Chapter 67 Maria's Request
Chapter 67 Maria's Request
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Edward turned into an alley and suddenly forgot what he was going to do next.
“…” He pressed his hands on his temples, and a second later, a greeting was inserted into his mind along with his previous thoughts.
Edward raised his head slightly and looked into the distance, only to see a crow with black eyes and white circles standing on the rooftop dozens of meters away. After being looked at by him, the crow fell directly from the rooftop and fell out of his sight.
"Amon." Edward said to the air, "Are you here to avenge your brother?"
"No, I have no intention of fighting you. I just came to see what the "devil" that can make the paranoid suffer two losses looks like."
Before he finished speaking, an Amon wearing a monocle and wearing clothes in the style of the Southern Continent turned out from the corner of the street, holding a glass of flavored fruit drink that was hissing and steaming. An Amon wearing the clothes of a typist from the Central Sonia Company also ran over, with his sleeves folded to his elbows and a dozen documents in his arms. The white cat with dark circles under its eyes dozing on the wall, the two birds flying to the clothesline in the distance, and countless insects all looked over.
"You've seen it. You can disappear from my sight."
"There is one more thing. You were able to defeat Adam's Sequence 1 clone in the space of consciousness. This is incredible."
Amon, the leader, was a Sequence 4 "Deception Instructor". With his ability to escape and the powerful resurrection technology of this path, he was not very panicked. Moreover, there was a Sequence clone behind him, so he could always run away if he couldn't defeat them. So he took a sip of his drink leisurely and continued, "I don't work for paranoid people, I'm just curious."
"Okay, I'll tell you."
After confirming that Amon's real body was not here and that there was only one Sequence 3 and one Sequence 4 at most, Edward's already low level of vigilance was further reduced. Amon, who was dressed in the Southern Continent, was stunned for a moment, but Edward did not intend to wait for him to speak and answered directly:
"Because I am a god from outer space."
"I am a decadent king of the Old Ones. I came here because of the initial awakening, for the source substance and to witness the fate of this planet's destruction. Amon, to meet the Death Star, you have to pay the price of your life."
What language is this? It's not any existing language... This name is... Sequence 3 Amon suddenly froze, his body trembling violently, his eyes, fingers, drink, flesh and blood fell to the ground in a pile, covered with links and a little bit of obscure light. The bird in the distance exploded on the spot, blood all over the ground, and the white cat on the wall fled in panic, but was pierced by a branch and was sucked dry in an instant, turning into a thin piece of fur fluttering in the wind.
In two seconds, all the Amons who were listening to their conversation in the entire city lost their lives. Only the typist holding the document closed his hearing the moment he heard "OK" and became the only survivor. He took a deep breath with an ugly expression.
Seeing the Outer God looking at him, the typist forced a smile on his face with difficulty, bowed slightly, and lowered his head: "...at your disposal."
180
With the previous experience of being approached silently in the cafe, Klein was slightly more alert. He then noticed that Maria had come back at some point and was following them at a safe distance of about ten meters, seemingly observing their investigation from behind.
Is it because he is worried about us? But we are just ordinary reporters. There is no need to monitor us so vigilantly, right? Klein thought about it. He and Mike did come here for an interview. Mike is also a kind reporter. He is not afraid of his own shadow. He just pretends not to know.
Cough!
Mike took out a handkerchief, covered his mouth with it, and coughed several times.
The fog in the factory area was thicker than in other places. The air was gray with yellow, as if dust was floating, and occasionally it would emit a pungent and pungent smell. Although the air quality in the entire Backlund was very poor, the city area was still far inferior to this place. The pungent smell was unbearable for the reporter who had long been accustomed to the air in Backlund.
He turned to Klein, who was also coughing, and said, "I have always supported the government's establishment of the Kingdom's Air Pollution Investigation Committee and the establishment of the Alkali Industry Prosecutor, but I only realized today that the problem has become so serious."
"If effective measures are not taken, it may lead to tragedy in the future." Klein tried hard to clear his blocked nose.
Perhaps the entire Backlund would be shrouded in fog with a visual range of no more than five meters, and the evil god might very well descend, or be born, in such a scene... he added silently.
