The next day, while Erwin was methodically closing his final cases, refusing any new clients as he prepared for his next move, a different kind of business was being conducted across town. Inside the newly constructed Hao Pavilion, the air was thick with the scent of incense and intimidation.
Sebas, dressed in elegant Eastern-style robes with a veiled hat that obscured his features, stood silently in the shadows of a grand audience chamber. At the center of the room, on a high, throne-like seat, sat a woman in her thirties. She had the dark, sun-kissed skin and pointed ears of a desert elf, and her beauty was as sharp and unforgiving as a shard of obsidian. She was Misela, the public head of the Hao Pavilion. On a lower tier of seats to her left, Amanzio, the former boss of the Viper gang, sat with a sullen, cowed expression.
Kneeling on the floor before them were two sweating, terrified Watcher officers—a beastman and a human.
Sebas leaned in and whispered something in Misela's ear. She nodded, then directed a contemptuous sneer at the two kneeling men. "Is this the only sincerity you can muster?" she asked, her voice a low, dangerous purr.
"This is all we could get, Mistress Misela," the beastman watcher pleaded. "The fact that we weren't caught in Captain Dubois's purge is a miracle in itself."
The human officer nodded frantically. "Please, give us some leniency. Captain Céline has turned the whole precinct upside down. She's watching everyone."
Misela snapped her fingers. Amanzio rose reluctantly, walked to the back of the room, and returned with a small, burlap-wrapped bundle, which he tossed onto the floor in front of the officers. The rich, aromatic scent of rare spices filled the air.
"Take that," Misela commanded, "and deliver it to The Cardinal Wolves. You have seven days."
The officers looked at the bundle in shock. "Mistress! How can you—" They looked at Amanzio, their old contact, as if for help, but he refused to meet their gaze.
Misela rose and stepped down from the higher platform, the click of her heels on the polished wood the only sound in the room. She walked right up to the human officer, placed the point of her sharp heel on the back of his head, and forced his face to the ground. She leaned in, her voice a venomous whisper meant for both of them.
"He is not the boss around here anymore," she hissed. "You work for me now. So you will either comply, or I will have you buried in the foundation of this building. I hear the added minerals are good for the structural integrity. Isn't that right, advisor?"
Sebas, still standing in the shadows, gave a single, silent nod.
The beastman officer groveled, scrambling to grab the bundle of spices. "Y-yes, Mistress Misela! We'll do it!" he squeaked, grabbing his human companion and practically dragging him out of the room as they skittered away.
The moment the doors closed, leaving them alone, Misela's entire demeanor changed. The ruthless crime lord persona vanished. She turned to Sebas, a sultry, playful smile on her face. "Did I do a good job, Master?" she purred, wrapping her arms and a leg around him like a contented cat.
Sebas simply placed a calming hand on her head. "Yes, Misela. A very good job."
"Kyaa! Master gave me a compliment!" she squealed, hugging him tighter.
From his seat, Amanzio grumbled, "You psycho."
Misela's head snapped around, her eyes flashing with her former menace. "Shut the fuck up, Amanzio!"
The ex-boss just scowled. "I don't get it. Why go to such lengths just to deliver a small bundle of spices to The Cardinal Wolves' boss? They're our rivals."
Sebas, who hadn't moved, looked out towards the door, a serene, unreadable smile hidden beneath his veil.
"Just helping a friend," he said.
…
Five days passed. Erwin was summoned to the Animus Hub by Sebas.
"I have arranged an opportunity for you to make a memorable entrance," the butler's solid form said, standing beside Erwin in the quiet void. He explained the plan, detailing a time and a place.
Erwin's expression was grim. "Sebas... you're sacrificing your informants inside the precinct just so I can make an entrance."
"First impressions matter, Young Master," Sebas replied calmly. "And do not worry. I will have far better informants in place sooner than you think."
Erwin managed a small, wry smile. "Just don't ask for too many favors once I'm inside, okay?"
"No promises," Sebas said, his own smile hidden beneath his veil.
…
The next day, Erwin walked towards the precinct, deliberately taking the route Sebas had described. He rounded a corner into a secluded market alley, and sure enough, there they were: the same two corrupt Watcher officers from the Hao Pavilion, furtively handing a familiar burlap-wrapped bundle to a known member of The Cardinal Wolves gang. Erwin, blending into the shadows as an unremarkable background figure, took several clear, damning photographs before continuing on his journey.
