The heart-shaped leaves of the pothos hang from the signboard, like a girl's slender fingers. On it was the name of the place: "The Jubilation Club."
The night was empty, and the water vapor from the river bank floated faintly. The air was filled with a special aroma - it was the smell of cheap perfume, cigarettes, and sweat, mixed with a certain smell called "desire", which evoked People's most primitive fantasies.
It seems like a den of wild beasts rather than a dwelling place of civilization.
The corridor was shrouded in dim light, and a familiar figure walked into the door. He did not wear a priest's robe, but a patterned vest and a blue coat. He still knew some basic sense of shame.
"Good evening, Mr. Dillon." A woman with slightly gaudy makeup was leaning in the corridor smoking. "Who is this?" She looked at Ed who was standing aside.
"Just call me Ed." The boy took off his hat and put it on his chest, and said politely.
He noticed the other person's pointed ears. The current status of elves in human society is not optimistic. Because they are ostracized everywhere, they are often forced to engage in this humble profession.
"Laura, this is a new kid I met recently. I'm bringing him here to see the world." Dylan smiled and patted Ed on the back. "How about we find a room to catch up on old times?"
She glanced at Ed and put out her cigarette: "Are you sure?"
"Of course." Dylan generously took out two shilling silver coins and stuffed them into her pocket. "Here, take it. This is a tip. Don't let your boss lady see it."
Most brothels are run by married men, and the madam is usually their spouse.
"Okay, come on - please follow me upstairs." She lifted up her skirt and walked up the steps slowly like a lady.
Ed walked behind Dylan and followed him, leaving the one-eyed spider outside to monitor what was going on outside the door.
After closing the door, Laura sat sideways on the bed, picked up the pillow and said:
"Let me guess, you are here to see Abigail."
"I can't hide anything from you, my little sweetheart. Where is Abigail?" Dylan praised with a calm expression.
"Abigail? She has moved out since the accident that night. I'm not sure where she is now."
"It's okay, let's talk about something else first." Ed moved a chair to the side and sat across from the bed.
"Did Mr. Cleon, who died of spontaneous combustion, come here often?"
"He is considered a regular customer here, and sometimes the boss will import some rare goods from him. I have to say that Mr. Cleon is a well-connected person, but his hobby is a bit uncomfortable."
"Hobby?" Ed motioned for her to continue.
"He likes... well, he pursues excitement and violence, and he likes to be the one with the whip, which makes it a little difficult for us. But on the other hand, he gives too much."
"So, Abigail's injuries were caused by him. Did she give her prior consent?"
"'Agree' means having a choice." A sad color flashed across Laura's eyes, "Faced with such a generous customer, even if she doesn't want to, the boss will put it on the shelf."
"Okay, I understand." Ed nodded helplessly. This was not a problem that a Divine Bureau agent could solve. "Then spontaneous human combustion occurred?"
"Yes and no. Generally speaking, Cleon still knows what's appropriate, so even though everyone complained, everything has always been peaceful. Until that night, Mr. Tobacco Merchant was in a good mood and secretly brought some blood honey ointment over. , I heard him say it’s high-end goods.”
High-end goods, Ed sneered. Of course he knew what the so-called "high-end goods" were made of, and this alone was enough to prove that the tobacco merchant deserved his death.
"Then he seemed to be high and lost control of his actions. Abigail's screams could be heard on the first floor, and in addition to that there was Cleon's yelling."
He lost his sense of proportion... Ed recalled the symptoms he experienced while collecting blood honey. At that time, he also entered a similar state: he was confused, sweating increased, and he became more aggressive.
Even an extraordinary person is like this, let alone an ordinary person.
Blood honey affects Cleon's sanity and makes him bloodthirsty, but this does not explain the cause of spontaneous combustion in the human body.
"...After that, the screams suddenly moved to Cleon. At first we just thought he was going crazy, but then the voice became weaker and weaker, and the boss felt that something was wrong. When he entered the room, Mr. Cleon It had turned into a ball of stinking ashes, leaving only the clothes he had taken off next to him."
She spread her palms and blew lightly, as if she was quite grateful for this.
"Do you think it was some kind of prop in the room that set him on fire?"
Dylan suddenly reminded from the side, which made Ed confused.
"You mean candles?" Miss Elf laughed, "I'm afraid not. The candles in that room are made of beeswax and a special plant, and the temperature is not high. And the one who is tied up is Abigail. Not Mr. Cleon, even if it burned, she should have started it first."
"Has Abigail behaved in any strange way before this, or has she been close to anyone?"
"No. She has been acting normal. The only problem is that there is this stupid guy who keeps coming to see her every now and then."
"A stupid young man?"
Ed became alert, this might be a turning point in the case.
"A young man named Holland has a pair of long ears, just like me." She smiled self-deprecatingly, "He was fascinated by Abigail. It didn't matter, what's more What worries me is that Abigail seems to be interested in him too.”
"It doesn't sound like a bad thing when two people are in love, right?"
Ed followed her words. But he also knew in his heart that for this profession, free love was impossible.
"The most taboo thing in our industry is true love." She sighed, "Once a girl falls in love with a customer, the tragedy begins."
"...Some silly women will follow their lovers to a foreign country, only to find that they have changed their minds in an instant, and finally die in depression. Others are more terrifying, and there is no news about them. No one knows where they went. I I don’t want Abigail to end up like that.”
"I also don't want Miss Abigail to suffer misfortune, Miss Laura." Ed looked into her eyes and begged earnestly, "But I must know where she went before I can help her."
He was quite sure that the other party had concealed Abigail's whereabouts.
"You can trust Mr. Waikolo's character, Laura, he is a good person." Dylan nodded aside.
"All right……"
Laura closed her eyes, murmured for a moment, and then continued:
"All I know is that she moved to an apartment building on Mole Street."
