SWNOVELXO Chapter 6: 6
Chapter 26: Commission to TingenTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3898 words Update time: 2025-05-01 14:22:00
Why does the mysterious Roselle text tattooed on Ovis look so much like Chinese?
Was it just a coincidence? Was it because the words were unrecognizable that the tattoo artist distorted them to make them look like words she was familiar with?
Or maybe, the famous Emperor Roselle who lived in history was a time traveler from Earth like himself...!
Thinking that there might be such a possibility, Caroline's breathing and heartbeat couldn't help but quicken.
When people are in a foreign land, the people they most hope to meet are either friends from their hometown or fellow countrymen from the same place as themselves. Not to mention that Caroline is not just in a foreign land now, but in a different world far away from her original world.
This is even more suffocating than leaving the Earth and going to another planet. The latter at least allows us to be sure that we are in the same universe, while the former would be even more desperate if we were in different universes.
Caroline is actually a person who is very nostalgic and very close to things related to her. If she outgrows the clothes she wore as a child, she will be reluctant to throw them away. If something that has been with her for too long has been damaged, she will not intend to throw it away. Similarly, after seeing the scenery of her hometown and getting to know the people in a place, she will suddenly feel extremely reluctant to leave when she is about to leave.
Unlike before when people left their hometowns to study in Sichuan and Chongqing, in modern times, we have communication tools like smartphones. Even if we miss our families, we can relieve our homesickness through video chats, and if we want to go back, it only takes a plane ticket.
But now everything is different. Familiar things are no longer around, and extreme loneliness gradually rises with the wandering alone. Every day when Caroline closes her eyes and opens them again, she still sees the scenery of a foreign land. Steam technology, British style, these things that are very different from her previous life, no matter how realistic they are, can't make her feel deeply involved in them.
Even though she was busy with various things and didn't have time to think about those things, she was slowly becoming a part of this world in her daily life. But she couldn't guarantee that when everything gradually settled down and she sat alone on the sofa at home late at night, she would suddenly feel uneasy from deep in her heart.
After a shudder, she tried to grab something around her to comfort herself, but after a closer look, she realized that everything around her was not what she was familiar with. She wanted to talk to someone, but no one could resonate with her. Loneliness and fear might have crushed her mind at that moment, like a grinning ghost lurking in the shadows, waiting to devour her completely the moment she showed her weakness and flaws.
She didn't dare to imagine that kind of scene, that kind of feeling, but she couldn't stop that time from coming. So, she had to find a way to find something to comfort herself before that time came.
So she silently took note of the character of Emperor Roselle, and planned to look for relevant information after returning home to get to know him better.
After being absent-minded for a moment, Caroline came back to her senses immediately. She first glanced at Ovis covertly to confirm that he did not notice her abnormality just now.
Seeing that he was still showing off the tattoo on his hand with a smug look on his face, Caroline breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the mysterious text carefully, pretending to appreciate a work of art in an art gallery.
Then, she nodded and said to Ovis:
"This is very interesting indeed, and I have a feeling it represents some kind of wealth."
Ovis nodded with great satisfaction, pursed his lips, squinted his eyes, and exaggeratedly looked as if he was about to cry. After pulling down his sleeves, he wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeves, and then sighed sincerely:
"Oh~ Our souls are so compatible. Few women can understand my admiration for Emperor Roselle. You, my wise and beautiful customer, are the first one I have met in Loen... No, it should be the first one I have met in this world! Our preferences are so tacit, perhaps we should get to know each other more deeply..."
Seeing that Ovis was taking the topic further and further off the track, Caroline felt that if she didn't stop him quickly, he might really start to think about something excessive in a while.
"Thank you for your compliment, Mr. Ovis. But I don't have any plans in that regard right now, and I'm here to buy something today."
As soon as he heard the word "shopping", Ovis, who had been acting affectionate, immediately stopped. His change was so quick that Caroline was dumbfounded.
"That's a shame. Maybe we can talk about it later."
Ovis chuckled a few times, and his eyes, which were filled with sincere admiration for Emperor Roselle just now, instantly turned into a cunning gleam.
"Now, let's talk about business."
He leaned forward a little, creating a small space in the center of the stall with Caroline.
Ovis's stall was originally in a corner, and there were no stalls too close to it. This action could not only block out the noise coming from other stalls in the underground trading market, but also limit the communication between the two of them as much as possible.
"You need to make another 'Hunter' potion, right? That requires another 20 ml of red hound blood and 15 grams of gray matter. Unfortunately, gray matter is out of stock recently. These red hounds only have a lot of blood, and the rest of their muscles and internal organs are pitifully scarce. 15 grams of gray matter is almost the weight of half a brain."
"How about this, you can buy blood from me first, and then come back to buy the brain gray matter after my friend in Intis ships it to you in a few days. Of course, you can also buy brain gray matter from other places. Haha, I never force customers to consume. Although Emperor Roselle mentioned that 'customers are gods', he also said that 'store owners and consumers are equal'."
"But in order to retain customers, I will also use some tricks. For example, if you buy that 20 milliliters of blood from me, I can give you a 5% discount after the gray matter is restocked."
As soon as they talked about business, Ovis's thoughts became clear instantly, and he methodically listed all the product-related information and sales methods to Caroline. It must be said that his business-focused attitude was more attractive than that of a glib playboy.
Caroline thought about it and felt that besides Ovis, she had no other way to buy potion materials. She might as well continue to buy from him and enjoy a discount.
"This is a very thoughtful and reasonable arrangement."
Caroline said to Ovis:
"So, how much does 20 milliliters of red hound blood cost? Is it the same as before?"
Ovis smiled and nodded, and replied:
"Yes, same as before, 20 milliliters of blood for a total of 120 gold pounds."
Hiss, 120 pounds... converted into modern Chinese currency, it is about 100,000 yuan... This is not a cheap price. This amount of money is enough for an ordinary four-person working family in Backlund to live on for more than a year. Even for Caroline, this means that she will have to take a considerable amount of expenses from this month's pocket money.
