Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1186 Locals and Foreigners

Behind the only police station in Yanan City, there is a small public-private shooting range, which is advertised as a shooting club. It is usually used for police shooting practice, but is also open to the public who are qualified to own guns. It earns a little extra money from membership fees and the sale of training bullets.

At this time, there were two guests, a man and a woman, standing in front of the only 15-meter target in the shooting range. They took turns shooting and calculating the scores, as if they were having a duel.

Bang, bang, bang, there were several consecutive gunshots, leaving several bullet holes on the chest target in the distance. Klein Moretti, who was holding a revolver, was stunned and could not believe the result this time.

His colleague Angel Granger, who joined the Antiquities Search and Conservation Company with him, had never received such a low score!
"Sorry, I'm not feeling well today."

Angel skillfully ejected the empty, steaming shell, placed the pistol aside, and with both hands gathered the long, light-blonde hair that fell on his chest behind his head.

This movement caused the off-white jacket she was wearing to slip slightly, revealing her collarbone at the collar of her shirt. As she twisted her waist, her light grey tight skirt showed off her smooth waist and hip curves. Klein, who was standing beside her, stared at the hourglass-like silhouette in a daze.

He looked away with difficulty and quickly calculated the scores of the two in his mind. He was surprised to find that as long as he could perform normally and the last six bullets all hit the target, he would win today's game!

This means that tonight's dinner will be chosen by Klein and prepared by Angel.

I was responsible for the previous few times, and Angel always ordered those "hard dishes" that took a long time to prepare. This time, I can finally get my revenge... No, I can ask to go to the restaurant in the Town Hall Square. That's the place Angel has always wanted to go but couldn't bear to go. After the meal, I can gentlemanly offer to pay for the meal, and then... Klein was thinking wildly and raised the revolver. Suddenly, he found that his usually steady hands were shaking a little.

Haha, Angel next to him chuckled, as clear as the wind chimes hanging by the window of his office.

Huh... Klein let out a long breath, recalling the gun-holding method and breath-holding aiming technique that Angel taught him. He pulled the trigger repeatedly, letting the bullets and his heart jump out of the barrel and shoot towards the bull's eye.

Except for the first bullet which went a little far, the rest were all in the high-scoring area. Without a close look, Klein could be sure that his score had surpassed Angel.

He raised the smoking revolver to his ear in a cool manner, with the muzzle pointing upwards, and turned slightly sideways to look at Angel, with an irrepressible smile on his lips.

If I had a half-high silk hat and a black windbreaker, and a pair of plain glasses, I would look even more handsome... Strange, why would I think this? A strange thought popped up in Klein's mind.

"Great, great," Angel clapped his slender fingers together, smiling, "It looks like I lost today. Where are you going to have dinner?"

Before Klein could blurt out the answer he had prepared, she continued:

"Why don't we go to the Balam-style restaurant next to the town square?"

I was just about to say that... Klein was startled again, and suddenly noticed that there was a hint of expectation and shyness in Angel's deep purple eyes.

No wonder Angel, who usually hits the target with every shot, missed repeatedly today. No wonder she wore a dress that she was not used to wearing. She took the initiative to suggest going to that restaurant because she wanted to... Klein felt his cheeks getting a little hot, and he quickly nodded and agreed.

Klein still felt that his steps were light even after they walked through the bustling square and arrived at the restaurant that sold southern continent-style food.

It turns out that my feelings during this period were not an illusion. She also has a good impression of me. Come on, Klein, you need to perform perfectly at the table today... He thought in a confused manner and almost bumped into the three guests who walked out of the restaurant.

The light brown man with some Balam blood in the lead protected the man and woman behind him with his hands. He glanced at Klein warily, then bowed slightly to the middle-aged gentleman wearing a top hat and carrying a cane and said:
"Sir, are you okay?"

The latter waved his hand to indicate that it was okay, nodded to Klein and Angel, and quickly returned his gaze to the breathtakingly beautiful young woman with black hair and purple eyes beside him.

It seemed that he was unwilling to take his eyes off her. Were they father and daughter? Judging from their ages, it was very likely, but some rich people also played lavishly... Klein complained inwardly, feeling fortunate that she did not take his reckless action of almost knocking him down. He quickly pulled Angel over and walked into the restaurant.

----

“Christine, I think the woman just now looks a bit like you. Are you sure you don’t have any distant relatives living in this small city?”

After walking out of the restaurant and boarding the luxurious carriage, the middle-aged gentleman waited until his personal valet Enuni drove slowly away from the square before he put down his cane and said to the woman beside him with a smile.

"Every young and beautiful woman you see says this, including the round-faced local I just met. Do she and I have anything in common, Dawn?" Christine crossed her arms and puffed up her cheeks in a feigned anger before answering. She then glanced around and raised the corners of her mouth slightly. "Could it be that the stories circulating in Backlund are all true? Mr. Dantes likes mature and older women, young and energetic girls, and proud ladies. He even wants to disturb a gay couple in a forbidden love?"

"That's all gossip. You see, after I got engaged, I stopped attending the bachelor parties at the club."