Old Kohler didn't quite understand their conversation, so he cleared his throat, which was thick with phlegm, and led the reporter and the detective to bypass the guards and sneak into a lead white factory. The workers here were mainly female workers, who were busy working without any protective measures, and the factory was filled with obvious dust.
Looking at the "small particles" suspended and floating in the air, Klein seemed to see poison gas, and the young women without masks were like lambs to be slaughtered. He seemed to have witnessed the future of the female workers here. Some of them had headaches, some had blurred vision, some became hysterical, and some had blue lines on their gums. In the end, they either became blind or died soon.
Mike whispered in shock and anger: "How can this be?"
"How could they do this?"
"Lead poisoning has been discussed intensively in various newspapers and magazines some time ago, but they didn't take any precautions at all?"
“You can’t even bear to give up a mask?”
“These factory owners are committing murder!”
He is a journalist with a sense of justice. Although he is not young, his style is rather stingy, and his acting skills are quite good, he still retains his original intention... But how does he know so much about lead poisoning? Oh, I forgot. I asked Sir Deville to widely publicize the dangers of lead poisoning in various newspapers and magazines... It seems that he did a good job, but for some people, the death of one or two untouchables in the lower class is nothing? There are many people waiting for job opportunities! Klein thought with a heavy heart.
Old Kohler finally heard a topic that he could join in on: "This is a factory owned by a certain gentleman. Every year, girls die of poisoning. Two years ago, an accident happened and many people were killed or injured. The factory dragged its feet and refused to pay the pensions. It also promoted several family members of the troublemakers. Just when the incident was about to pass, Miss Maria suddenly came over and helped us with the lawsuit for free...Haha, I didn't see Miss Maria's performance with my own eyes, but she has a senior lawyer's license! It is said that not only the person in charge of the factory, but also the lawyer on the other side was sent to jail by Miss Maria!"
He tried his best to change the two kind reporters' bad impression of Miss Maria as unreasonable.
Mike's eyes widened, and he muttered in disbelief: "Another thing I don't know anything about..."
Senior lawyer? It turns out that young lady has received a systematic education, and maybe even attended a professional college. Why would such a middle-class person be a gang leader in the East District and run a charity? Wouldn't she make more money if she went to work? She was able to gain a foothold here and approach us quietly. She is very likely a Beyonder. Combined with the fact that she is a lawyer, could she be the "Black Emperor", that is, a Beyonder of the "Lawyer" path? I don't know what sequence she is, but it must be higher than mine...
"How much is the pension?"
"About thirty pounds per person, sometimes only a dozen pounds, it depends on the mood of the factory owner." Old Kohler replied helplessly.
There was another moment of silence.
"The introduction of machinery to the factory has also caused a big stir." After the three of them left the white lead factory, Kohler couldn't help but talk about the textile factory. If Kohler was more educated, he might have used "a big stir" to describe the recent protests.
"They are going to switch to the latest textile machines, and the number of people responsible for operating them will also be reduced. It seems that one-third of the workers are going to be laid off! Those female workers hope to smash the machines and take back their jobs. Otherwise, they may not be able to survive, or they may have to become streetwalkers."
"Mr. Reporter, the kidnapping cases you're curious about only became more prominent after this incident, because many girls disappeared for unknown reasons. It was said that they found jobs and left with their families. But even Miss Maria couldn't find so many jobs. If they could find jobs so easily, how could they leave now?"
Old Kohler's ability to express himself was limited, but both of them understood the general meaning. Klein was thoughtful. He seemed to have heard Mr. "The Hanged Man" mention the disappearance of people at the Tarot Club, but it happened in the southern continent. Could it be that Backlund also had it? Mike opened his mouth, and from the shape of his mouth, he vaguely wanted to say "stupid", but in the end he said nothing, just staring at that side silently, and didn't even move closer.
"Let's go back. I'm almost done with my investigation and interviews." Mike sighed after a long time.
The three of them left the factory area, and Klein could feel Maria following silently behind them. They didn't speak again until they left the East District, and there was a dull silence. After paying 10 pounds and 6 soli, Mike took a carriage and left the smoke-filled neighborhood.
Klein watched the carriage go away and remained silent for a long time.
