Ulan-Ude, Middleton Street.
Like all other cities, Ulan-Ude, a city that has experienced two hundred years of wind, rain, snow and wind, is also divided into rich areas and slums. Ulan Street, where the Wisdom Cult is based, belongs to the rich area, while the south and east of the city The large area is the famous slum area, and the order is chaotic. People of all religions and religions are active in this area, and very few police patrol this area.
There is an unbearable stench floating in the cold air, and the wet streets are lifeless, which is completely different from the center of the city where barbecue celebrations are held. Women often pour dirty water on the streets, and the water stains will soon disappear. With a thin layer of ice forming under the cold temperature, unkempt men with sinister eyes can be seen everywhere, walking up and down the streets.
This is Middleton Street, a street that the rich call a stinking ditch.
Ma Wei was a little surprised that the professor of ancient literature lived in such a place. Ulan-Ude University was also one of the top universities in the Romanov Kingdom. Peter the Great allocated a large amount of funds to various universities every year. After Paul I came to the throne, this continued In keeping with this tradition, including Katerina, she will often fund research institutes and universities.
It stands to reason that the missing ancient writing professor is not short of money. Not counting various bonuses, his weekly salary is 50 rubles, which is equivalent to 5 gold pounds in the Kingdom of Windsor. This money is enough for him to work in the Romanov Kingdom. Live a middle class life.
"Professor Schmidt Shmakov used to be very wealthy and rented an apartment on Ulan Street. But since he disappeared, his financial resources have been cut off. His son, Schmidt Jr., is looking for The whereabouts of my father almost depleted the family's savings, so they had no choice but to move to Middleton Street, where rents are low. The cheapest room here only costs 50 kopecks a week, which is about 1 shilling." the communication said.
Daniel covered his nose with a white silk handkerchief, frowned and looked at the dirty street, and asked casually: "Where is Professor Schmidt's wife?"
"Professor Schmidt went crazy on the day he disappeared. She was the only insider. If it weren't for taking care of his mother, little Schmidt would not have returned to Ulan-Ude again and again." The letter sighed: "Professor Schmidt's matter was quite a big deal back then. Almost everyone who has lived in Ulan-Ude since three years ago knows about him, but his disappearance has not yet been investigated."
"If...I mean if Professor Schmidt can decipher the contents of the Disaster Stele, then will the person who took him away be the Wisdom Cult who obtained the other half of the Disaster Stele?" Daniel reasoned tentatively.
The whereabouts of the Disaster Stele is a secret, and no one else knows about it. But as luck would have it, three years ago, the Saint-Martial fleet of which Mavey served as deputy commander plundered a Wisdom Cult ship near the Sea of Death. The merchant ship saw the half of the disaster stele.
Regrettably, less than a month later, the Saint-Martin fleet was ambushed in the Perea Strait. After a fierce battle, due to the huge disparity in numbers between the two sides, the Saint-Martial fleet was almost wiped out, except for the main ship. The Matil was not sunk, and half of the disaster stele was recaptured. Now that I think about it...
The enemy fleet that had ambushed them seemed to have deliberately not fired at the Martial.
The only people who know the whereabouts of the Calamity Stone, apart from the Wisdom Cult, are 139 members of the Royal Navy including Ma Wei.
Thanks to the Battle of Perea, the strength of the Popon Kingdom's fleet was severely damaged. The Kingdom of Windsor sacrificed the St. Martial fleet in exchange for absolute dominance of the maritime overlord. The Royal Navy completely rose, laying the foundation for the Kingdom of Windsor to even The basic guarantee for maritime trade in the coming decades.
This is also the reason why the surviving Royal Navy such as Ma Wei are unanimously called the heroes of the kingdom.
If they had not fought to the death and managed a 1:1 battle loss ratio in a desperate situation where the enemy fleet was three times larger than their own, the Popon Kingdom would have been able to accumulate an elite fleet to fight against the Royal Navy. Ships are not the most important thing. The most important thing is the captains and sailors who control the elite fleet. Their rich experience can cultivate batches of powerful navies for the Kingdom of Bourbon.
If Ma Wei had not chosen to retire and go to New Ross City, he would now be a Royal Navy officer with the rank of colonel.
If there are nobles supporting him, becoming a brigadier general is not impossible.
After all, the commander-in-chief Toure Crowley, who was shot and fell into the sea, has already become an admiral of the Royal Navy. Although he has the support of the Duke family behind him, he also needs an admirable record to convince the public.
The Popon Kingdom would rather pay such a painful price to regain the Disaster Stone. One can imagine how important the content on it is to them.
