The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1002: Chapter 59: Victor’s Big List_2

“Not wearing anything particularly special,” Arthur raised an eyebrow, “they usually dress similarly to you.”

The policeman was momentarily stunned, then suddenly grabbed Arthur by the collar, pointed at his nose, and cursed, “Kid, do you think hanging around with Victor means no one can touch you? Let me tell you, not now, even when Victor was still in the Security Department, his people wouldn’t dare talk to me like this!”

Arthur pouted helplessly, slightly shaking his head, “Sir, you’d better take back that attitude. Speaking like that always reminds me of my old superior.”

“Your old superior?”

“Indeed, I haven’t seen him for years. Although I don’t know where he’s gone, I guess he’s most likely lying at the bottom of the Thames River now.”

As soon as Arthur finished speaking, the policeman felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.

Next came a dizzy spell, and his whole body flew backwards, crashing with a bang against the office door.

Arthur adjusted his hat again, smoothed out the wrinkles in his collar caused by the man’s grip, “You seem to be around the same age as Wilcox; don’t tell me you too fought in the Battle of Waterloo. Duke of Wellington and Napoleon are giants of their times, but their subordinates were indeed quite talented.”

The commotion outside the office quickly attracted attention, and the office door was pushed open, revealing the face of Henry Jissoke, the Paris Police Chief.

He glanced at his subordinate lying on the ground clutching his abdomen in silence, frowned with a dark expression, and asked sternly, “What are you doing?”

Victor followed closely behind, glanced at the old rival on the ground, then at Arthur, who was tidying his clothes at the staircase. The detective immediately understood what had just happened.

He chuckled, teasing, “It seems Colebo just had a little exchange with Brother Arthur about British and French police martial arts, but didn’t gain any advantage.”

Jissoke caught the implications of Victor’s words, glanced at his useless subordinate, removed his hat, and greeted Arthur, “Sir, perhaps one day you’ll find some time to visit us in Jerusalem, and share some insights on London’s police martial arts. I’ve heard from Victor before that you’re a master of the Fiore Style and even defeated Mr. Bertrand?”

Arthur modestly replied, “That was merely luck; Mr. Bertrand values our friendship too much to bring himself to do me harm. However, if you don’t mind, I would really like to visit the Great Paris Police Hall Headquarters.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Jissoke bid farewell, “Sir, goodbye.”

Arthur stood at the door watching Jissoke and his men leave until their figures disappeared, then turned around and asked, “So, Mr. Jissoke has entrusted the case involving the Royalists to you? If he knew this earlier, why did he force you to retire in the first place?”

Victor folded his arms, leaning against the door frame, “Times change, come in and talk.”

Inside the office, besides the two young ladies responsible for receiving clients, Great Dumas and Heine were there for some reason.

“Why are you two here?”

Great Dumas was vividly describing his new creative ideas to Heine, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and the cigar in his hand flipping up and down with his gestures, making Arthur worry that falling ash might burn a big hole in Victor’s newly bought Turkish carpet.

Great Dumas, seeing Arthur, enthusiastically exclaimed, “Why am I here? Arthur, do you know? I’m devising a new script about assassins and secret organizations, and I came here for inspiration.”

“Assassins and secret organizations?”

Arthur sat on the sofa and poured himself some coffee, “A story about assassins and the Templar Knights vying for the golden apple? Starting in Florence, then going to France, and then Britain and the Americas? Come on, you Frenchmen really lack fresh ideas, I’ve grown tired of it.”

“Golden apple? Templar Knights? From Florence to France?”

Great Dumas waved his hand, “Arthur, you sure are imaginative. But what I’m writing isn’t that. I want to write a story spanning from the Great Revolution period to the present, involving the republican, Royalists, and Bonaparte Party.”

“That’s excellent.” Arthur crossed his legs and reclined on the sofa, “Choosing to write such a piece when Louis Philippe was assassinated, I’m afraid this play won’t see the light of day.”

“Not might, but definitely,”

Heine, who was engrossed in his notebook, spoke without lifting his head, “Previously, Hugo’s new play was merely suspected of touching on Louis Philippe and was killed; Alexander’s has absolutely zero chance of passing censorship. If he insists on staging, it can only be in London, definitely not Paris.”

Arthur stared at Heine’s endlessly writing quill pen and asked, “What are you writing then? Are you planning on following Alexander’s steps, leaving poetry behind and transitioning to playwright?”

“Hardly.”

Heine tucked the quill back into his pocket, “Just now Alexander was telling me about Liszt’s behavior at a banquet in Kaidao Sai Mansion that evening. I’m jotting it down now, and I’ll refine it later, issue a special feature on Liszt in the ‘Constitutional Newspaper’.”

“Are you deliberately going against him?”

“It’s not me going against him; it’s him going against me,”

Heine emphasized, “Arthur, don’t forget, that scoundrel still shows no sign of paying me back.”

“Alright.”

Arthur realized there’s no point in engaging in a verbal spar with the great poet. If he pissed him off, perhaps in a few days, Heine might get him featured in a long series in the paper too.

But Heine’s presence did suggest one thing — talented individuals can always find a way to make a living regardless of the era.

Even though poetry may not be popular in centuries to come, Heine’s knack for refining scandals is enough to cause a stir in the entertainment news section.

Victor took a platter of snacks from the cupboard and placed them on the coffee table, “Let’s put aside the new play and Liszt for now. Jissoke came to see me about the assassination issue. The day we caught that assassin, although the Great Paris Police Hall publicly claimed him as the mastermind, their investigation over the past two days revealed he’s nothing but a common street thug, definitely not a Royalist.

Though we can’t entirely rule out the possibility that he was paid to act by the Royalists, it’s confirmed he’s only in single-line contact with them, and he doesn’t know who truly orchestrated this assassination plot. Jissoke has been investigating for days with no leads, the Minister of Police is furious about it, and so under pressure, he turned to me.”

Arthur, holding his coffee cup, asked, “So, are you planning to mend fences with him and take this case on?”

Victor shook his head, “Brother, you don’t understand, Paris isn’t like London. In London, even if one offends Scotland Yard, one can still manage to get by privately. But in Paris, if you offend the Great Paris Police Hall, you can forget about a peaceful life. Especially with my detective business; without them accommodating me, my methods could easily be classified as criminal acts. Jissoke is asking for my assistance and I have to help him out.”

Arthur paused slightly without responding immediately.

He understood Victor’s intent.

Tasks like these are typically not mentioned casually by Victor, and him bringing it up indicates a desire for Arthur’s involvement.

For one, due to Arthur’s accomplishments at Scotland Yard.

On another note, Arthur had been the last to encounter the Royalist assassin that evening.

If Victor lacks the capability for thorough investigations, starting with Arthur might be the only choice. Indeed, the accuracy of Arthur’s information could largely determine whether the case can be solved.

Yet, Arthur’s reluctance to out the Royalist assassin is evident. He holds some goodwill towards those farmers from Little Britain, certainly more than the Paris Police who call him a ‘backstabber’.

Nonetheless, Arthur didn’t outright refuse Victor, aware that he lacks explicit reasons to reject Victor.

Even if he turns Victor down now, Paris Police Department would certainly summon him later for questioning. Thus, rather than making another trip, perhaps he’ll contribute to Victor’s achievements.