Lord of Mysteries: Yao Guang

Backlund, the capital of all nations, the land of hope.

Sitting on the bench waiting for the train, Esther quietly looked at the people coming and going, holding a third-class ticket for the steam train in half an hour in her hand.

Putting aside the prosperous scene described in books and the center of the world in news magazines, Esther didn't have much idea about this city. It was just like she had only a smattering of understanding of the extraordinary power, and all she had come into contact with were the superficial and superficial layers. .

For the Loen Kingdom, Backlund, as the capital, has naturally become a center of commerce, industry, and culture. Speculators have come one after another, trying to find an ideal springboard here, eager to soar to the sky. More people are flocking to the factories in the east just to support their families, tying their lives to the chimneys that emit thick fog day after day, trying their best to keep their lives at the lowest level until the last bit of value is squeezed out. .

On both sides of the Tasok River, the deeper you go, the more it looks like two worlds. The east and west districts coexist in this city with a population of one million. The east district is struggling to survive in poverty, while the west district is full of singing, dancing and feasting. The Backlund Bridge and ferries connect the east and west, and countless people and goods flow through the capillaries of this city, intertwining into the most dazzling stages of the northern and southern continents.

Esther is already considering a place to stay. The bridge area, where there are many mixed forces, is more dangerous, but it is also easier to find traces of wild Beyonders. There will be no shortage of job opportunities here, but it is also easy to encounter disputes. The situation in the East District is messier than that in the Bridge District, but it is also easier to hide and find job opportunities. The advantages and disadvantages are equally obvious.

Hillston District is the overlord of Loen's economy and finance. The stock exchange, clearing house, futures center, etc., all kinds of famous predatory companies have a place here, and the land price is naturally so expensive that Esther can't help it. be considered. But if it came to job opportunities, she decided that this place was a place where she could fish in troubled waters and maybe get good luck.

Jowood District is close to the Tasok River. Most of the residents here are small and wealthy groups who have close contacts. However, because the situation here is too stable, it is not suitable for people like Esther who hide secrets. The main reason is that she does not have much money. It can be used for expenses. Long-term renting here will put financial pressure on Esther, not to mention that many landlords have to consider tenant identification.

There is St. Samuel's Church of the Church of the Night in the North District, St. Hilary's Cathedral of the Church of Steam and Mechanics in the St. George's District, and there is the Church of the Holy Wind in the Jowood District. They are all skipped. Esther always remembered the special light spots on her body. Xiao Qi and Xiao Wu also seemed to be at odds with the official Beyonders. She was unwilling to face any risk of being captured.

There is no law that requires her to be religious!

The noisy dock area or factory area is still not considered. The southern area seems to be okay. Although the pollution is more serious, the environment is relatively more stable than the eastern area. Let's go there first...

"Woo-"

The sound of the whistle is the roar of coal, water, and heat, and the continuous "whooshing" steam is the breathing and heartbeat of these steel giants.

The huge steam train locomotive appears on the track, and the levers, gears and rotating shafts extend the pulling force to the wheels behind it, allowing this long train to keep moving forward on the established route, tirelessly traveling to every place where the rails are paved. This greatly reduces the costs and risks for ordinary people to travel long distances.

Esther felt the slightly shaking ground under her feet and had to sigh at the wonder of the world. Perhaps history is always similar. People here will invent steam trains and telegraphs now, and they may also invent batteries and telephones in the future.

She looked at the creature that was lying on the rails and spitting thick smoke into the sky, and said to herself: "The wisdom of mankind..."

Even though extraordinary power makes life full of dangers, the world still strives to move forward at the pace of development. It's just that Emperor Russell gave it a hard push, allowing many things to appear on this continent more quickly.

Esther didn't have that kind of ambition. She held Xiao Qi in her arms and lined up with the crowd to board the steam train.

There are no fixed seats in the third-class carriage, only the carriage number. If a passenger is unlucky, he may not even be able to find a seat. Esther's luck is not too bad, she found an empty seat by the window. But soon someone squeezed over. This middle-aged man with a big belly was carrying four suitcases. After sitting down, his suitcases took up a lot of space. He said hello to Esther apologetically. Sette responded with a smile.

