Salted Fish Chapter 65.1: The House of the Poor (Part 1)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

The news of the enfeoffment spread through London like wildfire. Duan FeiZhou hadn’t said anything, but it seemed that everyone got the news at the same time. Z thanked the Nightmen for the reception, gave a few words of explanation to his men, and then accompanied Duan FeiZhou back to 49 Frances Square.

When he saw that familiar building again, Duan FeiZhou couldn’t help but feel a lot of emotions.

There was a time when he thought he would never return. He thought he was going to spend his life in the dungeon or at the North Pole. But he was back. Back with a title and a lover. What in the world could be warmer than home? Even the Dodo Restaurant downstairs, which specialized in poisoning diners with dark cuisine, looked incredibly lovely at the moment.

“Can I stay here today?” Z asked, as he looked out the third floor window.

Duan FeiZhou turned his head. His cheeks were hot, as if someone had smashed a Motolov cocktail on his face. He coughed twice and grunted, “Whatever you want.”

“So can I move here in the future?”

“Don’t you care what people think? It’s weird to have two single guys living together…”

Z tugged on his gloves in disbelief. “I’m a detective at Scotland Yard. Who would dare arrest me? Besides, Holmes and Watson lived together, didn’t they? Just say I rented your room.”

You probably don’t know how many Fowler people emerged in later years, Duan FeiZhou thought helplessly.

They ascended the stairs and Duan FeiZhou opened the door. The familiar smell came to him, and he suddenly wanted to shed tears. Even when he lost Z, and then when he was reunited with Z, he hadn’t shed a single tear. However, when he returned to the place he called home, he could not restrain his tear glands.

Duan FeiZhou thought he should give his little servant a raise – if he could only improve his cooking skills a little bit. He threw his suitcase on the floor, and went to the kitchen to make two cups of tea. There was no hot water in the kitchen, so he had to boil the water himself. He’d become used to being served, and now suddenly he had to make his own food. He wasn’t accustomed to it. This was the so-called from frugal to extravagant is easy, but from extravagant to frugal is difficult, right?

Halfway through, he thought, why not just use his occult arts? So he called Z to the kitchen, held the other’s mechanical prosthetic limb, and knocked the kettle. The energy extracted from the mechanical prosthesis directly brought the water to a boil. The lid of the kettle jumped up and gurgled, while Z drew back his hand, looking uncomfortable.

“Is this how you occult practitioners do it?”

“It’s convenient!” Duan FeiZhou defending occult practitioners. He opened the cupboard and looked for the tea canisters. Al had been the one doing all this in the house, and now it caused him to be ashamed as the head of the family that he didn’t even know where to find the tea canisters.

While he was rummaging through the cupboards, Z suddenly wrapped his arms around him from behind without a word, his mechanical prosthetic limbs snapping hard around his waist.

“What the? You scared me!” Duan FeiZhou’s cheeks turned as red as the fire in the hearth. What else could Z do? When the man was alone with him in the room, it seemed like it was impossible not to do something…

He turned his head slightly sideways, and gave Z a peck on the jaw as he waited for the white-haired man to lower his head and give him a deep kiss. This was what Z liked to do when they were on the airship: press him from behind against the incredibly large porthole window, as he forced him to face the endless sky and sea of clouds outside. Time and time again, he surrendered, but never gave him a kiss unless he asked for it.

However, this time Z wouldn’t even give him a kiss, even moving his face away as he approached his lips.

“You are really cunning and treacherous,” Z said, as if in anger. “To ask Her Majesty to pardon you for all your crimes. Now I can’t hold you accountable. Are you satisfied?”

Duan FeiZhou was amused. Cunning? Treacherous? Him? He tilted his head and asked, “What can you do to me?” 

“The law can’t punish you, but I can.”

Z’s tone was light, and Duan FeiZhou couldn’t help but gulp. “…Then how are you going to punish me?”

Z hugged him a little tighter, as if he wanted to rub him into his own flesh and blood. “Punish until you can’t get out of bed.” Having said that, Z nibbled on the young man’s earlobe.

“I’d like to ask you,” Duan FeiZhou said. “If I wasn’t knighted, or if I didn’t ask the Queen for a pardon, what were you going to do with me? Put me back in the dungeon again?”

“Or what?” Z said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Duan FeiZhou paused for a while, as he waited for Z to say “I’m joking,” but Z didn’t say a word.

“You’re not serious, are you?” He couldn’t believe it. “We’ve done it all. I’ve…I’ve given you everything, and you were going to put me in the dungeon?”

Z absentmindedly combed the hair of the person in his arms. “‘I like you’ and ‘I want to put you in the dungeon’ are not contradictory.”

Duan FeiZhou, “????” 

How could it not seem contradictory? Shouldn’t he say, “How righteous?” He turned around, and looked Z straight in the eye. “So after you put me in the dungeon, would you still come to me for this kind of thing?”

