SWNOVELXO Chapter 11: 11
Chapter 51 Outsourcing (First Update)Title of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3025 words Update time: 2025-05-12 13:15:45
Backlund, East District.
After a boring day of stall operation, Ovis Wein leisurely packed up all the goods and the first sign he had written himself as a child, and made an awkward expression to the expressionless guard at the door.
He then left the underground trading market and came to the streets of the East District, carrying his luggage like a vagrant who had just lost his job, but his expression and face were not as pessimistic and numb as theirs.
He admired the street scene before sunset with a cheerful expression. Although the fog covering the city had made the light quite dim, he did not care much about it. He even whistled leisurely with the rhythm of Intis.
He walked slowly like this, turned a few unnecessary turns, then broke into a hidden alley, walked through it for a while, walked up a flight of stairs in the corner, came to the second-floor corridor of a joint residential building, and walked to the end. Ovis finally returned to his place in the East District.
He kicked the unlocked door open, and the dust in the room was visible in the dim light coming in from outside. The whole house was almost empty, and could be described as bare. Apart from a few bare tables and chairs, the table in the simple kitchen was also empty, and all the belongings were basically on Ovis himself.
Putting his bag aside, Ovis slammed the door shut with the heel of his leather shoe, plunging the room into complete darkness.
Ovis turned around and found the gas meter on the wall very accurately. He took out the change to renew the gas meter. He curled his lips, as if he had expected it, and said to the darkness behind him:
"Since you've come to visit me, why don't you renew my payment? Do you like darkness so much?"
The copper penny was put into the coin slot. After a series of thuds of coins falling, the gas pipes in the house immediately made a slight hum.
After a sound of mechanical operation, the gas lamp in the house flashed twice, and then began to shine.
Brighter light immediately filled the small room, dragging the figure in the black robe out of the darkness.
Ovis turned his head and took a look. After seeing the face under the black robe and hood through the light, his expression immediately became casual. He raised one eyebrow and laughed:
"So it's you, Rosago. I was wondering who it was."
Seeing that his identity was exposed by Ovis, Rosago no longer pretended.
He took off his hood, walked forward to where the light was brighter, raised the corner of his mouth with a faint trace of beard towards Ovis, and said:
"I thought you would attack me right away. Are you always so defenseless against outsiders?"
"Emperor Roselle said that everyone who comes here is a guest. How can I attack a potential customer without any reason? This does not conform to the basic logic of my business."
Ovis walked to the dining table with a smile and placed the revolver hidden under his clothes on the table. Then he took out two hand-rolled cigarettes wrapped in tobacco, took one in his mouth, and handed the other to Rosago.
The latter gladly accepted it, but just put it away.
Ovis looked at Rosago's actions, curled his lips, and continued to search his body for a while.
"Where are my matches? That's strange."
Unable to find a match to light his cigarette, Ovis looked at Rosago and moved closer to him in a familiar manner.
"Don't just stand there and watch. Can you light my cigarette for me?"
Rosago chuckled, raised his hand, clenched his thumb and middle finger, and snapped his fingers.
In an instant, a flame bloomed in front of Ovis's mouth. The flame lasted for less than a second, but it was enough to burn the hand-rolled cigarette.
Ovis took a breath, lit up his hand-rolled cigarette, then exhaled the first puff of smoke, took another full puff, took the cigarette out, and felt it carefully for a while before exhaling the words and the smoke together:
"This is top-quality tobacco, which can only be bought in the southern continent. I am reluctant to smoke it in Intis, and I only use it as a gift when entertaining friends like you."
Rosago didn't say anything, and Ovis walked aside and got a glass of water from the tap.
After drinking some water to moisten his dry throat, Ovis turned around and took another puff of his cigarette.
"It is said that tea and tobacco go well together. I have never tried it, but anyone who can say this must be someone who knows how to enjoy life."
"You came all the way here and didn't even bring me some local specialties. Even if you don't have Intis bread, at least give me some tea. I don't want to drink water all the time."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, I've been in Loen for so long that my lifestyle has been somewhat affected. Now if I don't have afternoon tea, I'll feel especially empty in my stomach. Do you think this is a good or bad sign?"
As Ovis was talking, he suddenly took out his pocket watch and took a look at it.
