Bakerland East, a crossroads.
Mike Joseph saw many children wearing tattered clothes and looking pity on the street, so he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and planned to go over and give them some pennies.
However, his actions were stopped by the former homeless old Kohler:
Those are thieves!
Thief?Where are their parents?Or are they all controlled by gangsters?As a senior journalist, although Mike has never been to the East Side, he also vaguely heard that there are several gangs here that control the burglary or begging for street children.
parents?They either have no parents, or their parents have been thieves, or they are still doing it now. Of course, Mr. Reporter, you are right. Many of them are indeed controlled by gangs. It is said that those gangs will also teach them how to steal. For example, hanging a gentleman's coat on the wall, putting a handkerchief in his pocket, and hanging a pocket watch outside. Through repeated practice, they can steal the handkerchief without shaking. Haha, this is what I heard in the workhouse when I was a homeless man.Old Kohler said in a silly manner, I remember the youngest thief I had caught on this street, only six years old, hey, six years old...
He seemed to remember the child he had lost due to illness, and couldn't help but take out a wrinkled cigarette from his pocket, but he didn't want to suck it, just sniffing it.
Six years old... Mike was shocked by this number and couldn't help but feel relieved.
After listening quietly, Klein sighed:
This is the East District.
He looked around and adjusted his emotions:
It is closer to the jungle than to human society.
Our interviews should be treated as an adventure, both to avoid dangerous creatures’ territory and to stay away from small things that don’t seem to cause much harm to you, well, I mean mosquitoes in the jungle.
Mike, if you expose the thickness of your wallet in front of those kids, even if you protect it well and don’t let them steal it, you will encounter a doomed robbery in the following adventure. If you dare to resist, maybe one more corpse floating in the Tassok River will be tomorrow morning.
Mr. Detective, you are right!There are so many people in the East District, and there are so many missing every day, no one cares.Old Kohler agreed.
Mike listened with a calm expression, and was silent for a few seconds, and suddenly said:
1.35 million.
Ah?Klein's throat was obviously hoarse due to a cold.
Mike walks forward:
This is the preliminary count of the population in the East District.
But I know, it is definitely much more than that.
so much?Old Kohler was startled.
Although he had experienced the day and night in the East District and had intuitively known that there were many residents here, he did not expect that it could be as many as this level.
This is several times the population of Tingen... Klein subconsciously compared the most familiar places.
He looked at the intersection a few steps away and said:
Where will we go next?
Old Kohler looked up and said:
Never go straight, that block is controlled by the Zmange Party. They are very vicious and completely unreasonable. If you find a reporter interview, you will definitely beat us!
Zmange Party?
Isn’t this the mindless gangster who caused my loss of 10,000 pounds?
He is still an executor, um, I don’t remember his name anymore... Fortunately, the 10,000 pounds were finally exchanged for the potion formula of Sequence 7, Sequence 6 and Sequence 5, corresponding to the Diviner, for the Eye of the All Black, for the mission of Ambassador Intis... I don’t know which force finally got the manuscript about the third generation differential machine... Klein suddenly recalled what happened at the beginning of last month.
Zmange Party?That gangster consisting mainly of plateau people?Mike asked thoughtfully.
Mr. Reporter, have you heard of them?Old Kohler said in surprise
Mike shouted:
They were involved in many cases and had some reputation outside the East District. It is said that members were involved in an Intis spy case.
...The person next to you is the party involved, the person who reported the case, the victim... Krain added silently.
You decent gentlemen all know the Zmange party, why don’t the police arrest them all?Old Kohler asked with the mind of the lower class.
Mike's expression suddenly became a little ugly and he coughed twice:
Those who have done the case can only be arrested, and the rest cannot be arrested without evidence. Moreover, the East District is so large and the population is so large, it is difficult to find anyone who wants to hide it.
