Woo!

The sound of the whistle echoed in every corner of the platform, and the huge steam train locomotive, like a monster, dragged more than 20 carriages and slowly stopped.

Klein, wearing a tuxedo and a half-high silk hat, carried a suitcase that was too big for his body and stepped steadily onto the ground of Backlund, the capital of the Kingdom of Loen.

The city is divided diagonally into two parts by the Tussock River that flows into the southeast estuary, connected by the Backlund Bridge and the ferry. With a population of over five million, it is the most prosperous city in the southern and northern continents.

Klein looked as far as he could see pale yellow fog everywhere. Visibility was extremely poor. The gas lamps hanging on the platform had already been lit up, dispelling the gloom and darkness.

"It's only half past six, right? It's like nine or ten o'clock..." Klein shook his head slightly, and suddenly remembered a joke he had seen in the Tussock Newspaper before:

"A gentleman who had just arrived in Backlund got lost in the thick fog and had no choice but to ask a gentleman who passed by him and was soaking wet, 'How to get to the Tussock River?' The gentleman replied very kindly: 'Go straight, don't stop, I just swam up from there.'" (Note 1)

Every time I read Backlund's newspapers or magazines, the reporters and editors are always finding ways to ridicule the air pollution here, and the increasing number of foggy days... Previously, the Backlund Daily even did a special statistics, saying that similar weather has increased from about 60 days 30 years ago to about 75 days now... For this reason, many knowledgeable people have established organizations such as the "Coal Smoke Reduction Association" and the "Smoke Reduction Association"... It is said that one of the proposals in September is to propose the establishment of a "Kingdom Air Pollution Investigation Committee"... Klein put down the huge suitcase and pinched his nose to relieve the sudden discomfort.

Then he followed the gold chain to pull a gold watch from his waistcoat pocket, snapped it open, and glanced at it to check the time.

After saying goodbye to his brother and sister, Klein went to a department store and bought a gold pocket watch for 4 pounds and 10 soli, and a gold chain for 1 pound and 5 soli.

For him, not being able to always have a specific and clear grasp of time will cause a sense of panic.

Originally, Klein planned to buy a silver pocket watch, thinking that it suited his temperament, but considering the true meaning of "Joker", he finally chose a more ostentatious and exaggerated gold watch.

"6:39... not that late..." Klein put his pocket watch in his pocket, picked up his cane and suitcase, followed the crowd, and slowly walked out of the steam train station.

Suddenly, he turned a corner without any warning, allowing someone who had been following him quietly and reaching into his pocket to find nothing.

Klein didn't pay attention to this episode. He walked along the cement road, blending into the crowded crowd and heading towards the intersection ahead.

There were lawns and gardens in the middle of the street, surrounding a column that stood like a chimney.

“No, it could be a chimney…” Klein saw the thick smoke coming out from the top of the pillar.

Part of the smoke floated high into the sky, and part of it turned into tiny droplets and scattered all around.

Klein paused again, put down the suitcase, and unfolded the newspaper and map in his other hand.

While riding the steam train, he had already planned where to go and what to do next.

The experiences during this period and the state of mind he had when he pretended to be a clown in the morning made Klein finally understand the true meaning of "clown", which is "although he can slightly predict his fate, he still feels helpless about it, so he uses a smiling face to cover up all the sadness, pain, confusion and frustration."

At that moment, he clearly felt the "Joker" potion being digested, and believed that if he continued to play the role like this, it wouldn't be long before he could attempt to advance.

But the problem was that he didn't know what the corresponding Sequence 7 potion was called, let alone the specific formula.

"How can I get the formula? The Secret Society rarely appears, and they seem to be only interested in the items of the Antigonus family... This is also the reason why others know almost nothing about them. Well... Consider two aspects. One is to contact the local Beyonder circle to see if I can find any clues. The second is to take the initiative to set a trap and use the treasure of the Antigonus family as bait to lure out the people of the Secret Society. After all, I have the strange vertical pupil composed of many mysterious symbols."

"But the risk is too great. We must be cautious. The bait cannot be too 'good' or too 'bad'. If it is too 'bad', others will not be interested. If it is too 'good', it will easily catch a giant shark, which can swallow my giant shark in one bite... Zaratul, the leader of the Secret Order, is a person who has guided Emperor Roselle. Maybe he even got the biggest piece of the pie in the feast of the era of change... Of course, he may not be alive today. This happened nearly two hundred years ago..."

As his thoughts raced, Klein felt Backlund's coldness and couldn't help but shudder. He decided to find a place to live as soon as possible.

Flipping through the newspaper, he once again looked at the house rental section and saw the one he had circled before:

"15 Minsk Street, Cherwood District... Terraced house... Rent 18 soli per week..."

