The streets and alleys of Renwetting are filled with the sound of the forge in the blacksmith's shop, the sound of boiling water in the laundry, the noise of the brewery and the buzz of leather workers using grinding wheels to grind hides, accompanied by the ever-expanding sheds and shops.
, as well as the streets and public areas that are constantly being swallowed up. The city is an organic entity, always growing itself in various ways. The direct consequence of this uncontrolled boundary expansion is the topography of each block.
They are all as complicated as a maze, and outsiders often mistakenly think that they are in another world and get lost in it, making it difficult to escape.
This situation is particularly obvious in the Qixing Pan District, because it is the forefront of the city's expansion to the suburbs, and it is also the border area that is ruthlessly expelled; the various residents it contains are not only a symbol of poverty, but also a symbol of this area.
The neighborhood is endowed with a kind of chaotic prosperity. Here, you can see old houses from the old era, the city walls from the Inverness period or the stone gates from the Victorian era. They are all dilapidated, not included in the city's plan, and often fall into disrepair.
It suddenly appears from a corner and blocks the road you thought was smooth.
If they are not dilapidated, the ancient history cannot be revealed; and if you try to plan and renovate them, you will be surprised to find that the vitality of the neighborhood is gradually dissipating, as if all the prosperity it has must be based on this disorder.
Above the chaos, it relies on its diverse inhabitants, complex maze-like terrain, and uncertainty and fanaticism that have not changed since ancient times.
What is incredible is that, as outsiders visiting this neighborhood for the first time, the three Ringers did not fall into the maze it carefully set up. They have been clinging to the mysterious detective girl and chasing after her.
This is naturally not because they have the ability to see through the wall and can see whether the other side is a fork in the road or a dead end. The real reason is that the girl obviously deliberately lures them to catch up, so she always stops at the critical moment.
They lower their steps to let the pursuers behind them see a little hope of catching up; and when they think they can catch up soon, they will turn around lightly, disappear around the corner of the street, and then continue to repeat the above behavior at the next fork in the road.
.
Linge's physical strength, which was blessed with magic, was actually unable to catch up with her speed, and the distance between the two parties never narrowed. The girl was like a butterfly with ease, or a hazy mist in front of her,
It seems within reach, but actually it is out of reach.
What on earth does she want to do?
During the chase, Ringer thought about this question more than once, but no matter how much he thought about it, he could not get the answer. Not only did the girl appear suddenly, but her behavior was so weird that it was impossible to guess what she was thinking.
The only thing that is certain is her identity. It is by no means as simple as an ordinary human being. Ordinary people cannot hold the sign of destiny in their hands and play with it.
Are you just going to keep chasing me?
If the girl wanted to, she could definitely get rid of them easily, but she didn't do that. In this case, maybe there is still the possibility of negotiation, and we should think of a way to make her stop on her own initiative... Just when Linger was thinking this,
He was surprised to find that the pace of the girl running in front gradually slowed down, and then she stopped in front of a house on the street.
She lowered her head slightly, stretched out her hand to lightly press the brim of her hat, and the same mysterious smile as before appeared on her side face once again. She turned around and walked into the house, leaving only a dashing figure for the foreigners chasing after her.
this--
This unexpected situation made the three of them have some doubts. They stopped in unison and stood on the street outside the house, looking at each other. For a moment, they didn't know whether they should continue to pursue or give up.
The house where the girl disappeared is a two-storey small building. In terms of shape, it is already a rare and exquisite style in the Qixing District. Unfortunately, it is too old, so it looks old. The small building is a pure stone structure.
Facing the street, there are three rows of windows side by side. Blocked by the gray windowpanes, it looks very desolate. The small garden in front of the house is littered with clumps of grass and dwarf trees, as if it hasn't been taken care of for a long time.
, a path in the garden leads to three white stone steps, a mottled and faded mahogany door is left ajar, revealing a small crack for outsiders to peek into the house. There is also a copper door plate hanging next to the door, which reads: Baker
22B Street, Sherlock Holmes and Watson Detective Agency.
