The nearest police station is not far from St. Sherman Church, on the other side of White Chrysanthemum Street. In fact, Tina and Dorothy passed by this place when they left the subway station and went to the church to "consecrate" the magic lantern. However, neither of them expected that they would return here ten minutes later and be arrested by the police as suspects.
This is just one of the many police stations in East Borough. It occupies a two-story building facing the street. There are shops on the left and right, making it very crowded.
Christina had never been to a place like this before, but on the way to school or when out for fun, I passed by many Tingen City police stations. I knew that in order to show their strength to Intimidation Criminal and the general public, they would choose independent buildings with more than three floors. The doors were decorated with columns and arches, and there were usually multiple four-wheeled carriages parked at the door.
As the capital of this country, Backlund's Police Station seems too shabby... Tina After a second thought, it became clear that most of the city's police force is likely to be in West Borough The area where nobles such as E, Empress Borough, Hillston Borough and top Rich Merchant live, even now that the nobles have gradually faded away from the core of power.
The reason is very simple. The police system of the Loen Kingdom is not purely for maintaining public order and ensuring the functioning of society. A considerable part of its purpose is to protect the safety of nobles, rich people and government agencies.
It was not until recent years when members of Congress from East Borough and Docklands asked the government to allocate police forces to various districts based on their numbers rather than their economic status that the situation improved.
After gathering his thoughts, Tina saw a few disheveled and disheveled people huddled on a bench in the corner. They were both men and women, with numb expressions. They were being registered and questioned one by one by a middle-aged policeman, who was writing and drawing on a form. He was obviously taken aback when he saw Tina and Dorothy, and then saw the two policemen who followed them through the door.
"The case where Hudson was attacked?" he asked, and then pointed to an iron door with an "Interrogation Room" sign behind him, "Go inside and ask."
Tina was momentarily glad that she didn't have to sit on a bench with strangers, but when she entered the interrogation room, she found that the conditions here were not much better.
The small room did not have any windows, and only an electric light above the head gave off a dim light. The surrounding walls were of original masonry color and looked thick and cramped. There was a small table in the center with chairs on both sides.
Seeing this scene, Tina's mind instantly flashed through the novels he had read, scenes of suspects being interrogated and forced to confess. Things like binding, electric shocks, and whips dipped in salt water appeared in turn. Dorothy next to her also had a rare pale face. She obviously loves reading more, and she also thought of many possibilities in her mind.
One of the two policemen who brought them in sat on one side of the small table, and the other took away the small bag Tina was carrying, left the room, and closed the door behind him.
Fortunately, he did not search her body, and the "Arodes's Mirror" in Dorothy's pocket was not searched. This made both sisters quietly relieved, but then they became nervous again.
The injury of "Hudson" was caused by this Sealed Artifact.
They sat down on the other side of the small table. The young policeman who was left to ask showed a smile. Instead of taking out a pen and paper like the policeman in the hall who asked each suspect to fill out a form, he asked kindly:
"You don't look like East Borough. Where do you live? Why are you here?"
Christina's usual questions were unexpected. She had thought that cases involving personal injury would be treated more strictly.
Maybe my sister and I didn't look like we could hurt an adult man. Maybe our not expensive but well-fitting and decent clothes and our behavior back to Police Station gave each other a good impression. Well, a good appearance will form a better first impression... Tina was thinking wildly, and Dorothy beside her replied cautiously:
"We are not from Backlund. We came here from Tingen today. Our parents are not around."
The young policeman wearing a soft hat and a tight black and white plaid uniform nodded as if he had encountered many similar incidents and asked:
"Running away from home? Or looking for relatives?"
This question made the two of them speechless for a moment, because they seemed to be involved in both, but the real situation was to fulfill the wish of "Genie", and it was impossible to tell the man in front of them.
After thinking for a moment, Dorothy continued:
"We came to visit my aunt, and before that we were going to find a church to seek blessings. But as soon as we left the subway station, my sister's bag was snatched away..."
She told the other party roughly what happened not long ago, and of course, concealed how "Arrodes" punished the other party through the quiz game. She only said that when the robber fled with a dagger, he was hit by an unknown lightning and passed out.
Finally, she asked with concern:
"Is that person's name Hudson? His life is not in danger, right?"
