N-A-A Chapter 81 Guild
Chapter 81 Guild
The next day, following the address on the business card, Klein arrived at a somewhat dilapidated building.
The bricks and stones on the exterior walls of the building have peeled off, and the walls are covered with various mottled marks, indicating that they are at least several decades old.
Seeing two burly men in gray uniforms standing in front of the building, who appeared to be guards, Klein realized he had come to the right place.
"The Truth Guild...it looks so unassuming," Klein muttered to himself, his fingers lightly stroking the gold-embossed business card in his pocket.
After thinking it over all night, he decided to go to the guild to check things out.
He walked straight up, but one of the guards reached out to stop him: "Identity."
"Identification documents?"
After a second of thought, Klein handed over the business card that Charles Horn had given him.
The guard took the business card, glanced at Klein a few times, and nodded slightly. "Please come in."
"Thank you." Klein took back the business card and walked straight to the door.
As he pushed open the door, Klein's pupils contracted slightly.
Contrary to its dilapidated exterior, the building's interior was surprisingly spacious. The lobby was brightly lit, and the walls were covered with all sorts of wanted posters, case briefings, and maps.
What's even more striking is that hundreds of people were gathered in the hall.
"That guy definitely used a fake identity! I checked at the docks, and there's no such person there!"
An excited voice came from the left. Klein glimpsed a middle-aged man with a stubble beard slamming his fist on the table, on which lay a stack of yellowed lists.
"Ha, you're still investigating? I told you long ago, if he were using his real identity, the bounty wouldn't have been up until now."
……
The space was filled with low murmurs of conversation and the rustling of papers turning.
"Cough cough..." A whiff of smoke wafted over, and Klein frowned slightly.
In the corner, a weathered-looking man was examining a yellowed piece of paper with a magnifying glass. He had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and his appearance was much more rugged than that of an ordinary detective.
Not only detectives, but also many bounty hunters... Well, bounty hunters and detectives are, to some extent, colleagues.
Moreover, there seemed to be extraordinary beings around... Sensing the faint spiritual reactions around him, Klein realized a fact.
This is not just a simple detective guild, but also a gathering place for wild extraordinary individuals!
The fact that this guild could gather such a large number of special personnel without being besieged by the church is enough to show that it has a powerful background.
Because of the stable rewards and certain safety guarantees, many wild extraordinary individuals were attracted... and because they had a certain order, they could indirectly help the church manage wild extraordinary individuals, so the existence of the guild was tacitly approved by the authorities.
No, perhaps it's a way for the government to check and balance the church... Klein, a former church member, considered this possibility.
"I never expected there really were extraordinary detectives like myself!" he thought to himself.
From this perspective, we can indeed obtain a lot of information here.
"Excuse me, sir, you're blocking the way."
A short figure approached Klein, who was deep in thought, and gave him a reminder.
"Uh, sorry." Klein moved aside and stepped aside.
Are there child laborers in the guild? That height shouldn't be a member, right? Klein looked at the other person's back with some doubt.
"Welcome, Mr. Moriarty!"
When someone called his name, Klein turned around and saw Charles Horn walking towards him with a big smile, his gold-rimmed glasses reflecting the light.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. It seems you've decided to join us?"
"I'm still considering it. I wanted to see how things go first," Klein answered honestly. "However... your offer is indeed very tempting."
Upon hearing this, Charles smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Would you like to take a look at the contract with me first?"
……
Charles's office was located at the far end of the third floor. It was spacious and tidy, with bookshelves filled with thick archives and several oil paintings hanging on the walls.
"The contract is simple, just some basic things." Charles took a document from the drawer and handed it to Klein.
Klein picked up the contract and began to browse... Confidentiality agreement, commission split, prohibition against accepting high-value commissions privately...
Note: The guild will charge an 8% commission on each commission, which will be used for organizational operations.
8%? Klein's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly... He was always very sensitive about money.
8% may not seem like much, but over a long period of time, it is definitely not a small amount.
"The commission seems a bit high," he asked.
"You can't look at it that way." Charles smiled. "You have to understand that the guild's intelligence network, the food it provides, and the subsidies for newcomers all have costs."
"In the long run, joining a guild will at least double your commission volume, and you will naturally earn more money. The commission is really nothing."
"And..." Charles lowered his voice, "if you offend certain forces for some reason, we will help you as long as you don't break the rules."
Insurance… Klein immediately thought of this word… Judging from the other party’s tone, does that mean it’s okay to be caught by the church?
No wonder it attracts so many wild extraordinary beings.
Looking at the contract before him, Klein fell into deep thought. He recalled the divination results from yesterday's gray fog, and the current situation of intelligence shortage.
"I'm joining."
After confirming that there were no hidden clauses, he picked up his pen and signed his name as "Sherlock Moriarty".
"A wise choice." Charles put away the contract with satisfaction, then took a metallic card and a five-pound note from another drawer and handed them to Klein.
"Here's the agreed-upon subsidy, and your ID card. Please keep them safe."
An ID card? So modern? Klein took the card and found it to be much thicker than a regular business card, with a piece of metal about the size of half a coin embedded in the center.
"This is……?"
"A small piece of gold, which can be used directly in case of an emergency; it's considered a guild benefit," Charles explained with a smile.
Klein nodded. "Very thoughtful."
"Of course." Charles pushed up his glasses.
Klein put the card away without saying anything more.
"Well then, Mr. Moriarty," Charles stood up and pointed to the clock on the wall, "would you like to go to the dining room? Lunch today is skewer and Dixie pie."
Klein's stomach gave a timely, soft protest... it really was lunchtime.
"Please lead the way."
……
Bayam.
After several days of sailing, Lorne finally arrived in this "City of Generosity".
"As expected of the capital city, its level of development is indeed higher than other places, and the housing prices must be quite high."
The scenery of the seaside city did indeed give Lorne a sense of novelty.
He held the "Teana" drink, which he had bought from a vendor and was wrapped in a fruit shell, and planned to find a bar or cafe to ask around for information.
However, when he turned into a small alley, he unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance.
"You piece of shit, what are you doing here?"
Danitz looked at Lorne, who was turning into the alley, with a look of horror on his face.
Is this... such a coincidence? Lorne's lips twitched, and his expression wasn't much better.
It's not a good sign when someone keeps appearing in front of you; it reminded him of the situation in Tingen.
The two looked at each other, neither making a move.
"You're with them for a while!" Danitz gritted his teeth and asked first.
"Them? What about them?" Lorne was puzzled, but seeing Danitz's desperate stance, he was also prepared to draw his gun and shoot.
Just as Lorne was considering his next move, several hurried footsteps came from behind Danitz.
"Flame, you can't escape!"