Russell went quiet.
He picked up a cookie, chewed, then washed the sweetness down with warm tea.
"So we're boxed in on both sides," he said after a moment. "Bilson's run. Charles is insane, and who knows when he'll be coherent again.
If Bilson's already left London, there's no point searching."
"He won't leave London," Charlotte said.
"Why?"
"Because he's waiting for the Professor's next instruction." Charlotte sounded certain. "It's his only chance to flip the board.
Scotland Yard froze all of his accounts and properties in an emergency order. No matter how much cash he has on hand, it won't be that much.
And Lestrade has already pushed urgent wanted notices to every major paper. Even with money, Bilson won't live comfortably.
And if he tries to leave by ship or train… he won't get past ticket inspection."
"When did London's screening get this strict?" Russell asked.
"Because this case is ugly," Charlotte said with a shrug. "Lloyds handles safekeeping for almost every upper-class family in London.
The bank keeps saying everything's intact, perfectly safe—but if it were you, would you sleep soundly just because a bank director said so twice?"
"No."
"Exactly." Charlotte picked up another cookie.
"And the papers also printed that the whole situation was only resolved thanks to Moriarty.
To those people, the name 'Moriarty' is probably scarier than the bank robbers themselves. They can't not panic."
"I see…" Russell nodded slowly.
If that's the case, isn't this a perfect chance to farm Malice points?
He watched Charlotte use red thread to connect locations on her map, then asked,
"So all we can do now is wait?"
"Until Lestrade drags Bilson in front of me—yes," Charlotte replied without looking back.
She stabbed a pin hard into the map at Southwark's bar, as though putting a period on this phase of the investigation.
"A boring wait," she muttered so quietly only she could hear.
Russell nodded.
He didn't disturb her further. Carrying the cookie plate—now with only two or three left—he slipped out of the room without a sound.
Back in his own bedroom, Russell shut the door, sealing the messy case outside.
Night had fully fallen. He sat on the bed, leaning against the window frame, looking at the system interface that only he could see reflected in the glass.
[Name: Russell Watson]
[Reputation: Household Name (Malice gain +30%)]
[Profession: Gentleman Thief]
[Skills: Brawling (C++), Stealth (B+), Climbing (C), Sleight of Hand (B+), Investigation (C++), Listening (C+), Dance (D+)]
[Upgradeable attributes available]
[Current Malice: 1470]
[Shop refreshed]
Charles and Ethan Roy were basically two guaranteed little gold mines, producing Malice almost every day.
Not much—but better than nothing.
Certainly easier than constantly finding new ways to offend people.
Russell's gaze slid to the shop.
Last time he'd only skimmed it. He hadn't actually checked what had refreshed.
Since he had nothing else to do, he might as well take a proper look now.
He thought it, and the shop interface surfaced smoothly in his view.
The first thing that grabbed his attention was, naturally, the item he'd bought the most:
Map Blind Box.
Now it had a higher drop rate for wealthy districts, and the "map" had upgraded from a flat distribution chart into a more three-dimensional model.
All Russell had to do was engage his brain and "move" through the imagined map.
A solid improvement.
Russell nodded in satisfaction.
But there was more.
This time, the blind box had an add-on option: Advanced Challenge.
For an additional 50 Malice, you could upgrade the blind box. After using it, the system would set a time limit for the operation.
Complete the operation within the limit, and it would refund the blind box's purchase cost, and add +20% Malice gain for the operation's final settlement—stacking with his existing +30% from reputation.
And most importantly:
All Malice spent during the operation would be counted as guaranteed minimum profit.
Meaning: if he spent 500 Malice on tools and items during the operation, then the settlement would have a guaranteed minimum return of 500 Malice.
Now that was interesting.
If he succeeded, it was pure profit.
He didn't buy the blind box immediately, though. He checked the other shop items first.
Let's see what new "miracle tools" had appeared.
[Master Key (Consumable):
Ignores any physical lock. Single-use, but after unlocking, it can perfectly duplicate the key for that lock.
Price: 400 Malice.]
[Ghost Hand:
Allows you to manipulate objects within 10 meters without direct contact.
Precision depends on the user's attributes. Duration: 3 minutes.
Price: 500 Malice.]
[Teleport Anchor:
Place a teleport anchor. Upon use, you will appear at any position within 1 meter of the anchor.
Anchors do not expire, but vanish after use. Maximum of two anchors may exist at once.
Price: 1000 Malice.]
[Glider:
Allows aerial gliding. Multiple color options. On-demand retrieval.
Price: 500 Malice.]
…and so on.
Compared to earlier refreshes, these new items were noticeably more expensive.
But each effect had scaled accordingly.
You got what you paid for.
Russell raised an eyebrow as he scanned the list.
He'd bought the Master Key once before—an advanced consumable, perfect for emergencies like the vault fiasco.
It cost more now, but it was stable, efficient, and it could copy a key for a second visit. Still worth it.
As for Ghost Hand…
Russell tapped the air lightly, imagining the feel of taking something without touching it.
It was practically built for a thief.
Control objects within ten meters?
That opened a lot of doors.
With enough imagination, it wasn't just "remote stealing"—it could do all kinds of things.
Five hundred Malice was steep, but still within a tolerable range.
And then there was Teleport Anchor…
Was it useful? Absolutely.
But that price…
Russell glanced at his "wallet." Even if he emptied everything, he could barely afford one.
"…Let's look at the blind box instead."
His eyes returned to the upgraded challenge option.
Risk. Extra profit. A guaranteed minimum return.
Russell didn't hesitate any longer.
Take a gamble—turn a bike into a motorcycle.
....
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