As he spoke, he sighed:
It is easy to destroy a Zmange party, but as long as the plateau people come to Beckland, as long as they still retain the tradition of being brave and fierce, and have no other way to make a living, it is only a matter of time before the new Zmange party emerges.
This is a complex social problem... Klein pointed to the left and right sides:
Pick one side.
Old Kohler looked at the street to the right:
The Huili Party is active there. As long as you don’t mess with girls doing that on the street and in the bar, well, they will not notice it. Haha, it’s morning, there will be no problem, they are still sleeping.
The word Huili means an illegal person in Ruen's language. The gangster who took this name can be said to be quite self-aware.
Klein and Mike had no objection to this and, led by the guide, entered the block.
The buildings here are relatively good, and the environment on the street is not so dirty. The air is filled with the smell of food and beverages such as oyster soup, fried meat fish, ginger beer and other foods left by street vendors and the fishy smell of fish and aquatic products left by the street vendors.
Walking here, Klein felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if he had returned to Tingen City, back to Iron Cross, and back to the street outside the apartment where he originally lived.
The only difference is that Beckland is closer to the sea and has more developed transportation, so there are quite a lot of sea fish here.
It is the better apartment nearby. I have wandered around several times before and found that the gentlemen and ladies inside were dressed relatively well, well, relatively clean.Old Kohler pointed to a pale yellow three-story building.
The three of them moved closer and found a sign hanging at the door of the apartment with pocket watches, wall clocks and screwdrivers on them, with words such as repairing clocks and other words.
Is there a watch craftsman living here?Klein digs out a similar scene from the original owner's memory fragments.
At that time, Benson, Melissa and he went to a similar place to repair the silver pocket watch left by his father, but the item was repaired several times and broke quickly, until Melissa tinkered with it and became the most decent thing on Klein during that period.
After Klein passed away, this pocket watch with both money and emotion was not buried.
It should be the one who belongs to Benson now, right?I wonder if he would think of me every time he took out that pocket watch... Klein suddenly blinked and outlined the corners of his mouth.
It should be.Mike wasn't sure.
If there is a problem with his pocket watch, it is usually sent to the original watch shop, which will be assigned to the subordinate repairman or entrusted to the long-term cooperation craftsman.
As soon as they entered the apartment, they saw a middle-aged man with a beard.
The gentleman just came out of the bathroom and was about to return to the room. When he found three strangers coming in, he hurriedly asked:
Need to repair the clock?
What a coincidence... I met that craftsman directly... Klein felt a little strange.
Mike took out his pocket watch and smiled:
Yes, my pocket watch has been unable to walk accurately recently, so please help me take a look.
He did not reveal his identity and planned to conduct an interview by casual chat.
The middle-aged man immediately smiled, led them into a two-bedroom apartment with a half-closed door, pointed to the chair next to the wooden table and said:
You guys wait a moment, I'll get the tools.
Your tools are not at home?Mike asked in surprise.
The watch craftsman shook his head and smiled:
How is that possible?
A set of tools is very expensive, and I can't afford it myself. I can only raise money and buy three or four sets, and use them whoever has a business. So we moved to one piece, haha, this is more convenient. If the distance is too far, we have to spend extra time and public carriage fees to borrow tools.
He said as he walked out the door and walked to the side.
It turned out that it was not a coincidence that we met a watch craftsman. Many residents here were watch craftsmen... Klein suddenly realized.
Old Kohler looked at the room and said enviously:
Before I got sick, I lived in this kind of place. My wife would sew clothes for others at home, two children, two children...
Mike sighed and lowered his voice:
I thought watch craftsmen were very rich.
So... Klein pinched his nose.
…………
After a cordial exchange with several residents in the apartment, Klein and others embarked on an adventure again.
After walking for about a hundred meters, they suddenly heard someone quarreling on the street.
The two ladies greeted each other in various vulgar languages, allowing Klein to learn a lot of words he had never heard of before.
