"Mr. Eaton, this is last night's mission report."
The sky was already very bright in the morning. Not long after he woke up, Ed came to Mr. Eaton's fan-shaped table with two cups of freshly brewed black coffee filled with light white mist.
He did not return to the East District stronghold last night. Now that Byakuya himself has gone back and his room has been given to Buck, Ed can only go home and walk back to the detective agency in the middle of the night.
Mr. Eaton did not raise his head, but kept holding the corncob pipe in his right hand. His left hand moved the documents spread out to the side, leaving room for the coffee tray:
"Put it on the table first. Rowan already talked to me earlier. You did a good job, but it might be a little troublesome to apply for the special operations reward."
For agents who perform well, the Bureau of Divine Investigation has always had corresponding reward mechanisms. But the only problem is that a written report needs to be submitted to explain what contribution the agent made.
As for the Hornet drone Ed used last night and the incendiary bomb filled with the blood of the emperor, historically speaking, they are unexplained equipment, so naturally they cannot apply for bonuses.
"Well, forget about the bonus..." Ed waved his hands hurriedly. For him, it was a blessing not to pursue the origins of these two pieces of equipment. "I can explain the matter of the Wasp drone and Elf fuel-"
"It's okay. We can talk about that later. There is something that you may need to deal with right now."
Need "I" to deal with it? Ed noticed that the emphasis in Eaton's tone was a little subtle:
"Please speak."
"Now that Rowan has revealed the matter to you, I won't beat around the bush—"
Eaton said as he placed the extinguished corncob pipe on the table:
"About three days ago, the Oakland family took the initiative to send someone to come to me: they were willing to provide some of the inside information they knew about the subway massacre."
"What about the conditions?"
"Mr. Brandon asked you to go by name."
Brandon Oakland, Catalina's biological father, the eldest son of the current Prime Minister Herbert Oakland, and the first heir to the position of head of the Oakland family.
What is supposed to come has come...
Ed's heart skipped a beat. He also knew that the White Oak family would find him sooner or later. After all, Catalina was not very good at hiding things, and he did have some dealings with Catalina during this period.
"I know, when is the best time for me to go?"
"They said they would be waiting for you at any time. Just send a telegram before going."
"I know, I'll visit in the afternoon." Although he was a little nervous, Ed was not too worried.
Since the other party invited me over openly, it is unlikely that they would attack you. Besides, he is still an agent of the Divine Bureau, so the other party has to be somewhat cautious.
What's more, there is currently no evidence to prove that Catalina's recovery is related to Ed. The flame text on the diary will fade away within a period of time. Even if Brandon does use some means to force Catalina to reveal the secret of the diary, the clues will only lead to the elusive "Secret Keeper".
Taking a step back, even if Brandon can be 100% sure that Ed is the so-called "Keeper of Secrets", he still has Prince Edward's seal ring in his hand.
If necessary, the Oakland family could forcibly kill an insignificant Bureau agent, but they would certainly not dare to touch the "royal secret envoy."
…
"We're at the place, sir."
"Oh." The afternoon sunshine made Ed feel more sleepy, and the gentle bumps of the carriage on the road almost made him fall asleep.
He paid the money and stepped out of the carriage.
Several towering white oaks are like giants wearing laurel crowns, shining like gold in the sun. Ivy surrounds the black iron arch, and the pruned shrubs on both sides exude the unique faint fragrance of the leaves.
In front of the black iron gate of the mansion, a man with a slightly weathered face wearing a butler-shaped tuxedo stood with his hands behind his back. Ed recognized him at a glance as the driver driving the carriage that rainy night.
"Wait a minute, I'm Edgar Waikolo." Ed introduced himself.
"Please come with me, the master has been waiting for you for a long time." Butler Lao En turned around and led the way.
"Then it's up to you to lead the way."
Ed didn't see Catalina along the way. It seemed that Catalina didn't know she was coming, otherwise she should have found an excuse to come to the door to greet her and take the opportunity to confront a pair of calibers.
Four guards stood in front of the main entrance of the living room with expressionless faces. Their breastplates were engraved with exquisite white oak patterns, and sabers and guns were hung on their waists.
"Please come in."
The housekeeper opened the door to the living room, and the snow-white wooden walls were surrounded by gold-framed portraits and shields decorated with dried flowers and plants.
Earl Brandon was sitting on the sofa with a malachite green blanket draped over his legs. Although his face was pale and thin, his appearance was meticulous.
"I've kept you waiting, Lord Brandon." Ed took off his hat and bowed slightly.
"It's okay, please sit down."
Brandon reached out and motioned for Ed to sit down on the sofa opposite. His voice was low but his words were extremely clear.
"My lord must have many official matters, so I won't waste your time. Let's talk about business first," Ed said.
"No rush, I have nothing to do today, so let's have a cup of tea and chat slowly."
Brandon made a slight look, and the butler picked up the exquisite glazed tea set from the coffee table nearby and brewed tea for the two of them. The air fell silent for a moment.
"I heard that my little daughter Catalina specially invited you to her birthday party. You two must have a close relationship, right?"
"Yes, I was intercepted that night and was in critical condition. Fortunately, Miss Catalina rescued me. I am very grateful." Ed tried his best to get to the point.
"I see. I was busy with official duties some time ago and never had time to care about her affairs."
Brandon nodded and continued:
"But today seems to be your first time here. After that, when did you officially meet?"
"After that, I always wanted to thank Miss Catalina, but after all, I was of low status and I was really embarrassed to visit her. I heard that Miss Catalina often visited the fencing club after she recovered, so I went to visit on Sunday. By the way, thank you for saving your life."
In order to attract new members, the fencing club is open to the public on Sundays. Even if Brandon sends someone to investigate, it will be difficult to find evidence that he lied.
Even if Brandon had asked Catalina beforehand, she would probably choose this occasion to lie...probably.
"Tea, please."
The butler held the tea cup and saucer on the tea tray and served the golden red hot tea.
