The Whispering Verses Chapter 101: The Baron and the Captain
Shad and Baron Lavender met in the study of the detective agency. Shad handed the cards to the Baron. The middle-aged man with a beautiful mustache almost seemed to be trembling as he took the cards:
"You are finally back in my hands."
The Baron is probably that kind of senior Rhodes fanatic.
However, due to the request of the other party in the Lakeview Manor gambling game, namely Baron Rwanda, this card cannot be held by Baron Lavender for the sake of face. So after he tested Shade's intention and determined that the "upright and kind" detective had no intention of possessing this card, he signed a detective commission agreement with Shade.
The term of the agreement is six months. During this six months, Detective Shade Hamilton will be responsible for keeping the [Ancient Fairy Tale and Flower Girl] and using it at will without loaning, renting, damaging or losing it. During the agreement, once Baron Lavender requests it, the detective must temporarily give the cards to him for use, and promises to sell the cards to Baron Lavender for 5 pounds in six months.
The commission fee for this agreement is 5 pounds, which means that Shade can get a generous reward of 10 pounds from this matter.
Although the true price of the card is more than 50 pounds, winning the bet at Lakeview Manor is Shade's promise, so the ownership of this card should originally belong to Sir Lavender. As a result, the transaction will be done half a year later at an extremely cheap price instead of the real price of the cards. Baron Lavender has explained this point many times, for fear that Shade will regret it.
In short, when the Baron paid the commission fee in one lump sum and happily came to the first floor with Shade, and after shaking hands with him and leaving, Shade stood in front of the open door and looked at the people parked on Saint Teresa Square. A flock of pigeons ponders:
"So not only did I get the temporary right to use the Rhodes card, but I was also able to earn 10 pounds... Is this considered a trap for Baron Lavender... But this is I didn’t do anything he asked for. It seems like having a few more noble friends is really good, and Rhodes cards are really a good way to make friends... Let’s go back to accounting.”
Bend down and pick up the orange cat, who is poking his head at the door and is both afraid and curious about the world outside the house. After getting up, he happened to see the middle-aged officer Captain Rades walking along Ring Square Street with his head lowered, passing Baron Lavender's carriage.
He wrapped himself in a black coat, with a wide brown leather belt encircling the hem of the coat, and the second button from the coat hung on a thread swinging around his chest:
"Hello, detective, are you waiting for me specifically?"
Even though it was morning, he still felt like he hadn't woken up yet. The captain seemed to be in a bad situation, and the expression on his face was completely opposite to that of Baron Lavender who came here happily.
But at least the beard and hair on his face are well taken care of, and his clothes are relatively neat. This shows that this middle-aged officer who suffered reputational damage because of the relic [Gun of Kindness] has not lost confidence in life.
"...Yes, Captain, please come in."
The captain came here simply to apologize, but had no intention of asking for the antique pistol. He felt extremely embarrassed about what happened in Lakeview Manor, and advocated compensating Shade for the black formal suit.
But this depressed middle-aged man seemed to be poorer than Shade and in poor mental condition, so Shade, who had benefited from the Gun of Kindness, did not ask for compensation, but kindly gave him Schneider. The business card of the psychological clinic and introduced him to Priest Augustus of Dawn Church:
"These two are my friends who I met during the commission. Maybe you can talk to them."
Xia De said very kindly, and suddenly realized that the two professions of psychologist and priest are so matched with detectives.
At the same time, he was also curious about how Captain Rades bought the relic [The Gun of Kindness], and wanted to see if there was any secret behind it.
But the captain was very embarrassed and told Shade that he had won it from drunken men playing Rhodes cards in a tavern on the front line of the Windy Trail in the south a few years ago.
Because he didn’t want others to know that he still gambled, he told his friends that it was an antique he bought. But after the disgraceful incident at Lakeview Manor, the captain no longer wanted to hold that pistol:
"To be honest, after it left me, even my sleep became sweeter, as if a heavy burden was suddenly lifted. Detective, let me keep this gun with you, and do with it as you wish."
The middle-aged man said this, but Shade knew that this was the feeling of ordinary people after being affected by the power of [Relic] for a long time.
He comforted the captain and encouraged him to live a good life. Captain Rades probably hadn't heard such words for a long time, and his favorability towards Shade doubled, and he thought of one more thing:
"However, I won not only the revolver from that down-and-out guy, but I remember there was also a trinket."
Xia De raised his eyebrows, thinking about the possibility that the jewelry was also a relic:
"What kind of jewelry is it? Can you let me see it? This gun is very good. I think that jewelry may be valuable too. I am willing to buy it."
The five pounds just obtained from Baron Lavender seems to have been used.
The captain thought for a while, touched his hair with a generous palm, and said in an uncertain tone:
"You also know that I have just returned to this city from Kasenlik as a released prisoner. When I was looking for a rental apartment, many of my previous belongings were lost. I didn't care much about those things before, after all, they were only Girls... ahem, after all, only girls like to wear trinkets. It may still be in my rental apartment, but I have to look for it."
"It's okay. Do you mind if I come with you? I just happen to have nothing to do in the morning."
Shad asked, and the captain readily agreed.
Captain Rades just came back as a prisoner, and has been in a bad situation recently. Even with the help of friends from the past, the current economic situation is not very good.
He is currently renting in Pigtail Alley in the north of the city. Although it is not a slum, it can be regarded as the lower town of Tobesk. It was far away from St. Teresa's Square in the city center, but neither Shade nor the captain mentioned taking a carriage.
The two men, who had nothing to deal with, walked together in the city of Tobesk. They actually have a lot of common topics to talk about, because the captain is a person who doesn't think too much.
Xia De can get a lot of military information from the captain just by mentioning something about the southern front. Captain Rades was really a brave and loyal officer. If it weren't for that kind gun, he might have successfully shot himself... So from this point of view, the gun should actually be regarded as saving the captain.