Chapter 2088: Miss Light
Of course, even though he knew what a Steam Bathhouse was in this era, Shard, riding there by carriage, actually didn’t much want to go into a place like that, thanks to the Outlander’s prejudice.
Moon Bay City’s terrain was not flat, so there was a large difference in elevation within the city. This meant that in some areas, you had to climb stone steps to reach the adjacent blocks, and this also made one side of the steps form a smooth "cliff wall."
The Crowley Steam Bath at No. 18 Glover Street sat right under such a "cliff wall." In front of the bathhouse lay the bustling Glover Square, and around it were lively pedestrian streets and commercial districts. There were at least three banks here, and even the headquarters of the Lumberjack Association controlled by the Wood Family was not far away.
Though he didn’t much like such places, Shard still lazily paid the fee in the end, took off his clothes and put on a bathrobe, then went in barefoot, stepping on the marble floor.
There were quite a few people here on Monday afternoon, but finding Mr. Benhart wasn’t difficult, since only above his head floated the symbol of a small bat.
Mr. Benhart also noticed Shard and waved at him. When Shard came closer, the two of them stood in a corner outside the hot pool and started talking business:
"You don’t look like you’re very fond of this place. Compared to Carsonrick, there are indeed very few public bathhouses within Draleon."
Mr. Benhart said with a smile. Shard nodded:
"And I’ve always thought places like this are dirty. If the lady back at my home finds out, she’s definitely going to complain about me."
Mr. Benhart thought for a moment, realizing he was referring to that very prestigious Duchess:
"Then let’s wrap up our Investigation here as soon as possible. Last week, the last place that prostitute was seen was right here. I just Hypnotized a waiter—on the night before The Deceased died, he clearly saw The Deceased and two other women of the same profession brought here. But not into this public bathing area, they were taken to the private hot pools deeper inside."
"Who hired them?"
Mr. Benhart shook his head:
"Still haven’t figured that out, but it should be some big shots. When they talk business or other sensitive topics, they don’t let ordinary attendants in on it, but the manager here should know who those people are. I haven’t yet gotten out of him where the manager is. Good timing that you came—we’ll coordinate our moves."
He pointed at the hall filled with hot pools of all sizes, permeated with heat haze and the sounds of conversation:
"In a bit, you cause some commotion here, and I’ll take the opportunity to go find the manager and flip through their ledgers."
"How big a commotion do you need? Would a Steam Bomb be enough?"
Though he was just wrapped in a towel, Shard had a few handy little plush toys tucked underneath it.
Mr. Benhart blinked:
"No need to go that far. It would be bad if the police got involved."
"No, no, I’m not talking about blowing this place up. I mean putting it in the pipes, blowing up the pipes, and letting the filthy water gush out from the inlets."
"Mm... do you have a grudge against this place?"
"Of course not."
"Then let’s try something else. We still don’t know what connection this bathhouse has to the killer we’re Investigating, so it’s best not to attract too much attention. Make your move in ten minutes. Afterward, we’ll leave separately and meet at the Tavern opposite Glover Square."
So they split up. Shard didn’t idle around either. He studied the layout of the steam pipes on the walls, then used "Enhanced Spatial Awareness" to determine the terrain here, and easily located the steam boiler room:
"It’s practically like I’ve opened a mini-map."
Shard really disliked operating in a bathrobe, so he first went back to put on his own clothes, then walked through a narrow corridor into the steam boiler room. Workers who watched the boilers and added fuel were pushing carts back and forth among the pipes. Shard found the valves controlling hot and cold water, and with two minutes left before the agreed ten minutes, completely shut off the hot-water valve and then opened the cold-water valve:
"I’m really sorry."
In any case, when twenty minutes later Shard saw Mr. Benhart at a table in the Tavern across the square, he was still wondering whether what he had just done was going too far.
Mr. Benhart, however, looked to be in very good spirits. He dismissed the waiter and sat down opposite Shard:
"I got it out of him. The people who met The Deceased that night were indeed not ordinary."
He pointed north:
"Over there is the Lumberjack Association controlled by the Wood Family. It was only when I checked the ledgers that I learned the bathhouse is run by them. That night, Herman Wood, Freeman Hawthorne, and Georgia Black met here. Those three prostitutes were specifically found for them."
"Hold on a second."
Shard was baffled:
"People like them actually go for prostitutes from the Lower District?"
"Mr. Watson, don’t use yourself to interpret others. People can never truly understand one another."
