In a gloomy alley, a small yellow wildflower emerges from a crack in the bricks. It struggled to grow upward, trying to catch a ray of sunlight leaking through the towering tower with its gray-green leaves.

Its leaves are already close to the sun, and it seems that after a while, the leaves stained with dust and mud will be able to bathe in mild sunlight.

A leather boot that had been painted gray-brown by the mixture of water and soot in the corner of the wall was suddenly stepped on, and the small flowers in the brick cracks were crushed and crushed into mud.

"Tsk." The owner of the leather boots vulgarly spat on the ground mixed with tobacco. He lifted his foot and ran over it again and again.

"The master's purpose is not to take that woman's life." I don't know when a person leaning against a wall appeared at the mouth of the alley. He wore a rain-proof cloak, a high hat on his head, and a string of various wrenches and keys pinned to his waist. "Our mission is to scare her away and get her out of Orin - don't do anything superfluous."

"That woman killed one of my best 'hounds.'" The owner of the boots angrily scolded, "I'm going to skin her alive!" ”

"Don't do anything superfluous." The man leaning against the wall repeated what he had said before, and then spread his hands, "Let's go find another idle little rascal on the streets of the docklands." Isn't that how your hounds all came to be? ”

The owner of the boots suddenly stopped, turned to look at the man on the side of the wall and said, "No, I must peel that woman's skin!" It's okay if you want me to stop, but I'll add ten gold pounds to the cost of this business. ”

The man leaning against the wall neither agreed, but neither did he refuse immediately. He just asked, "Are you sure you want to break the rules for a dead hound?" ”

"Don't scare me with rules." The owner of the leather boots spat on the ground again, "Give me the money, and the rest is my private business!" That hound is the easiest thing I can use, and it's not impossible for me to let it go—I'll have to pay more! ”

"Bang!" With the sound of opening a bottle of high-end sparkling wine that seemed to be of the best vintage, next to the quagmire into which all the petals were crushed and mixed into, suddenly there was a broken human face with a face whose expression solidified into "surprise" and "horror".

The dark red blood was mixed with white clots, and it quickly spread half of the alley.

"Don't blame me, you broke the rules first." The figure leaning against the wall at first straightened up, withdrew the high-pressure steam pistol in his hand, and waved his hand in passing. The wrench and key on the waist collide with each other and make a crisp sound. Dispelling the white vapor floating in front of him with his hand, he showed a somewhat embarrassed expression on the pair of boots soaked in blood and muddy water, "The little girl in the building has been booked, she has to go to a place that the mining complex can't touch, and then complete the invention completely." ”

Speaking to himself abruptly, he suddenly looked up and smiled very brightly at the upstairs window.

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Polina sat on her knees on the floor trembling, and she threw the wrench and bolt in her hand to the ground. Leaning against the wall under the window, she shrunk herself into the corner under the window with all her might, and Polina felt a little out of breath, and her heart was beating even harder.

She had just witnessed a murder in the back alley through the window of her studio. And what frightened her even more was the smile that the murderer showed at her.

She was pretty sure that the murderer's eyes matched her own.

Polina took several deep breaths, and as she was hesitating whether she should immediately go to the safer a little farther away to get her weapon, there was a sudden sound of footsteps outside the door, and a large string of metal wrenches and keys swinging and clashing around her waist.

The sound of footsteps and movement grew louder and louder as they moved from far to near. The voices finally stopped outside the door.

"I know you're in the house, Lady Polina." The man's voice came through the crack in the door, like a cold wind blowing in—and Polina shivered even more violently.

"You were attacked in the docklands three days ago. After some fighting, you snatch the assailant's weapon and stab him back. The male voice outside the door said slowly, "After you escaped, the young man who was only sixteen years old died. ”

Polina's trembling suddenly stopped, her eyes widened, and her whole body froze.

"Of course, you don't need to worry about what it will lead to...... Troublesome. I've taken care of all the problems for you just now in the back alley. The male voice continued, "My master has entrusted me with a greeting to convey to you, and he advises you that you should take your invention with you and leave Olin at once—never to return. ”

The male voice outside fell silent, and just as Polina thought that the other party was probably gone, the sound of metal clashing sounded again, and a brown paper envelope suddenly reached under the crack in the door.

"It's a personal gift of mine." The man's voice rang out again, "This is a ticket to Newsar, and we'll leave tomorrow night." With your abilities, finding a job as a governess in Newsal won't be a problem – it's not bad to go on like this for the rest of your life. Anyway, please don't go back to Olin. ”

It was only after a long time, when Polina began to feel that her joints began to ache, that she slowly crawled to the door and picked up the brown paper envelope.

Inside the envelope was a ticket for the boat, as well as a message from a newspaper on the recruitment of a governess.

"Baroness Androni is looking for a tutor who has sufficient experience and solid knowledge to teach 10-year-old boys the fundamentals of mechanics."

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"Human beings have mastered a second dynamic besides animal power, and this is the fundamental reason why the world has become what it is." The room was flooded with warm sunlight, and the old man, with his hair all white and combed back backwards, was dressed in an old-fashioned tuxedo. I don't know if it's because of his personality, but the old man's tone of voice is smooth and unwavering, with a unique ...... The smell of machinery.

