"Do we need to do further investigation into this corpse theft case?"
Shade then asked Iluna, the commission they took over was just to find Mrs. Fennell's body. Now that the body has been found, their mission is actually over, and they can leave this remote and gloomy place and go to the city to spend the rest of the day.
"What time is it now?"
Iluna thought for a moment and asked. Shade blinked and immediately got the answer:
"Three forty-five in the afternoon."
Detective Mario, who was standing next to the two men, thought that he was being asked, so he took out his pocket watch. After comparing the time, he found that Shade's answer was only two minutes off, and was immediately surprised:
“It’s so accurate!”
In fact, his pocket watch was running slow.
"Then let's go into the city and visit Mr. Julian."
Iluna sighed:
"Now that I've encountered this, and I still have two days off, I have to get to the bottom of this matter. Detective, I will give you an extra investigation report afterwards. If we fail to solve the problem, I will also give you the investigation record."
"OK."
Detective Mario nodded, then directed the young men he brought with him to clean up the scene and inform the relatives of the two bodies that the bodies had been found.
Shade and Iluna said hello to the old gravekeeper who was cursing the corpse snatchers, then turned and left the cemetery:
"According to the time, we can probably reach the north of the city around six o'clock. How about we have dinner together first? I know the food at the Three Cats Inn in Anthem Square is very good."
Shade suggested, and the brown-haired girl walking side by side smiled:
"Of course. But you can't bring your cat this time. It's just the two of us... I mean, we have to visit other people, so it would be very rude to bring a pet."
Before going out, Shade would usually prepare cat food for Mia in advance. Although the cat was greedy, it had never overeaten, so Shade was not worried about it.
From the public cemetery in the eastern suburbs of the city, we took a carriage all the way to the north of the city. It was still bright when we set out, but by the time Shade jumped off the carriage first and helped Iluna get off, it was already dark in the Anthem Square.
The time was 6:03, and Xia De's estimate was very accurate.
Although the municipal construction in the downtown area is far inferior to that near Saint Teresa Square, at least there are street lights installed in Anthem Square. When the lights come on, this time usually means that the vendors on Saint Teresa Square have left, leaving the residents with peace. In Anthem Square, it means the beginning of nightlife and the opening of the evening market.
"I come here quite often. Our team often takes over missions in the downtown area."
Iluna said to Shade:
"Look at that blacksmith over there."
As she walked through the square, she pointed to the blacksmith shop with the sign "Gentlemen" hanging on it, which was very conspicuous in the evening because of the glow of the furnace:
"The old blacksmith there is very skilled. The captain once helped him. So when our team commissioned him to make iron tools, he only charged the lowest price."
"Doesn't the Church of the Sun have a dedicated blacksmith?"
Xia De asked curiously, although it is now the steam age, the profession of blacksmith is still indispensable in urban life.
“Of course, but they are expensive and sometimes you have to queue.”
Iluna shrugged, looked over Shade's shoulder at the group of children running around on the side of the road, and smiled as she thought of something:
"Big cities are good. When I was training in the Holy See, I also went on business trips. There aren't many ring sorcerers in small places, and the black market doesn't have much order. Even if you are willing to spend money, sometimes you can't find what you want."
"Although Tobesk is a big city, the black market trade in Coldwater Port is actually more prosperous than here."
“I haven’t seen the sea yet.”
The 17-year-old girl said melancholy, glanced at Xia De, and the two walked into the Three Cats Inn together. Because it was evening dinner time, there were quite a few guests on the first and second floors.
The poet who played the lute sat on a high platform by the wall and played quietly. But he was not the same person Shade had seen last time. The last time he saw him was a female poet. The Three Cats Inn probably hired many bards to perform in turns. Although this did not bring the inn a considerable income on the surface, it should still be useful in attracting customers.
Many people have said that when night falls, you can find scantily clad prostitutes in this inn, but at this point in time, it looks no different from daytime.
The buzzing sound symbolized the bustle of business. Shad and Iluna chose a seat against the wall and sat down. The wooden tabletop was a little mottled due to years of wine stains, but this was more in line with the atmosphere here.
As it was a bit busy, the waiter didn't notice them, so Shad asked Iluna about her food preferences and walked to the counter to order.
"Oh, isn't this Detective Hamilton?"
