James Thompson was sizing up the other person, and at the same time, the other person was also sizing him up. After all, they were surrounded by burly yamen runners, and only the two of them were of similar age. However, the look in his eyes made James Thompson very uncomfortable—it was that kind of condescending gaze, like a rich young master looking at a beggar. Although this fit their respective images, it still made James Thompson feel quite annoyed. He glared fiercely at the other person, but to his surprise, the boy didn’t care at all. Instead, he gave a reserved yet slightly arrogant smile, as if he disdained to be angry with someone like James Thompson.

“Edward Harris, didn’t I order you to come as quickly as possible? Why are you so slow?” As soon as Sheriff Cooper arrived in front of Edward Harris, he immediately put on an angry face and questioned him.

“Sheriff Cooper, I just got back from out of town. I haven’t eaten or slept well for days. Now that I’m back, you should at least let me have a bite to eat!” Edward Harris replied rather coolly. He didn’t want to offend Sheriff Cooper, but since the other party was clearly targeting him, there was no need for him to go out of his way to curry favor.

“You…” Sheriff Cooper hadn’t expected Edward Harris, who had always been so deferential, to suddenly act like a different person. For a moment, he was a bit thrown off. But since he had come today to make an example of Edward Harris, he quickly straightened his face and demanded, “Edward Harris, didn’t I tell you to bring the coroner? Why don’t I see the coroner?”

“Coroner Yang is injured, and Thomas Thompson is out and hasn’t returned. There are only two coroners in the yamen, so I really couldn’t find anyone else. Luckily, Thomas Thompson’s son has learned a bit, so I could only bring him!” As Edward Harris finished, he pointed to James Thompson, who was being carried by someone nearby.

Only then did Sheriff Cooper notice James Thompson. When he realized the boy was just a child, he flew into a rage again: “Edward Harris, what do you mean by this? Can’t find a coroner so you bring a child to fool me?”

“Please don’t be angry, sir. Although I’m young, I have learned some methods of examining corpses. Just now, I heard from the two yamen runners on the way that it’s just a matter of verifying whether the deceased committed suicide or was murdered. That’s not too difficult for me!” Before Edward Harris could speak, James Thompson smiled and answered.

Both Sheriff Cooper and Edward Harris hadn’t expected James Thompson to speak up on his own, and even more, to face an official like Sheriff Cooper without the slightest sign of panic, instead speaking calmly and confidently—nothing like how a twelve-year-old child would normally behave.

“You… have you studied?” Sheriff Cooper, after his initial surprise, wasn’t angry. Instead, he looked at James Thompson with some curiosity, because James Thompson spoke with proper manners and met his gaze directly without any sign of evasion—unlike what one would expect from a coroner’s son.

“To report to you, sir, I did attend private school for a while, but later, due to poverty, I had no choice but to drop out,” James Thompson replied again. He sensed that Sheriff Cooper’s attitude had changed upon hearing he had studied, and his tone had softened, so he added a bit more respect in his answer. After all, the other was an official and he was a commoner; unless necessary, it was best to avoid conflict.

“So young, yet with such bearing—truly worthy of having studied. What a pity…” Sheriff Cooper genuinely admired James Thompson and couldn’t help but praise him. But at the end, he shook his head with regret, as if lamenting that James Thompson had given up the bright path of scholarship.

James Thompson didn’t know what Sheriff Cooper was regretting, but he was here to examine the corpse, so he bowed again and said, “Sir, I have come in my father’s stead to examine the body. May I ask where the corpse is?”

“You really want to examine the body?” Upon hearing James Thompson’s request again, Sheriff Cooper frowned. He was a scholar himself and felt some goodwill toward this well-mannered, extraordinary child, but goodwill was one thing—he wasn’t about to believe James Thompson actually knew how to examine a corpse just because of that.

“Yes, I ask for your permission, sir!” James Thompson replied concisely. Edward Harris also stepped up to stand beside James Thompson, showing his support.

But what surprised James Thompson even more was that the refined-looking youth behind Sheriff Cooper now came over and whispered a few words in Sheriff Cooper’s ear. As a result, the previously hesitant Sheriff Cooper nodded and said, “Fine, since you insist on examining the body, I won’t stop you. But if you fail, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

“Thank you, sir!” James Thompson took a deep breath. No matter how bad the mortuary was, it was still a place to stay. Although he had earned a little money now, it was nowhere near enough to find another place to live. He had to keep his gambler father’s job as a coroner, or else, if Sheriff Cooper really drove their family out, he and Lier would be sleeping on the streets tomorrow.

With that, James Thompson took a deep breath and walked to the crime scene. But when he saw the corpse, he couldn’t help but give a wry smile—the body had already been taken down, leaving only a noose hanging from the tree, and the ground was covered in footprints. The entire crime scene had already been completely destroyed.