As lightning illuminated the dark sky, Derrick did not go directly to knock on the doors of acquaintances. Instead, he followed the widest avenue all the way to the training ground at the edge of Silver City.
Every time an exploration team returned, they would stay here for a period, both to facilitate their exchange and reporting of the things and events encountered in the deep darkness, and also as a form of quarantine, to guard against any strange entities that might have attached themselves to a member, only to erupt violently after some time.
This was an experience Silver City had explored and summarized over two thousand years; not complicated, but quite effective.
As soon as he entered the training ground,
— Silver City was only so big. Limited by the environment, the population had never grown much. People of the same age group were neither few nor many. Derrick couldn't say he knew everyone, but he had seen most, and some were even classmates in general education classes and training ground companions for several years.
In this exploration team, the one Derrick knew best was Dak Riggins, who had once been his patrol squad teammate.
This youth named Dak was of medium height, slightly chubby, strong, optimistic and cheerful, with a friendly smile often on his face. He was currently a Sequence 8 "Gladiator" of the "
At this moment, the two were separated by a translucent wall as hard as steel, unable to make effective contact. They had to wait until all members of the exploration team were confirmed to be problem-free before they could meet directly.
Derrick, who had become silent and withdrawn after his parents' death, waved to greet Dak.
That "Gladiator" noticed and turned his head.
"Dak, how was it? No danger, right?" Derrick called out.
The material of that black wall came from near Silver City, called "Dark Amber." It was as hard as steel while having a certain transparency and good sound conductivity. Derrick's words passed through without much hindrance.
Derrick had expected Dak to show a bright smile and habitually wave his arm, saying, "Look, I'm not hurt, so you know we didn't encounter anything too dangerous. All minor problems!"
Hearing his voice, Dak walked a few steps closer to the wall and replied with a smile: "No, it's been smooth sailing."
Looking at his flawless smile, Derrick suddenly felt a chill run through his body, as if he were camping overnight on an abandoned tower top or in a ruined city, surrounded by pitch blackness with undercurrents gathering.
…………
Inside the Cragg Club, Klein and Dr. Allen had reached an agreement on the payment: 2 pounds!
It had to be said, doctors' money was easy to make... In the past, for a commission like this, I'd have paid at most 10 shillings... Klein, who had intended to take the job anyway, sighed inwardly.
He remembered when he was in the Nighthawks squad, hearing "Corpse Collector" Fry mention that well-known doctors earned a lot.
At that time, the poet-who-wasn't-really-a-poet,
They had agreed to visit Will Onsetin's house after dinner, but it was only a little past three in the afternoon, so the riding instructor Talim suggested they form a table and play a game of Upgrade, the kind invented by Emperor Roselle.
I was expecting tennis, shooting, browsing the library books—what a healthy life... but how did it come to this... During the card game, Klein thought to himself.
Frankly speaking, with his current "Magician" attainments, he could easily make Dr. Allen, Mike the journalist, and Talim lose all the money they had on them.
But I'm an honest person. I trust my skills and luck more... Klein picked up a cream pastry and took a bite with relish while the waiter in red vest shuffled the cards.
He exclaimed sincerely: This is life!
During the card game, Klein noticed something: the riding instructor Talim was no longer as often distracted and troubled as before.
Has his friend's problem of loving the wrong person been resolved? Klein wondered curiously, taking a sip of Marquis black tea.
As a detective, he knew he shouldn't ask about such things in front of others, so he held back and focused on the game.
At five o'clock,
My luck has been really good lately... As Klein rejoiced, he saw Dr. Allen leave the table for the washroom, so he lowered his voice and said with a low chuckle: "Talim, has your friend's problem been resolved?"
Talim was just throwing his cards onto the table. He was taken aback, then sighed with a smile: "Sort of."
He seemed eager to talk and added: "Actually, it's not that serious of a problem. I was overthinking it.
"Simply put, it's a young gentleman of high status who fell in love with a commoner woman. You know, men of similar status must marry noble ladies. Hah, for him, even a wealthy man's daughter won't do."
I see... And here I made up a lot of clichéd and bizarre stories, like loving a man, loving a monster, loving someone forbidden by ethics... Klein felt a bit disappointed and said amusingly: "As far as I know, gentlemen in high society don't mind keeping a mistress on the side."
"No, Sherlock, you don't understand. Love, you know? Love! That young gentleman only wants to marry that commoner woman," Talim sighed.
Right, I don't understand. I'm just a single dog... Klein opened his mouth, but had nothing to say.
Talim sighed to himself: