Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 172 The Capital of All Capitals
As the vibration frequency of the wheels passing through the joints of the rails gradually slowed down, the train entered Backlund, the capital of the Loen Kingdom, dragging the slowly dissipating smoke.

This most prosperous city in the world has a population of more than 500 million. It is the place of hope in the hearts of all people in the kingdom, and is also reluctantly recognized as the "Capital of Ten Thousand Capitals" by other countries.

In comparison, Tingen, where Angel lived for two months, was simply a small town.

Of course, Tingen City is not without its advantages. For example, the air quality in Tingen City is much better than Backlund...

Angel, who was wearing a simple long dress and a hooded cloak, stepped out of the train carriage and was immediately startled by the pungent light yellow mist here.

Although she had long read various social comments in newspapers criticizing Backlund's air quality, and even made up many jokes to ridicule them, the environmental difference in this industrial capital still exceeded her wildest imagination. .

Even on this semi-open platform, once people walk 30 meters away, they can only see a faint outline. The gas lamps hanging along the platform have long been lit, but they can only barely dispel the dimness of the fog. , people will not bump into pillars or walls.

I remember that Ms. Kawei from Enmatt Port also said she wanted to come to Backlund for retirement because the environment at the port was so bad and the air was filled with industrial waste gas. I wonder if she misses her original home now...

After taking a breath of exhaust gas that was far "better" than that of Enmatt Port, Angel silently lit a candle for Kawei's dream life, and then left the platform with his suitcase.

After buying a Disi pie, a cup of coffee with extra milk, and a copy of the Backlund Daily of the day at the station, Angel found an empty bench and enjoyed his dinner while browsing under the dim light. newspaper.

She first turned to the last few pages and looked for information about house rentals in the advertising area.

When leaving the Church of the Night headquarters, Angel received 50 pounds of "activity funds." In addition to the 1 pound 5 suler used to buy the train ticket and the 5 pence she just spent to buy dinner and newspapers, the rest was all her cash.

Even if you add the 1000 pounds in the bearer account of Backlund Bank, you have to make careful calculations and use it after losing your job. It is impossible to buy a house in Backlund, a land with a high price, let alone myself. I don't know how long I can stay here...

By the way, 1000 pounds of the 350 pounds are to be given to Miss Justice. She helped me buy "all the blood of the Black Abyss Demon Fish" needed to be promoted to "Witch"... Then there are only 650 pounds left. .

When she thought of justice, she couldn't help but think of Mr. Fool, and of Klein who had become his believer at some point.

What other hidden secrets are there, and when did he become a follower of The Fool... I didn’t know everything about him until he left.

Taking a deep breath and stopping his wandering thoughts, Angel took a bite of the grease-filled pie and returned his gaze to the newspaper spread on his lap. The brightness of the lights in the station was not suitable for reading, but for those with night vision, It doesn't matter to her at all.

"Housing Improvement Association, they definitely need identification. Don't tell me I don't have it now. Even if I have Angel Granger's identification, I will probably be visited by night watchers after registration... Single-family house on Wales Street, North District, 2 meters away St. Samuel's Church is only [-] minutes away, so let's forget it. I might run into Ms. Daly when I go out. How can I still have the nerve to see her..."

Looking at the information about the houses for rent one by one, Angel eliminated the formal agencies that required identification, the West End and Queens where aristocrats and wealthy businessmen gathered, and the rents were astonishingly high, and finally chose a location that looked good.

"Backlund Bridge area, two-story townhouse, furnished, rent starting from half a year."

Recalling the map of Backlund she saw on the platform when she got off the bus, she confirmed the approximate location of the house.

The entire area around Backlund's only bridge is called the Bridge District. It is adjacent to the Tasok River that runs through the entire city. It is surrounded by the East District and the Dock District, which have a large population flow and extremely poor security. Crossing the bridge to the south is The residential area of ​​Daqiao South District.

There, even if you encounter any danger and need to escape at any time, you have multiple directions to choose from.

Now, unlike when she was in Tingen, she no longer has the status of a member of the official organization.

In order to complete Ms. Arianna's plan, she had to contact other secret organizations in Backlund, and even faced various arrests and pursuits. At that time, convenient transportation and a complex environment were more conducive to escape.

After determining the target, Angel stopped browsing other advertising information. Instead, he ate the pie and browsed other pages of the newspaper to satisfy his information needs after not being exposed to the outside world for a long time.

"The follow-up interview on the death of 'Hurricane Lieutenant General' Zillingas... there was no useful information. Sure enough, his death was covered up by the relevant departments, and it was not even revealed that he was an extraordinary person."

"The parliament's proposal to establish the 'Kingdom Air Pollution Investigation Committee'... It's time to engage in environmental protection. Even the capital Backlund has become like this, almost catching up with the 'Smog City'. Maybe one day it will be To cause a smog incident like that in London..."

The corner of Angel's mouth twitched, trying to smile, and then he saw the next news item.

