Because the matter was resolved too smoothly, when Xia De walked out of Squirrel Alley, it was not yet half past ten.
The task of catching the mysterious person could only be carried out at noon, and the other one was too far away, at the other end of the City.
So, after some consideration, Xia De first went to the Steam Bird Daily office to pay the advertising fees for the next month, and then took a carriage to the gas company to inquire about pipe installation.
Finally, he went to the MI6 stronghold to collect his salary.
And taking a stroll around the City like this could also relax his mood.
"Don't laugh anymore; I just suddenly thought of Mia."
Walking on the street, laughter still echoed in his ears.
Xia De said in his mind with some dissatisfaction, but she did not respond to Xia De's request at all.
The MI6 stronghold that Xia De was connected to was located in the Tobesk West District at the "City Waste Disposal Management Center."
His last visit was more than half a month ago, and the gray building, nestled between a snuff bottle shop and a shoe repair shop specializing in rain boots, was hidden within the bustling Steam City, just as it had been on his last visit.
Since he had already been there once, after entering the building and explaining to the receptionist that he was looking for Mr. Giles Johnson, he quickly found the middle-aged man reading a newspaper in the "Equipment Management Office."
Hearing the sound of the door opening, the seemingly bored middle-aged man looked up and sized up Xia De, and after Xia De closed the door behind him, a smile appeared on his face:
"Oh, look who it is, isn't this Hamilton of Leijiede Knight?"
Saying this, he stood up and shook hands with Xia De very warmly.
"Mr. Johnson, there's no need to be so exaggerated."
"Of course there is."
The middle-aged man gestured for Xia De to sit on the iron chair opposite the table, behind them were rows of filing cabinets:
"You saved the Queen, not only saving our loyal Chief Anlos from managing the Royal Cemetery, but also preventing us poor lower-level clerical staff from facing the risk of being purged."
He even specifically poured a cup of tea for Xia De; one should know that the last time Xia De came, he didn't even get plain water.
"So, are you here to collect your salary this time? Do you have the reimbursement receipts? Do you need extra bullets?"
"Of course, I brought all the reimbursement receipts."
Xia De took out an envelope and retrieved the voucher he had received from Priest Augustus on Holy Prayer Festival.
Since they were all genuine, Mr. Johnson simply checked them and put them away.
He took a string of keys and walked towards the rows of filing cabinets behind him, and after a long while, he returned with a stack of money:
"MI6 agents do not have receipts to prevent their identities from being discovered by those with ulterior motives, so please count it, and if there are no problems, this month's salary will be settled with you."
"Okay, why is there so much?"
Xia De held six five-pound banknotes, totaling 40 pounds.
But his weekly salary was only 1 pound, so even with the 30 pounds in reimbursement, it should only be a little over 34 pounds.
"Oh, I almost forgot to mention, you've been promoted," Mr. Johnson waved his hand, telling him not to be surprised: "Because of your last meritorious service, Chief Anlos adjusted your rank.
There is no complex ranking system within Six Divisions; we are directly affiliated with the Royal Army, and according to this calculation, you are now considered a Major."
"Major?"
Xia De was very surprised; one should know that his friend Captain Lades had been on the front lines for decades without making a mistake and had only just managed to get the rank of Captain, while Xia De had surpassed him in one step.
"Yes, Major, there's nothing surprising about that; you are our ace agent, and the promotion system of Six Divisions is different from that of the Royal Army.
It's normal for field agents to have good treatment, isn't it?"
"I, ace?"
"Oh, sir, don't be so surprised. This is your officer's ID, please keep it safe. The last one was still being made, and unexpectedly, it was directly upgraded to a Major's."
Mr. Johnson gave Xia De a new ID, unlike the MI6 ID which did not have his full name, the Delarion Royal Army officer's ID not only had a photo but also Xia De · Su Lun · Han Mi Er Dun's full name.
And that photo seemed to be the one from when Xia De took a picture with the King.
"Your current salary has been adjusted to 5 pounds per week, and reimbursement expenses will temporarily remain unchanged to prevent anyone from speaking carelessly.
However, once your popularity subsides next year, Chief Anlos will give you a surprise."
