Shard slightly composed himself, focusing on the matter at hand:
"Yes, there are records in Uncle Sparrow's diary, the agency's ledger, and his investigation progress chart."
"Please bring them all out, this matter is no longer your concern from now on. It's very dangerous. Do you understand, Detective? We don't want to repeat what happened to Mrs. Lawrence."
The church probably wanted to obtain all information related to Lady Lassoya and at the same time protect the commoner Shard, that's why they did this.
So he fetched the files on the commissioned investigation and spent half an hour with Miss Beyas checking them.
The young girl was not very good at handling paperwork, she was clumsy recording and organizing files, and even nearly let Mia nibble a small hole in the detective's diary pages.
But she liked cats, so in the end Miss Beyas took care of Mia while Shard helped her organize those documents, marked and recorded them on the pages, and then packed them together in the detective agency's document bag to hand over to her:
"When you get back, just look for the files by the numbers. If there's anything wrong, feel free to come to me."
"Detective, you really are a good person."
The girl with brown long hair exclaimed with a smile, placing the document bag together with her handbag, but showed no intention of getting up from the sofa.
"Is there anything else?"
Concerned about sabotaging Miss Annette's "clever" plan, Shard did not want to get too involved with Miss Beyas at the moment.
The girl with brown long hair smiled for a moment:
"Those were tasks I needed to complete myself, but beyond those, there are some things I want to know. Since this is a detective agency, I think you can take my commission."
Shard was somewhat surprised, but as a normal detective, he did not immediately refuse:
"I can, but I need to understand the details first."
Even though the other party was The Chosen One, if it was a normal commission, he could certainly take it. He only treated her like a regular girl until he successfully established contact with Miss Beyas on behalf of Miss Annette.
Then, Miss Beyas took out a black-and-white photograph from her handbag; the photograph was of Mr. Lawrence.
"Mr. Lawrence has gone missing, and the church... I mean Riddlevitch Field has sent others to investigate, but without much success. For me personally, I'm not satisfied with just my current simple tasks, so I would like to investigate privately, as a supplement to the investigation by Blackstone Security Company.
Since Riddlevitch Field has already been there, my nominal police status won't work well for clubs with a background. So, I would like to commission you to go with me, disguised as wine merchants."
The young woman, disguised as a wine merchant, would be hard to believe. That's why she commissioned Shard instead of other detectives, because it's improper to involve unrelated persons in such matters.
"I see, if it's just an investigation, I think there should be no problem."
Shard said, partly because it was a normal commission and partly because, concerning the death of Mrs. Lawrence, he always wanted to do something. Such an investigation could certainly lead to accidents, but in this world, nothing is without risk.
"Where is the destination? Are we leaving now?"
He had made up his mind.
"Let's leave now. Mr. Lawrence was last seen at the Lucky Southern Cross Club. The church, I mean, Riddlevitch Field's investigation was thorough, but I believe I have some unique skills of my own."
Miss Beyas's actions were definitely kept secret from the church, but Shard did not mind whether this girl wanted to earn some merit or was just curious; he merely muttered softly,
"Why is it always the Lucky Southern Cross?"
Then he changed his statement:
"As an ordinary citizen, collaborating with a young and promising agent like you is an honor."
"I will pay for this commission, Hamilton Detective. I know your agency often handles minor cases like extramarital affair investigations. If our collaboration goes well, I could serve as your intelligence source within the police department in the future."
Miss Beyas seemed to have prepared this speech in advance, and Shard looked at her with surprise, realizing he was progressing faster than Miss Annette.
So he stood up and asked:
"There won't be any danger in this investigation, right?"
Miss Beyas also stood up and confidently said:
"With me here, you won't be in danger, I'll protect you."
Shard didn't truly believe it would be danger-free, especially when acting alongside Miss Beyas, but this time he genuinely wanted to go:
"Alright, then, Miss Beyas, do you carry a gun?"
"No, a nominal officer doesn't carry a firearm, but I have learned women's martial arts."
She knew this statement might sound ridiculous, seemingly wanting to reveal to the young, ignorant detective the power she possessed, but those from the True God Church born as female sorcerers weren't so imprudent.
"No, that's not what I meant. I meant, since you don't have a gun, can I bring one?"
The "Spear of Kindness" might not be used carelessly, but the significance of the gun lay in its deterrence, especially when facing ordinary people.
"You have a gun? Of course you can bring it."
Miss Beyas was pleased that he didn't dwell on the "women's martial arts" question.
"I don't have a firearm license."
Shard told the truth.
"What does that matter? If it's discovered you're carrying a gun, just say it's mine."
She waved her hand dismissively.
Technically, both the Draleon Kingdom and the Kingdom of Carsonrick prohibited firearms, but not strictly. However, being found with a firearm in sensitive situations could cause unnecessary trouble.
But as a private detective, having a gun wasn't incomprehensible at hand, so Miss Beyas wasn't concerned about Shard carrying a gun illegally.
"Alright, off we go."
Now Shard completely hid all of his uneasiness.
The Lucky Southern Cross Club was quite far from Saint Delan Square, so the two of them took a horse-drawn carriage. Naturally, this expense was borne by the employer.
As a major factory owner, Mr. Lawrence's visit to the club was for legitimate business, and not through the back door to gamble at cards, so the duo headed to the club did not need to enter as Shard had done the previous time.
In the dim fog, after alighting from their carriage, they headed straight for the club's main entrance, looking at the triangular wooden sign at the door that announced today's special on drinks at 20% off. The club's staff were quite creative, having routed a branch line from the steam pipes along the wall to the sign, allowing it to emit white steam mist.
But this, apart from making people detour around it, didn't seem to attract many customers.