Chapter 1 The Place of Hope
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The sound of the whistle echoed in every corner of the platform. The huge steamer head of the monster dragged more than 20 cars and slowly stopped.
In a tuxedo suit, Klein wearing a half-height silk hat, carrying an exaggerated suitcase that was not quite commensurate with his size, stepped on the road steadily The grounds of the kingdom of Beckland, the capital of the Kingdom.
The city is divided into two parts by the Tasok River that flows to the southeast estuary. It is connected by the Beckland Bridge and the ferry, with more than 500 The population of 10,000 is the most prosperous city in the North and South.
Klein looked very far, only seeing the yellowish fog everywhere, the visibility was very poor, and the gas lamp hanging on the platform was lit up early. , dispelling the darkness and darkness.
"Is it only half past six? Just like at nine o'clock..." Klein couldn't see his head, suddenly remembered before in Tasso. A joke seen on the newspaper:
"A gentleman who had just arrived in Beckland lost his way in the thick fog and asked The gentleman who passed by and was wet, asked the other party 'How to get to the Tsock River', the gentleman replied very kindly: 'Go straight, don't stop, I just wandered from there.' (Note 1) Br#/>
Every time I look at Beckland’s newspapers or magazines, the reporters and editors are scorning the air pollution here, ridiculing more and more fog Days...Before the "Becklander Daily" also made statistics specifically, the similar weather increased from 60 days 30 years ago to the current 75 days... For this reason, many people of insight have established Organizations such as the Soot Reduction Association and the “Fume Reduction Association”... The September bill is said to have a proposal to form the “Kingdom Air Pollution Survey”. The committee"... Klein put down his huge suitcase and squeezed his nose to ease the sudden discomfort.
Then, along the golden bracelet, he took out a gold watch from his vest pocket, slammed it open, and glanced at it to confirm the time.
After really bidding farewell to his brother and sister, Klein deliberately went to the department store, spent 4 pounds 10 Soul bought a gold pocket watch, and with a strip 1 Pound 5 Sule's gold chain.
——For him, you can’t always have a specific, clear time, and you will have a sense of panic.
The original Klein intends to buy a silver pocket watch, which is in line with his own temperament, but considering the true meaning of the "clown", he finally chose to show off more exaggerated Gold watch.
"6:39...not much late..." Klein licked his pocket watch, put on his cane and suitcase, followed the crowd and slowly walked out of the steam train Site.
Suddenly, he turned a corner without warning, and let someone who had quietly followed him and reached out to his pocket touched the air.
Klein didn't care about the episode, along the cement-paved boulevard, mixed in crowds and headed for the crossroads ahead.
There are street lawns and gardens, surrounded by pillars that stand like chimneys.
"No, it might be the chimney..." Klein saw the thick smoke from the top of the pillar.
This part of the smoke floated to the sky, and some of it turned into small droplets and sprinkled around.
Klein stepped again, dropped the suitcase and unfolded the newspaper and map held by the other hand.
——When riding a steam train, he has already planned where to go next and what to do.
The experience of this time and the mood experience of being a clown in the morning, let Klein finally understand the true meaning of the "clown", that is, "although it can slightly predict the fate However, I still feel helpless about fate, so I cover all sadness, pain, confusion and frustration with smiles."
At that moment, he clearly felt the digest of the "clown" potion, I believe that if you play this way, it will take a long time to try to promote.
“How do I get the formula? The secrets are rare. They seem to be only interested in the items of the Antigonus family... This is why others have little knowledge of them. Um... consider two aspects, one It is to contact the local circle of extraordinary people to see if they can find clues. The second is to take the initiative to use the treasures of the Antignus family as a bait to catch the people of the secret society. After all, I hold the mysterious symbols. The composition is very different."
"But the risk is too great, you must be cautious enough, the bait should not be too 'good', nor too bad. Too bad, others will not be interested, too 'good' is easy to catch a giant shark, can swallow my giant shark in one bite... The leader of the secret society, Charato, is the person who guided the great Russell Maybe he also got the biggest piece of cake that changed the feast of the era... Of course, he may not be able to live to the present, it is almost two hundred years ago..."
; Between the ideas, Klein felt the coldness of Beckland Could not help shuddering, I decided to find a place to live as soon as possible.
Flip the newspaper, he once again browsed the rental version of the house and saw the one that was previously defined:
"No. 15 Minsk Street, Jowood District... Townhouses... Weekly rent 18 Sule..."
Where to live, Klein It’s been rethought. Although Beckland has more than five million people, he still has to be wary of the possibility of encountering a local night-timer – whether it’s the newly-adjusted Dai Li or the Beckland’s before. Loro Tower, Al Hasson, Borgia, will definitely recognize him.
So, Klein ruled out the North District where the Church of the Night Goddess Beckland Parish "St. Sayre Church" is located, excluding the best law and order, the most regulated Strict Queens and West District - these two districts belong to the nobility and top wealthy businessmen, while the former prefers Queens.
There are few factory areas, dock areas, the eastern part of the poor, and the Beckland Bridge area. Klein can choose not many, one is It has the Blakeland Stock Exchange, the Clearing House, the Futures Center, the Seven Bank Headquarters, various trust funds, various railway companies, and various large-scale commerce and trade companies in the Hillston District. It is known as the Kingdom of Lun. The economic, commercial and financial center, and the second is a small company with numerous residential buildings in the Jowood area.
The traffic in these two districts is very large, the security is relatively good, easy to hide, Klein after careful thinking, chose the cheaper rent Joe Wood District.
——The reason why he does not look for organizations such as the Metropolitan Housing Improvement Association and the Metropolitan Labour Class Housing Improvement Corporation is because these require a certain identity. Proof, and he can't get it right now.
"If you can’t rent a house today, look for a small hotel that doesn’t require proof of identity to stay temporarily...” Klein closed the things in his hand, mentioning On the suitcase, follow the map instructions and walk towards a place that looks like a department store door.
That is the entrance to the Beckland Metro.
Yes, the subway!
At the beginning, when Kline saw the term "Metro" from newspapers and magazines, he was shocked. He did not expect to enter the electrical age. In this case, this kind of transportation has become a reality.
It was born twenty-five years ago, first connected to the banks of the Tsock River, and now has expanded to the main urban areas, of course, there are not many sites.
Through the gate, Klein followed the people in front and walked to the ticketing point step by step.
After a few minutes of the team, he finally saw a pretty blonde ticket seller.
The girl did not look up and pointed to the price tag hanging near the window:
"The peak period (7:00 am to 9:00 am, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm), 10 minutes, the remaining 15 minutes, 6 pence in the first class, 4 pence in the second class, 3 pence in the third class, 9 in the round trip, respectively 6, 5 pence, the annual ticket is 8 pounds in the first class, 5 pounds 10 in the second class, 10 years in the third seat. There is no annual ticket."
Beyond my imagination It's cheap... there is no limit to the distance... Melissa definitely likes this over the carriage, but this is the crystallization of machinery... Klein thought about it, and suddenly it was a little uncomfortable.