In order to prevent himself from making a mistake, Ma Wei also specifically asked about the performance time of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". After confirming that it did not match the time of the performance he went to see, he thought for a while and gave a piece of information.
"In order to get in touch with Helena Sheffield, I went to see a performance at the Covent Royal Opera House. The play was also A Midsummer Night's Dream. I met James Morea in Box 2. Professor and Guy Moran.”
"Is "A Midsummer Night's Dream" their secret code for contact?" Holmes immediately speculated: "James Morea contacted his subordinates based on the play he performed that day! As long as he sees "A Midsummer Night's Dream" published in the newspaper, They will meet at the theater!"
"Well, this possibility is not impossible. Meeting at the theater is indeed very mysterious. The specific situation can be verified."
Ma Wei met Mr. Butler. The other person's appearance was completely different from Guy Moran. There were not many similarities, so it was impossible for him to admit his mistake.
Unless the other party uses magic to change his appearance - this possibility cannot be ruled out.
Holmes asked: "How do you want to verify it? Wait until the newspaper publishes the performance information of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"?"
"Perhaps we can force them to meet." Ma Wei said: "In the past two days, I plan to attack Mr. Butler's underground laboratory. Once the underground laboratory is attacked, Mr. Butler will inevitably contact the boss behind the scenes. At that time, we will monitor the Butler Sir, can't you just keep an eye on the movements of Guy Moran and Professor James Morea and see who they are in contact with?"
"This is a good idea, how sure are you?"
"I have placed spies inside the underground laboratory and know the specific location and defense conditions of the laboratory. Even if Mr. Butler has the help of alchemy technology, he cannot be Yunia's opponent."
Calculating it carefully, Ma Wei has a lot of trump cards in his hand. There are dozens of magics he has mastered. At critical moments, he can also summon the projections of Buggy and Luca to help. If he is fully prepared, even if he fights But Mr. Butler was able to escape unscathed.
At worst, he could make more noise and seduce the three goddesses of destiny. Can Mr. Butler still challenge the entire church of the three goddesses of destiny in a single laboratory?
Thinking of this, Ma Wei whistled, and not long after, a snow-white cat jumped into the window sill, ran over with its tail raised, and rubbed Ma Wei's ankle.
In order to better protect Holmes and assist him in investigating James Morea, Marvitt dispatched an army of cats. The person responsible for contacting Holmes was Xiao Mei, who had the blessing of Yunia, and Friday, Fat Orange and Little Black Likewise, human language can be used.
"Xiao Mei, go tell Fat Orange and let him investigate Guy Moran's information. The sooner the better."
"Meow~"
After receiving the order, Xiaomei jumped out of the window and disappeared. Holmes couldn't help but said: "You really have tamed a group of good cats. With their help, you can save a lot of energy."
"The well-trained cat army is mostly due to Fat Orange. It is a born king, but it is a pity that it is only a cat."
"A cat with ideals," said Holmes.
"A cat's lifespan is only 15 years, and Fat Orange is already 5 years old."
"The theory lasts for 15 years, and the specific situation depends on the actual situation." Holmes said lightly: "I once saw a 30-year-old old cat who was very energetic and showed no signs of dying. What's more, this is a magical society, and there is magic. , everything is possible, you don’t need to worry about Fat Orange’s lifespan.”
"makes sense."
Smiling, Ma Wei stood up and said, "It's time for me to leave. I have to help you resolve the matter of the invitation from the United Kingdom of Ruiwei. Xiaomei will inform you of Guy Moran's information once Fat Orange investigates it."
"good."
After going downstairs, Mavey saw Yunia in the kitchen, who was eating milk-soaked biscuits. She got along very well with Mrs. Hudson, and was still a little reluctant to part with her when they parted.
"Dad, where are we going next?"
"Go to St. Paul's Cathedral and find Archbishop Brandon." Mavey said: "The king and the Prime Minister want Holmes to leave London. If they want to stop him, they must find someone stronger than them to help."
"Will they help us?" Yunia looked curious: "Why would the church provoke the king for us?"
“With the right reasons, anything is possible.”
7pm, St. Paul's Cathedral.
After a busy day's work, Archbishop Brandon put down his quill, rubbed his sour eyes, picked up a piece of toast and put it in his mouth. After chewing it twice, there was a knock on the door.
