The elderly man dressed as a butler was somewhat taken aback by Detective Moriarty's refusal.
"The reward for this commission will be exceedingly generous," he said.
Klein smiled, saying, "Not unless I know your true purpose and who your employer is."
Had he not previously encountered Mr. Gale, he might have been inclined to believe the old man's words. But having visited the Rosewood Pavilion and met Mr. Gale, Klein had formed his own judgments about what the man was involved in. He wasn't about to take the old man's claims at face value.
"Very well, very well." The old man took a deep breath, "If not for a friend's strong recommendation, I wouldn't be telling you this."
His tone turned grave, "My employer is Lord Ashbourne. He finds Mr. Gale's exploitation of the women of Backlund utterly despicable and wishes to rescue them. As for your payment... if you uncover any one of the three points mentioned earlier, you'll receive 50 pounds. If you obtain all the information we need, I'll pay you 180 pounds!"
For an investigative commission, this was indeed a substantial reward, but it also hinted at the difficulty of the task.
As for the employer's true motives, Klein wasn't entirely convinced. He stood and said, "Excuse me, I need to visit the washroom."
He was inclined to accept the commission, as Mr. Gale intrigued him. But he needed to divine whether taking this job would entail danger... after all, Mr. Gale was also a Beyonder.
Inside the washroom, Klein took out his yellow crystal pendulum. Silently, he recited:
"Accepting this commission is dangerous."
"Accepting this commission is dangerous..."
After repeating it seven times, he watched as the pendulum slowly rotated clockwise.
This indicated slight danger, but it was manageable.
*Whoosh*
He pulled the toilet's flush lever, creating the illusion of use, then returned to the living room and told the old man, "I accept the commission."
With no pressing matters at hand, Klein decided to investigate Mr. Gale while also probing Lord Ashbourne's intentions...
....
~Saturday afternoon, Gale's Herbal Shop~
Simon paid another visit to report his findings to Odis:
"I treated a few attendants from the underground fighting arena to a meal and finally found a way to gather information about other fighters. There's a male servant responsible for cleaning the referee's room and the rest areas. During his work, he gets to observe many matches and knows a lot about the fighters."
The cunning underground fight promoter grinned, "I've established a long-term arrangement with him. For 5 pounds each time, he'll provide intel on opponents. If he hasn't seen a particular fighter himself, he can ask around."
Odis nodded slowly, "Good. I'll cover the 5 pound fee, no need to deduct it from your share."
"Yes, yes. I knew you wouldn't skimp on such a small sum," Simon replied with a smile.
Odis had become his golden goose, netting him an extra 20–30 pounds a week. It was only natural he'd be deferential now.
Simon continued, "This match is different from the last one. It seems that after learning about your special weapon, they've decided not to let you participate in armed combat for now. Instead, it'll be a no-holds-barred brawl... The rules align with most underground arenas in Backlund: the match ends when someone is knocked out or surrenders."
"...Your opponent is named Eden. Rumor has it he has some Extraordinary abilities. He can make people unlucky, prone to tripping, and even create flashes of light or fog. But the most bizarre thing is, he can effortlessly push through walls and hide inside rooms."
Odis immediately realized that this had to be a 'Trickmaster'. Among Low-Sequence Beyonders, 'Trickmasters' were known for their versatile abilities.
Their Tumble spell in particular... It was highly effective in free combat. However, Odis also knew this Sequence had significant weaknesses, such as low durability and poor defense.
"I see," he nodded, reaching for his pipe before setting it back down.
The smoke from the fire at Capim's villa two days ago had left his throat irritated. An ordinary person would've been coughing for days, but as a Sequence 8, Odis only felt mild discomfort.
Simon added, "Also, tomorrow's match has been moved to the afternoon. Please be ready, I'll pick you up at two."
Preoccupied with strategizing against the 'Trickmaster', Odis merely grunted in acknowledgment.
"Oh, and one more thing, I've heard a rumor, though I'm not sure if it's true." Simon added.
Odis motioned for him to continue.
"Apparently, your opponent, Eden, belongs to a fighting syndicate. This group is mostly made up of top fighters from underground arenas, and they retaliate against anyone who defeats them."
Odis smirked, asking, "What's the arena's stance on them?"
Simon grinned, revealing yellowed teeth, "The arena only cares about exciting matches."
His implication was clear: because the syndicate delivered thrilling fights, the arena turned a blind eye to their activities.
Odis nodded...
He was familiar with this organization. One of the reasons why he decided to actively participate in this Beyonder competition wasn't just to hone his skills, it was also to target this very group.
On the surface, they seemed to be involved in match-fixing, but they also carried out shady dealings for the nobility.
Back when he was a Sequence 9, Odis had repeatedly reported their crimes to the 'Machinery Hivemind'. Yet, pressured by the aristocracy, the 'Machinery Hivemind' had failed to arrest them or even conduct a proper investigation.
Of course, Odis hadn't had a full plan initially. It was only in the past couple of days that he'd realized he could exploit the syndicate's traits to eliminate some of its members.
After Simon left, Odis prepared for the next day's match by donning a knight's uniform inscribed with a Defensive Array. As long as he could withstand the Trickmaster's spells, getting close would make victory easy.
With his basic strategy in place, Odis returned to the backyard to continue writing the 'Outline of Combat'...
....
Klein's investigation into Mr. Gale began at the Rosewood Pavilion...
That night, under the cover of darkness, he lay in ambush in an alley behind the dance hall. After waiting for over half an hour, he finally saw some of the attendants leave after their shift.
Klein stealthily followed one of them, knocked him unconscious, and dragged him into a secluded, shadowy lane.
First, he used Amantha pure dew and essential oils extracted from soporific flowers (materials rich in Spirituality) to relax the man's soul. Then, he erected a wall of Spirituality and began spirit channeling.
Since Klein didn't know whether this man was good or evil, he employed a gentler method of spirit channeling, one he'd learned from Ms. Daly, to minimize harm.
Forcing a channeling would have caused irreversible damage to the target's Body of Heart and Mind.
Soon, the unconscious attendant suddenly sat up, his eyes glazed and unfocused.
Klein, meanwhile, used Cogitation to enter a semi-lucid trance, allowing his Spirit Body to breach the Spirit World and invade the other's Body of Heart and Mind.
In that instant, countless memories flooded Klein's awareness...