The raven stripped over the doorway, holding back a shudder, an elegant Georgian-style paneled door with the same elaborate frieze beams, and cracked plain wood on the other, the paint had faded, and it was almost 30 degrees Fahrenheit, covered in a mist.

"Okay, let's go. He told the guide that the stocky man was wearing a cheap trench coat.

The guide was one of the so-called "colored men" hired by the deal's employer, and no employee of the power could be described as stingy, yet his dark blue coat was a few price points cheaper than raven's, and his noxious-smoking cigars were cheap. The man muttered behind a gray scarf and walked down the alley.

It had always been an alley in the shadow market, where there were no main roads, and a few narrow lanes winded between the brick buildings, the windows were sealed with wooden strips, the doors were locked, and the criminals hid in all sorts of hideouts.

Raven loves the place, and while it's not the outside world he knows, it's an integral part of the job. No, he liked its tatters, the lower world designed for the lower creatures, and he was supposed to be wading through the muddy alleys in the dim twilight, with the ubiquitous smoke suspended in the air, and the pervasive smell of tobacco and soot, not his office or conference room. Gentlemen should not trek anywhere, they should march with determination held high.

"Don't be too fast," he began, his voice was steady, "these streets are a bloody quagmire, and some of us have to be careful about our appearances." “

"It doesn't matter. The man's voice came from behind the scarf, and from the time they introduced each other, he barely said a dozen words.

The raven narrowed his eyes. "If I were you, I'd be mindful of my tone, unless you can find a replaceable class. "Ignorant wording, outside the power. As for its interior...... Well, no one ever left her voluntarily, and she was able to hire people through various means.

The man only muttered, and Raven gritted his teeth, he was about to prepare something unpleasant. People of color are useful, but they must be clear about their status.

Occasionally, they passed someone on an errand, sometimes a night watchman, wearing their gray leather and brass hammers with smoky glass, sometimes a man from the normal world, hunched back, his gaze quickly shifting from one place to another, sometimes something more ...... Foreign, tall and thin, or short and slightly fat.

Eventually, the guide stopped at the entrance to a short, narrow cul-de-sac, "Here. He said.

"Okay, thank you very much!" Raven's voice was calm, "wait here, don't let me catch you eavesdropping, this is a highly sensitive meeting, and you weren't paid to eavesdrop." “

The man grunted.

The raven walked to the end of the alley and waited there, and naturally, it began to rain. At this moment, the droplets of water pierced through the smoke and flowed over the sloping roof, taking on a dirty gray, and he shivered, and wrapped his coat tighter, he now wished his clothes were more like the guide's, it needed to be washed carefully, if there was anything salvageable. Trading won't be as smooth as it seems.

His guide could only see the faint red dots as his cigar went out.

After a few minutes, he realized that he was not alone.

The two night watchmen waited with him, neither looking back at him, nor saying a word. They showed no discomfort in the rain, though it was hard to see anything from their eyes hidden behind smoke-colored glass lenses, only the nose and mouth could tell that they were human, or at least that they had a human-like nose and mouth, which no one he spoke to could fully confirm this.

Raven wanted to ask what they were doing here, but didn't think it was worth worrying about.

Finally, after the ravens were thoroughly drenched, a handsome man walked into the alley, his name was Shadow. His smile was bright, his dress was neat, maybe a little damp, and he carried a suitcase at his side.

"Anderson!" he cried, "the last time I saw you, two years ago? How's your wife doing? Are the kids going to play softball?"

Raven smiled reluctantly, he had never spoken to the shadow of his wife or children. "They are nice, nice, thank you for the greetings. “

"You're a little early," said Shadow, "you should call first, and I'll get there soon, so you don't get a little drenched." “

"Oh, it's nothing. And, I know you're on a hike," replied Raven, who had briefly learned from her other agent, and he walked around. Everywhere. Carriages and dragons, trains and boats, and strangers' possessions, but he walked. Arriving from the end of one world to another, yet when he needs to get somewhere quickly, he always arrives at exactly the moment he planned.

