The open box mainly contained some clothes of decent fabric, with a few books tucked inside, and a small silver flask, a pocket watch, and several black and white photographs placed on the side. The photographs were of Jonathan Lemmer.
This was Xia De's first time seeing a photograph of the deceased crewman.
Lawyer Laurel introduced, "Mr. Lemeier hoped that if he died of illness and his body remained, then Mrs. Lemeier, who received the inheritance, should arrange his funeral. If he died in a shipwreck with no body, then Mrs. Lemeier, who received his inheritance, needed to purchase a grave locally, bury the photograph, and ensure his soul would not be lost in the ocean."
This was a superstition among sailors; they believed that if they died without a grave, their souls would be permanently trapped with their bodies at the bottom of the sea.
"No problem."
Mrs. Lemeier's eyes were a little red, while Xia De once again helped inspect the relics. He only flipped through the clothes, and to his surprise, Jonathan Lemmer actually had the habit of writing a diary every now and then. There were five diary notebooks in total, each page densely packed, recording the trivial matters at sea.
"Jonathan Lemmer's level of education is surprisingly good."
Xia De said in a low voice, a little surprised. The handwriting in the diary was much better than his own, and it was very organized, with few spelling errors.
Mrs. Lemeier explained with a slight sob, "Uncle Lemeier used to study, but later he offended the local sheriff, which is why he went to the sea to make a living. He was a very good person; he even read storybooks to us when we were little."
"Yes, for this business, I exchanged a few letters with Mr. Lemeier's friend who kept the will. According to his description, Mr. Jonathan Lemmer was a rare, highly educated person among the crew. It was also because of this that he was able to accumulate so much wealth in Coldwater Port as an outsider in just ten years. His friend spoke very highly of him."
As Lawyer Laurel spoke, Xia De had already opened the diaries. The diary recording events of the past few months was buried at the bottom of the sea with Mr. Lemeier; the latest diary present here was from half a year ago.
While flipping through them, Xia De discovered that besides delarion, there were also Carson Rick words mixed in. Occasionally, even some more obscure languages, and even ancient languages, would appear.
After translating the text written in the gaps, the meaning was roughly: Today is my third month as a Ring術士, and I've decided to rent a small house in Coldwater Port to hide my spellcasting materials and books.
Xia De snapped the diary shut with a 'pa' sound, his expression unchanged, but the hand holding the diary unconsciously tightened.
Lemeir being a Ring術士 was something he hadn't even revealed to the warehouse dispatcher he did illegal business with, and there were no items related to a Ring術士 among the inheritance before him.
The date of the diary he just saw was two years ago, which was the autumn of 1851 common era. If the diary was not forged and Mr. Lemeir's safe house was still in its original place, then it meant that there were ownerless Ring術士 relics in a certain house in Coldwater Port City.
A Ring術士 must belong to an organization, but the safe house for personal items would most likely not be revealed to others, which means...
Xia De now had a reason to go to Coldwater Port City.
Stabilizing his emotions, Xia De put the diary back into the box and nodded to Mrs. Lemeier.
"All the inheritance to be transferred is here. Please confirm it again. If there are no problems, please sign this document to confirm receipt of all contents listed in the attached inventory."
Lawyer Laurel handed over another document, then added, "Of course, you can also use a handprint."
"I will write my own name."
The middle-aged woman said softly.
Xia De helped read the document that needed to be signed. As he read, Lawyer Laurel explained the parts that could easily cause misunderstanding. After confirming there were no problems, Mrs. Lemeier took the fountain pen and, holding it awkwardly, signed her name, confirming that she had received all the inheritance.
She probably didn't write often; her letters were even uglier than Xia De's.
"Finally, regarding the lawyer's fees, according to what we've already agreed upon. A part will be paid directly by you to the Tobesk Bar Association, and the other part directly to me, 1 pound 3 shillings for tax evasion convenience."
Lawyer Laurel nodded apologetically, and Mrs. Lemeier took some banknotes from the money in front of her and handed them to him.
The Lawyer Laurel looked at Xia De again and, seeing him sitting there motionless, knew that this middle-aged woman, who had suddenly acquired a large fortune, must have promised a considerable reward to make the Detective so diligent and responsible. Although curious about the Detective's income from this case, he still grabbed the overcoat from the back of the chair and, with great professional ethics, bid farewell:
"Mrs. Lemeier, you have my contact information. Detective, this is my business card. If you ever need legal assistance in the future, you can contact me directly. Don't go through the Bar Association; those Vampires' commission is truly too high. Oh, this doesn't count as taking private work."
When he said the latter half of the sentence, he winked at Xia De, who nodded knowingly, understanding that the local legal profession was not as free as the Detective profession.
Subsequently, Xia De also handed over his business card.
Lawyer Laurel took it and, after a glance, looked up in surprise:
"I knew it! The last time I saw the newspaper, I thought that photo looked familiar, and the Hamilton surname... So you are the one from the newspaper..."
He smiled and did not say the title "Hamilton of Leijiede":
"I see. Mrs. Lemeier, you truly found the right person. This Hamilton Detective is indeed very reliable."
After speaking to the somewhat puzzled middle-aged woman, he tucked the business card into his white shirt's chest pocket:
"Hamilton Detective of Saint Delan Square, I've received your business card. If I encounter troublesome clients in the future, I might ask for your help. After all, Detectives and lawyers have a considerable possibility of cooperation."
He shook hands with Xia De, then politely bid farewell to Mrs. Lemeier, before picking up his briefcase and draping his overcoat over his arm, leaving with a rather dashing air. He looked completely different from the rhode cards player he had met at the tavern last time.
Perhaps people become addicted to rhode cards, but there are also many who can reasonably control themselves. In this noisy and chaotic era, rhode cards, alcohol, cigarettes, and perhaps many more things tempt people to deviate from a normal life path, but even ordinary people can rely on good self-discipline and habits to keep themselves from being swallowed by darkness.
Perhaps only such people are worthy of a decent and prosperous life.