Under the gloomy sky, a four-wheeled carriage slowly drove into Kerr Street and stopped in front of the Church of Truth. The glass-embedded door opened. Diloch Holmes pressed his hat with one hand and stepped on the door with his leather shoes. Stone steps.
He did not go in immediately, but stood at the door and looked at the quaint architecture of the church and the surrounding environment. Just as he was enjoying the observation...
A young man wearing the robe of Father Davaris came out, holding a cowhide book in his arms, and looked at him in surprise:
"Mr. Holmes? Why are you here?"
"Father Mavey...."
Holmes withdrew his gaze and said with a smile: "I came to you to discuss something. I wonder if it is convenient for you now? If it is not convenient, I will come back another day."
"That's it..." Ma Wei thought for a while and said, "Originally I planned to go out, but since the famous Mr. Holmes made a special visit, I have to do whatever I want to do as a landlord. It's going to rain soon. Please come in."
"Thank you."
The two of them walked into the church and sat on the same bench in silence. There was only a fist between them. It would not be an exaggeration to say they were shoulder to shoulder.
Holmes took off his tall felt hat and held it in his hand without rushing to speak. He admired the tall and magnificent statue in front of him, as if he was attracted by it.
She is really smarter than a fox... Ma Wei cursed.
Starting from the meeting a minute ago, the psychological game between him and Holmes had officially begun. Both parties wanted to take the initiative in the subsequent conversation, and wanted to use words to gain a psychological high position, thereby overpowering the other party's momentum and achieving their own goals. Purpose.
but....
Ma Wei, who received an elite education, has profound attainments in negotiation psychology.
"I'll get some tea."
Ma Wei stood up and walked into the kitchen, brought out two steaming cups of black tea, placed them on the empty seat between him and Holmes, and gently interrupted the other person's thoughts: "Mr. Holmes, please drink tea."
Holmes took a deep look at Ma Wei, scooped up a spoonful of sugar and put it into the tea cup. Then he picked up the cup and took a sip: "Very fresh tea leaves... It seems that you like drinking tea very much, Father."
“Tea has a calming power that I really enjoy.”
"You have two cats, two great cats."
"Does Mr. Holmes like cats?"
"I don't like it, and I don't hate it either..." Holmes took out a box of matches: "Can I smoke?"
"Please."
Crack!
The jumping flame suddenly rose, and when it came into contact with the dense golden tobacco, it made a sizzling sound. Holmes shook the match out, took a beautiful puff, and let the thin smoke float into the sky above the church.
"I came here today to ask you, Father, a small favor," he said.
"Even Diloch Holmes has a headache...I may not be able to help." Ma Wei smiled.
"Because it's you, you can help me."
Holmes said expressionlessly: "I want to borrow your power."
Hearing this, Ma Wei raised his eyebrows slightly and asked tentatively: "Why are you looking for me? Can't others?"
"I don't know them, why should I ask them for help?" Holmes held a pipe in his mouth and stared at the tall statue: "I have no contact with other churches. You know this very well. If I have received any gift from the gods, , was he almost killed last night?"
"Um...."
Last night at Mrs. Maggie's house, Holmes' life was indeed hanging by a thread. If Ma Wei hadn't asked Fat Orange to come to the rescue, he would have died at the claws of the spirit puppet.
Because of this reasoning, Ma Wei let Holmes and others leave, but he still didn't know if there were other forces behind Holmes, such as royal family, aristocratic background, etc...
"What do you want me to do for you?"
Ma Wei put down the teacup: "Let's talk and listen."
"Just half an hour ago, Baron Bill received a warning letter from the Rose Phantom Thief. The opponent will steal their family's treasure, the blood rose, at 8 o'clock the day after tomorrow." Holmes said: "I have never fought against the Rose Phantom Thief before. I don’t know his details or methods, and the incident I experienced last night made me realize that the world seems to be undergoing drastic changes. Just in case... I want to ask you to help me catch the Rose Phantom Thief."
"Do you suspect that Rose Phantom Thief is a believer in a certain church?"
"It's possible, but I'm not sure. After all, he has always been elusive and no one has seen his true face..."
After a pause, Holmes added: "If the Rose Phantom Thief can use magic like Gilbert Wilkin, then I will definitely not be his opponent, but if you, the priest, are by your side, the situation may be different."
Ma Wei was silent, lowered his head, and began to think about whether to agree to Holmes' request.
He also wants to catch the Rose Phantom Thief. Everyone has the same starting point. Cooperation is not a bad idea, but the key is...