Mr. Johnson said, and Xia De was somewhat at a loss for words.
But no matter what, the bad mood that the previous task had brought him had completely disappeared.
"Oh, and about the bullets.
I want to apply for reimbursement for the bullets, but the usage report for the old bullets..."
"No problem, I'll help you fill that in; it's just some boring formalities anyway."
The middle-aged man said enthusiastically.
Xia De wanted to thank him, but the other party just shook his head:
"Given your relationship with Chief Anlos and Miss Jialinna, your allowing me to help you is actually a help to me."
"Sorry, me and Miss Jialinna?"
Xia De looked at him suspiciously.
"There have been some rumors about that Duchess inviting you to her manor for an overnight stay—don't worry, it's just a rumor."
Mr. Johnson made a face like, "I don't know anything."
Since Xia De had nothing else to do before noon, he chatted with Mr. Johnson for a few moments before leaving.
Recently, not only has the City's public security improved, but even the MI6 department responsible for the Tobesk area hasn't had much to do.
The descent of the evil god temporarily made all unstable elements in the City disappear, but outside Tobesk, many things were still happening.
"Gray Gloves have been very active in the southern cities recently, and Chief Anlos left Tobesk three days ago, seemingly to organize some secret operation."
But since Mr. Johnson could easily say it, Xia De wasn't really sure if Chief Anlos had gone to the south.
"It's barely a peaceful era now, are Carson Rick's Gray Gloves still so active?"
Because there was still a month until that letter from an unknown location would arrive at Saint Delan Square Six, Xia De was also very concerned about the spies from the neighboring country.
"Of course, it's clear that peace won't last forever.
Planting spies in government departments, developing subordinates among young people in academies, investigating the consumption of special steel in factories, or simply sending people to mingle in high society to pry into the privacy of great nobles—although these seem useless now, they all actually have their own value.
Otherwise, what is the value of the existence of Gray Gloves and MI6?"
Mr. Johnson yawned, and Xia De thought he had hit the nail on the head regarding Sparrow Hamilton Detective's original job.
"You also worked as a field agent? I find you very familiar with these jobs."
Xia De asked with a smile, taking a sip of his tea.
The quality of the tea leaves was not as good as those left behind by Sparrow Detective.
"Yes, I did it when I was young, but then I got shot in the ankle and became a clerical logistics officer."
Mr. Johnson shrugged, his enthusiastic tone becoming lazy, returning to the tired-from-work tone Xia De had heard the last time he visited:
"These are the jobs Carson Rick's Gray Gloves are doing, and we are doing them too, and even the ambitious people of those small duchies all have their own intelligence departments.
Mr. Hamilton, international politics is a very complex matter, and we should be glad that we are in Tobesk City and don't have to work as double agents."
"How many Gray Gloves do you think there are in this City?"
Xia De asked again, and Mr. Johnson smiled and shook his head:
"I can't answer that question, and even Gray Gloves themselves can't answer it.
But Six Divisions has estimated it to be in the hundreds or thousands."
"Even if Tobesk has a large population, and counting the diplomatic staff of the United Kingdom embassy and consulate, there shouldn't be that many people, right?"
Xia De asked hesitantly.
"Some people don't even know they're working for Gray Gloves; this number includes that portion of people, so it sounds very scary."
"So, are there any well-known spies locally?"
This was Xia De's curiosity.
"Well-known spies are failed spies; unknown ones are successful ones."
The middle-aged man thought for a moment and added:
"However, it's certain that some of those in the embassy and consulate are Gray Gloves, and some brokers who navigate between the two countries' political scenes definitely are too.
Besides that, two years ago we received news that Carson Rick secretly dispatched two ace agents from the Gray Gloves organization to infiltrate Tobesk.
We caught one six months ago, but he committed suicide.
From his letters, we learned that the other one is the notorious 'Gray Headed Eagle' (Chapter 74)."
Mr. Johnson shook his head with a sigh:
"But we only know the name. The last time our agents encountered him was three years ago in Gondor City, the Steel Capital in the eastern part of the Kingdom.
At that time, we knew he was a male who was extremely skilled in disguise.