The innkeeper, Mrs. Sang Mei, greeted him warmly. The gas lamp on the wall beside the counter was very soft. In the mixed smell of wine and food, he slightly turned to look in the direction where Xia De came from:
"I noticed you when you came in just now, Detective. Your female companion this time is different from the previous two times."
She smiled ambiguously, obviously treating Xia De as a playboy:
"But I have to admit that you have a pretty good eye."
Shade did not correct her view, but turned to look at Iluna, who looked around curiously and smiled at him.
"I am still the same, my companion asks for something lighter, but like me, a broth."
"You're lucky. A freshly slaughtered beef cattle was delivered this afternoon. What about the drinks? When you go out to eat with a beautiful girl, you always have to drink some wine together. This will also make it convenient for you to do other things at night."
She kindly reminded him while recording. Xia De shook his head:
"We have something else to do later, so we won't drink."
"What a shame, but since you've come at this time, you can stay a little longer. At seven o'clock, our poetess Ashala will come out to perform. She's very famous."
She reminded him again, and Xia De calculated the time. It didn't seem like a big waste of time to spend an hour eating here.
"Oh, by the way, do you know this person?"
After ordering, I wanted to turn around and leave, but then I remembered something, so I took out the photo from my notebook. The female owner tore off the paper with the order in her hand, strung it on the iron nails on the counter, and waited for the waiter to take it to the kitchen. After hearing what Xia De said, she stretched her head to look again:
"Is your business so good? It seems like you always get commissions."
What Shad took out was a photo of Mr. Toby Ullian, the brother of the missing female corpse they were looking for. It was given to him by Detective Mario.
"I don't know, who is this?"
Mrs. Sang Mei shook her head. Although Xia De felt regretful, it was understandable. The downtown area was so large that it was impossible for the female shop owner to know everyone.
"Toby Ullion."
"Oh, the brother of the girl who hanged herself?"
Mrs. Sang Mei asked with great interest.
"You know him?"
"Of course, there aren't many new things in the downtown area. Girls who hang themselves for love don't happen every month. I haven't seen them, but I've heard others talk about it."
The female shop owner smiled and said, she had nothing else to do for the time being and didn't mind chatting with Xia De:
"I heard it from a regular customer of ours. The Julian brothers and sisters have been dependent on each other since they were young. Many people know how sadly Toby Julian cried when he learned of his sister's death."
She didn't know whether the information she had was groundless or not, but since the brother and sister had a good relationship, Mr. Toby Julian should not mind cooperating with the investigation.
"Oh, I also heard that Mr. Julian seems to be getting married. Someone said that he ordered a women's wedding dress last week. It's a very expensive one. He didn't rent it, he bought it. He is really rich."
"His sister just died and he's getting married?"
Shad asked suspiciously and put two one-shilling coins on the counter. This was the cost of the meal. Without ordering any drinks, it was very cheap to have a good meal in the downtown area.
"I don't know about that, but people always have to look forward."
The female shop owner shook her head, as if sighing:
"All mortals will eventually die. It is better for the living to look forward than to be bound by the dead."
Seeing that Xia De was standing still, he swept two coins into the cardboard box under the counter and asked again:
"Detective, is there anything else? This is all I know."
"You haven't got your change yet."
Shad pointed out.
"Fivepence for all you want? Well, detective, that's all you need for my story."
Iluna had nothing else to do in the evening, so when she heard Shade suggest that they sit here for a while and wait for the famous bard to appear, she happily agreed.
So the two of them spent a full hour and a half at the Three Cats Inn, talking about the commission, their respective lives, Iluna's plan to learn the way of "balance" from Miss Carina, and even talked about Luvia.
Iluna was quite envious of the color of Luvia's eyes, and thought that those purple eyes were more beautiful than anyone else's eyes she had ever seen.
But when Shade smiled and asked the 17-year-old girl in front of him if she was willing to exchange her magical left eye with Luvia, Iluna Bea refused without thinking:
"Of course not."
It seems that Iluna is also a pragmatist.
"Why?"
Xia De asked while stirring the broth with a spoon. The mood is completely different when eating in a restaurant and eating at home.
"because... ... "
Iluna looked up at the young man sitting opposite her, smiling under the light. In her blurry eyes, she seemed to see some golden streaks on Shad's body, but they disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Raising her eyebrows, the seventeen-year-old girl smiled:
"Because you gave it to me."