OBS Chapter 4002 The Truth Behind the Theft
Chapter 4002 The Truth Behind the Theft
Chapter 4002 The Truth Behind the Theft
Shad could only visit Mr. Copps at night, so he went to Arcadia City during the day as usual. However, this time, he had just emerged from the hidden space beneath the "Blue Ink Library" when he sensed that there was someone on the first floor of the library above him.
Xia De was surprised for a moment, and after sensing the space, he moved directly from underground to the alley outside the library.
He was worried that a thief might visit, but fortunately, when he went around to the main entrance of the library, he immediately saw Mr. Leberly cleaning inside the open door.
Good morning, Mr. Leber.
Shad went in to greet him, and was curious why the old man had suddenly come to clean. Judging from the dust on the ground, Mr. Leberi must not have been here for a long time.
The old man was also very happy to see Xia De walk in:
"Good morning, Mr. Watson. I have good news to tell you, but I couldn't find you for the time being, so I thought you might pass by here."
He put down the duster, clearly not expecting to clean the place by himself.
"You know about the theft of the Baron, right? There's news about the original design manuscript of the Mark I steam engine that the thief stole from the Baron."
Shad raised an eyebrow, his mind not on the design sketches, but on the very old Rhodes card that Mr. Finch had mentioned a few days earlier when he told him that the Baron’s collection had been stolen.
"Is someone selling stolen goods?"
He asked, and the old man immediately nodded:
“Yes, an old friend of mine told me. They all know I’ve been looking for that manuscript. Mr. Watson, it’s up to you now. I don’t care how you get your hands on the last manuscript, but as long as you can bring me all three manuscripts together, this place is yours.”
He handed Xia De a slip of paper with an address in the Upper East Side and a timeframe for this afternoon.
“This is a shady auction. Although it involves stolen goods, there are always people in this world who don’t care about the provenance of the items. I don’t have the ability to get an invitation to this auction, but since you can even get your hands on the books in the Candleburg Library, I believe you can too.”
Shad wrote down the information on the note:
“No problem, I’ll take care of it right away. A secret auction held in the club, right? But, Mr. Leber, there are definitely quite a few people in the area who know that you want those three manuscripts.”
Once I actually get my hands on that final design and complete the transaction with you for this library, won't the thief Baron Ramsay immediately know that one of his missing collections is now in your possession? I myself am not afraid of the Baron's wrath, but you…”
The old gentleman had clearly thought of this as well:
"Don't worry, I have connections locally. As long as I don't publicly release that design manuscript and claim that I offered you other terms, he won't be able to make things difficult for me."
The old man lowered his voice slightly:
“I was initially suspected of having ties to the Delinor movement, but I was eventually released unharmed, and that wasn’t just because I was genuinely innocent.”
Shad nodded knowingly; he had no objection to purchasing stolen goods. Strictly speaking, even the "properly proven" manuscript was stolen goods when it fell into Baron Ramsay's hands.
"Then, Mr. Leber, just wait for my good news. If I can buy the manuscript this afternoon, I'll have someone send you a letter. I have other things to take care of tonight, so I won't be coming to see you."
The old man nodded:
“I’ve waited so many years, I can wait a few more days. Well then, I wish you success in your mission, Mr. Watson.”
Although this manuscript doesn't involve any illegal ring sorcerers, if it can help him completely turn the Blue Ink Library into his private property, Shad feels it's worth the effort to travel back and forth.
So, in order to gain entry to the secret auction that afternoon, Xia De went straight to Fragrance Mansion, hoping to get Vige's help.
It's a pity that Viggo, who was bedridden yesterday, felt much better this morning, so she went out after breakfast, and even Miss McDonald wasn't here.
However, Miss Rowling, the housekeeper, was still in the mansion. Although she could have handled such a small matter as obtaining the auction qualification for Shad herself, Miss Rowling felt guilty for not telling her savior this for the sake of her master's happiness.
"The master returned to the old house this morning, Mr. Watson. You can go there to find her."
"Is it the Astley family's old residence?"
"Yes, only a few relatives of the Astley family live there now. The young lady wants to go back and check if there are any of her mother's belongings that she may have missed in the past, so she will be there all morning."
I'll arrange a carriage for you. The Astley family's old residence is very close by; it won't take too long.
