"When Doug was little, he was bitten by stray dogs, and even now, he still has hideous scars on his legs and hands. That's why he doesn't keep dogs, nor does he let members of his Gang keep them, because he's afraid."
Listening to the Bartender, Lex leaned back slightly: "So when I go to see him later, I can prepare a dog?"
Sanchi shrugged, offering no comment, and continued: "Doug joined the Gang in his youth, and ten years ago, he was already the leader of that Gang."
"Perhaps out of a longing for high society, he started wearing suits and ties. He also required his members to wear ties, which is how the name Black Bowties came about."
"He engages in various illegal trades, and when it comes to dealing with rivals, he is notoriously ruthless. For example, Doug once chopped up an opponent and threw him into the sea to feed the fish. In short, he is a guy even the Police Station doesn't want to provoke."
Just then, another Bartender entered the bar and whispered something to Sanchi. The latter nodded after listening and looked at Lex: "He's here."
On the second floor of the pub, Lex knocked on a door. The door opened, and a bald Bearded Man cautiously looked out, then fully opened the door.
Lex walked in calmly, surveying the room. The lighting in the room was not bright, and a short, stout man, dressed in a suit, sat on a sofa.
He wore a black tie, bit on a cigar, and a beautiful young woman, dressed alluringly, nestled beside him, bringing a glass of wine to his mouth.
Behind the sofa, two burly men in cheap suits and ties stood with their hands behind their backs, their expressions solemn, like statues.
At this point, the bald Bearded Man extended his hand and said, "Please hand over your pistol."
Lex, wearing a black iron mask, casually glanced at him: "That's impossible. A gun is a hunter's life; I won't entrust my life to others."
The Bearded Man's lips curled up: "That's not up to you."
He reached into Lex's long trench coat, intending to forcibly take the gun.
Lex first grabbed his hand, then tripped him with his foot. The Bearded Man lost his balance and knelt on one knee, and Lex pressed his head against the wooden board with his other hand, making him dizzy.
The two burly men behind the sofa immediately reached into their coats, each pulling out a revolver, but before they could aim at Lex, two gunshots rang out in the room. Their revolvers vibrated violently, flying out of their hands, having been shot away by Lex with precise point shots.
The golden pistol moved, pointing at the man on the sofa amidst the bar girl's screams. Lex said in a calm and indifferent tone: "The probing ends here, Mr. Doug."
The pistol spun twice elegantly before Lex put it back into his underarm holster. Taking off his hat, he sat down on the other sofa.
The short, stout man then burst into laughter, clapping vigorously: "Excellent, truly the best hunter in Town. Your skill completely lives up to that reputation."
Lex crossed his legs, leaning slightly against the armrest: "Since you consider me qualified, then I think we can now discuss the mission."
"No problem." Doug spread his hands and said: "The mission is simple. Around 11 PM on the night of the day after tomorrow, I need you to meet on White Beach. At that time, I need to receive some goods. As long as you ensure that I and the 'goods' can leave safely, Mr. Duke, I am willing to pay you 300 pounds."
"If an accident occurs during that time, I will increase your reward based on the difficulty of the incident. And having seen your skill just now, I can promise that the additional reward will be at least no less than 200 pounds."
Lex said directly: "You are very generous, but Mr. Doug, would you mind telling me what those 'goods' are? I need to assess the difficulty of the mission to confirm if it matches the reward I receive."
Doug gave two dry laughs: "How about this, I'll raise the mission reward to 500 pounds. As for what it is, don't ask."
A smile flickered in Lex's eyes: "Perhaps you don't understand me very well. I'm not short on money; I'm more interested in the mission. If the mission isn't appealing enough, I'll lack motivation."
"Of course, whether to disclose or not is the client's freedom. It's just that in that case, I can only suggest you find other hunters."
Doug fell silent. He smoked his cigar, puffing out large clouds of white smoke, watching Lex through the swirling haze.
After a moment, he took off his cigar: "You have a lot of personality, alright, Mr. Duke. I can reveal a little: those goods are people, some people from West Balam who came to our Loen seeking opportunities. And I am willing to provide them with opportunities."
It's people?
This is human trafficking? As expected of something a Gang would do!
"Mr. Duke, now that you know, you wouldn't go to the Police Station to report me, would you?" Doug burst out laughing.
"Of course not." Lex smiled in response.
But I will report you to St. Witt's Church, because I'm not sure if the Police Station is in cahoots with you, Lex added in his mind.
Doug stood up and actively extended his hand: "Then, may our cooperation be pleasant?"
This time Lex didn't respond, didn't shake his hand. Pressing his hat onto his head, he said: "See you the night of the day after tomorrow."
After leaving the pub, Lex found a child selling fruit on the street, bought his fruit at an inflated price. Then he gave him an envelope and told him to drop it into St. Witt's Church.
He witnessed the entire process from a corner near Memorial Square, confirming that a priest came out chasing after the envelope, then opened it, saw what was inside, and immediately changed color and returned.
Inside that envelope was the parchment taken from Old Lady Paris's house, the parchment with the evil spell written on it.
Next, the church should launch an investigation, and that would be none of Lex's business.
He returned to his mansion on Golden Champagne Avenue feeling cheerful and relaxed, climbing over the wall of the back garden, and, using the trees and houses for cover, silently entered through the window, returning to his room.
As soon as he landed, Lex smelled a very faint, fishy odor. He immediately remembered hunting in the mountains that day, and the strange thing with black bristles on its lips and chin.
A thought surfaced in his mind.
That monster was here, in his room! Did it track him that night? Had it come for revenge?
Lex stood up calmly, showing no abnormal behavior. He naturally walked towards the wardrobe, even humming a tune softly.
During this process, Lex tried hard to distinguish the scent and determine the location where that thing was hiding.
Even when he opened the wardrobe, the monster still hadn't made a move. It seemed it was waiting for the right moment, waiting for Lex to relax.
Lex placed his trench coat, golden revolver, and black iron mask one by one into the secret compartment. Then he took out the snake-scale revolver, using the wardrobe door to block the line of sight.
His heartbeat was normal, his breathing natural. He moved his arm slightly, pressing the muzzle of the snake-scale revolver against the wardrobe door, pointing it in the direction of the monster.
He abruptly pulled the trigger!