**Expense of Public Funds.**
Goethe was quite familiar with the Garden Club.
He knew the ins and outs, how to handle himself.
So, he was well aware of what could be done with 5 gold tickets there.
The entrance fee was 1 silver coin.
The fee for a tea seat was 1 silver coin.
And a dance cost 1 silver coin.
Of course, if it was just dancing, 5 gold tickets would be more than enough to dance until dawn. However, some of the special services inside required extra, high-priced fees.
5 gold tickets?
Barely enough for two of those.
But why did Morley want him to go to the Garden Club? Was it a better place to talk?
Or...
Could the so-called "Fog Murderer" be hiding there?!
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Goethe's expression tightened.
It wasn't impossible; after all, the "friend" he had personally thrown out of a window was someone he had met at the Garden Club.
At this, a thought suddenly occurred to Goethe.
"Could the reason the Wayne family was targeted be because the previous 'Goethe' inadvertently offended the 'Fog Murderer' at the Garden Club?"
Goethe's expression changed several times.
This is bad! A disaster!
Standing there, he began to recall the memories belonging to the previous 'Goethe,' but he found nothing.
The memories of 'Goethe' from the past 19 years weren't particularly complex, but finding an 'enemy' that even 'Goethe' himself had no memory of was difficult.
Even narrowing it down to the Garden Club didn't help.
After thinking for a moment and finding no results, Goethe shook his head and turned to go downstairs.
The Garden Club didn't operate during the day; it only opened at 7 PM.
And it was only 8 AM now, with a full 11 hours left.
With so much time, Goethe wasn't about to sit idle.
He hailed a public carriage once more.
Half an hour later, he got off in front of "Ale's Bar."
Without greeting anyone, Goethe pushed open the door.
"Sorry, we're closed."
"If you need anything, come back in the evening."
The waiter, who was cleaning, didn't even lift his head as he spoke.
Goethe glanced at him and then at the drunkards in the corner of the bar, and he flicked a silver coin onto the bar.
"One 'Hunter,' please."
Goethe said.
"Right away, sir."
The waiter, who had just said they were closed, immediately sprang into action.
In less than three minutes, a whiskey mixed with honey and pomegranate juice was placed in front of him.
A crimson hue, a spicy taste, yet with a hint of sweetness.
Savoring the 'Hunter,' Goethe could almost see a hunter enduring all sorts of hardships, braving death, capturing his prey, and enjoying the satisfaction.
"The drink is good."
"I hope the rest doesn't disappoint me."
Goethe put down the glass.
"Of course!"
"As long as you have enough money, we have the best hunters in Roost!"
The waiter said with a smile.
Ale's Bar was known as Roost's Hunter Bar.
In the previous 'Goethe's' memory, he had once sought help here but was humiliated.
This humiliation was what had made 'Goethe' become reckless.
To this, aside from finding it naive, Goethe had no other comments.
To seek help from others without being willing to pay the slightest price...
How could there be such a good deal in the world?
Even the so-called great philanthropists have their needs.
If not for profit, then for fame.
Of course, there are good people.
But they are rare.
At least, the previous 'Goethe' had never met one.
As for the current Goethe?
He had.
That's why he had chosen to retire in his hometown.
Unfortunately, on his first day of retirement, he ended up in this strange place just from grabbing some food on the roadside.
Sigh!
Taking a deep breath, Goethe suppressed the lament in his mind. He took out his wallet without hiding it, and directly placed the largest denomination gold ticket on the bar.
"Find the relatives of 'Goethe Wayne.' Ten gold coins for each person found, one gold coin for providing accurate information on their whereabouts."
"And also..."
"If anyone knows what happened to the Wayne family, these 100 gold coins are theirs."
Goethe explained in detail.
**Spend where it's needed, save where it's not.**
Although Goethe liked money, he was definitely not a miser.
Especially when it came to spending money where it mattered, Goethe never hesitated.
For example, in the current situation, although Swart had agreed to investigate Dr. Hod for him, and Morley had established a 'partnership' with him, Goethe knew that some things still needed to be done by himself.
For instance: finding his relatives' whereabouts.
Even though he knew that these relatives had already met their demise.
However, the person who did it, and those around them, didn't know that.
This would help build his persona.
Of course, it wasn't all just an act.
There was a chance he could catch a big fish.
He might even gain [Bloody Honor].
