At an intersection in Baekeland's East Borough.
Mike Joseph saw many children dressed in tattered clothes and had pitiful looks on the street. He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and planned to give them some pennies.
However, his actions were stopped by the former tramp, Old Kohler.
"Those are thieves!"
"Thieves? What about their parents? Or is this all controlled by the mafia? " As a senior reporter, although Mike had never been to East Borough, he had vaguely heard that there were a few gangs that controlled street children to steal or beg.
"Parents? They either don't have parents, or their parents were once thieves, or are still doing so. Of course, Mr. Reporter, you're right. Many of them are indeed controlled by gangs. It's said that those gangs will even teach them how to steal. For example, hang a gentleman's coat on the wall, put a handkerchief in the pocket, and hang a pocket watch outside. Through repeated practice, they will be able to steal the handkerchief without the pocket watch shaking. Heh, this is what I heard from people in the workhouse when I was a tramp. " Old Kohler rambled on. "I remember that the youngest thief caught on this street was only six years old. Sigh, six years old …"
He seemed to recall the child he had lost to the disease and couldn't help but take out a wrinkled cigarette from his pocket. However, he couldn't bear to smoke it and only sniffed it.
"Six years old …" Mike was stunned by the number.
Klein listened quietly and sighed.
"This is East Borough."
He looked around and adjusted his emotions.
"This place is closer to the jungle than human society."
"Our interview has to be treated as an adventure. You have to know how to avoid the territory of dangerous creatures, but you also have to stay away from the small things that don't seem to cause too much harm to you. Yes, I mean the mosquitoes in the jungle."
"Mike, if you expose the thickness of your wallet in front of those children, even if you protect it well and don't let them steal it, you will still encounter a robbery in the upcoming adventure. If you dare to resist, perhaps there will be an additional corpse floating in the Tussock River tomorrow morning."
"Mr. Detective, you're absolutely right! There are so many people in East Borough. No one will care if a few go missing every day, "Old Kohler agreed.
Mike listened with a solemn expression. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly said,
"1.35 million."
"Ah?" Due to the cold, Klein's voice was obviously hoarse.
Mike stepped forward.
"This is the preliminary count of the population of the East District."
"But I know that there must be a lot more than that."
"That many?" Old Kohler was shocked.
Although he had experienced day and night in East Borough and knew that there were a lot of residents here, he didn't expect it to be so many.
That's several times the population of Tingen … Klein subconsciously compared the place he was most familiar with.
He glanced at the crossroads a few steps away.
"Where do we go next?"
Old Kohler looked up.
"Don't go straight. That street is controlled by the Zmanger gang. They are vicious and completely unreasonable. If they find any reporters trying to interview us, they will definitely beat us up!"
The Zmanger gang? Isn't that the gang that Brainless was in that caused me to lose 10,000 pounds? He's also some Executioner. Uh, I don't even remember his name … Fortunately, that 10,000 pounds was exchanged for the Sequence 7, 6, and 5 potion formulas for Seer, the All-Black Eye, and the life of the Intis Ambassador … I wonder which faction obtained the manuscript regarding the third-generation difference engine … Klein suddenly recalled what happened at the beginning of last month.
"The Zmanger gang? That gang that's mainly made up of highlanders? "Mike asked thoughtfully.
"Mr. Reporter, you've heard of them?" Old Kohler asked in surprise.
Mike chuckled.
"They're involved in quite a number of cases, and they're quite famous outside of East Borough. It's said that one of their members was once involved in an Intis espionage case."
… The person beside you is the person involved, the informant, the victim … Klein silently added.
"Since you respectable gentlemen know about the Zmanger gang, why don't the police arrest them?" Old Kohler asked with the mindset of a commoner.
Mike's expression immediately turned ugly as he coughed twice.
"They can only arrest those who have been involved in the case. There's no evidence for the rest, so they can't be arrested. Besides, East Borough is so big, and there are so many people. If anyone really wants to hide, it'll be very difficult to find them."
As he spoke, he let out a sigh and said,
"It's easy to destroy the Zmanger gang, but as long as highlanders come to Baekeland, as long as they retain their tradition of bravery and ruthlessness, and as long as they don't find any other way to make a living, it's only a matter of time before a new Zmanger gang appears."
This is a complicated social problem … Klein pointed to the left and right.
"Pick one."
Old Kohler looked to the street on the right.
"The ones active there are the Huili gang. As long as you don't provoke the girls who do, uh, that kind of business on the streets and in the bars, you won't be noticed by them. Heh heh, it's morning now, so there won't be any problems. They're all still sleeping."
The word "Huili" meant "outlaw" in Rouen, and the gang that came up with this name could be said to be quite self-aware.
Klein and Mike didn't have any objections to this. Under the guide's lead, they entered the neighborhood.
The buildings here were relatively good, and the environment on the streets wasn't that dirty. The air was filled with the smell of oyster soup, fried fish, ginger beer, and other food and beverages left behind by the street vendors, as well as the fishy smell of fish and seafood.
Walking here, Klein felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. It was as if he had returned to Tingen City, to Iron Cross Street, to the street outside the apartment where he first lived.
