Oliver, a Belfast person. Like most orphans, he only had a first name, no surname. Like most residents, he had never left the place where he was born.
Not because his home was here—he was an orphan, and to him, home was merely an unattainable concept.
"Well, it's because of home, I have a sister, uh… not related by blood, I picked her up from a trash can. Actually, just a few days before I found her, I had just decided to try my luck outside."
On the day he met Lu Li, that was how Oliver responded when questioned.
Lu Li knew he was playing the sympathy card, trying to make him feel pity and hire him. Because Oliver said he had just turned 20, and it would be another four years before his sister came of age.
That meant, Oliver had picked up his sister when he was just four years old.
At four years old, he wanted to venture outside.
Lu Li didn't expose Oliver's harmless lie, quietly listening to him narrate his life story.
Regardless, whether Oliver really wanted to leave Belfast to make his way or not, he did not leave but took on the duty of an older brother to care for this sister he'd found.
Here, Oliver briefly told of how tough it was for the siblings in their younger years. His words were brief yet touching—it was evident he had told the story many times.
Because they often alternated between starving and being full, Oliver was thin and just over five foot three. He had been in a gang for quite some time, back then his nickname was Lean Monkey.
As expected.
After mixing with gangs for a few years under a boss and realizing that he couldn't even secure a minor leadership position, let alone become a boss himself, he secretly left, determined not to let his sister follow in his footsteps.
Nobody doesn't want to improve their situation, except those already at the top.
Oliver decided to send his sister to school; he took a risk to gather the tuition fee and successfully enrolled his sister in a school in Belfast.
Clearly, tuition was not a one-time fee, and Oliver had to come up with ways to cover his sister's food, clothing, and essentials. So, until his sister grew into a towering tree that could shelter him, he had to continue providing for her.
Oliver did any work he could find, fisherman, laborer, gang member, beggar, pickpocket, even sold himself twice—though he didn't go into details, he clearly expressed, frightened, that he wouldn't do it again, especially after the terror of the second time—unless he could pick his clients himself.
Three days ago, using his connections, he heard about a new Detective Agency opening in the Sailor District. Oliver showed up uninvited outside the door, eagerly promoting how well connected he was. He even claimed that, if Lu Li wanted, he could find out what color underwear Baron Joshua was wearing that day.
Lu Li was not interested in the color of the Baron's underwear, but he was very keen to understand the world's background and why one must stay in lit areas after dark.
"Can you elaborate?"
"I can't."
"Alright. Please close the door on your way out, from outside."
"Please, my sister is very pretty!" Oliver pleaded loudly, talking about how difficult it was for him to take care of his sister.
Lu Li decided to hire him to try it out.
Without a labor contract, calling their relationship employment was an understatement; a transaction was more fitting.
Oliver helped Lu Li find clients, dealing with their finances; Oliver got a ten percent cut. Whatever Lu Li wanted to inquire or investigate, he had to pay Oliver a fee.
From the results of these few days, Oliver was doing quite well.
What Lu Li did not know was that Oliver was engaged in a losing trade.
On Lu Li's first day in the world, he first figured out where he was, then dismantled his phone to sell to collectors for a place to live, an identity, and some money. After setting his direction, he established the Detective Agency and legally began his investigative work. All this had barely taken one morning. At noon, Oliver appeared, and both agreed on a cooperative arrangement; Oliver went back to look for clients.
Counting today, it's been four days. In these four days, Oliver had run around using his connections to find fifteen cases, Lu Li had completed four, earning 30 shillings, having waived his fee for one case because the client was too poor.
At first glance, it seemed not too bad, about the same as a worker who works 10 hours a day.
But Oliver's income was: 3 shillings.
Earning just three shillings in four days, even begging would have been more lucrative, but the reason Oliver continued was simple: it was an investment.
Oliver had met many people: vagrants, sailors, nobles, professors, even the nearly extinct bards. He could boast that he knew half the names of the residents of Rodest Port. However, he had never seen eyes the color of the deep sea.
He felt that Lu Li wouldn't remain an unknown.
Thus, Oliver intended to use all his wits to make Lu Li understand his value.
"Is that why you appeared before me looking like this?"
At their agreed meeting spot, Lu Li frowned slightly.
In front of him, Oliver was heavily made up, wearing a stolen dress that fittingly surprised him. But he looked strange – like a monkey dressed in human's clothes.
"As an informant, having many faces is necessary~" Oliver giggled, covering his mouth.
"Or perhaps simply because you like cross-dressing."
"Tease~ you devil~ hmmph~" Oliver stamped his foot lightly, feigning annoyance.
Passersby on the street dispersed, giving them a wide berth.
"Let's talk about the client," Lu Li spoke calmly, wanting to steer away from why Oliver was dressed that way.
In a tone that tingled Oliver's skin, he cooed, "The client is umm~ Bradley~ Tolkien~"
"Speak normally."
"The client is Bradley Tolkien." Oliver reverted to his usual self and informed Lu Li of the specifics: "Tolkien is the second mate on a fishing boat. A few days ago, his young son stopped eating and spoke in his sleep all day. Tolkien consulted other exorcists and found out his son might be possessed by a ghost. However, the exorcists' fees were too high, and Tolkien was hesitating. If your fee doesn't exceed 300 shillings, there's a good chance he might hire you right now."
"What do you think?" Lu Li asked Oliver. From the few words, Lu Li couldn't tell if this was a supernatural event or a common illness.
Oliver adjusted the slipping shoulder strap: "Well, I'm not going in."
38 Ward Street, Bradley Tolkien's residence. Tolkien was pleased to see Lu Li, not just because his son might be saved, but also because it meant saving a hefty fee.
Mr. Tolkien, enthusiastic yet worried, led Lu Li to his son's room door and pushed it open.
A detestable aura permeated the air, and whispered conversations echoed in every corner of the room.
On the bed, his son Henry's complexion was deathly pale as he looked on coldly.
"I am leaving."
Without a second thought, Lu Li turned and walked out of the room.