Even the fleet can be abandoned, so snatching away a professor is no problem.
"Boss, someone is following you."
Lai Wen's eyes flashed, he gripped the withered silver cane tightly, lowered the brim of his hat, and covered half of his face: "There's more than one... Do you want to deal with them?"
Ever since they came to Middleton Street, several pairs of eyes have been staring at them, and Ma Wei also noticed: "No, it's important to go find little Schmidt first."
"Understood." Lai Wen let go of the brim of his hat and relaxed his tense body.
Soon, they arrived at No. 19 Middleton Street. It was an old residence, two stories high. There was a layer of unknown oil on the door handle. The red paint on the door was mottled and peeling off, and there were also stains on the windows. It's full of dust. The people who live here must not care about hygiene.
"Daniel, ring the bell."
Daniel stepped forward, carefully wrapped the small black rope hanging in front of the door with a white silk handkerchief, and tugged twice. The expected bell sound was not ringing. After a closer look, he discovered that there was no bell at all on the other end of the small black rope. bell.
Looking at the black mark that appeared on the originally clean white silk handkerchief, Daniel let out a disgusted sound.
The small black rope on the door is not black at all. The blackness on it is all made of starch for many years.
Daniel had no choice but to raise his hand and knock on the door.
Dongdong!
Dongdong!
"We don't order newspapers at home!" A woman's shrill scream came from behind the door.
Daniel glanced at Mavi and knocked on the door again.
"There's no water bill! If you have the guts, just stop our water supply! Let's see if I can smash your company's water pipes!"
"..."
"Who lives in this family..." Daniel's head was getting big, and the word 'unruly people' actually popped into his mind. However, the noble self-cultivation and elegance still had to be maintained.
Seeing that it really didn't make sense, Ma Wei took a deep breath and resorted to his last resort: "Come on, open the door."
"Okay! It should have been like this a long time ago!"
Laiwen stepped forward, and in Ma Wei's somewhat confused eyes, he flew up with a kick, Katcha!
The already loose and aging lock teeth broke instantly, and the door hit the wall with a bang, sending up a burst of dust.
Well done... Daniel gave the letter a thumbs up in his mind.
"What?! Who are you?!"
A middle-aged woman wearing curlers and thick makeup rushed out in pajamas. Before she could curse, Laiwen calmly took out a 10 ruble coupon and inserted it into the withered flower pot next to the entrance. superior.
"We're looking for little Schmidt Shmakov."
The dirty words circled around her mouth and she swallowed them back. The middle-aged woman with heavy makeup and a fierce expression took out the ruble coupon inserted in the flower pot and smiled brightly: "You should have told me if you were looking for someone. It made me think that I was here to charge a fee, please come in quickly... Little Schmidt!
! "
The middle-aged woman let out a thunderous roar upstairs, the sharp tone passing through her skull like a magic sound.
Squeak...squeak...
After a while, a groan came from the stairs that were in disrepair and were on the verge of breaking. A young man with a thin body, a pale face, and a pair of black-rimmed glasses walked down. He looked gentle, but his clothes were loose and loose. He looked very miserable again.
"I am little Schmidt, you are..."
"Truth Church." Ma Wei said, "We have something to ask you for."
When he heard about the Church of Truth, little Schmidt's eyes shone with surprise. He had obviously heard of it, and he nodded thoughtfully: "Okay, come to my room."
"Little Schmidt, you still owe me two months' rent!" the middle-aged woman suddenly shouted.
The young man's face flushed slightly, and he muttered: "Didn't you say you would give me a few days of grace? My mother is not in good health and needs to take medicine. I am trying to figure out a way..."
"No grace! If you don't pay the rent, you will move out today! I no longer want to take care of that crazy woman!"
Lai Wen narrowed his eyes and was about to speak when Ma Wei patted him on the shoulder, walked up to the middle-aged woman, handed over a ruble coupon, and said with a smile: "Can you please be quiet for a while? Let's find Xiao Shi Mr. Mitt, there is indeed something very important."
"No problem, no problem!" The middle-aged woman accepted the ruble coupons and her smile became even brighter: "Would you like some tea?"
"You don't seem to understand my request."
The smile on Ma Wei's face slowly disappeared, and his eyes became cold: "The contract we made is that you stay quiet and don't say a word or a sound. Do you understand?"
Looking at Ma Wei's eyes, the middle-aged woman shuddered. She had seen similar looks. Many people living on this street had it. They had all had human lives on their hands, but Ma Wei's eyes were more intense than theirs. Even colder.
The middle-aged woman nodded, and Ma Wei smiled again: "That's good, Mr. Schmidt, please lead the way."
