Three days later, the old man found the Red Stone Flower Tavern. The round-faced man introduced the old man to his boss.
The leader hoped that the old man would become his subordinate. That way, he would have a reliable point of contact in Port Cobicus.
However, the old man shook his head and refused. He said that he was old and did not want to get involved in the affairs of the special department. He was only here to help.
"The woman you were looking for has been found," the old man said.
The old man said, "She took a black puppy with her. Seventeen days ago, at around ten o 'clock in the morning, on the eleventh of March, she disembarked from the Lipton Liner. She stayed in the city until the afternoon, then went to Barton, the Red-Nosed Ox, and hired a long-distance carriage. Her destination was the town of Ancarno.
That's the railway station of the Tyrrsim Colony. If you want to take the train to another colony, oh, now it's called another state, you have to go there to buy a ticket … "
"Railway?
What's that … "One of the men interrupted curiously.
"Well, how should I put it?"
The old man thought for a moment before answering, "It's two railway tracks on the road. Then, a locomotive pulls a dozen carriages on the tracks day and night. It can effectively shorten the journey.
For example, it would take at least ten days or even half a month to get to Lanu in Anfiston by carriage. But now, it only takes three days by train.
It's also very convenient to transport goods. One carriage can carry twenty to thirty four-wheeled carriages. It's very popular among merchants … "
A newspaper was smashed in the face of the big man who asked the question. This was done by the big man who was known as the leader. The front page of the newspaper he smashed had a picture of a train printed on it. Looking at the date, it was a newspaper published at the end of last year. The title on it was "Celebrating the completion of the Southern Four Prefectures Railway Line and Officially Entering Operation Stage".
The following news introduced the functions of the railway and train in detail, as well as the changes and developments in passenger transport and freight transport …
"Read the news yourself. Don't look for women all the time."
The leader scolded him and turned to the old man. "You said that the woman stayed in the city until the afternoon before leaving. Do you know where she went and who she looked for?"
The old man nodded and replied, "The woman left the customs building with the puppy and took a rental carriage to the commercial street in the east side of the city. She saw Reist Bookstore and went in for an hour. She mainly bought a map of the overseas autonomous region and two travel books.
He chatted with the bookstore owner for more than ten minutes. The bookstore owner claimed to be a pharmacist who had come to the colonies to buy some rare medicinal ingredients.
After coming out of the bookstore, she went to the Mills Restaurant that the bookstore owner had recommended for her. She had lunch there.
Because it happened to be the rainy season, Mr. Mills's rheumatism broke out again. The woman gave him an ointment she made herself, which effectively relieved his rheumatism pain.
For eight crowns Father Mills bought all the ointment which the woman carried about with her.
After the woman left, someone asked Father Mills if the ointment really worked.
Father Mills pointed at his knee and said that after applying the ointment, it felt very cool and comfortable. There was no longer the pain of ants biting his bones. His knee also didn't swell anymore. This meant that he wouldn't have to be afraid of humid weather anymore, and he wouldn't have to use a wheelchair because of the pain.
Over the past half a month, many people who also suffered from rheumatism went to Father Mills, hoping to get some ointment from him. They all offered a small amount of money for a crown.
The large bottle of ointment that the woman sold to Father Mills could hold at least 30 bottles. Everyone said that Father Mills earned a lot.
However, Father Mills didn't sell much of it. He guarded the ointment very closely and didn't sell it easily. It was like he valued his life.
After the woman left the restaurant, she went to the Golden Rose Hotel in the city center. She asked for a room, took a shower, and checked out of the room. She went to Barton the Red-Nosed Bull's carriage and hired a long-distance carriage to Ankano. After buying some food and drinks, she got on the carriage with her dog and left through the night. "
"That can't be right. That woman left the city more than half a month ago. You can still describe her whereabouts in the city so clearly. You're not lying to us, are you?" The round-faced man stared at the old man suspiciously.
It was indeed suspicious. The woman had only been in the city for half a day. Apart from the fact that she was treating the owner of the restaurant, which was rather eye-catching, she acted like a newcomer to the city.
How could the old man describe her whereabouts in the city so clearly?
After all, half a month had passed. Many people had already forgotten whether they saw the woman that day.
"There's nothing I can do if you don't believe me …" The old man shrugged. "Actually, you're very lucky. The woman was already spotted when she got off the liner.
A single woman like her was an easy target for the pickpockets who hung about the docks.
A fight broke out between the Rubí Brotherhood and Wakas' Black Hand in the Port of Cobicos for the right to lay their hands on this woman.
