Struggle in the Steam Age

Sure enough, with a general direction of investigation, the next work is much easier. In a small village not far from this manor, Lawrence and the others got a key piece of information from an old man.

"You mean, at noon three days ago, a young man like the one we described passed by your small village?" Lawrence heard that he wanted to He couldn't believe that he could get such crucial news so easily.

"Yes, I remember that he was wearing a worn-out hunting suit, just like the clothes this lady is wearing now, only a little worn." The old man pointed to Safiel and said, "He still has drawing boards and paints on his back." Boxes and shelves. At that time, he came to the yard of my house and asked me for some fresh water to fill up the kettle he was carrying."

"Then is there anything special about him?" Fatina stepped forward and asked. "Yes, it's the difference from other people. Such as appearance, clothing or other differences."

"No." The old man leaned on the hoe and lowered his head and said to Fatina, "After all, this road leads to Lance Lake, and the scenery there is very beautiful, and many painters in the city like to paint there. By the way, why are you asking me this?"

"Because we have a case to investigate." After speaking, Lawrence took out his ID for the old man to look at, and then asked. "We need to find this person now, can you recall any other clues?"

"Let me think about it—wait a minute, there is really a clue." Looking at Lawrence's ID, the old man immediately narrowed his eyes and began to think. Soon, he opened his eyes.

"What?" The two ladies looked at the old man with wide eyes, hoping to hear some key news from him.

"I remember talking to him when I asked my wife to fill his water bottle. He said he was envious of where I lived. I told him what is so enviable about living on a farm like mine. There is even a flush toilet in the room. No, the stone house has a cold feeling even in the hottest summer, which makes me suffer from rheumatism all the time.”

"But he told me that I had a much better life than him. He now lives in a small apartment and needs to share the bathroom and kitchen with others. What's worse is that he needs to be with the group and doesn't appreciate it at all. The rough steelworkers of his art live in the same building."

"You mean the steelworkers?" Lawrence asked immediately after hearing a word.

"To be precise, they are machining workers." The old man said after thinking for a while. "Because he complained that those workers were talking about gears, rivets, or propellers all day long. And maybe because they have been working in the factory for a long time, their ears are not good, and they usually speak loudly, let alone those who are not far away. The whistle sounded from time to time on the river. These noises made it impossible for him to calm down and draw seriously."

"But to be honest, I've seen a lot of down-and-out painters like him. But I've never seen one as poor and struggling as he is. I was kind enough to sell him a few pieces at cost price for my wife to make Farmer's sandwich. He pulled a sandwich with Castile ham out of his pocket and told me he didn't need my stuff."

Castile ham is one of the best hams in the Old World. Lawrence and the others don’t think that an ordinary old man in the country can recognize it at a glance, especially when the ham is sliced ​​into thin slices when making sandwiches.

Perhaps because of this thought, Lawrence showed a disbelieving expression on his face. The old man also discovered this, so he argued. "Of course, I don't know Castile ham. But the carrots and cabbages from my farm are sent to the Crystal Restaurant in Castile in the city. I just saw the sandwich in the back of that restaurant. , especially the sandwich wrapper with the restaurant's crest on it, honestly, I've never seen such a luxurious restaurant before in my life-"

Then the old man talked a lot, but Lawrence didn't get any new news from his words. So they bought three large farmers sandwiches from the old man for a nickel for lunch and left.

"Cheese, alfalfa sprouts, cucumbers, and a layer of mayonnaise on top. This stuff makes me a little homesick." Safiel muttered as she ate the cheese and walked back, then looked up at Lawrence . "I saw the smile on the corner of your mouth just now, did you find something?"

"Yes." Lawrence nodded, and then said to the two ladies who looked at him expectantly. "I guess what the man told the farmer was not a lie, so I think we can roughly determine where the other party is.

"The location, how did you figure it out?" Fatina asked curiously holding the sandwich with a few big bites in her hands. "I didn't hear him say where that man lives?"

"But that's deducible," Lawrence said with a laugh. "On the one hand, he just said that the workers around that person were discussing gear rivets and propellers, which means that the place where he lives should be related to some shipbuilding or ship repairing factories."

"In addition, that person also brought a takeaway sandwich from Casti Crystal Restaurant, which means that the place where he lives should not be far from the restaurant, otherwise he would have no need to walk a long way for a sandwich. So we just need to find the hotel and see if there is a shipbuilding or repairing yard around."

Soon, everyone returned to the manor together, and then several people returned to St. Gutenberg Cathedral in the carriage when they came, according to Lawrence's request.

"I'll go inside and change a dress. And you, Safiel, I think you may also change clothes. After all, the clothes we are wearing are not suitable for the place we are going to in a while."

Fifteen minutes later, Fatina, who was waiting in the car, saw two people, one tall and one short, wearing slightly shabby dark coats approaching, especially the shorter one whose coat and shirt were not too big. It fits so well that the cuffs need to be rolled up several times to show your hands.

After the two of them approached, Fatina noticed the pair of familiar blue eyes under the low round hat. "Lawrence, Safiel, why are you two dressed like this?"

"Because the place we're going to is the workers' settlement on the southern side of the shipyard." Lawrence explained as he climbed into the carriage. "The clothes just now are too conspicuous to go there. As for you, you don't have to worry, you can wear anything. After all, you are a rat man, and ordinary humans can't tell the rat man's clothes."

Then he shouted to the coachman: "Just send us to the albatross pier in the south, and we will walk the rest of the way."

"No problem, sir." After Lawrence and the others got into the carriage, the coachman yelled softly to make the two horses move. Soon, they arrived at the Albatross Wharf as planned, and then mixed into the crowd and came to the residential area of ​​the shipyard workers not far from the wharf.

"Okay, let's start the investigation. But before the investigation, I think we'd better understand the surrounding environment first. After all, the enemy is very likely to be an extraordinary person. We must observe the escape route." Lawrence He exhorted the two ladies following behind him.

"We are not reading some adventure novel. In the real world, the hunter may turn into the prey at any time. Therefore, in the extraordinary world, we cannot be too cautious."