The Fairy: From the Traveling Merchant

Chapter 960 Renting a House
"Nonsense, what kind of 'playboy' am I? I'm clearly a 'scumbag' who neither takes the initiative nor refuses..." Zhao Chen joked to himself, then changed the subject, saying, "Besides, the results I got from the soul search were, to be precise, that 'the serial killer is connected to a banker Panatia knows'..."

"We also need to investigate all the bankers in the kingdom's capital who aren't very well-known."

Su Xuanbing glanced at Zhao Chen, but didn't insist on any explanation. In any case, she wouldn't lose out by "cultivating with him"; on the contrary, she would gain a lot of benefits.

As for "reputation" and the like, the female warriors of Xuantian, especially those from aristocratic families and upper sects, don't really value it. If they meet someone they like, they'll give it to them without hesitation.

She was more concerned with the implication in Zhao Chen's words and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why only investigate bankers who aren't very well-known?"

“Because those well-known bankers, Horace won’t ignore their names, and won’t just form an abstract name like ‘a banker I know’ in my memory,” Zhao Chen explained, and continued, “This is a tedious task, and we need to find someone or an organization to help us with it.”

"Whom do you want to do this?" Su Xuanbing asked again.

“Of course, it’s the official extraordinary ones. They have resources, manpower, and the highest efficiency.” Zhao Chen curled his lips into a meaningful smile.

Su Xuanbing reacted quickly and immediately understood his meaning, saying with a sudden realization, "You want to leak this information to the Night Watchers?"

"To avoid alerting them, we'll only reveal information about a banker's connection to the serial killer, while concealing any information about Panatia." Zhao Chen nodded and continued, "Official organizations like the Night Watchers, whether we trust them or not, will definitely investigate. We can simply sit back and reap the benefits."

As for how to release information without being "calculated," Zhao Chen wasn't too worried. Neither he nor Su Xuanbing lacked similar methods.

Having spent the night in a frenzy, Su Xuanbing was hungry again. So, after getting dressed, the two of them left the apartment together and took a carriage to a restaurant in the bridge district. They even bought several newspapers along the way.

Breakfast in the Kingdom of Rune was rather monotonous, consisting almost entirely of toast, bread, bacon, sausage, butter, and cream. Fortunately, the chef at the restaurant they entered was quite skilled, and Su Xuanbing ate with relish.

Using the "suggestive word method," Zhao Chen made those around him overlook the female general's less-than-elegant eating habits. After taking a few bites of oat bread, he put down his fork and spoon, picked up the newspapers he had just bought, and leisurely began to read.

After a day of development, the news of Kapin's murder was finally reported by the media. It was ultimately classified as a robbery and murder case... However, many reporters interviewed the girls who were released, and they insisted that they were rescued by a female knight wearing strange armor.

Meanwhile, the police in Rune have officially issued a warrant for the arrest of this chivalrous thief codenamed "The Female Knight".

Putting down the *Tasoq Daily*, Zhao Chen picked up a copy of the *Daily Observer*, browsed the housing rental section, and quickly spotted a piece of information:
"16 Williams Street...bordering the West End and Queens...garden villa...annual rent of £80? That's so cheap?!"

Zhao Chen had learned about the approximate rental prices here through newspapers and magazines. He knew that the rent for a garden villa in a high-end neighborhood in the city would be at least £3 per week, or £156 per year, not including the cost of furniture.

Of course, some of the more luxurious houses are ridiculously expensive, costing up to several thousand pounds a year.

The fact that this villa is so cheaply rented suggests there's something wrong with it, like... it's a haunted house?
Zhao Chen didn't care about any of that. After selecting two more alternatives, he saw that Su Xuanbing was wiping her mouth, so he dispelled the spell.

After paying the bill and leaving the restaurant, the two boarded a horse-drawn carriage again and headed to the West End.

Instead of immediately heading to the locations of the selected rental properties, Zhao Chen had the carriage circle the area around Bellotto Street in the West District, which Heras remembered, several times. He eventually determined that the seemingly unremarkable three-story building at number 9 was the headquarters of MI9. "If this is the case, given the limited range of my and Xuan Bing's divine senses, only the villa at 16 Williams Street nearby fits the bill..." Zhao Chen pondered.

Of course, although it's not far, it's actually two blocks apart, which is just the limit of their spiritual senses.

Zhao Chen didn't need to worry about the specific procedures for renting the apartment. As long as the money was in place, he could entrust a lawyer to handle it. Fortunately, both of their identities were "real" and valid, which saved them a lot of trouble.

In particular, Su Xuanbing's assigned identity as "Aisa Suffer" is not only that of a famous detective, but also a descendant of a fallen noble family, so renting a haunted house in the West District would not arouse suspicion.

While the lawyer they had hired was discussing the rental arrangements, Zhao Chen and his companion arrived in the North District and booked a room at a small hotel that didn't require identification.

Then, Zhao Chen, without hiding anything from Su Xuanbing, summoned one of his own from the "Great Sun Star Chariot" in front of her, ordered him to write a cryptic report, and then had a child deliver it to the front desk of the "Heihe Security Company".

After doing all this, Zhao Chen remotely "reclaimed" that "one of his own," so that even if the Night Watchman had connections everywhere, he wouldn't be able to trace it back to him within a few days.

It was nearly noon when Zhao Chen and his colleague met with the solicitor at a restaurant in the western district. They ate lunch while listening to the lawyer's report.

“Mr. Helios, Ms. Aisha, I sincerely advise against renting the house at 16 Williams Street, even though it’s very cheap,” the lawyer said, unable to resist offering a word of advice after showing them the contract.

"Oh? You've found out what the problem is with that house?" Zhao Chen asked after taking the contract.

The lawyer nodded and said with a serious expression, "That villa originally belonged to a military officer, who mortgaged it to a bank and obtained a large sum of money."

"But later, both the officer and a doctor were confirmed to have died in this house..."

"Another woman who was living with the officer also died shortly afterward."

"The bank acquired the property title and quickly sold it at a low price to a tobacco merchant who had returned from the southern continent."

"But the police later discovered that this businessman was a scumbag who not only hired gang members to traffic girls, but also tortured and murdered them in this house..."

He hesitated for a moment, then sighed before continuing, "In short, this house is currently only under the trusteeship of the 'Metropolitan Housing Management Association,' and the ownership is unclear. It's as if many people have died because of a curse associated with it, and there's a high possibility of other disputes in the future."

The "story" surrounding this house is so fascinating? No wonder the price is so low... Zhao Chen clicked his tongue in amazement, but still signed the contract directly.

After all, he was only staying for a few days and didn't care about any disputes.

Moreover, with so many murders occurring in this house, there might be something special about it. It would be even better if we could lure that serial killer here!

(End of this chapter)