Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 114 The Bait Thrown

"A man in a dark gray overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat, the brim pulled low so his face couldn't be seen. The two men exchanged a few words in hushed tones at the doorway, and then..."

Lisa paused, seemingly recalling details, "Then the man in the hat took something out of his pocket and waved it. I remember the man seemed to pause for a moment, and then... he followed him."

"What are the characteristics of a man who wears a hat?" Green pressed.

"Characteristics? Blackwater Alley is full of people who hide their true selves."

Lisa shrugged. "It was a dark gray overcoat, old but clean. He was half a head taller than that Southerner, and walked very steadily, unlike most people. Oh, by the way..."

She added, "When he was taking something out, I glimpsed a dark red mark on the back of his right hand, like... a vine, or an arrow? I couldn't see it clearly from a distance."

Dark red markings? Twisted vines or arrows?

Green and Irwin exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes. This didn't sound like a meeting between ordinary acquaintances.

Green's fingers tapped unconsciously on the edge of the counter, making a dull thud. He looked at Alvin, who had also dropped his nonchalant expression and frowned.

"Lisa," Green spoke again, asking softly, "Do you remember which direction they went?"

Lisa pointed the file out the door, towards the deeper part of Blackwater Alley.

"Turn right after you leave, and you'll enter that 'Rat's Tail' alley ahead. As for which door you entered, I have no idea. The rule in Blackwater Alley is: don't be too sharp-eyed, or you'll live a long life."

Rat Tail Alley. It's an even narrower and more chaotic side alley in Blackwater Alley, crammed with all sorts of cheap rental rooms, underground workshops, and shady dens.

Green thanked him, turned, and pushed open the door to leave. Alvin followed closely behind.

The two stood at the entrance of "Old Eel," looking in the direction Lisa was pointing.

Under the dim light, the entrance to the alley called "Rat's Tail" looked like a greedy mouth, devouring the already scarce light.

"What do we do now?"

Alvin lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said, "Should we knock on doors one by one? Or should we reveal our identities and have the local 'big shots' in this area 'ask' for us?"

Green did not speak.

He glanced around at the dilapidated buildings and the occasional wary or indifferent faces that flashed by. If they revealed their official identities here, even a fool would know what was going on.

"We can't make a big fuss about it."

Green slowly shook his head. "That man with the mark on his hand... if he's really the kind of person we're thinking of, he must be extremely vigilant. Any slight disturbance could send them scurrying into a deeper hole like frightened mice, or they could simply disappear completely."

He paused, then looked at Alvin. "Besides, we can't even be sure if they're still in that alley. Three or four days have passed, enough time for them to move ten times."

"So you mean... the trail has gone cold again?"

Alvin exhaled a smoke ring. "You paid for it."

"Shut up!"

Irwin would have been fine if he hadn't mentioned it, but he got angry as soon as he brought up Green.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried to organize his thoughts.

"At least we have some key information. Now, not only are there Southerners, but also a mysterious figure in dark gray with symbols on the back of his hand. I think he is most likely an extraordinary person. They eventually disappeared in this area."

He turned to Alvin. "A conventional house-to-house search won't work. But perhaps we can... try another approach."

"In what way?" Alvin raised an eyebrow.

"Let the 'rats' move on their own." A slight smile appeared on Green's lips. "Blackwater Alley has its own rules of survival and its own information network. Bosses like Lisa are nodes, but below the nodes, there are countless 'eyes' and 'ears' who would do anything for a few copper coins."

Alvin immediately understood his meaning: "You want to offer a bounty? Privately?"

"It's not a bounty, that would be too conspicuous."

Green said in a low voice, "Through a middleman you know who's tight-lipped enough, spread the word that the old man from the port authority who hanged himself kept muttering 'Seagull' and 'curse' before he died, and the sheriff found his diary and discovered a... strange pattern in it. The official theory is that the curse from decades ago has resurfaced."

Green's speculation was not without basis.

Although he wasn't particularly close to old Bob, he had a general understanding of his personality. The curse mentioned in the old notebook had always been a haunting nightmare for him, and the fact that the other party had come knocking on his door now meant they were after what he possessed.

If the other party is an extraordinary being, then this thing is very likely the Twin Book that cannot be opened.

"What good will that do?" Alvin frowned. "It will only make the target more cautious."

“Yes,” Green nodded, then explained, “but he would also be very anxious. If the killer is the second mate from back then, he wouldn’t come back to kill old Bob for no reason; he must be looking for something.”

Alvin's eyes narrowed: "So, they're likely still in Oberhafen, maybe even near Blackwater Alley, because they haven't found what they're looking for?"

"At least, they won't leave easily," Green nodded.

"They couldn't possibly go back to old Bob's place, and they must have already searched it. If it wasn't at home, where would it be? Old Bob might have hidden it somewhere else, entrusted it to someone, or even... planned to sell it or give it to the church. The murderer must find out."

"So what's your plan?"

Green took a deep breath. "We'll lay a 'bait,' a bait they can't ignore. We just need to keep an eye out for who will inquire about this information."

"The ones actually asking around are the ones with something going on." Alvin's lips curled into a smile. "I must say, your idea is good. But how do you know what they're looking for?"

Green paused for a moment, then took a cigarette from the pack and lit it. "Because I once happened to read old Bob's diary."

Upon hearing this, Alvin nodded thoughtfully. "No wonder."

"It's good that this task was assigned to you..." Erwin muttered with a laugh.

"What about the money? Spreading the news quickly will cost a considerable amount. Those 'rats' won't work for free." He raised a practical issue, "You know, I'm poorer than you right now."

Green sighed and rubbed his temples.

This was indeed a problem. His savings were depleted after paying for Leah's fortune-telling and Lisa's "information fee," and he still had to cover household expenses and Mrs. Lefevere's salary.

"Um...could we ask Clarice for funding?" Green asked, "After all, it's official business."

"Generally, we pay upfront and then get reimbursed later. But there are also cases where expenses are advanced."

Alvin suddenly thought of something and looked at Green, "I think you can... Your handsome looks shouldn't be wasted."

He suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice, "If you could win her over, our lives would be so much easier. She doesn't have a boyfriend yet and needs the nourishment of love, you know..."

"Yes, I will pass your message on to Clarice." Green nodded solemnly.

Irwin's smile froze instantly, and then he nearly jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: "Hey! Grin! I was just kidding! Please don't—"

However, Green had already turned and walked out of the alley without looking back, leaving him with only his back view. "I'm going to find Clarice to ask for funding. You go find those 'rats.' If things get delayed, I don't mind really reporting you."

Alvin stood there stunned for two seconds, scratched his head in frustration, and muttered under his breath, "I feel like I'm the one who's the newbie..."