Beckland Steam Train Station, Platform 3.

After talking to his parents and sister for a while, Alfred seized the gap before departure, left the train, came to the platform, and said to a servant:

"Give me a cigarette from Dongbailang. ”

If the experience over the years has had any negative impact on him, it is that in addition to some mental suffering and pain, there are only a few bad habits left.

After smoking too much "East Bailang tobacco", which is made by wrapping spices and herbs directly in roasted tobacco leaves, Alfred has completely become unaccustomed to the paper cigarettes popular in the North Continent, believing that they are bland and tasteless, like spirits mixed with water.

As for cigars, he thinks it takes a good environment to taste slowly, and it's not suitable for now.

Of course, he was not a big smoker, and a "knight of punishment" was physically and mentally able to counter the effects, and Alfred came to the platform to smoke because he felt that the carriage was too stuffy, and his mother always mentioned his marital problems.

When Hu Cong took out and lit the "East Bailang Cigarette", Alfred brought the charred and almost black outer object to his mouth and took a deep breath.

The strong smell soaked into his body and lifted his spirits.

At this moment, he saw a classical sculptural blonde man leading a personal valet approaching.

Alfred hesitated, smiled, raised his right hand and said:

"Hibbert, I thought you wouldn't be back in East Chester. ”

It was Lord Hibbert Hall, the eldest son of Earl Hall and brother of Alfred.

Hibbert sketched a smile that perfectly matched the etiquette and said:

"I'm just a Cabinet secretary, not a chief cabinet secretary, and I'm not so busy that I don't even have a weekend. ”

In fact, he will not be the chief secretary of the cabinet, his main purpose is to accumulate experience in different positions in various government departments, build his own network resources, and prepare for the future entry into the upper house.

Alfred took another puff of his "East Bailang cigarette" and said with a smile:

"Have a great weekend. ”

After seeing Hibbert enter the carriage, Alfred vaguely sensed that someone was looking at him, discussing:

"Why don't there be passengers waiting on that train?"

"It doesn't seem to be full. ”

"Haha, it's a special train, it's booked in advance by a big man who spent a lot of gold pounds, I know, you may not have seen a similar situation, but remember, this happens in Beckland, in Constance and other big cities, when those big people go out with their families, they must be followed by hundreds of servants, maybe there are pets, how can it be possible to squeeze a train with ordinary people......"

"That's ......"

"I don't know which big guy it is?"

Alfred looked sideways, and saw dozens of people in gray-blue uniforms on the second platform quietly looking over the tracks where there were no trains parked.

The distance between the two sides was not small, and if it weren't for Alfred's excellent hearing, he would certainly not have been able to figure out what those people were discussing.

"They are?" Alfred asked, turning his head to his lieutenant.

He could only recognize the uniforms worn by those men as belonging to the railway company.

The adjutant immediately turned around, found the staff in charge of the platform, and questioned him.

Soon, he trotted back and whispered to Alfred:

"Generals, they are train dispatchers from all over the kingdom and are undergoing a short-term training in Beckland. ”

Alfred nodded slightly, and glanced at the second platform.

The oldest of the train dispatchers had gray hair, the youngest looked to be in their early twenties, most of them were middle-aged in their thirties and forties, and there were many with slightly gray sideburns.

............

Sunia Sea, the "City of Generosity" Baiam.

Carrying a suitcase of little value, Verdu took a small boat out of the harbor at night and boarded a pirate ship.

- Sequence 7 of the "Apprentice" path is not very good at fighting, and although Verdu carries magical items, he is quite afraid of negative effects and is reluctant to use them until the critical moment, so in order to avoid danger, he lacks trust in pirates and tries not to bring anything that is easy to arouse the greed of others.

The pirate on the deck glanced at Verdu and smirked:

"Don't be afraid, we're all very good at what we promise, and as long as you pay enough for the ticket, we won't throw you overboard. You're even safer here than you are on a passenger ferry, at least without worrying about pirates. ”

Seeing that Verdu remained silent, looking a little frightened, the pirate triumphantly threw the key to him:

"The second floor on deck, the innermost room. ”

Verdu took the brass-colored key, entered the cabin, climbed the stairs, and went down the hallway to the deepest part.

This floor seems to be reserved for those who have been on a pirate ship for a variety of reasons, and along the way, Verdu encounters several passengers who don't look like pirates at all.

Among them were young ladies who were slightly scantily dressed, like street girls, middle-aged men with bulging bellies and oily faces, and young men in capes and top hats, who were extremely cold.