Unfortunately, Wakas, who won the fight, sent people to follow the woman for half a day, but they couldn't find a chance to make a move. They could only watch as the woman left on a long-distance carriage.
As a result, Wakas' Black Hand became a big joke in the eyes of the three hands in the docks. They said that they let a fat sheep escape just like that.
The woman's whereabouts in the city that I told you about were obtained from the Black Hand. They followed the woman for half a day and knew where she went and what she did.
In addition, they also provided information that the woman's dog was very strange and intelligent. Several opportunities to make a move on her were destroyed by the dog. "
"Since the Black Hand couldn't find a chance to steal, why didn't they just rob her?" The man who was hit in the face by the newspaper asked.
The old man wanted to laugh, but he held it in. He shook his head and said to the men in the room, "You've been here for three days. Haven't you noticed that this place is very different from the colonies of other countries?
Even in the Kingdom, I can guarantee that you won't find a place that pays more attention to law and order than here.
The people in the underworld here need to be quick and skillful.
Robbing people like what you just said is suicide. If the circumstances are bad, they'll be shot on the side of the road … "
"Is it that strict?"
The round-faced man thought for a moment and said, "We've been walking around the city for the past three days. We felt that this place was very lively, the business atmosphere was good, and everything was orderly.
But now that you mention it, we really haven't seen any fights in broad daylight.
Then what if we do a murder in this city and disguise it as that woman's doing and use the power of the government to capture her? What do you think? "
The old man's expression changed. "If you want to die, don't drag me into it. I've already told you that this place is different from the colonies of other countries.
You used the clues of the murder case in another country's colony to lure the local magistrate's office to help you hunt down the woman. It's because the local magistrate of the other country's colony wanted to close the case as soon as possible, so they followed the clues you left behind to search for the woman. As for whether the woman was innocent or not, they didn't care at all.
"This place is different from the colonies of other countries. Criminal cases here are handled by the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Police Department. Everyone there is experienced in solving cases.
Even if you left behind clues, it's useless. You'll only be sending yourself into their trap.
It's simple. They just need to check the woman's travel records to find out that she's not the real murderer. They can then use her or pretend to be her to lure you into a trap and catch you all in one go … "
"You make it sound so mysterious …" The leader of the men didn't quite believe it.
"There's nothing I can do if you don't believe me."
The old man sighed. "The region is completely different from the colonies on the west coast. It's developing even faster than the kingdom itself. At the very least, there aren't monstrosities like trains on the Freia Continent yet.
Don't be fooled by the fact that you've been gathering at the Redstone Flower Tavern for the past three days. I can guarantee that your movements and movements have fallen into the eyes of those with ulterior motives. You're just not aware of it.
You're just smugglers here, so the surveillance on you is lax. That's because countless smugglers come to the region to buy goods and sell them to the colonies on the west coast.
It's a great help to the economic development of the region, and that's why they treat smugglers better.
If you're discovered not to be smugglers, but agents of the kingdom's special department, I'm sure you'll have a hard time here. "
"Then how are we supposed to find that woman's whereabouts in the region?"
The leader of the men asked anxiously. "She left the city half a month ago. If she gets on the train at Ancarnot, we won't even know which colony she's heading to. How are we supposed to find her?
In the colonies on the West Coast in the past, we always made up bloody cases to frame her, forcing her to be unable to continue hiding under the official search. She could only escape and expose her whereabouts … "
"You special agents are getting worse with each generation." The old man sighed. "Do you only know how to use such violent and bloody methods to find people now?
In fact, it was very easy to find the whereabouts of this woman. A beautiful woman like her who claimed to be a pharmacist and had a puppy with her would leave a deep impression no matter where she went. As long as she spoke a little, she could even make those who had seen her take the initiative to talk about her whereabouts.
All you have to do is play the part of a smuggler perfectly. Ask the station's patrol officers, ticket sellers, train attendants, and cleaners.
Exaggerate the woman's talent in medicine treatment. Say that you're looking for her to buy a magical ointment for your father, who has been bedridden for many years and has severe rheumatism.
Your filial piety, the magical ointment, and the mysterious female apothecary can all form a legendary story. No one will be unwilling to help you find this woman …
That's just the method on the surface. Look for the gangs that are messing around in the station and threaten them. I'm sure they'll tell you where this woman is soon enough.
There's one last method. Female apothecaries like this who come to the region will be watched by the local patrol departments. If you can find a high-ranking person in the patrol department, with their help and introduction, you'll be able to easily find this woman's whereabouts. "
After saying that, the old man got up and left. When he reached the door, he turned to the men in the room and said, "This is the last time I'll do my duty for the kingdom's special department that I've served for most of my life. Even if you don't know if you're part of the special forces, you don't have to look for me anymore.