"Well, twenty seconds have passed. It seems that you are not trying to turn me into a 'secret doll'~"
After being silent for a long time, Rosago finally lost his patience. He looked at Ovis curiously and said:
"Aren't you afraid that I will start 'converting' you now?"
"Look at what you said, my handsome Mr. Rosago. If you came here with bad intentions, how could you listen to me so quietly? According to your character, if you wanted to kill me, I would have almost become a 'secret puppet' in the time when I turned on the light and handed you a cigarette."
Ovis walked up to Rosago with a cigarette in his mouth and said with a confident smile:
"Besides, I can't find any reason why you would attack me. There are obviously more business possibilities between us. My survival is beneficial to most people."
Rosago lowered his head and smiled:
"Ovis, you really are a guy who values money over life."
Ovis immediately made a gesture of opposition, raised his hands in front of his chest, and said in an exaggerated tone:
"Forget it, I really value my precious life."
Rosago nodded in admiration and said in a deep voice:
"Sometimes I really can't understand how you, a Sequence 8, can have the courage to chat so calmly in front of a Sequence 5 warrior."
"It's all about confidence and then a little bit of patience."
Ovis made a small gesture to Rosago.
The latter smiled and shook his head, staring closely at Ovis for a while.
Then, he slowly opened his mouth and said:
"Are you really not considering joining us? Your promotion is so slow because you haven't found the right method. If you are willing to become one of our external members, I can tell you the right method."
"As a successful businessman, the most important thing is to remain neutral. If I rashly join any organization, it may cause turmoil in my business and even lead to the breakup of my relationship with some clients who could have had a good relationship with me."
Ovis spread his hands and said:
"And I don't think that a slow promotion is a bad thing. You know, there are still many people in this world who have not been able to become Beyonders."
Rosago laughed out loud:
"You have the ability to remain neutral in multiple extraordinary organizations at the same time. Perhaps you really have the potential to become the most successful businessman of this era."
Ovis seemed very happy to hear this. He raised his glass to Rosago and said loudly:
"Thank you for your blessing. I also hope that you can become the most successful fortune teller in this era."
...
After the mutual praise, Ovis did not change the topic.
He finished the cigarette in his mouth, flicked the remaining cigarette holder into the kitchen sink, and then asked Rosago:
"Dear Mr. Rosago, you didn't come here just to convince me to join you again, did you?"
"I set up a small mechanism at the door. Most people coming in would definitely trigger that little clue, but you didn't. This means that the way you came in was very covert. I don't think you would show off your skills just for something like this."
"First of all, I want to make one thing clear. Your mechanism is not very clever. I can find it without divination."
Rosago mercilessly commented on Ovis's cleverness.
Then, he returned to the topic, organized his words, and said:
"How is the scammer you asked me to tell fortunes for you last time doing now?"
"Hmm? What else can I do? He is probably still in Tingen. Ha, but I have already asked a very interesting client to help me find him in Tingen. I believe I should be able to get a reply within this week."
"Have you sent anyone to Tingen?"
Rosago frowned slightly, and then he said to Ovis:
"Can you reach your client right now?"
"Of course... I can't. I didn't leave a telegram address. You know, I don't like to leave too many traces for others. Besides, that client hasn't really become my friend yet."
Ovis waved his hand, looked around, saw Rosago's appearance, realized something, and asked:
"Are you interested in my client? Let me tell you in advance that I will not disclose the client's information. This is my principle as a businessman."
"I'm not interested in your clients."
Rosago immediately corrected:
"What I want is for your clients to do something for us as well, and of course, there will be sufficient compensation associated with it."
After hearing this, Ovis finally understood Rosago's intention.
"You want me to act as a middleman and impose a new commission?"
He was a little curious about what commission Rosago had come to him for, so he asked:
"Can I know in advance what task you need to entrust me with?"
Rosago looked down at Ovis and said in a low voice:
"Go to Tingen to find a notebook."
"To be precise, we are looking for a notebook that may have fallen into the hands of the Nighthawks."Chapter 52: Planning for the site scouting (Second update)Title of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3092 words Update time: 2025-05-12 18:00:30
Ovis paused immediately as he was about to drink from the cup. He put the cup down, swung his hands in the air, tilted his head forward slightly, and looked at Rosago with his eyes slightly widened, expressing confusion.
"Please wait a moment."
"I believe my ears are correct, right? You fortune tellers don't seem to have the ability to 'distort'?"
