Lord of the Mysteries Chapter 1: Land of Hope
Remember [lnmao.org] in one second, fast update, no pop-up window, free to read!
Wū !
The sound of the whistle echoed in every corner of the platform. The huge monster-like steam train dragged more than twenty cars and stopped slowly.
Wearing a tuxedo dress, Klein wearing half-height silk top hat carrying an exaggerated suitcase that does not match his size, he steadily stepped on the ground of Ruen Kingdom capital Beckland.
The city is divided into two parts diagonally by River of Tasok, which flows into the southeast estuary. It is connected by a Beckland bridge and a ferry boat. It has a population of more than five million and is the most prosperous city of southern continent and northern continent.
Klein looked very far and saw light yellow mist everywhere. The visibility was extremely poor. The gas lamp hanging on the platform was lit up one by one, dispersing the gloom and dimness.
"It's only half past six? It's like nine o'clock ten ..." Klein shook his head slightly invisible, and suddenly remembered a joke I saw on "Tasok newspaper":
"A gentleman who just arrived at Beckland lost his way in the thick smog. He had to ask the gentleman who was passing by and wet, and asked the other party" How to get to River of Tasok ", the gentleman answered very kindly : 'Go straight, don't stop, I just swam up from there. "(Note 1)
Every time I read a Beckland newspaper or magazine, the reporters and editors are ridiculing the air pollution here, ridiculing more and more foggy days ... Previously, "Beckland Daily" also made a special statistics It is said that similar weather has increased from about 60 days 30 years ago to the current 75 days ... For this reason, many people of insight have established organizations such as the "Smoke Emissions Reduction Association" and the "Fume Emissions Reduction Association". ... It is said that one of the September motions was to propose the establishment of "Kingdom Air Pollution Investagatory Committee" ... Klein put down the huge suitcase and reached out and pinched the nose to ease the sudden discomfort.
Then, he pulled a gold watch out of the vest pocket along the gold bracelet, snapped it open, glanced at it, and confirmed the time.
After really saying goodbye to his brother and sister, Klein went to the department store deliberately, bought a gold pocket watch for 4 pounds 10shilling, and equipped with a gold chain of 1 pound 5shilling.
—— For him, not being able to grasp the specific and clear time at all times will cause panic.
Originally, Klein planned to buy a silver pocket watch, which felt that it was in line with his temperament, but considering the true meaning of Clown, he finally chose a more flamboyant and exaggerated gold watch.
"6:39 ... it's not too late ..." Klein figured out his pocket watch, put on his cane and suitcase, followed the crowd, and slowly walked out of the steam train station.
Suddenly, he turned a corner without warning, and someone quietly followed, reaching for his hand to his pocket.
Klein didn't care about this episode, and along the cement paved avenue, mixed with the crowd, and walked to the front intersection.
There are street lawns and gardens, which are surrounded by a pillar that rises like a chimney.
"No, it might be a chimney ..." Klein saw the thick smoke that was thinly sprayed from the top of the pillar.
Some of this smoke floated high into the sky, and some turned into tiny water droplets, spilling around.
Klein paused again, put down the suitcase, and unfolded the newspaper and map in the other hand.
—— When riding the steam train, he had already planned where to go next and what to do.
The experience of this time and the mood experience pretending to be Clown in the morning, let Klein finally realize the true meaning of Clown, that is, although I can predict the destiny slightly, I still feel helpless about the destiny, so I use a smiley face to cover up all the sadness , Pain, confusion and depression ".
At that moment, he clearly felt the digestion of Clown magical medicine. I believe that if he continues to play like this, it will not take long before he can try to be promoted.
But the problem is that he still does n’t know what the corresponding Sequence Seven magical medicine is called, let alone the specific formula.
"How do I get formula? Secret Religious Order rarely appears. They seem to be only interested in item of Antigonus family ... This is also the reason why others have little understanding of them. Well ... consider two aspects, one is to contact the local Extraordinary circle, see if you can find clues. The second is to take the initiative to use the treasures of Antigonus family as a bait to catch the people of Secret Religious Order. After all, I hold the strange vertical pupil composed of many mysterious symbols. "
"But this is too risky and must be cautious enough. The bait should not be too 'good', nor 'poor', too 'poor', others will not be interested, too 'good' is easy to catch huge Shark, I can swallow my giant shark in one bite ... Secret Religious Order's leader Zarath has directed the Great Emperor Russel's characters, maybe he also won the biggest cake of the era transformation feast ... Of course, he may not be able to live to the present, this is all It was almost two hundred years ago ... "
The thoughts were mixed. Klein felt the coldness of Beckland and couldn't help shivering, and decided to find a place to live as soon as possible.
