VIII. Mrs. Slav's Covetousness

Click—

After closing the door, Lu Li took off his top hat and hung it on the coat rack nearby.

The noisy sounds from the street were blocked out, and the quiet Detective Agency seemed enveloped in a thin, foggy veil.

Either the ocean or the night watchman were still too distant from Lu Li, he did not interfere much in them, and after understanding the situation roughly, he turned and left.

Limited daylight streamed into the Detective Agency through the windows, even though it was daytime.

However, Lu Li didn't mind; this place was only a temporary residence, and sooner or later he would move elsewhere.

It wasn't just because Sailor Street lacked electricity, but also because of the view. After learning about the hidden dangers of the deep sea from Hades, Lu Li had to be cautious towards the ocean, so a residence that allowed a clear view over the harbor became necessary.

Settling back into the chair behind his desk, Lu Li loosened his tie and took out a piece of paper tucked between the pages of a book in the drawer.

It displayed a line of writing.

"Important: Find out where you are"

Lu Li picked up the fountain pen on his desk and added to the content, then appended a new part below it.

"Important: Find out where you are (Completed) — Gather 1,000 Shillings for trading more information with Hades"

"Important: Deal with the ghost entwined with oneself"

"Secondary: Look for a new residence"

It had been Lu Li's habit all along to summarize the current tasks as a section of content, recording each completed part and extending it downwards.

Lu Li could more directly be aware of what he was doing, what he should do, and what would come next.

The second and fourth points overlapped to some extent; both involved accumulating money.

But being designated as a priority by Lu Li meant that the second point had higher urgency.

Lu Li wasn't worried that Hades might cheat him or hike up prices. Most Exorcists would not likely disclose such industry secrets to others, especially since speaking them could entail risks.

So no matter how one looked at it, Hades was a very suitable collaborator—aside from being too greedy.

After writing the new content, Lu Li read it several times, and once there were no other parts to add, he set down the pen, waited for the ink on the paper to dry, and then tucked it back into the book page before returning it to the drawer.

Having done all this, Lu Li stood up, rolling up his sleeves as he walked into the kitchen. Shortly, the sound of running water came through, continuing for several seconds before it quieted down again.

Lu Li stepped out of the kitchen, water dripping down his defined face, pausing at his chin before trembling and falling.

It was still morning, a long time before it would get dark. After some thought, Lu Li reached for the phone, dialing a number by turning the rotary dial.

Dring—

After a long wait, the call finally connected. A loud, brassy voice squeezed through the handset: "This is Mrs. Slav's apartment, who are you looking for?"

Just from the voice, one might imagine a woman with a bucket waist wearing a nightgown, answering the phone with one hand on her hip.

"I'm looking for Oliver."

"And who might you be to that lad? You should know he's half a month behind on rent with me, and if you don't want him out on the streets, you best hurry up—," the woman on the other end began to prattle on without pause.

Lu Li did not interrupt, quietly waiting for her to finish. He spoke evenly, "Then please pass the phone to him, I will discuss this matter with him. Also, there's a very good chance he will hide from you and not open the door, so you can tell him outside that his new boss is looking for him."

The woman's mouth hung open, suddenly at a loss for words, only able to huff annoyedly a few times, telling Lu Li to wait and then clomping upstairs with slaps of her slippers.

Lu Li heard the sound of her ascending fade away, then vanish. In the faint distance, there seemed to be a knocking sound, but listening closely, nothing came through.

...

"Oliver! You scoundrel! I know you're in there, don't hide and keep quiet. You've owed me rent for over ten days!"

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump!

"Oliver! Get your ass out here!"

The door trembled, and dust cascaded down. Tenants from the other rooms in the corridor cautiously cracked open their doors just enough to peek out, watching the enraged lioness of a woman.

After all, the door was Mrs. Slav's property, and even in her fury, she wouldn't smash it. Half a day passed with no result, and Mrs. Slav let out a cold huff, then, recollecting the words from the man on the phone, decided to give it a try.

"Oliver, there was a call from a man claiming to be your new boss. He seemed to have some important business with you."

Mrs. Slav pressed her ear against the door and faintly sensed some movement from behind it, but that was all, no one came out.

Mrs. Slav drawled, "Well then, it looks like our little Oliver isn't home. I'll just have to tell his new boss that his employee has decided to quit—"

"Don't!"

A cry of alarm suddenly came from behind the door, followed by a flurry of footsteps that neared until the door swung open.

"Just a moment, Mrs. Slav—"

The voice cut off abruptly, as a scrawny figure, only reaching Mrs. Slav's chest, was shoved back behind the door, immediately followed by a series of screams that made the other tenants' hearts quail.

After a frantic commotion, Oliver emerged, his brown hair a bird's nest and eyes bruised violet, walking with a limp, one shoe missing.

Behind him was Mrs. Slav, whose wrists were as thick as Oliver's thighs, moving lively.

Upon reaching the ground floor, Oliver, almost subconsciously, sobbed into the receiver, "Boss, are you trying to get me killed..."

"How much longer did you want to hide? She's a good person, a landlady who allows her tenants to fall half a month behind on rent," Lu Li's voice came through the receiver.

Lu Li was well aware of how chaotic the early days of the industrial period, with the nascent emergence of capital, could be.

"Humph!"

Mrs. Slav, standing to the side with arms crossed, snorted a warm puff from her nose, thinking finally there was a man who understood the tenderness of her heart.

Unsure how to reply, Oliver could only ask, "So, Boss, what did you need me for?"

"Do you have any new assignments there?"

"Quite a few, but Boss, you said before—do you need a client from a decent household? I seem to remember a few," Oliver hesitated, recalling the new boss's request for a well-to-do client and relayed a few names he remembered to Lu Li.

One of them was a little boy in a family who was possessed by a ghost.

"Possession..."

Lu Li murmured the word, his fingers gently tapping the tabletop.

He had hoped to find those assignments where the sound of glass beads wasn't a haunting, so he could earn a commission without risk. But such tasks usually paid little, while the well-paying ones often meant a high chance of actual hauntings.

The tapping stopped, and Lu Li decided to give it a shot.

If there really was a ghost causing trouble, he could escape before getting entangled.

After agreeing to meet near the client's house, Lu Li hung up the phone.

"What's your new boss's name?" A heavy breath came from overhead.

"Lu Li, his name is Lu Li," replied Oliver, almost instinctively betraying his own boss without a second thought.

"Is he good-looking?"

Oliver's slender body shivered, sensing what might come next, and said with a dry mouth, "I assure you, you won't find a more extraordinary man than him in all of Belfast."

Mrs. Slav's eyes gradually glowed with a ghastly green light.