Considering such a high price, Caroline's impulse began to stir again.
Finally, she couldn't help herself and asked Ovis tentatively, who looked very pleased:
"Can it be cheaper?"
Ovis, who was still shaking his shoulders, was startled by Caroline's words and was stunned for a moment. It seemed that he had never expected Caroline to ask such a question.
But he was very patient. He looked around and raised his eyebrows and asked:
"Miss, how cheap do you think it should be?"
"Hmm...I think so."
Caroline touched her chin and made a "6" with her hand.
"Sixty pounds is a pretty nice number."
"Sixty pounds?"
Ovis's expression became full of meaning. He laughed coldly a few times and said:
"You really have a sense of humor, young lady. Although the blood of the red hound is not valuable in the extraordinary market, it is not so cheap, right? This is the price after the discount. You can go to other extraordinary trading markets to investigate. Other places will not be as considerate as mine, selling 20 ml for 120 pounds."
"Hmm...are you short of money? If so, I have some good projects here that may help you relieve the financial pressure..."
Now it was Caroline's turn to be shocked. She had only wanted to bargain casually, but who could have thought that Ovis was actually planning to lead her directly into an illegal business? !
"No, I'm not short of money at all! And even if I am short of money, I won't do anything to sell my body or soul to make money!"
She immediately opened her eyes wide and denied it, shaking her head like a rattle.
"Haha, that was a false alarm. I was wondering, how could a lady as elegant and decent as you have financial pressure?"
Ovis immediately laughed easily again, as if what he had just said was just a joke.
But immediately, he changed the subject, leaned forward slightly to get close to Caroline's ear, lowered his voice, and said in a low but attractive voice:
"However, if you are having trouble making ends meet, I do have a plan that will allow you to exchange these extraordinary materials in other ways... Of course, you can rest assured that you will not be selling your body or soul. Haha, how could I possibly make such rude suggestions to a beautiful lady like you?"
Caroline thought for a moment after hearing this, then walked towards Ovis and whispered in his ear:
"Why not tell me about it?"
"Haha, you have the personality of a straightforward gentleman."
Ovis leaned back and gave Caroline a warm smile.
Then, he sat back in his original seat and talked to Caroline as if he was chatting with her before:
"It's like this. In a certain month in the past - please don't mind the specific time, I don't really want to recall that period of time in detail - a swindler with no business ethics and despicable character violated the contract I signed with him and took away my investment amount and fled to Loen. I came here to do business, and one of the reasons was to find that stupid swindler."
Although Ovis maintained his elegance when he said this, Caroline could still sense the gnashing of teeth beneath that elegance.
"I recently got some information about the swindler. A friend of mine in Intis told me that he is a member of an ancient organization called the Secret Order. You may not have heard of it, but you only need to know that the members there are basically experts in divination."
Another friend? Another mysterious organization? Mr. Ovis, you have so many friends. Do your friends really know that they are your friends...
Caroline couldn't help but speculate, but she still listened carefully to Ovis's story.
"I gave him a piece of paper that the fraudster had signed. A few days ago, he told me that he used that paper to do divination, and the result showed that the fraudster is now in Loen. The specific location can be located in a city called Tingen in Loen Ahowa County, but further divination did not produce any results. I think that guy took some precautions and interfered. If you want to confirm the authenticity of the divination, you have to go directly to Tingen to see if you can find any clues about the fraudster."
Hearing this, Caroline quickly understood what Ovis's so-called "plan" was.
So she took the initiative to take over the conversation and said:
"So you want to find someone to help you go to Tingen and see if you can find the liar?"
Ovis gave Caroline a thumbs up.
"That's right! Because that swindler and I invested together for a while, he recognized me. If I showed up in Tingen, it would definitely alert him. Besides, my business in Backlund has just started, so I can't leave rashly. So since I got the news, I have been looking for a suitable client."
Then he pointed his finger at Caroline.
"Now, I think you, my brave and smart lady, are very suitable to be hired to help me go to Tingen to investigate the whereabouts of the fraudster."Chapter 27 Commission RemunerationTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 4078 words Update time: 2025-05-01 14:23:00
Ovis looked Caroline in the eyes and raised two fingers to her.
"This is a very affordable commission. If you are willing to take it, I can give you two discounts as compensation. The commission is also divided into two stages."
"How about it, are you interested in listening further?"
Caroline nodded slightly and replied:
"Please continue."
Ovis smiled with satisfaction, put away his middle finger and left only his index finger, indicating the first stage of the entire commission, and then slowly narrated:
"In the first stage, you go to Tingen and help me investigate whether there are people there who look like the fraudster. Collect all their information and give it to me when you return to Backlund. This will complete the first stage of the commission."
"And in return, I will give you a certain discount. The red-haired hound blood that originally cost 120 pounds can be sold to you at the extremely low price of 100 pounds!"
100 pounds... that's probably a 15% discount. Taking into account the travel expenses, and the fact that money may be needed during the investigation, a 20-pound reduction can indeed make up for it. But there are not many discounts available, so it can only be regarded as a bottom line price.
Caroline thought quickly, and then immediately said to Ovis:
"95 pounds! Tingen is a city in another place. If, as you said, the swindler took your money, then the wealth he has now should be enough for him to have a very respectable status and a wealthy life in Tingen. If you want to investigate people of this class, you will inevitably need to bribe local officials, and as an outsider, the handling fee will be even higher for me."
After listening to Caroline's request, Ovis curled his lips and shook his fingers, retorting:
"Miss, this is a bounty commission, not a business transaction. There are not so many fairness considerations compared to the latter. I will only give you the most basic budget, which has been reflected in the discount of the red-haired hound blood. As for the expenses caused by other problems during the commission process, you will need to bear them yourself."
