"He knows you?"
"Only met a few times," Gunther repeated. “His sister and I took a boat to San Carlos.” She was a little girl and Hobson wasn’t even born. Gunther himself was still a toddler in his mother's arms. I stayed in Wucheng for ten years, and he suddenly realized that he had entered middle age. How was my first half of life? He recalled his mother's withered face when she passed away, and the linden tree in front of the stone bridge where Mrs. Verner and Master Andrew walked side by side on the long street. None of this made sense to him.
"So are you meeting fellow villagers, or are you planning to help each other?" Temple lowered his shoulders and softened his tone. It seemed that no matter which outcome, he would be very relaxed.
"I haven't seen him for a long time."
"As far as I'm concerned, it's probably the latter. Listen to me, Gunther, if you consider him a friend, don't give him a penny and put an end to this guy's stupid idea of trying to win over the casino as soon as possible." Qiong Li started to walk that way.
If we talk about friends, I would rather be friends with Fink, at least I can know some secrets. "I understand, Mr. Temple," Gunther replied.
They entered the small warehouse next to the workshop, where Hobson was waiting in the shadows. This young man with a messy stubble on his chin had a strange smile on his face. His eyes were dark green, flashing with uneasy emotions. "I'm looking for him, Qiong Li, not you." He was rude to his friend, perhaps venting his anger for Qiong Li's failure to meet his demands. But Gunther didn't detect the falsehood in his smile.
"You want me to wait outside?" Temple asked in disbelief. "This is my workshop!"
"In fact, the general manager of the plant just leaves it to you to manage," Hobson pointed out. He stared at Gunther as he spoke, his eyes wandering between Button's fingers and knees. He paid no attention to his old friend. In order to make Jonley Temple obey the arrangement, he even put his hand in his pocket, fumbled out a beautiful briar pipe and gave it to Jonley. These were probably stolen items from him, and Gunther knew that he had a problem with stealing. "Give me a moment, Temple. Give us a moment, my fate depends on this."
"There are many ways to change your destiny." Temple said, "For example, if you run to the edge of the Port of High Light and jump off, you should live in the detention center of the Sheriff's Department tonight. It doesn't matter how bad your life is. , homeless people can also find a place to stay for the night. It’s all about human effort.”
Hobson was not offended by his sarcasm. "Okay, when I win the money, I will explain the matter clearly to you... But not yet, I have to verify it." He spoke vaguely, pressing the overseer's shoulder and pushing him out of the door.
"I don't have money to lend you." Gunther told him as soon as the door closed.
"I don't care that you have no money." Hobson looked at him. "Don't you want to ask about Bertha?"
She might not have a good life with a brother like you by her side. "How...how is she?" Gunther felt his throat vibrate against his will to say another sentence.
"Of course it's the same old thing."
"I heard--"
"It's no use what you heard."
"I heard you were missing for a while," Gunther continued. "During this time someone knocked on the door at Verner's house and asked her to pay your huge bill."
"Ah, that's right. I haven't gone back yet. But I think she must not have paid."
"This is nothing new. You often leave your mess to your sister, and your brother-in-law solves it in the end. He will definitely beat her." Thinking about this, Gunther became even more uncomfortable.
"As if she won't get beaten if she marries you." Hobson sneered, "She and I are different."
"Bertha can't pay your bill this time." He said, holding back his anger. "The debt collector is Bowman from the Whistle Gang... People watched him knock on the door with a knife and threaten her to hand you over instead of asking for money. .What did you do? Then you ran away?"
"I don't want to die! You idiot."
"Bowman almost killed her."
"She brought it on herself. I told Bertha not to open the door to strangers at night. No one in their right mind would do that. Who do you think she's waiting for? Huh?"
wait for me. Gunther shrank back as if he had been slapped. He and Bertha met on the float ship to San Carlos, the city of fog, when he regarded her as a playmate. Bertha was five years older than Gunther. However, they later reunite on a passenger ship bound for the Port of Far Light, and things get crazy. Maybe it was the jewelry and brocade on her body that attracted him, or maybe he had a desire for her... In any case, Bertha, who was already a wife at that time, gave him the most dreamy night.
After that, Gunther began to visit her frequently, and Mrs. Verner tactfully dragged him into the shadows while complaining endlessly about his audacity.
Bowman came to the door at night. "Button" could not deny it: if Bertha had any scares, it was all my fault. "You shouldn't have abandoned her," Gunther retorted weakly. "You gave her the debt and you let Bowman knock on her door."