Soon, as the scenery outside the window began to move slowly, the steam train was heading to its next stop. It would stop in several cities before arriving in Backlund, and it would take four hours to arrive. Esther's destination.

After the middle-aged man took off his bowler hat, he took out a handkerchief and kept wiping the sweat on his semi-bald forehead. The limp brown hair on the back of his head was also stuck together. His rosacea was bright red. I was still panting, and I realized that I probably had to run to catch the train.

The man's decent suit was wrinkled due to strenuous activity and was held up by his belly. At this time, he was still fanning his face with his top hat, trying to cool down as quickly as possible.

The originally crowded third-class carriage, because several of Jacob's boxes occupied the aisle, no one could come through, and Jacob could only apologize repeatedly despite the dissatisfied eyes, until the train increased speed and there were no passengers. Looking for a seat closer here, only Esther and this gentleman are sitting together.

Esther looked at him casually from the corner of her eyes, then turned her attention to the scenery outside the window.

Tingen was behind the steam train, gradually leaving her.

However, this man seemed to have no time to spare, and he happily greeted Esther: "The weather in Tingen is quite nice, isn't it?"

Esther held Xiao Qi's hand tightly and put on a smile that suggested a "social mask": "Yes, it rained heavily some time ago, so we can see such a blue sky."

"Where are you going? Baltin?"

"I'm going to Backlund. I heard the weather there is far less good than Tingen."

"Oh, that's it! It's such a coincidence that there's a storm!" The middle-aged man laughed and patted his thigh hard, "I came to Tingen this time just to discuss business. Now I can go back to Backlund. I won't wait until next time." There is no need for me to come in person for monthly delivery.”

"I wonder what kind of business you are in? These boxes don't look very light."

"Hahaha, most of the contents inside are drawings and models. There are a few pieces of materials and accessories that are strangely heavy..." The man said as he rummaged around on his body and quickly pulled out a piece that had been compressed and deformed in his pocket. Business card, "But we are all in the ironclad ship business. You may not be interested in it, unlike those perfumes and gems that attract ladies."

Esther took the business card with "Duke Steel Company" printed on it and asked curiously: "Then why didn't you take a boat? Just down the Tusok River is Backlund."

The man's face suddenly turned red: "It's really a joke to say this. Although I can be considered an old man in this ironclad ship company, I am severely seasick."

"This is really...a bit desolate." Esther spent a lot of effort to hold back her smile. Xiao Qi nestled in her arms, blinking obediently, eavesdropping on these trivial and nutritious conversations.

The man shook his head in distress: "So after working for so many years, I can only run on the ground!"

"Just treat it as a trip?"

"Haha, I thought so too. I don't care about walking around anyway, thanks to the popularity of steam trains."

"Yes, this is my first time riding a steam train. Technology really changes life."

The man's eyes lit up: "This sounds very philosophical!"

Esther quickly made it up casually: "Maybe it's a famous quote from Emperor Russell? I heard it too."

When you are indecisive, just leave it to a century-old fellow.

He can't just crawl out of the grave and kick me, can he?

Obviously, when Esther was thinking this way, she even forgot about her "resurrection from the dead".

——

Esther learned that the middle-aged man's name was Jacob Barry, and also told him her name "Esther". She did not use a pseudonym. Considering that it was just a train intersection anyway, she didn't care about being called someone. Know the name.

They will forget it anyway.

However, when he heard that Esther did not have a last name, Jacob's eyes showed a little pity, but he did not ask further questions. Instead, after praising how good Backlund was, he turned to talk about Esther. Backlund's purpose.

"Where are you going to find a job?"

"Yes, this should be a very common thing? After all, people from all over the world go to Backlund to try their luck every day."

Jacob laughed "haha" and shook his head in disapproval: "That's for a businessman. You are as young as you and you can live well in Tingen. There is no need to send yourself to the East District. "

"Is the situation in the East District so bad?"

