Klein came out of the lounge and returned to the lobby on the first floor. He found that his only acquaintance, Mr. Talim, had left. He had also finished practicing his marksmanship and had eaten today's limited supply. It was time to leave.
But before he could reach the door, he saw the famous surgeon Allen coming in on crutches. After saying hello, he asked with concern:
"Alan, how are you doing lately? Has your luck gotten better?"
Allen, who looks naturally cold, had a heartfelt smile on his face:
"At least it's not so unlucky!"
"I followed your suggestion and went to the church and told the bishop what happened. He asked me to go directly to the confessional to pray to the goddess."
"While praying, I actually fell asleep, but I seemed to feel that the goddess had given me a state of peace and tranquility. From then on, my fortune became normal!"
"Praise the goddess!" He drew a crimson moon on his chest.
Klein subconsciously wanted to draw a crimson moon on his chest, but as soon as he raised his hand, he remembered that he was now a believer in the God of Steam and Machinery. He could only say "Steam is up" and draw a triangle of steam on his chest.
with the mechanical holy symbol.
Fortunately, Allen's attention was not focused on this. He was looking into the hall just now, as if he was looking for someone.
"Did you see Will Auceptine again later? He was the kid who had his leg amputated and said your luck would be bad."
Klein believed that the Nighthawks would definitely follow the clues provided by Allen to investigate, so he was a little curious about the ending. He was curious about whether it was the child who changed Allen's destiny, or the tarot cards in his hand.
"No, I haven't seen him since he was discharged from the hospital." Allen shook his head affirmatively.
What a pity. The Nighthawks can find him based on the address registered in the hospital, but I can't intervene rashly... Of course, the child might have moved away long ago...
Klein chatted with Allen for a few more words, and found that Allen had been looking into the hall. Knowing that he had something to deal with, he said goodbye.
Allen also noticed that his actions were a bit impolite, so he stopped Klein with a wry smile and said:
"I'm sorry, I'm here to see Talim. I have something to discuss with him."
"Talim? Then you are late, he has already left." Klein pointed to the door.
Allen sighed, paused on his crutches and said:
"Okay, have you talked to him? Let's talk, then?"
What do you two think of me? A close sister? Or an emotional counselor... Seeing that Allen was already walking towards the small hall next to him on crutches, Klein had no choice but to sigh and follow him.
…
"Talim hasn't come home during this time, so I asked someone to keep an eye outside the Krag Club. If they see him here, they will notify me..." Dr. Allen leaned his crutch aside and patted it.
own legs, "But it's still too late."
Maybe you can entrust it to me and I will help you hold him down... Klein sat opposite him, somewhat confused:
"He is the equestrian teacher of those noble children. Even if he is asked to do something, there should be no problem, right?"
He originally wanted to say that there should be no life-threatening danger, but then he thought that Talim had just asked him if he knew anyone with strange abilities. If an extraordinary person was involved, it might be life-threatening...
"It's the social season, and it's the fox hunting season. Something happens every year at this time, especially among the nobles, because even one prey may turn two families against each other." As a Backlund person, it is also
Coming from a middle-class family, Alan Kress has a certain understanding of the things of the aristocracy.
Klein nodded. As a former "keyboard warrior" who knew a little bit about everything, the feud between nobles existed in ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, even in other worlds.
"In Backlund, the nobles are also divided into party groups, but unlike the lower house which only has the New Party and the Conservative Party, the nobles in the upper house are more divided, ranging from origin, territory, to party support, attitude towards the royal family..."
Allen shook his head, stopped talking about this, and turned to Talim:
"Now Talim is the equestrian teacher of Viscount Conard's youngest son, and Viscount Conard's family is a loyal supporter of the royal family, so I am worried about him..."
Royalists or Royalists, with the power of the Augustus family, it is not certain who will protect whom...
But soon Klein realized that things were not as simple as he thought. He looked at the royal family from the perspective of an extraordinary person, but in the eyes of ordinary people like Allen, the royal family was not that strong, especially during the Industrial Revolution.
