At eight o'clock that weekend morning, Tobesk City's full lockdown was lifted. What should have been an ordinary weekend in Thunder Month became exceptionally lively.
People who had been trapped at home all day poured out into the streets. The cries of vendors and newspaper boys hawking major news were louder than in the past.
The hoofbeats and wheels of hired carriages made pleasant sounds on the streets, while hurried, mingling footsteps filled the city with life.
Rising mist shrouded the city, and chimneys in the distant outskirts belched black smoke into the sky, but none of it could affect people's good moods. Still, city hall and The Church's actions yesterday had terrified citizens who did not know the truth. The news that hundreds had died overnight also cast a shadow over everyone's hearts.
But fortunately, everything had returned to normal. Tobesk was once again covered in mist and sunlight. Though the weather was not particularly good today, people were in exceptionally high spirits.
On bustling Empress Mary Avenue in the western part of the city, the faint morning light spilled across the street. The passing pedestrians did not disturb the quiet of a standalone three-story house by the road. Perhaps its residents were still sleeping through this unusual weekend.
Shade and Doctor Schneider, dressed in black coats and black hats, appeared at the street corner. Both men hurried along with black Suitcases in hand, but amid the lively crowds, no one paid them any attention.
They brushed past pedestrians while carriages slowly passed beside them. The Doctor and Detective stopped one after the other before Number 17 Empress Mary Avenue. Doctor Schneider stepped onto the stairs beneath the awning, while Shade stood behind him, facing away from the door and watching the street in every direction.
Click. The keyhole,