Steam trains run through the vast flat fields under the blue sky, and in the spring when the temperature is getting warmer, almost all the verdant fields are busy with farmers.

Russell brought the steam engine with him and worked hard to promote it in the direction of military reserves, immersing himself in the great cause of expanding the ambition. The small steam engine for civilian use did not appear at all, and the agriculture of Intis was still in the form of human or horse farming.

The drier plains of northern Indisis are more dominated by grains such as wheat, unlike the south, where temperatures and humidity are more favourable to crops such as grapes, apples or sugar beets, and the yields are not comparable to those of southern vineyards.

After two days of steam trains, the four of Esther had entered the confines of the province of Upper Honakis, and the scene outside the window was gradually depressed, with only continuous mountains.

"The place we are going to is on the outskirts of the mountains, and it is still a long way from Telis on the coast of the Sea." Alexander put down the book in his hand and explained to Esther, who was looking out the window.

"I just remember that Tylis was one of the big cities on the coast of the sea, and it wasn't far from the Hornachis Mountains?"

"Yes, Tdelis has a large population and is surrounded by a number of medium-sized cities, and is considered the most prosperous area near Mount Honakis. Of course, there is no comparison with Trier, the 'City of Joy'. Alexander replied.

Aaron has spoken a lot less in the past two days, and more often than Esther, he stares out the window in contemplation.

Thoma pointed to the craggy rock faces: "It's still far from the mountains, but the periphery is basically mountainous, so you can't see anything no matter how you look at it." ”

Aaron wrinkled his nose and glanced at Thoma disdainfully.

Esther opened the book in her hand, and followed Alexander's example, immersed in the world between the words.

An hour later, the four of them got off the steam train, a very ordinary small city, even more remote than Tingen.

If it had been in Rune, there might have been no train platform at all. However, under the vigorous promotion of Russell that year, steam train platforms were built in most parts of Intis, so that most civilians could also enjoy the convenience of this mode of travel.

"Let's rest today and leave tomorrow." Aaron said this, and no one objected.

After deciding on a hotel, Alexander asked, "Hamel, do you want to go to town with me?" There is also a bookstore here. ”

Esther didn't have anything to do, so she wouldn't turn down the invitation, and she guessed Alexander's true thoughts, and he had something to talk to about alone.

So the two men took to the street, and in the dark, Alexander walked leisurely through a noisy bazaar with Esther, and into a bookstore with magazine shelves in front of his house.

There is a bell hanging on the door, and when someone pushes the door, it makes a bang. The young man sitting behind the counter, looked up at the two of them, and then lowered his head again, holding a newspaper in his hand with a crossword puzzle.

The freckles on his face were almost all written with the word "boring", and it was obvious that he didn't like this boring profession or books.

The other party did not come up to sell, but provided Alexander and Esther with a chance to communicate individually.

Alexander's gaze wandered over the shelves marked with new books: "Oh? There is actually Ms. Wall's new, such a small place will be stocked, I'm afraid the bookstore owner is also her reader. ”

Esther was a little surprised: "Would you watch this genre?" I thought most of her readers were young people. ”

Alexander reluctantly pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose: "Am I such an old-fashioned person in your heart?" I read some of everything. As long as I read any book once, I can remember most of the impressions, which is considered a learning advantage. ”

Esther removed the "excellent new work of Forth Wall" from the shelf, which had been translated into Intis, and simply browsed it: "I actually like her book." Although sometimes too whimsical or too indulged in the romantic relationships of the characters, she surprises in every way as far as the imagination of this writer lady is concerned. ”

"I'm a little surprised to hear you say that, I personally prefer books with a more simple style and strong logic, so I just looked at it, and I didn't pay much attention to this writer of Rune." Alexander's gaze swept over the shelves, clearly looking for a new book that interested him more.

Esther put the fantasy-inspired adventure back on the shelf: "So, what do you want to talk to me about?" ”

"About the anomaly in you."

"If you're saying that I can't be remembered, I don't have any more information to give you, otherwise I'd love to hear your analysis."

Alexander shook his head: "No, not this thing, but before you-"

There was a bell at the door of the bookstore, and Alexander subconsciously stopped what he wanted to say, and both of them looked in the direction of the door.

A lame man walked in, in his early forties, dressed in a very neat black tuxedo, with two mustaches on his lips and black hair shiny and neatly combed back of his head.

The man limped to the front desk, his expressionless facial features stiff like a wax figure.

He ran his index finger over the beard on his lower lip, and as he turned his gaze to Esther and Alexander's side, the man paused for two seconds before avoiding their gaze and walking straight in the direction of the counter.

Esther felt like she was being watched at that moment, and she instantly thought of the vision.

She looked at Alexander and shook her head slightly, holding her hands to her face and mouthing in motion.

Alexander immediately understood what she meant, the other party was extraordinary!

