Chapter Sixteen: Kelly Losetti

Half an hour later, half a pound of cinnabar was placed in a delicate black box on the table, its surface engraved with golden lines, exuding an air of elegance. The craftsmanship alone spoke of quality. The sales assistant, her professionalism underscored by the black and white silk gloves she wore, presented the box with both hands.

“Sir, here is your half pound of cinnabar.”

Li Changqing opened the exquisite box. The cinnabar lay quietly within, and he asked, “May I examine the goods?”

“Of course.”

In his previous life, there had been many counterfeit cinnabar products, let alone in this world, where the price was so exorbitant. Most of the fakes were made by mixing colored sand powder with glue, making them hard, but containing almost no real cinnabar. The last batch he had bought, lacking experience, had been riddled with fakes. Many talismans that should have worked had been ruined by adulterated cinnabar.

The sales assistant expertly took out a sheet of white paper, placed a bit of cinnabar on it, and heated it from below with a lighter. Gradually, the cinnabar on the paper turned from a dark red to black. Once she stopped heating it, the cinnabar reverted from black to a deep red, and the paper remained pristine and white, with not a trace of color left behind.

It was genuine.

If it were a fake, the cinnabar would turn black when heated and would not return to red once removed from the flame; moreover, the paper would be stained a faint red.

The sales assistant tipped the cinnabar back into the box and smiled. “Rest assured, sir, all the cinnabar in our shop is of the highest quality. We look forward to your next visit.”

Li Changqing took out two stacks of Lang notes, paid, and left the shop with the box in hand.

From inside the tweed hat came Tang Xiaoyu’s voice. “Li Changqing, why did you spend so much money on cinnabar? Just to draw those strange things?”

“They’re called talismans.”

Humming a little tune, Li Changqing was in high spirits. This amount would last him a good long while.

“Li Changqing?”

Suddenly, a voice came from beside him. He turned to look.

It was a man in a black suit, wearing a blue bow tie. His hair was slicked back, his nose high-bridged, his eyes blue, his features strikingly handsome—very much like a European from his former world.

From memory, Li Changqing quickly recalled who this was.

Kelly Rossetti.

It was said his ancestors were barons in the Lamela Empire. His family had sent him to study abroad in Nanlin City, Zhuque Federation. Like Li Changqing, he had become obsessed with being a detective. Upon finishing his studies, he did not return home to inherit the family estate but instead stayed in Nanlin City and became a detective.

They had first worked and learned together at the same detective agency, but after Li Changqing left to establish Evergreen Detective Agency, their contact had dwindled to the occasional phone call.

“My God, fancy meeting you here!” Kelly Rossetti strode forward happily. “It must have been almost a year since we last met! Shall we have a drink?”

“I still have things to do,” Li Changqing replied, refusing at once. Kelly Rossetti had been the previous Li Changqing’s friend, and they were familiar with each other. If Kelly noticed anything unusual—if his behavior differed from before—it would be hard to explain. Unlike his sisters or Tang Xiaoyu, Kelly was a detective, one keenly attuned to details others missed.

“Come on, have a drink with me. It’s been too long since we met.” Kelly Rossetti cheerfully dragged him toward a tavern along the street.

The tavern was modest, about sixty square meters, with a circular bar at its center. Many patrons sat around the bar, where bartenders were mixing all manner of drinks. Business was decent; taverns like this were common in the Zhuque Federation, a place for weary travelers to sit and enjoy a drink with friends.

Having been swept in by this enthusiastic fellow, Li Changqing had no choice but to sit down.

“Hello, two rose liqueurs,” Kelly Rossetti said, placing twenty Lang notes on the bar.

The bartender smiled, took the money, and soon set two glasses of rose liqueur before them.

The glasses were generous, reminiscent of a large beer mug from his previous life. The name “rose liqueur” sounded elegant, but it was one of the strongest spirits around.

Recalling previous memories, Li Changqing smiled. “Kelly, didn’t you once say that nobles never drink such strong spirits?”

“My father also said nobles couldn’t be detectives, but here I am.” Kelly Rossetti took a sip of the potent rose liqueur, closed his eyes, savoring the burn from tongue to throat. “This is far better than the wine in my family’s cellar.”

“Is that so?” Li Changqing smiled, taking a sip. He wasn’t much interested in alcohol, but it certainly tasted better than raw glutinous rice.

Kelly Rossetti was a talker, keeping up a steady stream of conversation, asking after Li Changqing’s recent life. Even when reminiscing about the past, it was mostly Kelly’s own sighs, which conveniently allowed Li Changqing to gather plenty of information.

With the strong liquor warming his belly, Kelly Rossetti’s cheeks grew a little flushed. “By the way, do you remember? Our old teacher said I had a fatal flaw, that I would never be a competent detective. I’m determined to prove him wrong—sometimes a flaw can be turned to one’s advantage.”

Li Changqing searched his memory but could not recall what flaw that might be. Though a down-at-heel noble, Kelly Rossetti was still a noble: handsome, tall, wealthy in youth, easygoing, never putting on aristocratic airs. He seemed to have no real flaws.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten what our teacher said was my fatal flaw as a detective?” Kelly Rossetti stared at him in astonishment.

Li Changqing coughed. “I think I remember.”

Kelly Rossetti sighed. “A detective must blend into the crowd, go unnoticed, in order to tail suspects and clues. But my teacher said I’m too handsome, too conspicuous in a crowd, and because of that, I could never be a competent detective. My friend, you know, I cried all night over that.”

Li Changqing: “…”

He felt like smashing his mug over this guy’s head and walking out.

But, to be fair, the man truly was handsome.

Kelly Rossetti added, “But I’ve learned to use my flaw to my advantage in cases.”

Li Changqing asked with curiosity, “How do you use it?”

Being handsome could help in investigations?

Kelly Rossetti smiled mysteriously and pointed to a woman in the tavern’s corner.

The woman was young and fashionable, dressed in a white qipao with a pale blue shawl draped over her shoulders. She held a wine glass, gazing out the window with a hint of melancholy.

“That’s a man,” Kelly Rossetti said, brimming with mystery. “Can you believe it?”

“How did you figure that out?”

Li Changqing looked her over. She was clearly a beauty—perhaps a bit flat-chested, but that was no reason to call her a man.

Kelly Rossetti replied, “As the eldest son of the Rossetti family, a handsome and elegant noble, I noticed that when she looked at me, there wasn’t even a flicker of interest in her eyes. That alone proves she can’t be a woman. Any real woman, upon seeing me, would have eyes that light up.”

What an insufferable narcissist!

Li Changqing’s face darkened; he wanted nothing more than to punch this nobleman.