The detective is dead, I did it.

Chapter 15 The White Flower in the Slums

The large pot of stewed beef was quickly devoured, and both of them ate to their hearts' content. Ketula held his bowl, licking the remaining soup little by little, reluctant to finish it in one gulp, his lips glistening with oil.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

knock knock knock.

Li Ang and Ketula exchanged a glance, and the latter subconsciously moved closer to Li Ang.

She worried that if the cult members hadn't been completely captured, those who had managed to escape would come looking for revenge on her and her brother.

Li Ang walked to the door and opened it a crack to look outside.

The night breeze outside the door carried the smell of coal ash, along with a pleasant fragrance, like green grapes in autumn, or perhaps some other aroma.

Charlotte Holmes stood outside the door.

She changed into a light blue dress, the hem of which reached her knees, with a white bow tied at the neckline, and the waist was tightly cinched, outlining a slender curve.

She had changed into a brand new pair of white stockings, which shone brightly in the night. Her long white hair, still damp, draped over her shoulders, and had clearly just been washed, emitting a faint floral scent.

She was like a pure white flower that had fallen from heaven, landing in this gray slum.

"Yo, Po..."

Charlotte had barely uttered a single syllable of "Pochi" when her gaze swept over Li Ang's shoulder and landed on the girl behind him, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

Then, her tone changed naturally, "...Assistant, I'm here."

Li Ang looked at her but did not move aside.

How did you find my house?

Charlotte laughed smugly, "Who do you think I am? I'm a detective, you know. What's so difficult about knowing someone's address for a detective?"

Li Ang paused for a moment, then uttered three words.

"...I'm so excited!"

"A box?" Charlotte frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing," Li Ang stepped aside. "Come on in."

Charlotte stepped across the threshold and into the room, which was smaller than her family's storage room. She glanced around casually, her expression unchanged.

There was neither disdain nor deliberate sympathy.

Ktura stood behind the door, frozen in place as if he had been frozen in place.

Looking at the woman who seemed to have stepped out of the painting, she could only turn to Li Ang for help, and it took her a long time to finally manage to utter a single sentence.

"Um...brother, what is this...?"

"Ahem." Li Ang cleared his throat, trying to make his tone sound as natural as possible. "This is Charlotte Holmes, my employer. She's a detective. She's the one who arranged for your rescue."

Charlotte Holmes?

As if remembering something, Ktura's mouth opened even wider.

She remembered the name; it was the most dazzling presence in all of London, oh no! It should be said that it was the most dazzling presence in all of Britain.

Even those of them, struggling for survival in the slums, could hear the other person's name.

Even the poorest and most destitute person would involuntarily straighten their chest upon hearing the name of another person... Of course, this is impossible.

At most, one might just wonder when the detectives will finally catch those vampire bosses in the factory.

Charlotte stepped forward, extending her hand with an impeccably elegant smile. "Hello. You must be the assistant's sister? I'm Charlotte Holmes."

Ketura quickly wiped her hands on her clothes, but after wiping them, she realized that her clothes were not clean and were still stained with soup, which made her hands even dirtier.

Her face flushed instantly, but she still timidly reached out her hand, not daring to hold Charlotte's hand. Instead, Charlotte seemed to sense her embarrassment and took the initiative to hold her hand even closer.

The moment their hands clasped together, Ktura's first thought was—

soft.

Her fingers were white and tender, like a piece of warm silk, so soft it seemed unreal. Her fingers were long and slender, and her nails were neatly trimmed, coated with a layer of clear nail polish that shimmered faintly under the light.

And what about my own hands? Although they look very white, the calluses on my palms constantly tell me that we are from different worlds.

Ktura unconsciously tightened his grip, staring at their clasped hands for several seconds, his mind blank.

Detective... why would you be willing to set foot in a place like this?

Her father spent his entire life carrying sacks at the docks, and his greatest wish before he died was to move out of this slum and live somewhere with cleaner air. But he died without being able to fulfill this wish.

This is the most chaotic and filthy place in London. Anyone with a bit of status or position would never set foot here, let alone those high-ranking detectives.

But now, a detective dressed in a beautiful dress has appeared in front of him.

Ktura felt his cerebellum was a bit overwhelmed, and he even forgot to let go of Charlotte's hand.

"Krtura," Charlotte said with a smile, "shouldn't you let go?"

"Ah! Yes, I'm sorry!" Ktura pulled her hand back as if she had been burned, her face turning bright red, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

"It's alright." Charlotte withdrew her hand, her smile unchanged, her tone as gentle as if she were coaxing a child.

Li Ang stood aside, watching this scene, and mentally complained.

This woman's mood changes faster than the London weather.

She acted like a bad woman when she was with him, but now she's putting on a ladylike act in front of his sister.

But he didn't expose him because he had more important things to do.

"Now that you're here, shouldn't you settle my payment?"

Upon hearing Li Ang's words, Charlotte pulled a banknote from the small purse at her waist.

She handed over the banknotes and said slowly, "I'm sorry, I don't have any smaller change."

Li Ang looked down—

Fifty pounds!

His eyes widened suddenly.

What does fifty pounds mean? It's equivalent to what he would earn carrying sacks at the docks for eight years!

Now, the woman could easily pull out her wallet, and he even saw a stack of banknotes of the same denomination in her small purse.

Li Ang's expression was exactly like that of the poor waiter in "The Million Pound Note." "Oh, madam," his voice unconsciously became respectful, even changing his form of address, "this... I may not be able to make change."

"Shall I take it back?" Charlotte pretended to take the banknotes back.

"That won't do!"

Li Ang quickly snatched the banknotes, held them tightly in his hand, and gently rubbed the paper with his fingertips.

He had never seen a fifty-pound pound note in his life.

I once saw a merchant at the dock pull a ten-pound note out of his pocket, and the people around him stared at him as if he were a rare treasure.

Ten pounds is an astronomical sum for people in the slums. And what he holds in his hand is several astronomical sums.

"I don't dislike honest children," Charlotte said, covering her mouth and chuckling as she looked at his naive and unworldly demeanor.