This was a bit too hasty, Alexander nodded immediately, and the two of them did not rush to leave, but took a casual walk in front of the bookshelf. Because the store was quiet enough, even if the two of them were a few meters away from the other side, they could hear the conversation at the counter.

The man's voice was a little hoarse and shriveled, muffled because it was low: "What about Simon?" ”

"The boss is not in the store today, do you have anything to do with him?" The young man behind the counter was forced to put down the crossword puzzle and looked up helplessly in reply.

Although his expression was not expressed, Asther could feel the obvious impatience in his tone, and only hoped to get rid of the person in front of him quickly.

The middle-aged man was very persistent: "When will he come back?" Today? Tomorrow? ”

"I don't know, if you really have anything important, leave him a letter here—you're not the first to come in the last two days. I've been sitting here all day, and I might sit another day, sir! There was no one who bought books in the store, all of them were looking for the boss, I really don't know why he has nothing to do out of the city! ”

The young clerk couldn't help but complain, and Esther took out a copy of Russell's original poetry book from the bookshelf and flipped through it slowly, still focusing on the conversation behind her.

The middle-aged man ignored the complaint at all, and continued to ask: "Then do you know where he has gone?" If there's a chance he'll come back today, I'll be waiting for him in the store. ”

The irritability on the clerk's face became more and more obvious: "Sir, looking at your clothes, I think you are a decent person, just like the boss, don't embarrass us hired little people." I told you, I don't know, the boss only said he was going out of town! ”

The middle-aged man, like this bored young man, was just as dismissive of the store's shelves full of books. The man stood in front of the counter, and he was so stubborn that he made people laugh, and his feet were motionless: "Who came to him before?" Do you know each other? ”

"God, I have never met anyone as difficult to communicate with as you, please let me be pure for a while. I'm not the boss, I don't know where those guys came from, I don't know them! I don't know anyone! ”

The young man seemed to be a little frustrated, and he kept tapping the counter with the pen in his hand, as if to beat his complaints.

The middle-aged man suddenly reached over the counter, grabbed the young man by the collar, and dragged him towards himself. The young man lay half on the counter, so shocked that he didn't make any sound for a while, and his pale face met the dark blue eyes of the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man's voice didn't fluctuate much: "Listen, I know you're dissatisfied, I'm fucking dissatisfied, understand?" You'd better pray that your boss will come back soon. ”

The freckles on the clerk's face turned pale: "I—I know!" ”

The middle-aged man did not let go of the clerk's collar, but pulled him up harder, and a smile gradually appeared on his face: "The respect for others is not to use honorifics, but to put on the attitude you should have." ”

The clerk's voice trembled: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" ”

The corners of the middle-aged man's mouth were hooked high: "Now tell me, where did Simon go?" Think about your answer, or ......"

"Ahem."

The middle-aged man let go of his hand the moment he heard the woman's voice coughing lightly.

The strange sense of crisis was fleeting, but the man's more sensitive spiritual intuition allowed him to perceive this oppression from an unknown source, and he immediately took two steps back and put his right hand in his pocket.

Esther shook the books in her hand, the top one with the slogan "Furth Wall's Great New Works" on the cover.

"I want to buy these books, can you help me calculate the price?"

The panic in the clerk's eyes had not yet dissipated, and he trembled and took the few books handed over by Esther: "Hug, sorry, I mean yes!" But the above one, it is only used for propaganda, and there is wear and tear...... I—I'll go back and get you a brand new one! ”

The middle-aged man stared at the young-looking lady beside him, as if to see a hole in her face.

Esther turned to him calmly, "Is there anything on my face, please?" ”

"Nope." The man quickly looked away, he didn't even dare to turn on his spiritual vision again, obviously there was no sign of danger on the other party, but his spiritual instinct had been inexplicably tight.

Alexander also walked to the counter and stood on the other side of Esther: "Let's go after buying the book." ”

In this way, he was not only tactfully showing his attitude to the other party, showing that the two of them did not want to make trouble, but also advising Esther not to cause trouble, but he used the action of standing with her to faintly express his deterrence to the middle-aged man: two people against the other, it is always one person who suffers more.

Esther nodded briskly and smiled softly, "Okay, just wait for the payment." ”

The middle-aged man took two more steps to the side and stood next to another bookshelf, pretending to browse through the titles on it. The other side also put on an attitude of reluctance to argue, which made Alexander very satisfied.

It wasn't until the clerk returned to the counter that Esther had paid two gold louis and had received the change she had recovered, and she walked out of the store with a few books in her arms.

The middle-aged man watched them leave the bookstore, and after calling the young clerk to find a pen and paper, and leaving a folded note, he quickly left the place.

He walked into a nearby alley and pulled out a pendulum from his bosom that hung on a thin chain.

But what made the middle-aged man's face gradually gloomy was that no matter how he changed the words of the divination, the pendulum seemed to be frozen, and there was no response.