Chapter 47: Chapter 47: The Inevitable Encounter of Fate
Chapter 47: The Inevitable Encounter of Fate
Walking on the main street of the West District, there weren't many pedestrians around. Most of the wealthy merchants and minor nobles traveled by carriage, and those who walked were generally servants running errands.
To preserve the residential environment, there were no slaughterhouses or vegetable markets nearby; one had to go a bit further from the residential areas to find them.
Hastur had wandered around for a while and hadn't come across anything new. Glancing at the time and seeing it was nearly eleven o'clock, he casually chose a restaurant to dine in.
He had just sat down to eat when he heard someone calling him from behind.
Setting down his knife and fork, Hastur looked in the direction of the voice and saw Chief Reed, whom he had met once before.
"Baron Campbell, I didn't expect to meet you here."
Chief Reed approached with a smile, accompanied by two young officers.
"Perhaps it's the guidance of the goddess."
Hastur smiled and invited Chief Reed and his companions to sit down, as he had some matters to discuss with the chief.
"Praise the goddess."
Chief Reed made a sign of a crimson moon across his chest, showing his devout faith.
Once they were all seated, Hastur called over a waiter and ordered three more meals.
The food was reasonably priced here, so Hastur felt no financial pressure.
Even inviting a few more people wouldn't cost more than a pound.
Chief Reed and his companions quickly stood to express their thanks before sitting down again.
While waiting for the meal, Hastur inquired about a man named Andrew.
"We do have recent news of him. Someone saw him at the docks yesterday, looking like he was about to leave Beckland by sea. Our police have stationed officers there to prevent him from boarding any ships."
Chief Reed remembered the con artist who had dared to deceive the nobility; last time, it was he who had led a team to secretly watch near Hastur 's home.
The docks?
Hastur frowned slightly, thinking that if there was a chance, he would personally arrest the fraudster.
But the docks were too close to the Sunrise Charity House, and he was reluctant to go near there.
"He's cunning, perhaps it's just a feint to mislead us."
Chief Reed sighed, reflecting on the long pursuit of Andrew, which always seemed to fall just short of success.
"Do you have any other leads?" Hastur tried asking.
At that moment, their lunches were served, and the two young officers, not wanting to disturb the conversation between Chief Reed and Hastur , took their meals to a nearby table.
Chief Reed cut a piece of steak and pondered for a moment: "His luck seems to be holding; we're always just a bit too late."
"Once, our patrol spotted him, and just as they were about to approach him for a closer look, they were interrupted by other matters."
"Another time, we organized a team to check the pubs at night, but arrived just a few minutes too late, allowing him to slip away through the back door."
Different luck?
Hastur became alert. Was there something extraordinary behind this different kind of luck?
As far as he knew, the path of fate could grant someone good fortune in encountering good things or curse them with continual bad luck.
He recalled a conversation with Professor Wayne, who had mentioned that Voltaire Campbell had terrible gambling luck; he had casually flipped a card and won a manor deed.
And Andrew's unprovoked demand for 2000 gold pounds from him—were they really just after the money?
Or were they trying to force him to sell something valuable?
That night they broke into his house, besides looking for him, were they also searching for something else?
Hastur fell into deep thought, knowing it was possible he was overthinking.
This could all just be a simple case of fraudsters targeting him and breaking into his house to steal.
As for the different kind of luck, perhaps someone in the police department was tipping off Andrew.
Seeing Hastur lost in thought, Chief Reed awkwardly said, "We will capture him in the shortest possible time, and he won't escape again!"
"I've always believed in your capabilities and that you can bring criminals to justice."
Hastur smiled, glanced at Chief Reed's nearly finished steak, and asked, "Would you like a beer?"
"Thank you for your generosity."
"Here's to catching the criminal in advance."
Hastur signaled the waiter and ordered three of the best beers available and one soft drink.
"I have some matters this afternoon, so I can't drink," Hastur explained.
...
The docks.
Not long after parting with Chief Reed, Hastur arrived here alone.
In the past, he wouldn't have ventured here alone, but now he was playing the role of a barbarian, acting first and thinking later. Since he was moved to do so, he decided to take a stroll around the docks.
Perhaps he might indeed find something, as fate always attracts like.
Upon reaching the docks, he made it a rule that the encounters of fate were irresistible.
If Andrew was indeed an extraordinary individual on the path of fate, then it was highly likely he would meet him.
