Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1006: The New Client

At the book club, Director Anlos heard some insider information. He knew it was related to the Church and those mysterious events, so he just touched his nose and said nothing.

"Speaking of which, does this count as work-related injury?"

Shard joked and then his expression became slightly serious:

"I investigated and found that sometimes Her Highness sneaks out. I initially thought she wanted to meet with a mysterious person, like the so-called ’grey-headed eagle,’ but finally discovered Her Highness just seemed to want to explore the city."

"We also know that sometimes Her Highness goes out on her own. The Carsonrick Mission is quite helpless about this. But she wants to see the city, and we can’t blame her; we can only do our best to ensure her safety. However, I don’t think Her Highness would personally meet the grey-headed eagle. She could just have those around her arrange such things."

Director Anlos analyzed while sitting on the sofa:

"You’ve been doing well lately, and His Majesty has heard about your interactions with Her Highness at social events. Regardless of whether she came with another purpose, we just need to ensure that there are always our people around her in any occasion."

Saying this, he took out a card and handed it to Shard:

"Continue working next week. On Friday, Her Highness will visit the Draleon Third National Mechanical Institute in the University District for a tour and lecture, from morning until evening. This is the entry permit for the National Academy of Mechanics; you should go with them on that day. There will be many people, so pay attention to whether any suspicious individuals contact Her Highness. Try to directly interact with the Princess; we all know you have a good relationship with her. If possible, we hope you can stay close to Her Highness."

"Alright."

Shard took the entry permit, and Director Anlos then stood up as he was very busy and had no time to stay long with Shard:

"After the visiting group leaves, His Majesty will reward those who have meritorious deeds, and there will also be rewards internally at the Sixth Department. I won’t contact you often recently; you shouldn’t contact the Sixth Department either...

This was why he personally came:

"Recently our agents are not only fighting against the Grey Glove. There are indeed many strange people in the city. Your task is only to observe and report; don’t worry about other things, the Sixth Department is quite professional."

He waved his hand to bid Shard goodbye, then opened the door himself and left the place.

Shard kept the entry permit properly and, holding little Mia, returned to the second floor. Without waiting for the ladies to ask, he said himself:

"It was my superior who came."

"Superior?"

Princess Margaret, who was chatting with the blonde girl on the sofa, was very curious:

"Does an independently operating detective have a superior? Is it the so-called detective guild?"

"Oh, Your Highness, although my profession is very dignified in Miss Luisa’s book, detectives do not always get work."

Shard sat down on the short sofa to the side, and the orange cat, concerned about its breakfast, ran to the dining room again:

"Since the snow fell, I haven’t received any commission this winter. However, I did have a lot of work in late autumn. I can’t always sit at home waiting for commissions to come in, so sometimes I cooperate with Riddlevitch Field, oh, Riddlevitch Field is..."

"Yes, I know."

Princess Margaret nodded, and Dorothy helped Shard explain with a smile, knowing half-jokingly what Shard wanted to say:

"For detectives like Shard, sometimes they need to work closely with the police, accept official commissions, and assist with investigations. That’s why he refers to the police chief who contacts him as ’superior.’

"At least Riddlevitch Field pays generously, though not so much for reimbursements."

Shard said, tilting his head watching Mia in the dining room devouring its leftovers:

"Where were we just talking? Ah yes, meeting with Sir Plisha alone is temporarily unnecessary. However, I am very interested in the ancient Plisha Family. I’ve heard of ancient surnames that inherit Circle Sorcerer powers through generations, but I thought those families all depended on the Three Major Academies."

Actually, Miss Aphrola’s family is an exception.

"The Plisha Family doesn’t awaken the Circle Sorcerer powers with every generation, and the rumors of ancient families are just legends. Nobles love to boast about their family’s history. I’m very sure that at least the last few centuries, their family hasn’t produced any special figures."

Princess Margaret said, borrowing paper and pen from Shard, then sketched the Plisha Family crest:

"The patterns of thorns around it are merits added after their allegiance to my ancestors. The emblem’s main body is the ancient family crest preserved from ages linked to the surname itself."

