During the daytime in Tivian, the heavy clouds that had accumulated in the sky over the past few days had largely dispersed today. The rare winter sun shone down upon the city, and taking advantage of the unusually good weather, the citizens of Tivian chose to go out, making the streets much more crowded than usual.
On a street somewhere in North Tivian, in a restaurant by a pedestrian crosswalk, at a table by the window facing the street, Dorothy, dressed in a simple black and white dress, wearing leather boots and a small hat, with her silver-white hair tied back in a ponytail, sat there. Holding a cup of coffee and sipping it, she looked out at the lively and peaceful street scene outside the window, then couldn't help but sigh softly.
"What rare good weather..."
"Ugh... yeah, the weather in this place Tivian is like a ghost, unpredictable. It's either cloudy or drizzling, and it's always windy..."
A voice answered Dorothy's words. Looking over, Gregorius, a handsome young man in a brown-black suit, was sitting across the table from Dorothy, eating the steak on his plate while responding to her. After chewing and swallowing the food in his mouth, he continued speaking to his sister in front of him.
"If you ask me, Dorothy, although this Tivian looks big, the comfort of living here might not compare to Igwinte. At least the weather in Igwinte is much more stable than here; I don't have to bring an umbrella every time I go out... Not to mention how utterly terrible it is here; strange smells from the south drift up from time to time, it's really unbearable."
As he spoke, Grego unconsciously pinched his nose. After hearing Grego's remarks, Dorothy put down her coffee cup, tilted her head, and asked Grego.
"Grego, you seem to miss life in Igwinte a bit."
"Yeah, at least the cost of living in Igwinte is much lower in all aspects. The cost of living in this Tivian is a bit too high. The rent here is enough for me to rent several places on Nanyang Flower Road, and the conditions there might not even be better than here."
Grego said with a slight complaint, and after speaking, he unconsciously touched the wallet in his pocket. Not long ago, having been successfully promoted, he finally officially joined the Main Bureau. He then officially moved out of the Main Bureau's dormitory and rented a place to live. Having just paid the deposit and rent, he suddenly spent a considerable amount of money.
Listening to Grego's words, Dorothy's eyebrows raised slightly, and then she continued speaking with a look of interest.
"Hmm... indeed, the weather... air... prices... in Tivian don't seem to be much better than in Igwinte. Aside from being larger and more prosperous, Tivian seems to be a little less livable than Igwinte. I've been in Tivian for the past few months... and I feel the same way."
Dorothy said this, and hearing her words, Grego put on an expression that said, "See, my sister thinks so too." However, Dorothy then changed the subject and continued speaking.
"However... I only came to this realization after living in Tivian for several weeks. Grego, you're really impressive; you've experienced this place so thoroughly after only being in Tivian for a day or two. Your observational skills are really strong..."
With a hint of a smile, Dorothy said this to Grego. Hearing Dorothy's words, Grego couldn't help but freeze, suddenly realizing there was something wrong with what he had just said.
'Damn... The letter I wrote to Dorothy before said I had just arrived in Tivian, but in fact, because I was preparing for the promotion, I've been here for almost a month...'
Realizing there was a problem with what he had just said, Grego paused for a moment, then awkwardly smiled and spoke again.
"Uh... hehe... It's not really strong observational skills. It's just that I bought a newspaper when I came by train, and it had reports on this topic. I only knew about it after reading it. After experiencing it firsthand in Tivian, it turned out to be pretty similar to what the newspaper described."
"Oh... so that's how it is. Then I understand."
Listening to Grego's words, Dorothy nodded in response, while also complaining inwardly.
'Brother... with your qualities, can you really handle covert work... Don't just let things slip out casually. But luckily, you reacted quickly and covered it reasonably well.'
Dorothy thought this to herself, but she also knew that it was understandable for Grego to have a slip of the tongue in front of her. Grego had been in Tivian for such a long time and had long wanted to meet his only relative here, his sister. However, due to the promotion, it had been delayed for so long. Today, he finally managed to meet Dorothy, and in his excitement and happiness, he became a little carried away.
