Sugar can dispel bitterness, love can heal sadness, and joy can naturally cover up anger.

In just a few days, under the unsparing rendering of public opinion, the atmosphere of the empire changed from anger to national celebration, as if the previous general strike and parade were a dream that no one will remember.

The enthronement ceremony of the new king of the empire took place in the holy city of Jerusalem, which is considered a tradition of the empire and a proof of the long-standing friendly relationship between the world government and the Holy See. For the past sixty years, this enthronement ceremony has actually made no difference every time, because it has always been the old pope who has brought the crown that he has worn for decades in the endless sunflower radiance below and the pious worship of the people, and that's it.

Even in recent years, the old popes have stopped appearing, and Augustine the Great has rarely left the city of Rome due to serious illness, resulting in the enthronement almost like a festival with no special events.

Today, however, everything is different.

The man standing on the ceremonial stage was no longer the gray-haired old man, but a man of about 50 years old with brown hair and a kind face.

Originally, this Mr. Franklin was not favored by the people of the empire, because the theories he preached were too advanced, and the spectacle he depicted was too beautiful, like a brightly colored painting, so beautiful that people could not believe it.

But not long ago, the old emperor dragged his seriously ill body and told all the people with a passionate declaration that this painting is true, and that the future of mankind is so beautiful and vibrant.

At this moment, the whole empire fell into an unprecedented boiling of joy, in the golden light below, all the people worshipped, and His Royal Highness the Holy Son and the new king of the empire on the ceremonial platform were like a sign of the beginning of a prosperous era, and the crown worn on Mr. Franklin's head was like the first bell of a new era of mankind. The people below all burst into tears, glad that they were born in this era and witnessed the great journey of mankind.

However, the political center of the empire during this time, in the ancient Roman city, did not overflow with much joy.

This is the case with the city, which has no festivals on its calendar, and does not observe all the official holidays of the Empire, and the tens of thousands of government workers here have strictly followed everyone's working hours since the opening of the Holy Calendar, working diligently in their respective posts, like a huge machine that has been running steadily for three centuries.

Recently, because of the previous parade and the later abdication declaration of the old emperor, a lot of people gathered here, and because the steam train could not run, they could only stay here temporarily, which finally added a touch of fresh air to the city.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, another steam train came by after a long journey, and finally stopped at platform 11.

Recently, the traffic here has been particularly heavy, and the transportation department has had to expedite the dispatch of more trains, and at this moment, a beautiful girl got off the train and walked towards the exit of the platform.

Because most of the citizens of the ancient Roman law city are stranded imperial citizens now, few people will 'get off' at this stop, and several flight attendants couldn't help but look at the back of the girl.

Of course, it's not that there is some kind of suspicion about getting out of the car, but I simply feel that this woman is too tall and too beautiful, and many of the people stranded here are aristocrats or political bigwigs who rushed over from all over the world, and I don't know if such a superb woman is the wife or pet of a high-ranking official.

In short, this woman walked out of the station unimpeded, and because she did not carry any luggage, she passed the checkpoint smoothly, and finally set foot on the land of this ancient city.

Then, at a moment when no one noticed, they stepped into the shadow of a building, and that's it. Gone without a trace.

At night, in a tavern set up in a city area.

A man with a somewhat aristocratic appearance pushed open the door and walked in, because there were more nobles in the city recently, so this person did not attract too many people's attention, only the female bartender behind the bar glanced at that beautiful face slightly, but did not dare to appreciate it too blatantly.

In a corner of the tavern where the gaslamp was not very bright, sat a man in a trench coat and an old top hat, who did not pretend to sit mysteriously with his back to the door, but drank quietly one sip after another, and the dim light coincidentally cast the shadow of the brim on his face, which made it impossible to see it really.

After Watson walked into the tavern, he saw each other at first sight, but instead of walking over immediately, he walked to the bar with a small suitcase and asked for a glass of wine.

In this way, he drank slowly, like all those who did not catch the last train and were forced to stay here.

Soon, the man in the corner, who looked withdrawn, seemed to have drunk a little too much, he staggered to his feet, and walked towards the back door of the tavern, which is the same in all taverns in the world, and there is an alley at the back door, and anyone who has drunk too much will go and spit a few sips.

A little more passed

"Excuse me, where's the bathroom?" Watson asked.

"Oh, in the back." The girl bartender pointed in a certain direction, probably a little shy, so she didn't communicate much with the man in front of her.

Watson thanked him very gentlemanly and walked to the back of the bar, but instead of going into the bathroom, he quietly pushed open the back door of the bar.

"How did you get here faster than me?"

In the alley behind the bar, Watson asked with some curiosity.

He didn't bring any special luggage, and he was disguised, and the road was basically unimpeded, but Sherlock had to find a way to stand out from the encirclement around Baker Street, and also find a way to blend into the train or airship, and most importantly, he had to help himself bring a lot of contraband that couldn't get past the checkpoint at all, either of which was quite difficult.

But looking at the other party's posture, he arrived a long, long time earlier than himself.

Sherlock shrugged his shoulders, "Trust me, there's no way to explain this. ”

"Okay." Watson really didn't ask much, accepted it on the spot, and then said, "What about the things I asked you to bring?" ”

"Oh, wait a minute." Sherlock said, turning and stepping into the shadows of the deepest part of the alley, and when he reappeared, he was already carrying a suitcase that smelled faintly bloody.

(End of chapter)