Klein had thought about where to live. Although Backlund had a population of over five million, he still had to be wary of the possibility of encountering local night watchmen. Whether it was Daly, who had just been transferred here, or Lorota, Al Hassan, and Borgia, who had previously belonged to Backlund, they would definitely recognize him.

Therefore, Klein excluded the North District, where the headquarters of the Church of the Evernight Goddess Backlund Parish, the "Saint Samuel Church", was located, and the Queens District and the West District, which had the best public security and the strictest supervision. These two districts belonged to the nobles and top businessmen, and the former was more inclined to the Queens District.

Excluding several factory areas, dock areas, the East District where the poor gathered, and the Backlund Bridge area, Klein did not have many options. The first was the Hillston District, which had the Backlund Stock Exchange, the Clearing House, the Futures Center, the headquarters of the seven major banks, various trust funds, various railway companies, and various bulk cargo trading companies. It was known as the economic, commercial, and financial center of the Loen Kingdom. The second was the Cherwood District, which was lined with small companies and many residential areas.

Both areas have large traffic flows and relatively good public security, making them easy to hide. After careful consideration, Klein chose the Cherwood area, where rent is cheaper.

The reason why he didn't go to organizations such as the Metropolitan Housing Improvement Association and the Metropolitan Working Class Housing Improvement Corporation was that they all required certain identification documents, which he currently could not produce.

“If I can’t rent a house today, I’ll find a small hotel that doesn’t require ID to stay temporarily…” Klein put the things in his hands together, picked up his suitcase, and walked towards a place that looked like the entrance of a department store according to the instructions on the map.

That was the entrance to the Backlund subway.

Yes, subway!

When Klein first saw the word "subway" in newspapers and magazines, he was really shocked. He didn't expect that this kind of transportation would become a reality before the electrical age.

It was created twenty-five years ago, originally connecting the two sides of the Tussock River, and has now expanded to major urban areas. Of course, there are not many stations.

After passing through the gate, Klein followed the person in front of him and walked towards the ticket office step by step.

After waiting in line for a few minutes, he finally saw the ticket seller with beautiful blonde hair.

The girl didn't look up, but pointed to the wooden price sign hanging near the window:

"During peak hours (7am to 9am, 6pm to 8pm), there is a train every 10 minutes, and every other 15 minutes. First class is 6p, second class is 4p, and third class is 3p. The return tickets are 9p, 6p, and 5p respectively. The annual ticket is 8 pounds for first class, 5 pounds 10 soli for second class, and there is no annual ticket for third class."

It’s cheaper than I thought... There’s no distance limit... Melissa will definitely like this more than a carriage. This is the pinnacle of machinery... Klein thought about it and suddenly felt uncomfortable.

He smiled brightly, took out four copper pennies and handed them to the ticket seller:

"Second class."

Snap! The conductor tore up a ticket, stamped it, and handed it to Klein.

After finding the line to Cherwood and passing a not-so-strict inspection, Klein walked down the stairs and quickly arrived at the platform. Following the signs on the ground, he found the corresponding position for the second-class seats.

Woo woo woo!

Before he had waited long, he heard the rumbling sound of a steam whistle like thunder, and saw a huge steam locomotive with tremendous power breaking through the light of the gas lamps on both sides, and stopped with a clang.

Its huge shape, sinuous body, black iron color and complex machinery mixed together have a unique beauty.

Backlund's subway still used steam trains. The smoke was uniquely designed to pass through the pipes above, into the chimney, and out to the outside world.

This is the "real purpose" of street lawns and gardens.

Amid the sound of metal rubbing against each other, Klein waited for the passenger in front of him to get off the train before he slowly walked up with his cane and suitcase and had his ticket checked by the conductor.

Unlike third-class seats, second-class seats were for one person only, so there was no need to worry about someone taking your seat. Klein had just sat down, put his suitcase away, and leaned on his cane when he heard hurried footsteps.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at the door and saw a thin, young-looking boy hurriedly entering the car.

The boy was wearing an old overcoat that was not suitable for his age, a bowler hat, and carrying a tattered satchel with his head lowered.

"Sorry, I got on the wrong carriage. I'm in third class..." He showed his ticket, apologized to the conductor, and then walked quickly towards the third class carriage.

Klein retracted his gaze, confirmed his destination again, and waited for the carriage door to close.

Just then, he heard a burst of messy and hurried footsteps, and then saw several men in black coats and half-top hats rushing into the carriage.

Chasing that 15 or 16-year-old boy? Klein intuitively had this thought.

He shook his head slightly and continued to read his newspaper and map, no different from the other passengers in the carriage.

Note 1: This joke comes from a former British magazine, Punch.