The only difference was that Baekeland was closer to the sea, so transportation was more developed, and there were quite a lot of fish in the sea.
"It's one of the better apartments in the vicinity. I've wandered around here several times in the past, and I found that the gentlemen and ladies inside are dressed rather, uh, cleaner." Old Kohler pointed to a pale-yellow three-story building.
The three of them approached and found a sign hanging at the entrance of the apartment. On it was a picture of a pocket watch, a wall clock, and a screwdriver, with the words "clock repair" written on it.
"There's a watchmaker living here?" Klein dug out a similar scene from the memory fragments of the original Klein.
Back then, Baansen, Melissa, and he had gone to a similar place to repair the silver pocket watch left behind by his father. However, the item was repaired a few times, and it quickly broke down. It wasn't until Melissa completely fixed it that it became the most presentable thing on Klein during that period of time.
And after Klein "passed away," the pocket watch, which had both monetary and emotional value, didn't accompany him to the grave.
It should belong to Baansen now, right? I wonder if he thinks of me every time he takes out that pocket watch … Klein suddenly blinked and curled the corners of his mouth.
"Probably." Mike wasn't sure.
If there was a problem with his pocket watch, it would usually be sent to the original watch shop, which would assign it to a repairman or entrust it to a craftsman who had been working with him for a long time.
As soon as they entered the apartment, they saw a middle-aged man with a stubble.
The gentleman had just come out of the bathroom and was about to return to his room when he realized that three strangers had entered.
He hurriedly asked, "Do you want to repair your watch?"
What a coincidence … We ran into that craftsman directly … Klein found it a little strange.
Mike took out his pocket watch and smiled.
"Yes, my pocket watch has been off the mark recently. Help me take a look."
He didn't reveal his identity and planned to conduct the interview in a casual manner.
The middle-aged man immediately smiled and led them into a two-bedroom room with a half-closed door. He pointed at the chair beside the wooden table and said, "Wait a moment.
I'll go get the tools. "
"Your tools aren't at home?" Mike asked in surprise.
The watchmaker shook his head and smiled.
"How is that possible?"
"A set of tools is very expensive. I can't afford it alone, so we can only pool our money and buy three or four sets. Whoever has business will use them. Therefore, we moved together. Heh heh, it's more convenient this way. If it's too far away, we'll have to spend extra time and public carriage fees to borrow tools."
As he spoke, he walked out the door and walked to the side.
So it wasn't a coincidence that we ran into a watchmaker. Many of the residents here are watchmakers … Klein came to a realization.
Old Kohler examined the room and said enviously, "Before I got sick, I also lived in a place like this.
"Before I fell ill, I also lived in a place like this. My wife would help people sew clothes at home. Two children, two children …"
Mike sighed and lowered his voice.
"I thought watchmakers were all very rich."
"Me too …" Klein pinched his nose.
…
After having a cordial conversation with several residents in the apartment, Klein and company once again embarked on an adventurous journey.
They walked for about a hundred meters when they suddenly heard someone arguing on the street.
The two ladies were shouting at the top of their lungs, using all sorts of vulgar language to greet each other, allowing Klein to learn many words he had never heard before.
The reason for their argument was that the woman on the left was accusing the woman on the right of making the apartment dirty and noisy. The woman on the right was scolding the woman on the left, believing that it was her own problem. No one asked her to solicit customers at night and sleep during the day.
"That's a laundry girl?" Mike frowned slightly and asked after listening to the end.
"Yes, I know her. She's a widow, and she's washing clothes with her two daughters." Old Kohler gave an affirmative answer.
Mike thought for a few seconds.
"Take me to see her house."
Old Kohler nodded and led the two of them around the scene of the argument. They entered a dilapidated house that was clearly inferior to the previous apartment.
As soon as they arrived outside the laundry maid's room, Klein immediately felt the dampness.
Inside, there were dresses that had yet to dry. A seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl was squatting in front of a large basin, washing the foaming items. A girl slightly younger than her was holding a hot iron wrapped in wet linen, carefully handling the items that had been washed and dried. Her movements were careful, as if she had been scalded by the steam many times.
This was both their workplace and the place where they slept at night. The moist steam filled the room and soaked into their bodies.
In addition, the stench of all sorts of smells was very obvious.
"Don't you feel uncomfortable?" Mike pinched his nose.
Klein replied in a muffled voice.
"I've caught a cold …"
There wasn't a hint of a smile in his words.
Mike released his fingers, walked into the room, and said to the two surprised girls, "I'm a reporter.
"I'm a reporter. I'd like to interview the laundry lady."
The girl who was rubbing the clothes numbly shook her head.
"We have a lot of things to do. We can't delay."
Mike's request for an interview was rejected just like that.
He came out with a heavy expression and silently walked back to the street.
After looking around, he pursed his lips and said,
"Let's continue."
...
In the City of Silver, Derrick Berg, who was suffering from auditory and visual hallucinations, was brought to the bottom of the spire after a detailed examination.
This place housed residents who showed signs of losing control, and various methods were used to try and save them.
Walking down the dark, gloomy corridor, he suddenly felt an inexplicable chill.
"Help!"
A blood-curdling scream suddenly rang out from a sealed room.
"Help …"
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