"Do you want to stay with me?" the girl asked with a smile when she saw Verdu looking over, and did not know whether she was going to stop by for some business, or if she was going to stop by while doing business.

Ignoring her, Verdu withdrew his gaze and went out of his room.

The young man, with his deep silhouette and cold lines, also stopped diagonally opposite the doorway.

............

Beckland, West End, 9 Bellotto Street.

"Please come in. Hugh straightened up from his wide seat.

The office door creaked open, and two MI9 members belonging to Hugh's team walked in.

"Colonel, we've learned something from our investigation into Utopia. One of the men, wearing a dark jacket, handed Hugh a report.

Hugh's heart was slightly shocked and his spirit lifted at the same time:

"What is it?"

The man in the dark jacket said simply:

"In the past few days, we have taken advantage of the fact that the last task has been handed over, and we have personally and through informants visited the passengers of the steam train, all the passengers in Beckland. ”

No doubt he was referring to the steam train that stopped in Utopia by mistake.

"Hmm. Hugh nodded and motioned for his subordinates to continue.

The man in the deep jacket pointed and reported:

"We have preliminarily confirmed that none of the passengers who arrived in Beckland are abnormal, in good spirits and have no cognitive problems.

"One thing we discovered, though, was that not everyone was back on the train at the time, and according to the two passengers, their co-seating chose to stay in Utopia.

"It was a lady who loved to travel and explore, she had a deep love for strange places, and after seeing the excellent red wines, desserts and unique sparkling iced teas of Utopia, she decided to give up her original itinerary and spend more time in this unique town.

This was all known to the two passengers during their casual conversation with her, and not only did they sit together, but they also chose to stay at the same hotel, and they met early in the morning.

"The hotel was in the same house as our intelligence officer, called 'Iris'. ”

Hugh nodded slowly:

"Have you found out what the lady is doing?

"What's her name?"

"No, we can't say for sure if she's out of Utopia now. Another MI9 member with a small goatee replied, "The two passengers only knew that the lady's name was Monica, and they didn't know her surname and origin,"

Hugh snorted:

"Your mission is to investigate the origin of this lady, find her family and friends, and confirm if she has returned. ”

"Yes, Colonel. The two MI9 agents saluted and exited Hugh's office.

Hugh read the report they had submitted again, and sighed silently.

She was closer to the truth of utopia than her subordinates, and she already knew that it was a ritual and had a certain connection with Gelman Sparrow.

However, she couldn't report the news and earn merit.

Leaving aside the question of the source of information, Hugh's most important consideration was whether Gelman Sparrow was willing to let the news leak.

Perhaps try contacting Gelman Sparrow and asking for his opinion...... Hugh thoughtfully packed up his desk and left MI9.

After changing her outfit, she returns to the East End and the Bridge District, where she travels like a bounty hunter to different bars and gather news from different acquaintances.

In the process, she asked about Utopia by the way, but no one had heard of it.

Finally, Hugh entered a bar in the area of Beckland Bridge, sat down on a bar stool, and said to the bartender:

"Is there anyone suspicious lately?"

"A lot of people are quite suspicious, but they don't have a bounty. The bartender replied casually.

Hugh inquired about the news around this topic, and finally followed the process and asked:

"Have you ever heard of Utopia?"

"I've heard of it. The bartender replied as he wiped his glass.

Hugh's gaze lifted slightly as he looked at the bar table.

She looked at the bartender and said:

"Where did you hear that?"

"There was a guest who came before, and he drank in moderation. "I pitched him our specialty mixology, and he said he had something to do and only had a beer, and I complimented him a few words and asked him where he was from, and he said, Utopia." ”

............

Wendell had just finished his breakfast when he heard the doorbell ring.

Through the cat's eye, he saw a policeman in a black and white checkered uniform outside, and opened the door a little confused.

"Excuse me, what's the matter?" Wendell asked politely.

This house was the residence he was assigned when he arrived in Beckland, as he would settle in the metropolis for a short period of time, subject to internal scrutiny and status monitoring.

The policeman was still very young, a little young, and in his early twenties.

He smiled and said to Wendel:

"Hello, I'm Biles, a police officer, and I want you to testify in court in a case. ”

"What case?" Wendell frowned slightly.

The young policeman named Byers said with a polite smile:

"The Utopian Murder of Tracy Murder. ”

"......" Wendel's pupils dilated instantly.