madnovel Chapter 226 Dunn Smith's Request: Repaying the Debt
Chapter 226 Dunn Smith's Request: Repaying the Debt
Chapter 226 Dunn Smith's Request: Repaying the Debt
Unlike before, Evan didn't pretend he didn't know the night watchmen; instead, he tried to contact them through the church.
Instead, they went directly to the Blackthorn Company at 36 Zotland Street.
Boom, boom, boom.
Evan knocked on the security company's door, but received no response, which he found strange, because he clearly sensed someone behind the door in his spiritual perception.
After thinking for a moment, Evan knocked on the door again, but received the same result.
Having no other option, he had to switch from knocking to pushing, and finally opened the door to the Blackthorn Company.
As the door opened, Evan saw the antique sofa in the room used to receive guests, and behind the table facing the door, a brown-haired girl was lost in thought.
It wasn't until Evan walked up to the girl and blocked the sunlight from shining away that the girl came to her senses. When she realized that someone had appeared in front of her at some point, she was so frightened that she leaned back, causing the chair to fall backward.
Evan quickly stepped forward, grabbed the corner of the chair back to steady it, and then said with a smile and a joke:
"There's no need to get so excited when you see a handsome guy, and slacking off at work isn't a good habit."
Upon hearing the first part of the sentence, Rosanne instinctively looked closely at Evan's face, and blushed unnaturally after seeing him clearly. But upon hearing the second part, she subconsciously retorted:
"I was thinking about something, not slacking off. And who are you? Why did you barge in without knocking?"
In response to the girl's rebuttal and question, Evan smiled and said:
"I knocked on the door twice, but there was no response. I also noticed that the door wasn't locked, so I just came in."
"My name is Evan Horn, and I'm from the Earl of Akhova's mansion. I know your captain, and I'm here to see him. Could you please announce my arrival?"
Realizing she had been daydreaming, Rosanne, upon hearing that the person in front of her knew the captain, smiled sheepishly, quickly gestured for Evan to sit down, poured him a cup of coffee, and then said ingratiatingly:
"There have been some things going on at work lately, so I haven't been able to concentrate very well. Could you please not tell the team leader that I was daydreaming later?"
Evan took a sip of coffee, saw the expectant and ingratiating look on his face, and nodded with a smile.
Rosanne was very happy to see that Evan had let bygones be bygones, and went through the door to the inner room.
Not long after, the brown-haired girl returned to the reception room and said:
"Mr. Horn, the captain wants to see you in his office. Please come with me."
Through the cubicle, Evan followed Rosanne into a corridor with three offices on each side. Through the open office doors, Evan noticed that most of the staff inside were dressed in formal attire and were not playing cards or talking. They didn't even seem to care much about the strangers who appeared. They glanced at Evan and then ignored him.
Leonard Mitchell, with his black hair and blue eyes, and slightly less handsome than Evan, whose romantic poetic temperament had transformed into that of a melancholic poet, was somewhat surprised to see Evan arrive. He stood up to greet him and asked:
"How did you find this place? Was it because of Klein?"
"Yes, I heard about Klein's situation, so I came back to Tingen specifically to see your captain."
There are many questions surrounding Klein's death, such as where he got the high-level talisman from? How was he able to see through Ince Zangwill's and 008's script? Where did the severely injured Megalos go? Why did Ince Zangwill take away Klein's extraordinary abilities, etc.
Leonard was 100% certain that Klein had saved Tingen and the Night Watch team, and he was also 100% certain that Klein Moretti had a secret. He wanted to uncover Klein's secret not to tarnish the hero's reputation, but to see through Ince Zangwill and 008's script and then seek revenge.
But no matter how he investigated over the past few days, he couldn't find out anything. At this moment, Evan, Klein's classmate who was not simple at all, suddenly appeared, which aroused his vigilance.
"The reception room can't be left unattended. I'll take Mr. Evan to find the captain!"
Leonard took over the task of guiding Evan directly, which made Rosanne feel a little confused, but she still nodded and left the corridor to return to the reception room.
Leonard led Evan to the deepest office on the left, knocked on the door, and after receiving a response, led Evan inside. Then, without leaving, he walked to the side, wanting to eavesdrop on what Evan was going to do.
Dunn Smith, whose hairline had receded again, was tidying up his personal belongings in his office. He glanced at Leonard, said nothing, stopped what he was doing, and smiled at Evan, saying:
"Hello, Mr. Evan Horn, I am deeply saddened by the passing of the old Earl!"
