Chapter 4

"Since I now have a short-term goal, my current plan is to conduct a more detailed inspection of the room, search for currency, find a city map, and investigate books. I need to understand the world through the written word, explore the historical background and religious customs, and carefully adapt to this place. I need to decide whether to stay for three months to help the detective complete that task, and then make plans after understanding everything."

Xiaode summarized the current situation, accepting the fact that the detective was dead. The worst situation was not the existence of mysteries in this world, but the lack of any memories from the original owner, which left him completely unfamiliar with this world. Apart from this, the current situation was not too bad.

Standing up, Xiaode walked in the direction of the bathroom.

The gas lamp in the bathroom had some issues; even when adjusted to maximum power, it could only emit a faint light.

In this light, he looked at the person in the mirror: dull golden hair, dark brown eyes, a distinctly Western male face, around 20 years old, with a somewhat nervous expression, and a height of about 1.8 meters.

After all, he used to be a homeless person, so his appearance was not particularly outstanding, but in Xiaode's own aesthetic standards, it was still considered decent.

"This is me. Don't be startled by the stranger in the mirror in the future."

He cautiously reminded himself, but did not immediately leave the mirror. Instead, he cautiously looked around and then whispered:

"Hey, hello, are you still there?"

He tried to communicate again with the woman's voice he had heard, to determine what she was. But after a long time with no response, he had to accept the reality and give up for now.

Next, he needed to find currency. When he searched the kitchen earlier, he found no food, and this body was clearly hungry. So, he needed to temporarily forget other worries and get money to eat.

But another unexpected event occurred. About half an hour later, Xiaode sat back on the sofa bathed in warm yellow light, his face showing an indescribable panic.

In his hand was a banknote with the number 10 written on it. The banknote had many creases and stains and was smaller than the cards in the diary. The front side had a portrait, and the back side had the royal emblem of the Delarion Kingdom.

After searching the entire house, flipping through all the books and documents, and checking all the pockets in the wardrobe, Xiaode found only this one banknote, which seemed to have slipped into the gap behind the bookshelf by accident.

"Could it be that the prices in this world are so special that this one banknote can sustain me for three months?"

Even using this joking method to comfort himself, he knew it was impossible.

"I'm in trouble."

He leaned back slightly, resting his head on the sofa back, closed his eyes, and looked up at the white ceiling:

"Mr. Hamilton, where did you hide the money? You wouldn't leave me without a penny after I agreed to stay, would you?"

Even though he felt terrified, he really wanted to catch up with the carriage carrying the coffin and shake the corpse inside to question him.

If there was a language barrier, he could still survive with some cleverness; if he had a disability, he could still survive with bravery. But without money, it was completely impossible.

Mr. Spike Hamilton apparently did not cook at home, as there was not even a single leaf of vegetables in the kitchen, so there were no dead rats either. Xiaode did not know when this body last ate, but he clearly needed to eat now.

Considering human limits, Xiaode had to immediately find a way to get money or find a way to earn money. Otherwise, he might be forced to find a restaurant on the map and search for a trash can in the alley outside the restaurant for luck after sunset.

"No, that won't happen."

He looked at the only banknote in his hand with a very frightening expression, his face as dark as the sky outside:

"Although I don't know the value, it's at least money. There's also the [Sun 3] card in the diary. These can help me survive. But since I can't find money for now, I need to consider a long-term way to earn money."

The knowledge of a穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越者" in English, but in this context, it means "a person who has traveled through time or space") might be valuable, but in a strange place, converting knowledge into money is not only troublesome but also dangerous, especially in a world with mysterious forces.

He thought about the fact that this was a detective agency, and Mr. Hamilton mentioned before his death that he left some relatively safe tasks for the "not very smart" Xiaode to maintain the detective's identity and keep the agency running.

Since he couldn't find the dead detective's money, he had to prepare for the worst and consider future means of making a living.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Hamilton knew that the original Xiaode was not very intelligent, so he must have left simple tasks to maintain the operation of the detective agency. So, maybe he has already solved those cases, and I just need to collect the money! Although this world has mysteries, ordinary people's lives are still the mainstream."

Xiaode had a sudden inspiration, got up, and took the diary from the bedside table in the master bedroom. He also found the detective's ledger, memo, and work diary in the study. Although he didn't find any money, he found these items.

