As the rain descended on the city below, the clothing district plunged into chaos. Shop owners, sellers, and cloth smiths scrambled about, frantically gathering their merchandise before the downpour could ruin it.
The air buzzed with hurried shouts and the rustling of fabric.
Dunn quickly abandoned his date with Anissa and rushed outside, grabbing his clothes and closing the windows and doors to prevent the rain from getting in. He was a bit late; some clothes near the door were already soaked.
Drenched and panting, Dunn glanced at Keifer with a smile. "Is that the one you want?"
Anissa approached them, her eyes briefly flicking to the rain-slicked glass windows. Dunn noticed and quickly reassured her, "Don't worry, it will soon stop. The rains in Canen have reversed roles. The stronger it seems, the shorter it lasts. The softer it pours, the longer it takes. So, by how hard this one is coming down, it will likely last just a few more minutes..." He paused, a sneeze tickling his nose.
"This one might not even make it to the gray day."
Strange weather, Keifer thought. He wondered whether this was a natural phenomenon or some mystical effect. Since recognizing the mystical aspects of the world, he found himself second-guessing whether things were natural or not.
Dunn glanced at the cloth in Keifer's hand and asked, "Do you really want that one?"
Keifer held a black double-breasted suit with a plain design, a pocket on the left chest, and two pockets on the sides. Compared with the other suits in the store, this one seemed out of place.
Keifer nodded and asked, "What is the price?"
Dunn smiled and casually responded, "It's 5 pounds."
The price struck Keifer just as a boom of lightning tore through the sky, illuminating the shop in an instantaneous flash of white light. The electric bulbs in the store remained off, likely due to the rain. Keifer lowered his gaze at the clothes, a sigh escaping his lips.
He had expected such a price but couldn't believe that even the least expensive clothes were still half his budget.
Although he could try to haggle, something told him that Anissa would likely interject and offer to pay, possibly escalating to her buying other clothes and spending even more money.
With a solemn expression, he said to Dunn, "I will be paying."
Anissa, standing a few steps away, suddenly perked up at his words. "What?" she exclaimed.
Just then, the building shook slightly. The downpour increased in ferocity, lightning booming in rapid intervals. The pitter-patter of rain grew louder, almost drowning out their voices.
Ignoring Anissa's exclamation, Dunn glanced out through the glass windows, a smile unexpectedly curling on his face as he whispered, "This rain can make girls very cold."
Anissa didn't hear him, but Keifer, with his keen observation, picked up on his words. He didn't have time to analyze the significance. Instead, he turned to Anissa and said with a practiced smile, "I want to pay. I have the money, so..." His voice trailed off.
Anissa stared at him for a moment before scoffing. "So, I bet you chose this suit because it's cheaper and affordable to you. But you forget you are meeting a medal-bearing detective. Your dressing goes a long way..." She paused, then walked toward a hanger.
There hung a dark blue double-breasted suit. She picked it up and scrutinized it before finally looking at Dunn and asking, "What's the price?"
Dunn smiled before responding, "Those cost 20 pounds, but with a discount for you, it's 15 pounds."
Anissa immediately looked at Keifer. "You see? This costs 20 pounds. If I wanted you to buy some ragtag wear, I would have found some stores in lower Canen. But you need the best to be the best. It's that simple. This is upper Canen, where even the water costs the weekly pay of a lower-class man." She seemed annoyed that Keifer refused to accept her help.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
Realizing his mistake and not wanting to further annoy Anissa, Keifer lowered his head. Though the price was alarming, he knew he couldn't stop her. Her actions hinted at a strong attachment to him. Perhaps they were related or had some emotional connection strong enough to justify such expenditure.
Keifer already knew Anissa likely wasn't from the upper class, which meant she was probably middle class. He still hadn't figured out what exactly she did for a living.
Anissa turned to Dunn and said, "Sorry I lost my temper." She tapped her forehead with two fingers before continuing, "Can Keifer try it on? We need to leave; there's an appointment with Detective Allan."
At the mention of the detective's name, Dunn seemed to quiver. Keifer couldn't be sure if it was from the cold or the impact of the name. He decided to return the clothes he had picked and instead took the blue suit from Anissa.
Dunn forced a twitching smile. "So, Allan... The Mystery Pryer Detective."
The "Mystery Pryer" was an award given to the famous detective by the current emperor of the empire, George Tudor.
Anissa managed a smile, partially hidden behind her netted veil. "Yes, Keifer is meeting him today for a job. We have an appointment during the gray day, precisely at 12:30 pm. But we need to get there before then."
Twelve? Didn't she say it was ten? Hmm, she lied and even managed to deceive me. Suddenly, Keifer felt the need to be on guard.
Dunn nodded slowly as if digesting the information. "That's alright. Keifer here might even become the next Mystery Pryer." He said with a slight hint of a smile. "Nonetheless, you should go dress up, Keifer."
Noting Dunn's sudden readiness to let them leave, Keifer walked to one of the dressing rooms. He had seen how Dunn treated Anissa, so he expected the man not to be in a hurry to let them go. But as soon as the detective was mentioned, the roles reversed.
