novel bin Chapter 13 Sicily Company
Chapter 13 Sicily Company
Kent had just sat down in the carriage when Rean suddenly handed him six banknotes.
"Here's your money back; any extra is your compensation for your trouble."
Kent's eyes lit up at the sight of the six-pound note. He took the brand-new note with the image of Hawthorne I on it, smelled it, and immediately showed a look of enjoyment.
"This fresh smell of ink... I'm sure it must be the most wonderful smell in the world!"
As a detective's assistant, Kent also has a remarkable skill.
He can distinguish between real and fake banknotes from any country's banknotes without checking any anti-counterfeiting features; he can do so simply by smelling them, and with 100% accuracy.
Kent carefully placed the banknotes into his wallet and put them away, then asked with a puzzled look:
"So, where did you get the money?"
Rean turned his gaze away from the scenery outside the window. "I took on a new commission from old Henry last night, and he paid a deposit."
"A new commission?"
Kent's eyes lit up. "What's their background? Is it difficult?"
"They're from the Twilight Church's Inquisition. Old Henry came to me about this."
Rean didn't hide anything and told Kent everything that happened with Seth last night.
As partners, they need to share the commissions they receive, regardless of who borrowed them from, and then divide the profits proportionally afterward. This was a rule they agreed upon before forming the partnership.
After listening quietly, Kent suddenly opened his eyes.
"Rean, are you crazy? You actually accepted this kind of commission?!"
He never expected that his partner would dare to accept such a dangerous commission!
Isn't that murderer obviously connected to cultists and demons?
Maybe it's a vicious demon in itself!
Kent also strongly resisted dealing with official forces like the courts.
After all, he is a superhuman, and who knows when he might be judged as a heretic by these executioners because of the instability of the holy marks.
Such incidents are not uncommon. The number of wild superhumans burned to death by the Inquisition each year is several times the number of demons and witches!
The church's stated reason to the public was to maintain social stability, a stance supported by various countries.
Therefore, none of the extraordinary individuals would want to get involved with the Church's Inquisition.
"Damn it! Why didn't you discuss this with me beforehand? Dealing with these damn hyenas is worse than facing a demon! Now you..."
The reward offered was 100 pounds.
"..."
Kent's words came to an abrupt halt.
After a few seconds of silence, a smile suddenly appeared on his face, showing no fear of the courtroom, only a desire for money.
"Actually, I've always felt that the people in the courtroom aren't as bad as the rumors make them out to be; those rumors are definitely made up!"
"Oh……"
Rean chuckled.
He knew his partner's personality all too well, so he didn't bother to say anything and simply turned to look at the scenery outside the window.
However, Kent was not going to let him off the hook, and kept nagging him incessantly under the lure of 100 pounds.
"Rean, are you sure it's 100 pounds?"
"Um."
"Is it reliable? I mean, what if they back out in the end? You know, this is our first time dealing with officials, what if..."
"The deposit has already been paid, what do you think?"
"Isn't that what I'm worried about?"
Kent gave an awkward smile and obediently shut his mouth.
However, he only calmed down for a short while before starting his constant harassment again.
"Rean, um... are you sure they'll pay in full at once? They won't owe us the final payment, will they?"
"..."
……
After half an hour.
The carriage stopped; we had arrived at the port area of McCullos.
As soon as Rean stepped off the carriage, he was met with a gust of damp, cold sea breeze.
The salty, astringent smell of the sea, mixed with the strong fishy odor of the dock, the dampness, and the strange smell of moldy goods, all rushed into my nostrils.
"Waaah—"
The steamship's whistle sounded, startling a flock of seagulls that were foraging nearby.
Due to the rain, the ships in the port area did not choose to go out to sea and all stayed at the dock. Sailors could be seen chatting in twos and threes everywhere.
However, although no ships went out to sea, quite a few ships returned.
As the largest port city in the Kingdom of Leonard, Fog Harbor welcomes ships from all over the world every day.
Whenever a ship docks, the dockworkers waiting nearby swarm forward, vying desperately for a job.
"Where do we go now?"
A cold sea breeze blew over him, and Kent tightened his coat and asked.
"Go find sailors who know about the Western Continent."
Rean replied casually and strode forward.
In the McCullos harbor area, the word "sailor" is a general term, but it can be broadly divided into two types.
One type is those who have signed contracts and are employed long-term. These sailors have stable jobs and a certain level of confidentiality awareness.
The other type of worker has no stable job and can only wait anxiously at the dock, hoping to be hired by ships going out to sea and competing for those slots.
Rean is looking for the latter.
These types of sailors can easily obtain the information they want simply by paying them.
Having made a plan in mind, Rean did not choose to go to the tavern where sailors gathered, but went straight to the dock.
In an era of scarcity of resources and entertainment, sailors who sailed the oceans almost all enjoyed drinking to relieve the long, monotonous, and lonely journeys.
However, those who can spend money at the tavern during the day are almost all sailors with stable jobs, and these people naturally do not meet Rean's requirements.
As soon as they arrived at the pier, which was filled with the strong smell of the sea, several pairs of eyes swept over them.
However, upon seeing that the two men's attire clearly did not resemble those who made a living at sea, the sailors and porters on the dock turned their gaze away in disappointment.
After scanning the room, Rean walked toward a man who looked to be in his forties and was wearing a long linen shirt.
"Sir, do you need to hire sailors?"
Although he had no hope, the man still asked with a hopeful look on his face.
"I have seventeen long voyages of experience, fishing experience, and I've also worked as a helmsman and lookout!"
"Sorry, I don't need to hire sailors."
Looking at the man whose face clearly showed disappointment, Rean smiled and said, "However, if you can answer a few questions for me, I can pay you a reward."
"answer the questions?"
The man paused, scrutinizing Rean and Kent warily. His gaze lingered on their long coats for a moment before he tentatively asked:
"Just answering questions? I don't need to do anything else?"
"certainly."
"Alright, ask away, as long as I can answer."
"Don't worry, it's not a difficult problem."
Rean smiled and said, "I'd like to know which chambers of commerce or companies in the port area are engaged in trade related to the Western Continent, and what their respective trades entail?"
"Trade related to the Western Continent..."
The man thought carefully for a moment, "There aren't many trading companies operating in the Western Continent. As far as I know, the only large one is the 'Viren' Ocean Trading Company, which mainly deals in coal."
The "Narwhale" Shipping Company deals in raw metal ores, while the "Jeff Brothers" Trading Company deals in spices and textiles.
There's also the 'Sissippi' company, which deals in products related to the specialties of the Western Continent... These are the only four companies that can be considered trading, sir.
Specialty of the Western Continent!
Rean narrowed his eyes: "Tell me more about this 'Sissippi' company."