Evan glanced at the newspaper on Dunn Smith's office desk; the front page headline was about the old Earl's passing.
"Thank you. I came to the Night Watch squad this time for my classmate Klein, and I'm not here as a colonel from MI9 to gather information, but as a chosen one of the goddess."
Ivan's words immediately surprised Dunn Smith and Leonard Mitchell.
What Leonard could think of, Dunn Smith could naturally think of as well, so they both took Evan's arrival very seriously, but they did not expect things to unfold like this.
Evan pulled out a certificate he had obtained from Archbishop Anthony before coming to Tingen to prove his identity.
Dunn Smith took the certificate, examined it carefully, and after confirming its authenticity, drew a crimson moon on his chest and said:
"Welcome, Your Excellency!"
Evan also drew a circle in front of his chest, nodded in return, and then said:
"My main purpose in coming here is to help Klein make arrangements for his funeral and to learn more about the details of what happened back then, so that I can avenge him later!"
Evan made no attempt to hide his desire to avenge his classmate, which moved Dunn Smith and Leonard.
"What do you need to know, and how do you need us to do it?"
"Regarding the report you submitted to the church a few days ago, I have raised several questions, which are all here. Please prepare a written report on these questions as soon as possible and submit it to me in the next few days, since I cannot stay in Tingen for too long."
As for Klein's funeral arrangements, I need you to send one of your team members to go to his home with me.
Evan handed the prepared items to Dunn Smith and took the opportunity to state his request.
In fact, Evan knew more about what happened in Tingen than Dunn Smith, because he was the one who orchestrated most of it, and Dunn Smith had fallen into a coma long ago and knew nothing about Grisha's birth.
This was done simply to reinforce the subordinate relationship between him and Dunn Smith. It's only superiors who assign tasks to subordinates and require explanations; subordinates don't assign tasks to superiors and require explanations.
If Dunn Smith accepts this premise, he will continue to use similar methods to strengthen the superior-subordinate relationship for Evan's sake, and may even eventually bring him under his control.
Dunn Smith took the paper from Evan, glanced at it, and then said:
"I will prepare a written report as soon as possible. Leonard, you've been visiting the Klein family frequently lately, so you can accompany His Excellency there!"
Leonard, standing to the side, nodded silently and accepted the task.
Evan glanced around Dunn Smith's office and noticed several boxes, clearly indicating that things were being packed. He smiled and said:
"Is Captain Dunn leaving the Night Watch squad?"
"Yes, Leonard and I have submitted our application to join the 'Red Gloves' to the Sanctuary, and we received their approval this morning."
No wonder the atmosphere in the Night Watch squad hasn't calmed down even though several days have passed since Klein's incident! It turns out their most reliable captain is leaving too.
Evan thought of Rosanne's momentary daze and the somber mood of the Night Watch members he had just witnessed.
"Are you doing this because Tingen is too insignificant to you, or because you want revenge for Klein?"
As a chosen one of the goddess of the night, Evan had no need to hide from Dunn Smith and Leonard that he knew they understood the art of acting.
"Klein took all the blame to protect Tingen and us, but we can't be so complacent."
When it came to revenge, a fire ignited in Dunn Smith's eyes. Clearly, he joined the Red Gloves for "revenge." "So, if you have any news about Ince Zangwill and 008, please let us know. We'd like to help."
Dunn Smith spoke to Evan in an almost pleading tone,
As a veteran member of the Night Watch, Dunn Smith, who has witnessed the "Sunfire" spell and Saint Selena's ashes, is well aware of the power of demigods, and 008, who can directly manipulate the offspring of gods, is obviously even more terrifying.
Faced with this hopeless opponent, and knowing that even if he joined the Red Gloves, the Church might not allow him access to the investigation, the unarmed Dunn Smith could only turn his attention to Evan, who was most likely to reveal relevant information to him.
Evan was also taken aback, not expecting Dunn Smith to be so direct, taking his plan to gradually deepen mutual trust directly from the first step to the last.
"good!"
Evan stared at Dunn Smith for a long time, and finally nodded under Dunn Smith's expectant gaze, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
Originally, Evan only intended to use the Ince Zangwell incident to deepen his connection with Dunn Smith and Leonard, and did not intend to get involved in the revenge against Ince Zangwell.
However, Dunn Smith's request made Evan realize that this was an excellent opportunity to win them over. In any case, Klein would take care of the revenge against Ince Zangwell, so Evan didn't need to do anything. He simply agreed.