The gentleman called Dawn hurriedly shook his head to deny it, then frowned slightly, with a hint of doubt in his blue eyes:
"But the black-haired, round-faced woman I met before does look a bit like you. Not in appearance, but in a certain... temperament."

"Now that you mention it, I'm a little interested... How about we go back and look for it?"

Seeing that Dawn's tone was serious and didn't sound like a joke, Christine stopped smiling and asked back seriously.

After thinking for a moment, Dwayne Dantes shook his head, leaned against the cushioned inner wall of the carriage, and said:

"No need, it's not an important matter... Let's go take a look at the houses waiting to be sold first, and buy them if the price is right. I think this place will become a transit station on the safe route sooner or later, just like the big city not far away. By then, the assets here will appreciate in value... In addition, we can also come here for vacation every winter. There are beaches and delicious food here, but it's not as noisy as the Disi Bay. It's very suitable for us." "You have fallen in love with the Balam cuisine here," Christine said with a smile, "After staying in Intis for a few years, I also fell in love with the cuisine there. Compared with Backlund's poor recipes, Trier can be called the real capital of all cities."

"You can try Intis restaurant in this city tomorrow. They can make simple Dixie pie juicy and delicious. Maybe they can give us some surprises with other dishes."

When it comes to eating, Dawn's eyes seem to light up and he quickly makes plans for tomorrow.

"You only know how to eat... I want to go to the nearby city. They say it's the 'City of Dreams'. I wonder what's so special about it..."

Christine said something scolding, but an undisguised smile flashed through the corner of her eyes, and she leaned towards Dawn's tall body.

"Who doesn't love the delicious food of Intis? Or, can I enjoy other customs of Intis in advance?"

Dawn stretched out one hand to hug the person next to him, and with the other hand he pulled the curtain of the carriage, and whispered in her ear. His breath blew her black hair, making Christine's neck itchy. She closed her eyes like a cat and curled up into a ball.

Enuni, who was driving the carriage, listened to the rustling sounds coming from the carriage behind, smiled, and quietly slowed down the speed to give his two masters more private space before reaching their destination.

The wheels rolled over the cobblestone road, brushed past two passers-by, and headed towards the sunset.

----

"careful!"

Sherlock Moriarty was quick to pull his assistant Irene, who was staring blankly into the distance, to his side and protected her sideways.

A luxurious carriage sped past. The coachman took off his hat and bowed to them apologetically, but he showed no intention of stopping.

"Savage strangers..."

He muttered something, let go of Irene's hand, and scanned her from head to toe as if to confirm. Then he breathed a sigh of relief and said in a stern tone:

"Next time, don't walk in the middle of the street. There have been three traffic accidents in Yharnam in the past week. All of them were caused by carriages losing control or axles breaking and hitting pedestrians, causing injuries. I don't want to hear that you have become the fourth one."

"Yeah," Irene, who had some freckles on her cheeks and ordinary features but a special temperament, nodded. Her mind was not on the detective beside her, but on the direction where the carriage was going away. "How do you know they are outsiders?"

"Three points. First, such a luxurious carriage can only be rented at the city hall, and no one in the local area would pay a high price to rent it unless there is a wedding. Second, the driver has Southern Continent ancestry, and most of these people work in a restaurant that serves Southern Continent specialty dishes. He obviously does not belong there. Third, they are heading towards the suburbs of Yharnam, where there are no hotels or houses, only a few luxurious villas that no one has ever bought."

Sherlock stood on the street and spoke very quickly.

This confident analysis was obviously enough to convince Irene. She nodded as if she understood, and then asked:
"Then can you analyze where those giants at noon came from?"

She was still upset about Sherlock's decision to stop her from tracking down those strangers.

"Of course it's the 'New Silver City' on the island. I heard there are thousands of giants there. They are taller and stronger than Feysac people, but they don't have Feysac's barbaric customs. This time I came to visit the church in the city, so it shouldn't cause any trouble to the people of Yharnam."

The detective replied with a stern face.

"Where's the analysis? Why is there only a conclusion?"

Irene waited for a moment, and when Sherlock stopped talking, she poked his waist with her finger and asked.

"There is only one reason. I went to the Church of the Fool this afternoon and met the visitors from the New Silver City. I learned this from them."

Sherlock's tense expression finally relaxed, revealing a triumphant smile, and then he jumped up at Irene's angry stabbing attack.

"Are you still a detective? Where's the reasoning and analysis you usually talk about?"

Irene's round face puffed up as she chased after Sherlock, who was holding down his bowler hat and adjusting his glasses, but she felt a little happy in her heart.

Her Sherlock would indeed not turn a blind eye to the dangers that this small town might face.

On the tall bell tower of the Church of Fools nearby, two pairs of eyes quietly watched the detective and his young assistant playing below. Only when the sound of the two people's playfulness gradually faded away did they retract their gazes and look around the entire city in the orange-red light of dusk.

They were also a man and a woman. The man wore a half-high silk hat, a black windbreaker, and a huge revolver on his waist. The woman next to him wore a tricorn hat, a high-necked tight leather jacket, and held a strangely shaped bone sword in her hand. The huge ruby ​​necklace on her chest sparkled in the sun.

(End of this chapter)