The Lord Of The Mysteries

The Chapter 354

Backlund's East Borough, at the junction.

Mike Joseph saw a number of pathetic-looking children in tattered clothes along the way. He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and planned to give them a few cents.

However, his action is stopped by a former tramp, Old Kohler.

"They're thieves!"

"The thief? What about their parents? Or are they controlled by gangs?" As a senior journalist, Mike has never been to East Borough, but he has heard of some gangs controlling street children stealing and begging.

"Parents? They have no parents, or their parents were once thieves or may still be thieves. Of course, Mr. Reporter, you're right, many of them are under the control of the gang, and it is said that the gang will teach them how to steal, put the handkerchief in the pocket, and hang the pocket watch outside, and through repeated practice, the children will try to steal the handkerchief. Heh, this is what I heard from others while at work when I was homeless." Old Kohler raved, "I remember the youngest thief ever caught on this street was only six years old. Huh, six years…"

He seemed to remember his son who had gone missing due to illness and inevitably took out a cigarette from his pocket. He couldn't force himself to smoke, so all he did was sniff it.

"Six years ..." Mike was dumbfounded by this number.

Klein silently listened and sighed.

"This is the East Borough."

He looked around, calmed down, and said, "This place is closer to the forest than to human society.

“Our interview should be treated as an adventure. You have to learn how to avoid the territory of dangerous creatures, but you also have to avoid the little things that seem not too dangerous to you.

"Mike, if you show the thickness of your wallet to those kids, even if you protect it well and don't let them steal it, robbery is the destined result for the rest of the adventure. If you dare to fight, then there will probably be one more corpse floating in the Tussock River tomorrow morning."

"Mrs. Detective, you are right! There are so many people in East Borough. No one notices a few missing people every day" Old Kohler agreed.

Mike listened intently for a few seconds, and after a few seconds of silence, he suddenly said, "1.35 million."

"Huh?" Due to his coldness, Klein's throat was clearly a little hoarse.

Mike stepped forward and said, "This is an early estimate of the East Borough's population.

"But I know there must be more to it than that."

"That much?" Old kohler was surprised.

Although he had experienced day and night in the East Borough and knew that there were many residents here, he did not expect there to be this many.

This was several times the population of Tingen City .. Klein had subconsciously compared it to the place he was most familiar with.

He looked at the intersection a few steps away and asked, "Where should we go next?"

Old Kohler looked up and said, "Obviously not straight. The area is under the control of the Zmanger gang. They were very cruel and completely unreasonable. If they find a reporter doing an interview, then they will definitely beat us up!"

Zmanger gang? Isn't that the "brainless" gang that caused me to lose 10,000 pounds? He's some kind of executioner. Hmm, I don't even remember the name. Fortunately, those 10,000 pounds were finally exchanged for the corresponding Sequence 7, 6, and 5 potion formulas from Seer and All-Black Eye, as well as the life of the Intis Ambassador… I wonder who finally got the manuscript from the third generation difference machine. Klein instantly recalled what happened early last month.

"Zmanger Gang? A gang that is mostly made up of highland people?" Mike asked while thinking.

"Master Reporter, have you heard of them?" asked the old Kohler in surprise.

Mike grinned.

"They are involved in many cases, and they also have a reputation outside the East Borough. It is said that one of the members was involved in the Intis espionage case."

… The person next to you is the person in question, the person who made the report, as well as the victim.

"If you guys know about Zmanger's gang, then why don't the police arrest them?" Old Kohler asked from his point of view, about someone under the society.

Mike's expression suddenly turned a little awkward, and he coughed twice.

“We can only arrest those who commit crimes. The rest there is no evidence, so we can't arrest them. Moreover, the East Borough was so vast, and many people. It would be hard to find people willing to commit crimes.it tends to hide."

As he spoke, he sighed.

"It is easy to destroy one Zmanger gang, but as long as a highlander comes to the Backlund, and if they maintain their strong tradition to aggressively while failing to find any other way to make a living, it is not, it's only a matter of time before the new Zmanger gang shows up."

This is a complex social problem.Klein points left and right.

"Pick one."

Old Kohler looked to the right side of the road.

“That's where the Proscrito gang is active. As long as we don't provoke girls doing business on the streets or in bars, they won't notice us. Heh heh, it's still morning, so there shouldn't be any problems. They're still sleeping."

The word "Proscrito" means "villain" in the Loen language, so it could be said that the gang who gave such a name was quite self-aware.

Klein and Mike had no objections to this, and with the guide in charge, they entered the district.

The building here is relatively better. The streets were less seedy, and the air was filled with the smell of oyster soup, fried fish, ginger beer, and the smell of various foods and drinks left behind by street vendors, as well as the fishy smell of fish-related products.

While walking here, Klein felt an inexplicable familiarity. It was as if he had returned to Tingen City, to Iron Cross Street, and to the street outside the apartment where he had originally lived.

