This was the third time that Mr. Franklin came to the door for a commission. The content of the commission was also to forcibly take Little Franklin, who was addicted to Rhodes, out of the club that was illegally open at night.
Mr. Franklin has had enough. He plans to sell his property in the near future, quit his job, abandon himself and his wife's 30 years of hard work in this northern capital city, leave the rich and prosperous Tobesk, and move to the Kingdom with his whole family. In the west, the city of Artek, known as the "City of Art". Mr. Franklin's older brother had lived in that city for many years and could introduce the family to new jobs.
Of course, the more important thing is to keep Little Franklin away from those bad friends, Lord's cards and gambling tables.
"After I bring him back this time, I'll just lock him up at home. I'll take him on the steam train until next month when the moving is done. So, Detective Hamilton, you can get my son out of the house." Is that the club?"
The client confirms.
The matter required only that Shad set out at once to enter the club, and persuade Mr. Franklin Jr. to go with him, so the accountant's bid was thirteen shillings and threepence, or just over half a pound. That's roughly a week's salary for an accountant earning around £70 a year.
This commission fee includes club tickets and extra subsidies for night outings. Although compared to finding Mia's commission, this business is not even worth "half a cat", but Xia De thought about it and was willing to accept this commission.
Not long ago, he saw the matter of the Franklin family in the entrustment records of the former detective, which recorded the process of the detective persuading Franklin Jr. to leave with him.
"A very simple task, there will be no mistakes."
The orange cat stayed at home, worried that Miya would be afraid, and Xia De reluctantly went out without turning off the gas lamp. Mr. Franklin went home and waited for the news, while Xia De chose to take a carriage to his destination because of the long distance.
Tobesk city's horse-drawn carriage charges have different rules depending on where passengers get on the carriage and their destinations. Pick up within the city center centered on Yodel Palace, within 4 miles, destinations below 2 miles will be charged 1 shilling, and then 5 pence per mile. It will be less expensive per mile if you take a longer trip out of the central city.
And Xia De's destination this time is in the lower city in the usual sense, that is, the North City. Including the extra tip that he needs to pay to the driver for driving at night, he paid a total of 3 shillings when he got off the car at the dark alley.
Fortunately, Franklin's family is also in Beicheng District. After finding Franklin Jr., he no longer needs to take a carriage.
At the same time, the expensive rental carriage price also made Xia De realize the gap between the rich and the poor in this complex and prosperous steam age. And, as a low-level person, how many challenges do you have to face.
The night in the city is quiet, but Xia De, who has become a ring warlock, feels a terrible feeling like staring into the abyss from the long silent night. Tobesk, the largest city in the north, has many secrets and unknowns hidden in it, shadows in the alleys and mysteries in the corners of apartments, but fortunately at least Shade did not encounter these tonight.
"This world...is more dangerous than I thought."
The club, Lucky Southern Cross, had its main entrance on Glass Hill Avenue. But if you want to enter the club's casino, you must enter through the back door in the alley.
According to the record left by the former detective, Xia De entered the alley and walked half a circle in the dark before seeing the silver-gray rusty iron gate. During this period, a stray cat suddenly jumped out from the wall, which startled the detective and made him annoyed at his "cowardice".
After carefully knocking on the iron door three times in a row, after waiting for half a minute, a tall man with beard, wearing a black coat and leather boots vigilantly opened the door from the inside.
"This is not a place for young people to come."
Glancing at the young man's detective, he stretched out his hand to push him, but surprisingly, he didn't push. Even if it is only a one-ring Warlock, his physical fitness has been greatly enhanced.
"Are the rules here so barbaric?"
Xia De showed a Rhodes card with a suit of Silver Moon 13, which is one of the cards he picked up on the roof of the pet boarding center this morning, and then said:
Three more penny coins were then given out as an entry fee.
"I thought you were... the first time here?"
The bearded man glanced at the cards to confirm that the code was correct.
"Introduced by an acquaintance."
Xia De replied in a low voice, and the bearded man sized him up again, before stepping out of the door, allowing Xia De to enter the back corridor of the club illuminated by dim yellow gas lamps.
The detective immediately raised the collar of his windbreaker to cover half of his face, looked around the alley vigilantly before walking in.
"Although this is an illegal casino, it doesn't have to be like this..."
The bearded man muttered behind Xia De.
The hallway was rather dark, and the air smelled of a sick mix of sweat, alcohol, and tobacco. After walking ten steps inward, door after door appeared around the corridor. All the doors were ajar, allowing the glare of the room to shine into the corridor, and chaotic shouts and screams could be heard inside. The sound of hands slapping the table.
Xia De didn't enter any door, he walked forward cautiously, and quietly checked the surroundings with [Echo of Blood], but found no obvious bloodstains, which meant that at least there were no more serious illegal activities here.
"Although it's not a combat spell, it's inexplicably useful."
The corridor leads to the brightly lit hall on the east side of the club. Dozens of four-foot wide wooden tables covered with tablecloths are placed in the hall. There are well-dressed gentlemen, drunks who have just left the tavern, and workers who get off work at night. Such people clustered around the table, waving banknotes in their hands around the still dim tabletop, watching the game on the table excitedly.
The Lucky Southern Cross Club is divided into three floors, and only guests of sufficient status can go to the casino upstairs. Little Franklin obviously could only hang out on the first floor. The last time Detective Sparrow Hamilton found a drunk young man lying in a corner in the east hall.
Because there were too many people, Xia De only heard Mr. Franklin introduce the clothes and appearance of little Franklin, so he didn't find the young man immediately.
He holds a 1 shilling banknote in his hand, UU reading www.uukanshu. com quickly mixed into the crowded hall. He keeps stopping at different tables to see if there is anyone he wants to find, but he will never throw money at the gambling table. The cost of riding in a carriage has already made him feel distressed. Mr. Franklin will not reimburse you for the detective work. Unnecessarily expensive.
In half an hour, he looked around the entire east hall, but he couldn't find his mission target. Instead, while pretending to study betting at the table, I heard the gamblers chatting about interesting things that happened here an hour ago.
Wearing a gray hat, a sailor shirt, and a freckled young man with small eyes, because he owed too much money at the gaming table, he was taken to the second floor and forced to "pay off the debt".
Xia De didn't know the meaning of "repaying debts", but it wasn't a good read. He knew that little Franklin had been found, and that the young man was in a pretty bad place.
To enter the second floor of the club, you need to show at least 10 pounds in cash, and you need to be introduced by an acquaintance. Xia De has no money and no acquaintances, but he has to go to the second floor, it is not time to give up, after all, it is his first official commission.
After waiting for a while, fortunately, a group of dozens of drunk men stumbled out of the room on the side of the corridor and walked towards the second floor together.
"good chance!"
Xia De dodged to the side together with several people near the stairs, but when the drunks passed by, he immediately supported one of them who was a little behind, endured the alcohol smell on his body, and helped him to blend in with the crowd. The detective finally Came to the second floor.
"Sure enough, there is no easy time to make money."
Compared with the noisy environment on the first floor, the second floor is obviously much quieter, and the decoration is more elegant. Even at night, this place is still a wine club rather than a casino.