Chapter 59: Mrs. Lawrence

After agreeing on the transaction price, noticing Shade’s uneasy expression, old John added, “This price isn’t exactly a huge bargain for you. I can even throw in a new walking stick for free, so that it’s all even.” He pointed to the one hanging on the shop wall behind Shade, used as decoration, topped with a lion’s head. The dust settled on it gave it the look of an antique.

“I guarantee you won’t find a better price anywhere else... Next time you come to support my business, I can offer you a discount.”

Shade stared at him in surprise. John Jones chuckled as he pulled ten one-pound notes out of a biscuit tin beneath the counter. “You can take your time to think it over.”

After some back and forth, Shade finally left with twelve pounds and five shillings, a new walking stick, and membership at Old John’s pawnshop.

With enough money in hand to cover this month’s debts, Shade had effectively resolved all the troubles he had faced since arriving in this world. A new life beckoned, and he was filled with hope for the future. So, when he returned home at noon, he packed food from a restaurant to share with the fostered cat, Miya.

Of course, only feeding the cat what it could safely eat.

Shade realized that detective work might be suited to a home-based profession. He didn’t leave the house on Thursday or Friday, spending his time reading, yet felt no constraint on his career development, which pleased him greatly.

Those two days of study were productive. He gained a basic understanding of all nineteen required courses. As for arcane and magical studies, “Perceive Time” could not proceed due to lack of materials, and “Sindya’s Silver Moon Blessing” was hindered by the persistent cloudy nights.

However, Shade mastered the arcane art of “Moonshadow Illusion.” The nights without moonlight provided perfect conditions for practicing this art. Following the instructions, he lay flat on the darkened living room floor, with his head facing the window.

He covered his face with a piece of silk embroidered with an unknown ancient sacred emblem provided by the academy, then coaxed Miya to leap over his face. After the cat jumped above his face, he kept his lower body still and sat up with his upper body. The silk naturally oxidized and corroded, and Shade successfully learned the illusion.

In occult lore, the silver moon is also known as the “Protector of Cats.” Thankfully, he had a cat fostered at home; otherwise, Shade would have had to find one himself.

Though the steps were strange, Shade mastered “Moonshadow Illusion.” Unlike the unconditional casting of “Silver Moon Slash,” this illusion could only be performed at night but required no casting materials.

“Let’s give it a try.”

He lit the gas lamp and, with anticipation, summoned his life ring to channel the illusion to its fullest extent.

As the core rune’s light flickered, the best he could manage was creating a thin silver mist in the room, slightly obscuring vision. This might confuse a low-intelligence creature like Miya, but it would be difficult to affect a human.

He needed more practice and a deeper understanding of the “Silver Moon.” Meanwhile, the ginger cat Miya was startled by the strange silver fog and, once it dissipated, immediately pounced at Shade’s feet. Holding the cat, Shade comforted it until it calmed down.

Miya was a timid kitten, but Shade liked her very much. If her original owner, Miss Mia Gode, could not be reached, Shade was willing to adopt the cat.

“Having a cat at home isn’t bad. At least I won’t have to worry about mice.”

That was his thought before bed.

But early Saturday morning, an unexpected letter dashed Shade’s hopes of “claiming” the cat.

It was a reply from Miya’s original owner, Miss Mia Gode. She had received word from Detective Hamilton and learned that the ginger cat had been found and that Sparrow Hamilton had passed away, with Shade Hamilton now running the agency.

However, this rather wealthy lady informed Shade she could not cross half the kingdom in the near future to retrieve Miya in Tobesk City. She also distrusted shipping the cat by mail.

Therefore, Miss Mia Gode entrusted the young successor detective to continue caring for Miya. She promised to come to Tobesk City as soon as possible, but definitely not for another six months.

Miss Gode’s family had encountered some troubles requiring her attention.

Along with the letter, Miss Gode sent ten pounds in cash via a postal account. She hoped the young detective would not be too harsh on the mischievous ginger cat and would treat her kindly.

“Miss Gode really trusts me? Could it be that the elderly neighbor wrote to her praising my reliability? And why does everyone think you’re so mischievous?”

Shade sat on the sofa, holding the “Comprehensive Guide to Northern Continent Herbal Plants” in one hand, while stroking the ginger cat curled beside him with the other. The cat squinted, twitched her whiskers, and softly meowed in contentment—probably the most obedient cat Shade had ever encountered.

“Did I get the wrong cat?”

He wondered in surprise, but the cat was indeed Miya.

The ten pounds from the walking stick sale and Miss Gode’s ten pounds had suddenly made the somewhat tight-pressed Shade feel wealthy. However, he didn’t intend to spend that money himself but to save it specifically for Miya. He was a man of principle; if his own needs were not urgent, such a significant remittance should be used for the cat’s welfare, not his own.

This act brought Shade an inexplicable sense of self-satisfaction, so when he received his second letter of the day—the gas, steam, and water bills for the apartment—his mood was hardly affected.

It was already the end of June, and these bills were due. But the Hamilton family had always been frugal, and the three bills combined totaled less than seven shillings, a figure Shade was pleased with.

That afternoon was the time for the study gathering at Dr. Schneider’s clinic, so Shade ate lunch early and fed the cat, hoping to set off soon, as the clinic was quite far away.

But before he could leave, a visitor arrived.

She was a woman in her thirties, almost as tall as Shade, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, who had come by carriage to the door of number six, Saint Derlan Square.

She strode up the steps in high heels with an imposing air, but upon seeing the young man who opened the door, she looked genuinely surprised.

“Are you looking for Detective Sparrow Hamilton?”

Shade asked, equally surprised.

“Yes,” the lady replied, eyeing him up and down.

“Sparrow uncle has passed away. I am handling his cases now. May I ask who you are...?”

“Mary Lawrence.”

Shade should have recognized her immediately, but having decided not to take on that particular case, he paused before realizing that this was Mrs. Lawrence—the client who had commissioned the surveillance of her husband’s mistress, Lady Lasoya.

It was clear Mrs. Lawrence regretted Sparrow Hamilton’s death but also expressed distrust toward the young detective. Shade didn’t mind, for he knew he was hardly trustworthy. Since she had come to his door, he could only invite her in first, and after they were seated, he handed over the report compiled by his predecessor.

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