I thought the girl's clothes were very similar to the great detective's style before, but I didn't expect that even her occupation was exactly the same. She even named her detective agency after the two protagonists in the book. If you weren't the most ardent fan, you would probably find it difficult.
Is it possible to do this?
The surrounding streets are narrow and dark, with damp moss clinging to the walls of the buildings. Pale green water floats in the sewer mouths without iron bars. Not to mention people, not even the shadows of stray cats or mice can be seen. Opening
Would anyone really visit a detective agency in a place like this?
Even if someone comes to visit, they are probably mostly out of curiosity and desire to explore, just like the three guests standing in front of the office at the moment.
"Want to go in and take a look?" Saint Xalia turned back to ask Ringer and Alice for their opinions.
"That goes without saying!" Alice geared up and was eager to give it a try: "We have already chased here, so we can't turn around and leave, right? Besides, they took the initiative to invite us as guests. It would be too rude not to go up and meet.
"
It turns out you still know what rudeness is.
Ringer didn't believe that the golden-haired maid was such a polite person. He knew in his heart that she just suggested it for fun, but her words made some sense: If you backed down here, why did you pursue her so hard before? In the final analysis
, since he decided to chase the girl’s back, there will be no second answer to this question.
"Walk."
He gave an answer concisely and concisely, and then took the lead to walk towards the ajar mahogany door. Before opening the door, he did not forget to cast a warning look at Alice. The latter understood instantly and silently put his hand on her waist.
On the game console, you are ready to start the cartridge at any time.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! When you open the door, you will find a short corridor with the living room on the left, the kitchen on the right, and the stairs leading to the second floor at the end. The floor seems to have not been cleaned for a long time.
After passing it, it was covered with dust, so you could clearly see a series of footprints extending towards the stairs at the end, and finally disappeared around the corner. Obviously, the mysterious detective girl was waiting for them on the second floor.
Ringer walked towards the stairs, while Saint Xalia held down Alice who was sneaking into the kitchen, pulled her collar and followed the young man. The three of them went up to the second floor, where the structure was relatively simple.
Apart from two locked doors that were covered with dust and had obviously not been used for a long time, there was only the last room at the end of the corridor.
At the thought of meeting the real owner soon, even the most restless Alice couldn't help but hold her breath and slow down her steps. They walked through the dim corridor and walked into the first room with vigilance or expectation.
From the three rooms, you can see that this is a large, open square room, but it is slightly crowded due to the layout: the entrance is a shoe cabinet and a drawer cabinet for storing sundries, and further inside, there are mahogany bookshelves filled with books.
There are three rows, and the two filing cabinets against the wall are filled with various paper documents with complicated contents; in the center of the room are a short rectangular table for entertaining guests and three velvet couches, on the left
It is a stone fireplace, with burned charcoal inside, but no open flame, and the slag on the iron grate has not been cleaned for a long time; on the right is a wardrobe and clothes rack, and there are clothes hooks for hanging hats on the wall.
There are more than a dozen deer hunting hats of different styles, colors and sizes. It seems that the owner has a special liking for this kind of hat.
The deepest part of the room is the owner's office area. A black walnut desk is filled with debris: documents, papers, books, ink tanks, pens, etc. On the left side of the desk is a cabinet, and on the right side is a piano.
, and there is a window open directly behind, which is also the only window in the room. The light coming in from the alley seems to be carrying a haze of dust, and it cannot bring much brightness to the room.
It seemed a bit more gloomy.
The person Ringe and the others wanted to see, the mysterious detective girl, was sitting on the chair behind the desk at the moment, with her back to the gray light, her chin crossed with her hands, looking at these invited guests with interest.
The guest came. After a while, a playful smile appeared on her lips: "Welcome to the Detective Agency of Holmes Watson."
"Dear guests."
"Excuse me, do you have any commissions that need to be handled?"