Later, the new party, the conservative party, the new aristocracy and some old aristocrats, plus the church, made the royal family almost a mascot.
Things improved after the previous king, the "powerful" William VI, came to the throne, and after the current king George III came to the throne, the Augustus family returned to its previous appearance.
It is obviously a powerful family of extraordinary people, how could it become like this? Klein was a little confused, but when he thought about the true gods behind the three major churches, he didn't find it strange.
There should be some kind of agreement between the seven major churches and the four countries of the Northern Continent...
"You didn't ask your barrister friend for his opinion? He should know something, right?"
"Rawls has left Backlund for a while, and he supports the Conservative Party..." Allen pushed up his glasses and said no more.
…
Bayam, No. 13 Xiangshu Avenue.
On the coffee table in the living room is a beautifully decorated wooden box inlaid with gold and silver. The box has been opened. Inside is a strange plant that is half a palm-sized and similar to red coral. The red jade-colored vines are twisted and the surface is covered.
Covered with a layer of light brown amber-like crystals, if this natural thing were put up for auction, it would definitely fetch a sky-high price.
This is the crystallized twisted blood vine sent by Luo Yin Jin, the main ingredient for the potion of Sequence 6 "Corrupted Baron".
Rawls is now lying on the sofa, reading Alicia's reply. The letter does not describe much about the follow-up to her catching the members of the Gnostic Society. It just says that she has clues and needs to find a solution in Pulitzer Harbor.
Stay nearby for a while.
Regarding the adjudication ceremony required for the promotion ceremony of Sequence 5 "Chaos Master", she wrote down several locations in the letter, which were all recorded when the Tamara family collected materials for the "Retribution Knight".
One of them is on the island of Tyrinhos, which is the first island after the Rhoad Islands go south and the closest place to here. The rest are either islands along the route to the southern continent, or at the northern end of the southern continent.
several places.
As for the traces of ghost foxes and crowned curly baboons, she didn't know about them, nor did she know about the shadow attackers and giant horned mandrills that were the main source of "The Fallen Earl". However, she had already written to her tribe and asked them to help with inquiries.
Relevant information.
Other than that, there was a detailed description of the verdict against Muebelin, but he was not in a hurry about this matter. The only main material he had left for the "Corrupted Baron" was the eyes of the ghost fox.
Tonight, he was going to the Swordfish Bar to attend a gathering of Beyonders. It would be best if he had clues. Even without him, he could still buy the auxiliary materials for the "Corrupted Baron" there.
There is an underground trading market selling herbs, essential oils, ancient books, charms and various common occult materials. There are also a variety of guns and ammunition for sale, but many of them are old antiques, such as firecrackers and lead bullets.
A small number of them are functioning revolvers, but most of them are second-hand weapons.
After Rawls discovered this situation before, he thought it would be a good channel for smuggling arms. However, the owner of the Swordfish Bar was not fooled and paid no attention to Rawls, who was pretending to be an alcoholic. It was impossible for him to go there with a few revolvers.
The stalls and spears there were not attractive to adventurers. Fortunately, the "Fragrant Leaf Bar" took the bait.
He now rarely has free time to collect potion materials. Luo Yin Jin saw that the voucher from George Negan, the governor of the Rhoside Islands, had not yet arrived, and the "Fragrant Leaf Bar" could hang out "Hercules" Ozil for a few more days.
If there is no clue about the ghost fox's eyes, then he can only smuggle some arms first.
…
8pm, Swordfish Bar.
Rawls has already shaved off the stubble that he had grown in the past two days. Although his hair has reached his neck and is not suitable for this sultry pirate, he did not cut it off in order to disguise himself, but simply tied it up. He wore it on his face
Wearing a half black mask, only the part below the nose is exposed, wearing a black cloak and a hood.
At this time, there were already many customers in the bar. Although some people also came to attend a gathering of extraordinary people, there were not many people pretending to be Rawls.
Of course, as a gathering place for adventurers, the number of adventurers here is the largest among the guests. Although they are drinking here, their eyes are always wandering on people like Rawls who are more disguised.