"Unfortunately, he was sent to the hospital for treatment and has not yet woken up." The young policeman shook his head, but there was no regret in his tone. "In recent years, electricity has become popular. East Borough Many buildings have private lines. People often get electrocuted accidentally, but there are no wires in that alley."
"And here's a question. You said Hudson got into the alley after snatching the satchel. He could obviously escape from the other side, so why would he come back and force you with a dagger? He is suspected of several thefts and robberies and has been to prison twice. It stands to reason that Error would not commit such a crime."
At this point, the young policeman's expression became serious, and his words became somewhat harsh.
It turns out that guy is a habitual criminal... But we really can't explain this, because the alley turned into a dead end most likely due to the power of "Genie", and Hudson greedily wanted to snatch "Arrodes" together... Tina muttered, really not knowing how to cover this lie without exposing the existence of "Sealed Artifact".
She turned her head and looked at Dorothy. This girl, who was not much older than her, was also silent. Her right hand under the table subconsciously touched the pocket where Magic Mirror was hidden, as if she wanted to use the power of Arrodes.
But Tina knew that this time was different from the time when the robber Hudson was blocked in the alley. Even if Arrodes was used to deceive or even stun the policeman in front of him, there would be two or more outside the door. And once a conflict occurred, the sisters would turn from innocent people into wanted criminals, which would completely outweigh the gains.
Just when they were hesitating about how to respond, the young policeman suddenly laughed again and comforted him in a soft tone:
"Don't be afraid, that Hudson often does some petty theft, and has robbed children like you or elderly people with limited mobility more than once. Apart from the doubt that he was seriously injured by electric shock, I am inclined to believe what happened to you.
"What are your names? Who are the relatives of Backlund?"
Due to the previous inquiry, this sudden change in attitude was no longer able to deceive Tina. She instinctively thought that the other party was trying to trick her, but she firmly believed that she was not guilty and that the robber was entirely to blame. She still answered honestly:
"My name is Christina·Moretti, this is my sister Dorothy, our relatives in Backlund have aunt Melissa·Moretti, she teaches in a university and lives in North Borough, and her uncle Benson's family also lives in North Borough."
While she was answering, the empty-handed young policeman finally took out his notebook and began to carefully record the information. However, when he heard the name Benson, the pen in his hand suddenly stopped and asked confirmingly:
"Benson? Benson·Moretti?"
Tina nodded. I don't know why the other party didn't ask specifically about Melissa, my aunt who had made many inventions and was slightly famous in Loen. Instead, she was more interested in Benson, who worked in the government and was often too busy to go home.
In her few memories of visiting her uncle's house, almost every time it was Benson's wife, Lily, who was also the aunt of the two sisters, who brought each other home and reunited everyone.
Seeing her affirmation, the young policeman's expression changed slightly. He actually interrupted the inquiry, put down his notebook, stood up, pushed open the heavy iron door and walked out, leaving Tina and Dorothy looking at each other.
Seeing the iron door being closed from the outside, the latter took out the simple-looking "Arodes's Mirror" from his pocket without any hesitation, stroked the mirror three times, and asked in a low voice:
"Arrodes, why did the policeman act so strangely when he heard Uncle Benson's name?"
"Kind and friendly Arrodes..."
As soon as the greeting composed of silver-white letters appeared on the mirror, it was interrupted by Dorothy's eager inquiry. The words had to be hidden, and a clear picture was displayed in the misty water.
It was another room where evidence and stolen goods were stored. The young policeman who had just "interrogated" the two people opened the door and entered, saying something to the middle-aged policeman who was playing with Golden Lamp that he took out of Tina's satchel.
Because the mirror does not have the function of making sounds, Arrodes thoughtfully attached a text message at the bottom of the screen.
"... The two girls just mentioned Benson, Benson·Moretti."
"Who is that? Wanted criminal?"
The middle-aged policeman put down the "magic lamp" and asked in confusion.
"It's Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Benson! "The young policeman replied in a low voice, as if he was worried about being heard by others outside the door, but he did not realize that his actions were all being spied on by a magical Sealed Artifact, "He is responsible for Backlund's administrative expenses, and he is the one who pays the salaries of all police and public departments."