"But then again, I didn't expect you to come to Tivian, Grego. I heard in your letter that you were promoted at your company? If I remember correctly, you should be working for a security company, right?"
Cutting the steak in front of her, Dorothy continued to ask Grego, and Grego nodded and spoke.
"That's right! I work for a security company. I haven't told you before, but the boss of the security company I joined has extensive connections and is linked with even more powerful security companies here in Prit. If he has good talent, he will charge a fee to recommend them. Because I previously helped the police catch a very dangerous criminal, my former boss valued my abilities even more and recommended me to come to Tivian, saying that I could have a better future here, so I agreed."
Taking a sip of water from the cup on the table, Grego said to Dorothy, and Dorothy, after nodding thoughtfully, continued to praise him.
"I see... then you're really amazing, Grego, being able to subdue dangerous criminals. It feels like a waste that you're not a police officer."
"Haha... That's right, your brother here is strong. It's a shame the work I do is too dangerous, otherwise, if there was a chance, I could even let you see it firsthand, Dorothy."
Praised by his sister, Grego said with a smile. After cutting and eating another piece of steak, he continued speaking.
"Speaking of which, how have you been doing in Tivian recently, Dorothy? Especially with your studies and life. Are there any difficulties, or has anyone bullied you? If so, tell me now, and we'll go find them after we finish this meal."
"Don't worry, I'm doing very well here. I get along well with my classmates and teachers; everyone is very helpful. I was a bit unaccustomed at first, but I've adapted now, so you don't need to worry." With a smile, Dorothy described a group of people who didn't exist to Grego, and after listening, Grego felt relieved and continued speaking.
"Are you okay? It's good if you're okay. If that's the case, Dorothy, you still need to focus mainly on your studies. For people like us who come from rural families, being able to attend middle school in Tivian is something we wouldn't even dare to dream of. And it's the affiliated middle school of Royal Saint Crown University, with a chance to directly get into Saint Crown University..."
"I checked, and that's almost one of the best universities in all of Prit! It's incredible to think that people from our background could get in. Dorothy, you really need to cherish this opportunity."
With an expectant look, Grego continued speaking to Dorothy. In their usual correspondence, Dorothy had told him that she was currently attending the affiliated middle school of Tivian Royal Saint Crown University, and her goal was to get into Crown University. After figuring out the prestige of Crown University, Grego began to feel genuinely proud of his sister.
Grego valued Dorothy's future very much. Initially, he brought Dorothy to Igwinte so she could attend middle school and get a better job after graduating. But he never expected that Dorothy, through her "efforts," would actually have a chance to reach one of the best universities in the country. How could Grego not be happy about this?
"You don't need to tell me, Grego. Of course, I will cherish this opportunity. Getting into Saint Crown University is my goal now."
Dorothy continued responding, while also complaining inwardly that she was essentially already a student of Crown University, arranged by the school board, with all her information complete and perfect. Although she hadn't attended a single day of classes there, she had at least learned a lot in its library.
"Oh, right, Dorothy, where are you living now? Is it far from here? I want to see what the environment is like there. If it's not good, I can help you find a better place to live."
Having almost finished the steak on his plate, Grego said while wiping his mouth with a napkin, and Dorothy replied directly.
"You don't need to worry about that. I forgot to tell you in my previous letter that I'm currently living in the school's girls' dormitory. Even the middle schools here have dormitories for girls to live on campus, so I'm staying inside the school. A place like a girls' dormitory... Hmm... It might not be very convenient for you to visit, Grego."
Dorothy gave the answer she had prepared beforehand. After hearing her words, Grego couldn't help but pause. After imagining an environment where only girls Dorothy's age lived, his idea of going to see it was dispelled.
Afterwards, Dorothy and Grego finished their meal while chatting. After Grego paid the bill, they went out and walked around the streets. During this time, Grego saw that Dorothy's clothes were quite plain and thought she was saving money by only buying cheap clothes to wear, so he went to a clothing store and bought Dorothy some clothes that looked a bit flashy.
