vncnus Chapter 80: Recruiting Klein
Chapter 80: Recruiting Klein
Klein narrowed his eyes slightly, sizing up the man in front of him.
The burly man standing in front of him was about 1.9 meters tall, with solid muscles. He was wearing a dark brown vest, and his strong arms were impatiently banging on the door frame, as if he was ready to punch someone at any moment.
"Sherlock Moriarty?" the burly man said in a deep, unfriendly voice. "You've got some nerve, working as a private investigator on our turf."
Their territory? A gang coming to collect protection money? Klein analyzed in his mind.
Klein knew that Backlund was rife with gangs, but he never expected that they would actually come knocking on his door.
Has the security situation in Backlund really deteriorated to this extent...?
His fingers slid subtly towards his cuff, where some playing cards were hidden. For the "Joker," playing cards were even more useful than knives; they were both discreet and deceptive.
Although Klein's spiritual intuition gave no warning, the situation before him was clearly not right.
He maintained a polite smile, but his tone carried a hint of wariness. "I'm sorry, I just moved here from out of town not long ago and I'm not familiar with the rules around here."
"Rules?" The burly man sneered. "The rule is, without our permission, you can't even get your hands on a lost dog..."
"Okay, Bart, calm down, don't scare the new friend."
A gentle voice came from behind, and the burly man snorted and stepped aside.
Klein then noticed that behind the burly man stood a man of medium build, dressed in a well-tailored dark suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and sporting a shrewd yet radiant smile.
"Mr. Moriarty, it's a pleasure to meet you." The bespectacled man extended his hand. "I am Charles Horn, a director of the 'Truth Guild.' This is Bart, our... security personnel."
The Truth Guild? This word alerted Klein.
Klein shook hands with him and noticed that the other man's palm was dry and the pressure was moderate, clearly indicating that he was a person accustomed to negotiation.
"So, the reason you two are here today is...?"
"An invitation." Charles smiled, took out a gold-edged business card from his inner pocket, and handed it over. "We've taken note of your abilities. The Truth Guild is a guild that primarily deals with detective work."
Although you've only taken on small commissions, we've noticed that you possess an efficiency far exceeding that of a typical detective, which is quite rare in Backlund's detective circles.
"Such a promising newcomer perfectly fits our criteria."
The divination was indeed very efficient. Klein mentally scoffed at the other party's praise, while also noticing the division of labor between the two.
One plays the bad cop, and the other plays the good cop.
Klein wasn't a child; he saw through the other party's trick at a glance.
He reached out and took the business card, his fingertips lightly tracing the gold-embossed logo, and asked calmly, "What are the benefits for me of joining the guild?"
Charles's smile deepened, as if he had anticipated this question.
"Intelligence sharing, task allocation, networking... As an outsider, you definitely need these, and of course, the most important thing—" He paused, "a stable income."
"How stable?" Klein raised an eyebrow. The very nature of a private investigator's job meant it was definitely not a job with a stable income.
"Two pounds." Charles held up two fingers: "As long as you accept the guild's missions, you'll earn at least two pounds a week."
Furthermore, the guild regularly holds weekly exchange meetings to share clues about cases.
Klein's expression remained calm, but he was already calculating in his mind—a weekly wage of 2 pounds was indeed more than what he could earn by taking on odd jobs.
"Sounds good." He nodded slowly. "But what's the price?"
There's no such thing as a free lunch, and Klein knows that very well.
Charles's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes sharpened slightly for a moment: "The price? It's nothing more than adhering to some industry rules, such as... not accepting high bounties without the guild's permission, and not interfering with other members' cases."
Klein immediately understood... This was no "guild" at all; it was clearly a monopolistic organization in the detective industry, ensuring that all lucrative commissions flowed to them first.
He was about to politely decline when Charles added:
"Oh, by the way, you get paid if you join!"
money……
"And the guild also provides free lunches."
Wow... there really is such a thing as a free lunch!
Klein swallowed his refusal.
"……Lunch?"
"Yes," Charles said with a smile. "Every day at noon, the guild's restaurant serves hot food, including steak, grilled fish, stew, and unlimited bread and black tea."
Klein fell silent; this was much more convenient than cooking at home himself.
"...Do you have dessert?" he heard himself ask.
Charles's smile widened: "There's cream pudding and Dixie pie."
Klein took a deep breath.
"What about the money?"
"You'll get a £5 bonus if you join, how about it?" Charles stared into Klein's eyes.
"I need to think about it."
"Of course," Charles nodded gracefully, "but Bart might not be very patient."
The burly man gave a timely snort, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
……
Just as Klein was considering whether to find an excuse to go to the bathroom for a divination, Charles backed down, took out a pocket watch from his pocket, and glanced at it.
"Alright, Mr. Moriarty, time is of the essence. If you wish to join, please report to the guild headquarters at 10:00 AM tomorrow, according to the address on your business card."
"Okay." Klein nodded.
Charles patted him on the shoulder: "I hope to see you at the guild tomorrow, Mr. Moriarty."
"goodbye."
After the two left, Klein closed the door, leaned against it, and rubbed his temples.
"I almost gave in because of the free meals..." he muttered to himself. "I was never this poor when I was in the Night Watch squad in Tingen."
"However, since it's an organization... we might be able to find out a lot of useful information."
……
Above the gray fog, Klein sat at a long bronze table, performing divination.
Joining a guild would be detrimental to me.
Joining a guild would be detrimental to me.
……
Joining a guild would be detrimental to me.
After reciting it seven times, Klein opened his eyes and saw the citrine pendulum rotating slightly counterclockwise.
Harmless? Klein frowned slightly, resting his chin on his hand as he pondered.
If I don't join the guild, those two probably won't give up. Judging from their tone, the xenophobic atmosphere in the community is still quite strong...
Moreover... I currently lack the necessary intelligence sources. There's still no lead on Inszangwell.
Thinking about his goals and his current situation, Klein fell silent.
Perhaps joining this guild wouldn't be a bad choice.