Backlund Steam Train Station, Platform 3.
After talking with his parents and sister for a while, Alfred seized a break before departure, left the train, went to the platform, and said to one of his attendants:
Give me a East Balam cigarette.
If there's any negative impact on him from these years, besides the mental anguish and pain, it's just a few bad habits.
After smoking too much " East Balam " cigarettes, which were made by wrapping spices and herbs in roasted tobacco leaves, Alfred became completely unaccustomed to the cigarettes popular in the Northern Continent, finding them bland and tasteless, like strong liquor diluted with water.
As for cigars, he believes they require a good environment to be savored slowly, which is not suitable for the present.
Of course, he wasn't a heavy smoker; a " Punisher Knight " had the physique and spirit to fight off such influences. Alfred came to the platform to smoke because he felt too stuffy in the carriage, and his mother kept bringing up her marriage.
When the squire took out and lit the " East Balam " cigarette, Alfred brought the yellowish-black outer layer of the cigarette to his lips and took a deep drag.
The strong aroma permeated his body, instantly invigorating him.
Just then, he saw a blond man with the appearance of a classical sculpture leading his personal male servant over.
Alfred hesitated for a moment, then smiled and raised his right hand, saying:
" Hibbert, I thought you weren't going back to East Chester."
The visitor was none other than Earl Hall, the eldest son of Earl Hibbert Hall and brother of Alfred.
Hibbert flashed a perfectly polite smile and said:
"I'm just a cabinet secretary, not the chief cabinet secretary. I'm not so busy that I don't even have a weekend off."
In fact, he will not become the chief secretary of the cabinet. His main purpose is to accumulate experience in different positions in various government departments, build his own network of contacts, and prepare for entering the upper house in the future.
Alfred took another puff of his " East Balam " cigarette and said with a smile:
"Have a good weekend."
After watching Hibbert enter the carriage, Alfred vaguely sensed that someone was looking in their direction and discussing something:
Why were there no passengers waiting on that train?
It doesn't seem to be full.
"Haha, that's a special train, booked in advance by a very important person at a considerable cost in gold pounds. I know you may not have seen anything like it before, but remember, this happens frequently in big cities like Backlund and Constant. When those important people travel with their families, they are always accompanied by hundreds of servants, and maybe even pets. How could they possibly squeeze onto a train with ordinary people..."
"I see..."
"I wonder which important person it is?"
Alfred turned his head and saw dozens of people in gray-blue uniforms on the second platform, quietly observing them from across the tracks where no trains were stopping.
The distance between the two sides was actually quite large, and if Alfred hadn't had exceptional hearing, he certainly wouldn't have been able to figure out what those people were discussing.
"Who are they?" Alfred asked his adjutant, turning his head to look at him.
He could only recognize that the uniforms those people were wearing belonged to the railway company.
The adjutant immediately turned around, found the staff member in charge of the platform, and asked them a few questions.
He quickly jogged back and whispered to Alfred:
"General, they are train dispatchers from all over the kingdom, currently undergoing short-term training in Backlund."
Alfred nodded slightly and glanced at the second platform again.
The oldest of the train dispatchers had gray hair, while the youngest looked to be in his early twenties. Most were middle-aged, in their thirties or forties, and some even had slightly graying temples.
Sonia Sea, Bayam, the " City of Generosity ".
Carrying a suitcase containing little of value, Verdue boarded a small boat at night, left the harbor, and boarded a pirate ship.
Sequence 7 on the " Apprentice " path aren't particularly good at combat, and while Verdue carries magical items, he's quite afraid of their negative effects and is unwilling to use them unless absolutely necessary. Therefore, to avoid danger and because he lacks trust in pirates, he tries not to carry anything that might arouse others' greed.
The pirates on deck glanced at Verdue and chuckled.
"Don't be afraid, we all keep our promises. As long as you pay for your ticket, we definitely won't throw you overboard. Here, you're even safer than on a passenger ship; at least you don't have to worry about encountering pirates."
Seeing that Verdue remained silent and seemed somewhat frightened, the pirate triumphantly tossed him a key:
"The innermost room on the second deck."
Verdue took the brass key, entered the cabin, climbed a flight of stairs, and walked down the corridor to the deepest part of the room.
This floor seemed to be reserved for people who boarded the pirate ship for all sorts of reasons. Along the way, Verdue encountered several passengers who didn't seem like pirates at all.
Among them were young women dressed somewhat provocatively, like streetwalkers; middle-aged men with protruding bellies and oily faces; and young men in trench coats and top hats, exuding an extremely aloof air.