"Archbishop, Mr. Nicholas von Manstein is here." A nun opened the door and said.
"Oh? Let him in quickly!"
A sudden visit at night must be important. Archbishop Brandon put down the toast and personally greeted Ma Wei: "Nicholas, it's so late, is there anything you can do?"
"The potion factory has been robbed."
"What?!"
Archbishop Brandon's pupils shrank and his expression became solemn for a moment. He pulled Ma Wei to sit down and asked carefully: "Who did it? What was lost? Has the murderer been caught?"
"The murderer has not been caught yet. The warehouse door has been pried open, and the person in charge of the factory is counting the losses." Ma Wei said word by word: "The loss this time is not small, at least 1,000 gold pounds worth of materials were lost."
"Could it be a mole who did it?"
"It's possible, but I doubt it."
During the hesitation, Ma Wei did not express his guess. Looking at his expression, Archbishop Brandon also guessed a thing or two.
After waving the maid to leave, Archbishop Brandon said, "Do you doubt the eldest prince, Charles?"
"Well, it's either him or Third Prince Andrew. Only they will try their best to steal factory materials. I guess their goal is not only the materials, but also the potion formula!"
The importance of the magic potion formula is far greater than the material itself. Without materials, you can collect it slowly. But if there is no formula, no matter how many materials you have, you cannot prepare the magic potion. The magic potion formula mastered by the Church of the Three Goddess of Destiny, Ma Wei So far, I only know about Obsession Flower, and I haven't gotten the other formulas yet, but he has other formulas in his hand, and they are all very important.
"This matter is no small matter"
Archbishop Brandon made a decision: "Let's go find the Pope!"
Under his leadership, Ma Wei and Yunia met Ubli I. When they heard that the potion factory had been stolen, Ubli I was stunned for a moment. After regaining his composure, he said, "Do you know who the murderer is?"
"I don't know. We guess it's the eldest prince Charles or the third prince Andrew."
"There is no evidence, just speculation is not enough." Ubli I shook his head: "Manstein's Potion Company has signed a contract with the church. As a dealer, Manstein's Potion Company is selling potion materials. At that time, all potions and potion materials produced by the Church of the Three Goddess of Destiny would be divided into half of the profits. If the potions were not made by the Church of the Three Goddess of Destiny, the Manstein Potion Company would also be given a 30% dividend. The premise is to leave the management to your company.”
"Now there has been a theft at Manstein Potion Company, which must be taken seriously. A similar situation must not happen again!"
Warehouse theft, even if it is just a warehouse where materials are stored, is not something to be taken lightly.
Who knows whether the prisoner prepared the potion ingredients or the formula?
It doesn’t matter if you lose a little bit of material, the key is the meaning behind it!
I was able to steal materials this time. Will I have to steal the formula next time?
The Manstein Potion Company is related to the church, and everyone is now a grasshopper on a rope. Pope Ubli I did not want to see the Manstein Potion Company involved in the theft incident. After a brief thought, he gave The solution: "Block the news immediately and don't let reporters know that Manstein's warehouse was stolen, otherwise they will report it, which will affect cooperation with other churches!"
"In addition, Nicholas, you must catch the murderer as soon as possible. The news can only be blocked for a while. Before the news leaks, you must catch the murderer and prove yourself!"
Ma Wei nodded and said in a deep voice: "The prisoner is an experienced thief with clever methods. If he wants to solve the case, he must ask others for help."
"You mean Diloch Holmes?"
"Yes, Sherlock Holmes is a famous detective. With him around, no matter how hard it is, you can still find some clues."
"Um"
King Ubli I was hesitant. He already knew about the invitation from the United Kingdom of Ruiwei, but he quickly made a choice between catching the prisoner and the invitation.
"Let Holmes help solve the case. It just so happens that the criminal who destroyed the church dungeon last time has not been caught yet, so he needs to stay."
Seeing that his goal was achieved, Ma Wei stood up and left, knowing that Holmes could stay in London. The king had Ubley I to deal with it, so he didn't need to worry about it.
Before leaving, King Ubli I did not forget to tell Ma Wei to strengthen the defense of the warehouse, and planned to send priests and monks to help guard it, but Ma Wei declined.