Detective Spike Hamilton was a very organized and meticulous person. Even though Xiaode had not studied accounting or business management, he found the agency's operational records to be detailed and touching. Of course, Xiaode was moved because the unsolved cases in the agency were really very simple and mostly completed.

"Finding Miss White's runaway sister, following Mr. Lawrence's mistress, searching for the lost orange cat Miao Miao, and inquiring about a doctor who can treat eye diseases all seem simple and not very dangerous. Oh, Mr. Hamilton has already handled most of them. If I stay to run this place, solving one case in two or three weeks is enough to keep the agency running."

Xiaode summarized while flipping through Mr. Hamilton's handwritten reports. But what he needed now was not a long-term operation of the detective agency, but a short-term way to get money to sustain his life.

After comparing the remaining difficulty, payment method, and amount of the four tasks, Xiaode decided to first solve the "following Mr. Lawrence's mistress" commission.

From the case report, Detective Hamilton had been following for several months but stopped recently due to poor health. The current report could be submitted to the client to settle the remaining payment. However, Mr. Hamilton left a note in the report, specifically considering Xiaode's limited literacy, using simple words.

The note said that if he intended to complete this commission, it would be best to have recent records before submitting, which would increase the payment and avoid the client's suspicion.

In other words, Xiaode just needed to follow once more to complete the commission. Although it wouldn't be a perfect completion, it would meet the client's, Mrs. Lawrence's, requirements and allow him to collect the remaining payment of 1 pound 4 shillings, marked as 1 pound 7 shillings in the report.

From the tone of the detective's notes, this was a considerable payment.

Xiaode chose this commission not only because of the payment but also because such a commission to help a wife catch her husband's mistress was simple and unlikely to cause issues during the final handover. Detective Spike Hamilton was not a famous detective, but he was very skilled in handling extramarital affairs investigations.

Xiaode did not want to stay in the terrifying house where someone had just died, drinking cold water and eating paper to survive. So, he prepared to start the investigation and aimed to submit the report to the client before dusk.

"No problem, I'll complete this commission first, get the first payment, and then gradually explore the dead detective's secrets and figure out the source of the voice in my head. Everything will get better!"

He encouraged himself, first finding the city map. Based on the detective's legacy report and the calendar on the wall, he deduced the possible location where the mistress, Mrs. Lassia, might appear. This was simple work, but the most difficult step was finding his current location on the "Tobask City Map."

The Tobask City Map in the agency had many annotations left by the previous detective, including the locations of bars where he often gathered information and black markets for "sensitive items."

However, the original detective did not have the habit of marking his home on the map. Fortunately, Xiaode found a past tracking record while searching through the documents, which included the route of that operation, confirming that the apartment was located at No. 6, Saint Dara Square, in the center of Tobask City.

"Thank you, Detective Spike Hamilton, for recording everything in such detail. This is a house right next to the city center square. Hmm? How much would a house in this area cost?"

Xiaode was surprised, and his heart rate suddenly increased, the panic and tension momentarily replaced by a surge of excitement.

He looked at the documents in his hand and muttered:

"In other words, I am now in the capital city of one of the two major kingdoms in the world, the Delarion Kingdom, and I have an apartment next to the city center square. I actually have such a house and still worry about starving to death?"

The oppressive mood from earlier suddenly lifted, but the house couldn't be immediately converted into cash, and Xiaode did not intend to abandon the three-month commission left by Mr. Hamilton. At least, he needed to establish a foothold before considering further.

But at least, a very sincere smile replaced the nervous expression on his face. With a house in such a prime location, he didn't have to worry about his smile gradually fading. Xiaode realized that he had even found the will, but he hadn't found any property deeds.

"Is this apartment rented?"

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. If he could afford a house in such a prime location, why would he need to run a detective agency? Renting out the house would be enough to support himself. Even if the detective's business was not just for profit, the interior decoration did not seem to belong to Detective Hamilton.

"In other words, I might have to pay an unknown amount of rent every month?"

Xiaode reached this conclusion, and then looked at the calendar hanging on the living room wall again.

It was the third week of June, the Sun Month of 1853. If he had to pay rent, it was likely to be at the beginning of each month.

"This world also has a 12-month system, and the dates in each month are similar to before. Otherwise, I might as well run away, pack my clothes, pull my suitcase, and start my journey in this mysterious world as a homeless person. Staying here not only means no income, but Mr. Hamilton might have left unknown debts."

Xiaode thought about the possibility of running away, but he also considered the risks and decided to stay and face the challenges.