Different from the "Fragrant Leaf Bar" where pirates gather, there are not many pirates here, but it is not that no pirates will take risks. These adventurers or bounty hunters are looking for hidden pirates.
These were all told to him by Old John, the contact person of the "Black Emperor" in Bayam. For this old pirate who retired due to injury, most of the Beyonder gatherings and underground black markets in Bayam were his concern.
object.
The gathering of Extraordinaries at the "Swordfish Bar" is different from what Rawls remembered. It is semi-public. Even the regular bar guests know that there is a party here, but it is only open to Extraordinaries. The main participating members are
Adventurers do not welcome pirates, so before the party starts, participants are asked to sit in the bar to identify whether there are pirates among the participants.
Rawls raised his head slightly and glanced at several similarly dressed adventurers. They only glanced at Rawls and then withdrew their gaze. They dared to do such a thing. Naturally, they were all old hunters and could be easily recognized.
There are pirates in the crowd, and people like Rawls who don't have any pirate taste don't need to pay attention to them.
When he came to the bar, Rawls only had a glass of beer and sat on a small table nearby to wait for the party to begin. It was not his first time here, but he had already drank a lot when he came here before and did not observe it carefully.
Home bar.
There are three blackboards supported by wooden frames on the side of the bar, with white and yellowish notices posted on them. The contents are varied and strange, including hiring bodyguards, asking for help in locating people, and investigating the situation on a certain island.
Some put a high price on a pirate's head, while others claimed they had obtained a treasure map and wanted to form a team.
In short, matters that have been divided up by private detectives and security companies in the Kingdom of Loen still belong to adventurers here.
A few minutes after he sat down and only drank a third of the beer in his glass, he saw a short young man also wearing a mask ordering a glass of local Zarha beer at the bar. He glanced around
Then walked towards where Rawls was.
"Hello, friend, you are the only one with free space here. Can I..."
"Sit down." Rawls raised his eyes. Although the guy opposite was wearing a mask that covered his entire face, he had a black mole the size of a finger on his neck, which was extremely conspicuous.
"Thanks."
The young man thanked him and sat down directly with the beer. But he soon discovered one thing. He couldn't drink while wearing a mask. After hesitating for a while, he still chose to drink while wearing a mask.
As a result, the wine flowed down his neck and soon wetted his crew-neck shirt.
He pulled the collar and continued drinking regardless. Most of the wine spilled, flowed down the open collar, and then soaked his clothes.
Rawls frowned. His long-term education made it difficult for him to accept this way of drinking. This was not heroic, but more foolish.
"Friend, are you also here to attend today's party?" Different from before, the young man was a little unclear when he spoke now.
Looking at him in surprise, Rawls was surprised to find that this guy couldn't be drunk, right? His neck was red, his eyes were blurred, his eyelids were drooped, and he looked like he was about to fall asleep.
How much did he drink? A cup of Zalha can only be 500 to 600 milliliters at most, and most of it is wasted, so he can get drunk?
Just when Rawls was about to stand up and hold the wine glass to leave to avoid the drunkard, the young man suddenly changed. His red neck returned to its original appearance, his eyes widened, and he seemed to be no longer tired. This made him
Rawls just stood up and sat down again.
"What's wrong? Are there nails on the chair?"
The young man said this very clearly. After saying this, he even wanted to turn sideways and look at the chair where Rawls was sitting.
Seeing the young man's actions, Rawls placed the wine glass on the table gently and pointed at the empty wine glass with his chin:
"How does Zarha taste?"
"Uh..." The young man was stunned and nodded, "Not bad, at least it's good for a bar."
I'm pretty sure you haven't drunk before, and this is even the first time you've entered a bar... Rawls, as a "lawyer", still has the basic ability to observe words and emotions, but he didn't expect that there would be such a person in this era.
This guy is not tall, and his voice sounds a bit harsh. Is he still in the process of changing his voice? His accent does not sound like a Loen person, nor does it sound like an Intis person...
"Is this your first time here?"
"Uh, no...well, yes."
