Whispering Verse

Shade nodded slightly as he listened to the introduction, thinking that this stranger might be a paid tour guide:

"It is indeed a big project. I have been to many places. Even Tobesk and Willondale don't have such bridges, right?"

Because the rivers in the urban areas of Tobesk and Willondale are far less wide than the Taton River here in Moon Bay.

Then Shade asked again:

"Speaking of which, you are."

The man in brown robe smiled and replied:

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Judging from your appearance, I can tell that you are a guest from afar from Delrayion. There are indeed many regionalists in this city, but I am not one of them."

He shook hands with Shade warmly, and then asked:

"Sir, do you know about 'Eternal Light'?"

Shade searched in his occult knowledge, and then shook his head decisively:

"Sorry, I don't know. Is this a folk custom or legend in the Yuewan area?"

"No, no, this is a new concept that has emerged in recent years."

He clenched his right fist on his chest, stood side by side with Shade in front of the fence by the river, and said to Shade seriously:

"Although this city of wealth is good, the sin and darkness accumulated secretly have long threatened the foundation of the city. Sir, please allow me to ask you some questions. If you are not comfortable answering, you don't have to answer."

The middle-aged man in brown robe asked:

“Don’t you think that the salary you earn from working hard every day is not worthy of your hard work?”

"this"

Shade actually doesn't work very hard. As for his detective fees, he actually feels that he gets too much every time, but people just think that "Detective Hamilton" is worth the price. If he really married Carina Cavendish in the future, he would not be able to hire him even if he paid ten times the price.

Seeing Xia De's expression of embarrassment, the man asked again:

"Are you married?"

"Not yet, but there is a girl I know."

"Well, don't you think that the housing prices in Yuewan City are a bit unreasonable? Those who can own real estate as soon as they are born because of their origins and relationships with relatives and friends, even if they do nothing, their assets will increase in value. But for foreigners like you and civilians who can only live by renting a house in the city, if they want to settle here, they will have to spend at least ten years working."

The stranger nodded immediately:

"Yes, yes, that's unreasonable."

Although he inherited the top real estate in Saint Teresa Square because of "Uncle Sparrow", this did not prevent Shade from being sympathetic to this kind of thing. After all, he had two lives.

"Do you know where it is?"

The stranger stretched out his hand again and pointed to the tall building on the east side of the river bank downstream of the Tatton River. That is the core urban area of ​​Yuewan City, where real wealth gathers.

Shade thought for a while:

"Isn't that the clock tower in Yuewan City? Oh, I know, that's the 'Belindle Big Ben'. It's a building built by the Belindel family next to the city hall, and it's currently the tallest building on the west coast of the Old World. I I’ve seen black and white photos in the Yuewan Area Travel Guide, but it’s said that it’s not open to the public and only a few people can enter.”

"Yes."

The stranger nodded immediately:

"The seven ancient Moon Bay families control this city and wantonly trample on ordinary people like you and me to seize wealth. Under Belindel's Big Ben, it is rumored that there is a secret club where the seven families gather. And at the top of the bell tower, you can The scenery of Yuewan Bay should be a treasure belonging to all citizens."

Shade nodded to express his understanding:

"So? What do you want to tell me?"

The stranger in robe said to the stranger seriously:

"The City of Fortune has long become filthy, and only light can dispel the darkness, so we established the 'Eternal Light' organization, hoping to unite to fight against the city council and fight for the interests of those who suffer at the bottom of the city. Since you If you can listen to what I say, maybe you can understand us."

As he spoke, he took out a leaflet and quickly stuffed it into Shade's hand:

“We don’t require donations, but if you have time, we have open ones downtown occasionally.”

But before the sentence could be finished, and before Shade, who was very interested in this, could ask the other party for more details, a police whistle sounded behind them:

"What are you doing? Yes, I'm talking about you! Don't run, stop!"

The man in brown robe ran away, and two policemen chased him into the alley along the riverside street. But this is Xiacheng District, and it's not easy to catch someone in the alleys that extend in all directions.

The older one at the end of the three-person police patrol team walked towards Shade.

Shade glanced down at the flyer in his hand, and then handed it to the police officer:

"I had no connection to that guy, he was just talking to me."

Shade was particularly proficient in Kasenrik, and the middle-aged policeman who was looking at his clothes also said politely:

"Please rest assured that the police in Yuewan will not involve irrelevant people casually."

"Well, can I ask, what does that person do?"

Shade said hesitantly:

"He just mentioned something about eternal light to me."

"This is an urban underground organization that has emerged in recent years, or an illegal religious sect in the city."

The word "sect" made Shade raise his eyebrows, but he misunderstood. This was not a cult group.

"After investigation by the Zhengshen Church, they do not believe in any evil gods, but believe in light."