“If I have a need,” Z laughed.

“You…! You really don’t treat me like a human being, do you?”

Z laughed even more, and Duan FeiZhou was dazzled for a moment. He had rarely seen Z look so happy.

“I’m just kidding,” Z said. “I’m very patient. I’d come back to you when you couldn’t resist begging me for it.”

“Who will beg you for it?!” Duan FeiZhou shot a glare at him. “I’m also very patient! You’re not very skilled! It hurts me every time!”

Z narrowed his eyes, and rubbed Duan FeiZhou’s lips. The hard metal pressed against those soft lips, the action rough and gentle.

“What are you doing?”

“I was thinking,” Z said absently. “About what to use to shut up your lying mouth.”

Duan FeiZhou’s cheeks flushed even more, as the fire inside him burned even harder. It burned his mouth dry, like a long drought-stricken plant thirsting for rain.

“You only think of yourself every time,” he gambled. “And I don’t want that at all.”

“Then what do you want?” Z asked.

Duan FeiZhou licked his dry lips, attached himself to the man’s ear and said a few words. It was obvious that he was the one making the request to Z, but after saying those words, he was the one who blushed.

Z raised his eyebrows. “Are you serious?”

Duan FeiZhou deliberately squeezed out a wicked smile. “What? You don’t want to do it for me?”

Z violently pushed him away. He hit his back against the cabinet, causing him to hiss in pain.

“Yes.” Z said arrogantly. “I’ll do anything for my ‘jazz’.”

After that, he slowly bent his knees, and put his hands on Duan FeiZhou’s belt.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

The two men cursed at the same time. Duan FeiZhou straightened his shirt, which had been messed up by Z, and went to the foyer to open the door. There was a large group of people standing outside the door.

“Congratulations, Master!” The first person to swoop in was Al, the teenager had a flushed face and a small basket full of handmade cookies in his arms.

The next to enter was Mr. Lynn, the lawyer. His rounded body took up almost the entire foyer. “I hear you’ve been knighted! Oh, how happy your uncle’s spirit in heaven would be if he knew!”

“I saw it when he first came to our house. What a promising young man!” Mrs. Lynn walked in while she held her daughter’s hand.

Miss Lynn had lost a considerable amount of weight compared to when they last met, but the red lines on her skin had disappeared and her face was rosy and much healthier. She smiled sheepishly, “It’s been a long time, Mr. Chester. I haven’t thanked you for saving my life.” 

At the end of the line was Lord Perlilla and his mother. Duan FeiZhou wasn’t quite as flattered by the presence of a nobleman in his house, as he was wondering why mother and son had been idling around all day.

The Lynn family, who had known Z for a long time, thought he was a common policeman, and assumed he was here to celebrate Duan FeiZhou’s knighthood. Al stared warily at Z. Lord Perlilla exchanged proud glances with his mother who had pleaded with the Queen after Duan FeiZhou’s imprisonment. Now that he was not only free, but had also received a commendation from the Queen, they felt that they had done a great service.

Z looked at them all as if he wanted to make a killing on the spot.

“I’ll go make tea for everyone!” Al volunteered, then ran into the kitchen. When he found that his master had already boiled hot water, he couldn’t help but bemoan how he hadn’t even left hot water and had to bother his master to boil it himself.

He then made the tea and served it to the people in the living room. They enjoyed the small cookies he brought with the tea. As a servant, he had no business being around the gentlemen and ladies, so he ran back to the kitchen. However, he showed his little face from the kitchen, and kept a watchful eye on the wretched Nightman to prevent him from bullying his master.

“How do you know that I was knighted?” Duan FeiZhou asked helplessly.

Mr. Lynn said smilingly, “It was Al who informed us. He got the news from your poet friend.”

Lord Perlilla said, “We were also informed by Mr. Yeats.”

Yeats, you’ve only been at Scotland Yard for a few days and you’ve leaked more information than I ever have, Duan FeiZhou thought. You are the undercover agent!

Mrs. Lynn asked curiously, “What did you do to earn such a reward? Al only said you went to sea. Did you find something remarkable overseas, like another New World?”

Well, they did find a new species, but instead of the “cute little creature that people have never seen before, like a kangaroo or a koala” that Mrs. Lynn imagined. Instead it was a giant monster… Speaking of which, the Queen had knighted him not for his discovery of the Leviathan, but for his capture of the spy and the preservation of the Wellington.

Unfortunately,  everyone on board the Wellington was under a total confidentiality order and had to keep silent about the spy. Duan FeiZhou doubted that the hundreds of people on board could really keep a secret. However, he had already tasted the consequences of leaking secrets, and he would not repeat the same mistake this time.

He looked to Z, as he expected Z, as the official, to answer the question and Z did come up with a proper answer, “We followed the airship to the North Pole to look for traces of the Franklin expedition.” 

The Lynn family, Lord Perlilla and his mother, of course, knew the story of the Franklin expedition. Decades later, all kinds of rumors about the end of that expedition were still rampant.

