Chapter 751: Loen-Styled Euphemism

Late at night. 7 Pinster Street.

Leonard Mitchell sat on a chair with his legs raised onto the side of

his desk.

Following that, he leaned back, causing the wooden headrest to creak

from the pressure. His breathing gradually turned long and slow.

After an unknown period of time, his eyelids drooped and covered his

eyes.

At this moment, Leonard's spirit had arrived in a gray, hazy world, but

he was still in his bedroom.

He flew to the window and saw thick gray fog blanket the nearby streets

and extend outwards. It seemed to be embracing all of Backlund.

The street lamps along the streets and the warm light from the different

houses appeared abnormally dim. They were only able to illuminate a very

tiny region, and everything seemed to be tainted with a sense of

blurriness.

At the same time, blobs of illusory oval lights appeared as they

enveloped a house in an intersecting manner, as though it was the source

of their existence.

This was the city through a Nightmare's eyes.

Leonard followed up on his previous investigations and leaped out the

window in a Nightmare state. He then flew to 17 Minsk Street.

He didn't attempt to storm in. He stood at the door in the thick fog as

he politely pulled the doorbell.

Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Dressed in her nightgown, Stelyn Sammer opened

the door.

She placed her silver-inlaid pleated fan at her chest as she asked in

confusion and puzzlement, "Who are you looking for?"

She was none other than Klein's landlord back when he was acting as

Sherlock Moriarty. She was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed lady in her

thirties.

Leonard had already changed into a black-and-white checkered police

uniform. He casually showed his identification and asked, "Do you know

Sherlock Moriarty?"

Trapped in the dream, Stelyn's reaction was very slow. She asked after a

few seconds, "Did something happen to him?"

Just as she asked, her impression of Sherlock Moriarty appeared beside

her under Leonard's influence.

He wore a half top hat, a double-breasted frock coat, gold-rimmed

spectacles on his nose, and a bushy mustache around his mouth...

This was identical to the information he previously received about

Sherlock Moriarty. Hence, he didn't show any doubts and said, "He's been

involved in a case and is undergoing an investigation.

"I hope you can cooperate with us."

"A-alright." Stelyn wished to raise her chin, but for some reason, she

felt a little horrified.

Leonard thought for a second and asked, "Since when did he rent this

place from you?"

"Early September last year," Stelyn said after recalling her memories.

Leonard continued asking, "What do you know of him? Or should I say,

what kind of person do you think he is?"

When that was mentioned, Stelyn appeared as though she had long

considered the answer to such a question.

"He comes from Midseashire, and he has an accent from that area. He's a

very capable detective, and he once exposed the adultery which Mary's

husband was undertaking. However, his income isn't too high. He doesn't

even hire a full-time housemaid. All he can do is get my maid to help

him part-time... My children tell me that he's good at telling stories,

especially detective-related stories. This might be why he had chosen

this profession..."

Without giving Leonard a chance to interrupt her, she droned on

incessantly, "He's not as boorish like the typical detective. He went to

grammar school and studied history. What leaves me most envious of all

is how he obtained Mary's gratitude. He joined the Quelaag Club where

its members are people with significant status. I've only been there a

few times...

"Later, he apparently became famous in the detective circles, and

private detectives often came to look for him..."

Leonard lost his patience listening to her drone on as he couldn't help

but rub his temples.

He had failed to obtain any useful information from Mrs. Stelyn. Apart

from Sherlock Moriarty's poor financial situation and him being good at

telling detective stories, the rest was within the scope of what he had

previously investigated. He even knew that Sherlock Moriarty had good

ties with Isengard Stanton.

*Next, I'll investigate those from the Quelaag Club who have good

relationships with Sherlock Moriarty...* Once he patiently

finished listening to Mrs. Stelyn's droning, he immediately thanked her

and left her dream.

160 Böklund Street. Inside Dwayne Dantès's mansion.

In the hall that could accommodate more than a hundred dancers, Klein

was embracing a lady in her thirties as they danced.

This was the etiquette teacher that Walter had hired. Her name was

Wahana Heisen.

She had a common name, but she wasn't ordinary at all. Her facial

features were only above average, but her disposition was impeccable.

Her every action was filled with charm.

According to Walter's introduction, she was born in a baron's family.

She received a good education from a young age and later entered the

palace. She had the job of court lady until she was married.

As her family had declined and her husband's financial situation was

only ordinary, being a believer in the Evernight Goddess prompted her to

choose to become a private tutor in etiquette. She often went to the

families of nobles and tycoons to teach their children.

Although the butler didn't spell it out, Klein knew that he couldn't

perform badly in front of this lady, or there was no way to save his

reputation.

The way members of high society asked about a person's situation was

mainly through common acquaintances. And at times, the interaction

between servants also mattered.

With nimble footsteps and graceful moves, the black-haired Wahana nodded

approvingly.

"Mr. Dantès, it's hard for me to imagine you not having learned these

dance steps before.

"In less than half an hour, you're as skilled as a noble who received

education on this from a young age."

"It's all thanks to your teachings." Klein gave a humble smile as he

wore a warm, humble look.