Dressing took less than two minutes. Keifer stepped out, now fully clothed in the body-fit double-breasted suit, adorned with a unique brooch on the left chest. He had transformed from a mundane young man into a scholar of sorts.
Anissa immediately exhaled with relief. She turned to Dunn and handed him two notes.
Keifer walked to the mirror in the store to check his reflection. As expected, he looked great in the clothes, although it wasn't his real face. Not that he remembered what his true face was.
Dunn commented after a few moments, "You look good."
"He does," Anissa chimed in. "Also, you should really come up with a good name as a detective. I know you won't actually be one, but having a unique name is a way to get yourself out there."
A unique name? Like a pen name of sorts? Keifer grasped the relevance of her words.
With everything settled, Dunn and Anissa exchanged pleasantries. All that was left was to find a carriage to shelter from the rain; after all, he couldn't let his new clothes get wet.
Just then, the rain began to drizzle, and the golden sun, barely visible, turned into an eerily gray whiteness. The dark clouds dispersed but still remained, faintly present.
The city was once again plunged into a canvas of white and black. All colors turned faded as a result.
Anissa nodded, taking a final look at Dunn. "We will be going," she said.
He waved at her, and she and Keifer opened the glass door, stepping onto the wet pavement. Despite the recent rain, sellers were already bustling, bringing out mannequins and clothes, not wasting a moment.
Keifer took note of this as he followed Anissa, their eyes catching sight of a single-horse carriage. The horse, drenched and shivering from the cold, stood patiently as they boarded. Anissa addressed the rather young driver, "We're going to Green Boulevard."
"The price is 15 pence," the driver replied.
Fifteen pence? That's the same price as canned food, and just a little higher than the price of moving from lower canen to here. Keifer thought. The price tags in Upper Canen were indeed fitting for a district of tycoons.
"Alright." Anissa nodded after a moment of deliberation.
In just a few moments, the coach staggered a bit before setting off onto the wet, slick pavement of the clothing district.
...
Keifer occasionally glanced through the window at the rows of buildings, some with exquisite designs and others with poor imitations of finer structures. Nonetheless, the pale world brought by the gray-white sun was unsettling, even for a man accustomed to a twin-sun world.
The ride lasted about ten minutes before they came upon an iron fence lining the left side of the road. The fence stretched over a long area, with branches poking through, hinting at a massive forest on the other side.
Likely private, Keifer noted.
The carriage reached a flamboyantly designed iron gate adorned with a lion's crafted face, split open as the gate stood ajar. The driver didn't stop and instead made a turn into the gate.
Isn't this private property? Or does public transport have the right to enter anywhere? Keifer wondered.
Another thing he noticed was the scarcity of people in this part of the city. There were nearly no pedestrians, perhaps due to the recent rain.
The carriage entered the boulevard, flanked by trees on both sides. A well-maintained road ran down the center.
Though buildings were in sight, no one seemed to walk through them. It felt as though there was nothing but endless forest on either side and due to the grayness of the world, the trees seemed strange, with faded leaves and strangely white grounds.
The ride continued for another seven minutes or so until the trees began to thin out. Keifer then spotted a small white bungalow with a dark brown roof on the right side of the road.
The carriage turned into the building area.
There were about two locomotives parked in front of the building, accompanied by three or so carriages.
"This is the home of the Mystery Pryer," the driver said. "I don't know if you're here for a case, but you should have come earlier. As you can see, he's usually crowded before nine."
Their carriages were neatly lined up in front of the modest bungalow, a far cry from the grand mansion Keifer had imagined for an award-winning detective. The small, unimposing building featured a quaint front porch, currently crowded with a few individuals.
Keifer and Anissa alighted from the carriage, Anissa paying the driver before they approached the porch. The weight of numerous eyes fell upon them, prompting Keifer to adopt a solemn expression as he walked. Among the crowd, a few elders appeared to be grieving, likely seeking Detective Allan's help with a lost relative.
An old woman with a sagging face leaned forward from her seat on a pew. "Are you here to see Allan too?" Her voice was frail and shaky.
Anissa tapped her head in respect and replied, "Yes, ma'am. We have an appointment."
"An appointment? That's good, very good. None of us have appointments; we're just here for cases. But, child, what case are you here for?"
Anissa, her smile hidden beneath her veil, answered, "No case for us, just a job offer."
The woman exhaled slowly. "Oh? Amazing. Are you planning on becoming a detective under Allan?"
"No, ma'am." Anissa shook her head and gestured towards Keifer. "It's him."
The old lady's eyes turned to Keifer, her expression tinged with confusion. "Child, you don't talk? That's very different from Allan. He never stops talking. You know, if you want to make it, you need to be more active and speak up."
Keifer said nothing, offering only a polite smile. At that moment, the door beside the porch opened. A woman dressed in a white ruffled dress with a black apron around her waist stepped out.
Her gaze was casual, and she had the typical features of a Canese, though her beauty was striking. Standing at roughly 1.8 meters, she seemed detached from the commotion around her. Her eyes immediately settled on Keifer. "Mr. Allan is waiting for you."