October 4, 1900: Since that time in Saint-Denis, my notes have been neglected and my pencils have been shelved, but my life is not idle, everything is in full swing. If I had to single out one or two things to highlight, it would be that I took over a gang, a gang that was in jeopardy. I have resonated with an old friend these days. Do you know who he is? Yes, Joshua Finger, the British guy whose life or death is uncertain. I really hated him, but putting aside personal grudges, he did save a group of people who were in trouble. They needed his leadership, he needed to establish prestige, and I became his victim...
Now it’s time for me to face these problems. I’ve recently noticed signs of people being disobedient. I really want to talk to them calmly, even though I know this may have little effect. I’m really tired now, so I see Friends of this diary, please give me time to sleep well.
…
"Jason! Jason!"
Jason's figure gradually became smaller in John's field of vision until it was reduced to a dark spot. Then an old face loomed around the dark spot. It was John's father, an old man who had passed away long ago.
"Father!"
Before John could see his father's face clearly, the face changed from an indescribable smile to a twisted and weird convulsion. A golden bullet was wrapped in white liquid and passed through the head, heading straight for John.
--No!
John screamed and sat up, holding his sweaty forehead. The scene in his eyes returned to the room. It turned out to be a nightmare!
"What happened? Young gentleman." An old woman knocked on the door and asked.
John remembered that after they left the cave, they came to the emerald pasture of the farmer Shuper. The farm lady warmly entertained them, but Shuper remained silent during this time.
"It's okay, Mrs. Schupper."
"I guess you didn't sleep well. You woke up too late and missed breakfast." Mrs. Schupper pointed to the floor with her index finger wearing an emerald ring. "If you are hungry, the servants are still a little dark." Wheat bread.”
"Thank you so much! We can't repay your hospitality." John said sincerely, how lucky he was to meet these kind people after going through so many hardships.
From the huge bedroom where John rests, you can tell that this is a very large mansion. Although its appearance is just a barn newly painted in red, when you walk inside, it is not difficult to find that the owner has put great effort into the decoration. Great work, just look at the red and white color scheme of the floors and walls and you will know that this villa is a standout in New Hanover.
After John dressed neatly and walked downstairs, he tried hard to behave in a manner worthy of the house. However, after trying hundreds of so-called "gentleman" postures, John finally found that he was being pretentious and vulgar. Just like fate, the more you try to get rid of it, the tighter it becomes.
But he doesn't have to be so restrained. The farm couple is rewarded for providing their habitat - they have to help with farm work, and if bandits come to rob, they have to defend the estate with weapons. Mrs. Schuepel has repeatedly emphasized that they hope that only transactions will occur at Emerald Ranch and not one-way handouts.
John strolled to the kitchen and saw Catherine preparing lunch with the maids. Catherine also saw someone walking in, so she picked up the bread next to her and greeted them.
"John, here - oh, there is not enough sauce in the kitchen. I reminded Mr. Schupper many times, but he ignored me."
"I will find Mrs. Schupper, don't worry."
Just as John turned to leave, Catherine called to him.
"Regarding Grimes' injury...the doctor said that fortunately we received medical treatment in time, she can survive and her leg can be saved."
John looked into Catherine's eyes - she had changed a lot, from a cynical gangster to a person who truly cared about the team. This change could be seen more or less in every gang member, and it has already happened and is still happening. What's happening is affecting everyone.
After swallowing the bread, John wandered around the house while Schupper went out, otherwise there would be another embarrassing encounter with this man who believed that silence was golden.
"He was not like this before. He changed as soon as you came here." Mrs. Schupper said about Schupper's strange behavior.
Taking advantage of the gap before lunch, John came to Stritch's bedroom. He had to figure something out. His intuition told him that the relationship between Dutch and Lemieux was not simple.
"Hey, you're here. Look, what a great place we found. The Emerald Ranch is enough for you to recuperate, and it will be time for me to leave in a while." Stritch sat cross-legged on the bed, watching quietly as he came in of John.
"You don't have to leave us in such a panic. Some of the things before have shown me your sincerity." John looked around, then found a chair and put his hands on the back of the chair. "I would rather believe that you are just a down-and-out enterprise." Home, are you really that?"
Stritch sighed heavily: "You must want to see me further prove myself."
"You have done a lot, Miss Manstar, but your special status requires you to do more, not only to clear the suspicion, but also to tell me what you know."
"Actually, I told everything I knew when we were at my manor."
"What is the relationship between Dutch van der Linde and Lemieux?" John asked.
"Lemieux never lets me get involved in his interpersonal relationships." Stritch said forcefully, but his eyes tilted to the side involuntarily, and this was caught by John.
"How did you know his name at that time?" John put his hand on the scabbard, his eyes becoming sharper, "Don't force me to be violent, Mrs. Manstar."
Stritch's voice began to tremble slightly, and she got up and sat on the edge of the bed.
"That drinking party, remember? Lemieux had agreed to sleep with me, but he brought Dutch Vanderlinde in instead."
"Did you two meet each other?"
"No, I was hiding in the closet and Dutch didn't see me."
"Did you hear what they were talking about? Or rather, they were discussing something."
"All I heard was a stupid deal between two drunkards - one paid for the money, the other for the drink."
"Maybe Lemieux is still cunning and cautious. He called Dutch here just to make you relax your vigilance. Or maybe it was just an unintentional move." John clenched his chin and thought for a moment, "At least they reached some kind of agreement."
At this time, there was a knock on the door, and the maid's voice sounded outside the door.
"Lunch is ready."
John left the bedroom and came to the dining table. He found that Mr. Schupper had already taken his seat at the head table, staring straight at the white lilies on the table with his wolf-like eyes.
"Alice, please change this bunch to Clivia after dinner." In John's impression, this was the first thing he said since meeting Schupel.
The whole lunch lasted for a long time, and it was not until about two o'clock that people gradually left the table. John also knows that rich people do things slowly, eliminating the hard work of running for life, and freedom becomes less out of reach, but the new life brings new shackles, imprisoning the couple in these few days. Ten acres of land.
In the afternoon, John and Thomas went out to carry fodder, and John had the opportunity to step from the hard tiles onto the soft grass. The row of fences on the endless grassland looked very abrupt. As far as John knew, they were not used to prevent livestock from running around. The Shupels' cattle and sheep were all locked in stables. The fences were used to prevent people, but John still tried hard. They restrained themselves from thinking about how they would respond if Lemieux's pursuers came here.
John looked up at the white clouds in the sky. If it didn't rain, they could move all the haystacks from the forage factory into the stables. According to the current climate, excluding insect pests and other factors, the hay could be kept until next summer when a large number of stallions are purchased. when. Moving hay is considered an easy job. All he can do now is to make Emerald Ranch look like a farm - an extremely ordinary farm...
