Personality V: I will save everything

Chapter 703 Rusty Pen Tip

The director's office is always half-locked, and the current leading actress's schedule is more packed than the theater curtains—seeing these two key figures is like finding a streetlamp that never goes out on a rainy night in a foggy city.

Ronald stroked his chin and pondered for a while before finally patting Mr. Deduction on the shoulder: "I'll introduce you to someone, the screenwriter Rusty Pen. He spends most of his time backstage revising scripts, so he's well-known and has good connections. He might be able to help."

Having said that, he bent down and ruffled the hair of Stellan and Inara, a sly smile in his eyes:

"Oh, my lovely little devils, remember last week a fan gave me a box of handmade chocolates, packaged like a delicate candy house? I've been reluctant to open it. Would you be willing to taste it for me and see how it tastes?"

"Yes!" The two children jumped up almost in unison, their eyes shining like stars on the stage backdrop. Stellan had already reached out and grabbed Ronald's sleeve, while Inara stood on tiptoe to peek into his pocket, completely forgetting her well-behaved demeanor as she followed Mr. Deduction.

Mr. Deduction stood there, his brow twitching almost imperceptibly, utterly speechless.

Before he set off, he specifically instructed his two children to be his "little helpers," to observe more and speak less when things happened. Unexpectedly, the temptation of just a box of chocolates made the two little ones "switch sides" instantly.

Watching them skip and hop after Ronald's departing figure, Mr. Detective shook his head helplessly—oh well, children are innocent by nature, and the theater is full of people and distractions, so keeping them away from these troubles may not be a bad thing.

He straightened his collar, his gaze drifting towards the direction of the Rusty Pen Head office, a renewed glint of inquiry in his eyes: In that case, he would uncover the mystery himself.

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As soon as Mr. Detective stepped into Rusty Pen's office, he instantly understood the deeper meaning behind Ronald's recommendation of this person—this screenwriter was a veritable "walking information bank," speaking with clear logic yet also with an unstoppable enthusiasm.

He only tentatively inquired about the "recent changes at the Golden Rose Theatre," and Rusty Penhead immediately put down his quill pen, turned to lead him to a seat, and spoke in a calm and detailed tone, discussing everything from the theatre's operational difficulties to the entanglements of key figures, even outlining the timeline of crucial moments, without any unnecessary chatter.

What might seem tedious to others is actually quite tedious to Mr. Deduction. This meticulous narration saves him the trouble of verifying everything one by one. Every detail may contain clues, and he only needs to concentrate and filter them, connecting the relevant information into a logical chain in his mind.

The rusty pen tip picked up the slightly cool coffee on the table, took a sip, lowered his voice slightly, and got to the heart of the matter:

"The origin of this matter can be traced back to the time of the previous leading actress, Lachesis. At that time, the Golden Rose Theatre was on the verge of closing down, with the stage idle and actors leaving. In order to save the crisis, the miserly director spent several months writing the script 'Lachesis's Coin'."

Unexpectedly, this production became a sensation upon its premiere, with every performance sold out and audiences flocking in droves. The theater miraculously recovered and returned to its former glory thanks to this play.

"Lachesis himself rose to fame as a result."

Rusty Pen Tip's tone carried a hint of admiration.

"Her performance on stage is extremely captivating. Her appearance and acting skills are both superb, and she quickly won widespread popularity among the audience."

Over time, no one mentioned her real name anymore, and the character name 'Lachesis' became her nickname, making her the soul of the theater.

However, it seems that the miser leader has exhausted his creative inspiration and has never produced a script that surpasses his previous work.

After nearly a year of repeated performances, audiences grew tired of "Lachesis's Coin," box office revenue continued to decline, and the theater once again fell into operational difficulties, ultimately teetering on the brink of financial ruin.

The tone shifted, and the rusty pen tip's expression became more serious:

"Just when the theater was struggling, news quietly spread that Ms. Lachesis intended to terminate her cooperation with the theater. Under pressure, the miserly director officially issued a statement announcing that Lachesis would star in 'Lachesis's Coin' for the last time, and that the contract would be terminated after the performance, allowing her to go to France to develop her career."

"That farewell performance was an unprecedented success."

He sighed softly, his tone full of regret.

"Tickets sold out several days in advance, and many audience members came from other places just to witness Lachesis's final performance on stage."

No one could have predicted that this highly anticipated performance would truly be her final act—during the climax of the performance, as Ms. Lachesis stood on the rising platform preparing to enter, the handrail suddenly loosened, and she tragically fell from the height, dying instantly.

