East Borough Backlund, at an intersection.
Mike Joseph saw many ragged, pitiful-looking children on the street. He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and planned to go over and give them some pennies.
However, his actions were stopped by Old Kohler, a former homeless man:
Those are thieves!
"Thieves? Where are their parents? Or are they all controlled by gangs?" As a veteran reporter, Mike had never been to the East Borough, but he had vaguely heard that there were several gangs here that controlled homeless children to steal or beg.
"Parents? They either don't have parents, or their parents were thieves, or are still thieves. Of course, you're right, sir, many of them are indeed controlled by gangs. It's said those gangs even teach them how to steal, like hanging a gentleman's coat on the wall, putting a handkerchief in the pocket, and a pocket watch hanging outside. Through repeated practice, they learn to steal the handkerchief without the watch shaking. Ah, that's what I heard in the workhouse when I was a homeless person." Old Kohler rambled on, "I remember the youngest thief caught on this street was only six years old, sigh, six years old..."
He seemed to remember the child he lost to the disease, and couldn't help but take out a crumpled cigarette from his pocket, but he couldn't bear to smoke it, he just sniffed the smell.
"Six years old..." Mike was stunned by the number and couldn't quite process it.
Klein listened quietly, then sighed and said:
This is the East Borough.
He looked around, composed himself, and said:
"This place is closer to a jungle than to human society."
"Our interview has to be treated as an adventure. We need to avoid the territory of dangerous creatures, and also stay away from those little things that don't seem to pose much of a threat—I mean, the mosquitoes in the jungle."
" Mike, if you reveal the thickness of your wallet in front of those kids, even if you protect it well and they don't steal it, you'll still face a robbery in your upcoming adventure. If you dare to resist, there might be one more corpse Levitation in the Tussock River tomorrow morning."
" Detective, you're absolutely right! There are so many people in the East Borough, no one will care if a few go missing every day," Old Kohler agreed.
Mike listened intently, his expression grave. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly spoke:
"1.35 million."
"Huh?" Klein's voice was noticeably hoarse due to a cold.
Mike stepped forward:
"This is a preliminary population count for the East Borough."
But I know the actual amount is definitely much higher than that.
"So many?" Old Kohler was startled.
Although he had experienced both day and Evernight in the East Borough and knew intuitively that there were many residents here, he did not expect that there would be this many.
This is several times the population of Tingen City... Klein subconsciously compared it to the place he was most familiar with.
He glanced at the crossroads a few steps away and said:
Which way do we go next?
Old Kohler looked up and said:
"Don't go straight ahead! That area is controlled by the Zmanger Gang. They're vicious and completely unreasonable. If they find any reporters interviewing us, they'll definitely beat us up!"
The Zmanger Gang? Isn't that the gang that "brainless" guy who caused me to lose 10,000 gold pounds? He's also some kind of executioner... uh, I don't even remember his name... Thankfully, that 10,000 pounds was eventually exchanged for the Sequence 7, Sequence 6, and Sequence 5 Potion recipes corresponding to the " Seer," for the " Eye of All-Black," and for Ambassador Intis's life... I wonder which faction ultimately obtained the manuscript about the third-generation Difference Engine... Klein suddenly recalled what happened at the beginning of last month.
" The Zmanger Gang? That gang mainly made up of people from the highlands?" Mike asked thoughtfully.
"Sir reporter, you've heard of them?" Old Kohler asked in surprise.
Mike scoffed:
"They've been involved in numerous cases and have a reputation outside the East Borough; it's said that one of their members was implicated in Intis spy case."
"... The person next to you is the person involved, the one who reported the crime, the victim..." Klein added.
"You respectable gentlemen all know about the Zmanger Gang, so why don't the police arrest them all?" Old Kohler asked, speaking with the mindset of someone from the lower class.
Mike's expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant, and he coughed twice:
"We can only arrest those who have committed crimes. Without evidence, we can't arrest the rest. Besides, the East Borough is so big and has such a large population; if someone really wants to hide, it'll be very difficult to find them."
As he spoke, he sighed and said:
"Destroying a Zmanger Gang is easy, but as long as there are still people from the Highlands coming to Backlund, as long as they retain their tradition of bravery and violence, and as long as they haven't found another way to make a living, it's only a matter of time before a new Zmanger Gang emerges."
This is a complex social problem... Klein pointed to the left and right sides:
"Pick one."
Old Kohler looked at the street on his right:
" The Whyos Gang is active there. As long as you don't mess with the girls doing... well, that kind of business on the street or in bars, you won't get noticed by them. Heh, it's morning now, there won't be any problems, they're all still sleeping."
The word "Huili" means "outlaw" in the Loenese, and the gang that chose this name can be said to be quite self-aware.
Klein and Mike had no objections and, led by the guide, entered the neighborhood.
The buildings here are relatively nice, and the streets aren't too dirty. The air is filled with the smells of oyster soup, pan-fried meat and fish, ginger beer, and other food and drinks left behind by street vendors, as well as the fishy smell of seafood.
