Shepherd Tantra

Chapter 990: The Clay Gang and Arsene Lupin
May 19th, Les Eygents, the Kingdom of Iris.

At twelve o'clock noon, the weather was sunny and hot.

Alice de Harcourt was not wearing the hot outfit she usually wore when working as a journalist. Instead, she changed into a dress as cute as a princess and sat in the carriage.

The dark green dress had golden threads sewn on it with hymns written in the Elvish language, and the hem was trimmed with white lace. She wore white silk stockings made by Elvish craftsmanship, and she looked like a large doll... She looked well-behaved and quiet, and a few years younger than usual.

She leaned against the car window and squinted her eyes, looking peaceful and beautiful.

Suddenly the carriage stopped and the shaking woke her up.

"Here we are, miss."

The driver said so.

Alice got out of the carriage. The early summer sun was so bright that she felt dizzy.

At noon, people were walking in the streets, and artists were singing in the streets, which was a very standard opera aria. Children were surrounding her, and there seemed to be stars in their eyes.

Not far away on another street, a bard could be seen playing the violin on a platform. It was originally a diversion platform used to prevent impact during riots, and many sandbags were piled on it for shelter, but now it has become a simple personal stage.

Behind the minstrel, among the crowd who stopped to listen to the music, you could see a young-looking pickpocket stealing some banknotes from the pocket of an old gentleman holding a walking stick.

Seagulls were squawking overhead, and the aroma of food was wafting through the streets. Freshly-baked potato chips and crepes were accompanied by cheerful shouts, and Alice felt a little hungry.

"Miss, your box."

The driver took Alice's luggage off the top of the carriage and handed it to her. He was surprised by the weight of the box - could such a thin young lady lift such a heavy box?

He couldn't help but ask, "Is there anyone coming to pick you up?"

"some."

Alice smiled and handed the driver a banknote.

This was three times the fare they had agreed on.

This is not good, the driver thought.

He could tell at a glance that this was a young lady who had not experienced much of the world. If others saw such a rich and naive young lady, they would immediately realize that a fat sheep had come.

These are irises!
There are so many playboys and con men pretending to be playboys wandering on every street. The former will cheat girls of their bodies, and the latter will take away their money as well.

The driver looked at the children who were stealing and frowned slightly.

He knew those kids.

They were a group of street kids who called themselves the "Kray Gang." They had basically just come out of welfare institutions, and some were still in welfare institutions—because the laws of Iris had a mechanism for the protection of minors, the gangs had evolved to the point of hiring children to do some dangerous things.

It started with burglary - this is where the name of the Kray gang comes from, this word means "key" in the language of irises. Adult gangsters will help them scout the place, find the house of the rich and unguarded, or notify these kids when the owner is not at home, and they will skillfully pick the lock and steal the designated items based on the information.

Because they were young enough, the police could not kill them on the spot even if they came. Even if the owner came back, they could only catch them but not hurt them. The children fled in all directions, flexibly disappearing into the streets and alleys they were familiar with. At most, they could only catch one or two, and in most cases they would be repeatedly pulled away by them and easily thrown away.

In the law of Iris, "theft" is different from "robbery". As long as the thief has left the scene of the crime, it is not legal to fight back and hurt others - it is also illegal to hurt or even kill the thief, and hurting a child is a felony. If the child does not steal too much, then trying to get it back by force is not worth the loss.

If the police are called to recover the stolen goods, they can only retrieve the items that have not been sold in time. But in most cases, the stolen goods are immediately sold to the gangs.

Compared to adults who would choose to betray the gang out of fear of breaking the law, going to jail, and various punishments, these fearless little brats are all very tough and very loyal - the cost of being disloyal is even more serious than going to jail. Anyway, Iris Prison always treats them well, and the amount of theft is not large, so they can be released soon after being in prison.

So these children gathered together... More than 80% of them were orphans, so they were fearless. So much so that now in Iris, "orphan" has become a swear word, and even many welfare homes themselves are connected with gangs... and even with "Those Who Cannot Be Mentioned".