"The gas pipeline leak and explosion in Tingen has killed 85 people and injured more than 200 people. Congressman Maynard, who gave a campaign speech that day, has been confirmed to have died on the spot in the explosion."

It turns out that the official explanation for the incident of the arrival of the evil god's children was a gas explosion...

She blinked and read the report carefully.

It was already seven days after the incident, another Sunday.Since the incident occurred a week ago, this report did not detail the situation at that time, but only followed up on the subsequent casualty statistics.

Interestingly, the report mentioned the survivor's statement, saying that before the gas pipe exploded under the street park, a woman fired several shots at the scene and threatened to kill people randomly, causing chaos at the scene.

Some people think that this action caused the people in the park to escape the scope of the explosion, which objectively reduced the number of deaths, but others believe that she was the culprit of the leaked gas explosion.

"You have no idea how much disaster you have escaped..."

Although he sneered at those who misunderstood him, Angel could also understand their feelings. After all, topics such as sacrificial rituals and the coming of evil gods were impossible to publish in the newspapers, and he did behave mentally abnormally in the park in the middle of the street, making people think that he was The creator of the disaster is not surprising.

If he had ignited a few black flames instead of using a gun, he might have been more like the person who detonated the gas pipe...

Angel smiled bitterly, and suddenly felt that a small part of the "witch" potion in his body had been digested silently.Disaster before the public eye, the person who caused it, widespread notoriety...

Angel immediately thought of these key points.

Shouldn't it be said that it is a way to cause death and tragedy... Even the "witch" who doesn't have any clue in the name of the potion can absorb part of this behavior?
However, this is somewhat consistent with the experience I gained from playing the role of the instigator. The act of being published in the newspaper and visible to more people will be more helpful in digesting the potion.

Keeping these experiences in mind, Angel put away the newspaper, drank the last sip of coffee, threw the paper cup and the paper bag containing the pie into the trash can, and left the station with his luggage.

……

After arriving at the Backlund Bridge area via the subway lines extending in all directions, and then changing to a hired carriage, Angel finally arrived at Red Rose Street before the sky completely darkened.

This is a street facing the river, but this is not an advantage of the nearby residences. The river that crosses the city is full of steamships traveling back and forth day and night, as well as oil and garbage floating on the river. There are even corpses floating from time to time. Most of the windows on the river side are closed.

It's also the Tasok River, but the one in Tingen is much better than here...

After taking a look at the busy river, Angel knocked on the door of No. 25 Red Rose Street.

This is a three-story single-family house. Half of the first floor is a shop. There is an old and faded sign of "Varys Grocery Store" hanging on it.

After a few knocks, the side door next to the shop was opened, and a brown-haired woman about 30 years old wearing an apron came out and looked at Angel warily.

"It's closed, what do you want?"

Angel put down his hood and said with a kind smile:
"Sorry to bother you, I saw the house rental information in the Backlund Daily. Is there a two-story townhouse for rent here?"

When she saw Angel's appearance, the woman had already put down most of her vigilance. After listening to her words, she even smiled:

"Yes, just a moment."

She closed the door, and then hurried footsteps left and returned. The brown-haired woman opened the door again and invited Angel into the house.

Since the shop occupies a large area on the first floor, the actual living room of the house is located on the second floor. Angel followed the woman upstairs to the living room furnished with a life-like atmosphere, and met the real owner of the house, Ms. Wallis.

She is about fifty years old, and her black hair has a lot of silver strands in it. Although it can be seen that she has been taking care of it frequently, there are still some wrinkles on her face and the back of her hands.

"I heard that you want to rent my house?"

After Ms. Wallis invited Angel to sit down, she asked straight to the point.

"That's right, the two-story apartment, I saw it written in the newspaper, is 15 soles per week?"

"Hmm, the minimum rent is half a year. There is no additional fee for furniture, but you have to pay for water and gas bills yourself. The total is..."

"Twenty pounds 20 soli."

Angel finished the calculation quickly and replied.

Wallis raised his eyebrows and praised:
"You calculated quickly. At least this time the tenant is a cultural person."

"this time?"

Angel asked curiously.

"Haha, the person who rented the house last time was a man from Fusac. He was rude, arrogant, and disappeared before returning the rent. I was worried that he would come back and left the house vacant for a month. I haven't seen him until now."

Mrs. Wallis complained endlessly about the last tenant, and then asked the maid to bring the contract that had been prepared long ago.

Angel took a quick look at it and found that the contract was very formal. Apart from renewing the lease one month in advance and paying the rent, there were no other special requirements.

"By the way, I haven't asked for your name yet. You also need to show me your identification."

Mrs. Wallis asked casually as she flipped through the contract and signed her name in several places.

"Sorry, I forgot to bring my ID when I came here from Tingen. If you need it, I can ask my family to send it over." Angel forced a smile and "convinced" the other party.

"It's okay, I'm just asking casually. Only people at Silveras Field like to check other people's IDs all day long."

Listening to Varys's response, Angel smiled slightly and signed his pseudonym on the contract, which was also the name he would use in Backlund in the future.

Erin Watson.

(End of this chapter)