Mr. Deduction tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, and the rusty pen continued in a deep voice:

"After the police intervened and investigated, they concluded that the accident was caused by the disrepair of the handrail of the lifting platform."

However, this result failed to quell public anger, and a large number of audience members gathered outside the theater to protest, demanding a thorough investigation into the matter.

In an effort to appease the public and quell the situation, the police eventually arrested the worker responsible for the maintenance of the elevator and held him accountable for dereliction of duty.

The worker was already physically weak and suffered greatly in prison, eventually dying of illness.

It is reported that his son, who was studying in France, returned home immediately after receiving the tragic news to arrange his father's funeral, a heartbreaking scene.

"After that, the script of 'Lachesis's Coin' was permanently sealed away, and no one dared to mention it again."

The rusty pen paused, a hint of doubt in his voice.

"But what is puzzling is that not long after, the miserly director managed to raise a huge sum of money to completely renovate the theater and launch a new play, 'The Rope of Atropos.' The play became an instant hit and the Golden Rose Theater was revitalized."

"What's even more surprising is the choice of the female lead for the new drama."

He frowned, his tone tinged with confusion.

"According to the original agreement, the female lead of the new play should have been played by Ms. Cloto - she had previously served as Lachesis's double, with superb dancing skills and impeccable acting skills. In terms of both qualifications and strength, she was the only choice for the lead role. The miser leader had also reached a verbal agreement with her before.

However, he ultimately broke the agreement and recruited an actress named Madame Bella from outside to play the lead role, leaving Madame Croto aside.

This incident caused quite a stir within the theater. Madame Cloto became emotional, and everyone was perplexed by the miserly director's decision. Moreover, Madame Bella was not a particularly likable woman; she was arrogant, selfish, and extremely opportunistic, and no one liked her.

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Mr. Deduction raised his hand and glanced at the pocket watch in his palm. The brass case reflected the dim light of the office, and the hands had quietly slipped past half an hour.

Rusty Pen Tip's description was impeccably detailed, but at this moment, what he was thinking about was the two children that Ronald had taken away.

Ronald was his comrade-in-arms who had gone through thick and thin with him, and their friendship was beyond question. However, when it came to his ability to take care of children, Mr. Detective could hardly compliment him—his old friend was always rather oblivious, and he probably wouldn't even notice if the child was thirsty or hungry in time.

More importantly, he knew perfectly well that Ronald was only helping to look after the children because he was eyeing the eye-catching jewelry on the two little ones.

When Mr. Detective first met Stellan and Inara, he frowned to himself: it was too precocious for such young children to have their ears pierced.

Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that those sparkly "earrings" are actually ingeniously designed clips. With just a gentle clip, they can be fixed to the earlobe without harming the ear, and they look unique and cute.

But fake ear piercings don't necessarily mean the gemstones on them are fake.

Mr. Deduction still remembers the astonishment he felt when he first saw those jewels—each clip was inlaid with perfectly cut gemstones, crystal clear, and with impeccably pure colors.

The brilliance of diamonds, the brilliance of rubies, the depth of emeralds, the clarity of sapphires… encompassing almost every type of precious gemstone he could imagine.

What's even more astonishing is that these gemstones are not randomly matched with different styles, but strictly follow the principle of "same style, different color". They are customized as a set simply because of the color difference.

He couldn't help but wonder to himself: What kind of family would spend so much money on jewelry for their child? To be willing to use real precious gemstones to make children's accessories, and to pursue such a complete range of colors—this wealth and extravagance are truly beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

The ticking of the pocket watch reminded him of the time again. Mr. Deduction stood up and nodded slightly to the rusty pen tip: "Thank you for telling me the details, sir. I have benefited greatly. I will take my leave for today. If I have any questions another day, I will need to consult you again."

After saying that, he straightened the hem of his trench coat and hurried towards the door—he had to find the two little ones quickly, lest they be entangled by Ronald's "enthusiasm" or accidentally bump into those priceless accessories.

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The moment he pushed open the door, Mr. Deduction looked at the scene in the lounge and a cold smile of "as expected" curled at the corner of his mouth.

Stran and Inara were nestled side by side on the velvet sofa, their little faces covered in chocolate crumbs, and they were happily eating half a piece of chocolate and a cookie they hadn't finished.

Ronald was half-squatting in front of the sofa, his fingertips holding Inara's ruby-encrusted ear clip. He even went to the window, held the gem high above his head, and examined it carefully in the sunlight streaming in. The way he squinted as he examined the facets and weighed the gem made him look exactly like an old jewelry dealer.