Therefore, even though these children's hiding skills are not good, many people would not dare to speak out even if they saw them.

——Children are the most vindictive.

If you dare to offend the Krays, you will be followed to your home. Every kid on the street is a potential Kray, and they can always attract more gang members.

In order to let these children have something to gain and leave satisfied, people often put some change in the shallowest pocket of their clothes when they go out. As long as they succeed, they will leave satisfied, at least the surrounding streets are safe; if they fail, they may want to rob watches, jewelry, glasses, pipes or other more valuable things.

The Krays are very hostile to the rich. If they have the chance to strike, they will definitely choose the richest person in their area. For them, the fun and significance of "making the rich lose their property" is far greater than the little money they get after selling the stolen goods. After all, these kids will never starve to death - they are supported by the gang, and stealing is just their job, not a helpless way to survive.

The driver didn't know whether this naive young lady understood these "social rules".

In order to prevent her from meddling in his business, or saying something she shouldn't, or being targeted by these bad kids because she couldn't pay... he decided to stay here for a while.

Just consider it as an additional service for the triple fare, he thought. "In that case," the driver said, "I will wait with you for a while until he comes."

He did not ask whether the person who came to pick her up was a man or a woman - based on his years of experience in soliciting customers, the girl must be waiting for her sweetheart.

Thinking of this, the driver, who was in his forties or fifties, straightened his beret and adjusted his woolen vest.

He glared at the child who had stolen something in a threatening manner, and the child glared back at him without any fear.

The child looked Alice up and down, and a trace of surprise flashed in his ignorant eyes. He thought for a moment, and then quietly retreated.

At this moment, a hearty voice sounded.

"Miss Alice, sorry for the wait."

It was a man wearing a tall hat.

His tall hat was black, and the shadow covered half of his face, leaving only the lower half of his face exposed, which was clear-cut and full of charm. He was tall and wearing a black tuxedo.

"Mr. Yassen!"

Alice greeted him with a smile.

Seeing someone coming, the driver nodded tactfully, put down the box, got on the car and left.

And Yasen took the box and walked towards a nearby bar.

Alice walked over affectionately and took "Mr. Yassen's" arm.

She whispered: "Where's my money, Arsene Lupin?"

"Don't worry, little girl."

Arsene Lupin laughed in a low voice: "That's not how the rules are made. We have to follow the order."

As he said that, he took Alice into a nearby bar.

This bar has no name and no sign outside. Or rather, it used to have a sign, but it has fallen off now, leaving only traces of freshness.

There weren't many people inside at noon, but the noise was unexpectedly loud. Gray smoke filled the air, choking Alice and causing her to cough. There were also rude laughter, conversations, the voice of a bard telling stories in a vivid voice, and the sound of cards being played.

This was all so new to Alice.

She looked around with wide eyes, trying to take it all in.

But at this moment, she suddenly saw a man in a white robe in the corner.

He suddenly raised his head and stared at her. Their eyes met for a moment, and she felt a chill down her spine and broke out in a cold sweat.

He was a man in a white robe with long white hair, bloodshot eyes, and a gloomy and dangerous temperament. He sat in a corner, with a circle of empty people around him. He was the only one at the table.

For some reason, Alice felt that this person was familiar, as if she had seen him before.

The white-haired man seemed to notice Alice's gaze. The corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a cruel smile.

The next moment, Yassen took half a step forward, blocking the man's sight.

He took off his hat, revealing a thick head of black curly hair.

He stared at the white-haired man, and under Alice's horrified gaze, he slowly walked forward and sat in front of him.

"Sir, is there any room here?"

Yassen's steady voice fell, and he pressed his hat on the table.

"what……"

A low, hoarse voice sounded.

The pair of blood-red eyes stared at Arsene with an unconcealable smile: "Of course...Mr. Arsene de Vendôme."

At that moment, Alice saw that Yassen's left hand, which was holding down his hat, suddenly exerted force, and the bones were clearly visible.

(End of this chapter)