Rosago nodded and replied:
"Indeed not. That is the ability you will gain later on this path."
"Oh? I really didn't know that. I just said it casually... Hahaha, thank you so much."
Ovis joyfully hit Rosago's shoulder with his fist, which made the latter's smiling face suddenly gloom.
"Then let's confirm again. Do you want to entrust my lovely client who is in Tingen to help you find a notebook? After all, it is a notebook that may have fallen into the hands of an official Beyonder?"
"Not necessarily now, maybe sometime later, but we really need to find that notebook."
"(Intis swears), you really think highly of my ability to entrust you with a commission. My client is only a Sequence 9. Are you going to ask him to help you break into a church to find the notebook? Although my business ability includes rescuing people from the police station, I am helpless when it comes to the business of the Orthodox Church."
"Let a Sequence 9 help you find a Beyonder who might be a Sequence 8 and has certain anti-divination methods. You don't seem to take good care of your clients."
Rosago put his hands behind his back, stood in front of Ovis with his chest puffed out, and continued:
"This is just a commission. After all, it is an external commission. I think the person who decides whether to accept this commission is not you, but your client."
Ovis pouted exaggeratedly, turned his palm over, and said:
"Then why did you come to me? I was cheated by that scammer and I no longer have the glory I once had. Otherwise, I wouldn't have needed to find a Sequence 9 to help me investigate. You are a very old organization, why don't you do it yourself? Or, you know, find other bounty hunters who are not as reliable as me, but can still be considered good."
Rosago replied calmly:
"Because I think you are quite competent in keeping secrets. Back in Intis, even those people from the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun couldn't get anything out of you. I believe you must have your own way of keeping secrets."
"Besides, we don't want some people to know that we take that notebook too seriously."
"For example, the Orthodox Church? Excuse me, those official Beyonders are all excellent investigators. Maybe they have already found out about you... Of course, if you haven't sent someone to investigate first."
Ovis said, and then he saw that Rosago's expression had become slightly silent.
"Ah, it seems that it has been discovered..."
He smiled, changed his tone to a slightly friendlier one, and said:
"Then I have no choice. If you had come to me in the beginning, maybe I could have helped you. But since the Orthodox Church has discovered your whereabouts, I'd better not get involved in this mess. I don't want to be approached by someone from the Nighthawks or the Mechanical Heart."
After saying that, Ovis quickly noticed Rosago's attire, and then added:
"I guess this task is not specifically assigned to you. Is it an open task within your organization? Those who make contributions will be rewarded, first come first served?"
"Believe me, generally speaking, such public tasks are either because they are easy or because they are very difficult."
"You said it has already involved the Orthodox Church, which means that the notebook is probably not a good thing."
"Brave Mr. Rosago, you are already a Sequence 5 warrior. In your organization, your status is no longer comparable to that of grassroots members. The higher-ups will definitely invest more resources in you. You just need to calm down and work hard for a few years. Who knows when you will be able to become a Sequence 4 warrior. There is no need to take such a risk at this time."
"Think about it. A Sequence 4 Beyonder is a demigod! How many demigods can there be in a big city's Orthodox Church?"
"Then maybe I will have to change my name to you from handsome Mr. Rosago to great Mr. Rosago."
Ovis' words, like those printed on a typewriter, echoed in Rosago's ears, gradually relaxing his serious expression and making the smile in his blue eyes more prominent.
He nodded in approval and said to Ovis:
"Just assume that I believed your lies and that I haven't been here tonight."
Ovis also smiled and said:
"There's nothing wrong with that. I was just drunk and talking to myself in the room."
...
Before the bank closed, Caroline left the Tingen branch of Backlund Bank and went to another bank, where she captured several suspicious targets in the same way.
But in fact, as Mr. Wood said, Tingen itself is not a city with a large financial market. Although there are many rich people here, most people are not willing to take risks with their own money. Therefore, there are only five people on Caroline's suspect list.
This is a good thing, as it means she doesn't need to go to too many companies to investigate the information of these people.
But at the same time, this also means that if the scammer is not among these people, she will be forced to expand her search range.
"Mr. Mike Frazee from Frazee Real Estate Company will investigate you tomorrow."
Changing back into her daily clothes and eating a simple steak meal at a roadside restaurant, Caroline counted the list she had copied down.
