When the carriage reached the city square, it suddenly slowed down and finally came to a complete stop.
The clamor of a crowd came from up ahead.
“What’s going on?”
Weiluoya looked up from her book.
“Miss, it seems there’s some trouble ahead. I’ll go check.”
Liya said, rising and stepping out of the carriage.
Not long after, Liya returned with a resigned expression.
“A noble’s alchemy pocket watch was stolen. The Phantom Thief is up ahead.”
“A Phantom Thief?”
Weiluoya’s eyes lit up. The detective instinct of this body immediately perked up.
She put away her novel and squeezed over to the carriage window to look outside.
In the center of the square not far away, a tall, thin man in a flamboyant purple suit, a top hat, and a monocle stood on top of a statue.
He held a glittering gold pocket watch high in his hand, delivering a speech to the gathered crowd below.
“Lovely ladies, handsome gentlemen!”
“Behold this work of art! Its gears weep, its gems wail!”
“It was imprisoned in the pocket of an ordinary man who couldn’t appreciate it—how tragic!”
“But I, Midnight Diamond, shall give it new life!”
With that, he gave an exaggerated bow.
Instead of panicking, the crowd burst into enthusiastic applause and cheers.
A few young girls in frilly dresses even waved their handkerchiefs excitedly, shouting the name “Midnight Diamond.”
This unique Golden City had a unique Phantom Thief culture.
Because the city was extremely wealthy and the security system lax, petty theft had gradually evolved into a performance pursuit of art and fame.
Phantom Thieves no longer aimed to accumulate wealth; they cared more about the elegance of their theft methods, the beauty of their advance notices, and the cultivation of their personal charm.
The size of one’s fan club was the measure of a Phantom Thief’s success.
A few city guards arrived belatedly, pushing through the crowd, but then just stood below with their hands on their hips, looking up at the Phantom Thief as if enjoying an interesting play.
“Really, blocking the road again,” one guard complained. “This guy’s opening remarks are getting longer and longer.”
Weiluoya watched the scene, a small flame kindling in her green eyes.
Stealing in broad daylight, and with such arrogance.
This was an outright provocation to the sacred profession of a detective.
She said to Liya, “I’m going down for a bit.”
“Miss!”
Liya tried to stop her, but Weiluoya had already pushed open the carriage door and jumped out.
Liya looked at the severely deformed door, then at Weiluoya who had already jumped down.
Liya: ╮( •́ω•̀ )╭
Weiluoya lifted her skirt and pushed into the dense crowd, seemingly without effort.
Anyone she touched felt like they had been bumped by a wild bull, involuntarily parting to either side, clearing a path for her.
At that moment, Midnight Diamond on the statue finished his speech and prepared for his concluding performance.
He tucked the pocket watch into his chest, blew a kiss to the crowd, then turned and prepared to leap onto the roof of a nearby building for a stylish parkour exit.
Weiluoya saw through his escape route.
She looked around, her gaze locking onto a decorative brass gas lamp post at the roadside.
She strode over, and before anyone nearby could react, grasped the lamp post—thicker than her own waist.
She took a deep breath, engaged her core.
CRACK!
A loud sound of metal twisting and breaking.
The entire lamp post, along with its underground base, was ripped clean out of the stone pavement by brute force.
Instantly, silence fell around.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at the petite girl in the lace dress, holding a giant brass lamp post as if it were a straw.
“Oh, it’s Miss Weiluoya, the detective from Golden City!”
the guards continued their commentary.
“Only she could do something like this.”
Weiluoya ignored those gazes and the bystanders’ remarks.
She adjusted her stance, held the end of the lamp post with both hands, took two running steps, and then abruptly stabbed the lamp post into the ground.
Using the enormous recoil, her body shot into the air like a cannonball.
Just as Midnight Diamond set his jumping pose atop the statue, he felt a gust of wind.
He turned his head and saw a blue figure descending from the sky.
THUD!
Weiluoya landed steadily in front of him, the top of the statue beneath her feet cracking into fine fissures.
“Don’t come any closer!”
Midnight Diamond recognized the “quite famous” Weiluoya in Golden City.
Before he could react, Weiluoya stepped forward.
She reached out a finger and flicked him gently on the forehead.
“Ugh!”
The Phantom Thief cried out, clapped his hands to his head, and fell backward, immediately knocked unconscious.
Weiluoya took the pocket watch from his chest, then casually untied his silk tie and bound his hands and feet tightly.
Having done that, she grabbed the Phantom Thief by the collar, made a light leap from the statue over three meters high, and landed without even stirring a speck of dust on her skirt.
She tossed the unconscious Phantom Thief at the feet of the guards who were still chatting.
“Got the man.”
She clapped her hands, turned, and in the dead silence of the entire square, lifted her skirt and returned to her carriage.
The door closed.
Liya sat opposite, hands covering her face, shoulders trembling slightly.
“Miss,” she squeezed out from between her fingers. “I can already imagine tomorrow’s newspaper headline.”
Weiluoya sat back in her seat and picked up her detective novel again.
“Mm.”
She didn’t care about that.
At last, the carriage could continue, slowly heading toward the city’s most prestigious social venue.
White Night Hall.
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