The Vampire Kind shook his head and went on:
"As for what exactly happened that night, the manager doesn’t know either. To be precise, there’s a secret passage within the bathhouse. These big shots always use the passage when they come, since they have to save face. So all he knows is that those men, with their subordinates and the three women, left around eleven. The Wood Family, the Hawthorn Family, the Black Family—the names I just mentioned belong to these three families, and all three of those men control gangs. They’re notorious hard cases around here."
One of those "hard cases" had recently lost an entire week of memories—no one knew how he was doing now.
"So next we find those three, and we should be able to get somewhere, right?"
Shard summed up. Mr. Benhart nodded with a smile:
"Of course. Besides them, the remaining two women are also worth an Investigation. The bathhouse manager knew one of them; she lives near Herring Street."
"All right, we’ll split up. I’ll handle the woman living on Herring Street in the Lower District, and Freeman Hawthorne. I’ve had dealings with Hawthorn before, and I’ve got other business to take care of near Herring Street. As for Wood and Black, Mr. Benhart, I’ll leave those two to your Investigation."
Since this involved Herring Street, Shard naturally had to go and take a look himself.
"Of course, no problem. The business I’m working on happens to have some overlap with the Wood Family. But I have some personal matters to take care of these few days. Today is Monday... Saturday afternoon, we’ll meet up at Ptolemy’s place."
"Could we make it Sunday morning? I’m busy Saturday afternoon."
"That’s fine."
"Then do we still need to pay attention to this bathhouse? And that secret passage you mentioned."
Shard asked again, and Mr. Benhart thought for a moment:
"If you have time, you can look into it, but the focus of the Investigation right now is still those four people who might know what happened that night. Also, be careful when you’re investigating; this matter is definitely connected to Circle Sorcerers. I’m not sure whether it involves the same clan as me, but even if it does, you don’t need to show any mercy."
He knew Shard’s methods, so he only brought it up briefly. The two of them then sat in the Tavern for a while longer to sort out the current lines of Investigation, and afterward they went their separate ways.
By then, Time had already reached three in the afternoon. Shard took a carriage at Glover Square and rushed again to Herring Street on the banks of the Taton River.
He’d already gotten the address of that prostitute, and originally thought that at this Time she probably wouldn’t have gone out to work. But just as he stepped down from the carriage, lowered his head to put away the change from the driver, then raised it again, he saw that young girl in a blue silk long dress, her waistline accentuated, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, standing at the riverside railings, looking at the distant waterway.
"Correll Elisar..."
[Triss.]
"Miss Correll Eles Tretris?"
This was exactly the girl Shard had run into at the museum that morning; the anchor-shaped silver ornament she’d given him was still in Shard’s pocket.
"What a coincidence."
He thought suspiciously, and stepped forward to greet her:
"Good afternoon, miss."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Watson."
The girl watching the river traffic while the wind blew at the bank replied politely. She didn’t look the least bit surprised to see Shard here at this Time:
"Out here for a walk?"
"No, I’m looking for someone to ask a few questions. But I didn’t expect a girl of such noble birth as you to show up alone in the Lower District."
"Noble birth?"
The blue-eyed girl laughed and shook her head:
"I’m hardly of noble birth. Even if my family background at the Time of my birth was almost as good as most people could imagine, there’s still a gap between that and so-called noble birth—like the difference between a Circle Sorcerer and an ordinary person."
Shard showed a puzzled expression:
"Sorry, what?"
The blue-eyed girl instead said:
"My surname is too complicated, isn’t it? You can call me Miss Eles, or Miss Radiance."
She didn’t give Shard Time to think it over, and said with a bright smile:
"I know you’re a Circle Sorcerer, but I’m not ordinary either."
The smile on Shard’s face faded, and "she" by his ear said softly:
[In the morning, she didn’t shake hands with you.]
"Miss Eles, may I ask what you’re trying to do?"
"Actually, I’d be happier if you called me Miss Radiance. No, I’m not trying to do anything. It’s you who wants to do something."
She smiled and pointed to her own head. The hair under the hat swayed in the river wind, and the blue of her eyes remained deep:
"You want to know about that ship. Yes, you definitely want to know. People have always wanted to know."
"What do you want?"
Shard assumed she wanted to sell information and had only held back from saying so at the museum that morning. But that understanding was completely wrong.
"Mr. Watson, I don’t want anything."
She shook her head lightly, then held up five fingers:
"Help me with a few things. Once you’ve finished them, I’ll tell you about that ship. I won’t deliberately make things hard for you; with your abilities, finishing those tasks should be simple."
Having said that, she clasped her hands behind her back and looked at Shard. Miss Eles’s height was within the normal range for a woman; when she looked at Shard she had to raise her head slightly, the smile on her face unusually gentle:
"Want to give it a try?"