The City of Marronligar

I can't go against my conscience and say that "Malenliga is safe everywhere" and "everyone lives and works in peace, from the aristocratic quarters to the fishing villages", it is unreasonable.On the contrary, there is a huge difference between the affluence and comfort of the upper-middle class and the poverty and hardship of the real poor.

The other side of the contrasting living conditions is the difference in public security in different regions, which is an insurmountable "destiny" gap.It is impossible for ordinary people of low status to make the leap to high society unless they are very lucky.In their world, the actual role played by underground gangs is greater than that of the temple and the governor's mansion.

——Miscellaneous Notes of the Silver Bay Tower: The Security Situation of Malunliga

"I didn't ask you just now, what kind of person are we going to meet later?" Adrian took a cup of water and drenched his sweat-soaked black hair.

Louis rubbed his chin, and slowly summed up a general outline: "He is a little nobleman who lives a life of a merchant. That guy is very shrewd. He listens to all kinds of things and sees all directions. While doing the clothing business, he collects from various acquaintances. Useful news, and then turn big and small intelligence into money."

Adrian was a little worried: "Then he doesn't look like someone who can keep a secret."

Louis smiled: "Don't worry, he knows how to make money, and he also knows how to save his life by talking and shutting up. Although he is quite fat, he is very stable when walking on a tightrope. If you want to know about the city of Marenliga For the inside story, you must find him. Ah, you can also find Seamus, but there will be some useless rhetoric and unreliable rumors."

Shulai, the "know-it-all" in Louis's mouth, is indeed a fat, unattractive man with a good-looking face and shrewdness in his eyes.He came late holding the wooden basin, opened his chubby fingers, and greeted the two who had been waiting for a long time, and splashed a big circle of water when he sat in the round bath.

"Oh, I was busy choosing jewelry for my wife just now, so I was delayed for a while. She is so particular about going out, she just led the servants to the gallery to pick up two portraits."

Shu Lai smiled and apologized to Louis, but his eyes focused on Adrian, and his tone was obviously flattering: "This is the young master of the Flying Lion Mansion, I heard that you attended a regular meeting of the city hall. "

——I deliberately didn't wear a snake badge when I went out, but this "know-it-all" already knew my details.This person is probably not simple.

Relying on intuition and instinct, Adrian is enough to make such a judgment.

He nodded cautiously: "I am Adrian of the Torreso family." At the same time, Adrian couldn't help thinking whether Louis had told Shulei about his situation in advance.

Louis cleared his throat: "Shu Lai, since you know this, I don't need to emphasize the importance of confidentiality."

Shu Lai understood immediately, and approached Adrian mysteriously, and asked him in a low voice, "I guess, you came here because of the 'Cobblestone' shop owner stealing Bliss Tobacco?"

—He was well-informed.

Although the hostel owner has been sent to prison and the "Cobblestone" hostel has temporarily closed down, the "trafficking of prohibited drugs" has not really been exposed, and only a few people know the inside story.

Adrian and Louis looked at each other and nodded slightly.Adrian quickly glanced around to confirm that no outsiders were paying attention to their corner, and then said softly: "We have interrogated him. But he didn't know the source of those Bliss Tobacco, he only said that it was sold by a person nicknamed 'Scribe' for him."

Lewis added: "I'm not going to hide it - my employer wants to find the factory that makes these Bliss tobaccos. If you go up the chain, you will find the culprit."

Shu Lai's small eyes rolled around, and the calculations in his mind had been done for several rounds.

Adrian thought, this expression is probably a prelude to raising the price.

So, without waiting for Louis to deal with it, Adrian figured out the chips he could use, and offered: "The Torresso family will not treat every friend who provides help. The Cobblestone Hotel will resume business soon. As long as you think, I will A portion of it can be given to you. No one will retaliate against you - we are very good at keeping it secret." He pointed to himself and Louis.

Shu Lai rubbed his hands together and smiled. It seemed that he had already calculated the way of response and the reward he deserved: "The Torresso family has a lot of martial virtues, and the Black Fang Gang is ruthless. I can't afford to offend anyone."

——The Black Fang Gang?

