The news about Zhirin is not very long—it simply clarifies the time, place, people involved, and the outcome. As the saying goes, the shorter the content, the more significant the event. What happened in the capital, Béklând, around eight or nine last night, has already been reported this morning in Tinggen—after all, the speed of information exchange in this world isn't that slow, thanks to Emperor Rosel's outstanding contributions... Well, it's certainly the nobles and members of parliament attending the ball who leaked the news to certain sympathetic journalists, and some of those journalists then sent the breaking news back to their respective newspaper headquarters in other counties and cities via telegraph... Morning newspapers are typically set in print in the evening, printed overnight, and distributed in the morning—perfect timing for urgent updates and adjustments. Just this single story alone should boost today's *Tinggen Morning Herald* by at least a thousand copies, even if we only count sales within the city proper. Cline's thoughts drifted as he settled into a calm state of mind: "Since Admiral Zilinger has passed away, it follows that Mr. Azk has, even if injured, not suffered a serious condition." "If the injury had been severe, he would surely have been intercepted by either the substitute penitent or the extraordinary guards of Duke Nigen. In such an urgent situation, Miss Justice and Mr. The Hangman Most people who can afford this mode of transportation know the words. Influenced by the special edition just now, many bought the Tingenthal Morning Post. Several of those now engaged in quiet conversation: "Long ago, the King of Pirates and generals were threatening sea routes—while retreating only when facing national fleets, they never regarded armed merchant vessels as anything but a mere nuisance. Although Zingg was recognized as one of the seven Pirate Generals for no more than a decade, he was the first major pirate to be killed by the government." "Frankly, I'm curious—what brought him to Bekerland? Once pirates leave the sea, death becomes a foregone conclusion." "Hopefully, we'll receive more detailed coverage later." "By the storm, I'd like to know precisely which of the Duke of Nigen's bodyguards brought down Zingg—his bounty is no less than 10,000 pounds!" "One thousand pounds... If I had one thousand pounds, I'd immediately resign, purchase two or three medium to small plantations, invest in shares of colonial companies and railway firms, and enjoy a steady annual income from those investments..." "This is merely the crown's reward. Indeed, Intis, Fosac, Feneport, and several commercial organizations have also issued rewards for 'Admiral Storm' Zinglars. I sincerely hope for a newspaper that lists all these rewards in full." One thousand pounds? Kline found himself momentarily dazed. With his current salary, which is already quite substantial, he would need to go without food or drink for nearly twenty years to accumulate such an amount... Well, knowing that... I suppose I simply can't, won't be able to claim these rewards after all. He sighed, neatly folded the newspaper, and looked out the window of the carriage. By now, he finally confirmed that the matter concerning 'Admiral Storm' Zinglars had come to a close—only some concluding tasks remained, such as the batch of Roselle diaries to be paid by 'The Hanged Man'. ……… Beckland, Joewood district. Thorpe Woll and Hugh Dillcher, both wearing hats, walked along the streets toward the nearest branch of Bavat Bank. "Money always seems to disappear without a trace," Thorpe remarked. Hugh nodded in deep agreement: "Yes." "Fortunately, *The Stormwood* has been well-received, and steady royalties are flowing into my account. Otherwise, I'd have to go back to a clinic or hospital and start practicing medicine again," Thorpe sighed, a mixture of satisfaction and concern. Hugh remained silent for a few seconds, then asked cautiously: "Will this investigation into Zilinger affect your status as an author? After all, we might draw the attention of the Substitute, the Night Watch, and others..." "No," Thorpe replied. "The ones who'll be noticed will be you." "Vale smiled lightly," "You're the one who went to the police station to file the report, you're the one who sent the letter, and you're the one who's gained a reputation in the underworld circles and certain streets of the East District. As for me, Vale Vol, I've always remained a rather popular best-selling author." "...," Hughes paused, "So you've been accompanying me these past few days?" Vale combed her hair and chuckled, "Don't you find it quite an interesting experience? Well, this entire episode has given me a wealth of inspiration for my next novel—my next story will revolve around a sudden murder that sets off a chain of events." Hughes was