Caroline frowned and continued the other party's words:
"The fraudster was able to escape from you and hide in Loen, and he also had the means to deal with divination. This shows that your commission is somewhat dangerous. As the client, you should give a certain amount of risk insurance."
"That guy is just a little cunning and treacherous. I don't think he's dangerous. I guess he's at most a Sequence 8 Beyonder with no combat ability. As a Hunter, you have enough power to defeat him."
The two were unwilling to give in to each other, and neither of them was willing to give up too much of their own interests.
Caroline quickly became nervous. She had only bargained for groceries before, and this was her first time to discuss a commission.
So she gritted her teeth, decided to give up a little bit of her interests, and said:
"96 pounds, I can't help but consider the more dangerous possibilities."
Ovis maintained the same posture, staring at Caroline and said:
"Miss, I have given enough concessions."
"98 pounds!"
"make a deal."
As soon as Caroline finished speaking, Ovis immediately put on a happy smile, which made Caroline clench her fists.
...I still couldn't predict the old fox's tricks.
"Oh, beautiful lady, you are such a kind and considerate girl. You know that life is hard for businessmen like me. I believe we will be able to make more and better deals in the future."
Ovis said this with a grin, as if he was about to shake Caroline's hand.
Caroline dodged his move, put her hands tightly in her arms, glared at him unhappily, and said:
"Don't say that again. You haven't told me what the second phase of the commission is."
Ovis smiled and held up a second finger.
"The second phase of the commission is a bit difficult. After you complete the first phase of the work, I will confirm whether the fraudster is among the people you have collected. If not, then everything will be over. If I successfully confirm his identity, then you need to help me collect further information about him in Tingen, return the information to me, and then delay him until I come in person, or help me capture him directly back to Backlund."
After saying this, Ovis seemed to know that Caroline would have concerns about this, so he spread out his hands and said as if he was holding something in both hands:
"The reward for the second phase is divided into two parts. First, after you give me all the information about the scammer, I will sell you the red hound's brain gray matter at half the price, which is 100 pounds."
"Second, after I successfully catch the swindler, I will give you the final reward for the commission settlement, which is the formula for the Hunter Path Sequence 8 potion."
Sequence 8 potion formula? !
Caroline was stunned when she heard this. She was still complaining about Ovis's stinginess, but she really didn't expect him to give such a reward.
The notes in the attic did not record any information about the Hunter Pathway Sequence 8, indicating that the original body had not yet obtained the corresponding potion formula before being killed. For Caroline, who needed to increase her strength to protect herself, this was a reward that was hard to refuse.
Who knew where else she could get the formula for the Hunter Path Sequence 8 potion? Now that there was a way to get it through quests, she had to think about it more.
"If I wanted to buy the formula directly from you, how much would you offer?"
Caroline asked, pursing her lips.
"The original price of a sequence 8 potion formula is 400 pounds. You don't have to doubt it. In any extraordinary market in Loen, the potion formula has a fixed price. Haha, this is the relationship between commodities and markets."
Ovis replied.
"Of course, you can also choose to only accept the first phase of the commission. After getting the news about the scammer, my actions will no longer be so stretched, and I can hire other, more powerful bounty hunters to help me complete this task."
"Haha, this is a special offer just for you. I have a feeling that our future cooperation will only increase, not decrease. As a rare and high-quality customer, the philanthropic Mr. Ovis Wein will provide you with sufficient and very reasonable options for sale."
Then he sat up straight, looked at Caroline with a shrewd but not very sincere smile, and asked her a final confirming question:
"So Miss, what is your choice...?"
Caroline did not hesitate and answered Ovis's smiling face:
"I am willing to accept your commission."
After getting the answer, Ovis' smile finally became sincere. He happily extended his hand to Caroline, and this time, he was no longer so offensive.
"I hope our cooperation will be pleasant."
Caroline also smiled and stretched out her hand to shake hands with Ovis.
...
After reaching an agreement with Ovis on the commission, Caroline no longer stayed in the underground trading market. She walked out of the iron gate along the same path she came from and went out along the secret passage.
She and Ovis had only reached a preliminary verbal agreement. When she was ready to go to Tingen for investigation, she would meet with Ovis again to sign a specific, binding written agreement.
This was a request made by Ovis himself. It seemed that under his calculating business mind, he really believed in fair trade. As he said, he really admired Emperor Roselle and also believed in the series of values about business activities proposed by him.
"Although I cannot fully trust Ovis right now, the information and items he has are what I need right now. If he has the formula for a Sequence 8 potion, then he may have information on the formula for a Sequence 7 or even a Sequence 6 potion…!"
It's not Caroline's fault for being overly suspicious. As a time traveler in this world with extraordinary power, she has to be extra careful about everything.
Moreover, Ovis was also connected to the "Iron Cross" of Intis, which he himself had said. The organization whose members were Beyonders of the "Hunter" path could be both an opportunity and a risky challenge for him.
What Caroline wanted to do most now was to return home quickly and use the "Void Cube" to confirm whether her communication with Ovis just now would form a "report" in order to explore Ovis's motives and credibility.
After walking slowly out of the secret passage and pushing open the tattered wooden door, the light from the outdoors once again filled Caroline's vision.
The light in the underground trading market was so dim that when she came outside again, she couldn't help but feel lighter all over, without the sense of urgency and crampedness just now.
He took out his pocket watch and took a look. The time had come to 3:47 in the afternoon. It would soon be the time for Backlund's people to get off work.
Putting away the pocket watch, Caroline turned to the street. After walking out of the alley, she remembered that Hugh should be secretly watching somewhere at this time to confirm whether anyone was following her.
Sorry, Xio, for keeping you waiting outside for so long...
Caroline said sorry quietly in her heart, pretending that she knew nothing, and walked calmly on the streets of the East District, slowly walking towards Tiemen Street where the "Brave Bar" was located.
After about ten minutes, Caroline arrived at the intersection on the east side of Tiemen Street. Across the street, she could see the sign of "Brave Bar" and the strong guard still standing outside the door.
