"Monster."
In the luxurious carriage pulled by four horses, Lex recalled what Kail had said.
'Grego is a magical creature from the Monster pathway. Rudolph, that is, my friend. When he concocted his first potion for himself, due to some accident, that parrot drank it.'
Lex looked out the window. The street had come to an end, and after turning right, it would be the Violet Hotel.
"I know that Sequence 8 of the Monster pathway is Robot, Sequence 7 is Lucky One, and Sequence 6 is Calamity Priest. That information came from the Watcher. So, if I want to help that parrot, no, help Grego advance, I have a direction to follow."
"But for now, I should focus on my own advancement. As for Grego, we'll talk about him later."
The carriage turned the corner of the street, which allowed Lex to see Detective Robin appearing from a main street ahead. Clearly, he was going to the inn to find him, but Lex saw Robin suddenly turn into an alley. However, the Detective quickly reappeared.
The corner of Lex's mouth curved slightly upwards. It seems our Detective Mister is very cautious. Is he conducting anti-reconnaissance to prevent being followed?
The carriage stopped. Lex climbed out of the compartment and saw Robin quickly approaching.
He gestured to the Detective, indicating for him to follow him into the inn. Lex did not stop and wait, but walked into the inn first.
Inside the door, he saw Robin pass by without entering, quickly walking to the other side.
Lex guessed that the Detective was probably going to circle around and come back. He smiled and commented, "Cautious enough, worthy of a private Detective."
Not long after returning to his room, Lex had just taken off his coat when Robin arrived.
"Come, let's talk inside. Matthew, two cups of Marquis Black Tea."
Lex led him into his bedroom and glanced at the parrot Grego. The latter actually understood Lex's meaning, letting out a few 'squawks' to make himself seem like an ordinary parrot.
After Matthew delivered the Black Tea, he closed the door for them. Lex leaned back in his chair and said with a smile, "It seems Mister Robin has already made some progress."
Robin smiled and said, "A little, yes, so I'd like to give Mister Lex a progress report."
Lex picked up his teacup, "Please have some tea."
"Thank you."
Robin gently blew on the rim of the cup, took a small sip of the fragrant tea, cleared his throat, then pulled out a notepad from the inner pocket of his coat, opened it, and began to speak while looking at it.
"These past few days, I conducted a preliminary investigation into Mister Sandy and learned some basic information about him."
"He is 35 years old this year. After his wife passed away two years ago, he has remained unmarried and has been raising his son, Daniel, alone."
"He works at the Horse Riding Club on Halls Street as an auditor and has extensive work experience. He has been working at the club for over three years, and his reputation among colleagues is quite good. Aside from a minor flaw in his lifestyle, he can be considered a kind Mister."
Robin paused, cleared his throat, first glanced at Lex, and then continued.
"Mister Sandy and a female employee in the auditing department, Jenny, have a more-than-friendly relationship. They secretly date, sometimes even in the office."
"Moreover, this Miss Jenny is a married woman. Employees in the auditing department, and even the club, are more or less aware of this matter. Therefore, their relationship is in a semi-transparent state."
"But no one blames them for it; most pretend not to know to avoid awkwardness."
"Hmm, I already know about this, and Sandy himself told me," Lex said, holding his teacup. "Anything else?"
Robin nodded, turning a page. "I also investigated Mister Randy's financial situation. This Mister's salary at the club is 3 pounds per week. Additionally, he handles some auditing work for small companies that don't have financial personnel. Of course, these side jobs don't provide a fixed income."
"However, I calculated it. Including these private incomes, Mister Sandy averages 4 pounds per week."
"In Tingen, and even domestically, a weekly salary of 4 pounds can allow a family to live a bit more decently, especially since Mister Sandy only has one son, greatly reducing expenses. Therefore, he can live quite well."
"I checked; he has no debts and no bank loans. His financial situation is very good; he doesn't seem to be bankrupt."
"And I also found out that he suddenly submitted his resignation to the club two weeks ago. Furthermore, he entrusted a housing agency to find him a new residence, seemingly preparing to move."
Lex said, 'Oh,' and leaned forward slightly. "You mean Sandy is preparing to resign from the club, and he's also planning to move?"
Robin nodded. "That's right, and I find this very strange. Mister Sandy has no reason to do this. Although with his abilities, he could find a decent job after leaving the club, it might not be as easy as the club."
"Also, the contract for his current rented house has not expired yet. If he moves out, he would have to pay a penalty for breach of contract, though he can afford it."
Lex gently tapped the table with his fingers. "Continue to investigate. Focus on Mister Randy's resignation. This matter might be related to his suicide."
"However, you still need to pay attention to safety. Absolutely do not enter the club. As for other matters, you can handle them as you see fit."
With that, Lex opened his wallet and pulled out banknotes until they amounted to 20 pounds.
"Also, I will give you an address. Next time, you can send the report by mail."
"Here, this is your payment for your work during this period."
He smiled and pushed the money towards the Detective.
Robin gladly accepted the money. "Thank you for your generosity, Mister Lex. I believe I will have new information for you very soon."
"I look forward to it."
After Lex wrote down the address of the safe house for him, he called Matthew and had the manservant escort the Detective out. After the door closed, Grego in the birdcage flapped his wings and said, "Are you two playing a Detective game? Rudolph often played this game with me. Oh, Rudolph is my owner, a rude, unimaginative, and utterly unfunny fellow."
"Oh, then who played the Detective, was it you, Grego, or Rudolph?" Lex asked with interest.
"It was Rudolph, and I was the assistant." The parrot Grego paused, then flapped his wings and looked at Lex, "How do you know my name?"
"Did you see Rudolph?"
Lex sighed softly, "I didn't see him, but I know he's dead. You don't have to be too sad, Grego. From now on, I'll be your owner."
The parrot tilted his head. "Sad? Why should I be sad?"
Then he flapped his wings and squawked, "I'm so happy! No, there's still a small regret. He should have died under my Dragon's breath. What a pity, what a great pity."
Lex said in surprise, "Didn't you say this morning that you were very sad, and I even saw you crying? Weren't those reactions because you sensed Rudolph had died?"
Grego glanced at him, raised his head, and spat out two words that made Lex want to strangle him: "Idiot!"