Volume 1: Storm in the Western Region Chapter 25: Tracking
The Royal City at night has completely changed its appearance compared to the day.
The buildings on the street have a stronger Western style, with symmetrical almond patterns carved on the walls.
Only then did Zhao Rang notice that most of the houses in the royal city were blue and green, with high vaults on the roofs supporting a star.
The two largest tribes in Lanmo are called Hanxing and Gongchen. They are both related to stars, so stars have become the symbol of Lanmo.
Before Zhao Rang went out, he asked his clerk to buy him a new blouse.
The smocks sold in the Western Regions all come with a large hood to protect them from wind and sand.
Most of the pedestrians walking on the street were wearing blouses and hoods.
This is in line with Zhao Rang's wishes. Now he needs to cover up his figure and appearance, and he can also hide his sword that has lost its scabbard.
The waiter at the inn told him that his current location was on the east side of the royal city, which was where the three religions and nine streams gathered in the city. The nobles of the Lan Mo Kingdom, as well as the prominent Dawei people here, basically lived in the west of the city, which happened to be the location of the Xiangteng Bureau.
Based on the middle-aged man's description of the dress of the people in Yanyu Pavilion, Zhao Rang felt that they would not stay in the west of the city.
After all, a beggar's outfit is too eye-catching, not to mention that they smell so bad.
This kind of dressing up must be deliberate, because Yanyu Pavilion is not poor. They can afford to build a huge ship that can support the entire pavilion. How can they not even be able to afford a pair of clean clothes?
Come out of the inn, go straight to the right, and turn in at the second fork in the road. You will find a gathering place of repeated pawns.
In a place like this, where there are many people talking, it is easiest to find out the news.
Most of the people living at the bottom of the royal city are Liba who work hard to make ends meet.
They are not mean-spirited. After a few drinks, they will immediately become familiar with you and call you brothers.
During the day, these people are trampled in the mud by the employers, bosses, and dignitaries in the west of the city. Only after nightfall can they relax and have some time and energy of their own.
If you meet someone who is willing to invite them to drink and listen to what they say, they will naturally tell you everything they know!
As soon as he turned into this fork in the road, Zhao Rang choked and coughed...
There are barbecue stoves and large stew pots on both sides of the road.
There was haggis soup simmering in the pot, with gurgling white gas and smoke filling the air.
The mutton leaning against the stove was left over from the market after the market closed.
These bosses bought it at a very cheap price, dressed it into skewers, added seasonings, roasted it and sold it to the Liba people.
Anyway, they won't be picky, as long as they have something to eat, they will be energetic when they start working tomorrow.
Although Zhao Rang was wearing a blouse, he still felt out of place here.
Because these hard workers are different from the people on the long street outside.
None of them wear smocks...
The smock is stuffy and airtight, making it inconvenient to work.
More importantly, the price of one smock is enough for them to eat three skewers of barbecue here, and no one is willing to spend this money!
Zhao Rang took a few steps forward and saw everyone's eyes looking at him, so he took off his blouse, wrapped it around his waist, and carried it in his hand.
All the Liba looked at it, then withdrew their gaze and continued to eat, drink and brag.
After finding a crowded stall, Zhao Rang pointed to the barbecue on the stove and asked, "
"How much?"
The boss was from the Western Regions. When he heard Zhao Rang's question, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and pointed to a water sign hanging next to him through the fireworks of the oven.
The price is written in Dawei characters on it.
The price is very cheap. If you buy it with silver, one tael of silver is enough to feed several pot-bellied men!
Fortunately, Zhao Rang exchanged some change with the waiter in the inn, otherwise the boss would not be able to find the silver ingots he carried.
After buying five skewers of barbecued meat and a bowl of mutton soup, Zhao Rang followed the example of others, leaning against the wall and sitting on the ground. He put the bowl in front of him and concentrated on the barbecued meat.
Although the meat is not very good, the boss grills it very well!
A thick layer of cumin is sprinkled on top, which fully brings out the aroma of the mutton. The more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes!
Zhao Rang ate it with relish. A few mouthfuls of meat and a mouthful of soup seemed to be incompatible with the food around him.
After finishing the last skewer of barbecue, Zhao Rang clapped his hands and was about to return the sign and ask for five more skewers. Suddenly he saw a young Liba running in from the intersection in a panic, holding a notice in his hand.
.
"Old scholar, look at what's written on it."
The person he called the old scholar was an old Liba.
His hair has turned gray and his face is full of wrinkles.
But his exposed arms have extremely strong muscles.
Zhao Rang could tell at a glance that he had practiced martial arts. Otherwise, at his age, the muscles all over his body would have been flabby and droopy, and they would not look like this at all.
Lipa, nicknamed the old scholar, was sipping haggis soup in small sips.
Everyone else, including Zhao Rang, picked up their bowls and drank heavily.
He was the only one who held a porcelain pot and drank it with spoonfuls. He was really as fastidious as a scholar who had read a book!
"What are you yelling about? The sage Yunshi is silent and silent. How many times have I told you and forgotten again?"