She didn't continue walking forward, but just stayed where she was, waiting quietly.
Another ten minutes later, Caroline observed the pedestrians passing by on the roadside, and even met a few beggars who came to her to ask for alms.
After giving each of them alms of 1 soli to send them away, Caroline saw Hugh Dilcha coming from the other side of the north street. It seemed that she must have made a detour to meet her.
After approaching, Hugh breathed a sigh of relief and said to Caroline:
"It seems that it has nothing to do with the underground trading market. After you left, no one followed you. The guarantee of the Brave Bar is trustworthy."
Of course, because there was no one following me. Even if there was, it was probably sent by Albert's cheap uncle…
"That's great. It means my investigation has indeed come across some useful clues."
Caroline said against her will, slightly avoiding Quinn's big eyes that were staring at her.
Xio paid no attention to these small details, and said with sympathy and joy that his friend's actions had yielded results:
"Well, the truth about Uncle Karl and Aunt Catherine's deaths will surely come to light!"
Seeing that Hugh was truly happy for her, Caroline couldn't help but feel a little more guilty.
As if driven by emotion, she couldn't help but raise her hand and rub Xio's hair - although the touch was not very good, it was gentle but a little prickly.
"Oh my god, Caroline, what are you doing!"
Xio dodged Caroline's hand unhappily, which brought back some incomplete and vague memories. She subconsciously said:
"I used to play with you, but now it's your turn to protect and lead me...Xiu, you've grown very strong now."
Hearing Caroline's inexplicable words, Hugh's cheeks turned a little red, and he raised his fist and hit Caroline on the waist.
"Don't say such things! But you, you are still the same as before, always liking to touch my head and make fun of me!"
"Haha, your height seems to have remained the same for the whole time. I can touch your head with just one hand. You can't blame me for that."
"Who said that! I've clearly been growing taller. I was around here last year, and I'm already here this year!"
Hughie gestured to indicate the change in his height, which seemed to be no change at all, even to Caroline.
After chatting casually for a while, both of them were obviously in a much better mood.
After looking up at the sky which was gradually getting darker, Quinn turned to ask Caroline about her recent plans.
"I plan to stay quiet for a while recently, and continue investigating my parents' affairs after the storm has passed. During this time, I plan to do some commissioned tasks to earn some extra money and extraordinary materials."
After listening to Caroline's story, Hugh said with some surprise:
"Are you planning to be a bounty hunter?"
Caroline stroked her chin and replied:
"I can't say I'm a bounty hunter, but I just want to find something to do during this period of time, and to adapt myself to my extraordinary power."
Xio understood and said "Oh", nodded and said:
"Indeed. After all, Caroline, you are a 'hunter'. You have a natural advantage in bounty commissions."
"If I really want to live as a 'hunter', then I'd better start hunting in the mountains and forests outside the city tonight. Maybe I can hunt for the extraordinary materials I need by myself in the future."
"Caroline, your mind is still so...active."Chapter 28 InvestigatorTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3770 words Update time: 2025-05-01 14:24:00
After chatting with each other for a few final words, Hugh said goodbye to Caroline, saying, "If you need any help, just contact her."
Caroline, who had accomplished her purpose of going out, naturally had nothing else to do. She also said goodbye to Xio, and the two parted ways at Tiemen Street.
Hugh walked along the south street, probably because she had her own things to do, while Caroline planned to return to Cherwood before it got darker, buy dinner and go home quickly.
After walking along the street to the west for a distance, they arrived at an open square near the Backlund Bridge in the Bridge District. There were more carriages parked on the roadside waiting for customers. Caroline picked a carriage at random, paid the same 1 soli as when she set out in the afternoon, and took the carriage back to the Cherwood District.
After getting off at Hope Street, the main road connecting to the Backlund Bridge, Caroline first went to the nearest comprehensive trading market and bought a bag of bacon, a box of fresh eggs and a bag of sausages, spending another 1 soli and 4 pence.
Then she walked along Rice Street east of Hope Street towards Bread Street, and finally reached Blaise Street on the riverside and returned to her home.
After preparing the ingredients, Caroline made herself a classic British dish, fried three eggs, two strips of bacon and a sausage, and used this high-calorie food with sliced white bread to fill her stomach which had been empty all afternoon.
After eating and drinking to her heart's content—although what she drank was just plain boiled water—Caroline cleared the dishes and went up to the bathroom on the second floor. She closed the door and took out the "Silver Key" from her pocket. After silently reciting the honorific name, she summoned and unfolded the "Void Cube".
After the gray and solid space blocked her vision, the light "report" reappeared. Caroline couldn't wait to take the "report" and browse through it, looking for any records of her communication with Ovis Wein.
"Found it!"
Sure enough, Caroline only took one "report" and saw Ovis' name on the second "report" that followed.
"merchant"
"People often say that transactions are everywhere in society. Where there is valuable labor, there will be commodities. Where there is accumulation of commodities, there will be market transactions. Even the extraordinary world is no exception."
"After repeated friction and negotiation, Caroline started her first transaction in the Extraordinary World. Even though this transaction has not been truly completed, she believes that this will be a good start."
"One is a shrewd businessman from Intis who was ruthlessly cheated by a fraudster, and the other is a wandering soul who has just arrived and has not yet fully adapted to the world; one wants to expand his business territory in a new country, and the other wants to obtain the materials to become a Beyonder. These two people who originally would not have had any intersection are connected because of their respective needs. "
——"Hayek's offline dating platform is gaining momentum."
"Void Cube" There seems to be something wrong with you...
Caroline looked at the last comment of the "report" and curled her lips speechlessly, wondering how this guy knew all the jokes.
However, ignoring these strange factors, judging from the content of the "report", Ovis's credibility has been sufficiently improved. Just as he said, he was indeed defrauded, and his motive for coming to Loen was very pure, just to do business.