The time was now 6:30 in the evening. Unlike Backlund, Tingen's good weather meant that the sky was still bright even as dusk approached.
Caroline used the remaining white bread to collect all the black pepper sauce and gravy on the plate, and then she devoured the bread full of rich flavor in one bite.
After wiping her mouth with a towel, she stood up, paid the waiter for the meal and tip, and then walked out of the restaurant as the young man in the black vest bowed politely.
"That's all for today's investigation. I'll go take a good look at the city in the evening."
Caroline was walking on the street, looking at the street scenes and thinking about what she was going to do at night.
Time is precious, so she won't stay in Tingen for too long. Although she will come to Tingen again to take on the second phase of Ovis's commission, she feels that she should also check out the other side of this city in advance.
For example, which bars here have people like Caspers, which have secret underground trading markets, and which can conduct transactions between extraordinary people.
Where there are people, there is a market, and Caroline believes that even Extraordinary People are no exception.
Once these preliminary work is done well, it will be helpful when she needs help in the future.
"I don't have any connections in Tingen, so it's best to start from various bars and see if I can meet some people with more connections."
"Haha, it's time to test my social skills. Fortunately, my mother taught me to learn to communicate with others since I was a child... Well, it started when she asked me to go shopping for groceries by myself for the first time. I was only in the fifth grade at that time."
Recalling the experience of buying groceries for the first time, Caroline couldn't help but feel some complaints towards her mother, but more than that, she missed her mother.
We must find a way to go back quickly...
I don't know how much time has passed on Earth, I hope there won't be too much of a time gap...
The way I traveled through time was through soul travel, so my body should still be on Earth... in the form of a vegetative state?
I hope the hospital bills for a vegetative patient won't cost too much…
Thinking of this, Caroline couldn't help but sigh, but then she smacked her lips and felt her mouth was a little dry.
The tea provided by the restaurant could not solve her thirst problem well, and she did not want to drink alcohol, so she could only drink the tea while eating the steak.
Normally on Earth, she would always bring a bottle of water or black tea when she went out, but in this world, there are not so many requirements.
Why don't you go buy some fruit? It's healthy and can quench your thirst.
I looked at where I was, and it was a busy and crowded street. The road surface was not as clean as the streets in the northern district, and a lot of dirty water with damaged vegetable leaves floating on it flowed into the sewer along the shoulder of the road, but this was also a sign that there was a trading market nearby.
After walking a little further, as expected, a market with an iron sign that said "Lettuce and Meat" appeared across the street.
Walking along the middle street to the other side, you can see a large town square at the intersection of two streets.
The street Caroline was on was called Iron Cross Street, but she didn't know what the street over there was called.
Crossing the street to the open-air market, Caroline walked among the densely packed stalls, looking for something.
She actually wanted to try some bell peppers. Some fruits in this world were different from those on Earth. Maybe she could try the flavors of those fruits in the future.
After walking for a while, Caroline soon found several red and yellow bell peppers displayed in front of a stall.
The skin is fresh and smooth, without any signs of damage or dehydration. The remaining stems are still emerald green in color, obviously fresh and good peppers.
Caroline's eyes lit up, and she immediately stopped at the stall and asked the stall owner:
"How much is the bell pepper?"
"Sir, how much is the spinach?"
The same questioning voice and Caroline's voice sounded at the same time. Caroline was attracted by the voice and subconsciously turned her head to look. She saw a girl with black hair and brown eyes, a thin figure, holding a bag full of books and stationery, squatting beside her, looking at the stall owner in front of her with a focused look.Chapter 53 Spinach's Respectability (Part 3)Title of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3056 words Update time: 2025-05-12 20:00:00
Although there were voices asking for prices at the same time, the experienced stall owner was still able to handle the situation well.
"Bell peppers are 4p each."
He walked up to Caroline first and pointed at the bell peppers.
Then he came to the girl again, took a look at the bunches of spinach on the stall, thought for a moment and said:
"Spinach 7p a pound."
After hearing the price, the girl's expression became obviously embarrassed. It seemed that the price was a little beyond her expectations.
"Why has the price of spinach gone up? I remember it wasn't this much a few days ago."
The girl said to the stall owner with some confusion.