"Last time he came to inspect the situation of East Borough, Police Headquarters sent all available personnel to pretend to be Passerby to protect Mr. 'Money Bag' and isolate the They were dangerous personnel, but they were easily discovered by Deputy Minister Your Excellency, which made Your Excellency, the director of East Borough, very embarrassed. I was at the scene at that time, and I remember his appearance."
Hearing this, the middle-aged policeman did not care to admire the classical lamp made of gold in his hand, frowned and said:
"I remember this deputy minister, but are you sure the two girls are talking about him? Could it be the same name, or are they lying?"
It is normal for him to have this suspicion. Many thieves, fraudsters and robbers of East Borough will claim to know a certain Police Station chief, the head of a government department or even a noble or royal member when they are arrested, in an attempt to escape the sanctions of the law. Although according to the current clues, the injury to Hudson is most likely not caused by two weak girls, but who can say for sure?
The young policeman shook his head:
"Not sure, but to be cautious, I'd better contact the General Administration. If it's true, the sooner you know, the better. If it's false...
"You should also be interested in this thing, right?"
As he spoke, he pointed to the "magic lamp" in the middle-aged policeman's hand.
The picture emerging in the silver mirror was submerged by the rippling water light. Arrodes did not ask Dorothy a new question according to the rules of the quiz game, but fell silent.
It seems that my sister really made this Magic Mirror owe her ten questions. How did she do it... Can she deceive the magic lamp and let the other party realize my wish in advance... Tina withdrew his gaze from the exchange between the two policemen and asked the biggest doubt in his heart:
"Uncle Benson is really who they say, Ministry of Finance deputy minister?"
That middle-aged man with an upward hairline, a warm smile on his face, and who often works overtime is actually one of the most powerful handful of people in this country? Didn't his parents say that he works in the government department... That's correct... Tina's thoughts were a little confused.
She thought that "government employees" were like Mr. Lawyer Shawde, the public servant next door. He worked six days a week, occasionally worked overtime, and spent time with his family on weekends. His income was similar to that of her parents, but it was just a little more decent to talk about it.
"I don't know. Should I ask Arrodes?"
Dorothy replied that she was also a little confused. She always felt that it was just a coincidence that the names were the same, or that the two police officers remembered the wrong names.
But before she could pick up the Magic Mirror in her hand and ask the next question, footsteps came from outside the iron door of the interrogation room. Dorothy could only put the silver mirror back into his pocket and pretend to communicate with his sister with his head down, until the young policeman opened the door and walked in with a smile on his face and two cups of Sweet Iced Tea bought nearby.
Tina learned from the "eavesdropping" just now that the other party's strategy was to stabilize himself and Dorothy. The middle-aged man sent a telegram to Police Headquarters, and then went to the upper level to ask "Deputy Minister Your Excellency" if he had two nieces to confirm the authenticity of the matter, so he was not surprised by his change of attitude again.
But she no longer trusted this seemingly amiable man, who was actually plotting to seize the "magic lamp" made of gold, so she just took the Sweet Iced Tea in silence, listening to the other party's chatter, no longer focusing on the case, and waiting for the result of the telegram.
She also wanted to know whether her uncle Benson·Moretti was in charge of the entire Backlund public expenditure.
Time passed by in awkward dullness. Just when Tina guessed that 10 minutes or 20 minutes had passed, the iron door was opened again. The three of them looked at the door. A middle-aged man wearing a black uniform with white checkered, and the epaulette was not the common V-shaped or silver six-pointed star, but the cross symbol of two swords walked in.
"Director Your Excellency!"
The young policeman immediately stood up and saluted the man, his expression as if he had seen Prime Minister.
Because he is not the chief of this police station, an inspector-level police officer, but the chief of the entire East Borough and Police Headquarters, and there are eight levels between him and ordinary police officers.
But at this time, the majestic chief had a gloomy face and cursed in a low voice in a tone that only the young policeman could hear:
"What the hell are you doing here!"
Immediately, his expression changed, he forced a smile, looked at Tina and Dorothy, and said in a completely different soft voice:
"Two Miss and Mr. Benson are here to pick you up."
As he spoke, he walked aside and opened the iron door. A brown-eyed man with short black hair neatly combed back and a broad forehead walked into the already crowded interrogation room with a majestic aura.
He saw Christina and Dorothy, and instantly showed a surprised smile.
He is the brother of Klein, and the "Uncle Benson" in the mouth of his two nieces.
PS: There is a little bit less today...