Admittedly, because of the "Iron Cross" factor, Ovis still couldn't get rid of the suspicion of "phishing", but Caroline thought that the possibility of this suspicion was now small.
After all, what Ovis was selling in the underground market were Sequence 9 potion materials of the "Hunter" pathway, and in his opinion, the original body that had bought the materials from him before should have already become Sequence 9 and had left his "target group". Caroline's return to the underground market was entirely due to the arrival of the Earth traveler Gu Yi, which was a complete accident and he could not have foreseen this.
If he really wanted to "fish" through the information of the "Hunter" channel, he should have released the relevant information about Sequence 8 in advance, instead of bringing it up when they were discussing the commission. Moreover, during the entire transaction, Ovis had been trying to get Caroline to recommend his relevant information to the so-called "friend who wanted to become a Beyonder", as if he was just looking for money.
Now that the "Void Cube" has not discovered his ulterior motives and there is nothing wrong with the content of the "report", Caroline feels that she can still trust Ovis very much at the moment.
After reading a few more "reports", Caroline finished reading and took back the "Void Cube" before she felt mentally exhausted.
After putting her worries aside, Caroline had no other urgent matters to attend to. Seeing that it was still early, she prepared to take a shower first. After all, she had only wiped her body with a towel in the past few days since she came here, and had never taken a proper shower.
And with the arrival of summer, the temperature in Backlund inevitably rose, and Caroline was sweating from wearing the hunter suit. Of course, the benefit that came with it was that taking a cold shower no longer seemed so difficult.
However, Caroline was still afraid that Backlund's cold and humid night would send some germs into her body unexpectedly, so she ran to the front hall on the first floor to light the fireplace, and then began to fight against the cold shower.
...
Night slowly fell, covering Backlund. The kerosene lamps on the street lit up one by one under the efforts of the lamplighters, barely supporting the only remaining light at night.
Under the dim light, outside a cordoned alley in the East District of Backlund, a group of people wearing clothes with gear and mechanical patterns gathered here.
The East District of Backlund was the place where all kinds of forces were mixed together. Even as an official church force, there would occasionally be some friction due to the overlap of the areas they were responsible for.
But today was different. The alley blocked by the cordon happened to be within the responsibility of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery. Therefore, the people who came here were the extraordinary team under the Church of Steam, the "Mechanical Heart".
The leading man glanced into the alley and could still smell the bloody smell from the blood that had dried and solidified on the ground and walls.
He frowned, took a few steps to the side, and said to the team members standing beside him:
"This is indeed not an ordinary homicide. Such a huge amount of blood loss is enough to cause a person's death, but there is no body at the scene, nor any traces of fighting. It is as clean as a slaughterhouse counter, as if someone just slaughtered a few sheep here."
No one could understand the captain's inexplicable humor, but in order to avoid making the atmosphere awkward, they laughed a few times in response.
The captain of the Mechanical Heart didn't understand that his joke didn't resonate with anyone. He thought he had a good sense of humor, nodded with satisfaction, and continued to explain what happened:
"Yesterday morning, the East District Police Station in Sierra Vista received a report that a suspected murder had occurred here. Detectives from the police station were dispatched and after a preliminary investigation of the scene, they confirmed that the crime occurred around the early morning of June 28."
"However, the police were unable to find any traces of the murderer or even the victim anywhere at the scene. In the words of the police officer who contacted us, this is an unsolved case."
"The Sierra Vista Field referred this incident to us because they suspected that there might be some extraordinary power involved."
After saying this, the captain of the Mechanical Heart turned his gaze to his team members and asked with a teacher-like face:
"Based on the situation at the scene, what do you think?"
Several "Mechanical Hearts" grumbled in their hearts that their captain's old habit of teaching others had come back again. They looked at each other, randomly selected a lucky companion, touched his arm, and indicated that it was his turn to be the "eager student" this time.
The team member stood up reluctantly, and under the encouraging gaze of the team leader, he answered by squeezing out words from his mouth one by one:
"Here... although it looks like a murder has occurred, as you just said, Captain, there are no clues or traces at the scene. Also, if two Beyonders really fought here, then the noise they made should have attracted the attention of the surrounding residents. Even if it was a one-sided attack, there is no corpse or body tissue left, only blood, so I think..."
The member of the "Mechanical Heart" team stopped talking at the end because he had no idea of the correct answer. What he said just now was just to deal with the captain's temporary thinking.
"Do you think this is most likely just a misunderstanding? Is it possible that our trip this time was in vain?"
The team leader, who was good at teaching others, seemed to have guessed that his team members would give such an answer, and shook his head in disappointment.
"This is what I want to teach you today. Remember, as an official Beyonder team, we cannot make subjective judgments in advance before conducting a comprehensive investigation of the scene."
"There are two extraordinary people among you who are on the path of 'Secret Peer'. You must keep this in mind."
"The so-called 'do whatever you want, but don't hurt' means that 'secret peepers' must not make irrational judgments based on personal emotions."
The experienced team leader talked eloquently, and under the watchful eyes of the "Mechanical Heart" team members, he stepped over the cordon and walked into the alley.
The team members quickly followed and watched the captain's actions inside from both sides of the cordon outside the alley.
The team leader slowly closed his eyes, as if he was feeling the surrounding environment, remaining still and silent, just standing there.
Gradually, the members of the Mechanical Heart team standing outside seemed to feel that the atmosphere in the environment became a little thicker, as if some strange gas was flowing around them, but everything seemed normal.
At this moment, the team leader suddenly opened his eyes, grabbed a handful of gray powder from his small bag, and sprinkled it in the alley in front of him.
The powder slowly dissipated and settled to the ground. After being stained by the dried blood, it emitted a little bit of wonderful white fluorescence.
Seeing this scene, the team leader raised his mouth proudly and turned around to explain to the team members outside the alley:
"What I'm doing now is using the spiritual powder to detect the spirits in the surrounding environment. Based on the performance they emit after coming into contact with the environment, I can infer whether there has been a leakage of extraordinary power here before."