Hastur walked around the docks, wary of pickpockets stealing his money, and aimlessly wandered around.
If it were up to pure reasoning and tracking, he certainly couldn't compare to the professional police department.
This time, his main approach was metaphysical; it would be great if he encountered something, but there was no loss if he didn't.
At three in the afternoon, Hastur still hadn't found anything and sat in a small tavern, ordering two smoked sausages, a cup of Earl Grey tea, and a dessert for his afternoon tea.
Although the food here was rather coarse, the smoked sausages were quite delicious, better than some well-known restaurants.
As for the dessert, it was a bit lacking, neither exquisite nor tasty.
Hastur quietly enjoyed his afternoon tea, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the inside and outside of the tavern, perhaps he might actually encounter Andrew here.
Halfway through his meal, Hastur 's gaze outside the tavern sharpened—he actually caught a glimpse of Andrew!
Compared to their last meeting's thuggish appearance in a suit, Andrew was now wrapped up tightly, his chin covered by his collar, dressed in the common attire of the workers here.
His eyes were downcast, searching around from time to time, then darting away, as if avoiding someone.
Was he being watched by the police department?
Hastur didn't immediately settle the bill and get up; he patiently observed a little longer, wanting to see who Andrew was avoiding.
If it was a police officer, then he didn't need to hurry; he could just carefully follow behind.
If it was someone else, then he needed to take a closer look.
Just as Andrew's figure was about to disappear, Hastur still hadn't spotted anyone particularly following him.
Had he become a frightened bird?
Hastur got up, settled the bill—1 pound and 4 shillings—and blended into the crowd, following behind Andrew.
He always maintained a safe distance of about ten meters from Andrew, only speeding up when Andrew turned a corner or was about to disappear from sight.
The two of them, one after the other, wound through several alleys, passed by two or three warehouses, and finally, Andrew stopped at the door of a small wooden hut.
He first looked around, then quietly knocked on the door.
Soon, a man in his thirties peeked out, also scanning the surroundings before meeting Andrew's eyes.
The two exchanged a few brief words, and then Andrew followed the man into the small hut, and the door was closed again.
Was this his hiding place?
Hastur emerged from around the corner, watching the small hut for a while.
He now had two good options: one was to go and inform the nearby officers to come here and arrest the people, letting the police department handle the matter.
The other was to stay here, send someone to notify the nearby officers, and then act together with them.
Of course, he chose the third option—charge in directly!
Hastur found a thick wooden stick nearby, weighed it in his hand, and approached the door of the small hut.
He swung the heavy stick, smashing it against the already flimsy door.
Boom!
The entire door collapsed with a crash!
Hastur , holding the stick, strode in and immediately saw three figures.
One was the panicked Andrew, and the other two, burly men, were on guard. The man in black picked up a bench from inside the hut to use as a weapon, while the man in gray pulled out a dagger hidden in his clothes.
The man in black looked at Andrew and cursed, "You fool, you didn't even know the police were at the door!"
"He's not the police, he's Voltaire's son!"
Andrew recognized Hastur 's identity, and his expression became even more panicked. He stepped back, hiding behind the two burly men, his eyes darting around, ready to flee at any moment.
"Voltaire's son?"
"Hehe, came right to us, did you?"
"Yeah, I came myself, since you guys didn't dare come looking for me."
Hastur 's face showed a simple and kind smile. Before the two burly men could speak again, he swung his stick directly at the closer man in black.
The man in black grinned fiercely, swinging the bench from right to left, aiming a blow at Hastur 's temple.
The man in gray moved to the side, trying to cut off Hastur 's retreat.
Hastur was quicker, his stick striking the man in black's head first.
Crack!
The heavy stick broke in the middle.
The man in black's head buzzed, and before he could marvel at Hastur 's strength, he fell backward, and Andrew quickly dodged to the side.
The man in gray, originally planning to cut off the retreat and attack Hastur from the side, saw this and hurriedly ran towards the door.
Hastur turned and glanced back, throwing the half-stick with all his might!
A cry of pain—the man in gray was impaled by the broken stick in his waist, the heavy force carrying him forward to the ground, his forehead making intimate contact with the ground, knocking him unconscious.
I was actually aiming for his thigh...
Seeing that the man in gray couldn't run away for the moment, Hastur silently withdrew his gaze and looked at Andrew, who had no way out.
He spoke calmly: "I think we can have a good talk now."
(End of chapter)
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