Adrian had some impression of the name, and seemed to be one of several underground gangs active in the harbor area.

The seaport area extends from the river estuary to the cliffs outside Silver Bay, covering an area close to one-third of Malenliga, densely populated and mixed with fish and dragons.In order to survive in an environment where the jungle preys on the jungle (profit making is secondary), it is common to form cliques.But these gangs did not compete with the city watch, but formed order in the harbor area in another way.

Like the scales in the hands of the "God of Business", the city maintains an ironic balance of light and darkness.

Born and raised in Marenlica, and mixed with all kinds of people all year round, Louis naturally knew the existence of the "Black Fang Gang".

Therefore, before Adrian asked for details, Louis said first: "Most of them are sailors and shipyard workers, and they have always occupied a piece of land in the south of the harbor area. Weapons, smuggling contraband ... just like any other gang, but not the biggest."

Immediately afterwards, Louis changed the subject: "To be honest, I don't think they would do such a thing as producing banned drugs."

Adrian doesn't know the Black Fang Gang, and it's inconvenient to express his opinion on this topic, but he tends to believe in Louis' judgment: "If the Black Fang Gang really controls the doping workshop, their financial strength and influence should be very prominent. , and may also annex other weaker underground gangs."

Shu Lai waved his hand: "I didn't say that. If those hooligans know that I poured dirty water on them, I'm afraid they will find a chance to come to revenge, even the potted plants in my bedroom will be spared."

"Then you were implying that 'the Black Fang Gang has something to do with Bliss Tobacco'?" Adrian frowned.

"Don't worry... okay, let me explain more specifically." Shu Lai coughed artificially and lowered his voice. "The owner of the inn who is in prison and will be hanged in a few days, mentioned the 'scribe' who handled his supplies, but he only knew his nickname, not his real identity, right? ?”

Adrian nodded slightly, looking around vigilantly from the corner of his eyes to prevent anyone from eavesdropping on their conversation.

Shu Lai went on to say: "'The Scribe' used to be a scribe in the Chamber of Commerce for a while, and then ran to become a broker. In recent years, he has stayed on the territory of the Black Fang Gang. He has been anonymous and has no business of his own, but It will help match people who want to make dangerous deals."

"The Black Fang gang is covering him?" Louis turned his neck thoughtfully.

Shu Lai shrugged: "It's hard to say, those gangsters may not be very familiar with the scribe. But they can wait there for a long time, and the protection fee must be paid in full. As for the scribe and the black tooth gang, what's more important? I do not intend to make any inferences. I will only give you corroborated information."

Probably because he was afraid of getting burned, Shulai didn't go any further, but for Louis and Adrian, the information he provided was enough.What to do next belongs to the category that they can solve by themselves.

"You know so meticulously." Adrian expressed his appreciation politely. "Master Cormac said you were a noble, but let me put it slightly offensively, you are very different from ordinary nobles."

What surprised Adrian was not only Shulai's unique way of life (it's not uncommon for nobles to do business, but he's probably the only one who sells information), but also his attitude towards others.

Traditional aristocrats always have superior reservedness and arrogance, but Shulai shows little humility. This is the case when facing Adrian, who is much younger than himself. This is probably because he has been doing business all year round and has downplayed his aristocratic identity. related.

Shu Lai grinned: "I'm just more perceptive than ordinary people. If you deal with enough people, you can also get a lot of miscellaneous information, so much that it will be easier for you to feel ignorant. The more you hear , the easier it is to doubt the world you live in. The news brought me money, but not happiness—of course, money can buy some happiness.”

What you see with your eyes and hear with your ears may not be all good things.Especially in the materialistic Marenlica, it is precisely because the inflated desires are so terrifying that virtue is extraordinarily precious; and from another perspective, the yearning for humanity supported by goodwill is also easily defeated by frank evil thoughts .

Not to mention maintaining the balance of a city, the balance of the individual soul is also hard not to tilt to one side.

Louis agrees with Schule very much, and Adrian can see it through the bounty hunter's expression.

Shu Lai said to Adrian again: "If I were you, I probably wouldn't get involved in this matter anymore. I'm not afraid of the villains of the Black Fang Gang, but the big shots behind the tobacco factory."