The reason for their quarrel was that the woman on the left accused the woman on the right of making the environment in her apartment very dirty and making noise. The woman on the right scolded the woman on the left, believing that this was her own problem and that no one asked her to attract customers at night and sleep during the day.
That's a female washer?Mike frowned slightly and asked.
Yes, I know her, she is a widow, taking her two daughters to help others with her clothes.Old Kohler made a positive reply.
Mike thought for a few seconds and said:
Take me to see their house.
Old Kohler nodded and led the two around the quarrel scene and entered a dilapidated house that was obviously not as good as the apartment just now.
As soon as he arrived outside the washbasketress's room, Klein immediately felt the dampness.
There were dresses after dresses hanging inside. A girl of seventeen or eighteen years old was squatting in front of a big basin, washing foamy things. The girl younger than her was holding a hot soldering iron wrapped in moist linen, carefully handling the items that had been washed and dried. Her movements were cautious, as if she had been scalded many times by steam.
This is both their workplace and their sleeping place at night. The moist water vapor permeates the room and soaks their bodies.
In addition, the foul odor mixed with various odors is so obvious.
Don't you feel uncomfortable?Mike pinched his nose.
Klein replied in a muffled voice:
I've caught a cold...
His words didn't have any smiles.
Mike let go of his fingers, walked into the room, and said to the two surprised girls:
I am a reporter and I want to interview a female pulp washing worker.
The girl who was rubbing her clothes shook her head numbly:
We have a lot to do and we cannot delay.
Mike's interview request was rejected.
He came out with a heavy expression and walked back to the street silently.
After looking at it, he pursed his lips and said:
Let's continue.
…………
In Silver City, Derickberg, who had audible hallucination, was taken to the bottom of the round tower after detailed inspection.
Here shelter residents with signs of out-of-control and try to save them in various ways.
Walking in the gloomy and dim aisle, he suddenly felt a little chilled.
Help!
A closed room suddenly screamed.
save……
The sound came to an abrupt end and was quiet around.
Mike Joseph saw many children wearing tattered clothes and looking pity on the street, so he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and planned to go over and give them some pennies.
However, his actions were stopped by the former homeless old Kohler:
Those are thieves!
Thief?Where are their parents?Or are they all controlled by gangsters?As a senior journalist, although Mike has never been to the East Side, he also vaguely heard that there are several gangs here that control the burglary or begging for street children.
parents?They either have no parents, or their parents have been thieves, or they are still doing it now. Of course, Mr. Reporter, you are right. Many of them are indeed controlled by gangs. It is said that those gangs will also teach them how to steal. For example, hanging a gentleman's coat on the wall, putting a handkerchief in his pocket, and hanging a pocket watch outside. Through repeated practice, they can steal the handkerchief without shaking. Haha, this is what I heard in the workhouse when I was a homeless man.Old Kohler said in a silly manner, I remember the youngest thief I had caught on this street, only six years old, hey, six years old...
He seemed to remember the child he had lost due to illness, and couldn't help but take out a wrinkled cigarette from his pocket, but he didn't want to suck it, just sniffing it.
Six years old... Mike was shocked by this number and couldn't help but feel relieved.
After listening quietly, Klein sighed:
This is the East District.
He looked around and adjusted his emotions:
It is closer to the jungle than to human society.
Our interviews should be treated as an adventure, both to avoid dangerous creatures’ territory and to stay away from small things that don’t seem to cause much harm to you, well, I mean mosquitoes in the jungle.
Mike, if you expose the thickness of your wallet in front of those kids, even if you protect it well and don’t let them steal it, you will encounter a doomed robbery in the following adventure. If you dare to resist, maybe one more corpse floating in the Tassok River will be tomorrow morning.
Mr. Detective, you are right!There are so many people in the East District, and there are so many missing every day, no one cares.Old Kohler agreed.
Mike listened with a calm expression, and was silent for a few seconds, and suddenly said:
1.35 million.