"His Majesty the Great Emperor is full of glory, and with his shadow, the benevolent empire has found a place to survive in the sea of thousands of stars." The old man's voice continued to be steady and unwavering, but in the midst of these words, a little boy's voice suddenly interjected.

The voices of the old and the young begin to coincide at the place of "His Majesty the Great Emperor" and end together at the place of the "Land of Survival". The old man's voice was still unwavering, but the little boy's voice was full of boredom.

"Mr. Ronier, I have memorized this sentence. For the sake of teaching efficiency...... Can you not add such a sentence to the end of every sentence? The little brown-haired boy in a gorgeous costume leaned down on the writing desk boredly and said, "Aren't you here to teach me the principles of mechanical design?" Why do you need to study history before teaching the principles of mechanical design? ”

"Before you can study mechanical design, you need to study history to clarify the purpose of your study, study mathematics to lay the foundation for mechanical design, and study the laws made by the Imperial House of Lords to ensure that you comply with the relevant regulations in the process of mechanical design. These are all required course content for you. The old man's tone remained unwavering, "Mr. Lord, you should not discuss anything unrelated to the lecture in the lecture, please pay attention. ”

"Let's talk about the lectures." The brown-haired little boy rolled his eyes and sat up from his seat, "What is the mineral that causes the interstellar jumping ability, and how was it discovered?" At the beginning of the empire, how did His Majesty the Emperor's ancestors gain power? Four hundred years of glory, by what means did the empire be maintained? How did the legitimacy of this regime come about, and was the imperial power under the divine right, or did the divine power require the permission of the imperial power? ”

The white hair on the top of Mr. Ronier's head trembled in a way that didn't belong to the original mechanical smell.

"Ah, that's not what you should be asking, right?" The little boy was keenly aware of his teacher's uneasiness, so he changed the subject and asked, "Why don't we talk about something else?" Your salary is one gold pound a week, and the six tutors who have worked before you all earn between fifteen and eighteen shillings. Has the profession of tutor always been so expensive? How can other families who are not aristocrats and do not have such a high income educate their children? Will the Empire open educational institutions? Or can the church teach them to read? Or do you just let them become illiterate, go to a mine or a factory, and work day and night at a tenth of an adult's salary until they are fired as an adult or have them injured or even killed on the job? ”

"Could it be that His Majesty the Great Emperor and the benevolent Empire do not care at all about the lives of these children, nor do they intend to give knowledge to the common people? And where is the greatness of His Majesty the Emperor and the benevolence of the Empire embodied? After saying a lot of words quickly, the little boy realized that he had lost his words and let out an "ah".

"I'm sorry, I seem to have asked another question that shouldn't be raised." The little boy apologized sincerely, then turned his head to look at his teacher, "That'...... Now it's just the two of us in this room, can you answer these questions for me? ”

The non-mechanical tremor reached its peak, and Mr. Ronier quickly closed the book in front of him. I packed all my luggage as fast as I could, then opened the door and walked out.

As he left the room, he left behind a resounding word.

"Farewell!"

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"Mr. Ronier has submitted his letter of resignation, and he thinks that Mr. Dussand's personality is too out-of-the-box, and perhaps he is better suited to a government career than a mechanic." At Baroness Andronie's estate in Newsar, the butler reported the situation to the hostess, "A letter has been sent from Orin that Grand Technician Polina is interested in the position of governess. But she wanted to be able to show off her invention at a dance party before she joined the company. ”

"I thought she had turned down the invitation." Baroness Androni raised an eyebrow, "She suddenly agreed?" ”

"Although there is no clear explanation, in the letter, Grand Technician Polina very vaguely mentioned that she is in trouble." The butler replied calmly, "I think Grand Technician Polina may need some shelter. ”

Baroness Androni gently rubbed the corners of her forehead, "It's just that there is nothing wrong with shelter, I hope she can get along with Dussand." That invention...... What type is it? ”

Grand Technician Polina didn't explain. She described it as 'the most important invention of our time'. The butler replied, "I believe that with the knowledge of Grand Mechanic Polina, this invention is not a foolish hoax like a perpetual motion machine."

"The stupider her inventions, the better." Baroness Androni chuckled twice and said, "Better be so stupid that even the nobles can see that it's not worth a penny investment." That way, I will be able to find a governess for my dear little Dussander who will not quit his job. ”

"And you can have more room to negotiate on wages." The butler chimed in, "I think a weekly salary of one gold pound a week may be a bit too much. If her invention could not be invested by other nobles, twelve shillings a week might be more appropriate. ”

"If she can get my little Dusant to sit down and be educated in mechanics, two gold pounds a week won't hurt." Baroness Androni's helplessness was overflowing, "He's a good boy, that is...... I like to challenge the teacher so much. ”

Mr. Butler also looked a little helpless, and he pondered for a moment before proposing, "I suggest that you do not mention the governess to Mr. Dussand, but tell him what the invention shows." The ten-year-old boy has a strong curiosity, and perhaps through the display of his inventions, he will also be curious about Lady Polina. ”

"Before Lady Polina officially becomes his governess, let him read in his room." Baroness Androni sighed, "I hope the punishment of being grounded in the room for a day will make him realize that he needs to control his words and actions." ”