Chapter 12 Buying Books
"White Pearl Street? Why are you asking?"
Sitting on the sofa, Gregor frowned and said after taking a bite of bread that he had just heard about the rumors over there before getting off work.
"Well, Greg, you know this, right? Because we girls can't attend evening classes, our grades are always worse than those of boys." Dorothy said to Greg in a natural manner, and Greg nodded in agreement after listening.
"Well... I understand that. The current inequality in education between boys and girls is a common phenomenon. St. Amanda's is already very good, so I sent you here to study... But what does this have to do with White Pearl Street?"
"Well, I... am not satisfied with the fact that those boys are ahead of me in grades, so I like to study in the school library recently in order to keep up with the progress.
"These past few days I have been studying on my own with the books in the library, but after a long time I found that some sets of books were incomplete or missing, which made me very embarrassed and affected my self-study. I took advantage of the holidays to look for the missing books in bookstores in the city, wanting to buy them to complete the collection, but unfortunately most of the books in the school library are very old, and the bookstores only sell new books, so I couldn't find them for a while.
"Then I asked teachers at school to see if there was any place where I could find the missing old books. Then a teacher suggested that I look for them on White Pearl Street, where there is said to be a second-hand goods market."
Dorothy explained to Greg seriously, and the more Greg listened to Dorothy, the more solemn his expression became. After listening, he took a sip of milk before speaking slowly.
"Dorothy, it's a good idea for you to improve your grades and catch up with the boys. I'm glad you're so motivated, but I still have to remind you that it's best not to go to White Pearl Street."
"Don't go to White Pearl Street? Why? Isn't there a second-hand market there?"
After listening to Greg's words, Dorothy tilted her head and said in a puzzled tone, while Greg responded in a serious voice.
"It's not just a flea market. It's also a gathering place for countless rubbish who dream of getting rich overnight. It's a street of loan sharks who eat people without leaving any bones. There are also many gangs there... In short, the security situation there is not very good. It's not safe for a girl like you to go to a place like that. It's better not to go there."
Greg warned, while Dorothy complained in her heart that she had already been there for four days.
"Is that so... Then I won't..."
Listening to Greg, Dorothy continued with a depressed expression and tone.
"What a pity! Without those books and words, it would be difficult for me to surpass those boys by myself..."
Sitting on the sofa and drinking milk, Gregor saw his sister's depressed look and felt a little bit sorry for her. He put down the cup and thought for a while, then made up his mind and said.
"Huh... How about this, I should be able to have half a day off this weekend, then I'll take you to White Pearl Street, and I'll be with you and everything will be fine."
"Oh, really? Thank you so much, Greg!"
Hearing Greg's words, Dorothy's expression suddenly became happy, and Greg also said with a smile.
"You're welcome. I'm your brother after all."
"Well, I'll go to school first. Bye."
"Go slowly."
After eating the last piece of bread, Dorothy walked out of the living room. When she closed the door, there was still a faint smile on her face.
…
Somewhere on the street in Igwynt during the day.
On the weekend, Dorothy and Greg, dressed in casual clothes, came out of a restaurant. Dorothy was wiping her mouth with a tissue, while Greg stood aside and asked.
“How does this restaurant taste?”
"That's fine. Now that we've had enough to eat and drink, it's time to head to our destination."
"Well, of course..."
As he spoke, Gregor walked to the side of the road and stopped a carriage, and then the two of them rode in the carriage together, and after traveling through the city for a while, they finally arrived at White Pearl Street.
After getting off the carriage, Dorothy glanced at the familiar scene in front of her and spoke.
"Is this White Pearl Street? It seems to have fewer people than other streets. The things displayed in the stores look so weird."
"Well... this is it. Remember to follow me closely the whole time and don't run around. Got it?" Greg warned the sneaky people wandering on the deserted street in front of him with a vigilant look, and Dorothy nodded in response.
"Okay! Got it!"
Then, Dorothy, who had changed her clothes completely, followed Greg to stroll on the familiar streets. She saw Corey's Pawn Shop with its door closed and a group of people gathered at its door. After listening carefully to the quarrel, she found that they were all people who originally supported Corey's gang. They were arguing loudly about how to divide up the property left by Corey. It looked like a fight might break out at any time. There was no investigating policeman around.
"Heh...it seems like no one cares where that missing guy is. They only care about how to divide the things he left behind. I'm afraid no one even called the police. No wonder those guys were able to silence him without saying a word..."
Dorothy thought so as she watched the gang members about to start a fight in front of Corey's store. Gregor frowned after seeing this scene and hurriedly urged Dorothy.
"Let's look for it somewhere else quickly, don't stay here..."
"Um……"
Dorothy nodded, then quickened her pace as she followed Greg, and soon they were at the other end of White Pearl Street.
"Dorothy, the atmosphere on White Pearl Street has been a little strange lately. If we can't find a bookstore, let's go to the store quickly."
Feeling the slightly subtle atmosphere around him, Greg said seriously. Dorothy beside him looked around and suddenly seemed to have discovered something, pointing her finger forward and said.
"Ah, there's a used bookstore over there. Let's go over there and take a look!"
“A used bookstore?”
Listening to Dorothy's words, Greg looked in the direction she pointed and saw a sign on a store.
"Barnard... do you collect old books? Hmm... there really is a place that specializes in selling old books. Let's take a look."
Then, Dorothy and Greg walked to the front of the bookstore, opened the door, and came to a slightly dim space.
There were rows of bookshelves made of old wooden boards nailed together, with old books placed on them. The ground made a creaking sound when people stepped on it. There was a counter closer to the door, and behind the counter a young waiter looked at the brother and sister who came in with a wary look.
"Excuse me, sir, do you specialize in selling used books here?"
Dorothy said, looking at the alert man in front of her.
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