Struggle in the Steam Age

Lawrence and the others walked slowly along the street. On both sides of the road were some slightly dilapidated buildings, and there were some garbage and potholes on the ground. There are some street lamps in the street, but they are all old-fashioned fish oil lamps. At the same time, the glass covers of individual street lamps were also damaged. In short, this is a standard worker's community.

However, the clothes of the people walking on the street are fairly decent, and although the house is dilapidated, it doesn't look too dirty. The overall situation is still better than the place where Lawrence lived before. After all, the workers here are all from the shipyard. As skilled workers, their income is at least much better than that of ordinary textile workers or simply porters.

Just when Safir was changing clothes at the place where Lawrence lived, Lawrence went directly to the logistics office of St. Gutenberg Cathedral to check the map of Eagle Fort. Based on the analysis of the previously obtained information, Lawrence easily judged that the slightly strange young painter had a high probability of living in this place.

Not long after entering this area, Lawrence quickly obtained some useful information from a group of middle-aged women who sold snacks on the street based on his experience of living in that tavern for the previous four years. Then he waited for the two ladies who were standing aside to join him with three sticks of buttered toasted corn.

The taste is okay. Safiel commented after taking a bite of the grilled corn in his hand, It's a good thing you didn't buy the french fries at the store next to it. I've had enough of this in Britton. By the way, Did you find anything?

There is indeed a very strange young painter living here. During the day, he usually goes to the squares in the north to draw sketches for people to make money. He only comes back at seven or eight o'clock in the evening.

And this person is very famous in the local area, because he is the only person who lives in this place but usually wears a top hat on his head. According to the group of aunts who sell dim sum, he seems to be a very rich man. The grandson of a factory owner, but unfortunately left alone after the early death of his parents, he quickly learned and fell in love with gambling, so much so that he almost squandered the fortune his grandfather had left his father.

But the strange thing is that just half a year ago, he suddenly quit gambling completely one day. Then he started his current career as a painter, earning a living by making quick portraits of people on the street. I heard that his painting level is not bad. .”

This is a bit strange. Even Fatina, who was the slowest in this regard, noticed something was wrong. A person who has never drawn before learns how to draw immediately after getting started. How suspicious is this matter...

And according to these people nearby, there are often young women's voices in his room. It's just that no one has ever seen these women.

Okay, now it's confirmed that this person is very suspicious even if he has nothing to do with Miss Marshall's loss of the pendant before, and it's worth our investigation. Speaking of this, Safiel seemed a little puzzled. Since everyone around him knows that there is something suspicious about him, why don't they report it to the police station or the church?

Don't forget, the police hardly patrol this place, unless there is a murder case, they will register. Lawrence glanced at a few women in cool and heavy makeup standing in the shadows, At the same time, the police here What people do subsistence for is not all legal, and they don't want the police here.

As for the church, they still have too few people. So unless someone comes to the church to report, they will send someone to check. And in this kind of place, if it is not related to yourself, everyone will not be nosy. That person did not getting in the way of others, so naturally no one would tell the church about that person.

It turned out to be like this. Safiel nodded. As a girl who had been living on a farm before and then went to a girls' school in the Old Continent, she really didn't know much about these things.

In the following time, Lawrence and the others pretended to be students who came here for the first time and wandered around in this area. At the same time, they also used their own steps to measure the surrounding conditions centered on the place where the painter they wanted to track lived.

Although Lawrence's memory retains the description of this area on the map, the map has obviously not been updated for a long time, and there are many obstacles on the street and many buildings are missing. So it is very valuable for them to go on the ground so that they can track or escape in time when something really happens.

As for why he didn't pretend to be a local, on the one hand, this kind of residential area is a kind of acquaintance residential area, and it is difficult for outsiders to mix in. On the other hand, Lawrence, who was well nourished as a child, was half a head taller than the workers who came and went nearby. Coupled with the Warlock's distinctive appearance after awakening his bloodline, he really couldn't blend in with the crowd around him.

Time passed by like this, until night fell slowly. Lawrence saw the children who had gone to school before running past them with their schoolbags on their backs, and then ran back home, fighting all the way. .

As the children of skilled workers, they are lucky because their parents have enough financial resources to allow them to go to school. At the same time, these parents have tasted the sweetness of learning as skilled workers, and naturally hope that their children will live a relative life like them. Nice life, not slipping into simple manual labor.

Soon the workers also got off work, and after they hurried home, the aroma of various foods also wafted from each building, and then wafted into the air. At the same time, some single workers began to gather in the tavern for their dinner and important social time.

Just when the whole community suddenly came alive, Lawrence and the others were sitting on the outdoor seats in a certain tavern and stared at the intersection in front of them. According to the information they had inquired before, the painter would come from this street every night go through.

Sure enough, while they were eating spicy tortillas in the style of southern New Elysian. A young man in a top hat and tuxedo came over with a drawing board and a paint box on his back.

This young man has a great appearance, a handsome face, an artistic attire, and a little melancholy in his eyes, which makes him full of attractiveness. Such a prosaic reason.

Just as he was walking past the bar, he suddenly noticed Safiel who was sitting at the door of the bar drinking freshly squeezed orange juice with a straw, and then he walked over directly.

This beautiful lady, may I draw a portrait for you? Just as he walked to Lawrence's table, the artist bowed slightly to Safiel with his right hand attached to his left chest. Said, while his eyes were fixed on Safir's eyes, completely ignoring Lawrence and Fatina who were sitting on the side.

Oh? Safiel spat out the straw in his mouth and looked at him and asked, Excuse me, are you—

I'm a painter and after seeing you I suddenly had the urge to create a portrait of you. I swear I've never seen a girl as beautiful as you, said the young man.

That's right! Safir nodded. So where are you painting for me, is it here?

No, I want to invite you to my house as a guest. Of course, if you are worried, your two companions can also come together. After speaking, he made an invitation gesture to Lawrence and the others.