In response, Dorothy could only dryly smile and accept the clothes, while inwardly complaining that the clothes she was wearing were bought from the tailor shop that made Adele's custom clothes. The plain look was just the design style; in reality, they were expensive enough to cover your rent for two or three months.
After buying things, it was already getting late. After giving Dorothy a month's living expenses, Grego said goodbye to Dorothy and left. After all, Tivian is not a small city like Igwinte; if their places of study and work are far apart, it's not convenient to live together.
"Take care, and remember not to waste money! If anything happens, remember to write or send me a telegram!"
Standing by the roadside, Grego waved and shouted towards the departing horse-drawn carriage in the distance, and Dorothy, sitting inside the carriage, also waved back. After seeing the carriage disappear at the end of the street, Grego also let out a long sigh, then took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with a match, and put it to his mouth. After taking two puffs, he exhaled a puff of white smoke.
"Phew... I've been here for so long, and I've finally met Dorothy... Now it's time to cheer up and officially start working."
Saying this, Grego turned around and walked towards the other end of the street while smoking.
...
The sun set and the moon rose, night passed and day came.
Soon, a day quickly passed. The day after meeting Dorothy, Grego finally welcomed his first day of work at the An-Yin Main Bureau.
Taking a dedicated horse-drawn carriage, Grego arrived at the An-Yin Main Bureau's underground parking lot. After getting off the carriage, he straightened the brown-black suit he was wearing. After glancing around the spacious and dimly lit underground parking lot, he quickly walked through a small door into the An-Yin Main Bureau's office area.
Walking out of the security corridor with Hui Jian Lamps hanging overhead, passing through the hall where a tall statue of the Mirror Moon Goddess stood, among countless unfamiliar faces, Grego passed through several more security checkpoints with Hui Jian Lamps. Finally, he stopped at a door at the end of a corridor. At the door, he checked his watch, confirmed he wasn't late, pushed the door open, and walked in.
Behind this door was a simply decorated room. Several gas lamps hanging from the ceiling illuminated the small space brightly. The room had two doors, one wall had a blackboard, and in the center was a large square table. Five people, one woman and four men, were already sitting around the table.
These five people had different appearances, features, and ages. The youngest looked about the same age as Grego, while the oldest looked around forty years old. When they heard Grego enter the room, all five of them turned their gazes to look at him. Under their gazes, Grego closed the door and then spoke with a smile.
"Good morning, everyone. You're all here quite early."
Grego said, greeting them, but none of the five people responded directly. Except for one older and shorter person who nodded to him, the others ignored him. Seeing such a cold reaction, Grego could only secretly shrug his shoulders, then found a seat at the square table and sat down.
After sitting down, Grego also began observing the others while quietly waiting. After waiting for another ten minutes or so, the other door in the room opened, and a woman around twenty-five or twenty-six years old walked in.
Short yellow hair, blue eyes, tall figure, and a determined expression. The woman, with a sword at her waist, walked into the room wearing long boots.
Slightly taller than an average man, the woman, wearing a modified Hunter team uniform resembling a military officer's uniform, walked up to the square table. After pausing for a moment, she scanned the people sitting in front of her, then spoke with an energetic, declarative tone.
"Good morning, everyone from the branch bureaus across the country. It's a pleasure to meet you. Starting today, we will be colleagues working together."
The woman said this, then placed her hand on her chest and introduced herself.
"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Misha de Blanca. I am Harold's most loyal knight, personally knighted by His Highness. Currently, I am acting on His Highness's orders to form this special investigation team within the An-Yin Main Bureau, specifically to investigate some issues within the Main Bureau. From now on, I will be your direct superior. For a period of time, I will work with you all to eliminate the impurities within the Main Bureau."
The woman named Misha said this. Listening to her words, the reactions of the people below varied, while Grego felt a sudden understanding. He had previously heard that His Highness Harold would send his most trusted person to lead them in finding the mole. He didn't expect him to directly send his knight.