The Commission

The woman who entered Detective Isengard's agency appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six, clad in a red gown. Her skin was fair and smooth, her figure shapely, with a cascade of black hair framing her face, and her striking blue eyes held a captivating allure.

Since Detective Isengard happened to be out, the house servant, clearly mesmerized, led the woman to Ebner's office.

Ebner himself was momentarily taken aback at the sight of her but quickly regained composure—he was, after all, a man of the Information Age and well-accustomed to all sorts of beauties. Politely, he greeted her, "Good day, madam. I am Ebner, Detective Stanton's apprentice and assistant. Detective Stanton will return by eleven if you'd like to wait."

The lady's eyes narrowed with a charming smile that was simple yet extremely eye-catching. She gave Ebner a leisurely look and said in a smooth voice, "I actually came to see you, Mr. Bryan. You've already made a name for yourself in this area, and I have a little task I'd like to commission you for."

Ebner was slightly surprised. Although he was indeed gaining a bit of local fame, most clients who came to him were those looking for cheaper rates. This lady's attire and jewelry were by no means inexpensive—she didn't seem like someone who couldn't afford his teacher's rates.

However, he wasn't one to turn away paying clients, so he led her to the guest area. Once they were seated, he asked, "Ms…?"

"Please, call me Rey." The woman introduced herself with a subtle nod. "Mr. Bryan, I'd like to commission you to investigate the interests and daily routines of these gentlemen," she said, drawing a folded piece of stationery from her purse and placing it on the coffee table.

Ebner leaned forward to take the note and read through the names carefully:

"Lord Natos, Viscount Conslet, Baron Glamir, Baron Newglass…"

"All told, twelve names, all single noblemen… She's building herself quite the pool of eligible men!" Ebner's lips twitched as he internally remarked. Recalling some of what his teacher's files contained on these individuals, he had a vague idea of who they were. He maintained a look of feigned difficulty as he said, "This commission is not too complex, but it is time-consuming and will require plenty of manpower."

"I understand and will pay you a satisfactory amount," Rey said with a smile, batting her eyes suggestively.

Ebner ignored her hints, pausing before he replied, "20 pounds. Given the involvement of nobility, there's a certain level of risk I'll need to account for. I'll also need at least a week to complete it."

In reality, most of the information she sought was already in his teacher's database—though a bit out-of-date and in need of simple verification.

"That's quite fair; I accept!" Rey said, her tone reflecting her wealth. "I'll pay you five pounds upfront and return on Friday for an update, at which point I'll pay an additional five pounds. The remaining balance will be given once the task is fully complete."

"Let's draw up a contract, then." Ebner signed a standard contract, handing it to her, and she signed her name with barely a glance at the document.

After seeing Rey out and giving the distracted servant a good jolt back to his senses, Ebner returned to his office to review the case, as was his custom and part of the "Student of Ratiocination" role-playing method.

"On the surface, Ms. Rey appears to be a socialite looking to connect with men of quality, which fits both her demeanor and the content of the commission. But I can't shake this feeling of danger about her. Additionally, there's something off about her list of noblemen… Although single, these men are not exactly prosperous. Based on my teacher's records, they're either financially troubled, socially disgraced, or lacking in real power… all title without substance."

"So what could be Rey's reason for choosing these particular targets? Is she a woman of wealth trying to leverage her resources to climb the social ladder by latching onto a noble, no matter how downtrodden? It's possible, but such women are usually courted by noblemen who attend social events. She shouldn't need a detective to investigate them unless her wealth has unsavory origins."

"Another possibility is that she intends to use these men for some specific purpose, either as a stepping stone to higher society or… Wait—Baron Glamir? I've seen that name in the novel!"

Halfway through his deductions, Ebner narrowed his eyes and activated his White Eye, recalling details from Lord of the Mysteries that gave him fresh insight:

"Baron Glamir is that unlucky man who later gets impersonated by Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos… which means that these noblemen have another shared characteristic: they don't employ Beyonder bodyguards!"

"Then Rey is scouting out a potential target for Qilangos to impersonate? That's right! When Qilangos replaced him in the novel, he quickly adapted to his habits, interests, and mannerisms—a clear indication that someone had provided him with extensive background information. This type of private knowledge is easiest to obtain through a close acquaintance, especially a beautiful woman like Rey."

Ebner had nearly pieced together the entire plot and only needed one or two more confirmations to be sure. "This backwards deduction is always the simplest," he thought.

"Now that I think about it, Rey might not even be a true beauty! After all, Qilangos operates with the backing of that unmentionable organization. That group and the Demoness Sect are allies in their Loen schemes, and when Qilangos died, his fleet was inherited by agents of that church… So, sending a witch to gather intelligence in advance would be a logical part of their plan."

With this realization, Ebner felt a headache coming on and offered silent sympathy to the servant still in a daze out in the parlor.

"It's best to feign ignorance here; I have no desire to provoke any agents of the Ancient Sun God. As long as they don't trouble me, I won't interfere with their business—it probably can't be stopped, even if I try… Besides, those noblemen on the list aren't exactly saints. Most of them are better off gone."

Having come to a decision, Ebner didn't immediately compile the information but decided instead to revise his reasoning slightly and discuss the matter with his teacher. He had no intention of trusting someone as dangerous as a "witch" and wanted to be prepared for any unexpected developments.

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After leaving the detective agency, Rey looked amused and muttered to herself, "What an interesting little detective, able to ignore my charms. I'll have him drowning in pleasure before long!" With that, she boarded a carriage waiting by the roadside.

Inside the carriage sat a young woman with a pure face and a literary air about her.

When Rey entered, the young woman gave a slight bow and asked curiously, "Ms. Rey, we could easily gather this kind of information ourselves, so why pay a detective?"

"Because this keeps things natural, in line with the persona I present. Even if the official Beyonders investigate, it'll simply look like I'm a social climber aiming to become a mistress to one of them. If we skip this step, it would be hard to explain how we know a noble's personal habits or how we managed to 'bump into' them so easily. If we're investigated, it'll raise questions." Rey laughed.

"But aren't those noblemen too poor to afford Beyonder bodyguards? Why would they attract an official investigation?" the young woman pressed.

"It's all about prudence, Lina. Just because they appear down-and-out doesn't mean they truly are. We must be prepared for surprises." Rey shook her head, then tapped her finger on Lina's nose, adding, "You're always too careless. You didn't keep tabs on one of your associates, and when he was caught by the officials, he exposed you. If I hadn't been with you, you would've walked straight into the authorities' ambush at that loan shark operation."

"How could I have known Turner was so incompetent he'd fail at human trafficking?" Lina replied, somewhat deflated.

"Did you investigate how he got exposed? I don't expect you to avenge him, but it's a lesson worth learning," Rey asked.

"I couldn't find out the details… But before Turner's arrest, a bounty hunter had been asking about the loan shark business. She might be involved, and I'm planning to start by investigating her. Apparently, she's known as the 'Arbiter' in the East Borough."

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