Zhao Rang almost laughed out loud when he heard this sour remark...
How destitute have you become? You are still here talking about Shiyun, and you are not ashamed!
Of course, no one has said this to the old scholar.
But he retorted that the saint's disciples also lived in shady alleys with only one basket of food and one ladle of water.
The young Liba was used to the old scholar dropping his book bag, so he raised the notice in his hand and said:
"Read it quickly, it seems like the salary is not low!"
The old scholar held the shelf and drank two more mouthfuls of haggis soup. Then he responded, put down the bowl, took the notice, and started reading.
Zhao Rang glanced at it and saw the two words "Western Region" and "Dawei" written on the notice.
In fact, most of the Lipas in the city are Dawei people.
The local poor basically work as odd jobs in the mansions of wealthy families, and rarely take on odd jobs outside.
The Dawei people who live here either committed crimes in their hometown and are wanted by the government, or they are too poor to survive and have no choice but to leave their hometown and find another way to make a living.
This old scholar didn't know what the story was, but he was one of the few literate people in this group of Liba.
Before the old scholar could read it, Zhao Rang had already read the notice.
This is a job recruitment notice.
And it was published by Xiangtengju!
The notice said that the third floor of Xiangtengju will be re-planned and renovated for two months. Therefore, fifty workers will be needed, and the wages will be two taels of silver. However, there is one requirement, that is, they must live in Xiangtengju before the completion of the construction period.
You are not allowed to leave without authorization.
"Two taels of silver! That's one tael a month, and it includes food and accommodation!"
When Zhongliba heard this, they all became excited.
In a place like Xiangtengju, they would not dare to stay too long when passing by the door while working, for fear of being scolded.
Now not only can you go in and have a look, but you also get such a high salary!
"Haha, we can also enjoy the days of those great men!"
Young Liba couldn't close his lips, as if he had been chosen.
"Well, the salary is very high, but it's not common sense!"
The old scholar looked at the notice for a while and then said.
Zhao Rang nodded secretly, thinking that he was indeed a person who had read books, and he immediately saw the clues.
If we put aside the incident that happened on the third floor of Xiangtengju today, there is nothing wrong with the notice itself.
Even if the wages given are higher, it is normal for Xiangtengju.
The strange thing is that the notice actually requires all the workers to live in Xiangteng Residence during the construction period. This has to make people suspicious!
Xiangteng Residence has three floors above ground and two floors below ground. There are no guest rooms.
Even if there is, you won't let these Liba people ruin it, right?
Moreover, the third floor is closed, but the retail platforms on the first and second floors are open as usual.
How would those high-rollers who go out to eat, drink, and gamble money feel if they knew that the chair they were sitting on had been made by Lipa last night, and that the table they were using might have been laid on by Lipa last night?
Obviously unreasonable!
When something goes wrong, there must be a monster, but unfortunately no one paid attention to the old scholar's doubts, and all the Liba fell into a carnival.
Zhao Rang stood up, moved to the old scholar's side, and asked:
"Old man, where do you choose people for this job?"
Perhaps it had been a long time since anyone had been so polite and courteous. The old scholar responded to Zhao Rang very gently:
"Wherever the notice is posted, the people recruiting workers will be there. Usually it is opposite the horse market, and a few more copies will be posted so that people can tear them down and pass them around to read."
Zhao Rang thanked the old scholar:
"Thank you, old man!"
The old scholar's eyesight was not very good, and he had spent a lot of effort reading the notice. It was dark in the alley, and he didn't see Zhao Rang's face clearly, so he just thought he was a newcomer who wanted to earn the two taels of silver.
"Young man, I think you are well-educated. You must have read a book, right?"
Zhao Rang replied:
"The boy went to elementary school for a few days and is barely literate."
The old scholar said calmly:
"That's it! Since you have studied, you are all apprentices of saints. The old man would like to warn you, although this job pays a lot of money and the treatment is good, it may not be easy, so be careful!"
Zhao Rang knew that he was kind-hearted, so he turned around and bought five skewers of barbecue from the boss, put them on the bowl of haggis soup in front of him, and said:
"Thank you, old man, for reminding me, I understand!"
He remembered that the innkeeper told him that just across from the horse market was the human market, where customers who needed help would shout and post notices.
Presumably Young Lipa's notice was brought there, so Zhao Rang was ready to go and take a look.
The entire third floor of Xiangtengju suddenly had to be closed for two months and replanned and renovated. No matter how you looked at it, there was something fishy about it.
“I don’t know what’s going on with Yuan Mingkong!”
Not long after he left the alley, a dark iron rod swept towards the side of his head.
Zhao Rang dwarfed and barely managed to avoid it, but the iron rod spun around and hit the crook of his right arm.
After avoiding the two sticks in succession, Zhao Rang finally saw that what was being swung at him was not so much an iron rod as an iron pillar, which was as thick as his waist!
The pitch-black rod body is faintly reflecting red light.
If you were hit by this pillar, even if you didn't die, you would still have to break a few bones.