Baekeland Steam Locomotive Station, Platform 3.
After chatting with his parents and sister for a while, Alfreid seized the time before departure to leave the train. He came to the platform and said to a squire,
He said to a squire, "Give me an East Balam cigarette."
If his experiences over the years had any negative effects on him, apart from the mental torment and pain, there were only a few bad habits.
After smoking East Balam cigarettes, which were made from roasted tobacco leaves wrapped in spices and herbs, Alfred was no longer used to the popular paper cigarettes in the Northern Continent. He believed that they were bland and tasteless, like spirits that had been mixed with water.
As for cigars, he believed that they needed a good environment to slowly savor them. They weren't suitable for the present.
Of course, he wasn't a heavy smoker. As a Disciplinary Paladin, he had the physique and mental fortitude to resist the effects of smoking. The reason why Alfred came to the platform to smoke was because he found it too stuffy in the carriage, and his mother kept mentioning his marriage.
After the squire took out and lit the East Balam cigarette, Alfreid brought the yellowish-black item to his mouth and took a deep puff.
That strong smell seeped into his body, making him suddenly feel refreshed.
At this moment, he saw a blond man who resembled a classical sculpture walk over with his valet.
Alfred hesitated for a moment before revealing a smile and raising his right hand.
"Hibbert, I thought you wouldn't be returning to East Chester."
The person who came was none other than the eldest son of Earl Hall, Alfred's brother, Lord Hibbert Hall.
Hibbert outlined a smile that perfectly matched etiquette.
"I'm only a Cabinet Secretary, not the Cabinet Chief Secretary. I won't be so busy that I don't even have a weekend."
In fact, he wouldn't be the Cabinet Chief Secretary either. His main goal was to accumulate experience in different positions in the various government departments. He wanted to build his own network of resources and prepare to enter the House of Lords in the future.
Alfred took another puff of the East Balam cigarette and smiled.
"Have a good weekend."
After watching Hibbert enter the carriage, Alfred vaguely sensed that someone was looking in his direction and discussing.
"Why aren't there any passengers waiting on that train?"
"It doesn't seem to be full."
"Haha, that's a special train that a big shot booked in advance with a hefty sum of gold pounds. I know that you might not have seen something like this before, but you have to remember that this happens frequently in big cities like Baekeland and Constant. When those big shots bring their families out, they'll definitely have hundreds of servants with them. They might even have pets. How could they possibly squeeze into the same train as ordinary people …"
"Is that so …"
"I wonder who it is?"
Alfreid turned his head and looked over. There were dozens of people in grayish-blue uniforms on the second platform. They were quietly sizing him up through the empty tracks.
The distance between the two parties wasn't small. If it wasn't for Alfreid's outstanding hearing, he definitely wouldn't have been able to figure out what those people were discussing.
"Who are they?" Alfred tilted his head and asked his adjutant.
All he could tell was that the uniforms they wore belonged to the railroad company.
The adjutant immediately turned around and found the staff member in charge of the platform to question him.
Soon, he jogged back and whispered to Alfred,
"General, they are train dispatchers from all over the kingdom. They are currently in Baekeland for a short-term training."
Alfreid nodded slightly and glanced at the second platform.
The oldest of the train dispatchers had white hair, and the youngest looked to be in his early twenties. Most of them were middle-aged men in their thirties or forties, and there was no lack of people with graying sideburns.
…
Sonia Sea, City of Generosity, Bayam.
Verdu carried his luggage that didn't contain anything valuable and boarded a small boat at night. He left the port and boarded a pirate ship.
Sequence 7 of the Apprentice pathway wasn't very good at combat. Although Verdu carried mystical items, he was rather afraid of the negative effects. He wasn't willing to use them unless it was necessary. Therefore, in order to avoid danger, he, who lacked trust in pirates, tried his best not to bring anything that could attract the greed of others.
The pirate on the deck glanced at Verdu and chuckled.
"Don't be afraid. We keep our promises. As long as you pay enough for the ticket, we definitely won't throw you into the sea. Here, you're even safer than taking a liner. At the very least, you don't have to worry about encountering pirates. "
Seeing Verdu remain silent, clearly a little afraid, the pirate smugly threw a key at him.
"Second floor on the deck, the innermost room."
Verdu caught the brass key and entered the cabin. He climbed a flight of stairs and walked down the corridor to the deepest part.
This floor seemed to be specially prepared for people who boarded a pirate ship for various reasons. Along the way, Verdu encountered several passengers who didn't look like pirates at all.
Among them, there were ladies dressed in slightly revealing clothes that made them look like street girls. There were middle-aged men with protruding stomachs and oily faces. There were also extremely cold young men wearing cloaks and top hats.