"I know those talkative women think I owe money and are being chased by creditors. They are all idiots and don't understand anything." Hobson commented disdainfully, "The casino is a good place because everyone puts all their wisdom into it." Spend it on dice and poker. And once you go out, women have the opportunity to notice every wrinkle on your face. These stupid clucking hens do all the ridiculous things all day long! Especially Bertha, she She actually asked her best friends about my whereabouts - now the entire Blumnot gang is looking for me!"
"She did it for you." Gunther was furious. He looked at the gambler's swollen face with crooked features, and subconsciously clenched his fists. But suddenly a gust of cool wind blew by, and the rising anger in his heart was like a bucket of cold water poured on his head. Finally, he relaxed slumped. "It's not debt collection." He asked, "Then what are you hiding from?"
"Someone wants my life."
"Whistle Gang?"
"Sheriff's Department."
"What?" Gunther suspected that he heard wrongly.
"A newbie insists on causing trouble for me. Damn it, he is more persistent than Lucia's followers."
This is impossible. "How could the mysterious people from the Sheriff's Department kill you?" The most they can do is let you stay in the dungeon for a while.
"That idiot is a vicious dog that relies on connections. Everyone knows that he thinks of tricks to wag his tail in front of his master." The gambler cursed, "They are not good things. He lost to a man who is good at this at the gambling table. There is no shame in being a master. Who would have thought that someone could hold a grudge until now!"
Gunther didn't expect it, and no one would. He didn't know what Hobson wanted to do, so he took a deep breath and said, "What do you want me to do? Give you a sum of money? A room to hide in? Or..."
"Just turn it around and kill him - you want to say that, don't you? Damn it, I'm crazy to do this! In your eyes, I am a madman, a bad gambler, and a lost dog. Do you really think so? ?" The young man's expression was difficult to say without being mocking, "I thought you could at least understand me. After all, people like us can only understand each other."
Who is the same person as you? For his sister's sake, Gunther tried to be deaf to his complaints. "Who?" he asked.
"Priest of Gaia, Dunbar Fielding. Master of that mad dog. Bowman and the Whistle Gang, all under his command."
"Do you think I can deal with the big shots who stuff rubbish into the Sheriff's Department?" If he had that kind of ability, Gunther wouldn't have to swallow his anger in front of Andrew Furner and watch Bertha get married. "Father Fielding is a believer in Gaia. Stop dreaming."
"Why not? It's not like you haven't killed anyone more powerful than him."
This idiot doesn't know anything. "He is of the church," Gunther repeated, "these dead men are not."
"What's the difference?"
"I'll give you a word of advice, Hobson, don't bother the priests of Gaia. They are a swarm of wasps, and no one with a brain would reach out and prick them." Gunther warned him, "No one is interested in following the traces. Better than them. It is impossible for a normal level mystic to defeat a cleric of the same level..."
"But you have great strength."
"I don't."
"You don't have to deny it. Bertha knows every hair on your ass and armpits, but she has no idea what you are - let me guess, is it the legendary devil believer? Motog was once a Binyaai It’s the largest place in Europe where mysterious items circulate, so it’s not surprising that there are any monsters.” Hobson said with a cheerful smile.
"Monsters will stay away from the church and never take risks." Gunther did not deny it. This isn't the first time Hobson has come to him, they even worked together in San Carlos, the City of Fog. At that time, they robbed a carriage returning at night, in exchange for Bertha's dowry and a ticket to Brumnot.
"You don't have to do it yourself, I'll do it this time."
What can you do? Hit them with dice? "Don't be silly," said Gunther, remembering Bertha's tearful eyes. She is no longer young, and her face that has lost its youth can be called ugly. "If you still have any conscience, let Andrew find you a job." But it's best not to come to Qiong Li's workshop. He left these words and was about to leave, but Hobson stretched out his hand, and Gunther felt his whole body suddenly freeze.
As if he had been stung, his figure suddenly disappeared in front of the young man and suddenly appeared behind Hobson. "Is this—?" Gunther almost screamed as he heard his own voice.
"Same as you," replied the gambler.
…
Buttons continued to be tediously manufactured, and soon there were baskets of them. After a female worker carried them all away, it was lunch break. Gunther's gratitude towards Jonli Temple suddenly disappeared. He slapped the mold's joystick through the long, noisy break. After he was full, the smell of rice made him feel nauseous.
The streets became even hotter in the afternoon, and the glass did nothing to stop it. Even taking a break at this time is uncomfortable. The clicking sounds of molds and gears continued mechanically for two hours. Gunther looked away while he was busy, and he saw several young men in robes passing by. He recognized them too - apprentices from the tower, perhaps part of Chloe's future. They sat down where Temple and Hobson had been, and Gunther looked away.
()
