Chapter 6

Leaving the house and stepping onto the main street, it was only then that he truly entered this world. Compared to the city's hustle and bustle, Xade, as he walked into it, was like a drop of water merging into the sea, insignificant.

He rarely spoke, just heading towards his destination, the "Lark Club." Along the way, he listened and observed, understanding this world, this city, and everything around him.

To put it simply, this world was somewhat like the steam revolution period of the 19th century in the past world, except that the steam industry here was even more prosperous, with a sense of moving forward along the path of steam without ever turning back.

As harmful black smoke spewed from the chimneys of factories, all sorts of peculiar inventions were also created, and the economy soared with the development of productivity.

Just as Xade had guessed, the city he was in now was the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Delarion, Tobask City, a pearl of the northern continent, a convergence point of human civilization, and the essence of the era.

A big city naturally had the appearance of a big city. Although limited by the constraints of the era, entering the alleys from the main street inevitably meant encountering piles of feces and garbage, but the appearance of a big city was still evident in the brief hour-long journey that Xade experienced.

Fortunately, the "Lark Club" was not far from the city center. If he had to cross the entire city, Xade would probably not reach it until midnight. The key point was that Xade had no money for a carriage ride.

Along the way, he also gained more information about this world from an observer's perspective. The most important point was learning the monetary system. In the current kingdom, the standard currency was divided into gold pounds, shillings, and pence, with 1 pound = 20 shillings, and 1 shilling = 12 pence.

Of course, this naming system was very similar to the British currency, not just coincidentally similar, but because Xade translated the three different currencies from the foreign language into familiar terms, as the conversion method was indeed very similar.

Unfortunately, the paper bill with the number "10" that Xade found was worth 10 pence. With the current purchasing power, this was not enough to pay for a carriage ride from his doorstep to the club's entrance.

However, if he saved and economized, 10 pence could buy the cheapest breadcrumbs at a bakery that was about to close in the evening, competing with children and housewives from the slums, ensuring that he wouldn't starve for at least three days.

"At least it's a peaceful era. As one of the largest human kingdoms, the Kingdom of Delarion, has only local friction with the prosperous Kingdom of Carsenric in the south. This is an era of peace and development, an era of progress. My luck isn't too bad."

Xade was good at comforting himself.

This world was temporarily at peace. The Kingdom of Delarion in the northern part of the old continent and the Kingdom of Carsenric in the south almost divided the world. The full-scale war ended several decades ago, and although there are still undercurrents, at least there is peace on the surface.

Club culture seemed to be a unique culture of this era. From the investigation report, Xade learned that the mistress, Lady Rasoya, visited the "Lark Club" every weekend and would stay for at least three hours.

The detective Hamilton's report speculated that this was the place where Lady Rasoya and Mr. Lawrence had their rendezvous, as Mr. Lawrence would always enter the club whenever Lady Rasoya appeared.

This was a private club with membership, and Xade did not have permission to enter. Therefore, after walking to the corner and turning onto Valente Street, he stopped at the newspaper office across from the club, as recorded in the investigation report, to observe.

This was the "Tobask Evening News" newspaper office, which was said to have royal shares. Saturdays were the busiest times for the newspaper office because it was the day of the king's speech and the parliamentary report.

A crowd would gather at the newspaper office entrance, waiting for the latest news. Professional reporters had already set out, but those waiting at the entrance were people hoping for a stroke of luck.

Xade's plan was to blend in with them. Although it was already noon, the mistress, Lady Rasoya, usually did not appear at the club in the morning. If he had good luck, he would soon spot his target.

He just needed to record the time of the lady's arrival and departure, and the report would be complete.

Completing this task so easily gave Xade a sense of unreality. But since Hamilton had almost completed everything, this was indeed one of the "legacies" left by the deceased man.

Xade held one of Hamilton's legacies, a pocket watch. When he stood by the mailbox at the newspaper office entrance, pretending to wait for someone, he finally saw the target and immediately compared her with the black-and-white photo in the report. He confirmed and recorded the time: 1:13 PM, the time Lady Rasoya appeared.

The lady was fashionably dressed, with lace on the hem of her skirt and a gemstone hair accessory, clearly expensive. She arrived at the club entrance by carriage, holding a fabric umbrella even on a cloudy day.

She was about thirty years old, of average height but with a plump figure. Although her face was heavily powdered, she was still a beauty.