"Look, these lights are very peaceful and tranquil, without any fluctuations or changes, which means nothing unusual has happened here—"
However, before the team leader could finish his words, the glowing powder in the area covered by the powder he sprinkled suddenly expanded, forming a huge black fog in mid-air that was extremely dark and seemed to be dripping with unknown viscous liquid.
With a terrifying roar, the black fog exploded violently, blowing the captain of the "Mechanical Heart" out of the alley alive before he could react.
As the team members watched in horror, the team leader flew through an ungraceful curve in the air and fell heavily to the ground on the other side of the road, his head almost hitting the wall.
"team leader!!"
The Mechanical Hearts rushed over quickly, and several houses around lit up candles because of the terrifying noise.
The team members surrounded the captain who was lying on his back with blood flowing from his face, but he still had a clear consciousness.
The latter coughed a few times with a painful expression, and the previous blow almost made him faint on the spot.
The team leader struggled to raise his upper body, ignoring the pain on his face and body. Facing the blood on his forehead, he looked at the black fog that had subsided in the alley and said to his team members in a confused voice:
"Go and report this to Deacon Ikanser..."
After saying this, he fell back to the ground as if he had let out the air he had been holding on to.Chapter 29 Subway to UniversityTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3018 words Update time: 2025-05-01 14:25:00
Caroline had overestimated her ability to withstand the cold. The whole cold shower could be described as a thrilling battle, an excellent showdown between one's will and physical instincts. In the end, she had to open the bathroom door and let the heat from the fireplace in the front hall float down the stairs to the second floor to make herself feel a little better.
So after finally washing off the remaining soap bubbles on her body, she hurriedly dried herself, changed into her nightgown, ran to the fireplace in the front hall on the first floor to warm herself, and urgently boiled a pot of water. Holding the cup to keep warm, she drank three cups of water in a row, just to prevent herself from catching a cold in this world without Isatis root.
"Next time, I'd better take a hot bath. There's a boiler in the basement. Why should I make myself unhappy..."
This was Caroline's heartfelt sigh as she faced the fire in the fireplace and felt her body temperature slowly rising.
After sitting in the front hall for a while, the warm fireplace awakened Caroline's sleepiness. She decided not to carry out any nighttime activities. After extinguishing the fireplace, she returned to the bedroom on the second floor early, crawled into the quilt, and fell asleep peacefully.
Time passed quickly in Caroline's sleep. To Caroline, it was as if she had just closed her eyes, and soon the morning light appeared before her eyes.
Caroline opened her eyes and faced the curtains, staring blankly at the bright light behind the curtains. After she was sure that she had welcomed a new day, she turned over lazily, buried one eye in the quilt and looked at the wall clock with the other.
"Six forty-five." She got up very early, but not as early as when she was in high school.
After lying peacefully in bed for a while, Caroline sat up drowsily, got out of bed, put on her indoor shoes, and ran to the bathroom to wash up.
After brushing her teeth, washing her face and tidying up her messy hair during the night, Caroline took off her nightgown, put on her travel clothes, went to the kitchen on the first floor, cut three slices of bread for herself, boiled two eggs, and drank a glass of milk to replenish the basic energy needed for waking up in the morning.
"Today should be Saturday. I can take this opportunity to go to school and deal with the things left by my original body. I can also go to the library to look up information about Emperor Roselle."
Caroline recounted the itinerary she had planned last night, stuffed the last piece of bread into her mouth, and washed it down with the remaining milk in the cup. She then put the cup and cutlery in the kitchen sink, rinsed them with clean water, and waited to come back later to wash them completely.
Carrying the "Silver Key" and the necessary cash, Caroline walked out of the house.
What greeted him was Backlund's rare morning sunshine. Although the morning air was still filled with the lingering smell of smoke and dust, the sweet water vapor similar to that of watermelon hidden in it was enough to satisfy him.
Caroline let out a long sigh and left her home in a happy mood, heading along Blaise Street towards the subway station in the direction of Backlund Bridge.
That's right, Caroline was a little surprised to know that this world already had a means of transportation like the subway. But considering that large vehicles like steam trains and ironclad ships had already been developed here, the appearance of the subway naturally did not seem so abrupt.
This is actually a symbol of national strength, especially in this era when technology is still at the stage before World War I. The fact that a subway network can be established within the city shows the national strength of the Kingdom of Loen.
Caroline was going to her school, Backlund University, the highest institution of learning in Loen. The specific location was on Hirsis Street in the northern district, very close to the Backlund headquarters of the Church of the Evernight Goddess, the "Saint Samuel" Cathedral.
After a walk that was perfect for digesting the food after a meal, Caroline saw from afar a gate next to the Backlund Bridge that looked like the entrance to a large shopping mall.
That was the entrance to the Backlund subway station. At this moment, she could already see many people in formal business attire and carrying briefcases walking in one after another.
It was now the morning rush hour. As the place with the most affordable rent in Backlund, the Cherwood District had always been the place with the highest concentration of local office workers.
Each of them was dressed differently, some were dressed differently, some were dressed in different styles, but without exception, almost everyone wore a top hat, either flat or round.
This is the symbol of the so-called "respectability" of the people of Loen. It is like a tradition deeply rooted in the blood of the people of Loen. Many middle-class and even working-class people, even if their income is not rich, have to add the cost of maintaining their personal "respectability" to their monthly expenses.
This aspect of the Kingdom of Loen was often criticized by people from other countries. The neighboring country of Intis once openly mocked it in a newspaper: "A typical Loen person would keep his hat firmly held up even when he fell into a sewer."
Caroline didn't comment on this, after all, she also habitually wore a bonnet.
After entering the subway station, Caroline followed the crowd, walked through the gate, and found a ticket office with relatively fewer people in line and stood there.