"The East District and the factory area are all the same." Jacob lowered his voice, as if he didn't want others to hear his speech. "In the final analysis, for factory owners, workers are just parts on the assembly line. When parts break, It’s cheaper to replace it than to repair it.”

Of course Esther knew what Jacob meant: "Especially when there are cheaper, newer parts."

Jacob cleared his throat and returned to a normal tone: "Well, since you know everything, why do you still go there? It's enough to just have a look around. And you're here too early. The Kingdom Museum will be open next month. You might like the 'Russell Memorial Exhibition'."

Esther gently touched Xiao Qi's feathers. Xiao Qi looked up at Jacob and shouted. For some unknown reason, he hid the white circle of his right eye again. At this time, he looked like the one in the cemetery. It makes no difference to any ordinary crow.

Jacob couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked, "Is this the bird you raised?"

"Well...its name is Xiaoqi."

"It's strange, I rarely see people keeping crows as pets."

Esther twitched her lips: "Sometimes I feel that it is smarter than me, so it is more like my friend."

Jacob burst out laughing and didn't take Esther's words to heart. Instead, he began to use a warning tone to remind her to be vigilant when going out and not go to the East District if she could. Jacob's attitude was in great contrast to the praise he had given Backlund a few minutes ago. While Esther couldn't help laughing, she was also very grateful for this gentleman's enthusiasm.

Being with a talkative person makes people feel that time passes quickly. Jacob's sincere and enthusiastic character allowed Esther to gain a lot of information about the local situation in Backlund from him, and she gained a deeper understanding.

Such opinions from local people are much richer than those written in books and magazines, which makes Esther very happy.

"You are really a good person, Jacob, and your company will have a smooth future."

"Sigh, business is not that easy. Our boss has to worry about it. It would be great if we can get new investment, so that we can start a big plan to introduce ironclad ship technology into the commercial shipping field."

"Don't worry, maybe some noble noble will come to support you after taking a fancy to this business."

"Hahaha, that's great!" Jacob patted the box at his feet, "As long as you don't let me accompany that big customer on the ship, anything will work!"

After getting off the bus at Backlund, Esther quickly said goodbye to Jacob. She didn't want to delay the kind gentleman from going back to hand over the work, so she decided to walk around by herself.

Perhaps it was because the workmanship of Esther's coat was pretty good, but a hand suddenly appeared in the dense flow of people and reached into the pocket of the coat from the side. Esther did not stop the other person's actions, and allowed the other person to reach in and fish out a few coins. Then her foot suddenly tilted and bumped into the person.

The other party obviously didn't expect Esther to be so strong, and she was knocked to the ground by her. Esther apologized repeatedly, smiled and helped her up, and the Xiao Qi on her shoulder said "quack" twice. , causing many people to look back here.

The thief muttered a few curse words and walked away quickly. He rejoined the crowd, obviously not wanting to attract too much attention and worried that Esther would find out about his theft.

Esther touched the few extra banknotes in her arms, the smile on her face became more sincere, and she slowly walked towards the station exit.

"Exchanging pennies for suler is a huge profit. If you don't exchange it, it's nothing."

Xiao Qi whispered in her ear: "Isn't this just stealing?"

"I, I am taking back what he took from me. This is called an exchange of equal value."

"It's not equivalent."

"Those few pennies are one-tenth of my wealth. I took as much Sule as he had. Of course I won't take more."

Xiao Qi's eyes became more and more contemptuous, but there was no sense of violation on Crow Crow's face: "Do you really think you are fair?"

Esther shook her head: "I repaid his malice, that's it. Since he attacked me, it's because I'm lucky and he's unlucky. I'm not really too kind, just because most of the people I meet deserve my kindness. them."

Xiao Qi sighed, feeling sad about Esther's unreasonable persistence, but also very interesting. He couldn't help but look forward to the day when she would break her own bottom line: "What if one day you have to violate such kindness? No. If you disobey, you won’t be able to live, but if you disobey, you can use others as a stepping stone to live?”

Esther opened her mouth, but said nothing.

Xiao Qi smacked her lips proudly: "Hypocrisy, it's really a human-like hypocrisy."