The middle-aged policeman shook his head:

"Sir, please don't believe what they say. Did he just say that he wants to fight for the rights of the poor people at the bottom? No, no, that is just the behavior of liars. They are a group of extremists who are good at using clever packaging to cover themselves up. . The city hall defines them as illegal organizations, and they are prohibited from preaching and carrying out activities in Yuewan area. If you encounter them in the future, please stay away from such people."

He nodded to Shade, and then quickly walked towards the alley where his teammates left.

Shade watched his back disappear, holding on to the railing and continuing to look at the Yuewan cityscape under the gloomy sky:

"The church has not intervened, which means that this organization has nothing to do with ring magicians and gods for the time being."

[So who do you think is telling the truth? 】

"She" asked softly in Shade's ear. Shade looked indifferently at the black smoke spewing into the sky from the ship's chimney on the Taton River:

"It doesn't matter, what does this have to do with me?"

"She" continued to smile gently, which could be regarded as bringing some less negative emotions to Shade in this gloomy city.

The clues Miss Bernanise got from the "Great Witch of Destiny" were related to a fortune teller who returned to the city after disappearing. As for the great witch who was not sure whether she was in the local area, she knew the clue but was indifferent to the "Hope Diamond". Of course, it was not because she didn't want to get into trouble because of the unknowable relic, but the clue was actually not very clear, like this. There is never a shortage of inaccurate news in the city.

There is news that the fortune teller who once came into contact with the "Hope Diamond" is now living in seclusion in this Herring Street or the surrounding alleys. Even though the streets in Xiacheng District of Yuewan City are relatively clean and orderly, the population density here is still surprisingly high.

So Xia De had already made plans to spend the next entire month in Xiacheng District, Yuewan City.

Today was just to take this road, and now it was only four o'clock in the afternoon. Shade's goal had been achieved. With the glass slippers on him, he didn't have to think about spending time returning to the dragon's nest, so he spent the rest of the day sightseeing in the city.

Yuewan City, which has a large urban area, is divided into six districts, the most important of which are the core urban area and the dock area. The other four districts are roughly located around these two areas, but each has its own responsibilities.

The name "Moon Bay" comes from its crescent-shaped coast, and the coastal scenery of "Moon Bay" is also a local scenery that cannot be missed.

Shade spent an hour walking from the Tatton River to the pier. On the way, he experienced the alleys of the lower city and bought a bunch of crescent-shaped shells as souvenirs in a grocery store. Because he passed by the Peace Church, he even stopped at the door of the church and watched the citizens coming in and out.

He found that even a few of the clergy in Yuewan City were dressed differently from other areas. Priest August and Shade said that priests, priests and nuns working in the church are absolutely not allowed to wear any unnecessary jewelry, and even their hairstyles are strictly restricted. This is a unified requirement of the Five Gods Church, and even some cult groups have similar regulations.

But that afternoon, Shade found a middle-aged priest wearing a gold ring at the Peace Church in Yuewan City, talking to a gorgeously dressed lady at the door of the church.

He did not rush to accuse others, but lamented that there were so many clergy in the Five Gods Church, and even if most of them maintained considerable discipline, there would inevitably be exceptions.

The gloomy weather persisted into the evening and did not dissipate, but it did not rain at the same time. Arriving in a brand new city, and a big one at that, Shade had a lot to do. It's a pity that the Prophet's Association is not on the way to the dock he chose, otherwise he would have to meet the local poker players and Rhodes cards.

When Shade arrived at the dock, it was already dusk. The sunset was blocked behind clouds, and the sultry evening made everyone unhappy. Standing on the pier and overlooking the bay, the ships passing by and the dim yellow sunset shining on the sea together form a spectacular scene.

The sea breeze blew across my face, and a flock of seagulls flew in circles under the gloomy sky. The sailors carrying the cargo passed behind Shade, talking to each other in crude foreign languages ​​about interesting things about their day's work.

Busy but leisurely, Shade once again felt the difference between this place and Coldwater Port City. Take a deep breath and feel refreshed. Walking around in a strange city like this occasionally can really help keep you in a happy mood.

"Today is a really good day. I arrived in a new city but nothing happened. May the days of peace last forever."

Thinking in his mind, he touched the pendant on his chest and couldn't help but smile:

"I was originally worried that the pendant would suddenly become hot while walking on the streets of Yuewan City. Fortunately, nothing happened."

[I thought you were looking forward to seeing the witch. 】

"Why do you think so? The first six witches have their own reasons for being able to live in peace with me. I can't expect that the great witch of fate will also need my help, or have a close relationship with the friends I used to know well, you say, Will little Mia be happy if I bring a fish when I go home?”

[If I remember correctly, it doesn’t like eating fish very much. 】

"That's right."

Shade put his hands in his pockets and looked at the coastal scenery as the night grew darker, then turned around and prepared to go home.

PS1: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to everyone!

PS2: One more update, please vote at the end of the month!