Part 4 The Undead Chapter 2 Old Friends
You know about me? Does this mean that Mr. Eisinger Stanton often mentions me as a friend, or does the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom know that I had a hand in the Great Haze of Berkland in the first place? Klein held a smile and nodded without moving:
”Yes, I am Sherlock Moriarty.”
The young man with gray-blue eyes immediately moved out of the way and made a gesture of invitation with a warm smile:
”Mr. Stanton has been worried about you, fearing that something has happened to you, he can now rest assured.”
Crane handed the other the umbrella, and, taking off his hat and coat as he did so, stepped into the foyer, and by this time Edsinger Stanton, who had perceived it, had laid down the newspaper and pipe in his hand, and, leaving his easy-chair, had taken a few steps forward and looked over.
”Oh, Sherlock, you’ve come back at last; it’s been a long time, my friend.” Eisinger, whose face was thin and graying at the temples, broke into a smile and greeted him, and opened his arms in an attempt to give a greeting hug.
Klein wasn’t used to this kind of inter-male etiquette and reluctantly responded with a smile:
”Mr. Stanton, this is not something that a believer in wisdom should do.”
The priests and bishops of the “God of Knowledge and Wisdom” always had a kind of inner arrogance, and seldom used hugging etiquette.
In fact, except for the rough Forsak Empire and the open Kingdom of Intis, this kind of salute was rare in other countries and regions, and only appeared between very familiar friends.
Eisinger took two steps back and laughed softly:
”No, Sherlock, we are always unstinting in our respect and graciousness to our truly wise friends.
”In my mind, you are a great detective who can be ranked in the top five in the whole of Birkeland.”
That’s the kind of thing I like to hear! Klein smiled darkly and asked humorously in return:
”So you are a great detective ranked in the top three?”
Being praised by a Sequence 7 follower of the “God of Knowledge and Wisdom” as being truly wise was indeed pleasing.
”I hope it is in your mind.” Eisinger replied subtly and softly, then invited Klein into the living room and sat down on the sofa.
He himself leaned back in his easy chair, picked up his pipe, took a deep drag, and exhaled slowly:
”I am glad that nothing has happened to you; you are in good health and spirits.
”Well, did you have a good time at Dixie Bay?”
Klein had already prepared his words and smiled calmly:
”As a matter of fact, I didn’t go to Dixie Bay, I went to Constanton after circling around there for a while, hehe, I got involved in some trouble in Bakerland before and had to find a place to hide for a while.”
Sherlock Moriarty was a gentleman with a not-so-obvious accent from the Intersea County, and it was a normal choice to get into trouble and hide back in his hometown – the city of Constanton was the capital of the Intersea County.
”I know.” Eisinger responded in a low voice.
He didn’t bother to ask Sherlock exactly what kind of trouble he had gotten into, and turned to smile:
”Anyway, welcome back to Bakerland, if there is anything you need help with, you can come to me.”
Klein was not polite and immediately spoke:
”I came to visit you this time, firstly, it’s really been a long time since I’ve seen you, and secondly, I hope that you can sell the shares of the Bakerland Pedal Car Company on my behalf, hehe, all the documents are complete, and there’s no need for any other formalities.”
In order to play the role of a mysterious rich man and repay the 10,000 gold coins he owed to Miss Messenger, he not only planned to clean up and sell his own items that he didn’t really use, but also prepared to give up that 10% share of the Bakerland Pedal Car Company, and anyway, Sherlock Moriarty couldn’t show up brightly again for a long time.
”Really sell?” Eisinger fumbled with his pipe, “Though I’ve never been a merchant, I can see that the pedal car is a valuable commodity capable of mass promotion, and that it has a commercial future like the sun just risen, far from reaching its own extreme, and that you’d lose a very great deal of money if you sold it now.”
”So the buyer must be willing to pay a much, much higher premium for that kind of anticipation.” Klein laughed softly, “I’m sure there aren’t a few people who can see the value and prospects of the pedicabs, and Flammy and Repard are certainly not willing to reduce their shares by any small amount at this stage, and I won’t have a problem with selling this 10% for two or three times the normal amount, Eisinger, and pricing an equity deal not only for the present, but for the future as well.”
It is essential to tell a tantalizing story and paint a bright future for the buyer or investor! Of course, I don’t need to describe the value and prospects of the pedals additionally, anyone with a business mind can see that the only problem is the production of natural rubber …… Klein added a couple of silent words in his mind.
”The pricing of equity transactions should not only look at the present, but also the future ……” Eisinger repeated Klein’s words in a low voice, and only after a while did he heartily sigh in admiration, “Sherlock, maybe you’d be better off going into business, though, the future is always full of surprises.”
”Taking risks is the chivalry of the business world, well, I admit, I’m in desperate need of a large amount of cash these days.” Klein responded with a smile.
Eisinger picked up his pipe and took a satisfying drag:
”You convinced me.