"Do you want to stay at my place?" The lady asked with a charming smile when she saw Verdu looking over. It was unknown if she planned on doing some business along the way, or if she was in a rush while doing business.
Verdu ignored her, retracted his gaze, and arrived outside his room.
The chiseled young man also stopped at the door diagonally across from them.
…
Baekeland, West Borough, 9 Bellotto Street.
"Please come in." Xio straightened her body from the wide chair.
The office door creaked open, and two MI9 members from Xio's team walked in.
"Colonel, we've found something from the investigation of Utopia." One of the men in a dark jacket handed a report to Xio.
Xio was slightly alarmed, but at the same time, she perked up.
"What is it?"
The man in the dark jacket simply said,
"Over the past few days, we've taken advantage of the free time after we handed over the previous mission to personally visit the passengers of the steam locomotive with our informants. All the passengers in Baekeland."
There was no doubt that he was referring to the steam train that had mistakenly stopped in Utopia.
"Okay." Xio nodded and gestured for her subordinate to continue.
The man in the dark jacket pointed at the report.
"Our preliminary confirmation is that the passengers who successfully arrived at Baekeland did not show any abnormalities. They are in good spirits and have no cognitive problems.
"However, we discovered something. Back then, not everyone returned to the train. According to two passengers, their seatmate chose to stay in Utopia.
"She's a lady who loves to travel and explore. She has a deep love for unfamiliar places. After witnessing Utopia's outstanding red wine, desserts, and unique bubbly iced tea, she decided to give up on her original itinerary and stay in this unique city for a period of time to unearth more beautiful things.
"This was all learned from the two passengers chatting with her. Not only were they seated together, but they also chose to stay in the same hotel. They had met in the morning.
"That hotel is the same as the one our intelligence agent stays in. It's called Irises."
Xio slowly nodded.
"Have you investigated the lady's current situation?
"What's her name?"
"No, we can't be sure if she has left Utopia," another MI9 member with a goatee replied. Another MI9 member with a goatee replied, "The two passengers only knew the lady as Monica. They didn't know her surname or where she came from."
Xio tersely acknowledged.
"Your subsequent mission is to investigate this lady's origins, find her family and friends, and confirm if she has returned."
"Yes, Colonel." The two MI9 personnel bowed and left Xio's office.
Xio carefully read the report they had submitted and sighed silently.
Compared to her subordinates, she was actually closer to the truth of Utopia. She already knew that it was a ritual and that it had a certain connection with German Sparrow.
However, she had no way of reporting this news to earn merit points.
Ignoring the problem of the source of the intelligence, what Xio needed to consider the most was if German Sparrow was willing to leak the news.
Perhaps I can try contacting German Sparrow and ask for his opinion … Xio thoughtfully tidied up the table and left MI9.
After changing her clothes, she returned to East Borough and Bridge Borough and headed to different bars like a bounty hunter to gather all kinds of information from different acquaintances.
During this process, she asked about Utopia in passing, but no one had heard of it.
Finally, Xio entered a bar in the Backlund Bridge area and sat on a high stool at the bar counter.
"Is there anyone suspicious recently?"
"A lot of people are quite suspicious, but they don't have a bounty," the bartender replied casually.
Xio circled around this topic and began probing for information.
"Have you heard of Utopia?"
"I've heard of it," the bartender replied while wiping a glass.
Xio, who was scrutinizing the bar counter, slowly raised her gaze.
She looked at the bartender and said,
"Where did you hear that?"
"There was a guest who came earlier. He was very restrained in his drinking." "I tried to sell him our specialty cocktail, but he said that he had something to do and could only drink a glass of beer. I praised him and asked him where he was from, and he said, 'Utopia.'" The bartender didn't seem to mind and said, "I tried to sell him our specialty cocktail.
…
Wendel had just finished his breakfast when he heard the doorbell ring.
Through the peephole, he saw a police officer in a black and white checkered uniform outside. He opened the door with some confusion.
"Excuse me, what's the matter?" Wendel asked politely.
This house was the residence he was assigned after he came to Baekeland. This was because he would be staying in this metropolis for a period of time to undergo internal investigations and monitoring.
The policeman was still very young and a little inexperienced. He looked to be in his early twenties.
He forced a smile and said to Wendel, "Hello, I'm Biles.
I'm a police officer. I have a case that I would like you to testify in court. "
"What case?" Wendel frowned slightly.
The young policeman named Biles said with a polite smile, "Utopia's Tracey murder case.
"…" Wendel's pupils instantly dilated.
"…" Wendel's pupils dilated instantly.
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