Chapter 248 – The Abnormal Building
“That’s an aerial mount,” I exclaimed, gazing at the large bird flying overhead. I didn’t recognize the bird, but I could vaguely make out a figure riding on its back.
I had seen large flying beasts being transported on motorcades before, and most of them were pterosaurs, so I knew these flying beasts were used as mounts.
But it was only today that I saw a flying beast soaring in the sky for the first time, with a person riding on its back. I watched as the flying beast landed in the city.
“Ah, I envy these rich adults. They can travel a day’s distance in just an hour by riding a flying bird. It’s a shame I’ll never earn that much money in my lifetime,” the coachman sighed.
“Can those flying beasts be bought? Can private individuals own them?” I asked the coachman. I had always assumed that only the army could own these flying beasts.
“Of course. I heard that only noble lords are qualified to own flying beasts, and each one costs thousands, even tens of thousands of gold coins. Who but a noble lord could afford it?” the coachman chuckled.
Thousands, even tens of thousands of gold coins, that’s indeed very expensive. At least, it would take me an unknown amount of time to sell enough medicine to buy one.
But I remembered the auction I saw at the underground trading fair. I had seen transactions of thousands of gold coins before. And those guests who stopped bidding might not have been unable to afford it; it’s more likely they simply didn’t think the auction item was worth that much.
However, for such a cool and convenient flying beast, it wouldn’t be unacceptable for them to buy one. It’s both prestigious and convenient. I believe they would definitely buy one if they were truly noble.
“Miss, we’ve arrived at Cardoon Street,” the coachman said, stopping by the roadside and getting off to lower the carriage frame for me to dismount, doing so meticulously.
“Is this Cardoon Street?” I asked as I got off, looking around. It was a very exquisite neighborhood, paved with neat red bricks, with black lampposts every few steps, and planted green trees, giving it a very European feel.
The passersby looked like intellectuals, with a scholarly air. Cardoon Street also had many cafes and bookstores on both sides. These people liked to sit there with a newspaper, a pipe, and a cup of coffee.
“That will be twenty copper coins. Ah, thank you, Miss. Please wait a moment, I haven’t given you your change!” the coachman said, taking the silver coin I flicked over. Seeing me turn to leave, he quickly called out.
“You can keep the change,” I replied. This would be my support for his persistence in life and hard work, hoping he can live a better life. Although one silver coin is not much, it’s a rare act of generosity for me.
“Thank you, thank you, Miss,” the coachman said repeatedly. Many people tip, but few give a silver coin and tell me to keep the change. Did he perhaps pick up a rich young lady?
“Number fifteen, number fifteen,” I said, looking at the street signs near the doors. I found it easily as I looked from one building to another, and quickly found number fifteen, which looked like an office building for rent.
First floor: “The Big Bird Bar,” Second floor: “Adult Novelty Shop,” Third floor: “Cervantes Detective Agency,” Fourth floor: “Massage Parlor,” Fifth floor: apparently some kind of club, with drawings of leather restraints…
Me: “…”
I seriously considered whether to turn around and leave right now. Didn’t this street have many agencies? Weren’t the people walking on the street all civilized? Why was there such a building that was completely out of character?
Looking across the street, the first floor was a bookstore, the second floor a law firm, the third floor a security dispatch company, and the fourth floor and above were occupied by a gym. See how normal that is? This should be the style of Cardoon Street, right?
I strongly suspect that the building in front of me is a kind of anomaly. Why would Sebastian choose to live with such neighbors? He was quite normal at first, but by mixing with a group of indecent people, he instead appeared abnormal.
After hesitating for a considerable amount of time, I finally decided to go upstairs. Since I’m here and spent money on the carriage, walking away without doing anything would be a waste of money, wouldn’t it?
Before going upstairs, I confirmed again that the address on the business card was indeed here, and the name of the detective agency also matched, so I dared to go upstairs.
As soon as I reached the second floor, I ran into two muscular men dressed in leather. It was quite a shocking sight and almost scared me back. Luckily, they politely made way for me.
The third floor was not high, but when I reached it, I felt like I had climbed ten floors. I was on edge with every step, afraid I would run into some strange things. The ghosts on the street were not as terrifying as those two men.
Then, the door of the detective agency was closed. Wouldn’t that incompetent detective happen to be out? If so, I’d be furious.
“Knock, knock, knock!” In the end, I decided to knock. Fortunately, someone opened the door soon, but upon seeing who opened it for me, I was stunned again.
It was a little girl, about twelve or thirteen years old, wearing a red Western-style dress with lace trim, and shoulder-length blonde hair. She looked like a doll, with a pair of bright, watery eyes looking at me.
“Uh, isn’t this a detective agency?” Did I come to the wrong place?
“No, this is Cervantes Detective Agency,” the girl replied. Her voice was lovely, like a kitten’s.
“Then who are you?” I asked. Such a little girl seemed completely out of place in a detective agency.
“I am Claire Cervantes. Welcome to Cervantes Detective Agency. Please come in,” the girl enthusiastically invited me in.
“You’re also named Cervantes? What’s your relationship with Sebastian?” I asked doubtfully.
“Ah, are you here to see my uncle? Uncle is looking at some documents. Please come in and wait for a moment,” Claire politely invited me in.
Cervantes Detective Agency had a rather large living room with several round tables and sofas. The decoration was not gorgeous, but it wasn’t shabby either.
There were several bookshelves in the living room. Looking at the titles on them, I saw books like “The Nile Murders,” “Mass Death Incident in the Madhouse,” and “Analysis of Century-Old Unsolved Cases.”
In addition, there were many papers pinned to the walls, with many handwritten notes, and even several photos of murder scenes. The victims’ deaths were extremely tragic and looked very gruesome.
“I’m sorry, Uncle is a bit careless. I’ve told him not to hang clues in the living room,” Claire said with a headache as she walked over and covered the walls with a white cloth.
She was very considerate, not carelessly tidying up the photos and notes, for fear of disrupting Sebastian’s train of thought.
“Please have a cup of tea and wait. I’ll go call Uncle now,” Claire poured me a cup of tea and went into the inner room.
What an obedient little girl. But why did Sebastian bring his niece to a detective agency? Those photos and the environment here were clearly not suitable for a little girl to see.