After leaving Blackthorn Security Company, Evan flagged down a public carriage and righteously refused Leonard's suggestion to use the company vehicle for personal purposes.
"You're Klein's friend. If you want to go to Klein's house to hang yourself, you can just go directly. Why do you need to ask the night watchman for directions?"
Leonard had never had a good impression of Evan. The two of them had only met twice. Once was when Leonard went with the captain to investigate Evan at Earl Akhova’s mansion in the Golden Phoenix District, where Evan sarcastically called him a black dog who took bribes and did nothing.
Another incident involved Evan "fishing" at the church, causing quite a stir for the Night Watch team, and their leader, Dunn Smith, received a reprimand for it.
The last time I heard news of Evan was when Klein told him that Evan was doing very well in Backlund and had become a high-ranking member of MI9.
"Of course I hope to get your endorsement. This is something I prepared for the Moretti family. Take a look!"
Evan took out another file folder and placed it in Leonard's hand.
Leonard hesitated for a moment, then opened the file folder and found it full of real estate and company shares and securities.
The debt certificates totaled a staggering 5000 gold pounds.
"I prepared a total of 20,000 gold pounds, but that's far too much for the Moretti family, so I took more than half." North Leonard stuffed all the documents back into the file bag and said with a serious expression:
"Even if you and Klein are good friends, giving them this stuff is going too far. What exactly do you want to do?"
Evan shrugged nonchalantly and said:
"What could my motives be? I just want to pay off my debts!"
"Tell this to other people and see if they believe it! Klein is already the highest earner in his family, with a yearly salary of about 500 gold coins. What you're giving him is equivalent to 10 years of his salary!"
Leonard was very emotional. After Klein's death, he felt a responsibility to protect Klein's family. In his eyes, Evan's sudden offer to give such a large sum of money to the Moretti family was more of a curse than a blessing.
"He sold me two high-level talismans, equivalent to two full-force attacks from a demigod of the Solar Path, and each one cost ten thousand gold pounds, which is not expensive at all."
Now that Klein is gone, the debt can't be absolved, but to avoid scaring the Moretti family, I need you to help me tell a little lie, how about it?"
Evan's words pulled Leonard out of his rage, and he cautiously asked:
"Was this Klein's arrangement before he died? Did he tell you what he was going to do?"
Leonard knew that Klein possessed a high-level talisman from the Solar Realm, so Evan's current actions were like carrying out Klein's last wish.
Moreover, based on his understanding of Klein, if he had extra talismans and was prepared to die in this operation, then it was very likely that he would make plans for his family.
And the best person to carry out this wish is none other than Evan Horn, who is not short of money.
Thinking this through, Leonard examined the document in his hand again and then said:
"I can help you, but the church has already given the relevant compensation to Klein's brother. Under what pretext will you give this money to them? You can't just say that Klein sold you two high-level talismans, can you? And how can I vouch for you?"
Evan smiled slightly, pointed to the file folder in Leonard's hand, and then said:
"There is a complete reason for this, namely that Klein had already perceived the risks and opportunities before the financial crisis hit Tingen."
Then he asked me to guarantee his loan with my own credit, borrowed 1000 yuan from Jinbang, and then carried out a series of leveraged operations, eventually doubling his money.
After making money, Klein did not withdraw it, but entrusted me to invest it. Coincidentally, Backlund was also in turmoil at this time, and assets were at low prices.
The stocks and securities here are currently worth only about three thousand gold pounds, but I've selected those with appreciation potential, so they'll soon be worth ten thousand gold pounds. How about that? Doesn't it seem less exaggerated now?"
Leonard was stunned after hearing Evan's story. He never expected Evan to have come up with such a clever way to pay off debts. He had used his 3,000 gold pound inheritance to pay off at least 10,000 gold pounds of debt. He had paid off the most debt with the least amount of money.
"No, you've essentially replaced what was originally real money debt with risky financial investment products!"
Leonard seemed to be listening intently to something, then pointed out the essence of Evan's move with a serious expression.
"What should you do if the financial products you choose depreciate, or if their appreciation doesn't meet expectations?"
Having understood Evan's actions, Leonard was determined to protect the Moretti family's interests. If they made more money, he wouldn't be angry, but if they made less, he would fight for it and speak out; in any case, they couldn't afford to lose money.
"That's why I want you to come with me. I can't just say it outright—I'm going to use financial assets to settle a debt of 10,000 gold pounds, and there are indeed risks involved."