"This is not something I can control. Because of the repeal of the Corn Laws, vegetable prices did drop along with wheat and other things a while ago. But there were so many people buying that there was a shortage of vegetables in the market, and the prices naturally went up again."
The stall owner spoke calmly, as if this matter really had nothing to do with him at all.
"It shouldn't have risen so fast... and 7p a pound of spinach was a very high price even in the past."
The girl muttered softly, still insisting, hoping that the stall owner could lower the price a little.
"You have to know that this is not ordinary spinach, miss. This is the delicate spinach that I carefully purchased from the south of the kingdom, grown in the most ideal environment. Its stems are more tender and juicy than the finest cabbage, and its leaves can still maintain their perfect shape even after a long cooking. In the most upscale restaurants in Backlund, I can guarantee with certainty that this is exactly the kind of spinach that those gentlemen and ladies with discerning tastes enjoy. Storm above, even as a supplier, I rarely allow myself to enjoy this delicacy so luxuriously."
The stall owner suddenly began to explain how valuable his spinach was and how crispy it tasted, and as he spoke he also abruptly praised his own beliefs.
He then stated the most likely reason why spinach would be at that price.
"Besides, I am the only one selling spinach in the whole market now."
All the fancy restaurants in Backlund are using this spinach?
Caroline raised her eyebrows in confusion. Why couldn't she remember any high-end restaurant in Backlund using the variety of spinach as a selling point? This was too cheap... or was it that the restaurants she had been to were not high-end enough?
She took a look at the bundle of spinach. It did look quite tender on the outside, but judging from the condition of the roots, it was likely that the spinach had been stored for some time, and the quality was not as high as he praised. It was obvious that the stall owner was simply bragging.
"If those gentlemen who run high-end restaurants knew that their restaurants were being slandered, I wonder if they would be so angry that they would pick up their canes and run to defend their restaurants..."
Caroline thought to herself, stretched out her finger and asked the stall owner for two bell peppers.
When business came, the stall owner immediately stopped arguing with the girl and quickly walked over to ask Caroline in a friendly manner if she had any requirements for the color.
Caroline has no preference for the color of bell peppers; she thinks they all taste the same.
So the stall owner picked out two fresh bell peppers for her, one red and one yellow. Caroline noticed that the bell peppers the stall owner had were two of the larger ones on the stall.
Seeing this, Caroline reacted, looked down at her own clothes, then immediately understood, curled the corners of her mouth, nodded and looked at the somewhat old dress on the girl next to her.
Doing business is also a science of knowing people...
It seems that Mr. Ovis is really a very fair businessman. At least he does not treat customers differently based on their identity or financial situation.
Caroline took the bell pepper from the smiling stall owner and gave him a 1 soli note and got 4 pence in change.
But Caroline did not leave immediately. Instead, she came to the side of the stall where spinach and other vegetables were placed.
The girl was still reluctant to give up the spinach. Through her drooping hair, Caroline saw a little desire in her eyes and her lips bitten by her teeth. It can be seen that she really didn't want to give up.
Maybe it was because the family hadn't eaten spinach for a long time, or maybe the price was slightly beyond her budget, but still within her affordable range. However, the girl felt that this was not reasonable.
Never mind, Caroline also thought that this was not very reasonable.
She leaned over, stood beside the girl, pointed at the spinach and asked the stall owner:
"Excuse me, how much is the spinach?"
The stall owner was stunned for a moment. He remembered that his voice must have been quite loud when he answered the girl just now.
But for the sake of business, he rubbed his hands affectionately and replied:
"Yes ma'am, spinach is 7p a pound."
After hearing this, the girl standing in front of the spinach gave up, because in her opinion, the stall owner offered this number to any customer, which meant that this was indeed a price that could not be changed.
Maybe it can be shaken, but girls are not good at it.
If Benson were here...
The girl was thinking about it and was about to get up and leave when she heard Caroline behind her say to the stall owner in a disagreeing tone:
"Sir, are you sure that's the price for a pound of ordinary spinach?"
Huh? Nothing special?
The girl turned around and looked at Caroline in confusion, only to see that the latter's face looked very certain.
The stall owner pursed his lips and quickly explained:
"Miss, what you said makes me feel a little distressed. You know..."
"You know this is the delicate spinach from the south of the kingdom? Goddess, look at the beautiful story you told."
Caroline smiled and shook her head.