"Would you like to stay here?" The woman asked with a flirtatious smile when she saw Verdue looking over. It was unclear whether she was planning to do some business along the way or just passing through while doing business.
Verdue ignored her, looked away, and went outside his room.
The young man with sharp features and cold, hard lines also stopped at the doorway diagonally opposite.
Backlund, West Borough, 9 Bellotto Street.
"Please come in," Hugh said, straightening up from his large chair.
The office door creaked open, and two Military Intelligence Section 9 members belonging to Hugh's unit walked in.
"Colonel, we've made some progress in our investigation of Utopia." One of the men, wearing a dark jacket, handed Hugh a report.
While slightly startled, Xiu's spirits lifted:
What is it?
The man in the dark jacket simply said:
"In the past few days, during the break after the previous mission was handed over, we personally, and through informants, interviewed all the passengers on that Steam train in Backlund."
He was undoubtedly referring to the Steam train that had mistakenly stopped in Utopia.
"Hmm." Hugh nodded, signaling his subordinate to continue.
The man in the dark jacket pointed and reported:
"Our initial assessment confirms that none of the passengers who arrived safely in Backlund showed any abnormalities; they were in good spirits and had no cognitive problems."
"However, we discovered something: not everyone returned to the train. According to two passengers, their seatmate chose to stay in Utopia."
"She was a lady who loved to Travel and explore. She had a deep love for unfamiliar places. After experiencing Utopia's excellent wines, desserts, and unique sparkling iced tea, she decided to abandon her original itinerary and stay longer in this charming little town to discover more of its beauty."
"She learned all this from chatting with the two passengers. They not only sat together, but also chose to stay at the same hotel, and they often bumped into each other in the early morning."
"That hotel is the same one our intelligence agent stayed at; it's called ' Iris '."
Hugh slowly nodded and said:
Have you found out the woman's current situation?
What's her name?
"No, we can't confirm whether she's left Utopia yet," replied another Military Intelligence Section 9 member with a small goatee. "The two passengers only knew the woman's name was Monica; they didn't know her last name or background."
Hugh grunted in response.
"Your next task is to investigate this woman's background, find her family and friends, and confirm whether she has returned."
"Yes, Colonel." The two Military Intelligence Section 9 officers saluted and left Hugh's office.
Hugh read their report again carefully and sighed silently.
Compared to her subordinates, she was actually closer to the truth of Utopia, already knowing that it was a ritual and had some connection with Gehrman Sparrow.
However, she couldn't report this news and earn merit.
Putting aside the issue of the source of the intelligence, Hugh's biggest concern is whether Gehrman Sparrow is willing to let this information leak out.
Perhaps I could try contacting Gehrman Sparrow and asking for his opinion... Hugh thoughtfully tidied his desk and left Military Intelligence Section 9.
After changing her clothes, she returned to the East Borough and Bridge Borough, like a bounty Hunter, going to different bars and gathering information from various acquaintances.
During this process, she casually inquired about Utopia, but no one had ever heard of it.
Finally, Hugh went into a bar in the Backlund Bridge Area, sat on a bar stool, and said to the bartender:
Has anyone been suspicious lately?
"Many of them are quite suspicious, but they don't have a bounty," the bartender casually replied.
Hugh inquired about the topic, and finally, following procedure, asked:
Have you ever heard of Utopia?
"I've heard of it," the bartender replied while wiping the glass.
Xiu's gaze, which had been scrutinizing the bar counter, gradually rose.
She looked at the bartender and said:
Where did you hear that?
"A customer came in earlier and drank very moderately," the bartender said casually. "I tried to sell him our signature cocktails, but he said he had things to do and could only have one beer. I complimented him a bit and asked where he was from, and he said, ' Utopia.'"
Wendel had just finished breakfast when the doorbell rang.
Through the peephole, he saw a policeman in a black and white checkered uniform outside and opened the door with some confusion.
"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?" Wendel asked politely.
This house was his assigned residence after he arrived in Backlund, as he would be settling in the metropolis for a considerable period of time to undergo internal review and status monitoring.
The policeman was quite young, a little green, probably in his early twenties.
He forced a smile and said to Wendel:
"Hello, I'm Byers, a police officer. I need you to testify in court for a case."
"What case?" Wendel frowned slightly.
The young policeman named Byers said with a polite smile:
" The Trissy Murder Case in Utopia ".
"..." Wendel's pupils dilated instantly.