They all call me Great Master

Chapter 201 'Spirit Medium's Essential Skill!

Outside No. 2 Cork Street, stood a couple, followed by a coachman and a bodyguard.

The couple were both attired fittingly for the upper class, the man in a four-piece suit and his cane topped with a pure wooden carving of a horse head, the woman's long skirt appeared simple, but the material was extraordinary silk, while the pearl necklace around her neck showcased pearls all of the same size, emitting a soft and warm glow in the morning light.

Upon seeing Arthur open the door, the couple greeted him in unison with a bow.

The precision of their etiquette was as if measured with a ruler.

Wealthy, literate, and had undergone training including manners for high society, but they were not nobility—if they were, they wouldn't have sought out him so openly and aboveboard.

Nor would they have screamed for help.

The 'honor' of the nobility didn't permit such actions.

And when faced with problems, nobles had their own ways of resolving them.

"Good day, Mr. Kledos, sorry to intrude!"

The gentleman switched his cane to his left hand and extended his right.

Arthur shook his hand briefly and then let go.

However, the calluses on the man's palm were unmistakably clear.

Arthur took another glance at the man's clothes, the ironed suit was very tidy but not new, and the cane was filled with the marks of years—such effects could not have been achieved without a decade's use, and the veins bulging on the back of his palm, which clutched the cane's head, displayed an inner restlessness, yet he still endeavored to endure.

He had once struggled hard, possessing a tenacious quality and the ability to stay calm.

'Not inheritance, but a self-made entrepreneur of a generation of rich merchants, perhaps?' Arthur speculated, stepping aside and raising his hand to invite the couple into No. 2 Cork Street—although Haywood was inside, there was nothing shameful about their relationship, especially since the public would eventually know about their relationship as the haunted house acquisition began, it was better to acknowledge the employment relationship openly at this moment.

Of course, a more critical reason was that Haywood took two short, sharp breaths upon seeing the couple.

Arthur was curious about their relationship.

Even though in his plans, Haywood's 'haunted house purchase' was only of secondary priority, Arthur still didn't wish for any regrettable incidents to occur.

"Good day, Mr. Bernice, Mrs. Bernice."

As the couple entered the Spirit Medium Parlor, Haywood immediately greeted them.

"Good day, and you are?"

The man responded and then showed a puzzled face.

Clearly, the two did not know each other, and it seemed that Haywood recognized Mr. Bernice unilaterally—after reaching this conclusion, Arthur began to search his mind for information related to the name 'Bernice'.

And almost instantly, 'Bernice Trading Company' emerged in his thoughts.

After previously attending a salon hosted by Marinda, for the sake of a thorough recap, Arthur had detailed knowledge of some of the well-known businesses in South Los.

Among them, 'Bernice Trading Company' ranked highly.

Its main business was dock storage, with a side business in maritime transport, and sprinkled with a few retail shops and a clay pottery workshop, this was all there was to 'Bernice Trading Company'.

Furthermore, compared to other businesses that had multiple responsibilities, Bernice Trading Company was quite pure—it was solely controlled by the Bernice family... no, to be precise, solely by Mr. Bernice himself.

Mr. Bernice's father was a craftsman who made clay pottery.

Mr. Bernice, who had learned the trade by his father's side since he was young, was not content with his lot and at the age of fifteen, he secretly set out to sea for the first time, taking on the dangerous job of a ship's ballaster.

At the time, the Seven Years' War was raging between the Eastern and Western Seas, compounded by rampant piracy, each voyage was a gamble with life itself, but the profits matched the risks.

In five years, Mr. Bernice had accumulated a considerable fortune and began buying up large tracts of barren land in the Docklands to build warehouses.

Just a year later, with the end of the Seven Years' War, the land Mr. Bernice had acquired began to soar in value, but the son of the craftsman did not sell the land. Instead, he focused on transportation, continuing up to the present and making 'Bernice Trading Company' one of the leading names in South Los—rumors say that half the warehouses on the docks belong to Mr. Bernice.

"May I ask what has happened?" Arthur inquired without any hint of concern in his voice.

His "Shadow Count" plan naturally couldn't do without the docks.

The Bernice family, with their large warehouses, was an excellent partner, but the young 'Spirit Medium' wasn't in a hurry.

He knew very well how difficult a seasoned founder like Bernice could be to deal with.

If he took the initiative, it would only make the other party wary, and things would become more complicated, far from being 'open and aboveboard.'

"My son, Clay has been missing for three days—he has never been away at night, let alone for three days, and I've asked his friends; no one has seen him in these three days, which is also impossible. He who loves salons could not possibly be out of touch with people for so long."

No sooner had Arthur finished speaking than Mrs. Bernice immediately said.

At the same time, she took out a portrait of her son, Clay.

The Bernice family had two sons and a daughter.

The eldest son, Chloe.

The second son, Clay.

The daughter, Edith.

The designated heir, Chloe, began learning from his father early on. In contrast, Clay, who also had succession rights, had no interest in the family business, becoming a true prodigal son, while the daughter Edith was rarely seen in public, only known to be in poor health.

Arthur's gaze fell upon the portrait.

The realistic style allowed the young 'Spirit Medium' to confirm that Clay was a rather handsome young man, and given his considerable worth, he must have been quite popular with the girls—Bernice had already made a will, leaving sixty percent of the estate to the eldest son, which was only fair for helping his father. The remaining forty percent was to be split between the second son and daughter, but they were not allowed to sell the inheritance for twenty years and could only receive dividends.

Even so, the dividends were an impressively large sum.

Enough to attract the favor of many women.

While the young 'Spirit Medium' was carefully examining the portrait of Clay, Mrs. Bernice continued to speak.

"Since the last return from 'Chasing the Wind,' Clay has been acting strangely, rather mysterious."

"'Chasing the Wind'?"

Upon hearing this term, Arthur was startled.

Mr. Bernice's expression darkened immediately.

Mrs. Bernice quickly raised her hand to soothe her husband before continuing.

"It means pursuing the storm, feeling the thunder when a storm is approaching. Clay thinks it's a symbol of courage—four days ago, when South Los was hit by a storm, Clay went to the docks to 'Chase the Wind.'

"I see."

Arthur said this aloud, but internally he could not help but scoff.

How idle do you have to be to think of such a boring activity?

Chasing the wind, a symbol of courage?

Why not chase after the thunder themselves?

They should let the 'Countess' who creates 'storms' strike down with a bolt of thunder, and let you feel what it's like to be thoroughly shocked.

Moreover, more importantly, a disappearance case like this one couldn't possibly be resolved immediately; it would require time-consuming investigation and evidence collection to yield results.

This elaborate approach did not fit the 'Spirit Medium' persona he had carved out for himself.

Therefore, mimicking Old Charlie's way of 'communicating' with clients from his memories, he leaned back slightly in his chair, his eyes filled with pity, and his voice became even more ethereal—

"There will always be creatures on the earth who dare to face the majesty of thunder...

And some are arrogant, foolish and blindly unaware. Darkness, solitude, fresh blood, all that is shattered will converge in that moment."

His words were detached, the 'Bluff' flashed urgently.