Whispering Verse

This time was Mr. Franklin's third visit to deliver a commission. The commission was also to forcibly remove Little Franklin, who was addicted to Rhodes cards, from that illegal night club.

Mr. Franklin has had enough. He plans to sell his property and quit his job in the near future. He and his wife will abandon the thirty years of hard work in this northern capital city. He will leave the rich and prosperous Tobesk and move his family to the Kingdom. In the west, Artek City is known as the "City of Art". Mr. Franklin's brother had lived in that city for many years and could introduce the family to new jobs.

Of course, the more important thing is to keep little Franklin away from bad friends, Rhodes cards and gambling tables.

"After bringing him back this time, I will lock him directly at home. After the moving is completed next month, I will directly take him on the steam train. So, Detective Hamilton, can you take my son out? That club?"

The client confirmed it.

This only required Shade to enter the club immediately and persuade Mr. Franklin to leave with him, so the accountant's bid was 13 shillings and 3 pence, which was more than half a pound. For an accountant earning around £70 a year, this is roughly a week's salary.

This commission fee includes club tickets and additional subsidies for night outings. Although compared with the commission from Xiao Mia, this business was not even worth half a cat, but Shade thought about it and was willing to accept this commission.

He had only recently seen the affairs of the Franklin family in the commission records of the former detective. It recorded the process of the detective persuading little Franklin to leave with him.

"It's a very simple task, there will be no mistakes."

The orange cat stayed at home, worried that little Mia would be scared, so Shade reluctantly went out without turning off the gas light. Mr. Franklin went home to wait for news, while Shade chose to take a carriage to his destination because of the long distance.

The charging standards for taxis in Tobesk City have different rules depending on where the passengers get on the bus and their destination. The fee is 1 shilling for destinations less than 2 miles within 4 miles of the city center, and 5 pence for each mile thereafter. If you travel longer distances out of central cities, the cost per mile will be cheaper.

And Xia De's destination this time was in the lower city area in the usual sense, that is, North City. Including the extra tip he had to pay to the driver for driving at night, he paid a total of 3 shillings when he got off the bus at the dark alley.

Fortunately, Franklin's family is also in Beicheng District, so there is no need to take a carriage after finding little Franklin.

At the same time, the expensive price of using a taxi also made Shade aware of the gap between the rich and the poor in this complex and prosperous steam age. And, as a person at the bottom, how many challenges do I have to face.

The night in the city was quiet, but Shade, who had become a ring warlock, felt a terrifying feeling from the long silent night, like staring into an abyss. Tobesk, the largest city in the north, has many secrets and unknowns hidden in it, shadows in alleys and mysteries in the corners of apartments. Fortunately, at least Shade did not encounter these tonight.

"The world...is more dangerous than I thought."

The main entrance of the club called "Lucky Southern Cross" is located on Glass Mountain Avenue. But if you want to enter the club's casino, you must enter through the back door in the alley.

Following the records left by the former detective, Shade entered the alley and walked around half a circle in the dark before he saw the silver-gray rusty iron door. During this period, a wild cat suddenly jumped out of the wall, startling the detective, and he was annoyed by his "cowardice".

After carefully knocking on the iron door three times in succession and waiting for half a minute, a tall man with a beard, wearing a black coat and leather boots cautiously opened the door from the inside.

"This is not a place for young people to come."

The detective glanced at the young man and reached out to push him, but surprisingly he didn't push. Even if he is only a first-level warlock, his physical fitness has been greatly enhanced.

"Are the rules here so barbaric?"

Shade showed a Rhodes card with the color Silver Moon 13, which was one of the cards he picked up on the roof of the pet boarding center in the morning, and then said:

"I came to see Mr. Rhodes about something on the table."

Three more one-penny coins were then given as admission fee.

"I thought you were here for the first time?"

The bearded man glanced at the cards to confirm that the code was correct.

"I was introduced by an acquaintance."

Shade replied in a low voice. The bearded man looked at him again, and then gave way to the door, allowing Shade to enter the back entrance corridor of the club illuminated by dim yellow gas lights.

The detective immediately raised the collar of his windbreaker to cover half of his face, and looked around the alley warily before walking in.

"Although this is an illegal casino, it doesn't have to be like this..."

The bearded man muttered behind Shade.

The corridor was quite dark, and the air was filled with a disgusting smell of sweat, alcohol, and tobacco. After walking no more than ten steps inward, doors appeared on the left and right sides of the corridor. All the doors were ajar, allowing the dazzling light from the room to shine into the corridor, and chaotic shouts and shouts could be heard inside. The sound of hands slapping on the table.

Shade did not enter any door. He walked forward cautiously and quietly used [Echo of Blood] to check the surroundings. No obvious blood stains were found, which meant that at least there was no more serious illegal activity here.

"Although it's not a combat spell, it's inexplicably useful."

The corridor leads to the brighter east hall of the club. Dozens of four-legged wide wooden tables covered with tablecloths are placed in the hall. There are all kinds of well-dressed gentlemen, drunkards who have just left the pub, and workers who have got off work at night. Such people gathered around the table, waving the bills in their hands around the still dim tabletop, looking excitedly at the gambling games on the table.

The Lucky Southern Cross Club is divided into three floors, and only guests with sufficient status can access the casino upstairs. Little Franklin obviously can only hang out on the first floor. The last time Detective Sparrow Hamilton found a drunk young man lying in the corner in the east hall.

Because there were so many people, Shade only heard Mr. Franklin introduce little Franklin's clothes and appearance, so he did not find the young man immediately.

Holding a one-shilling note in his hand, he quickly blended into the crowded hall. He kept stopping at different tables to see if there was anyone he wanted to find, but he would never throw the money at the gambling table. The cost of riding in the carriage already made him feel distressed. Mr. Franklin would not reimburse the money spent during the detective process. No need to spend.

In half an hour, I almost looked through the entire east hall, but I didn't find my mission target. Instead, while pretending to study the bets at the table, I heard the gamblers chatting about the interesting things that happened here an hour ago.

A young man with small eyes wearing a gray hat, a sailor's shirt, and a face full of freckles was taken to the second floor and forced to "pay off the debt" because he owed too much money at the gambling table.

Shade didn't know the meaning of "paying off debt", but he thought it was not a good thing. He knew that little Franklin had been found, and that the young man was in a bad way.

To enter the second floor of the club, you need to show at least 10 pounds in cash, and you also need to be introduced by an acquaintance. Shade had no money or acquaintances, but he had to go to the second floor. Now was not the time to give up. After all, it was his first official commission.

After waiting for a while, fortunately, a group of dozens of drunkards stumbled out of the room on one side of the corridor and walked toward the second floor together.

"good chance!"

Shade dodged to the side with a few people near the stairs, but when the drunkards passed by, he immediately supported one of them who was slightly behind, endured the smell of alcohol on his body, and helped him to blend in with the crowd. The detective finally Came to the second floor.

"Sure enough, making money is never easy."

Compared with the noisy environment on the first floor, the second floor is obviously much quieter and the decoration is more elegant. Even at night, this is still a wine club rather than a casino.