Chapter 61: The Actions of the Little People
Chapter 61: The Actions of the Little People
163
At 3 pm, the passenger ship entered the waters of the Rorsted Archipelago. Although it was early winter on land, there was still a slight warm breeze on the sea. The ocean is always synonymous with opportunities and chaos. All kinds of people mingled in the city, bringing a lively atmosphere that was completely different from the southern and northern continents.
After the ship docked at the familiar port, Richard Ernst unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, carried his small black suitcase, and slowly got off the ship with the people who had arrived at their destination. Most of the people working in the port were the lower class of the southern continent with dark skin and natives with distinctive clothing styles. They worked under the managers who held canes and wore top hats, and would be criticized or even whipped if they were a little lazy.
The colonists from the northern continent had almost omnipotent privileges here. Even if they killed one or two natives, the worst punishment they would receive was repatriation, and they could even use a little money to get in touch with the people. The bureaucrats in the civilized world would not refuse the opportunity to make money, and the locals would not make enemies with the upper class because of a life. As for the price of compensation... it was so low that the merchants who could come here would not care at all.
Richard was not surprised by all this, but he was not accustomed to it, because once upon a time, he was one of them.
The child of an invader, a half-blood child of Feysac, a colonist father whom he had never met, and a mother who was unable to raise him and was slowly weakening.
The shoe-shining tools in the bag, the mud and vegetable leaves that hit him, the neighbor's aunt and sister who were taken away by slave traders and never seen again, the royal family and the Church of the Bound God who were indifferent to the suffering of the people, and the countries of the northern continent who accused their war of resistance as barbarism.
Richard Ernst sincerely felt that the temperance ideology had begun to become distorted and needed a radical change.
When the Highland Kingdom was still there and the Rose School was still the "Church of the Bound God", as the state orthodox religion, it certainly had the ability to constrain its citizens to live a simple and peaceful life. But now that the Highland Kingdom has been destroyed for decades, it is too foolish to still dream of such a clean life, which is somewhat escapist and self-deceiving.
If you follow the philosophy of "self-control and inner restraint", you must either be able to make others willingly follow you, like the legendary saints, so that even your enemies will be impressed by your character; or you must move yourself. Otherwise, when the enemy's butcher knife falls, when people's cries are heard, when anger and hatred are burning, if you still choose to be restrained, this is escapism.
Otherwise, if you keep restraining yourself, when do you want to explode?
Richard took a deep breath.
Hatred?...No, I have let go of hatred.
Forgive? No, this is a sin that can never be forgiven.
Sure enough, there are always some things that cannot be restrained, such as the desire for freedom, the yearning for dignity, and the love for hometown.
164
The Angel of Temperance wiped his nose with his hand, hired an elderly local as a guide, and asked him to take him to the nearest subsidiary of the Ernst Foundation. The old man was a little intimidated by His civilized and upright manners and tall stature, but He spoke fluent local dialect, which quickly dispelled the old man's defenses and he began to talk to Him in a relaxed manner.
Richard was surprised to learn that the old man had worked in the Ernst Foundation for decades. He could only work as a cook because he had little education. Later, when he was old, he lost his right hand in a robbery attack (the old man shook his empty sleeve). He had no ability to work, and after he was able to take care of himself in the workhouse, he took the initiative to leave and find another way to make a living. Ten years have passed.
Upon hearing that the young man who asked him to lead the way was related to the foundation, the old man's sorrowful face revealed a very faint smile, and the wrinkles between his brows, which were polished with great effort, also smoothed out a little.
"When I was working there, there was a little girl... She particularly liked the food I cooked, ahem..." The old man spoke slowly, his eyes full of memories of the good old days, "She sang very well, and was very lively and active, and had light blue hair. When she smiled, she looked exactly like my missing little daughter..."
Richard thought for a moment and asked with a smile: "Is her name Cosette?"
"It seems... I can't remember clearly." The old man pondered for a moment, then sighed deeply, "Ahem, it's been so many years... If she grew up smoothly, her child should be that big too..."
The two chatted as they walked through the bustling port and city center and came to a two-story building on the outskirts of the city.
"Here we are, sir."
"Thank you for your help." Richard used a little trick to turn the five-pound note into a one-sol note and handed it to the old man.
The old man thanked him and left. Richard looked into the small building and saw the shadow of someone moving in the small yard behind. He called out tentatively: "Mr. Solera? Is that you?"
First, a bald head popped out from behind the wall, then three small heads popped out, and then a middle-aged woman walked out and opened the door for Richard. Then she turned back and reached out and slapped the bald head hard, making a crisp sound like slapping a ripe watermelon.
"…Oh my God, Richard! It's really you, you're back!"
Mr. Solera, who was bald, showed a happy expression on his face. He ran over with his big belly that made people feel safe and gave Richard a big hug. Then he found that he was only as tall as Richard's chest, so he quickly pushed him away and looked him up and down: "You have grown taller again?"
Richard smiled and said, "You said the same thing last time."
"It's good to be young, it's good to be young, and you can grow taller when you are young." Mr. Solera, who was not short but not very safe, was very emotional. He patted the young man on the shoulder and laughed. "How long ago was the last time you left? Three years ago? Five years ago? The girls you sent here have grown up, and only a few children are left to accompany me!"
"By the way, how old are you this year, in your twenties? Since you are here, why not have a couple of drinks with me before you leave!"
"Don't listen to his nonsense." Mrs. Durda complained to her husband and pointed to the children who were hiding behind her and in the small garden and peeking out. "Remember? They were the babies you snatched back from the slave traders. Well, the girls have grown up, married and started their own families, and they come back to see us every year."