Worried about being discovered and knowing he had no experience in tailing, Xade immediately averted his gaze after confirming the target.

"Observe her ring."

"What?"

The woman's whispering voice in his mind appeared again. Although Xade didn't know what she was, he still shifted his gaze to Lady Rasoya.

At this moment, the club's doorman was greeting her. As she turned, Xade clearly saw the ring. It was strange; the ring was not set with a gemstone or diamond but rather looked like a small pebble.

Of course, since he was observing from across the street, and passersby occasionally blocked his view, he wasn't sure if he had seen it correctly. Lady Rasoya quickly entered the club, not giving Xade another chance to observe.

"What does it mean? Why should I pay attention to that ring?"

He asked the voice in his mind again, but the whispering did not respond to his question. This made Xade somewhat angry, but he knew he had to control his emotions; he wasn't the type to lose his temper easily.

"Sir, what time is it?"

While he was thinking, he suddenly heard someone speaking beside him. Xade was startled, thinking his actions of standing by the mailbox and observing the club entrance on the other side of the street were too conspicuous, but he realized someone was asking for the time.

"I forgot my pocket watch."

The person asking was a middle-aged gentleman in his forties, looking quite refined and easy-going. He wore a black silk hat, a formal suit, and a white shirt, with a broad face and a well-groomed mustache. His blue eyes were very likable.

The middle-aged man smiled at Xade, who hesitated for a moment before taking out the pocket watch he had just put in his right pocket.

"1:30 PM."

He said, curious about why the middle-aged man was there. His attire didn't seem like that of a reporter waiting for news; Xade, with his notebook, looked more like one.

As if hearing Xade's thoughts, the middle-aged gentleman smiled and said:

"Thank you for the time. I have an appointment with the newspaper editor and forgot my pocket watch. I thought I would be late, but now it seems just right."

He handed over his business card, which Xade politely accepted and then handed over his own. In fact, it was the deceased Hamilton's business card, with the detective agency's address and scope of business, and the name "Hamilton Detective" without a prefix.

Since Xade had chosen "Hamilton" as his surname, he could use these business cards. He was glad there was no household registration system, and he didn't even need to forge identity documents.

The middle-aged man's name was Bill Schneider, who ran a private psychological clinic. Unlike Xade's unstable career, Schneider's clinic was quite formal, and its income was clearly more than Xade's, who was conducting his first investigation with the legacy. Evidence of this was that Xade's business card was much simpler than the doctor's, which was of better quality in both paper and printing.

"You can find me here if you need anything."

Schneider said kindly, pointing to the clinic's address on the business card, which was in the eastern district of Tobask City:

"My treatment scope is quite broad."

He looked at Xade, who, for some inexplicable reason, felt a chill as if his blue eyes could see through him.

"Including schizophrenia."

The psychologist said kindly, skilled at communicating with strangers.

"What?"

Xade's heart skipped a beat, but before he could ask, Bill Schneider quickly changed the topic:

"By the way, Detective, have you considered adult education? Correspondence courses."

"Correspondence adult education?"

The topic changed too quickly, and Xade couldn't follow:

"I don't plan to study psychology for now."

He assumed the man was a graduate of a psychology school.

The doctor, rejected by Xade, didn't press the issue:

"Alright then, goodbye."

The doctor nodded at the detective, put the business card in his pocket, and walked towards the newspaper office.

"Speaking of which, why did Dr. Schneider specifically mention schizophrenia?"

Xade stood there, thinking. He realized that hearing voices in his head was similar to what was called "schizophrenia."

"You don't have to laugh in my head. I admit your laughter is beautiful and charming, and you are definitely not a product of my schizophrenia."

Xade said to the voice in his head.

Although he was sure his condition was related to the mysterious, not schizophrenia, he was unsure what the psychologist had noticed.

"I just stepped out, and I already encountered someone possibly involved with supernatural powers. Is my luck that bad? Or is the density of supernaturals in this world higher than I imagined? Or did the psychologist just mention it casually, and I'm overthinking?"

Xade thought, carefully putting away Dr. Schneider's business card. Regardless, the current commission was the most important. Knowing the psychologist's address, he could visit anytime.

At least from their brief exchange, Dr. Schneider seemed to have no hostility. But a brief exchange couldn't reveal true intentions, and Xade wanted to understand this world a bit more before engaging in deeper interactions.