"I'm from Backlund, and I haven't heard of any high-class restaurants in the West End or anywhere else using any special spinach. If it were asparagus or sweet radish, then maybe it would be possible to use it to attract gentlemen and ladies who pursue taste, but spinach... Hehe, sir, you may not have been to Backlund. Spinach is really a very, very affordable and friendly vegetable."
"Oh, of course, maybe it's different here. Spinach may really be a very fine food, just like you said, luxurious and precious."
There was no deliberate ups and downs in Caroline's tone, it was even quite gentle and sweet, but for some reason, the stall owner became more and more angry as she listened, especially because what she said was indeed the truth.
The stall owner frowned and was about to say something when Caroline stopped him again and took away the right to speak.
"Sir, please take a few deep breaths. What is the most important thing in doing business? Honesty, fairness, and enough patience, isn't it?"
Following Ovis Wein's example, Caroline pointed at the spinach on the stall and said:
"I understand your reasoning as the only stall with spinach in the market right now, and that makes sense, but it's not fair to consumers."
"I'm afraid your spinach has been sitting there for a while. Why can't you sell it? Is it because no one wants it, or are you holding out for someone to buy your 'delicate spinach' and refusing to lower the price?"
"Then you may be disappointed. Judging from the current situation, your 'delicate spinach' does not seem to have a market. And as time goes by, the poor spinach will become harder and harder to sell. By then, even the delicate appearance will not be able to be maintained. Do you really want to see such a situation?"
Perhaps because he was put into the situation by Caroline's words, the stall owner shook his head subconsciously.
"So, dear sir, you'd better sell these spinach before they become less attractive, otherwise you may lose the cost of these spinach."
"Of course, you can still stick to your 'tender spinach', after all, it's just spinach. But as you said, you are the only stall owner with spinach in this market right now, and it's not very late now, so there may still be other people who want to buy it later."
"But you can't guarantee whether your 'delicate spinach' can attract them. Or, you may be unlucky and meet a gentleman or lady who knows the situation of spinach and likes to argue, so they quarrel with you and want to report you for malicious price increase."
"I heard in Backlund that the official Consumer Rights Association is preparing to look for cases across the country that can be used to prove the association's capabilities. You should know how much effort politicians who are eager to achieve some results will make. If they are unfortunate enough to learn about your situation, they will probably swarm around you like carnivorous fish smelling blood."
"Of course, I believe that a gentleman like you who is honest and upright and has a good business must have the ability and confidence to deal with such a situation, but correspondingly, the time and money that need to be wasted are not worth it, right?"
"As I said, this is just a spinach. Is it really appropriate to spend so much energy and brainpower on it, and even cause some unnecessary trouble?"
Caroline paused, looked at the stall owner who had fallen into silence, and then made her request in a pointed way.
"Or, there is a better way. You can give up the respectability of 'delicate spinach' and sell it to us for 5 pence a pound."
"Yes, it's me and this lovely lady, and we each get a pound of spinach."
Caroline pointed at herself and then at the girl next to her.
"Compared to the benefits you gain, the dignity of a spinach doesn't seem that important, right?"
Caroline clasped her hands together with a "snap" sound, indicating that her conditions had been given.
The stall owner thought silently for a while, looked at the spinach, then looked at the bell peppers in Caroline's hand, and finally sighed and said to Caroline with a pout:
"You are a kind and sincere lady, and I apologize for my greed."
"One pound per person, 10 pence in total. I agree to this offer."Chapter 54 OriginTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3453 words Update time: 2025-05-13 13:52:13
Until she left the stall holding the spinach from the stall owner, the girl kept a dazed expression, as if she had not yet recovered from Caroline's actions.
"Hello? Hello?"
Caroline, holding another bunch of spinach, waved her hand in front of the girl. Seeing no response, she simply clenched her hand and snapped her fingers a few times.
With the crisp sound of snapping fingers, the girl slowly came back to her thoughts from a few minutes ago. She blinked a few times and saw Caroline with a strange look on her face. She quickly turned around and bent down to thank Caroline:
"Thanks for your help!"
Why does this wording sound so much like thanking a teacher with a gray beard and sparse hair...
Considering the books in her bag and her outfit, she is still a student...