”I’ll have a specialized attorney and accountant determine the current value of the Bakerland Pedaler Company and then add enough anticipation to sell your ten percent share, with the appropriate fees and taxes deducted from the cash received.
”Well …… how do I contact you? Your lease on that house on Minsk Street seems to have expired a long time ago.”
Crane, of course, would not reveal his current identity, and said with some preparation:
”You could publish the transfer of the shares separately in the Tassock Gazette, the Birkeland Journal, and other papers, so that more people would know about it, and there would be competition for better bargaining space, and when it was sold, the same announcement would be published to say that the matter was complete and not to be disturbed any further.
”And when I see this announcement, I will come and visit you directly.”
Eisinger, no stranger to communicating across the room with the help of newspaper advertisements, nodded:
”No problem, of course, all expenses will be deducted from the final harvest.”
Seeing that the main purpose had been accomplished, Klein stood up and poked his hand out:
”Thank you for your help, Ezinger.
”It’s time for me to leave, some things will be discussed later.”
Eisinger didn’t hold back and escorted him all the way out the door.
Crane circled around the block and took a hired carriage, enjoying the view of Birkeland at night in the light drizzle as he made his way to the Braveheart Bar.
He intended to reopen Sherlock Moriarty’s channels of information and resources tonight!
When he entered the noisy, chaotic bar, he didn’t order a drink at the bar, he just circled around the boxing ring and was ready to leave to wait for Ms. Sharon to show up at the carriage outside.
At this time, the door to the pool room room creaked open and Ian, in his old overcoat, stepped out with a newspaper.
With a casual glance of his bright red eyes, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure, and his mouth opened, but instead of spitting out the other’s name, he merely said in surprise:
”Good evening, sir, can I help you?”
”Not at the moment, just came by to meet an old friend.” Klein smiled warmly.
As he spoke, he saw that the newspaper Ian was holding was the Maritime News, and the exposed contents had a rather eye-catching headline:
”Shocking! The Mad Adventurer has been reduced to a wanted man!”
The Mad Adventurer …… Klein intuited that this had something to do with himself.
Ian, sensing his gaze, smiled and held up the newspaper:
”This is a rare and timely report from the Maritime News, as bounties are popping up all over the place.
”The mad adventurer Germaine Sparrow has plotted an incident against the ‘Capital of Generosity’ and has been confirmed as a member of an evil organization. Thanks to the protection of the Storm Church and the Kingdom’s military in this incident, there were no casualties in Byam, but the ‘General on Blood’ involved in this matter, Seignior, has gone missing as a result, and is tentatively suspected to have been killed by Germaine Sparrow.
”What do you guess the bounty they put out for Germaine Sparrow?
”Fifty thousand pounds!
”That exceeds ‘Admiral of Blood’ and approaches Admiral of Hell!”
Fifty thousand pounds …… Klein’s heart thumped as he listened.
He smoothed out the ripples in his heart and responded with a smile:
”Unfortunately, such a bounty is rarely claimed.”
He pointed to the bar door and said:
”I’ll see you sometime afterward.”
”Okay.” Ian didn’t ask more questions and instead mentioned, “Mr. White from Harvest Church is a friend of yours?”
This Emlyn guy sheds his time to go out? For those Primal Moon believers? Klein nodded and said:
”Right.”
After that, he pushed his way out of the crowd and pushed his way out of the Bar of the Brave.
Getting into a rental carriage, Klein cast his eyes out of the window and waited for Ms. Sharon to appear.
Of course, he couldn’t be sure that she was still here; months had passed, and the lady and Maric had probably changed their usual haunts.
Noiselessly, Klein had a sudden touch of inspiration and looked sideways at the window, only to see the figure of a young woman in a compact black fedora and a gothic court dress clearly reflected in the glass that had been made to reflect the scene by the night.
Turning back, Klein saw Miss Sharon sitting across from him, her pale blonde hair, azure eyes, and pale face no different than before.
”Good evening.” Not needing to play Germaine Sparrow, Klein offered his greeting.
Sharon rose slightly, lifting the hem of her skirt in vain, and returned the salute.
Thinking that the other man might have read that copy of the News from the Sea, and momentarily unable to find a topic for pleasantries, he cleared his throat and spoke directly:
”I struck down Seniol.”
”Uh-huh.” Sharon nodded her head in a very small amplitude, signaling that she knew.
Klein smiled and continued:
”If Maric still needs a copy of the extraordinary properties of the ‘Spiteful Soul’, he can wait and gather the funds, and when I find a replacement, I’ll sell Seniol to him.”
Without asking what “replacement” meant, Sharon simply responded:
”After seeing that news, he was waiting for you to return.”
”Good.” Klein chuckled softly and reached his hand to his collar, drawing out a silver necklace, “Seniol’s lucky item, you do realize what happened to it, don’t you?”
Sharon let out a “hmm” and waited for Klein to continue.
”It and one of the ‘Biotoxin Vials’ I intend to sell, would you, or your circle be interested?” Klein took the initiative to ask.