When he was a night watchman, he had known and come into contact with the lives of those poor people, but none of them was as impressive as this time. The all-round, three-dimensional observation presented a complete abyss of the human world before his eyes.
Old Kohler stood silently by the side. Just as Klein was about to say something, Maria walked out from the shadow of the house behind him and came straight to Klein.
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“You are indeed kind journalists.”
Maria's expression was complicated. Klein and Mike had already proved themselves with their actions, and their expressions during the interview in the East District made her feel uncomfortable. However, the current situation in the East District was the limit of what she could change. Without more helpers and funds, she had no way to expand the scale further, and it would even be difficult to maintain the status quo.
"I apologize for my rude behavior before. What's your name? I have something I want to entrust you with."
"You are also thinking about the East District. We were indeed rude before, please don't take it to heart." Klein sensed the other party's goodwill and politely revealed the previous events. "I am Sherlock Moriarty. Since you said that, I guess you have discovered that I am a private detective. What is the commission? My abilities are limited, and I don't know if I can handle it."
Of course I have to ask for clarification on something that a Beyonder with a higher Sequence than me is not sure about! Klein said in his mind.
"My name is Maria. Just call me Maria." Seeing that Klein was still waiting for what to say, she added, "I don't have a last name. Perhaps my parents who abandoned me outside the orphanage knew that they were not qualified to give me their last names. This name is everything to me."
So that's how it is. Klein suddenly realized.
Maria straightened her collar and looked serious: "Then I will tell you the content of my commission."
"The case I want to commission is the kidnapping case in the East District, but it's not an investigation, because I know who is behind it - see that magnificent villa? The man who kidnapped the girls is him, the wealthy Capin. His minions work for him, and I have evidence. As for the disappearance of the unemployed textile workers, I don't know if it has anything to do with him. You are a kind detective, and I won't let you put yourself in danger. I hope you can use your connections to find a way to get the internal structure of Capin's house."
This? It's fine if I just want to get rid of Kapin. If it's true that he trafficked women and children, then Kapin deserves death... If I just want to get the structural diagram, it's not too difficult. I can go to the gray fog to divine, or find a way to sneak in as a spirit... But this has certain risks, I need to divine...
Klein's mind raced, and he didn't answer immediately.
Maria was very nervous. She was worried that Klein would die accidentally if he accepted the commission, and she was also worried that Klein would not accept it.
After about ten seconds, Klein asked, "Have you ever given this commission to other detectives? Why did you choose me?"
"...I visited many private detectives, and the first one I visited was Mr. Isengard Stanton." Maria's heart sank, thinking that this should be Sherlock Moriarty's tactful rejection, but she still answered truthfully, "Mr. Stanton rejected me, so I visited several detectives afterwards, but I gave up after hitting a wall with all of them. I gave you the commission just to give it another try. It doesn't matter if you refuse. I know this matter is very dangerous, and everyone has their own concerns."
"Excuse me, how much can you offer as a reward?"
"This is very dangerous. My budget is 500 pounds. I am willing to pay if I can find out even one pipe or vent." Maria said, "If I can get a detailed structural diagram, I can pay 1,000 pounds. Of course, if something unexpected happens, I will leave the money to the person you designate."
"I may not be able to respond to you right away."
Klein thought about it and felt that the price was very acceptable. This was just an investigation, not a battle. Although it would be difficult for other detectives and they would have to risk their lives, he had at least two ways to sneak into Kapin's villa, so he didn't have to refuse. But at least he had to go to the gray fog to do a formal divination: "But I really want to accept this commission. If I decide to accept it, I will give you an answer within two days."
Maria's face changed: "I'm sorry, but please think carefully and don't force yourself because of the high salary."
"Don't worry, Miss Maria. I am very aware of my abilities." Klein knew that she had misunderstood. After all, five hundred pounds was indeed not a small amount of money, and it was very attractive to a private detective. He smiled and said goodbye to the two. "Then I will leave first. Goodbye, both of you."
"…Goodbye, Mr. Moriarty."
Maria looked at the receding figure and sighed heavily.
TBC
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Touched it.
Why does this out-of-circle index fluctuate up and down?
Typist Meng: I was killed in seconds before I even got up. What's there to say? If you can't win, just lie down. A man who knows the times is a wise man.
(End of this chapter)