But you can act as a debt collector. If these assets don't appreciate to 10,000 gold pounds, you'll be responsible for collecting the debt from me. How about that?
So, are you confident enough to collect your debt from me?
This can be considered a disguised guarantee from Evan that these financial assets are ultimately worth 10,000 gold pounds. If not, Leonard has the right to pursue them!
From another perspective, Evan also lost a lot of expected returns by using these things to offset his debts, which was a loss for him as well.
But there was no other way; he didn't have enough cash on hand, so this was the only way to proceed.
The assets Evan chose could definitely appreciate to 10,000 gold pounds. His actions were also a way to strengthen his connection with Leonard, so that they wouldn't be familiar strangers when they met in the future.
"In addition, you also need to use your identity as a police officer and Klein's former colleague to prove to Klein's brother that..."
These items are all genuine and effective, with no potential problems; please feel free to accept them.
Leonard finally nodded in agreement with Ivan's method of repaying the debt.
The Blackthorn Company's location on Zotland Street and the Daffodil Street where the Klein family rented were not far apart. It only took Evan and Leonard half an hour to arrive at Klein's house.
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.
Leonard rang the doorbell, and after a while, Melissa, dressed in all black—a color typically reserved for families in mourning—opened the door.
Her expression was very somber, her cheeks were thin and pale, and her brown hair had become somewhat dry.
When Melissa saw Leonard outside the door, she swayed involuntarily, clearly thinking of the person in front of her who had informed her of Klein's death a few days ago; her lips even trembled slightly.
Leonard naturally noticed Melissa's reaction and guessed the reason, so he could only bite the bullet and say:
"I came here with Mr. Evan to handle the aftermath of Klein's death."
As Leonard spoke, Evan stepped out from the side, placed one hand on his chest, and said to Melissa:
"Melissa, long time no see!"
At this moment, Melissa also recognized Evan, nodded and bowed in response:
"Long time no see, Mr. Evan!"
"Melissa, who's here? Oh, it's Mr. Leonard and Mr. Evan. Please come in, don't stand outside."
Benson walked over as he asked questions, and when he saw that it was Klein's classmate and colleague, he quickly welcomed them in.
After Bella, the maid, returned to the kitchen after serving tea to the guests, Evan didn't engage in much small talk and went straight to the point:
"I heard about Klein's situation, so I took advantage of my brother's return to Tingen to come here and also to settle some matters regarding Klein's legacy!"
"Klein's legacy?"
Benson and Melissa were both surprised that the word would be associated with Klein.
"Klein, as expected of a top student in the history department of Hoy University, is very knowledgeable about the rise and fall of finance in various countries. He saw long ago that the man named Lanius was a big fraud."
So he wrote to me and borrowed 1000 gold pounds, and wrote a short-selling investment plan. He made a fortune, not only paying back the money he borrowed from me, but also earning a lot of money.
Chanklein didn't touch these things randomly; instead, he had me invest them directly. They're currently worth about three thousand pounds, less than four thousand, and there's still some room for appreciation. All of these things are here now.
As he spoke, Evan placed the file bag he had retrieved from Leonard on the table.
Benson and Melissa were both unprepared for what Evan said, and they looked at each other in surprise, neither of them touching the thick file folder.
The six thousand pounds in compensation that Klein received from his boss and Leonard a few days ago already felt like a windfall to them.
But at least it had the title of "compensation".
Today, Evan once again produced nearly four thousand gold pounds, claiming it was Klein's legacy. This seemed unbelievable to them, like a dream.
"Mr. Evan, you may want to do something for your friend, but you don't need to go to such lengths."
Benson spoke tactfully, but his meaning was clear: we appreciate your kindness, but don't take us for fools who would believe this nonsense.
"No, no, no, Benson, don't misunderstand. Klein and I are good friends, but I wouldn't lie like this."
Renrad was Klein's former colleague and a police inspector; he can vouch for me.
Evan had anticipated this situation and immediately pulled Leonard to vouch for him.
Leonard, standing to the side, watched Evan lie without even blinking and wondered how someone like him could become a favorite of the goddess, but he could only go along with it and help him cover up the lie.
"Mr. Evan wasn't lying. I did some research before I came and confirmed that everything in the document is genuine."
It is indeed a legacy left by Klein.
Leonard's police background played a significant role; Benson and Melissa exchanged a glance, somewhat believing Evan's words.
I opened the file on the table.