Bang, bang, bang.
The knocking on the door interrupted Lynch's train of thought. As he saw the two men brought in by Mrs. Maggie, he could not help but press his forehead, realizing his earlier guess was entirely correct.
Trouble had indeed come knocking.
The men who entered were two middle aged men in formal attire. One was short and stout with a pair of upturned mustaches, while the other was tall and thin with dark circles under his eyes.
They were the two inspectors from the Hall of Order, Inspector Bruno and Inspector Walter.
With a deep sigh, Lynch shoved the rest of his bread into his mouth and shook the invitation in his hand at the two inspectors, casting a questioning look. Seeing them nod, Lynch could only helplessly drain his coffee in one gulp and gesture for them to head upstairs for a detailed discussion.
It was not until Lynch closed the door to the second floor parlor and the two inspectors checked the window to ensure no one was eavesdropping that they finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the sofa.
The tall, thin Inspector Bruno wiped away his sweat and smiled bitterly. "I am very sorry, Mr. Detective. We are disturbing you again just as your leg injury has finally healed. But you must help us; otherwise, the entire honor of the Hall of Order will be lost because of us."
"So, has the Flaming Red Lips that was supposed to be shown at the ball really been lost?" Lynch pointed to the report in the Rhine City Investigator.
The two inspectors nodded with admiration. "Your judgment is indeed precise, Mr. Detective. This matter..."
"Stop. I do not want to be associated with such a troublesome matter." Lynch held up a finger in a shushing gesture. "Did I not recommend Officer Walker of the Rangers to you?"
Bruno explained with a bitter smile, "Officer Walker and his team have no leads. Mr. Detective, you were, after all, the first to come into contact with this case, and you clearly understand some of the inside story. Otherwise, you would not have directed me to contact Officer Walker and his team so directly. Please, help us. If not, the loss of face for the Hall of Order is one thing, but the entire Rhine City and even the whole Kingdom of Lande will be affected. If that happens, it will not be as simple as patrolling the Green Wheat District anymore."
"Tsk, is that princess's status that high, or is she just that formidable?"
The question slipped out, and Lynch immediately regretted it, wanting to slap himself. Unfortunately, it was too late to take it back. Bruno immediately explained:
"The banking industry of the Kingdom of Salter is very developed, and twenty percent of the construction funds for the Norin-Rhine Railway come from loans from the banks of the Kingdom of Salter. That Princess Chloe is supported by several major bankers. If she is angered, those banks might withdraw their funding. If the project comes to a halt, we will become the sinners of all Lande. I believe His Majesty the King and the Governor would be very willing to have us both hung in Crown Square to blow in the wind for half a month. Mayor Hoffman even believes that the thief's goal might not be the Flaming Red Lips at all, but rather to use it to anger Princess Chloe and indirectly sabotage the Norin-Rhine Railway project."
Hmm? It involves the railway too?
Lynch's expression became solemn. If it were just an ordinary theft involving mysteries, he would certainly stay out of it, but since it was connected to the railway incident, he had to consider it carefully. After all, he was currently worried about having no entry point and could only wait for the Watchers' data; a little more information was always good.
Moreover, this matter itself was very intriguing. What if... he listened first? Just listening should not deepen the connection, right?
【Heh.】
'Do not laugh like that. I know I am just comforting myself, but being tortured by curiosity can kill a man. That is why they say curiosity killed the cat.'
【So that is how that phrase is explained in human language.】
'Yes, that is it.'
Lynch sighed, knowing he had already lost to the mystery connection, and could only say helplessly, "Fine. For His Majesty the King and for Lande, tell me, what is the whole story?"
The two inspectors looked at each other, their tense expressions relaxing quite a bit. The short, stout Inspector Walter smiled and explained, "The Flaming Red Lips is one of the treasures of Salter. It has high value in itself, and it is said to have other special meanings."
"Hmm? What kind of meaning?"
"I apologize, Mr. Detective." Inspector Walter said awkwardly. "This is Princess Chloe's secret. If you want to know, you must ask Her Highness the Princess. We only know that it perhaps has some special function that can help locate a certain legendary item. As for what that item is, we do not know."
Lynch frowned and asked, "With something so important, why did she bring it out and run around?"
"Those are just stories and legends from hundreds or thousands of years ago. No one knows if they are true. In reality, it is just a very expensive gemstone. No one would care if it has any symbolism, unless that symbolism makes the price even higher."
Lynch smiled noncommittally and gestured for them to continue.
"To ensure the safety of the gemstone, Princess Chloe secretly sent it to the largest bank in Rhine, the Douglas Bank, to be kept in their vault. This was done in secret, and no one should have known the gemstone was at Douglas's. Furthermore, Douglas himself did not know the significance of the gemstone. Everything was fine for months, until the gemstone was stolen on the fifth."
Bruno immediately continued, "After you left that day, we interrogated Douglas carefully, but we did not get any useful leads. Although we locked onto the viscount who came to withdraw money as a suspect, in reality, that viscount was still in Friedman and never came to Lande. What Douglas saw was merely a fake. Since you are a special consultant for the Governor's Office and have had close contact with the target, we hoped you would join the investigation to find the gemstone as soon as possible."
Lynch suddenly realized that this was the reason the Hall of Order was asking him for help. The responsibility of this matter was too great, and if not handled well, the consequences would be endless. These people were afraid they could not shoulder such a heavy burden, but with Lynch wearing the title of Duke's consultant, as long as they pulled him in, there would be one more person to take the blame.
Lynch did not mind this, only smiling as he shook the invitation in his hand. "It seems you have already discussed this idea with Princess Chloe. This thing is the Princess's response."
"Yes, this matter needs to be handled in secret. Princess Chloe cannot come here or to the Hall of Order. If you have any questions you want to ask her, you can only find an opportunity for a private conversation at the ball. That is why this invitation exists. We were worried you would not be willing to accept this commission, so we intended to come early to explain the situation to you."
"It is too early to say whether I will accept the commission." Lynch hesitated for a moment, but in the end, caution prevailed. "However, I accept the invitation to the ball. Tomorrow, I will go talk to that Princess. As for whether I accept the commission, I will decide after learning the detailed situation tomorrow."
The two inspectors did not show any disappointment at all. Instead, they hurriedly left with their canes, as if they feared Lynch would change his mind if they stayed too long. This made Lynch a bit suspicious; he felt they simply hoped he would accept the invitation to the ball. However, after thinking it over several times, there should not be any danger in it, so Lynch said no more and took the initiative to see them to the door.
Just as he stepped outside, he saw a plain, low-profile black carriage parked outside the apartment. An old woman poked her head out of the carriage window and offered Lynch a kind smile.
Seeing this person, Lynch felt his blood flow accelerate, and he had an urge to cheer aloud.
Because from her, he sensed a familiar piece of information.
【Karina's Exquisite Makeup.】
Miss Diana de Valente had finally woken up from her half-month coma and appeared outside Apartment 221 for the first time.
Rate on N.U.