Caroline's mouth twitched a few times, and she waved her hand kindly and said:
"It's just a small thing. I have a little habit of bargaining. Normally, I feel embarrassed to bargain when I see the old people working hard to pick vegetables to sell. Haha, this time I finally met a good man who raised the price. I guess I can get my fix."
"Haggling addiction...?"
The girl stared and opened and closed her mouth. Caroline's skill in bargaining reminded her of her older brother, but her brother only bargained due to financial circumstances, while Caroline simply liked bargaining.
Well, everyone always has their own little hobbies. Compared to some weird things, the hobby of bargaining... doesn't seem to be very difficult to understand.
But even so, when you receive help from others, you should still express basic gratitude.
So Melissa learned the etiquette tips she had heard from her classmates, lifted her skirt in an unskillful manner, and knelt down to greet Caroline.
Caroline was stunned for a moment when she saw it, because in her understanding, this etiquette was quite serious. Even in England, it was not until the development of modern society that etiquette gradually became popular.
"I'm not some high-ranking official."
Caroline said with a smile after coming back to her senses.
Hearing this, the girl's cheeks, which were already red from embarrassment, turned even redder. She quickly stood up straight and tried to explain something, but for a moment she was at a loss for words.
Caroline chuckled a few times and said no more. She waved to the girl with the spinach in her hand as a goodbye, then turned around and prepared to leave.
The girl, who had finally managed to organize her words, saw Caroline's back as she was about to leave, and mustered up the courage to ask:
"Um, my name is Melissa Moretti, may I ask who you are..."
Caroline stopped when the girl called her, turned around, winked at her with her left eye, and replied:
"Carolyn Williams. My name is easier to pronounce."
...
After saying goodbye to Melissa, Caroline, in a good mood, ate bell peppers and slowly returned to the hotel.
Caroline took down the Do Not Disturb sign on the door, went into the room and locked the door, then threw the spinach on the table beside her, exhaled and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"It's still early, let's wait until later in the night before going out to act."
Caroline took out her pocket watch and checked the time, then thought for a while, then took out the "Silver Key", summoned and unfolded the "Void Cube".
Entering the solid gray space, Caroline flipped through several recent "reports" to see if she could get some new information.
But life is so dull. After reading several "reports", they basically recorded some small things that happened in Tingen City. The only major event was a carriage accident that happened in the dock area this afternoon.
A vehicle transporting vegetables almost collided with a pedestrian who suddenly rushed out. The person was fine, but the carriage crashed into the roadside wall while trying to avoid the collision. The people and the horse were thrown to the ground, and the spinach on the carriage fell all over the ground.
Spinach? Could this be the real reason why few people are selling spinach in the market today?
Caroline shook her head helplessly and casually read a few "reports". Seeing that there was really no news, she simply left the condensed space and put the "Void Cube" away again.
Tingen is indeed a relatively peaceful city. The swindler probably chose to act here because of this. Otherwise, why wouldn't he go to Backlund?
However, even the most peaceful city has its night, and Caroline is not naive enough to relax her vigilance at night just because of the quietness during the day.
"According to Backlund's experience, the underground trading market of Beyonders is usually hidden in places like slums. However, the environment in different places is different, so we must not fall into the error of empiricism. Tingen itself is not a large city, and the boundary between the rich and the poor in the residential area is far less obvious than Backlund's. Some places close to the city center also have areas where low-income groups live."
Caroline outlined in her mind what she had seen today and vaguely constructed a rough map of Tingen City.
"Tonight we will start our investigation from places far from the city center. The dock area mentioned in that 'report' is very suitable. If we start investigating from the bars there, the results should be more significant."
Having made the decision, Caroline prepared to take a short break to replenish her energy.
She took off her coat, got into bed and glanced at the green in her sight. The bundle of "tender spinach" was still lying quietly on the table.
So, what should I do with this bunch of spinach?
Caroline scratched her hair in distress.
...
Backlund, Queens, Earl Hall's mansion.
The Earl of Hall and his family had dinner very early. Before it got dark, the family cook and servants had already prepared the table, served a variety of dishes, and placed tableware and napkins according to the seating arrangement of each family member.
When the butler rang the bell indicating dinner time, the members of the Hall family who were located in various places in the house came to the dining room under the guidance of the servants and took their seats in an orderly manner.
Earl Hall, who was sitting at the head of the table, raised his chest, picked up a small silver spoon and tapped it gently on the wine glass a few times.