Ah?Klein's throat was obviously hoarse due to a cold.
Mike walks forward:
This is the preliminary count of the population in the East District.
But I know, it is definitely much more than that.
so much?Old Kohler was startled.
Although he had experienced the day and night in the East District and had intuitively known that there were many residents here, he did not expect that it could be as many as this level.
This is several times the population of Tingen... Klein subconsciously compared the most familiar places.
He looked at the intersection a few steps away and said:
Where will we go next?
Old Kohler looked up and said:
Never go straight, that block is controlled by the Zmange Party. They are very vicious and completely unreasonable. If you find a reporter interview, you will definitely beat us!
Zmange Party?
Isn’t this the mindless gangster who caused my loss of 10,000 pounds?
He is still an executor, um, I don’t remember his name anymore... Fortunately, the 10,000 pounds were finally exchanged for the potion formula of Sequence 7, Sequence 6 and Sequence 5, corresponding to the Diviner, for the Eye of the All Black, for the mission of Ambassador Intis... I don’t know which force finally got the manuscript about the third generation differential machine... Klein suddenly recalled what happened at the beginning of last month.
Zmange Party?That gangster consisting mainly of plateau people?Mike asked thoughtfully.
Mr. Reporter, have you heard of them?Old Kohler said in surprise
Mike shouted:
They were involved in many cases and had some reputation outside the East District. It is said that members were involved in an Intis spy case.
...The person next to you is the party involved, the person who reported the case, the victim... Krain added silently.
You decent gentlemen all know the Zmange party, why don’t the police arrest them all?Old Kohler asked with the mind of the lower class.
Mike's expression suddenly became a little ugly and he coughed twice:
Those who have done the case can only be arrested, and the rest cannot be arrested without evidence. Moreover, the East District is so large and the population is so large, it is difficult to find anyone who wants to hide it.
As he spoke, he sighed:
It is easy to destroy a Zmange party, but as long as the plateau people come to Beckland, as long as they still retain the tradition of being brave and fierce, and have no other way to make a living, it is only a matter of time before the new Zmange party emerges.
This is a complex social problem... Klein pointed to the left and right sides:
Pick one side.
Old Kohler looked at the street to the right:
The Huili Party is active there. As long as you don’t mess with girls doing that on the street and in the bar, well, they will not notice it. Haha, it’s morning, there will be no problem, they are still sleeping.
The word Huili means an illegal person in Ruen's language. The gangster who took this name can be said to be quite self-aware.
Klein and Mike had no objection to this and, led by the guide, entered the block.
The buildings here are relatively good, and the environment on the street is not so dirty. The air is filled with the smell of food and beverages such as oyster soup, fried meat fish, ginger beer and other foods left by street vendors and the fishy smell of fish and aquatic products left by the street vendors.
Walking here, Klein felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if he had returned to Tingen City, back to Iron Cross, and back to the street outside the apartment where he originally lived.
The only difference is that Beckland is closer to the sea and has more developed transportation, so there are quite a lot of sea fish here.
It is the better apartment nearby. I have wandered around several times before and found that the gentlemen and ladies inside were dressed relatively well, well, relatively clean.Old Kohler pointed to a pale yellow three-story building.
The three of them moved closer and found a sign hanging at the door of the apartment with pocket watches, wall clocks and screwdrivers on them, with words such as repairing clocks and other words.
Is there a watch craftsman living here?Klein digs out a similar scene from the original owner's memory fragments.
At that time, Benson, Melissa and he went to a similar place to repair the silver pocket watch left by his father, but the item was repaired several times and broke quickly, until Melissa tinkered with it and became the most decent thing on Klein during that period.
After Klein passed away, this pocket watch with both money and emotion was not buried.
It should be the one who belongs to Benson now, right?I wonder if he would think of me every time he took out that pocket watch... Klein suddenly blinked and outlined the corners of his mouth.
