"The Reappearing Gray-headed Eagle"

It was 9:10 when he arrived at the station. After watching at least three trains depart from the platform, a steam train painted in the unusual color of black rolled into the station from the south.

Its locomotive had an obviously different design from the trains he had seen earlier. Even someone utterly ignorant could tell that this was a Special Train.

Shade recalled the timetable he had just seen. This train should have been the Special Train carrying Merchants between the two countries from the southern foothills of the Rommel Mountain Range. It saved time, and bringing the Merchants together was also beneficial for business, so it had the support of both nations.

Could this be it?

As he thought this, he remained beneath a platform pillar plastered with Wanted Orders and advertisements for prostitutes. The train slowly came to a stop, and with the hiss of escaping gas, streams of scorching white steam billowed from beneath the carriages onto the platform.

Those there to meet the passengers surged forward. Within mere dozens of minutes, nearly all the passengers had stepped down from the train.

Shade still did not move. Then he saw a middle-aged man descend from the first carriage at the front, wearing a black hat and plainly dressed.

The man looked around, then quickly spotted Shade leaning against the platform pillar with a newspaper in hand. After approaching and carefully examining his attire, he nodded and spoke in the Kartherian Language:

"Sir, may I ask whether you like men?"

"Hm?"

Shade froze for a moment, then remembered the passphrase Professor Higgins had mentioned.

"No."

He answered in the Kartherian Language as well.

"Then what age of pretty girls do you like?"

the man asked again.

"All ages."

Shade answered while suppressing his embarrassment. He dearly wanted