momentarily at a loss for words, and simply kept walking straight ahead, not realizing he'd missed the turn, until Vale gently pulled him back. At that moment, they heard the newsboy's call: "Breaking news! Breaking news! Commander of the Storm, Zinger, has been killed in Beckett!" ... What? Both Hughes and Vale stared at each other, utterly bewildered. It wasn't until the newsboy drew near and repeated himself several times that they suddenly realized what had happened. "What? Is Zingler dead?" Fores truly couldn't believe her ears. "He's dead? How could he have died suddenly?" Even Thorne, who had been fleeing the possible reverse pursuit by that ruthless pirate, was stunned and at a loss. After all, this wasn't the usual course of events—shouldn't it begin with gathering clues and confirming Zingler's objective, then assembling the strongest forces to ambush him, and only then be it that the pirate fell? Yet here they were, with the very first step still uncompleted, and Zingler already dead—so simply, so unexpectedly. Fores and Thorne stared at each other, as if carved from marble. After several dozen seconds, Thorne suddenly rushed toward the newsboy and bought a copy of today's *Tassok Gazette*. It was one of the three most widely circulated newspapers in the Kingdom of Luon. “Well… Zinglars did die, struck down by Duke Nigan’s bodyguards… Heaven’s grace, Duke Nigan’s bodyguards were….” Xiu automatically fell silent, not finishing the phrase “incredible and formidable.” Fols thought kindly of her friend: “You truly believed everything the newspaper reported…” “Well, perhaps someone else had already uncovered Zinglars’ intentions, and the Designated, the Night Watch, the Mechanical Heart, and the military special departments jointly executed a successful ambush…” Xiu suddenly paused, exhaled, and said, “We can now settle back into normal life—though we should try to avoid the area of that old police station as much as possible.” She glanced at Fols, a mixture of nervousness and concern in her voice: “Do you think Miss Audrey will pay us a reasonable sum under these circumstances?” I know that hundreds of pounds isn't much for her, but we haven't truly fulfilled our commission yet..." "No, at least we managed to get Zilinger to appear on his own. He was eager to act, even to fall into a trap—there's certainly our contribution to that." Firth reassured him. "With Miss Audrey's generosity, even if she doesn't pay all the fees, she'll at least give half." "I hope so..." Hugh took a deep breath and murmured with hopeful anticipation. "I wonder who will receive the £10,000 reward..." "It's truly envy-inducing. If I had that sum, I'd have reached Series 7, Series 6 long ago—yet I've missed every opportunity!" Firth reflected, and finally added, "Hugh, don't approach Miss Audrey too soon. Wait for her to reach out to us. There are so many details surrounding Zilinger's death that we still don't know. If we approach her prematurely, we might put ourselves in danger." "Xiu nodded first, then suddenly asked, 'How did you know I wanted to go to the Royal District right now?' 'You guessed,' Folsie replied with a smile. ... The handle was turned, the door opened, and Rosan peeked in, saying, "Captain, someone has come to commission a task." A task commission—this phrasing refers specifically to Black Thorns Security, not to the Night Watch team. So, who, then, has accidentally stumbled upon us? Klein murmured silently, suddenly making sense of it. Dunn thought for a moment and said, "We might as well listen; if it's too much trouble, we can simply decline." He straightened his shirt, vest, and watch chain, then stepped out of the office, through the partition, and moved toward the sofa area of the reception hall, where Klein and Rosan followed curiously. Two women sat on the sofas, both wearing black soft hats and black long dresses, with no additional colors. One of them was fuller-built, with fair skin, and her face was partially veiled by a fine checkered black veil that draped from her hat, making her features somewhat indistinct. Upon seeing her, Klein felt a sudden sense of familiarity, as though he had seen her before. As he was reflecting, another, more slender woman spoke: "The task we'd like to commission is to track and monitor Mrs. Xuelin, and to gather evidence of her involvement in the crime." Xuelin... Suddenly, Cline had a flash of clarity, remembering where the sense of familiarity had come from. The woman who had remained silent was the夫人 of Member of Parliament Menard, the daughter of a leading figure in the new party. She had been unable to accept her husband's death and refused to acknowledge the police's findings, thus initiating an independent investigation through a security firm? Remarkable—she had managed to find us directly. Cline shook his head, smiling to himself.