In the future, you don't have to look for me anymore. I've already moved, and the shop has been sold to the landlord.
I'm going to retire from today onwards. I'm not going to get involved in these messy things anymore. "
The old man walked away.
After a while, the round-faced man came to his senses. The old man had clearly realized that staying with them would be dangerous, so he had found an excuse to escape. Yet, he had spoken so righteously, as if he had suffered a great loss ….
"This, this old man is too shameless. He's clearly forgotten his duty as a spy.
The kingdom's special department has a rule that during the mission of the special forces, the spy must unconditionally cooperate and help the special forces complete the mission … "The round-faced man said angrily.
The leader waved his hand and said, "Forget it. We don't know if we can still be considered part of the special forces now.
The old man was right. We used to be blinded by hatred and caused so many murders in the West Coast colony just to force this lowly woman out and use the colony's magistrate's office to make this woman unable to hide anymore.
Now that we're in the overseas autonomous region, we need to be careful and not act recklessly.
Let's try the old man's methods first. Egger, bring a team to Ankano tomorrow and ask about the woman's whereabouts.
I'll wait here for two more days for Sinos and the last team to arrive.
The old man is right. The twenty of us squeezed into this big tavern every day, so we'll attract a lot of attention.
By the way, Egger, when you go to Ankano tomorrow, not only do you need to ask about the woman's whereabouts, but you also need to pretend to be a smuggler. Ask about the production price of the goods in the colony. Make it look like you're doing a business investigation … "
"Okay, Boss. Let's book a carriage first. We'll go to Ankano tomorrow morning." The round-faced man nodded and replied.
"Boss, we don't actually need to sell anything else. Just this cigarette business alone. I promise we'll make a lot of money."
A long-faced man took out a pack of Sailor cigarettes from his pocket and threw it on the table. "Cigarettes like this. They're very strong. They're the favorite of the sailors and carriage drivers in the tavern.
You can buy a pack here for two sunars.
But if we go to the colonies on the West Coast, we can sell them for one riyas, which is five times the price … "
The leader directly tore off the outer packaging of the cigarette and pulled out a cigarette from the opening. Then, he took away one of the two rough bamboo cigarette holders on both sides of the cigarette box. He inserted the cigarette into the holder and skillfully lit the match to ignite the cigarette butt. Then, he took a deep breath.
The rest of the cigarettes were quickly divided among the men in the room. The long-faced man struggled to get his cigarette back, but he found that there were only four cigarettes left in the box.
The leader spat out a mouthful of smoke and said with a sullen face, "Silva, don't forget. We're not here to do any smuggling business. We're here to catch and kill the woman who humiliated us for the rest of our lives. This identity is just our cover. Do you understand?
After we wash away our shame, if you're still alive, I won't object to you coming here to sell these cigarettes to the West Coast colonies. The problem is, you'll need to know how to get a large amount of cigarettes from the tobacco production workshop … "
Silva was the long-faced man. He put the empty cigarette box back into his pocket and said, "I understand, Boss."
It turned out that the methods provided by the old spy were indeed very effective. Soon, the news of the woman who claimed to be a pharmacist with a puppy was gathered to the leader.
"Boss, on the afternoon of March 12th, the woman arrived in Ankano Town and bought a train ticket for the 15th. Her destination was Princes Town, Mormaly. She stayed in town for three days and stayed in the Clear River Tavern.
For the past three days, she was either shopping or staying in the tavern. On the afternoon of the 15th, she boarded the train on time … "
"The manager of the station in Princes Town had a deep impression of this woman. She came down from the box and asked him what kind of transportation was more economical, convenient, and safe to use to get to Slyncas.
The manager recommended his brother-in-law's carriage and sent the woman to Slyncas, which was the medicinal herb production base of Mormaly. On the way, the woman told the manager's brother-in-law that she was a pharmacist and was going there to buy a batch of medicinal herbs.
Obviously, Boss, the woman didn't realize that we had tracked her to the overseas dominion. She thought she was very safe, so she could leisurely go to the medicinal herb production base to buy medicinal herbs.
Then, she returned to Princes Town on the 24th of March with two carriages filled with medicinal herbs.
She bought train tickets for the next day and even handled the transportation procedures for the two carriages. Her destination is Lanu City in Anfiston … "
"We'll go to Lanu City immediately."
The leader made a decision, "Since the woman bought two carriages of medicinal herbs, she should be staying in Lanu City for a while to dispose of the medicinal herbs.
I think we'll be able to find her soon. This time, we can't let her escape from our sight … "