Detective Guide to the Steam World

Chapter 8 The Vanished Servant

"Oh?"

Rean went up to him, "Looks like you've had quite a good time."

"Of course! I'm sure you saw it..."

"Wait a minute."

Before Kent could finish speaking with a smug look on his face, Rean suddenly interrupted him, glancing at the mansion behind him.

"Let's go somewhere else."

Kent immediately understood and shut his mouth.

The two walked out of the Fletcher family mansion and sat down at a coffee shop on the street.

"Gentlemen, would you like something to drink?"

The waitress walked over with a smile and asked politely.

Rean took off his top hat: "A Bernard coffee, no sugar, please."

"Okay, and where is this gentleman?"

"I'll pass, but do you have free water here?"

"..."

The waitress's lips twitched slightly, but she still maintained basic etiquette.

"Of course, please wait a moment."

A short while later, a cup of Bernard black coffee and a glass of iced water were served.

Only after the waiter left did Kent lower his voice and complain:

"Can't we just find a secluded spot? They dare charge 3 pence for a cup of black coffee! Damn it, why don't they just rob us?"

"Perhaps it's because the coffee here is pretty good?"

Rean picked up his coffee and took a sip. The bitter taste instantly filled his tongue, but it quickly transformed into the rich aroma of roasted coffee beans.

Honestly, it's not bad, but it's definitely not worth 3 pence.

However, considering the location of the western district and the fact that it is inhabited by nobles and merchants, a premium is to be expected.

"I really don't understand what's so good about unsweetened black coffee; it's practically poison!"

Kent muttered something, downed the glass of ice water in front of him, then handed over a stack of papers, looking mysterious.

"Look, this is all information we gathered from the domestic service market, according to your request. Something's a bit strange!"

"eccentric?"

Rean took it with great interest and looked down at it.

There were five sheets of paper, each filled with information that corresponded to the five servants employed by the Fletcher family.

Rean quickly scanned the information and soon spotted the problem, frowning slightly.

"Aside from Daryl, the personal male servant, and the butler, the other three were only hired a year ago?"

"That's right!" Kent nodded. "Not only that, according to the clues I found, all three of them were hired on the same day."

Were the three of them hired on the same day?

That is indeed a bit strange.

Looking at the information in his hand, Rean bent his knuckles and gently tapped the table.

Although dismissing and hiring servants was commonplace in aristocratic circles.

However, in a noble family of Fletcher's size, if a servant is dismissed, a butler will immediately fill the vacancy; otherwise, it will certainly affect the master's life and his reputation in upper-class circles.

Especially considering that the Fletcher family already had a small number of servants, employing three at the same time meant that three people had been dismissed simultaneously.

If the butler fails to hire a suitable servant during this period, it would be tantamount to dereliction of duty.

Therefore, any butler with a sound mind would never make such an arrangement.

Unless... there's some compelling reason to do it this way!

"Have the Fletcher family investigated the employees they previously dismissed?"

"I checked, but... I didn't find anything."

"Um?"

"Damn it! Don't look at me like that, I really didn't slack off this time!"

Kent shrugged helplessly. "That's just how it is. After these people were laid off, they just vanished into thin air. I couldn't find any information about them in the domestic service market."

Vanished into thin air...

Rean paused, his knuckles tapping the table, and looked up at Kent:

"Has it been confirmed?"

“Of course.” Kent nodded. “These people have all signed contracts with ‘Mays Helpers’ housekeeping company. If they want to receive employment, they can only do so through these damn bloodsucking intermediaries.”

At this point, a smug look appeared on his face. "I spent a little money to bribe a clerk and got the records very easily."

"So, isn't this news amazing?"

Rean nodded slightly: "It is indeed astonishing."

If nothing unexpected happens, the three dismissed servants have probably already been dealt with by the Fletcher family.

As for lying down? Does that mean quitting work?

In an era of scarcity and low productivity, this was an impossible task.

After all, those who work in this industry are basically ordinary people from the lowest rungs of society.

The Kingdom of Bernard doesn't have any laws like welfare programs. If these people don't continue working, the best outcome for them is probably that one day, the cleaners will find their already rotting corpses in the sewers.

Such things are not uncommon in Wugang City; they happen almost every day.

Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that these people will not continue in this line of work after being laid off.

It's just that the possibility is very small, so small that it can be almost ignored.

"Rean, there's definitely something fishy about the Fletcher family. But that's how it is with working for nobles—dangerous, but lucrative. We just have to be careful!"

As he spoke, Kent looked around and, seeing that no one was around, took out a revolver and a pre-loaded holster and stuffed them into Rean's hand.

"When I went to see old Henry, I bought you a new one. Including twelve bullets, it cost 4 pounds 3 shillings in total."

"Considering our friendship, I won't charge you interest and fees. Just remember to pay me back after this is over!"

"Your generosity this time is somewhat unexpected."

Rean glanced at Kent with some surprise, then picked up the revolver and examined it, nodding in satisfaction.

Thanks.

It is well-made and clearly a product of the military.

He loaded the six bullets into the cylinder one by one, then casually rotated the cylinder to check it. After confirming that there were no problems, he skillfully fastened the holster and placed it under his left armpit, then put the revolver away.

After watching Rean put away the bullets as well, Kent continued:

"Regarding your request for me to investigate Baron Jesper, I also spoke with old Henry, and that old bastard actually asked for 3 pounds right off the bat! It's outrageous!"

"Expensive things are expensive for a reason, and old Henry's abilities justify the price."

Upon hearing the price, Rean remained calm and showed no surprise.

Having collaborated with him so many times, Old Henry, a broker who had been involved in the gray market for many years, had never let him down.

When exactly will we get the results?

"That old man said within three days."

"Three days... I understand."

After downing his black coffee in one gulp, Rean put down the cup, picked up his top hat, and was about to get up when Kent suddenly slapped his forehead:

"Oh, by the way, old Henry asked me to pass on a message to you: if you have time, go to the Hound's Tavern. He needs to see you."

"Did you need something from me?"

Rean raised an eyebrow. "The exact time? Do you know what it's about?"

"He didn't give a specific time, he just said the sooner the better. As for what it was about, the old man didn't say."

Kent shrugged. "But he seems to be in a hurry, so I think you'd better go as soon as possible."