Lock had advanced the rent and the suit he was wearing from a merchant guild leader in the Royal Capital, who was very close to his family.
To curry favor with Lock, the future head of the Leon Family, that generous capitalist immediately sent over many small items upon hearing that Lock had opened a detective agency in the Stohess District.
Famous paintings, a wine cabinet, carpets, table,s and chairs, black tea... he even had a custom top hat, a cane, and a pocket watch made to match Lock's suit.
Besides that, he specifically provided Lock with a carriage, available for his use at any time.
Finally, he also sent an exquisite, compact pistol and several boxes of ammunition.
Lock accepted these "sugar-coated bullets" one by one with a smile and expressed his deep gratitude... Looking at the newly renovated room, Lock sat at his desk, contentedly imagining his future stories as a famous detective.
"Ding-ling!"
Lock heard the bell hanging nearby ring, indicating that someone had entered from the first floor.
Had a request come to his door so soon?
Lock quickly stood up and began brewing tea, preparing to welcome his first customer.
"Bang, bang, bang!" The door was knocked on rudely.
The person knocking clearly lacked manners.
Lock frowned and said, "Come in!"
The person pushed open the door and walked in.
He wore a long black trench coat and a hat. He was tall, around fifty years old, with a beard, sharp eyes, and a cynical smile always on his face.
Kenny Ackerman walked into Lock's agency.
Lock continued brewing tea and said casually, "May I ask if you have a request for me?"
Kenny didn't reply. He scanned the entire room, then walked straight to Lock's seat, pulled out the chair, and sat down.
With his hands behind his head and his legs propped up on Lock's newly arrived desk, he finally spoke with a look of ease, "Kid, this great one doesn't drink black tea. Switch it to your family's wine."
Lock turned around and stared at Kenny. "Interior Military Police?"
Kenny smiled. "Serve the wine first. This great one will tell you after I've had a drink."
Lock's mouth twitched, but he still took a bottle of wine and a glass from the wine cabinet.
Placing the glass in front of this annoying old man, he pulled out the cork and slowly poured him half a glass.
Lock put on a professional smile. "Please, have a taste!"
Kenny stared at Lock, reached out to move the glass away—spilling a few drops of wine onto the table—and said, "This great one doesn't want to drink wine anymore. Switch it to black tea for me."
The smile on Lock's face vanished instantly. He said with a grim expression, "Are you here to toy with me? Ackerman."
Kenny put on a surprised expression. "Oh, you recognize me? It seems your father told you quite a lot."
He lowered his legs and smiled as he got down to business. "You know Eren and that... Krista from your year, right? Are you on good terms with them?"
Lock sat opposite Kenny, took the wine glass Kenny had pushed away, and said, "It's average. If you want to use me to call them over from the Survey Corps, it probably won't work."
Kenny also withdrew his smile. "You really do know everything."
Lock crossed his legs, took a sip of the wine, and said, "My father is dying; naturally, he told me everything, including the matter of the 'Vessel'."
"The King has kept such a big matter hidden for so long; you must be driven mad with anger too, Ackerman."
Kenny looked at Lock's calm face. "The future golden lion indeed isn't like those other fools."
He suddenly asked, "Do you know about the Anti-Personnel Vertical Maneuvering Squad?"
Lock put down the wine glass. "You want me to join?"
"You killed nine titans in Trost, after all. I know exactly how strong you are."
A flash of excitement crossed Kenny's face. "Are you willing to kill your classmates for the sake of the King?"
Lock shook his head and said directly, "It's not enough."
He stared at Kenny and said gloomily, "Those are my comrades-in-arms, as close as brothers, who have shared life and death with me!"
"You'll have to pay more!"
The excitement on Kenny's face grew even more intense. He asked, "What do you want?"
Lock said word for word, "I want a permanent seat as a Royal Capital Councilor."
...Before leaving, Kenny adjusted his hat and looked back, saying, "Remember to come find me in a week. I'll make you the Strongest Human, second only to this great one."
"Ding-ling!" The door on the first floor finally closed.
Lock pulled out the loaded pistol from his pocket and placed it on the table.
He swirled the red liquid in his glass, tilted his head back, and drained it in one gulp. "Strongest Human? Don't make me laugh."
Kenny looked back at the agency's sign on the second floor and said to the men in black at the entrance, "Let's go, lackeys. Get back quickly and prepare the welcome ceremony for your new colleague."
...After seeing Kenny off, Lock was no longer in the mood to sit in his chair and wait for customers throughout the morning.
He hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door and left the agency.
Lock first ran to the square with some food to play with a cat for a while, watching the fountain in front of him as he pondered potential future scenarios.
Joining Kenny's special agency, which reported directly to King Fritz, as an undercover agent was indeed a very useful step when considering an eventual rebellion against the royal family.
However, Kenny was too dangerous.
He himself wasn't loyal to the royal family, so it was impossible to predict what actions he might take for the sake of that dream of his.
Whether he, as an undercover agent, could clear his name when the time came would be a problem.
Thinking of that pervert Zackary, Lock felt a chill run down his spine.
He lowered his head, lifted the Fat Blue Cat in front of him, and said softly, "Just come back to the agency with me. I'm still too lonely by myself."
"Meow~"
Lock smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."
He put the cat on his shoulder and stood up. Surprisingly, the cat actually lay flat on Lock's back without moving.
In short, he still lacked power, and this world possessed absolute power.
Once he obtained that power, would he still need to be so conflicted over these trifles?
Lock tilted his head and said to the cat, "Let's go. We'll find your future mistress to play with."
..."Ah, my legs are numb from walking all morning," Hitch complained, walking behind with her rifle on her back.
Marlo looked back and couldn't help saying, "Hitch, I really don't know how you made it through three years as a Trainee."
Hitch pouted and retorted, "Hey, why don't you mention that the officer ditched us and ran off himself? He didn't even clarify the patrol route, making us walk so much for nothing!"
She caught up with her roommate in front. "Right, Annie?"
Annie suddenly stopped, and Hitch bumped into her back.
"What's wrong, Annie?"
Hitch followed Annie's gaze and then said in surprise, "Oh, it's that handsome guy from yesterday."
"And you still say he's not your boyfriend? He's come to see you again."
Annie retorted in a low voice, "He's just a friend from the same year."
Lock waved with the cat in his arms. "Yo, Annie! Out on patrol? Do you want to go grab a meal?"
"This gentleman..." Marlo was about to sternly inform Lock not to disturb the Military Police work when he was immediately pulled away by Hitch.
Annie smoothed her hair and didn't look at Lock. "No thanks, I'll eat back at The Corps in a bit."
Lock said with regret, "Then I can only eat with the kitty."
"Meow~"
Annie never played along with Lock's teasing. She asked, "Is there any news about the Interior Military Police?"
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A/N: Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded. Please Check It Out. It will really help me out and will keep me motivated to continue.
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