She walked forward step by step, and after waiting for more than ten minutes, a gentleman in front of her left with the stamped ticket in his hand, and it was finally Caroline's turn to stand in front of the ticket office.
The ticket seller was an older brown-haired woman. From her slightly puffy cheeks and eyelids, one could tell that this job was not easy at all.
Caroline glanced at the ticket price board next to her. After seeing that the first-class seat was only 6 pence, she took out six coins without hesitation and said to the conductor with a smile:
"A first-class ticket, thank you."
The ticket seller looked up at Caroline, took the coin, quickly took out a ticket, stamped it for her, and then handed the ticket to Caroline with the same smile.
After getting the ticket, Caroline did not stop and followed the instructions on the nearby sign all the way to the special line to the North District. After passing the primitive manual security check, she went down the stairs and soon came to the open platform underground. She stood at the entrance of the first-class seats according to the signs and waited.
Caroline used to like to judge her fortune for the day by observing how long it would take for the subway she was going to take to arrive at the station. Today her luck was very good. Before she began to observe the other passengers on the platform, a deafening whistle echoed along the track.
As soon as she turned her head in the direction of the voice, she saw a huge steam locomotive that was completely black and shiny, with an aura of a "king", rushing out from the darkness illuminated by the kerosene lamp, and clanging into the platform like a hero appearing on some stage.
The train slowed down, and with a "hiss" sound of exhaust, the entire long carriage shook slightly, and then stopped completely.
The doors corresponding to each platform opened one after another. Caroline stood in the queue to board the train and walked slowly into the carriage.
"Hello."
The flight attendant in the first-class area was a young lady who always had a sweet smile on her face.
Caroline gladly handed her the ticket for verification. After checking, the stewardess smiled and reached out to show her the direction of her seat.
After saying thank you, Caroline walked along the carpeted aisle and quickly reached her seat.
The first-class carriage has two people on each side, and each seat has relatively large space. In addition, there are special attendants at the rear door connecting to other carriages to prevent passengers from other places from rashly entering the first-class carriages. Therefore, the environment in the first-class carriage is very peaceful and there is no noise. At most, there will be some small noise when passengers place their luggage.
After taking her seat, Caroline felt light all over. She leaned against the window, looking leisurely at the platform outside and sniffing the faint metallic smell in the carriage.
"The charm of machinery and technology. I don't know if the development of steam trains is related to the God of Steam and Machinery. In my opinion, He is the most worthy god to be worshipped. After all, the development of technology will definitely bring convenience to people's lives."
Caroline sighed and began to daydream. When all the passengers got on board, the stagnant steam train started its huge body after a tremor and began to move along the predetermined track.
...
The ride was relaxing but boring. After about ten minutes and passing three platforms, the train stopped at one of the only two platforms in the North District.
Caroline got off the train in an orderly manner with some other passengers, walked up a flight of stairs, and then walked out of the subway station and stood on the street in the North District.
The air outside is truly refreshing. Compared to the strange smell along the Tussock River, this place can be considered a "natural oxygen bar."
"It's really hard to live without a mobile phone. I might as well bring a book with me next time I take the bus."
Caroline complained in her heart. The experience of riding in the car just now reminded her of a very humorous rumor on modern Earth.
People on the London Underground hardly look at their phones. Everyone just reads books. Foreigners are really studious...
But in fact, the fundamental reason why British people don't look at their phones on the subway is simply because there is no signal on their subway...
Caroline smiled slightly and took out her pocket watch to see that the time was almost eight o'clock in the morning.
The station where she got off was the closest to Backlund University among the two stations in the northern district of the Backlund Subway. But even if it was close, it was still a six-kilometer walk from the subway station to Backlund University.
Therefore, Caroline chose to call a carriage. After another twenty minutes of riding, she finally arrived outside Backlund University.Chapter 30 Emperor RoselleTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 2933 words Update time: 2025-05-01 14:26:00
Backlund University is the first public research university established in the Kingdom of Loen, and is also one of the oldest universities currently in existence in the entire Northern Continent.
Its predecessor was the Backlund Royal Academy. At that time, only children of nobles could enroll there. It was not until more than a hundred years ago that King Edward V, reportedly under the impetus of the Church of the Goddess of Night and the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, initiated the first educational reform and reorganized the Backlund Royal Academy into Backlund University. The source of students also changed from only children of nobles to civilian students who could be admitted through examinations.
Caroline got off the carriage and stood on the spacious Hillsis Street in front of the main entrance of Backlund University. Looking around, she could only see the tip of the iceberg of Backlund University.
The school gate, as magnificent as a castle gate, stands facing south on Hillsis Street. The towering walls on both sides of the gate extend all the way to the east and west ends of the street, with almost no end in sight. Lawns are laid out outside the walls, but the lawns are surrounded by black metal fences, leaving them for display purposes only.
On the white marble school gate, the words "Backlund University" were clearly engraved on the top, and above it, there was a running mechanical clock hanging.
Caroline glanced at the time, um, eight nineteen, exactly the same as the time on her pocket watch.
Then she straightened her clothes and walked towards the school gate with a calm step.
Today is Saturday, and the gates of Backlund University will only remain closed on weekdays, but today and Sunday are exceptions. On the one hand, it is to facilitate students to enter and leave the school freely on weekends, and on the other hand, it is also to show the people-friendly nature of Backlund University.
Yes, the current president of Backlund University is a member of the New Party. He believes that the university must be open to the public in order to reflect its value as an institution of higher learning.
Caroline walked through the open iron gate and smiled friendly to the guard standing in the sentry box nearby, receiving an equally kind smile in return.
After entering the university, Caroline was faced with a wider world. A garden-like square was in front of her. The teaching buildings and office buildings in the distance were connected to each other like medieval castles, scattered in various directions of Backlund University. From time to time, she could see a steeple clock tower sticking out from the stone brick wall in the distance.