"You can persuade him, but he won't let it go, and neither will the Feishi Mansion. This is not in line with their family's character of revenge." Louis said with a smile, crossing his arms. "As long as my employer doesn't cancel the entrustment, I can only accompany him."

Shu Lai looked at Louis with sympathy: "It's not easy to be a bounty hunter."

Louis nodded. "It's hard to be professional all the time."

Adrian couldn't help but cleared his throat, indicating that he was still there, even if he wanted to complain about his employer, he should change the occasion.

Louis immediately declared: "Adrian, I don't mean to blame you."

Shu Lai also smoothed things over—although it sounded like he was just taking him out of the incident: "You two must pay attention to safety. Don't say it was me who revealed the news. I am grateful. And what happened just now?" For the remuneration mentioned, the equity is still negligible, I prefer cash. Ah, please speak a few words for the dresses in our store in front of Madam Sophia, it would be even better if she can appreciate it."

Adrian was a little puzzled: "I thought businessmen here like to be shareholders."

"Who doesn't love money in life! But everyone has their own way of making money, and it is symbolic to choose who to be a business partner." Shu Lai stretched happily in the water. "With all due respect, if you directly join Torreso's industry, it will not be easy to do business with other people. I'm dancing on several eggs. Never stand in line, no one will offend, that's the best of."

Louis smiled and glanced at Adrian at the same time: "There are benefits to working alone, right?"

Shu Lai showed an approving expression: "Old You Tiao sees the same thing."

Leaving the steaming public bath and stepping into the cold winter outside, Adrian couldn't help shivering.He wrapped the fur cloak over his leather coat and walked alongside Louis.

After walking across the arch bridge over the Pearl River, the two sat down on a stone bench in a secluded corner of the street.

Adrian looked at the bare tree trunks beside the road and said, "I thought you knew who the scribe was, and made an appointment to meet Mr. Schuley at the baths, just to show me 'how bounty hunters work', like it used to be .”

Louis couldn't help laughing: "I don't know everyone. This city is very big, and it's difficult for one person to master all the knowledge about it. Shulai also has things that he doesn't know, so please forgive me."

"I didn't blame you." Adrian shook his head. "I just want to know what to do next to minimize the negative impact."

He looked at the ice floes on the river, and the snow falling from the treetops melted into the water, disappearing like salt.

After a moment of silence, Adrian said to Louis again: "During the investigation, I may have to pretend to be your apprentice."

"It's inconvenient to reveal the identity of the Torresso family, isn't it?" Louis immediately understood. "I'll help you cover up, and the rest can only be hoped that they don't notice your appearance. However, those old guys who have been staying in the harbor area are not interested in outsiders, so they probably won't recognize you."

In addition to this reason, Adrian has other ideas: "Underground gangs like the Black Fang Gang probably hate businessmen, nobles, and bureaucrats."

Food, knowledge, money, and even happiness are not fair to all beings in Marunliga, and even the chances of survival are tilted to one side of the scale.The gods shaped by the religious order cast every ray of light fairly, but the reality blocks the light that should be shining on the "abandoned".

Adrian knew that some people relied on "tradition" and "rules" to deprive others of what they deserved.As a member of the semi-noble class, it is not without reason that he is hated and hated.

The more he knew Maren Liga, the more Adrian could understand what Louis had said.

——This world itself is a cataclysm.

In addition to the irreversible force of nature, the disasters brought by people are the norm, and they are more difficult to eradicate. The "primate of all things" puts too much emphasis on his dominance over nature, but he cannot see his own shortcomings clearly, nor has he learned enough lessons from the long history.

Like the Bliss Tobacco case right now.Even if the workshop is successfully destroyed and the Torreso family's property is once again restored to innocence, it may be a temporary solution, not a permanent cure.Where they can't see, there will still be people who use dangerous drugs to dream a dream that will only bring tragedy in reality.

Even so, for the sake of his family and his principles, Adrian must complete the most urgent work right now.

Adrian believed that Louis would be on his side, and silently hoped that he could get closer to Louis' realm.

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