Mystery: Starting from Meeting Amon

Chapter 45 Rent
As the economic, commercial, and financial center of the Kingdom of Loen, the Hilton region not only has the Backlund Stock Exchange, but also a bill exchange, a futures center, the headquarters of the seven major banks, various trust funds, various railway companies, and various bulk cargo trading companies.

After seeing the conditions in the Hilton area, Lewis decided to settle down in this area.

Of course, good conditions were only one of the reasons. More importantly, he wanted to avoid meeting Klein in Backlund in the future. He didn't really want to meet Klein in real life.

If Klein accidentally discovered his identity as "Destiny" one day, he would not know what identity he could use to take advantage of the Tarot Club's fat sheep.

Lewis boarded a stagecoach and headed to Hilton in the southern part of Backlund, ready to continue working as a detective.

About half an hour later, Lewis got off the carriage and appeared on the streets of the Hilton area. He was carrying a small black suitcase and looking at the ladies and gentlemen passing by.

On the side of the road in Hilton, Lewis saw for the first time the entrance of a store-like structure. According to the sign, this was the entrance to the Backlund subway, and it was also the mechanical force that Backlund was proud of.

Although he was curious about the subways of this era, Lewis decided to do his business first, which was to find a place to live and a stable source of income.

“By the way, take some time to go to Backlund Bank to open an anonymous account. Miss Audrey should pay me back the two thousand pounds she owes me.” Lewis suddenly raised his lips and emphasized in his heart, “She doesn’t owe it to me, but to my followers.”

After a not-so-long journey, Lewis arrived at No. 19, the Ault Block, where the newspaper advertised a commercial property for rent.

Judging from the situation at the scene, Ort Street is not a very prosperous neighborhood, but even so, there are still bars and restaurants of all sizes on the street, and there is a constant stream of passers-by coming and going.

This is the charm of a big city. Even a not-so-bustling street is better than the most prosperous place in Tingen.

"The location here is pretty good. When the sun comes out, I can enjoy tea in the sunshine, which is really a good thing." Lewis was quite satisfied with the shop. He took out the Tingen Life newspaper again and found the contact information of the shop owner, Mrs. Gallagher.

Following the location marked in the newspaper, Lewis arrived at a residential area at the end of the block, then stopped in front of a Victorian-style house and rang the doorbell.

“Excuse me?” Not long after, a maid in a black and white maid skirt opened the door and looked Lewis up and down.

"I'm looking for Mrs. Gahra. I heard that she has a shop on Ort Street for rent." Lewis took off his hat and said calmly.

"Please wait a moment, I'll go inform Mrs. Gahra." The maid bowed to Lewis politely, then she gently closed the door and ran away with a series of footsteps on the wooden floor.

"There's no need to be so defensive against me, right?" Lewis spread his hands, thinking helplessly.

"Mrs. Gahra invites you for an interview." After a few seconds, the maid opened the door again and invited Lewis in.

Lewis took off his shoes at the entrance, changed into a pair of leather slippers under the watchful eyes of the maid, and placed his suitcase and top hat on the coat rack.

Going up to the second floor, Lewis saw Mrs. Gahra sitting by the window drinking coffee. The lady should be between thirty and forty years old. Although there were a few crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, her skin was still white and flawless.

Behind Mrs. Gahera, there was still some smoke coming out of the extinguished fireplace. "Mrs. Gahera," Lewis said, bowing slightly.

"Young man, are you the one who wants to rent my shop?" Mrs. Gahera put down her coffee cup and smiled reservedly, "Please sit down. Can you tell me where you are from?"

Lewis subconsciously glanced at his clothes. He really wanted to ask, is there any difference between him and the people of Backlund? Why can Mrs. Gahera see it at a glance?

"I'm from Tingen, and I came here to look for some opportunities." Lewis naturally had nothing to hide. He sat on a chair woven from vines and took the coffee handed to him by the maid.

Mrs. Gahera looked at Lewis's clothes and said, "The store on Ort Street is in a good location. I can rent it to you at the price of 1 pound a week."

Lewis took a sip of coffee. One pound was 20 soli. Considering the average price of 18 soli in the Hilton District, the rent was indeed a bit expensive. Besides, Ort Street was not one of the most prosperous streets in the Hilton District.

"This is my first time in Backlund, and I don't have a stable job yet. Also, considering that the store needs to be renovated, 16 soli a week is the highest price I can offer." Lewis clapped his hands and said in a deep voice.

Mrs. Gahra lowered her head, her brows slightly frowned, as if she was thinking about Lewis’s proposal.

“I’ve seen that store, and the location is indeed not bad, but compared to a really good store, the gap is still quite large.” Lewis added silently. He suddenly envied the instigator. If it was the instigator who bargained, the price should be reduced to half of the original price soon.

"Yes, but the lease term starts from one year." After a moment's silence, Mrs. Gahra concluded.

"No problem, I can sign the contract now and pay you one year's rent." Lewis agreed. He still had a lot of spare money, so one year's rent was not a problem for him.

"You are such an eloquent gentleman." Mrs. Gahra said politely. She looked at the maid and said, "Go and get the contract and keys of the shop in Ort Street. I need to sign the lease contract with Mr. Lewis."

The maid ran downstairs, and after a while, she came back exhausted and handed the contract to Lewis.

Lewis took the contract and read it. After confirming that there was no problem, he signed his name and gave Mrs. Gahra 41 pounds and 12 soli as rent.

After Lewis signed, Mrs. Gahra also took the contract and wrote her name on it, and then the contract was put away by the maid.

"Mr. Lewis, I must remind you that if you want to live a decent life in Backlund, your weekly income must be at least three pounds." Mrs. Gahera smiled faintly.

“Thank you for your reminder, Mrs. Gahra. I don’t think this is something to worry about.” Lewis sighed in his heart. He was actually looked down upon. It was not because he was a Backlund who was looked down upon.

However, Lewis would not be angry about this, after all, he was a very well-cultivated extraordinary person.

I forgot to set it to be published on schedule after I finished writing it, so it is a few minutes late. Sorry.

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(End of this chapter)