Chapter 2 Within the possibility of fate 3
viii
The tavern converted from the basement quietly stays in a remote street corner.
The old wooden signboard is full of cracks, and the sound of the cold wind blowing in the late autumn makes a loud noise. The staggered stone steps, the slanting hinged wooden doors, the dim light, and the cheap distilled spirits of the nose are mixed with the crude aroma of the mixed grain. Such a tavern, in this city of 500,000 people, does not have one thousand or eight hundred.
The rental carriage stopped at Xiaojiekou, and the coachman said that he did not want to enter this alley. Two passengers in dark blue military coats paid for the money and got off to the tavern.
"Is it here?" Clade; Lopez licked his hand and asked the adjutant around him. There are no epaulets on his shoulders, and those things are brought back to the station by Tug.
"According to the letter, it should be right here. How did they know about our intelligence system? Our intelligence system is independent of Outside the military system.” Chief of the Third Independent Artillery Regiment, Hull; Major Hilwood (woodl tedwood) nodded prudently and replied. Major Hull is a young, savvy and short-haired young officer with a short black hair. He graduated from the command of the Military Academy three years ago with a third place. In three years, he has been promoted from the middle to the major, which has fully proved his ability. Of course, there is no epaulette on his shoulder.
"It’s no surprise, it’s not your responsibility," Krad whispered. "There is no absolutely confidential intelligence agency. I want to send a message. It’s easy to go to the deepest part of the intelligence network. Just let the intelligence network pass it for you. The city’s intelligence and rumors must be intertwined.”
But... We are also a branch of the military intelligence service?” Major Hull asked. “According to the rules, the exposure of our status personnel should not be allowed. Why do you have to pay attention to the letter? "
"Military Intelligence Agency? No, no. The intelligence network you and I use is only nominally affiliated with the Military Intelligence Agency. This information network does not." The military bureau is so bureaucratic and inefficient."
In essence, it should be Conti; the gift of Marshal Fox, Klad thought. Military Intelligence Bureau? That thing is really too bad, and it is the most wasteful military institution in the Free Army. It took the entire bureaucracy nine months to investigate the whereabouts of 黛nica. "If one day I can become a big man in the army, I must thoroughly reform it."
"This way." Namely affiliated with the Secret Service of the Military Intelligence Bureau The major smiled a bit and did not answer.
Pushing open the squeaky wooden door, the two walked into the pub and looked around for a week. The pub business doesn't seem to be very good. Only a few people sit at the bar or table and drink wine, chat and watch the newspaper. Clad and Hull glanced at each other and walked straight into the depths of the pub, looking for a table to sit down.
"What do you want?" Hull asked his sir.
"Add one and three-quarters of spoonful of black tea," Lopez replied.
At this point, the person sitting in the newspaper behind Lopez’s neighboring table suddenly whispered: “There is no black tea here, how about changing beer?”
"If it's beer, add two spoonfuls and a half."
"The toilet sees." The man put up the day before the Mattebisi Times and stood up. Three minutes after he left, the two also got up and went to the toilet in the depths of the pub.
The sunroof of the toilet is open. After adding defensive magic to himself, Clade did not hesitate to climb out of the skylight; and Hull hesitated and repeatedly put on white gloves and cautiously climbed out from the skylight. The mysterious man who read the newspaper waited outside the skylight.
"Please come with me." His tone was very smooth.
"Wait a minute! Who are you?!" Hull; Tedwood hurriedly asked. "How do you know... Hey, our intelligence network?!"
Hull still wants to ask again, Clad blocked him. "So, do we need to cover our eyes? Just like the tradition?"
"No," the man laughed. "The next road, even if it is not blind." You are also unlikely to remember. Please come with me."
Cradd nodded slightly; the man began to lead the way. A group of three people passed through the hidden alleys, climbed down the stairs and the cellar, and finally appeared in the city's sewers. In the sewer, I have long been waiting for a small boat and a dim oil lamp. Even if it is washed repeatedly with the water of the Meteby River, the rot and smell of the sewer is still very heavy. The major frowned. The temporary lieutenant’s face was still expressionless and quietly followed the man on the dinghy.
"Did's go?" After the two were on board, the man asked. Clad nodded.
The boat rushes to the right in the dark, rancid sewer, and the speed is fast and slow. Sometimes, when you see the faint oil light in the distance, the boat will stop and wait for a moment to prevent it from colliding with other ships.
Lenny's sewer system, known as the world's second perfect, is only a little more complicated than DeLand. All sewers are connected to the moat or the Metterby West River. Ingenious hydraulic engineering design, so that all sewers are living water, not to rot and silt. There are also many new sewers that lead to the suburbs. Unlike the well-planned ground section, Lenny's sewers have no direction at all, and they do not have to be blindfolded.