The topography of the campus was quite complex and confusing. Just by standing in the square at the school gate, Caroline had already seen three or four completely opposite routes passing through the lawns and flowers, leading to different areas of the school.
"Hopefully I won't run into a door here that I have to open from the other side."
After whispering a joke that fit the situation, Caroline took a step confidently and walked along the road facing the school gate.
Why is he so sure? It's all thanks to Caroline who inherited this part of his memory.
Of course, if Caroline unfortunately forgot these contents, she could still slowly find the route. She was still very confident in her sense of direction. Who made her stay alone in a 4D city for more than half a month?
Following the path she remembered, Caroline walked through the garden-like square and entered an indoor corridor. Then, she walked straight forward along the corridor, turned two corners, and walked out of an opening in the middle of the corridor, arriving at another square inside the school.
This square was even wider than the one she had just seen because of the multi-columned dome-shaped marble building in the center of the square.
That was Caroline's destination this time, the library of the History Department of Backlund University.
In addition to the main library located in the center of the school, Backlund University has a dedicated library for almost every college. As a typical grammar school, the library of the History College has almost the second largest collection of books in the entire university.
Caroline wanted to find information about Emperor Roselle, so coming to this library was naturally the best choice.
Caroline randomly chose one of the doors on all sides of the library and after walking through a short porch, she entered this distinctive Baroque-style building.
The library was very quiet, very quiet, with almost no extra noise. The sun shone in from the numerous windows on the walls, onto the neatly arranged desks and benches. Even on a rest day, there were still a few students sitting in their own corners, quietly reading books, and they were very careful when turning the pages.
Sniffing the special scent of wood and book papers in the air, Caroline looked around the entire library.
The first floor is almost entirely occupied by bookcases except for a few entrances and the area in the center where tables are placed. The same is true for the second floor, which can be directly seen from the first floor. The area surrounding the walls is almost entirely filled with bookcases. One can imagine how dazzling the number of books here is.
Trying to find information about Emperor Roselle in so many books would definitely be a huge project, but fortunately, human wisdom prompted them to invent something like labels.
Following the signs indicating the book sections, Caroline went up the stairs on both sides of the entrance to the second floor of the library, and then found the area belonging to "Foreign History" according to the sections.
Finally, Caroline found the book with the word "Russell" in the title on a bookshelf with a portrait of a celebrity hanging next to it.
It must be said that Emperor Roselle was really impressive. Books related to him occupied the two most prominent rows in the middle of the bookcase, and the authors ranged from Loen people to Intis people, from Renburg people to Feynapot people.
Caroline looked at these books and almost fell into a fear of making choices. She glanced at them and chose the most authoritative book, "The Biography of Russell Gustav", and pulled it out from the bookshelf.
This horrible book was actually four fingers thick. Caroline originally planned to read it while standing next to the bookshelf, but after weighing the thickness and weight of the book, she took the book back to the first floor, found an empty seat with no one nearby, sat down, and began to read it quietly.
Caroline couldn't just stay in the library for a whole day. It was simply unrealistic to finish reading the whole book in a very short time. But fortunately, although the author of this biography was a bit long-winded, he still knew how to arrange the text.
After reading the preface of about ten pages, the first chapter of the main text is a brief introduction to the life of Emperor Roselle.
Emperor Roselle, whose full name is Roselle Gustav, was born on October 11, 1125. He was an Intis man and was originally just a down-and-out nobleman. However, he started as a colonel and first invented the steam engine, which started the industrial revolution in this world. Then in 1173, he took the opportunity of suppressing a rebellion to launch a coup and overthrew the rule of the Sauron family of the Intis Kingdom. With the support of the "God of Craftsmen" church at the time, he became the archon of the new republic.
Afterwards, he fought wars in the south and the north, defeating the ancient countries in the northern continent one after another, forcing each country to recognize Intis's hegemony.
Roselle also improved the sailing ship, promoted the development of shipping, and sent a fleet to bravely cross the turbulent sea, opening up a new route to the southern continent and ushering in the era of colonization of the southern continent by the countries of the northern continent.
During Roselle's reign, Intis' economy and culture developed rapidly. He encouraged science and production, and even caused the Church of the God of Craftsmen to claim that it had received the first public oracle since the Fifth Age, changing the title of "God of Craftsmen" to "God of Steam and Machinery".
However, just when everything was thriving, at the end of 1192, Roselle suddenly proclaimed himself emperor without any warning, changed the republic into an empire, and called himself... well, "Caesar the Great."
With such a title, he naturally had to bear the corresponding fate. As a result, just like Caesar, Roselle had a miserable old age. In 1198, he was betrayed and assassinated, and died in the White Maple Palace in Trier, the capital of Intis.
Caroline finished reading the first chapter, and her whole body was already quite shocked. So much of Russell's life was so familiar that the answer that was about to come out was almost imprinted between the words.
He invented the steam engine, opened up new sea routes, promulgated new laws, encouraged education and people's livelihood, left behind a large number of famous sayings full of philosophical thoughts, invented many card games, created numerous delicacies, and even soy sauce was invented by this guy!
Looking at the arrogant face of Emperor Roselle on the illustration of the last page of the brief biography, Caroline's hands holding the paper began to clench involuntarily, but all this could still be just a coincidence, and she still needed a conclusive evidence.
So she turned to the table of contents, found the page with the content about "Emperor Roselle's Mysterious Notes", and quickly flipped through the book to the corresponding page.
The first picture that came into view was an illustration at the beginning of the corresponding chapter, and the content of the picture was a mysterious notebook of Roselle.
Although the content on the illustration was a little blurry and distorted, Caroline still recognized what the distorted and ugly "mysterious text" on the paper was.
That is simply simplified Chinese characters!
Russell Gustav, he is indeed a time traveler!
Caroline felt numb all over, and all the feeling in her body seemed to evaporate. Before she could feel happy, the regret and sadness in her heart flooded into her brain.
Emperor Roselle was a figure from over a hundred years ago...