In that operation, Gray Headed Eagle stole a batch of smelting records for special alloys used to cast steam cannons, causing losses that are still affecting Delarion's special metal smelting industry to this day.
His Majesty was furious, and Chief Anlos was almost demoted.
There was also the gold robbery ten years ago, and the Coldwater Port shipyard accident eight years ago..."
Such agents are the true "aces"; Xia De, as an "ace," simply cannot compare to him.
With just a few words, Mr. Johnson made Xia De imagine the complex and interesting stories of this secret agent, active in the Steam Age, walking on the edge of light and shadow.
If Dorothy used such a person as the protagonist, she would certainly be able to write a good story.
"So, do we know his age and appearance?"
"It's not that we're incompetent; it's that he's too cunning."
Mr. Johnson said regretfully again, and seeing Xia De's interest, he added:
"If anyone can catch him, as long as their background isn't too poor, I think it's even possible to directly get a Viscount title.
Unfortunately, there has been no news of the 'Gray Headed Eagle' lurking in Tobesk for two years; I even doubt if he really came."
The middle-aged man sighed helplessly again:
"Where could he be?"
"Tobesk is so big, it's really hard to say."
Xia De also sighed with emotion, and hoped that the "ace agent" would not disturb his life.
After chatting with Mr. Johnson for a while longer, Xia De left with the money and three books tucked under his arm.
The time had already reached half past eleven in the morning.
Taking a carriage at the street corner, passing through streets and alleys, brushing past countless strangers, Xia De hurried to Lewis Street, also in the western part of the City, following the clues provided by Iluna.
This was a rare pedestrian street in the City that did not allow carriages.
The street was not called by this name twenty years ago; it only got its current name after General Lewis of the Kingdom passed away here.
According to the intelligence, Ms. Swann, a 26-year-old divorcee who sought help from Black Stone Security Company, had been noticing a man in black clothes peeking at her at the Black Corner Alley exit of Lewis Street every day at noon, except on Sundays, starting two weeks ago.
Lewis Street was her only way home; taking a detour would be quite troublesome.
This was a task entrusted by an ordinary person to Black Stone Security Company, so the security company only conducted a brief preliminary investigation.
After confirming that there were no major issues, they temporarily postponed the task, and the contract signed with the client would begin next week.
Iluna specifically selected this task because the client described the peeper as: "Even in Summer, every time he appears, he is completely wrapped up, even wearing gloves.
I didn't dare to approach him, but looking at his face hidden in the alley's shadows and under his hat brim from afar, oh, God, I can't even describe what I saw."
This kind of description easily made Ring術士 think of some bad things, and Xia De thought of those ugly Fishmen in Coldwater Port.
He arrived relatively early.
Ms. Swann worked as a typist at the Southern Cotton and Linen Trading Company not far from here, and she would leave work and pass by here around 12:10 PM.
Before she appeared, Xia De walked around the nearby alleys, confirming the surrounding roads and trying to find the peeper, but the other party did not seem to have arrived that early.
He hadn't eaten lunch yet, so he was working on an empty stomach.
To appear more natural, Xia De even specifically bought an expired morning paper from a passing newspaper Boy and stood under a lamppost on the roadside, pretending to be waiting for someone.
Fortunately, Tobesk was still shrouded in mist today, otherwise, even Xia De would not be able to stand standing on the street on an empty stomach on a Summer afternoon like this.
At 12:08 PM, Miss Swann, who looked exactly like the lady in the photo provided by Iluna, finally appeared at the eastern entrance of Lewis Street.
She was a tall woman, quite graceful, but her expression seemed somewhat flustered.
There were other pedestrians on the street at the moment, so although she held her handbag with considerable worry and looked around the street, she still walked forward bravely.
Xia De, who was "reading the newspaper" by the roadside in the middle of the street, immediately became alert.
Crowds of pedestrians walked past him, and the noisy sounds created a strong atmosphere of City life.
His attention was focused on the alley entrance across the street, and sure enough, as Miss Swann appeared, a person wearing a black top, black pants, black shoes, and a black hat leaned against the wall and poked their head out from the large shadow of the alley wall.