The only difference is that the Backlund is closer to the sea and has more traffic. There are more fish.

"This is a relatively nice apartment in the area. Back when I was wandering around here, I found that the men and women inside everything, hmm — are pretty clean." Old Kohler pointed to a pale yellow three-story building.

As they got closer, they saw a sign hanging in front of the apartment. There are pictures of pocket watches, clocks, and screwdrivers, with the caption "Watch Repair".

"A watchmaker lives here?" Klein excavated a similar scene from the original Klein memory fragment.

Back then, Benson, Melissa, and himself had gone to some place similar to repair the silver pocket watch that his father had left behind, but despite repairing it a few times, the watch would quickly break down. This continued until Melissa fiddled with it and finally fixed it completely. It became the most worthy thing to the Klein people during that period of time.

After Klein's "death" the pocket watch, which had monetary and sentimental value, was not buried with him.

"Maybe." Mike is not sure.

If something goes wrong with his pocket watch, it is usually sent to the original watch shop where he bought it. The store will then send it to the repairman or craftsman who has partnered with them.

As soon as they entered the apartment, they saw a middle-aged man with a messy beard.

The man had just come out of the bathroom and was about to return to his room. When he saw the three strangers enter, he hurriedly asked, "Do you want to fix something?"

It just so happened. We actually met the craftsman right away. Klein was a little confused.

Mike pulled out his pocket watch, smiled, and said, "Yes, my recent pocket watch didn't show the time well. Can you help me see it?"

She did not reveal her identity and planned to interview him through casual chat.

The middle-aged man immediately revealed a smile and led them to a two-bedroom apartment whose doors were half-hidden. He pointed at the chair beside the table and said, "Please wait a moment. I'll take my equipment."

"Your tools aren't home?" Mike asked in surprise.

The watchmaker shook his head and laughed.

"How is it possible?

"A set of tools is very expensive. There's no way I can buy it myself. The only way is to raise everyone's money to buy three or four sets, and whoever owns the business will use them. So, we moved in together .heh heh, it's more convenient this way.If we stay too far, we have to spend extra time and pay the public train to borrow tools.

As he spoke, he left the room and walked to the side.

So it was no coincidence that we met a watchmaker. Many residents here have this profession .. Klein is suddenly enlightened.

The old Kohler looked around the room and enviously said, "Before I got sick, I also stayed in such a place. My wife will help others sew clothes at home. And my two children, my two children…"

Mike sighed and lowered his voice.

"i think watchmakers are rich."

"me too." Klein shut his mouth.

…

After a friendly exchange with some apartment dwellers, Klein and the others once again begin their adventure.

They had walked for about a hundred meters when they heard people fighting along the way.

The two women used all sorts of obscenities on each other, allowing Klein to learn many words he had never heard before.

The reason for their quarrel was that the one on the left accused the woman on the right of making the apartment they lived in dirty and noisy. The woman on the right scolded the woman on the left, thinking that it had nothing to do with her. After all, no one asked him to recruit guests at night and sleep during the day.

"Is that a laundry maid?" Mike asked, a little bit frowning.

"Yes, I know him. She's a widow, helping people wash clothes with her two daughters" Old Kohler replied with certainty.

Mike thought for a few seconds and said, "Take me to their place."

Old Kohler nodded and led the two of them around the quarrel before they entered the dilapidated apartment building that was clearly lower than the one they had just seen.

As soon as he arrived outside the laundry maid's room, Klein immediately felt a sense of moisture.

In the room hung a dress that had not been dried. A seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl was crouching in front of a large basin, rubbing against the bubble-covered clothes. A girl, who was younger than him, was holding a hot iron wrapped in wet linen cloth. He carefully ironed the clothes that were finished washed and dried. His careful actions implied that he had been doused in hot water by steam several times.

This is their workplace and where they sleep at night. Wet moisture seeps into the room and seeps into their bodies.

In addition, the smells of all kinds of smells are very different.

"Don't it feel terrible?" Mike pinched his nose.

Klein replied in a muffled voice, "I catch a cold."

There was no humor in his words.

Mike removed his fingers, walked into the room, and said to the two surprised girls, "i'm a reporter. I want to interview a laundry waiter."

The girl who was rubbing clothes shook her head stiffly and said, "We have a lot of things to do and can't waste time."

Mike's request for an interview was rejected.

He came out with a heavy expression and quietly walked back across the street.

After taking a look, he pursed his lips and said, "Let's move on."

…

Silver City. After a thorough examination of Derrick Berg, who was experiencing hallucinations both visually and auditory, he was taken to the bottom of the spire.

It houses residents who show signs of losing control, and various means are used to rescue them.

Walking in the gloomy and sinister corridor, he suddenly felt a strange chill.

"Help!"

A sharp shrill voice suddenly sounded from the sealed room.

"Help…"

The voice suddenly stopped, and then there was silence.