He arrived at the precinct and announced himself. "I'm here to see Captain Dubois."
The officer at the front desk looked up, her eyes widening in recognition. "Oh! Mr. Smith! Of course, right this way. But, um, before you go in..." She slid a piece of paper and a pen towards him. "Could you sign this?"
Erwin looked at the paper. It was a blank page. "Last time I was here, I didn't need to sign anything."
"Yeah," the officer said, blushing slightly. "This sign... it's for me."
Erwin chuckled and scribbled his now-famous signature, then followed the escorting officer. He noticed the precinct was still in a state of high maintenance. Officers were hurrying back and forth, many of them doing jobs that would normally be handled by two or three people. It was clear the recent purge had significantly decreased their numbers.
He was shown into Céline's office. The escort closed the door as he left, leaving Erwin and the captain alone.
"So," Céline said, looking up from a stack of paperwork. "Do you have an answer to my offer?"
Erwin reached into his coat, but instead of a letter of acceptance, he pulled out a series of photographs and tossed them onto her desk. "I'll give you my answer after I hear what you'd do about them."
Céline picked up the photos, her sharp green eyes scanning them. "What is this?"
"Spices," Erwin said. "A particularly potent and illegal narcotic from the western continent. And, coincidentally, I found two of your officers delivering a package of it to a lieutenant of The Cardinal Wolves. You know what the foundation of the TCW's enterprise is, don't you?"
Céline's expression hardened. "Drugs."
"So you do know," Erwin said. "Now, what are you going to do about these officers of yours?"
Céline stood up, her face a mask of cold fury. "If what these photos show is true, it doesn't matter what they were handing over. A Watcher officer meeting secretly with a known gang member is a crime in itself." She didn't hesitate. "I'll have them arrested now."
She was already walking towards the door when Erwin's voice stopped her. "It seems you're always this eager, huh, Captain?"
Céline paused, her hand hovering over the door handle.
Erwin walked over to the couch in her office, sat down comfortably, and crossed his legs. "Let them be," he said calmly. "For now."
Céline turned from the door, her eyes narrowed in a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "What do you mean, 'let them be'? They are corrupt Watchers dealing narcotics with a major criminal organization. It's an open-and-shut case."
Amanzio, the ex-Viper boss, paced the audience chamber, his frustration evident. "I still don't get it," he grumbled to Sebas. "We just handed our best assets in the Watchers to The Cardinal Wolves on a silver platter. How does that help us?"
"Captain," Erwin said calmly, gesturing to the chair behind her desk. "Consider the facts. Your precinct is bleeding manpower after the purge. You are stretched thin. Arresting these two low-level officers now gives you what? A small, satisfying victory, yes. But it cuts off a potential source of information and does nothing to the leadership of The Cardinal Wolves."
Sebas stood perfectly still, his veiled gaze fixed on Amanzio. "The Cardinal Wolves are an infection in this city," he said, his voice a soft, serene whisper. "You do not cure an infection by simply cleaning a surface wound. You must introduce a subtle poison that will kill it from the inside out."
Céline slowly walked back to her desk but remained standing, her arms crossed. "Are you suggesting we use them? Turn them into informants?"
"No," Erwin countered. "That would require trust, and they are untrustworthy. I am suggesting we use them as rats. Unknowing couriers. We will let them run back to their masters, thinking they are safe. We will let them continue their illicit partnership."
"But they'll be working for TCW now!" Amanzio argued. "They'll be feeding them real intel from the Watchers, making them stronger!"
"They will be feeding them exactly what we want them to," Sebas replied, a hint of a smile in his voice. "The spices were a gift. A gesture of goodwill to establish their value to The Cardinal Wolves. From now on, they will be bringing them intelligence. And we will be the source of that intelligence."
Céline's eyes widened slightly as she began to see the shape of his plan. "So we feed them... what? False information?"
"Not false," Erwin corrected. "That would be too easily discovered. We feed them real information. Small, digestible truths. We'll leak the location of a minor TCW stash house, a low-level dealer. Your officers will get an 'anonymous tip' and conduct a successful, high-profile raid. The Cardinal Wolves will lose a small asset, but our two rats will be lauded as invaluable, having given them a warning that 'almost' saved the day."
Amanzio was still confused. "So we help the Watchers? How does that help us?"