“So you found it?” Lord Perlilla asked excitedly.

“Unfortunately, no. There was even danger on the way. That’s when Mr. Chester used his expertise to rescue many people, and how he gained the appreciation of Her Majesty.”

“Wow!” The guests were in awe. The Arctic was so cold, with drifting ice, polar bears, and savage Eskimos, that one accident could kill anyone! The remarkable young man must have used his medical knowledge to save everyone!

Duan FeiZhou hurriedly changed the subject, “How is Miss Lynn’s health?”

Louisa blushed “I have recovered. Beautiful Gaia’s medical skills are excellent, and the doctors are also extremely kind. I also have to thank you. If it wasn’t for your help in getting me into the sanatorium, I’m afraid I’d be dead by now.”

“I didn’t do anything. It is thanks to Mr. Yeats that I was able to meet the members of Beautiful Gaia in the first place, so if you want to thank someone, you should thank him. By the way,” Duan FeiZhou glanced at Z. “Detective Xenia also deserves a lot of credit. He was the one who told me that Beautiful Gaia could cure the Etheric disease.”

Louisa looked up at Z, and the blush on her face became more and more obvious. “Of course… And thanks to Detective Xenia.”

Z’s beauty really was androgynous. The first time Louisa met him she mistook him for “Leo Chester” and completely ignored the main person next to her. The killing power of his looks was evident.

Louisa didn’t notice that Lord Perlilla, who was sitting across from her, was staring at her. The Lord’s heart was hurt from the haze of the fairy jump, but today, when he saw such a delicate young girl, his chivalry started to kick in again. Oh, this beautiful girl had the Ether disease, such a terrible disease, even his Lordship had heard of its bad name! What a pity! If only he had been the one to send her to that sanatorium or whatever! He would have been able to protect the girl from the evil disease!

Lady Edith gave her son a sidelong glance, then silently stomped on him. Lord hissed and hastily withdrew his insolent gaze.

Mr. Lynn’s curiosity was almost overwhelmed, “So, you have met Her Majesty?”

Duan FeiZhou nodded his head.

The Lynn family covered their chests. They moved in surprising unison. For the British born in the current era, the Queen was nothing less than a mythical goddess, who spread her glory from her throne to the world. To meet her (twice!) was the great honor of a lifetime! Something to brag to people for the rest of their lives!

“I have to thank Lady Edith and His Lordship. I heard that you pleaded with Her Majesty for me several times.”

Lynn’s family, however, was puzzled. “Plead for mercy? Why did you need to ask for mercy?”

“Well,” Duan FeiZhou thought fast about the excuse. “I was put in the police station because of a misunderstanding. Later, of course, I was released. Thanks to his Lordship and Lady Edith speaking for me.”

Z grunted. What a misunderstanding.

Lord Perlilla puffed up his chest as if he was a noble knight who helped the needy. He decided to show his noble sentiments and moral style in front of Miss Lynn.

“We’re just making a small contribution,” he said. “Your talent is outstanding, and Her Majesty is wise to recognize talent. Even without our plea, you would still be appreciated by Her Majesty.”

He looked at Miss Lynn expectantly. However, Miss Lynn didn’t notice his attempt at all. His shoulders slumped uncomfortably.

“How is your family’s mine?” Duan FeiZhou asked.

“Oh, we’ve decided to sell it, but we haven’t found a buyer yet.” When he spoke of the topic, Lord Perlilla was a bit frustrated. “Actually, I wanted to mine it myself. Those are Ether crystals! They’re more valuable than a gold mine! But mining Ether crystal is technically complex and requires a lot of upfront investment, which is hard for inexperienced people like us to handle. So I’m going to sell it and use the money to start a business I’m familiar with. Mother agrees.”

He and Lady Edith exchanged a look. “The Council for Scientific Progress wanted to buy the mine, but my mother didn’t like the representative they sent. She said he looked like a condescending peacock.”

When speaking of condescending members of the Council for Scientific Progress, a distinct image popped into Duan FeiZhou’s mind.

“Could it be the Honorable Secretary Carter?”

“That’s him! Why? Do you know him?” Lord Perlilla was surprised.

That’s very true, Duan FeiZhou thought glumly. Carter seemed to be very interested in the Perlilla mine. Was it about money? Did the Council for Scientific Progress need Ether crystals that badly?

“He was the one who brought me to Her Majesty. To be honest, I don’t like him either.”

Lady Edith had a knowing expression, “I told you, Albert. That gentleman is too smooth a talker. At first glance it was clear, he was not a good person. Don’t be fooled by his rhetoric. You’re just soft-hearted and gullible. Didn’t that Melissa teach you a lesson last time?”

Lord Perlilla looked at his mother accusingly. He wanted to show his heroic side in front of Miss Lynn, but how could his mother expose his shortcomings and what would Miss Lynn think of him?