Turning the newspaper, he browsed the rental housing version again and saw the circled article before:
"Chowod District 15 Minsk Street ... townhouse ... weekly rent 18shilling ..."
Klein has repeatedly thought about where he lives. Although Beckland has a population of more than five million, he still has to beware of the possibility of encountering local Night Watcher-whether it is the newly transferred Daly here or before Lolta, Ayre, Hasen and Borgia belonging to Beckland will definitely recognize him.
So, Klein excludes northern district where Goddess of the Night church Beckland church headquarters "Church of Saint Samuel" is located, and excludes Queen District and western district, which have the best security and the strictest supervision-these two districts belong to nobles and top rich merchants, while the former prefers Queen District.
Excluding a few factory areas, dock district, the eastern district and Beckland bridge district domains where the poor gather, Klein has few options, one is the Beckland stock exchange, clearing house, futures center, seven major bank headquarters, and various trusts Funds, various railway companies, Hillston District of various bulk goods trading companies, it is called the economic, commercial and financial center of Ruen Kingdom, the second is Chowod District with many small companies and many residences.
People in these two districts are very large, the public security is relatively good, and it is easy to hide. Klein chose Chowod District, which is cheaper, after careful consideration.
—— The reason why he did not look for organizations such as the “Metropolitan Housing Improvement Association” and the “Metropolitan Working Class Housing Improvement Company” is because these require certain identity certificates, which he cannot currently provide.
"If you can't rent a house successfully today, find a small hotel that doesn't need identification. Temporarily stay ..." Klein gathers things in his hand, puts his suitcase on, and follows the map's instructions to a place that looks like the door of a department store. Go.
That is the entrance to the Beckland subway.
Yes, subway!
When Klein first saw the term "subway" in newspapers and magazines, it was really shocking. I didn't expect this kind of transportation to become a reality before entering the electric era.
It was born twenty-five years ago. It was first connected to both sides of River of Tasok. Now it has expanded to the main urban area. Of course, there are not many sites.
Through the gate, Klein followed the people in front and walked towards the ticket office step by step.
After a few minutes in line, he finally saw a beautiful blonde ticket seller.
The girl did not look up and pointed to the price wooden sign hanging near the window:
"The peak period (7 AM to 9 AM, 6 PM to 9 PM) runs every 10 minutes, the remaining 15 minutes, 6 pence in the first class, 4 pence in the second class, 3 pence in the third class, round trips are 9, 6, 5 pence, annual ticket It ’s 8 pounds for the first class, 5 pounds 10shilling for the second class, and no annual ticket for the third class. "
It ’s cheaper than I thought ... There is no distance limit ... Melissa definitely likes this better than the carriage, but this is the crystallization of the machinery ... Klein thought about it and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
He showed a big smile, took out 4 bronze penny and handed it to the ticket clerk:
"Second Class."
Pap! The ticket seller tore a ticket, stamped it and handed it to Klein.
After finding the line to Chowod District, after passing a less stringent inspection, Klein descended the stairs and quickly came to the platform. According to the ground signs, I found the corresponding position of the second-class seat.
Woo Wū !
It did n’t take long for him to hear the reverberating sound, like the sound of thunderous whistle. Seeing a huge steam locomotive bursting through the gas lamps on both sides with a sense of power, kuāng dāng kuāng dāng stopped.
Its huge shape, winding body, black iron color and complicated machinery are mixed together, and it has a unique beauty.
The Beckland subway still uses steam trains. Under the unique design, the thin smoke emitted through the upper pipe enters the chimney and runs to the outside world.
This is the "real use" of lawns and gardens in the heart of the street.
In the sound of metal friction, Klein waited for the passengers in front to come down, then took the cane and the suitcase, walked up slowly, and accepted the flight attendant's ticket.
Different from the third-class seat, the second-class seat is one person, don't worry about being robbed. Klein just sat down, put the suitcase, leaned on the cane, and heard a rapid footstep.
He turned his head subconsciously to the door, and saw a thin boy with a green face hurrying into the carriage.
The boy was wearing an age-old coat, a dome hat, and a worn satchel with his head buried low.
"I'm sorry, I got in the wrong car, I'm a third-class seat ..." He showed off the ticket, apologized to the flight attendant, and hurried towards the third-class car.
Klein looks back, confirms his destination again, and waits for the door to close.
At this moment, he heard another messy and rapid footsteps, and then saw several men in black coats and half-height top hat rushing into the car.
Chasing the 15-16 boy just now? Klein came up with such an idea intuitively.
He shook his head slightly and continued to read his newspapers and maps, which was no different from other passengers in the carriage.
Note 1: This joke comes from a previous British magazine, "Clumsy."