With the Clown's balance, dancing was a very easy matter for him.

Wahana lowered her head and chuckled softly.

"You're a gentleman who can really make a lady happy."

She immediately raised her light brown eyes and swept her gaze across

Dwayne Dantès's silver sideburns and deep blue eyes.

"That's the best praise I've heard today," Klein replied with a smile.

During this period, his feet kept moving as he spun Wahana gently

around. Not far away, the hired quartet's melodious music echoed through

the hall.

He had the intention to have close ties with Wahana, not to improve his

reputation, but because she was once a court lady.

After Wahana corrected a minor mistake that Dwayne Dantès committed, she

said, "When inviting a lady to dance, it's not only a dance. You also

need to converse. You can't be like two dolls unless both of you are so

immersed in the dance and music's rhythm that you do not wish to speak.

Of course, that's also a form of communication---a form of communication

of the heart.

"When conversing, you must be euphemistic because this is Loen, not

Intis.

"To put it simply, do not be direct and crude. You need to appear

gentlemanly.

"Let me raise an example. If you wish to compliment a lady for her

perfume, you can't directly tell her how nice it smells, nor ask what

kind of perfume it is to praise her. You need to connect a more

euphemistic meaning to it and mention that. Yes, you can say something

like: It feels like I'm out in the spring meadows.

"Of course, this needs to match the traits of perfume."

*There's no literary feel. Shouldn't you say that "the moon is

beautiful, isn't it?"* Klein lampooned with a Japanese-styled

euphemism as he said with a self-deprecating smile, "Thank you for not

telling me that my praises weren't gentlemanly enough."

Wahana's smile deepened.

"Mr. Dantès, do you know what kind of gentleman is very welcomed by

women at social events?"

"Pray, do tell." Klein honestly shook his head.

Wahana said without a change in her smile, "The second most popular type

are men who make women think that he's very intelligent."

"What about the first?" Klein asked cooperatively.

Wahana glanced at him and said, "The most popular type are men who make

women think that they are very intelligent."

Upon saying that, she smiled and didn't say another word. Klein

instantly understood she was hiding her praise in between the lines.

*So this is Loen-styled euphemism... It's not like Intis where they just

aim straight for the lower half of the body... Hmm, that's what's

written in papers and magazines. I've no way of confirming what real

Intis social events are like. Anyway, both countries often sully each

other... The emperor's era does match that description

though...* Klein nodded in enlightenment.

The two-hour etiquette lesson ended in a harmonious mood. Klein walked

Teacher Wahana Heisen to the door with Butler Walter and Valet

Richardson before giving her a tiny gift.

It was Moonlight, a perfume from the Dream Company. It was mixed with

gray amber, making it rather expensive.

As for how much it was, Klein wasn't sure, as Housekeeper Taneja was

responsible for buying it. The payment was through her. Only when the

1,000 pounds was almost expended would she come to him with receipts and

a list for him to vet so as to receive fresh funds.

The reason why Klein knew the company and perfume was that his butler

had informed him ahead of time. It was to prevent him from appearing

insincere if Ma'am Wahana were to ask.

From this detail, he had a deep understanding of the use of a good

butler.

Watching the satisfied Ma'am Wahana Heisen leave, Klein held back the

urge to rub his temples as he sighed inwardly, *This is more tiring than

a Beyonder battle. I have to constantly watch my actions and deliberate

over my words... I need some rest.*

At that point, the white-gloved Walter took a step forward and said,

"Sir, since you wish for your etiquette studies to progress faster, we

can move the remaining lessons forward."

"What lessons?" Klein felt a headache.

"History, international politics, philosophy, music, as well as general

knowledge of sports like golf, racing, hunting..." Walter answered

meticulously.

"Philosophy?" Klein asked in surprise.

Walter nodded.

"It's one of the most common topics discussed in high society. You don't

need to have very deep research into it, but you need to know what

others are discussing. You need to know that the origins of philosophy

stem from Kongsoka, Mareddy, and Paterson, and not Emperor Roselle. You

need to know that "Man was born free" came from Leumi.

"When tycoons first enter high society, many of them often make mistakes

in such aspects. They're used to attributing certain sentences and

philosophical thoughts to Emperor Roselle."

Klein felt his head ache the more he heard. He forcefully smiled and

said, "I haven't got any matters to do recently, apart from my afternoon

naps and heading to the cathedral. You can arrange the lessons to be at

anytime."

In a dark room, a letter floated up and opened by itself before shaking

the piece of paper.

In her tiny bonnet, Sharron's figure was outlined. She grasped the

letter and seriously read through it.

She then wrote a reply and set up a ritual to summon Sherlock Moriarty's

messenger.

During this process, she didn't forget to prepare a gold coin.

Soon, Sharron finished the incantation as she watched the candle flame

burgeon and be tainted with a gloomy green color.

Reinette Tinekerr, with the four blonde, red-eyed heads in hand,

appeared out of the candlelight and appeared before Sharron.

Sharron's eyes constricted as her doll-like face suddenly showed immense

emotional fluctuations.

She blurted out, "Teacher!

"Haven't you already..."