Family members on both sides of the long table cast their eyes on him. Earl Hall raised his exquisite mustache and said loudly:
"The first compliment goes to our King."
"The second praise is to the merciful and compassionate goddess of night."
"The third compliment goes to the hard-working chef who prepared such delicious food for us."
Everyone at the table responded with a smile. The butler, who was standing by with his servants, nodded slightly to Earl Hall, thanking him on behalf of the chef.
After a simple blessing before the meal, the Hall family entered a quiet dining time. There was almost no communication during the meal, and even the sound of tableware colliding and food chewing was quite light. The only thing that seemed out of place in the entire restaurant was the flickering candlelight on the table.
After finishing her vegetables, Audrey exhaled quietly. According to her etiquette teacher, she couldn't make big movements during formal meals, even at family gatherings.
Seeing that there was still a lot of food left on the table, Audrey didn't have much appetite for the time being. She couldn't concentrate on the meal because of what she was thinking about.
So she turned her head and looked at Earl Hall at the top of the long table. She didn't speak, but just looked at him with her beautiful big eyes.
Earl Hall, who remained seated, soon noticed Audrey's gaze. He slowly swallowed the food in his mouth, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and asked with a smile:
"Audrey, do you have any interesting observations you'd like to share with us?"
When Earl Hall said this, the Countess and the eldest son Hibbert Hall, who were still dining, stopped what they were doing and looked at Audrey who was sitting at her seat.
Audrey put down the cutlery, placed her hands on her legs, straightened up, and said:
"Dad, do you remember Miss Caroline who I met at the ribbon-cutting ceremony that day?"
Earl Hall raised his eyebrows, nodded and replied:
"Caroline Williams? I certainly remember that strong girl."
After receiving the response, Audrey immediately used the words she had prepared long ago to explain to her father how worried she was about Caroline's condition and how she wanted to have more correspondence with her.
She chose her words and sentences very appropriately, most of which were sentences she had read from novels. After designing and organizing them in the afternoon, she was able to express her expectations very well.
Audrey used some tricks here because she was worried that her father would refuse her contact with Caroline due to some practical reasons.
After hearing Audrey's words, Earl Hall did not make any response. Instead, the Countess on the other side of the long table, Audrey's mother, smiled softly and said:
"Our Audrey is still so kind, which reminds me of many character stories in theater scripts."
Earl Hall shook his head in disapproval.
"This is the kind nature that comes from the Hall family's bloodline. How can the characters in the script be compared with our beautiful little angel?"
Count and Countess Hall smiled at each other, and the quiet atmosphere at the table suddenly became much lighter.
Audrey was happy to see this scene, but she still didn't like her parents calling her that.
"Really, Dad, just listen to me."
Audrey deliberately acted a little angry, which made the smile on Earl Hall's face even brighter.
After laughing, Earl Hall calmed down, thought for a moment with a smile, and replied to Audrey:
"Well, Audrey, I understand your thoughts. If you want to have more correspondence with Miss Caroline, I won't object."
"But, well, my dear little princess, please don't be distressed. I still suggest you not to get too close to her."
Audrey was delighted by Count Hall's previous words, but the instructions that followed immediately made her confused.
"Dad, why is this?"
Audrey asked confused.
"It's not because of Miss Caroline's personal situation, it's just..."
Earl Hall looked at his wife, who immediately showed some worry in her eyes and asked:
"Williams?"
Earl Hall nodded and said:
"It's Williams."
Audrey was even more confused by her parents' questions and answers.
Hibbert, who was sitting silently at the side, saw this scene, stuffed a piece of cut meat into his mouth, and said to Audrey with an unchanged expression:
"The Williams family is not favored by the king."
"Huh? Not favored by the king?"
Audrey's eyes widened, she was very surprised by her brother Hibbert's words.
"Hibbert, please don't talk while eating."
Earl Hall frowned slightly and reprimanded Hibbert in a slightly serious tone.
Then he turned to Audrey, carefully considered his words, and explained to his puzzled little daughter:
"These are some issues in the kingdom's history. The Williams family has some difficult stories with the royal family."
"Audrey, when you grow up a little, you will be able to learn more specific stories from some social occasions. If you still want to help Miss Caroline at that time, I will support and satisfy your idea."
"Just now...well, this is a little advice from your father. You'd better not get too close to Caroline."