The Night Queen

"Well, this is indeed the handiwork of Miss Fei'er. Haha, I wonder what kind of relationship you have with her?"

The man in striped tuxedo wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and greeted Aiden with a smile.

"Are you the owner here?" Aiden scrutinized the man before him.

After presenting Fei referral letter to the reception at the "Midnight Rose" nightclub, Aiden was promptly led to a lavishly decorated private room that exuded a distinct rustic opulence. Waiting for him, there was the middle-aged man who seemed to be in charge.

"Yes, yes!" The owner of the nightclub nodded vigorously.

Judging by the location and standards of the establishment, "Midnight Rose" was considered one of the top-tier venues in the fiercely competitive Firework Alley. The owner of this place was undoubtedly a quite wealthy individual, and to run this kind of business, they would likely need to be a shrewd and well-connected figure to thrive in the long run.

Yet, before Aiden, this owner not only personally came out to greet him but also displayed an attitude that was remarkably approachable… to the point of being almost flattering.

"You don't need to be so nervous. I'm just here to ask a few questions," Aiden reassured him with a smile.

"You can rest assured. Since it was Miss Fei who introduced you, we will definitely cooperate," the owner replied, sitting up straight and respectful.

"Hmm, is that woman really so influential here?" Aiden couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"What are you saying? Miss Fei'er is the undisputed industry goddess of Firework Alley!" The owner's face showed a hint of solemn reverence. "With just a small shop here, she directly attracted over half of the customer traffic in Firework Alley. Her daily performance surpasses the combined weekly earnings of other shops!"

"So, about this…" The owner rubbed his hands together and smiled, trying to please Aiden, "If you have any requests, please feel free to tell me. Also, please convey to her in the future to be merciful…

Oh, by the way, can you help me ask if Miss Fei has any intention of forming a partnership? I wonder if we might have the privilege of collaborating with her, we can discuss the terms!"

"I know, I know."

Aiden listened calmly, but inside, he was truly amazed. The troublesome succubus in the prison, who only seemed to know how to be a nuisance, was actually a influential figure here. It was something that anyone would find hard to believe.

However, the nightclub owner sitting across from him had a different thought in mind.

Aiden didn't wear his uniform today, as a prison guard's uniform wouldn't bring any investigative advantage and might even increase the risk of damaging his reputation if people saw him entering such a place in uniform.

But when the owner watching this mysterious young man effortlessly take out the introduction letter from Fei, and addressing him so casually, he couldn't help but feel a sense of inexplicable awe.

Could this young man be… Miss Fei's lover? No, judging by his demeanor, treating that nightclub queen like a mere underling, he seemed more likely to be the big boss behind Fei.

Such a figure could easily turn Firework Alley upside down with a snap of his fingers.

It was best not to underestimate someone like him!

"Would you like a drink? How about a special collection of mine…?" The owner hospitably offered.

"No need, I'll be on my way after I get the information I need," Aiden waved his hand.

"At around nine last night, two customers I know entered your establishment. One was a plump man in his thirties with a mustache, and the other was a young person around twenty. Can you find out who attended to them?" Aiden inquired.

"Of course, I'll find out for you right away."

The owner promptly rang the bell on the table, summoning the person who was responsible for receiving guests last night. He then relayed Aiden's question.

"Ah, are you asking about… Officer Jialong Rowton?" The attendant immediately had an answer.

"Yes, that's him," Aiden nodded.

"That scoundrel…" The nightclub owner muttered a curse under his breath, then his face froze as he realized he had made a mistake. He hurriedly explained to Aiden, "Oh no, I just… um, sir, you're not friends with him, are you?"

"Don't worry, strictly speaking, we're not exactly on good terms," Aiden reassured him, gesturing to relax.

"Oh, that's good, that's good," the owner let out a sigh of relief, patting his chest.

"Ah, Officer Rowton, in Firework Alley, he's notorious for being a swindler. He uses his identity as a mounted police officer to rack up debts at various establishments, and in turns charges them some kind of fees.

He's quick to threaten to cause trouble for the establishments. Tsk tsk… he's really a headache to deal with!"

Clearly, Jialong Roton was not a well-liked figure here.

"So, what did he do here yesterday? Did he say anything to the young man he was with? Please tell me everything you know," Aiden continued his inquiry.

"Please wait a moment, I'll bring the girl who served them drinks," the attendant bowed to him and left. It didn't take long before he returned with several heavily made-up girls.

Aiden questioned each of them in turn, gradually piecing together the activities of Jialong and Bruce at the nightclub yesterday.

According to the attendant and the girls, the two didn't have any particularly notable actions in the club.

They watched a performance near the stage first, then requested a private room where they drank and enjoyed themselves with the girls until late into the night.

However, the only piece of information that sounded valuable was from one of the girls, who mentioned overhearing Jialong speak sternly to Bruce just before they entered the private room.

"It seemed like he said something like 'I've given you everything, don't let me down'," the girl recalled, looking at the others for confirmation.

The other girls nodded in agreement.

"What did he give to the young man? Did you catch that part?" Aiden asked, his tone serious.

"I'm sorry, we were on the other side of the door, so we couldn't hear very clearly," the girl replied in confusion, shaking her head.

Aiden looked at the other people, and the other girls also shook their heads.

"Why are you all so useless! Ah?" The nightclub owner couldn't help but feel a bit anxious, afraid of offending Aiden because of this.

"I'm sorry, boss!" The girls quickly lowered their heads.

"It's alright, it's alright," Aiden raised his hand to defuse the situation, then turned back to the girls. "Well… is there anything else worth mentioning? Tell me everything."

The girls, fearing another scolding from the boss, racked their brains and tried to recall. Suddenly, one of the girls remembered something. "Ah! Mr. Rowton seemed to have changed his pocket watch."

"Yes, he changed it to a silver one…"

"Before, when he drank too much, he always showed off his gold pocket watch, saying how powerful the family crest was."

The other girls chimed in, each adding their own input.

"A pocket watch?" Aiden furrowed his brows.

"Oh dear, why bother with such trivial matters? Don't waste the guest's time!" The nightclub owner slammed the table in frustration.

"I'm sorry, boss!" The girls lowered their heads even further.

But Aiden couldn't help but smile. He clapped his hands in approval. "No, no, you all did great. You provided very useful information."

The girls and the nightclub owner exchanged puzzled looks, unable to fully understand the young man's reaction.

"Is there anything else?" Aiden asked one last time, looking at the girls. After confirming that they couldn't provide any more information, he stood up. "Alright, thank you very much for your cooperation. I'll take my leave now."

"I'll escort you," the nightclub owner offered, standing up politely.

"No need, you can go about your business," Aiden waved his hand and left the private room directly.

The owner signaled to the attendant, to hurriedly followed to see Aiden off at the door. Then he quickly returned and asked in a hushed voice, "Boss, who exactly is that kid?"

"No matter who he is, from now on, if this person comes to the club, treat him with the highest level of hospitality! Notify me immediately if I'm around! If anyone neglects him, I won't spare them!"

The owner's gaze was sharp as he issued his command.