"The budget Mr. Garland gave us was enough for us to adopt five children, but we also have a job, so we sponsored a few more... Our eldest son went to Loen to study, graduated two years ago, and now he is back to work for Sino-Sonia Company. It's a very respectable job, and we are already planning a marriage for him. Oh, we also have a little son..." Richard listened with a smile. Mr. Solera, who has always lacked patience for his wife's chatter, cheered and returned to the backyard to play with the children. The management of institutions at sea is different from that of the northern continent, because the flow of people in the city is too large and too chaotic. Too many vulnerable people gathered together can easily become the target of human traffickers and vicious people.
Therefore, there are almost no orphanages or poorhouses in the true sense. Instead, families adopt and sponsor the lives of children. Not providing accommodation for all children can save a lot of expenses, but it also cannot guarantee the safety of children to a certain extent. There is no other way.
"Which one is your youngest son?" Richard asked.
Mr. Solera laughed and gathered all the children together with his arms: "All of them!"
"Stop it." Mrs. Durda couldn't help laughing and pointed at one of the children whose hair was slightly reddish. "This is our child."
"He's very cute." Richard looked at the shy little boy seriously and smiled, "He will definitely become an outstanding person."
"Since you are here, why not have dinner before you leave? I will treat you with the wine and pickled meat I brewed myself!" Mr. Solera said quickly, "If you like, come and tell the children stories. I am also curious about where you have been all these years and what you are doing back this time."
165
Maria knocked on the door of Isengard Stanton's house. A man who looked like an apprentice in a brown vest poked his head out cautiously. Seeing that it was a lady, his expression and tone softened: "Hello?"
"Hello, I have a commission and would like to see Mr. Stanton."
The apprentice nodded and turned to close the door. After a while, he opened the door again and made a gesture to invite Maria in: "Mr. Stanton has no schedule now, ma'am, you can come in and talk in detail."
Maria was delighted and hurried in. She quickly tidied up her appearance and clutched the file bag in her hand. She had disguised herself today, covering the most representative scar on her face, dyed her hair, changed into a skirt and high heels, and looked like a graceful young beauty. No one would associate her with the agile and fierce lawyer principal in the East District. Isinger was waiting in the reception room. Seeing the guest coming, the old man stood up to greet him. The two simply greeted each other and looked at each other. Maria took the initiative to explain her purpose:
"Mr. Stanton, I've heard of your great name for a long time. I'd like to ask you to help me investigate a matter..." The apprentice brought hot tea and took out a few sheets of paper from the file bag in her hand and spread them out on the coffee table. "I'm a businessman, doing simple processing business. I have a processing plant in the East District. But Mr. Kapin used some improper means to rob my goods and beat up my workers. He demanded a ransom from me, otherwise he threatened that I would never be able to do business again."
"I was going to report this to the Sivellas Field, but the case could not be accepted because there was no evidence. The deadline set by Kapin is coming soon, so I would like to entrust you, a famous private detective, to help me with some investigations... These are photos of the workers I have disappeared. I suspect they were detained by Kapin. I hope you can help me find where they are being held. I want them to return to their families."
Isengard frowned slightly, and read the archive documents provided by Maria attentively, but he did not say a word, but slowly exhaled thin white smoke through his pipe.
Maria waited quietly, and finally heard Isengard speak: "I'm sorry, ma'am, I can't accept this commission."
"I understand your concerns. Capin has a large number of manpower in the East District. I don't mind you distributing this commission to more detectives. I... I have sufficient funds and can reduce the risks for you." Maria touched the account and check in her pocket. She felt heartbroken, but she felt confident.
"That's not the case, ma'am... You want to rescue your workers, and I am touched by your kindness, but Kapin has been entrenched in the East District for too long. Even the police dare not act rashly. There is very little that we private detectives can do."
Isengard politely refused.
"No, sir. I just hope you can find out a little bit about the structure of his house. Any method will do..." Maria's voice was a little dry. "Even if it's just the shift changes of the members inside the mansion... it's fine... I must bring them back."
"Ma'am, I really want to help you, but this is beyond my ability. You should call the police instead of asking the detective for help."
Isengard sighed and emphasized the police, trying to hint to the lady opposite not to try to play tricks with Kapin, who had a deep background and connections and secret support. But in order not to make the lady sad and desperate, he still comforted her: "But Emperor Roselle said: Wherever you go, you will leave traces. Kapin did these things, so he must have left a lot of clues. Maybe you need to wait patiently. As long as you find evidence, you will definitely be able to bring him to justice."
Of course I know... Haha, this incident actually happened in April last year, and the case has not been filed yet because there is no evidence. If I hadn't personally gone and snatched the person back, the grass on his grave would probably be one meter high by now...! Maria forced a smile, and the two of them practiced Tai Chi for a while. She knew she couldn't convince Isengard, so she had to say goodbye.
After leaving Isengard's house, Maria looked at the list of detectives on hand, Stuart, Kaslana, Moriarty... She immediately felt that her future was bleak: if even the strongest Esengard Stanton refused because he was worried about the power behind the other party, then other small detectives in their own names would be even less likely to agree. What's more, Maria herself would not conceal the news or use intimidation or inducement for her own purpose.
Even if the heads of other cities came, it wouldn't necessarily help, as they were all at Sequence 6 or even lower. The only person who could possibly help was Mr. Garland, the "gatekeeper" of the Rorsted Islands, but it would take several days for him to arrive, and it was hard to predict what would happen during that time.
What should I do...
TBC
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"My son works for the East India Company. It's a very respectable job..."
In the transition chapter, I was planning to skip the plot where Klein Sharon and the others fight against the Rose School, but it seemed like that wasn't the right approach.
I'll post one tonight (I'm going to research what the VIP chapter is), and I'll update as usual at 12:30 tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)