"Hmm?" Mai Ge put down his Rou Jia Mo upon hearing this, got up, walked to the door, and opened it. Standing there was a tall, thin man in a long black robe, wearing a black hat that almost covered his eyes. Hearing the door open, he turned to Mai Ge, lowering his voice slightly nervously, and said, "May I come in?"
Mai Ge looked at the familiar face, nodded, stepped aside to let him in, and casually closed the door. This was the owner of the private detective agency he had visited the day before yesterday. He had commissioned him to investigate Crassus and Yulian's background. The owner's name was Sherlock, which was also the reason he chose this detective agency. He didn't expect that he would arrive in just two days.
"Boss Mai, here's the information you requested. I don't know what you're planning to do with it, but I suggest you don't provoke these two." Sherlock took out a paper bag from his pocket and handed it to Mai Ge. He glanced at Yabemia and Amy in the restaurant and lowered his voice even further. "The information about Crassus isn't hard to get, and it's very detailed, worth the price you're paying. However, I've found very limited information about the mage next door. Last night when I went into the magic potion shop, he burned half of my hair. He's a very powerful mage."
Mai Ge glanced at the bit of burnt short hair peeking out from under Sherlock's hat. He remembered seeing him the day before yesterday with flowing, slightly wavy long hair, a mustache, and a carefree smile. He was a completely different person from today, who was cautious and slightly pale. Mai Ge wondered what he had gone through last night.
"Okay, thank you for your help." Mai Ge nodded, squeezing the paper bag in his hand. There seemed to be quite a lot of information, enough for him to assess the danger posed by Crassus and Yulian. Sherlock, who sacrificed his flowing long hair, had certainly done his best.
"Then I'll take my leave." Sherlock clearly didn't want to stay any longer, so he nodded and prepared to leave. However, his gaze fell on Amy, who was holding a Rou Jia Mo and taking a bite, and he couldn't help but linger for a moment.
He had seen the little girl two days ago; she was delicate and adorable. Now she was holding a rather oddly shaped biscuit and biting into it, occasionally scooping up a spoonful of glistening, white food from her bowl. She was eating with great relish, and the air was filled with the aroma of braised meat and beans, making him swallow hard. He had been in a hurry to deliver the items to Mai Ge before the magic potion shop opened that morning, so he hadn't had breakfast yet. The tempting aroma made his stomach rumble involuntarily.
"Boss Mai, can the restaurant start selling breakfast now?" Sherlock asked, looking at Mai Ge.
"There's still half an hour before opening time, so breakfast isn't available yet." Mai Ge shook his head, a strange smile playing on his lips. He'd paid Sherlock a commission of ten gold coins; if he used that money to eat at the restaurant, it wouldn't even be enough for two plates of Yang Zhou Fried Rice. He wondered what Sherlock would think of his flowing long hair.
"Alright, looks like I'll have to come back another time. Goodbye." Sherlock nodded, glanced at the Rou Jia Mo in Amy's hand, and left.
Mai Ge locked the door, sat down at the table by the door, and quickly skimmed through the documents in the paper bag. His brow furrowed, then slowly relaxed, finally becoming hesitant.
The information on Crassus was indeed very detailed, from his youth until his recent journey south from Luo Du to Chaos City, including where he was currently residing.
However, the other party was, after all, a mage respected by royal family. Sherlock's ability to obtain this information indicated that his source was quite powerful and professional.
Based on this information, it was largely possible to rule out Crassus's involvement in the events of that year, which relieved him. As long as Crassus wasn't on that side, his danger level was significantly reduced.
What concerned Mai Ge was that Crassus had a past connection with the elven princess, seemingly wanting to take her as his apprentice, but the matter was never resolved. Therefore, he must have had goodwill towards the elven princess.
Information about Yulian is significantly scarcer. He is described as a mysterious mage who has been running a magic potion shop in Aden Square for nearly ten years. The shop's business has been lukewarm, producing various low-level magic potions that can be supplied in bulk. As a result, many adventure teams purchase basic potions from him. He is usually very low-key.
However, Sherlock mentioned at the end that Yulian and Crassus might have some grudges, but this was only briefly mentioned. It's unclear whether this was because he had limited information or because he was somewhat wary.
"In that case, Crassus is less dangerous than the mysterious Yulian." Mai Ge frowned in thought. Moreover, the information said that Crassus was looking for a disciple to inherit his mantle. At 121 years old, he should be nearing the end of his life, so finding a disciple was more important to him than anything else."
Moreover, knowing that Amy was a half-elf, he still wanted to take her as his apprentice, which shows that taking an apprentice is more important to him than anything else, even the worldly doubts and the various problems that may arise from the Mage Tower.
"If he really wants to take Amy as his apprentice, and I don't want Amy to go to the Mage Tower…" Mai Ge's mind started to wander.
"Daddy, the savory tofu pudding is so delicious!" Amy's happy voice interrupted Mai Ge's thoughts. He smiled as he put the documents back into the paper bag, got up and went over. Amy had already finished her Rou Jia Mo and savory tofu pudding. She tilted her little head back, her eyebrows smiling like little crescent moons.
"So, is savory tofu pudding Amy's favorite?" Mai Ge gently wiped a bit of tofu pudding from the corner of her mouth, asking with a smile.
"But I also want to try the sweet tofu pudding. I think it would be super delicious too." Amy shook her head, her eyes shining as she looked at the tofu pudding drizzled with golden-red syrup. "When you're almost full, having a sweet tofu pudding, like a dessert, would be amazing."
"Okay, then you can try it." Mai Ge nodded, feeling a little helpless about the little one's attitude of never missing any kind of food, but what could he do? Even the way she looked when she wanted to eat sweet tofu pudding was so cute. He carefully moved the bowl of sweet tofu pudding in front of her.
Yabemia's face lit up with anticipation. She had assumed that Amy would prefer the savory tofu pudding and wouldn't be going to eat the sweet one but now it seemed that wasn't the case. May be she would fall in love with the taste of sweet tofu pudding.
Amy scooped up a spoonful of sweet tofu pudding and put it in her mouth. Her large, bright blue eyes closed as the tofu pudding, coated in syrup, melted in her mouth, filling it with a sweet flavor.
Mai Ge and Yabemia watched Amy with anticipation. With the score tied at one to one, Amy's evaluation would be decisive.