The detective is dead, I did it.

Chapter 57 I Don't Have Powder in My Stomach

Two days later.

The Detective Association was much more efficient than Li Ang had anticipated.

The identification document, signifying the detective's identity, was delivered to Charlotte's mansion in a plain white envelope bearing the Detective Guild's iconic crest.

A balance scale, a magnifying glass, and handcuffs—these three items stacked together form a strange symbol.

In this country, this coat of arms represents a kind of absolute authority, even surpassing the importance of the royal coat of arms.

The old butler, Donald, handed him the envelope with both hands, took a step back, and bowed slightly. "Congratulations, Lord Leon."

Li Ang opened the envelope and took out a small gold card, which displayed some basic information about his identity.

Name: Leon Moriarty.

Sequence: Level unknown

Ability type: Armed.

Affiliation: Armed Association.

Number: LS-0237.

At the bottom is a line of small print: The holder of this document is entitled to exercise the powers of armed detectives throughout the whole of Britain and its colonies.

"What does 'sequence level unknown' mean?" Li Ang turned to look at Charlotte beside him.

"The association hasn't decided what level to assign you yet." Charlotte sat down on the sofa, crossed her legs, and revealed white stockings under her skirt.

"There are no precedents for those who awaken their abilities later in life; they need time to confirm this."

"Why not just fill in sequence 9?"

Charlotte glanced at him and laughed, "Who knows what these people are thinking? Anyway, the level doesn't matter. Maybe you can even use this unknown level to fool people."

The detective's meaning was simple: since the association couldn't determine whether Li Ang belonged to Sequence 9, it meant that Li Ang's current sequence level could be infinitely large.

It's perfectly fine to use it to intimidate people.

Of course, Li Ang politely declined this suggestion.

"That's it? No need for oaths or anything?"

Charlotte shook her head slightly. "The Association doesn't do those kinds of ceremonies. Once you have the credentials, you're an armed detective. Of course, that's assuming you don't cause trouble for the Association."

"Alright. I'll go out for a bit."

"Go ahead. Remember to come back for dinner tonight."

Charlotte's words sounded like she was instructing her pet who was out running wild, which made Li Ang's eyebrows twitch.

London was unusually sunny in the afternoon, with sunlight filtering through the thin clouds and bathing the entire city in a pale gold hue.

Li Ang did not take a carriage; he walked alone along the banks of the Thames eastward.

His destination was the slum, not to revisit it, but to see his former neighbors.

Even in the most chaotic parts of London, there are always kind people, and the slums are no exception.

In addition to that, he had another goal: the textile factory where Ktura had worked.

As far as he knew, quite a few female workers had died from exhaustion in that textile factory. Ktura had even witnessed his coworker collapse from exhaustion, vomiting blood, and then stopping breathing.

Ketura was terrified that time and didn't dare go to work for several days.

He had hoped to find her an easier job, but unfortunately, people from the slums weren't even qualified to be maids for nobles.

After all, nobles would choose British citizens with status when selecting maids; choosing these people without even status would only make them look bad.

Therefore, people in slums can only do the most menial jobs and have no other choice.

Just like how Ketura eventually went to the textile factory alone again, without telling Li Ang.

They had no choice from the very beginning.

After turning a corner, there is a narrow street ahead.

Various small shops were crowded on both sides of the street. Li Ang stopped in front of a watch shop.

Several exquisite pocket watches were displayed in the shop window, some with silver cases, some with bronze cases, and some with enamel decoration. They were very tempting to look at, but after glancing at the prices, that feeling of excitement vanished instantly.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard hurried footsteps coming from inside the watch shop, accompanied by a few rough shouts.

"Stop! Don't run!"

"That's him! Grab him!"

Li Ang had just raised his head when a figure appeared in front of him, and the person bumped into him unexpectedly.

He was fine, but the guy was knocked to the ground. The two looked at each other, and the man quickly got up, took something out of his pocket, and stuffed it into his hand.

While continuing to run, he shouted, "Run! They're catching up!"

Li Ang looked down and found that what the other person had handed him was just a wad of scrap paper. He immediately realized that this guy was going to use him as bait.

Sure enough, the next second, three burly men rushed in from the doorway.

The leader was holding a short wooden stick, his face fierce and anxious, like a bulldog whose tail had been stepped on. When he saw Li Ang, he raised the stick to smash it down.

Li Ang frowned, dodged to the side, grabbed the end of the stick with his left hand, turned and kicked, sending the burly man flying. He crashed into the vegetable baskets at the entrance of the grocery store, scattering various vegetables all over the ground.

Li Ang had no intention of being polite to this guy who had poor eyesight and couldn't distinguish right from wrong.

Facing the attack from the second burly man, Li Ang easily dodged and then launched a headbutt.

The strong man collapsed to the ground, vomiting bitterly after suffering such a severe blow to his soft abdomen.

Upon seeing this, the third burly man stopped before he could even make a move. He looked at Li Ang, then at his companion lying on the ground, his wooden stick hovering in the air, unsure whether to strike or let go.

"Do you still want to fight?" Li Ang beckoned to him.

"You...you thief, what makes you so arrogant?!"

The burly man shouted loudly, attracting the attention of passersby, hoping to embolden himself by drawing on their presence.

Li Ang glanced at the crowd that had gathered around him and sighed.

"You've arrested the wrong person."

What kind of nonsense is this?! Just because someone bumped into him, he's being treated like a thief. Who can he even complain to?

"I saw that man tell you to run! You must be his accomplice! Come on! Get to the police station."

Li Ang glanced at the crowd that had gathered around him and sighed.

He didn't want to escalate the situation, but the burly men in front of him, wielding wooden sticks and with flushed faces, clearly weren't going to let it go.

So Li Ang took out the detective's badge from his pocket, opened it, and waved it in front of the burly man.

"Do you really think I, an armed detective, would be an accomplice to a thief?"

Upon seeing the certificate that represented his distinguished status, the fierce look on the burly man's face vanished instantly, replaced by a comical bewilderment.

"Do we still need to go to the police station?" Li Ang asked.

The burly man quickly stepped back a few paces, and the two burly men lying on the ground groaning also endured the pain and got up, keeping a certain distance from Li Ang and not daring to look at him at all.