"Hey, can't you have any shame?" Mr. Deduction's voice was icy, breaking the pleasant atmosphere in the room. "Stealing from a child, is that something to be proud of?"

"Hey, you can't say things like that!"

Ronald was caught red-handed, and only then did he reluctantly let go, the ruby ​​flashing a faint red light in the sunlight.

He turned around, a smirk on his face, trying to defend himself:

"I didn't take this by force; little Inara gave it to me on her own initiative. I couldn't possibly refuse a child's kindness, could I?"

Ronald's statement wasn't entirely a lie.

From the moment Inara first saw him, she felt that this uncle's features were remarkably similar to Uncle Norton's—she remembered that Uncle Norton always loved collecting all sorts of sparkling gems, and naturally assumed that Ronald would like them too.

Besides, she didn't really care about these ruby ​​earrings. Her hair was a bright red, and the gemstones would disappear into her hair when she lowered her head, not showing any brilliance at all, far less eye-catching than sapphires or emeralds.

Thinking this, she generously took off her ear clip and handed it over, completely unaware of the fleeting surprise in Ronald's eyes.

But Mr. Detective clearly didn't believe a word of this hidden story. He stood at the door with his arms crossed, his eyes full of disdain:

Nobody would believe your excuse!

It's clearly taking advantage of a child's naivety to trick them into giving them things; it's just a different kind of "stealing," and ultimately it's not serious at all.

Mr. Deduction: Look into my eyes, which one do you believe? (?_?)

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But what happened next made Mr. Deduction's sarcastic remarks get stuck in his throat, leaving him only with disbelief on his face—Stellan slowly licked the cookie crumbs and chocolate stains off his fingers, his little brows furrowed, as if he were performing an important ritual.

After his fingertips were completely clean, he reached up and grabbed the thin silver chain around his neck, gently unfastened the clasp, and took off the necklace inlaid with clear blue sapphires.

The gemstone gleamed with a warm blue light under the lounge's glow. It was cut with exceptional precision, its facets refracting delicate halos of light, making it instantly priceless.

But Strand didn't care at all. Clutching the necklace in her little hand, she walked up to Ronald, tilted her head up, and handed him the necklace, her voice soft but firm: "Uncle Ronald, this is for you too."

Ronald was clearly unprepared for this unexpected windfall. His eyes lit up as brightly as the ruby ​​in his hand. He quickly took it, carefully cradling it in his palm, his thumb constantly rubbing the surface of the gem, praising it repeatedly: "Wow, our Stellan is so generous! This sapphire is absolutely gorgeous, so clear it's like it holds a whole lake!"

Mr. Detective stood frozen in the doorway, opening his mouth but finding himself unable to refute anything. His brain seemed to have been paused, buzzing with absurd astonishment.

—What's wrong with these two kids?! That sapphire necklace is probably worth several years' worth of an ordinary person's livelihood, and they just gave it away like candy?

Just moments ago, I was inwardly scorning Ronald for deceiving a child, but now it seems I was the one who was petty. But I can't blame him; anyone with common sense wouldn't think a child would share such valuable jewelry as an ordinary toy, would they?

—How vague is their concept of "value"? Is it because they have so much jewelry at home that they take it for granted, or has no one ever told them the significance of these things? Look at the way Strand casually handed over the necklace, as if he were just giving away pebbles from his pocket to a friend, without the slightest hesitation or reluctance.

Ronald got lucky, picking up two treasures for nothing. But what if the kids' families come looking for them and find the jewelry missing? Wouldn't that cause a huge uproar? As their temporary caretaker, I'd probably be implicated too.

—And then there's Inara, who doesn't like wearing rubies because her hair color is similar to their color, and Stellan casually gives her a sapphire... Just how wealthy must these families be to treat precious gems as ordinary accessories for their children and allow them to dispose of them so casually?

Countless thoughts churned in his mind, and Mr. Deduction's face turned pale and then red, finally turning into a silent sigh.

Looking at the two children's carefree smiles, and then at Ronald's smug expression of having gotten a good deal, he felt the scene was both absurd and helpless. It seemed that he would have to put in extra effort to take care of these two "little rich girls" and "little rich guys" in the future, otherwise they might give away something even more valuable one day.

After all, Mr. Deduction dares to guarantee he absolutely cannot afford to lose money; even selling himself wouldn't be enough. ( ?_?)