Holmes wanted to be his deputy and listen to his command, while Ma Wei wanted to use the Rose Phantom Thief to gain the friendship of the nobles of New Ross City, and then contact the city owner, Prince Arthur, to quickly develop the church.
As a deputy, all the credit will fall on Holmes. He is just a facilitator, just like the subordinates who follow Inspector Macmillan, and cannot attract the attention of the nobles at all.
In this way...
Didn't his plan fail?
"I can agree to your request, but..."
Ma Wei narrowed his eyes and said: "The relationship between us is cooperation, not assistance."
"You also want to catch the Rose Phantom Thief?" Holmes said with a surprised look on his face: "He had no grudges with you in the past and now... Oh, that's it."
Suddenly, a smile appeared on Holmes' face. While playing with his walnut cane, he said lightly: "It seems that your situation is not very optimistic, Father."
As a great detective with logical truth, Sherlock Holmes is not in vain.
Putting his mind on Ma Wei's point of view, he figured out the key.
"No wonder there have been servants of gods from other churches in the city for the past two days, who have been conducting overt and covert visits to investigate the divine messenger." Holmes suddenly realized: "If I guess correctly, the divine messenger is... Father, can you please let him use his claws? Get off my neck?”
A slightly warm breath hit the back of Holmes' neck, but instead of feeling any warmth, he felt chills standing on end.
Fat Orange appeared behind his seat at some point. His gleaming claws were only a few centimeters away from his neck and could fall at any time.
"Fat Orange, be more respectful to your guests."
Hearing Ma Wei's voice, Fat Orange hesitated for a moment, reluctantly retracted his paws, turned and left.
"Father, I'm curious, how did you hide the angel?"
Holmes's gray pupils shone with a strange light. He had just escaped from hell and started dancing on the tip of the knife again, like a madman who was willing to sacrifice his life for the truth.
Seeing his expression, Ma Wei smiled, shook his head and said: "Order."
"order?"
"In the past, stray cats had their own territories and often fought with each other. But as long as they are united, condensed into a group, an organization, and given order, they will undergo a qualitative change!" Ma Wei said loudly: "It's like ants. The power of social creatures cannot be underestimated! They must obey orders and prohibitions, and be uniform. What they lack is just a monarch, a cat-like monarch who can make them sincerely obey!"
"Is this the one who left just now?"
"Don't underestimate it. It is very smart, especially after gaining the power of the gift, its IQ is even higher."
"I'm not looking down on it." Holmes smiled and said, "It's just that you haven't answered my question yet..."
"Oh, I let them live in the church temporarily. They go out early and come back late."
"Won't anyone find out?"
"Who can track a cat?" Ma Wei spread his hands: "They are the most mysterious creatures in the city, they don't follow the usual path at all."
"How to solve the food problem? Now that they have order, they certainly can't steal fish and eat meat like before. The daily expenses are also astronomical."
"I give them money and let them go to the market to buy food. As for the change problem, I have another method."
"Hmm... Is this really foolproof?" Holmes said to himself: "I've been walking around the city a few times in the past two days, and I found that there are people watching more or less near each church. Eyeliner, so many stray cats, won’t they be discovered?”
"They spy on the church, and the cats spy on them."
Ma Wei pointed to the top of his head and said with a half-smile: "From a high place, you can overlook everything."
"Awesome! I actually ignored the cat's habits!"
Holmes's eyes lit up, he stood up and said, "Just as you said, Father, let's work together to capture the Rose Phantom Thief!"
"Well, I have to rush back now and think about it..."
Muttering, Holmes left the church, took the carriage parked at the door, and rushed towards Ross Avenue.
"Why let him go?"
Fat Orange returned again, jumped on the stool, and asked: "He is too smart. Once he becomes an enemy, there will be endless troubles!"
"The chances of him being an enemy are slim to none."
Ma Wei sipped the cold black tea and said softly: "Would a smart person speak out loud about the clues he discovered in the enemy camp? What is the difference between this and courting death?"
"What if he's just faking it?"
"Is this necessary? None of us can read minds. If he doesn't tell it, who knows he has discovered it?" Ma Wei said leisurely: "To say the least, it doesn't matter even if he is pretending. , there are cats watching, there is no need to be afraid at all.”
"But you just told him this directly! He will definitely be wary!"
"So what if we know? His every move is under our surveillance. Once the secret is leaked, we will receive the news as soon as possible, right?"
"Do you believe him that much?"
"From the first time I met him, he didn't show anything suspicious. Why should I doubt him?"
Ma Wei looked out the window at the gloomy sky and sighed faintly: "If the church wants to develop and grow, money alone is not enough. Talent is the most important thing. If we can pull him into our camp, it will be a great success." It’s a huge help!”