The young man hesitated for a while and nodded, then spoke excitedly:
"This is my first time attending such a party!"
Rawls frowned and noticed something was wrong, so he asked:
"How did you know there was a party here?"
"When I got off the boat, I heard someone say there was a party here today."
Huh, okay, I just heard about it, so how are you going to get in later... Rawls closed his mouth and didn't want to say anything more.
But just because he kept his mouth closed, it didn't mean that the young man would be like him. He would ask about this and that. But Rawls pretended not to hear and just lowered his head and drank.
"Are there many mines in Bayam? I saw in the book that Bayam is called the 'City of Kang'. There are gold, silver, copper, iron, and coal. Do you know where the mines are?"
"By the way, have you ever been to Nass? I read in a book that there is a huge white whale there. Is it as big as a ship?"
"Haven't you been there? Yes, it is Fusac's colony. Have you ever been to the Southern Continent? East Balam is Roen's colony. You must have been there. I plan to go to West Balam this time
, my mother’s friend is there.”
…
The young man seemed to have not spoken for a long time. He muttered a lot and asked a lot of questions. Almost all of the questions included "I saw in the book...", and these questions were all kinds of.
I just saved up for a long time...
Rawls's heart moved, and he interrupted during his speech and asked:
"Are you from Lemberg?"
"No, I'm from Masi." The young man subconsciously answered Rawls' question, but he immediately realized something was wrong and nervously covered his mouth with his hands.
It turns out that it is from Ma Xi. He should be a believer in the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. He is very likely to be a "reader". No wonder he talks so much. Is this because he has read too many books and ran out to practice it?
Next, the young man stopped talking, and Rawls was happy to be quiet, waiting for the notification with peace of mind.
Soon, a gloomy man of about forty years old came out of the door behind the bar. His facial features were somewhat soft, his skin color was brownish red, and he had obvious southern continental race characteristics. His left ear was incomplete, without an earlobe, and his expression
Cold and hard.
This is "Cold-faced Man" Trani, the owner of the "Swordfish Bar". According to Old John, his father is an indigenous person from the Southern Continent. He was kidnapped by pirates and came here, and he gave birth to him with his mother, who was also a slave.
So I hate pirates very much.
After Terrani exchanged glances with several people in the crowd, he put on a stiff smile on his face, turned around and walked towards the door, while the bartender at the bar also stood guard in front of the door.
Seven or eight people scattered among the crowd, and one by one they walked towards the wooden door behind the bar. Rawls also stood up, straightened his black cloak, and walked towards the door.
Seeing Rawls getting up, the young man also stood up hurriedly and followed Rawls inside. But as soon as he reached the door, he was stopped by the bartender.
"Sir, you haven't given the agreed code yet?" The bartender touched his hand to his waist and waved to the crowd.
The young man was stunned, secret code? What secret code?
Seeing someone coming and surrounding him behind him, he panicked a little. He reached into his pocket with one hand, pointed with the other hand at Rawls who had already walked in, and shouted:
"I was with him."
The bartender turned sideways slightly and looked at Rawls who turned to look over.
Rawls sighed, looked at the adventurers who were already looking at him, nodded and said:
"Let him in."
The bartender bowed slightly to Rawls and moved out of the way.
The young man hurriedly caught up and walked in side by side with Rawls. When he saw no one behind him, he lowered his head and said:
"Thank you, my name is Jamil, and I will repay you."
Repay? As long as you don't cause trouble... Rawls thought about it for a while and gave him a warning:
"When you get in, don't talk nonsense."
"no problem."
Hope so!
…
There were more than a dozen candles lit in the room where the extraordinary people gathered, and the gas wall lamps that flashed from time to time provided more light. Twenty or thirty chairs were placed in twos and threes, and the dozen or so people who entered first had already sat down.
The organizer of the party, the boss “cold-faced man” Terrani, stood at the front, his eyes sweeping over every attendee.
Rawls randomly found a chair and sat down, and the young man Jamil also moved a chair and sat next to him. Because the party participants had to arrive at the "Swordfish Bar" in advance, it didn't take long for them to sit down.