But that would depend on luck.
It would depend on how much control the 'Fog Murderer' had over his subordinates, and how much gold was at stake.
With this in mind, Goethe placed a 50-gold ticket from his wallet onto the bar.
A total of 150 gold tickets!
Looking at the gold tickets on the bar, the smiling waiter's grin grew even wider.
150 gold coins weren't a small amount in the Hunter Bar.
If the deal went through, he would immediately receive a considerable commission.
If not?
The boss would still give him a bonus.
It was a win-win situation.
So, the waiter immediately began to explain everything to Goethe diligently.
"The bounty will appear tonight and will last for four weeks. If someone completes the task during this time, we will notify you immediately. If the task is not completed, we will refund the full amount, and our boss will offer you a free service—within his capabilities."
"If you agree, please sign here."
"This will be your proof, though you can burn it if you wish. I'll remember you."
As the waiter spoke, he handed Goethe two slips of paper.
The slips were about three fingers wide and less than 10 centimeters long, with a blank front and a raised number on the back, clearly a security feature of the Hunter Bar.
After signing both slips, Goethe handed one back to the waiter and kept the other.
Placing the slip in his wallet, Goethe downed his 'Hunter' in one gulp and then turned to leave.
"Wishing you safety."
The waiter called out loudly.
Because he had already seen the two drunkards in the corner wake up and follow Goethe out.
Warning them was the extent of the waiter's help.
Helping beyond that?
Don't be ridiculous.
He was just a waiter.
These matters were for the bar's security to handle.
And the security guards didn't work during the day.
"Hope it turns out okay."
The waiter said half-jokingly, then turned back to his cleaning.
Mind your own business, don't meddle in others' affairs, and report any issues to the boss for him to handle.
That's what his boss told him on his first day at work.
And the last waiter who didn't listen had been shot in the head.
**Someone's following me!**
Goethe realized it immediately.
When he pulled out his wallet without trying to hide it, he had anticipated that something like this might happen.
But he did it anyway.
Proactively causing trouble?
No!
Goethe never actively sought trouble; he would just occasionally "borrow" some money from a 'helpful brother.'
Especially after spending a large sum just now.
Turning a corner, Goethe sped up and dashed into an alley.
The two men who were following quickly sped up as well, but as soon as they entered, they were blinded by a cloud of white dust.
And then...
A searing pain!
**Lime!**
"Aaargh... Ugh!"
The two men screamed, but then felt a sharp pain between their legs.
**A groin kick!**
Goethe expertly delivered a swift kick to each, and as they bent over clutching their groins, he swung the butt of his revolver at the back of their heads, striking each one down.
**Thud, thud!**
Two muffled sounds later, the men were out cold.
Goethe began searching their bodies.
A total gain of 1 gold coin, 10 silver coins, and 15 copper pennies.
Two half-used revolvers, several bullets, and two daggers.
If the two revolvers were sold with the bullets, they would be worth about 2-4 gold coins; the daggers wouldn't fetch more than 2 silver coins.
"Penniless fools!"
Goethe sneered.
Back home, each of the 'helpful brothers' had at least contributed five figures to him.
If he ran into one of those 'brothers' in finance, it would be a six-figure sum at the minimum.
Not letting the two unconscious 'good Samaritans' go, Goethe called over a patrol officer.
"I'm a friend of Swart's. These two tried to rob me, and I suspect they might be wanted criminals."
Goethe said to the officer.
The young officer looked at Goethe, who was completely unscathed, and then at the two unconscious men on the ground, his mouth twitching.
The older officer reacted quickly.
"Understood. We'll take them back to the station immediately. If they are wanted criminals, we'll transfer the bounty to you right away."
The senior patrol officer said.
"Thank you."
Goethe expressed his gratitude, then conveniently took the police carriage back to the station.
Typically, patrol officers conduct their duties on foot, but during arrests, prisoner transports, or emergency situations, they can use police carriages.
Although taking a public carriage would have worked too, saving even one and a half copper pennies was worth it.
Goethe understood the principle of "saving grains to build a tower, collecting small streams to form a river."
Just as he returned to Swart's office and before he could sit down, Swart hurriedly pushed the door open and entered.
"Goethe!"
After closing the door behind him, Swart walked over with a grim expression, lowering his voice—
"Dr. Hod is dead!"
(End of Chapter)