It should be.Mike wasn't sure.
If there is a problem with his pocket watch, it is usually sent to the original watch shop, which will be assigned to the subordinate repairman or entrusted to the long-term cooperation craftsman.
As soon as they entered the apartment, they saw a middle-aged man with a beard.
The gentleman just came out of the bathroom and was about to return to the room. When he found three strangers coming in, he hurriedly asked:
Need to repair the clock?
What a coincidence... I met that craftsman directly... Klein felt a little strange.
Mike took out his pocket watch and smiled:
Yes, my pocket watch has been unable to walk accurately recently, so please help me take a look.
He did not reveal his identity and planned to conduct an interview by casual chat.
The middle-aged man immediately smiled, led them into a two-bedroom apartment with a half-closed door, pointed to the chair next to the wooden table and said:
You guys wait a moment, I'll get the tools.
Your tools are not at home?Mike asked in surprise.
The watch craftsman shook his head and smiled:
How is that possible?
A set of tools is very expensive, and I can't afford it myself. I can only raise money and buy three or four sets, and use them whoever has a business. So we moved to one piece, haha, this is more convenient. If the distance is too far, we have to spend extra time and public carriage fees to borrow tools.
He said as he walked out the door and walked to the side.
It turned out that it was not a coincidence that we met a watch craftsman. Many residents here were watch craftsmen... Klein suddenly realized.
Old Kohler looked at the room and said enviously:
Before I got sick, I lived in this kind of place. My wife would sew clothes for others at home, two children, two children...
Mike sighed and lowered his voice:
I thought watch craftsmen were very rich.
So... Klein pinched his nose.
…………
After a cordial exchange with several residents in the apartment, Klein and others embarked on an adventure again.
After walking for about a hundred meters, they suddenly heard someone quarreling on the street.
The two ladies greeted each other in various vulgar languages, allowing Klein to learn a lot of words he had never heard of before.
The reason for their quarrel was that the woman on the left accused the woman on the right of making the environment in her apartment very dirty and making noise. The woman on the right scolded the woman on the left, believing that this was her own problem and that no one asked her to attract customers at night and sleep during the day.
That's a female washer?Mike frowned slightly and asked.
Yes, I know her, she is a widow, taking her two daughters to help others with her clothes.Old Kohler made a positive reply.
Mike thought for a few seconds and said:
Take me to see their house.
Old Kohler nodded and led the two around the quarrel scene and entered a dilapidated house that was obviously not as good as the apartment just now.
As soon as he arrived outside the washbasketress's room, Klein immediately felt the dampness.
There were dresses after dresses hanging inside. A girl of seventeen or eighteen years old was squatting in front of a big basin, washing foamy things. The girl younger than her was holding a hot soldering iron wrapped in moist linen, carefully handling the items that had been washed and dried. Her movements were cautious, as if she had been scalded many times by steam.
This is both their workplace and their sleeping place at night. The moist water vapor permeates the room and soaks their bodies.
In addition, the foul odor mixed with various odors is so obvious.
Don't you feel uncomfortable?Mike pinched his nose.
Klein replied in a muffled voice:
I've caught a cold...
His words didn't have any smiles.
Mike let go of his fingers, walked into the room, and said to the two surprised girls:
I am a reporter and I want to interview a female pulp washing worker.
The girl who was rubbing her clothes shook her head numbly:
We have a lot to do and we cannot delay.
Mike's interview request was rejected.
He came out with a heavy expression and walked back to the street silently.
After looking at it, he pursed his lips and said:
Let's continue.
…………
In Silver City, Derickberg, who had audible hallucination, was taken to the bottom of the round tower after detailed inspection.
Here shelter residents with signs of out-of-control and try to save them in various ways.
Walking in the gloomy and dim aisle, he suddenly felt a little chilled.
Help!
A closed room suddenly screamed.
save……
The sound came to an abrupt end and was quiet around.
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