Astley House has a longer history than Fragrant House, and it is also a building that existed during the Kingdom of Delineor, being a small part of the former Duke's estate. Although it has undergone several renovations over the centuries, its basic appearance has been preserved.
Miss Rowling was right; it was indeed very close from "Fragrance House." Shad even felt as if the carriage had just started moving when it entered the house he had seen in Viggo's dream.
Although Vige doesn't usually live here, the family's servants still clean the mansion regularly, so it doesn't look dilapidated. The weather today is just as nice as in Vige's dream, so Shad is even wondering if he'll actually see Vige swinging on a swing.
But when he actually met Vige, it was in the large study of the three-story mansion in the center of the estate. The size of the study even reminded him of a real library, and Vige was directing the maids to move boxes of old things out of the study's storage room.
"Oh! What brings you here?"
Seeing Xia De appear at the door, Wei Ge asked in surprise, then couldn't help coughing, but this time it was probably from the dust on the box.
Her mother and father had lived happily in this house for a time, so after her mother passed away, there were actually many things left behind by the other party in the house.
After deciding to move out, Vige didn't pack up all the belongings from the ancestral home, which is why some of her mother's possessions are still there. She used to think those things weren't important, but now she believes she may have overlooked some crucial clues.
However, since Xia De had found her here, Vige understood that he must have something he needed her help with. After listening to Xia De's explanation, she continued to direct the maids as they moved the boxes that would be transported back to "Fragrance Mansion" while smiling and saying to Xia De:
"I've heard about the auction, and I've been trying to find out where that manuscript is. I'll get you the qualification to participate in the auction; it's that simple. But you'd never guess what kind of inside information my girls have uncovered."
Xia De then asked curiously:
"The inside story? Is there something else behind the theft?"
Wei Ge nodded:
"I was also surprised when I learned about this. The theft of Baron Ramsay's collection room did happen, but it is said that when the thieves visited, there was not much in the collection room at all. Most of the shelves and display cases were empty, so the thieves only took away a very small number of low-value items."
But when Baron Ramsay reported the loss to the police, the list of missing items contained far more items than were actually lost.
Shad winked:
"Alright, I can guess some of the truth now."
"The baron had two purposes: one was to commit insurance fraud, and the other was to sell the 'stolen' collection for himself."
The Ramsay family, who do business in Moon Bay, suffered huge losses due to the sudden outbreak of war and now urgently need money to cover their deficit. It's rumored that this is related to the disruption of shipping routes to and from the New World after the war began. In short, if he were to sell his own collection, he would not only lose face locally, but it would also be difficult to sell in the short term, and he would be vulnerable to being pressured to lower the price. Even if he did manage to sell it, the crowns wouldn't be enough.
But things have turned out this way. The black market can quickly sell off low-priced collectibles, and more importantly, the insurance premiums are high. All together, it's about enough, and it won't even damage his reputation.
Viggo coughed lightly a few more times, pretending to make way for the maids, and moved a few steps toward Shad:
"Although there is no evidence, I even suspect that those thieves were also tricked by the Baron."
So, even though I was the one who brought you to the charity gala that night, he still directly refused your request. He didn't truly consider that manuscript a family heirloom; rather, selling it to you would only earn him one unit of income, but 'being stolen' would earn him two.
The news of Baron Ramsay's failed business in Moon Bay was actually discovered by Bella at Vigo's request, but she did not tell Shad about the other witches.
Shad thought for a moment:
"Was the 'stolen goods auction' this afternoon actually orchestrated by Baron Ramsay himself?"
"Yes, I think the Baron deliberately leaked the news about the auction to Mr. Leberi, the old gentleman you mentioned, so that he could participate in the bidding and drive up the final price. Even if the old gentleman hadn't asked you for help, he probably would have found another way to qualify soon."
"Of course, it's the same on my end. He deliberately let me know about the auction, hoping I'd help you buy that manuscript."
Vig looked at Xia De:
"Why don't I just go directly to him for the transaction? That way you won't have to make another trip."
Shade shook his head:
"I don't have anything to do today, so I'll go take a look myself. With that manuscript, at least I'll be able to complete one task completely since I arrived in Arcadia City."
Wei Ge nodded slightly. She knew that it was inappropriate for her to attend a stolen goods auction, so she didn't say she wanted to go along.
"The auction doesn't start until 3 PM, and it's in the Upper Town. If you don't have anything else to do, how about we examine Mother's belongings together today?"