"The Watchers will unknowingly be our scalpel," Sebas explained patiently. "The intelligence we leak to them will be precise. It will target TCW's supply lines, their distribution hubs. Every time the Watchers make a bust, it will be a piece of TCW's empire crumbling. The Cardinal Wolves will grow paranoid, suspecting a leak from within, but they will never suspect the two 'loyal' Watcher contacts who keep bringing them seemingly valuable information."
"You want to play them against each other," Céline breathed, the full, audacious scope of the plan finally clicking into place. "We chip away at TCW's operations, making my precinct look incredibly effective and rebuilding public trust, all while the rats dig themselves deeper into the gang's confidence."
"TCW's house is built on a foundation of sand," Sebas concluded. "We will simply provide the gentle, persistent stream of water that will wash it all away. And when they finally collapse, who do you think will be there to claim the territory and the businesses they leave behind?"
Amanzio stared at Sebas, his mouth slightly agape, a look of dawning, terrified awe on his face. He finally understood.
In her office, Céline stared at Erwin, seeing not just a private detective, but a master strategist. She slowly sat down behind her desk, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across her own face.
"Set it up," she said. "Tell me what you need."
Erwin leaned back into the couch, a confident smirk on his face. "Welcome to the real game, Captain."
Sebas gave a slight, almost imperceptible bow to Amanzio. "That," he said softly, "is how the game is played."
…
In a smoky, dimly lit backroom that served as his headquarters, Guilon, the brutish and cunning leader of The Cardinal Wolves, looked over a report. A cruel smile played on his lips.
"Hmmm," he rumbled, tapping the report with a thick finger. "So this new 'Hao Pavilion' knows its place, huh?"
His lieutenant, a weaselly man with a perpetual smirk, nodded eagerly. "It seems so, boss. I heard the new woman in charge is some dark elf. Probably knows she can't survive in this city without our protection. So, as a gesture, she sent over the two Watcher contacts the Vipers had in their pocket."
Guilon let out a low chuckle. "Quite the gift they gave. Send some of our men over. Tell them we appreciate the gesture." His eyes narrowed. "And tell them to observe. I want to know if their 'sincerity' is genuine."
The lieutenant bowed. "Consider it done, boss."
As the lieutenant left, Guilon was alone. He picked up the report again. 'One beastman, one human. Both Watchers.' He leaned back, grabbing a fat cigar and lighting it, the smoke curling around his head. 'Let's see how useful these new pawns really are.'
…
Back in Captain Dubois's office, the intense meeting was coming to a close.
"Are you sure about this, Erwin?" Céline asked, her expression serious.
"Yes," Erwin replied, his tone firm. "I need to learn the system properly if I'm going to navigate it. But I can rely on you to ensure I receive an honest review, correct?"
"Yes," Céline confirmed, a hint of respect in her voice. "I will personally oversee your progress. I will make sure your rookie program is judged fairly."
Erwin stood, offering a slight nod. "Well then, I'll see you next month, Captain."
As he walked down the stairs and through the bustling precinct, he ran into Lomare. The Sergeant's face lit up when he saw him.
"Erwin! What are you doing here?"
"Oh, not much," Erwin said casually. "Just answering a question the Captain had for me, that's all."
Lomare's eyes widened, a hopeful, excited grin spreading across his face. "Don't tell me... Did you accept the offer?"
"Yeah," Erwin confirmed.
Lomare let out a whoop of joy and, in a completely unprofessional but heartfelt gesture, threw his arms around Erwin in a quick, powerful hug. "Woaahh! Let's go, man!" He let go, his face beaming. "You chose my detective division, right? We can start today!"
"Wait for three months, will you?" Erwin said, holding up a hand.
Lomare's face fell, his excitement instantly replaced by utter confusion. "What? Why... oh god. Don't tell me you chose to go through the training program?"
Erwin simply nodded. "It's still a privilege. I just need three months. One and a half for the classroom portion, and one and a half in the field. The usual program takes a minimum of one year."
Lomare's mind finally put the pieces together. "But... I thought Captain Dubois was going to use her fast-track slot to hire you directly."
"She used it to hasten my training program," Erwin clarified. "And for now, that's enough."
Lomare stared at him for a second, then burst out laughing, slapping Erwin on the shoulder. "Young blood, huh? Always have to do things the hard way." He grinned. "Seems I'll need to work hard so a rookie doesn't outrank me in his first year."
Erwin chuckled, a rare, genuine sound. "I haven't even started."
They both laughed, a new, powerful alliance forged in the heart of the changing precinct.
**A/N**
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**A/N**