"Well, it's done. I'm glad you all arrived on time. He turned to the two night watchmen.

"You paid. One of them shrugged his shoulders and said that his shoulders were not very steady, Raven thought.

The agent who had brought Raven here came closer, and Raven was distressed by being disturbed, but at the same time he felt a little comforted, and he suddenly felt that he was being seen clearly by the two protectors and the shadow. He wished he had been more polite to that man, but the minions of all forces were not good at such things, and no matter what, the status of the shadow was far higher than that of any ordinary bodyguard, no matter how talented they were.

"Always repay your creditors when you can, or more when you can't," Shadow said, "Did you bring that?"

In response, the Night's Watch pulled out a broken pocket watch, presumably a dream or memory, which the ravens had a simple understanding of, and which could take on almost any form, from old coins to creatures to language, and so on. An obsidian shard in Yug's office may be the oldest memory ever stolen.

Shadow takes the watch from the Night's Watch and shows it to Raven. The shrill sound of the shackles reverberated faintly, accompanied by the laughter of a man, and only a smiling face could be discerned on the shiny surface.

"What is this?" Raven asked, his eyes firing at the expert who was hovering behind the smiling man.

"A pocket latitude," replied Shadow, "just taken from Kramon's spirit, for whom you had been very worried in the past. “

"Not as much as you think. Raven said suspiciously.

"Oh, but I've got some information from this, and I think it should include the transcript of our discussion and the aftermath. “

"We didn't discuss anything—" Raven repeated.

"It's a deal," said the burly man, "the record in the camp is tomorrow, and the rest is paid later." “

Raven glanced back at the burly man, he barely said a word on the road, what did he do?

"I'm glad to hear that! It's better to see you roll off that position and start from the beginning. "But tell you why." As I grew up, I started to like Andy. Get him in and we'll settle it. “

The raven grew more frightened and horrified, and the burly man nodded, spat on a large hand, held it up, and the shadow returned the salute.

The burly man made a gesture, a very peculiar gesture, and then Raven felt his legs lose control and his eyelids were unusually heavy.

"The trade will take place in the old place, raven. The burly man said.

......

Back in reality, Shadow carefully put the memory away, it had been checked, and now, he had to focus on the event.

Now, it's an interesting idea, it's the equivalent of the land of Seuss, but the Overseers are especially keen on playing the game, which makes it confusing to the shadows, and they can ...... They may ......

No. He knew every word that the Overseers had conveyed over the past two weeks, and if they had made such a decision, he would have known. Fooling her? Unlikely. Overseers keep a close eye on their powers, and have so far......

...... Hitherto......

The shadow put down his thoughts, and then took out his staff, his hand did not tremble, but the veins on the back of his hand protruded, and his left eyelid twitched slightly. He began to chant runes.

"Shadow!" his voice was still as smooth and sophisticated, "I just spoke to her, what can I do for you now?"

"It's bad. The shadow said.

“Dark bad。 “

The other end of the connecting rune circle was silent, and then, "Phew." “

"If possible, I need to convene a council as soon as possible," said Shadow, "how soon will you be able to settle things with the family?"

"I would list it as the first thing to do in the morning. He replied.

"It couldn't be better. "No need to contact Dark, he'll come on his own, without notice, the shadow rubbing the pipe behind him, the ...... he's befriended lately Jenkins?Franklin?No, it should be Cho. It doesn't matter, it doesn't exist anymore, it's a nice relief.

Shadow picked up the red pen and drew a wide diagonal line on the index card marking the "evil god", and he picked up another card and pinned it to the top of this one with a needle.

He wrote a sentence on it.

Your most sincere servant

After a moment's consideration, Shadow puts a question mark on it.

He hoped he was wrong. And he did.

Otherwise, business will go very bad.