After about thirty minutes, after passing through the inner moat for more than ten times, the front suddenly became brightly lit. The space became suddenly clear. A huge, artificially constructed open "parking pool" was stopped on the waterway. The two sides of the river were already full of the same ships they had taken, and there were also thirty or forty ships. The air is filled with the fragrance of the scavenger, sweeping away the rancid smell of everyone.
"Great. I have lived in Lenny for more than 20 years, but I don't know there is such a place in the sewer." Hull sighed.
"I have lived for more than 40 years, but I have heard it a little." Clad faintly said, "And I believe that this place will not be Every year."
The man who is on the boat hears this sentence and smiles back: "You are right. This place will be restored to a stench tomorrow. And the ordinary sewers of the sundries. Please come with me."
The two followed him to the shore. The man found a pull ring at the wall and knocked it down. After that, there was a stairway leading to a deeper place not far from here.
The man took the lead and the road was followed by Clade and Hull. Just two steps away, the hidden door behind it closed. By the illumination of the oil lamps in the hands of men, the two could barely see the road ahead. Along the narrow and depressed stairs, I walked for a long time, and a group of people saw the door. The man knocked a few times in front of the door, and the iron door was quietly opened.
"The subtle secrets and institutions." Clade commented, "Are you the famous Lenny Thieves Guild?"
"Perhaps." The man replied, his finger lit the light. The two of them brightened up and found that there was a display room with countless costumes.
Thousands of different men’s and women’s clothing are hung in rows of shelves and wardrobes, from the emperor’s various dresses, the pope’s robe to the barbarism The human skin, the shackles of the shackles, and the ankles of the slaves. In addition, there are various masks of fancy and art styles, ranging from the Age of Elf Empire, the First Dynasty, the Dark Ages, the Glorious Age to the Revival Times.
"Tonight we are a masquerade, please be sure to wear a mask." The man reminded, "If possible, it is best to change the costume." Br />
Lomez nodded slightly: "The mask is very good, it is not necessary to change the clothing."
"Why , sir?" Hull asked, picking a mask of a renaissance style.
"From now on, call me lord, don't call the sergeant." Clad put on the priest mask of the elf empire and whispered, "not with Let people see their identity from our actions, it is better to use this costume directly. The soldiers will reveal the atmosphere of the soldiers at any time."
The two secretly expressed their admiration for the sponsor's consideration. They respectively wrote the names of the gods of chaos and deception and the god of destruction and war, and they pushed the door open into the venue.
Under what they expected, behind the venue was a rather luxurious grand ballroom. There are more than ten doors around the ballroom, and the fans are the same as the one behind them.
"The Oriental proverb says that the sly rabbit has three nests...they seem to have more than three."
The general will look around and recognize a painting of the late revival of the famous Langboren; he took a position under the painting and sat down.
Looking around, there are already many people on the market. It is estimated that there are hundreds of people, most of them men, but many are women. Everyone wore eccentric gorgeous costumes with exaggerated masks and a name on the chest. Even if every two or three people represent an intelligence network, there are at least three or four different forces at the same time, he estimates.
"There are a lot of magicians... or magical creatures here." Hull sat down at the same table and whispered to himself.
When he heard this, Clad’s brow was slightly wrinkled: he felt that it was a bit wrong to use the detective magic here. Before he even reminded him, someone at the neighboring table had already sprung up.
"It’s rude to use magic to detect magic here."
Although the face is masked by the harlequin Blocked, but still can hear the middle-aged male from the sound. Clade looked at the man carefully: he wore an elf dress and wore a badge on the chest with the command and rule of the god Julius.
"However, if you eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation, I’m afraid it’s not so bright.”
The general picked up the glass from the table and turned it in his hand. Cold and cold: "The noble lord who came from afar is not suitable for this kind of occasion. I advise that the intelligence work is not for anyone." />
"呃...!" The other party seemed to be being slammed, snoring and not speaking. Clad knew that he had guessed.
At this moment, all the chandeliers suddenly went out at the same time, and the whole ballroom became dark!
In the corner of the ballroom, there were a few slight surprises; but most of them were still calm and silent. After all, those who can come here are excellent agents of various intelligence networks.
"Welcome, welcome to this Lenny International Intelligence Agency seminar. This occasional meeting can get everyone's long-term support, I represent the host here. Everyone expressed their sincere gratitude. Of course, I would like to extend my sincere welcome to all of you who came here for the first time."
Several lights hit the dance floor at the same time The central government is on the spokesperson's body. Speaking of a short man, his voice is low, wearing the rumor and travel god Travo's badge. He stood at the top of a half-man high round table; Clad was sure that there was no such round table in the middle of the dance floor.
The man cleared his throat and continued his opening speech: "According to the usual practice, I will introduce the purpose of this seminar to all newcomers. As we all know, intelligence It is one of the most important commodities in the world. For the sake of intelligence, your employers can pay a very high price; the agents are doing their best for correct, accurate and rapid intelligence. The problem is that the vast majority The intelligence network does not believe in other sources of intelligence. If everyone has to establish an independent, reliable, secret, and effective intelligence network, then there will inevitably be conflicts between these intelligence networks. As the host, we do not want to Seeing that too many bloodsheds occurred between the intelligence networks, the intelligence agency seminar was held. Here, agents can buy and sell without taking any risks or exposing their identity. Intelligence."
The spokesperson said that he paused here; there were some whispers in the head.
"Oh? This is very interesting... It must be that Lenny’s thieves’ guild has difficulty controlling the operation of the underground intelligence world, and this information agency exchange is not It should be said that it is an intelligence auction." Clad contemplates. In terms of Eastern standards, the majority of the people present, including himself, are quite amateur intelligence personnel. As far as the organization is concerned, the best intelligence agency he has ever seen is the secret department of the Western Tang Dynasty; in terms of personal ability, the best thing is probably the ninja of Laos. Units like the Free Army Military Intelligence Bureau, even if they are placed in the Chinese government, which is not so good as the secret service agencies, I am afraid that only the leftovers will be left. The ability of Western countries to control their people is far less than that of the East.
"So, how do the transactions go? Auction?" asked the voice of a young woman.
"This lady asked the idea." The man smiled - his smile was not so bright, "to ensure the safety and confidentiality of your transactions." Sex, we use three methods for intelligence trading. The first one is 'retail'. Do you see the hall over there? That is the retail hall. If you think that the intelligence in your hands is high, you can mark the information. Scope, timeliness and keywords, then enclose envelopes to commission us for sale; we will slightly review the intelligence to ensure that no fraud has occurred. If you are interested in keywords, you can pay for it."
"If you find that the goods are not correct, can you return them?" Heavy male voice.
"Sorry, no. You are all experienced agents. The investment that is not effective on weekdays also occupies about 80% of the total funds. It is useless here. The information is also normal." The man replied with a smile and continued his explanation. "The second method is 'ordering.' If you are interested in a particular piece of information, you can write down the demand information in the ordering hall over there. In respect of the aspect, and paying the reward deposit to us. All the sellers who know this aspect can write down the information they know; finally, the ordering party gives the information according to the intelligence value; we will deposit the deposit. Assigned to the provider by rating."
"The last one, is it wholesale?" another person asked.
"No, no, the last one is 'negotiation'. If the information is too critical, the seller and the buyer can talk directly in a secure secret room. A detailed summary of the information must also be bought with money. Next, please start a happy sleepless night. Please play the band!"
gentle The waltz immediately rang - the band is of course first class. After a while, the lights resumed and the waiters pushed the cart full of plates into it.
After listening to this long story, Major Hull had only one impression: "...It’s really a means of making money."
; "I think so too." Clade said slightly. "Are you interested in dancing? There are a few ladies who look good. There are cute fangs. If you are willing to turn your headscarf and hat, There should be a lot of pointed ears."
"In bluntly, the jokes you say so seriously are not funny." Hull looked at himself with surprise. The sir - he did not know that this cold-faced general would also say this kind of joke. "I am not here to take a vacation... On the 'that' question, I am a racist."
"Oh, then forget it. We went straight to the topic." Lieutenant stood up.
Two active duty officers escaped from the masked men and women who embraced on the dance floor, and the waiters who came in and entered the "retail hall."
The wall is covered with a variety of pieces of paper, with keywords and prices, which should be provided in advance to prepare for sale. In the middle of the hall were several huge round tables, and the waiter kept throwing new envelopes, and the agents rummaged through the envelopes. Some envelopes are brown-yellow kraft paper, which means “retail information”; others are more sophisticated white envelopes that indicate “waiting for information”. Hull squeezed near the table and rummaged through a pile of people in the pile of envelopes to see what interesting information was there; Clad scanned all the envelopes behind him.
"Members! Adultery! Death threat!" Next to a man with a name on the chest of justice and trial, Lesotho, grabbed an envelope. Going away.
"Imperial! Nanzheng! Strategic Plan!" A woman wearing a priestess mask is happy to pay with a envelope.
"Forbidden Curse! Secret! Magic Academy!" Before the aristocrats sitting near them collected all such envelopes, almost accidentally occurred with others. conflict.
Her sighed and whispered: "They are all so-called 'intelligence' with high price tagging and keyword sensation."
"Even in the world of intelligence agencies, it is always more stupid than experts. If I want to sell intelligence, I will certainly sell this kind of 'keyword easy to understand' intelligence. I don't dare to label the really important intelligence keywords... It’s definitely stupid and stupid to do this kind of thing.” Clad quietly watched Hull flipping the envelope, “The really important intelligence, they Even the keywords are hidden, so that only the 'informed buyers' can understand..."