In heraldry, those family crests, which appear quite complex and grand to ordinary people, actually possess exceedingly rich meanings. Although Shard has studied the noble heraldry of Draleon, he’s not very familiar with Carsonrick nobility. Fortunately, Dorothy possessed the knowledge of Lecia, and the princess’ education includes noble heraldry as a foundational subject. She looked very interested at the pattern Princess Margaret sketched, then feigned curiosity and said:

"When I sorted my writing materials, I explored the ancient noble heraldry of Southern Carsonrick. These three folds of blue ribbons, plus the gold-colored cross embellishments, convey a typical ’holy’ meaning. Did Sir Plisha’s family produce figures of district archbishop or above in the Church of the Five Gods?

"This is something I’m not too familiar with."

Princess Margaret shook her head:

"I haven’t heard of any connection between the family of the Sir and the church. Besides, for us Circle Sorcerers who graduated from major academies, we inherently avoid any contact with the church."

Shard was also examining the coat of arms, but just before he could share his thoughts, the bell downstairs rang once more:

"Oh, what’s going on today? Has everyone specifically chosen today to visit me?"

He picked up the cat that came running upon hearing the bell and walked to the living room window to look down:

"An unfamiliar rental carriage, it’s a very common carriage in the city, who’s it this time?"

"Shard, take your guest to the second floor to talk. The Princess and I will hide over there."

Dorothy pointed to the second room, and Shard nodded. She then walked directly to the wall by the fireplace, opened a door that blended almost seamlessly with the wall, and gestured for the Princess to follow.

Princess Margaret followed Dorothy into the other room, pondering the relationship between Dorothy Louisa and Shard. Earlier, she thought the blond writer came here early because there was something to discuss within the group. But now it seems that is not the case; after all, this blond Miss Writer seems too familiar with this house.

Meanwhile, Shard had already descended with Mia, and upon opening the door, standing outside paying the fare to the driver was a well-dressed middle-aged gentleman whom Shard had never seen before.

He had beautiful brown hair and sported two very finely groomed mustaches, wrapped in a black leather coat with what seemed like a fox fur scarf around his neck. His left hand held a crocodile leather-like wallet, and the yellow metal decoration on the cane in his right hand was undoubtedly real gold.

He offered a generous tip which caused the driver, clutching notes and coins, to bow deeply as he doffed his cap.

The middle-aged gentleman stuffed the wallet into the pocket of his large leather coat and turned around to see the door had already been opened. He blinked:

"Detective Shard Hamilton?"

"Yes, it’s me. May I ask who you are?"

The man removed his black leather gloves and extended his hand to Shard:

"Boris Cameron, Baron."

He grasped Shard’s hand and gave it a shake, a sincere smile on his face:

"Detective Hamilton, I’ve heard a lot about you. I have a commission case I’d like you to handle, do you have time now?"

"A commission?"

Despite Baron Cameron’s unexpected enthusiasm, Shard nodded:

"Please come in."

He stepped aside to allow entry, and the Baron, like Director Anlos, wiped his boots on the mat before following Shard upstairs.

Dorothy had already cleaned up the teacups, so Shard prepared fresh tea. Meanwhile, Baron Cameron sat on the sofa, attentively observing the furnishings of the first room on the second floor, and politely refrained from touching anything.

Once Shard had brought the tea, the handsome middle-aged gentleman began discussing his matters: fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"Detective, this isn’t about something that happened to me but my brother, Jimmy Cameron. Although we come from the same family, he didn’t inherit the family title; our father left him the factory when he passed away."

The Baron explained his family’s background, a common mode of property division:

"Little Jimmy... I hesitate to complain about my brother, but he clearly lacks business acumen. He rarely visits the factory, instead roaming idly through the city. I often have to drag him out of underground casinos or those unlawful clubs; he’s really quite a handful. But Jimmy isn’t what you’d call a bad person; he just lacks capability and seeks pleasure indulgently. We still have a pretty good relationship."

The Baron sighed, retrieved a black-and-white photo from his coat pocket, and handed it to Shard. The photo was a portrait, the subject’s eyebrows and eyes resembling those of Baron Cameron, yet clearly not the same person. The Baron appeared to be in his forties, while the man in the photo seemed to be in his thirties and noticeably heavier.

"Rest assured, my brother hasn’t gone missing. Just last week, he came to me mysteriously and told me he had bought a remarkable item."

Shard looked up at the Baron:

"Remarkable? That’s quite an interesting description."

"Yes, it’s a..."

Baron Cameron displayed an awkward expression, seemingly embarrassed by the matter:

"A box that can duplicate banknotes."

Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m fr𝒆ewebnove(l).com