He made me have to leave Tingen! Klein clenched his fist.
Calm down, calm down. Now is not the time to act on impulse, I must first stabilize him—
Klein forcibly suppressed the emotions in his heart and, using his "Clown" ability, squeezed out a relatively gentle smile.
"Mr. Disenk. My name is Sherlock Moriarty, and I am a private detective."
"Detective?"
"Mm." Klein nodded, "I was commissioned by your friend, Mr. James Scott, to specifically find you."
Actually, there was also a Miss Xio Derecha. But she has already canceled the commission. He silently added in his heart.
"So—it was him." Lorne seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, "This isn't the place to talk. You—follow me."
Seeing that the other party seemed to trust him, after hesitating for two seconds, Klein still followed Lorne to the second floor of the nearby small hotel and entered a very ordinary-looking room.
The room was small, with only a simple bed and a worn-out cabinet. It indeed looked like the kind of dwelling someone with financial difficulties would choose.
"If it's about the shares, tell James not to worry. I will absolutely keep my word. The reason I haven't gone to see him yet is mainly because my father's creditors—they found me again.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have hidden in a place like this."
"No, Mr. Disenk." Klein said, "Your friend, Mr. Scott, doesn't care about the shares. He cares about your safety."
"Is that so?" Lorne's face showed doubt.
"Yes." Klein nodded affirmatively.
Then, he recounted some of the things "James Scott" had entrusted him to ask.
Lorne seemed very surprised that his "friend" would care so much about him. He gave detailed answers to all the questions.
The two chatted pleasantly, and the atmosphere in the room became increasingly harmonious, seemingly without the previous barriers.
Seeing that the situation was very good, Klein took the opportunity to ask the question he cared about most:
"By the way, Mr. Disenk, Mr. Scott also wants to know where you went and what happened during the previous period. Since it's inconvenient for you to return to Backlund, why don't you write him another letter?"
Lorne paused: "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 your secret."
With such an opportunity presenting itself, Klein naturally had no reason to refuse. "To avoid my father's debts, I went to many places. In fact, I just returned from Bansy Harbor not long ago. Bansy Harbor? At sea?" Klein listened intently, without showing any emotion. He was silently taking notes in his mind, and also felt a bit anxious.
These are not the main points! The main point is Tingen's matter! "Actually, at first, I took a steam train and ran all the way to the north—I also hid there for a while."
Tingen is just north of Backlund! It's finally starting!
Klein forcibly suppressed his inner excitement, his face still adorned with that gentle smile, signaling the other party to continue speaking. "Hmph—that period was truly miserable. In a foreign land, with no money—"
Lorne first sighed heavily, then, as if suddenly remembering something happy, his tone became light.
"But, do you know? My luck with women seems pretty good. Back then, on Narcissus Street, I even met a very lovely girl. She was very kind-hearted and good at managing a household. We got along very well, and I even—"
Melissa!
Klein immediately realized that Lorne was talking about his sister, Melissa!
What exactly happened between you and her?! Hurry up and tell me! You're killing me with suspense!
Watching Lorne's unhurried tone, Klein became a bit 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, the dinner you ordered earlier is ready. Remember to come downstairs to the restaurant for your meal."
"Okay, I know."
Lorne turned to Klein: "Mr. Moriarty, would you like to have dinner with me?"
"No thanks, I've already had dinner before I came."
Klein gently shook his head.
Now is not the time to eat!
All I want to know now is what exactly happened between you and Melissa back in Tingen!
"Then—let's not waste any more time. Let's continue."
"Where were we just now?"
"You were saying that you met a very lovely and kind girl in Tingen." Klein reminded him.
"Oh—yes, yes, that's where we were." Lorne seemed to have an epiphany.
"But..."
"Mr. Moriarty, when did I ever say I went to Tingen?"