Walking here, Klein felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had returned to Tingen City, to Iron Cross Street, to the street outside the apartment building where he the Original lived.
The only difference is that Backlund is closer to the sea and has better transportation, so there are a lot of fish there.
"It's one of the better apartments around here. I've wandered around here a few times before, and I've noticed that the men and women living there are dressed, well, quite cleanly." Old Kohler pointed to a pale yellow three-story building.
The three approached and noticed a sign hanging at the apartment entrance, depicting a pocket watch, a wall clock, and a screwdriver, with the words "Clock Repair" written on it.
"Is a clockmaker living here?" Klein unearthed a similar scene from the original owner's fragmented memories.
At that time, Benson, Melissa, and he went to a similar place to repair the silver pocket watch left by their father. However, the watch broke down again after several repairs until Melissa finally fixed it, making it the most presentable thing Klein owned during that period.
After Klein's "death," this pocket watch, which had both monetary and emotional value, was not buried with him.
Now it should belong to Benson, right? I wonder if he ever thinks of me every time he takes out that pocket watch... Klein suddenly blinked and curled the corners of his mouth slightly.
"Probably." Mike wasn't sure.
If his pocket watch malfunctioned, he would usually send it to the watch shop where it belonged, where it would be assigned to a repairman or entrusted to a craftsman with whom he had a long-term working relationship.
As soon as they entered the apartment, they saw a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard.
The man had just come out of the restroom and was returning to his room when he noticed three strangers entering. He quickly asked:
Do you need your clock repaired?
What a coincidence... I ran right into that craftsman... Klein found it slightly strange.
Mike took out his pocket watch and smiled, saying:
"Yes, my pocket watch has been keeping bad time lately. Could you take a look at it for me?"
He did not reveal his identity, intending to conduct the interview in a casual, conversational manner.
The middle-aged man immediately smiled and led them into a two-bedroom apartment with the door half-open, pointing to the chairs next to the wooden table and saying:
"Wait a moment, I'll go get the tools."
"Your tools aren't at home?" Mike asked, surprised.
The watchmaker shook his head and smiled:
How is that possible?
"A set of tools is very expensive. I can't afford it all by myself. We have to chip in and buy three or four sets. Whoever has business uses them. That's why we moved together. Haha, it's more convenient this way. If we live too far apart, we have to spend extra time and money on a public carriage to borrow tools."
He spoke as he left the room and walked to the side.
It turns out that our encounter with the Artisan was no coincidence; many residents here are watchmakers... Klein suddenly realized.
Old Kohler surveyed the room and said enviously:
"Before I got sick, I also lived in a place like this. My wife would mend clothes for others at home, and we had two children, two children..."
Mike sighed and lowered his voice:
"I thought Artisan were all very rich."
"Me too..." Klein pinched his nose.
After chatting warmly with several residents in the apartment building, Klein and his companions embarked on another adventurous journey.
They walked about a hundred meters when they suddenly heard people arguing on the street.
The two women were shouting obscenities at each other, which taught Klein a lot of words he had never heard before.
The reason for their argument was that the woman on the left accused the woman on the right of making a mess of their apartment and causing noise, while the woman on the right retorted that it was her own problem, as no one told her to solicit customers at night and sleep during the day.
"Was she a laundry worker?" Mike asked, frowning slightly after listening.
"Yes, I know her. She's a widow who works as a laundry worker with her two daughters," Old Kohler replied affirmatively.
Mike thought for a few seconds and said:
"Take me to see their house."
Old Kohler nodded and led the two around the scene of the argument into a dilapidated house that was clearly inferior to the apartment they had just been in.
As soon as Klein arrived outside the laundry workers' room, he immediately felt the dampness.
Inside, there were rows of still-damp clothes hanging in the water. A girl of about seventeen or eighteen was squatting in front of a large basin, washing things that were bubbling. A girl a little younger than her was carefully handling the washed and dried items with a red-hot iron wrapped in damp linen. Her movements were very cautious, as if the iron had been scalded by Steam many times.
This is both their workplace and their sleeping place at night; the dampness in the room permeates the air and seeps into their bodies.
In addition, the stench, a mixture of various odors, was so pronounced.
"Don't you feel uncomfortable?" Mike pinched his nose.
Klein answered in a muffled voice:
I've caught a cold...
There wasn't a hint of a smile in his voice.
Mike released his grip, walked into the room, and said to the two surprised girls:
"I'm a journalist, and I want to interview the laundry workers."
The girl, who was rubbing the clothes, numbly shook her head:
"We have a lot to do and can't afford to delay."
Mike's interview request was thus denied.
He came out with a heavy expression and silently walked back to the street.
He glanced at it, pursed his lips, and said:
"Let's continue."
In City of Silver, Derrick Berg, who was experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations, was taken to the bottom of the Round Tower after a thorough examination.
--This place shelters residents showing signs of losing control, and we try to save them using various methods.
Walking down that gloomy, dimly lit corridor, he suddenly felt a strange chill.
"Help!"
A scream suddenly erupted from inside a closed room.
"Save..."
The sound stopped abruptly, and all around was silent.