The party begins.
Terrani's soft facial features have always been shown with a cold expression, and even his smile is a bit cold:
"Before I begin, I still want to say that all pirates deserve to die!"
He looked around and observed everyone's reaction before announcing the start of the party.
Without a "notary" and a powerful soothsayer, it would be difficult to sell magic potion formulas at such gatherings. Rawls' "Wand of Power" can be used because it incorporates a "notary".
to identify the formula, but he had no interest in the Sequence 9 formula.
Jamil on the side heard someone selling the formula. He was interested at first and seemed to want to take a photo, but after looking at the person for a few times, he gave up buying.
Rawls, who observed his little moves, was also a little puzzled. Can he identify the authenticity of the formula? But he didn't even get the formula. How could he determine whether the person was lying, whether he was a "reasoning student" or a "knowledge keeper"?
"...However, considering this guy's performance, it should not be the case, otherwise it would have been out of control!
After five or six people passed by, Jamil raised his hand and said excitedly:
"I have a clue to a treasure in my hand. Do any of you want to accept my commission and go with me to get the treasure?"
His passionate speech greeted the audience with silence. Rawls lowered his head and wanted to change seats, but the chairs near him had their owners, making his idea in vain.
After a while, when no one responded, the host "cold-faced man" Terrani spoke:
"This is a gathering of extraordinary people. Almost no one will accept a commission here. If you really want to issue this commission, you can write me the commission content and requirements after the party, and I will post it on the blackboard outside."
"Okay." Jamil sat down a little disappointed.
His speech obviously shocked many people, and no one continued to speak. Rawls had to raise his hand and received several pairs of disdainful and expectant eyes.
"I need the eyes of a ghost fox, do you have them?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jamil beside him immediately became energetic:
"I know. I've seen ghost foxes somewhere in books?"
"Cold-faced man" Terrani cast his gaze at the two of them and said in a cold tone:
"Gentlemen, this is not a children's game."
These people have already figured out that the two people who spoke before and after know each other, and this is causing trouble.
Rawls had no choice but to stand up and explain:
"Sorry everyone, he and I just met."
Jamil also reacted and stood up awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
Trani frowned and pointed at the two of them:
"Do you still need to trade?"
"need."
Rawls breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and asked:
"How much payment do you need?"
Jamil, who originally wanted to say it directly, looked at Rawls's eyes and scratched his head:
"I've only seen it in books, but I'm not sure if it's out there. How about 10 baud, uh, 10 pounds?"
Without saying a word, Rawls took out a 10-pound note from his pocket and stuffed it into his hand, pressed his shoulder and sat down.
…
The party was over, and Rawls was no longer interested in buying auxiliary materials. He dragged Jamil out of the Swordfish Bar, found an empty alley, and asked directly:
"Where are the ghost foxes?"
"Well, I'm not sure that place really exists. I've read a lot of books, and some of the things in them are different from what's recorded in the books. I remember that there is an island called Sti between Denos and Olavi.
Ghost foxes have appeared on the island, but I have never been there and don’t know if there are any there.”
"Okay, I understand." Rawls pointed outside the alley, "You can continue your journey."
After saying that, he turned over and crossed the low wall and disappeared into the night.
"Huh?" Jamil looked at the low wall in front of him and took out the 10-pound note from his pocket. "Where are you going? I'm really not sure there are ghost foxes there? You'd better take the money back!"
"
Jamil, who had not waited for a reply for a long time, sighed and took off his mask. He has gray-blue eyes and high cheekbones, which are typical characteristics of Lundborg and Maxi.
He sat down against the wall and stared blankly ahead. After a while, he stamped his feet:
"Romit, come out."
The land in front of him suddenly softened and turned into a "swamp", and a gray stone drilled out, with ancient carving marks on it.
The exposed part is about the size of three adult heads. There are three holes on the side facing Jamil, two small and one big, just like human eyes and mouth.
"Jemiel, do you want to see me if you have anything to do?"
The voice is as soft as a kind mother, but the hole symbolizing its mouth does not open or close, only air flows out.