Chapter 94 - Victoria Residence

Due to having consumed some alcohol earlier, even though both Liang En and Fan Meng's minds were still clear, Liang En chose to take public transportation to a certain small road in the city center.

Honestly, the experience of riding the bus was not pleasant at all. Especially with the large bag on Fan Meng's back and the metal detector on Liang En's back, they drew quite a bit of attention from people around.

Their destination was a very narrow-looking path, barely wide enough for two cars to pass each other. Lining the sidewalks on both sides were lush lime trees, and a few shops that appeared to have been around for quite some time were scattered among the buildings along the street.

Diana's house was on this road, a three-story building made of red bricks. Judging from the weathered marks on the surface bricks and the wear on the stone-paved road, it was indeed an aged structure.

"I feel like people living in this place probably wouldn't have poor economic conditions," Fan Meng quickly concluded as he looked around the surroundings. "After all, this place is quite close to the wealthy area, and I just saw a police patrol car pass by."

"This should be where those early wealthy industrialists, ship owners, or major shareholders from the Victorian era lived," Liang En explained, recalling the information he had previously read.

"You know, Bath is an ancient spa resort city. So, those nobles and people of high status had already occupied all the good places around here."

"So, after the Industrial Revolution, those newly rich classes that suddenly emerged found that they couldn't find a place of their own in this city. Therefore, they simply constructed their own residential area."

"Of course, with the passage of time, the nature of these residential areas in the city has undergone significant changes. The places that were once exclusive to the nobles have been filled with all sorts of wealthy individuals, while these areas have turned into residential zones for the affluent middle class."

After the explanation, the two arrived at the doorstep of Miss Diana's residence. After knocking on the door, Miss Diana welcomed them into the house.

This building was a typical Victorian-style structure. The interior structure didn't differ much from the old rooms Liang En had seen before, except that this house was inhabited, so it looked more modern overall.

Even so, some fundamental issues with these old houses hadn't been completely resolved. For instance, the rooms were quite dim, requiring them to keep the lights on even during the day.

"Miss Black, if I may ask, do you happen to know who the previous owner of this house was before your grandfather moved in?" After they entered the living room and sat down on the sofa, Liang En asked Diana.

"I'm sorry, I really don't know that," Diana, sitting across the coffee table, said, "When my grandfather gave me this house, he didn't mention anything like that. All I know is that the earliest owner here seemed to be a colonial officer of the British Indian government."

"If it was a colonial officer of the British Indian government, then there's a possibility that he might have left behind some valuable items in the rooms," Liang En nodded thoughtfully, "But the prerequisite is that you haven't done major renovations on this building before."

"Of course, we haven't done any major renovations," Diana shook her head and explained, "My grandfather's father bought this house because he liked its style. Naturally, he wouldn't conduct extensive renovations like some people do."

"If that's the case, then there might indeed be some valuable items left inside the house," Liang En observed the antique and somewhat dim decorations in the room and suggested, "By the way, how much money do you need right now?"

"It's not about prying into your privacy, but rather about planning what items you might need to sell as reasonably as possible. To help you sell as few items as possible to cover the tax."

Liang En quickly clarified after asking that question, knowing that asking strangers about money-related matters, especially after only a few meetings, could be considered impolite.

"It's not something taboo." Diana smiled after hearing Liang En's explanation, then continued, "You see, this kind of house incurs quite a substantial property tax every year. So, I need £5000 to cover the tax."

"This house used to belong to my grandfather, and he gifted it to me on my 20th birthday last year. I'm really glad to have received this special gift from my grandfather. However, raising the property tax amount is quite a daunting task."

"In other words, as long as we find something worth £5000, it'll do," Liang En nodded. In reality, property taxes in Europe and America are not cheap, and for a student with limited income, it's not so easy to manage.

Miss Black, it seemed, was quite a determined individual who preferred to bear the burden of the property tax herself, rather than seeking help from her family.

With permission granted, Liang En and Fan Meng began exploring the house. For this type of search, the less disturbance created, the better the chances of finding valuable items. So, their first step was to head to the attic.

"Why don't we check the basement?" Once they were upstairs, Fan Meng, who noticed that the lady hadn't followed them, whispered to Liang En, "Also, isn't she a bit too trusting to just let us come up like this—"

"Don't forget, this is Bath, and the water table is quite high. Basements that haven't been managed for a long time have a high chance of water seepage or leaks. Even if there's something valuable, it's unlikely to have survived," Liang En shook his head, explaining.

"As for trust, it's not that she's too trusting. It's more because she believes that with my current position, I wouldn't stoop to stealing or deceiving her within her own house."

After all, Liang En could now be seen as a rising star in the archaeology field. As long as his mind remained sane, he wouldn't do anything lacking integrity to ruin his own prospects.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the two climbed an aluminum ladder and entered the attic. After shining a flashlight around, Liang En had a general idea.

From the varying styles of furniture containers and the noticeable differences in thickness of dust, it was clear that the clutter piled here had been gradually accumulated over a long period.

"As usual, let's search these containers first, then the surrounding walls," Liang En suggested after glancing at the structure of the room.

After a quick comparison of the size of the roof and the space inside, he suspected that this room might hold secrets that Miss Black wasn't aware of.

Once the decision was made, Liang En and Fan Meng, wearing gas masks and gloves, began searching the boxes and cabinets in the attic.

About half of the containers that seemed more recent were empty, while the other half held things that, in their eyes, were practically worthless. For instance, items like plastic toys or literacy cards.

"This box could probably fetch around £15 to £20 if sold at a second-hand store," Liang En inspected a box and lightly kicked it, saying, "But the labor cost for someone to move it would be at least £10."

"I'm in the same boat," Fan Meng tossed a tattered doll into a box and said, "This box is just filled with some combustible trash."