The reason is very simple. The warehouse was not stolen at all. This was a lie made up by Ma Wei in order to force Ubli I to come forward and keep Holmes.
The only one who can suppress the king and prime minister is the church. With the current face of Ubli I, Rhodes IV will definitely give him face.
As for the warehouse, I would just find any excuse to excuse it. At worst, I would use a living statue to stage a good show of catching thieves and seizing the stolen goods.
After solving Holmes' problem, Mavey rushed to Havering District and arranged for several trustworthy workers to direct and stage the theft incident. After setting up the scene, he sealed the warehouse and waited for Holmes' arrival.
Late at night, Holmes hurriedly arrived with a very subtle expression. How could he not guess who the real prisoner was?
There are no prisoners at all.
But he still cooperated with Ma Wei to conduct an on-site arrest. After making up random analysis together, he successfully confused the police and Archbishop Brandon. The final conclusion was also very simple:
The foreign thief has escaped and is probably still in London. He needs to be investigated slowly.
Not only that, Holmes also gave a detailed description of the prisoner's appearance based on the footprints left on the ground and the "confession" of the warehouse worker, and made a portrait. The police immediately started arresting based on the portrait. It was hard to say whether they could catch the prisoner. London is so Big, what if there are residents who happen to fit the portrait?
Even if there is, Holmes can get away with it. He is the person in charge of this case and has absolute command power.
After being busy until late at night, Ma Wei returned to Flower Street with Yunia, who was extremely sleepy. Levin had already gone back to the house to rest, and the store was empty. After a simple wash, Ma Wei also lay down on the bed, just about to rest.
Fat Orange jumped in through the open window.
"I found the information about Guy Moran."
Ma Wei turned over and sat up, put on his coat, and motioned for Fat Orange to continue.
"Guy Moran, whose father is Sir Ramos Moran, studied at Eton College and Oxford University. After graduation, he joined the Army and served in the Southern Continent. He was a famous sharpshooter with the rank of colonel. After he retired and returned to London, he started He opened an underground casino that was ostensibly a card club and loved drama."
Fat Orange paused: "He is a student of Professor James Morea."
"student?"
"Yes, when he was studying at Oxford University, his tutor was Professor James Morea. He has a good relationship and has always been in contact. Guy Moran's resume is very strange, very strange." Fat Orange licked his lips: "With the help of Due to his father's relationship, he can definitely be a rich man and inherit the family's property. There is no need to join the army, which is fine. Maybe joining the army is his ideal?"
"The problem is that Guy Moran served in the army for 12 years and chose to retire just after being promoted to colonel. He retired on his own initiative, not due to injury like Dr. Watson."
"His life experience is completely different from that of ordinary people. Normally, someone with his background would either become a business tycoon or a high-ranking military official. There are many choices, but he chose the most incredible path, retiring and returning to the military. London, open a casino!”
Fat Orange said: "This is not a choice that a normal person should have. More importantly, when I was investigating, I found that all the men he recruited were veterans. It should be said that they had made mistakes and were forced to retire!"
Compulsory discharge.
Ma Wei frowned when he heard this word.
Having served in the Royal Navy, he knew what forced discharge meant. Generally speaking, only soldiers and non-commissioned officers who made major mistakes would be forced to retire. This was no different from being dismissed from school, which meant that the military I think you are no longer fit to be a soldier! This is a very serious accusation!
Most of the soldiers who will be forcibly discharged have committed unforgivable crimes, such as murder, adultery, battlefield disobedience and other serious crimes.
Strictly speaking, soldiers like this are no longer soldiers, but lunatics and perverts!
What does Guy Moran want to do by recruiting these veterans?
Did he give these soldiers who were forced to retire a way out for the sake of fellow veterans?
Or.
Does he have other plans?
"The underground casino opened by Guy Moran is located in the center of Westminster. It is the territory of the White Gang. It is a gang secretly funded by Prince Charles. Logically speaking, Guy Moran should pay protection fees to the White Gang. , but surprisingly, the Bai Gang didn’t dare to provoke Guy Moran at all!”
"Guy Moran's men are all desperadoes. Even gangsters don't want to mess with him. This is normal."
Ma Wei thought:
"Keep staring at him. His relationship with James Morea must be more than just a teacher-student relationship!"
(End of chapter)
