Mystery: The Returner of the Stars

Chapter 21 The Docklands, The Workhouse

A new day starts with a good morning.

The maid knocked on the door, and called twice with a crisp and sweet sound. Hastur woke up, habitually lay on his back on the bed, and rested for about ten minutes to wake up his thoughts after sleeping all night.

He got up and changed his clothes, went to the bathroom to wash up, and there was a maid standing beside him, ready to provide the services he needed at any time.

Being stared at like this made him somewhat uncomfortable.

Fortunately, he rejected Neil's personal maid suggestion in advance, otherwise, a maid would help him get up in the morning, then take off his pajamas and put on new clothes for him.

If you are too lazy to do it yourself, there are specialized staff who can provide services such as brushing teeth, washing hair, face, and bathing.

As an aristocrat, you just need to be like a doll and let them dress you up beautifully.

Hastur shuddered at the thought of this life.

This is not a question of whether he can adapt, but that he really feels that there is no need for it. At least at this stage, he cannot enjoy this kind of warm service with peace of mind.

After grooming, I tidied up my appearance in front of the mirror, and a maid helped smooth out some wrinkles.

Downstairs, the tempting aroma is already wafting from the dining room. Today's breakfast is a few dishes of delicate side dishes with two bowls of porridge, baked muffins and a slice of bread that is fried brown and smeared with mayonnaise. .

It was very satisfying for Hastur to finally be able to drink a bowl of porridge in the morning, as it was very inconvenient for him to cook porridge when he was alone.

After breakfast, under the watchful eye of Butler Neil, he boarded the carriage belonging to the Campbell family and asked the coachman to take him to Backlund Bridge near the dock area.

This is the meeting place he made an appointment with Professor Wayne.

Hastur asked the coachman to go back first, and stayed alone on the Backlund Bridge to wait.

pat!

Looking at the time, it was 42:8, and there were still [-] minutes before the agreed [-] o'clock.

Hastur put away his pocket watch, stood by the bridge, and looked at the dock area not far away.

It is the place where Backlund goes to sea. There are many ports, the most advanced shipyards in the world, and the most hardworking workers.

The chimneys there are in rows and in pieces, puffing out black smoke like clouds, making the already gray sky even more bleak.

After watching for ten minutes, Professor Wayne's familiar voice sounded.

"I'm late."

"No, I came a little early."

Hastur greeted Professor Wayne with a smile, and found that there were two men beside Professor Wayne.

A man wearing black-rimmed glasses, in his early thirties, with a strong bookish look, should be a lecturer in Backlund, or an assistant of Professor Wayne.

The other man, dressed similarly to a dockside worker, was about 40 years old, with a thin figure, slightly swollen eye sockets, slightly curly brown hair, slightly messy.

This should be the guide in the dock area that Professor Wayne was looking for.

"This is my student Fran Simpson, who is also a law lecturer at Backlund University. This time he came here to be my assistant."

"This is Jim who has lived in the dock area all year round. He is our guide this time."

Professor Wayne gave Hastur a brief introduction with a smile.

After a brief exchange, a group of four decided to walk to the dock area.

The dock area is noisy and congested. The roads are often filled with goods from all over the world. There are also many children who like to run around on the roads, which are not suitable for carriages.

As a tour guide, Jim quickly entered the role and introduced the various situations of the dock area to the three of Hasta. At the beginning, he tried to express himself as a gentleman and use civilized language as much as possible. , curly-haired baboons to describe those in charge of the dock factory.

This seems more real.

Hastur and the Furren lecturer listened with a smile. Professor Wayne occasionally asked some questions, and Jim was responsible for introducing and answering them. The group arrived at the dock area soon.

As soon as I stepped into the dock area, it seemed that there was a heat wave rushing towards my face, and the scorching sun hanging high in the sky sprinkled golden ripples on the sea.

Dozens of large and small ships were docked near the port, and most of the workers who were responsible for moving the ships back and forth between the sea ships and the dock warehouses were naked from the upper body, showing their strong and strong muscles.

Jim explained that this is because wearing clothes to carry things can easily cause clothes to be damaged. It is better to work shirtless, take a shower after a busy day, and then change clothes and go home.

The arrival of a group of people made nearby workers cast curious eyes, and several of them greeted Jim enthusiastically, and Jim responded one by one.

As a few people continued to go deeper into the dock area, there were more and more children. They were dressed in shabby clothes, their hair was messy, and most of them were barefoot. Some children had shoes, and the shoes on their feet were often too big. Obviously, they were eliminated by the adults. down the old shoes.

They ran and played in the streets of workers and containers, fish stalls, vegetable stalls, etc., with smiles on their faces that could dispel the fog.

"Don't look at them as young, they may have done it one by one. After the workers rested in the evening, they searched for some accidentally left goods at the port in groups. For this reason, they were divided into several small groups. There will be a few fights from time to time." Jim mentioned.

When a group of people passed through the children's play area, a few bolder children surrounded them, all stretched out their dry hands, and shouted words like respected gentlemen, can you give me some money? .

Professor Wayne had obviously experienced this kind of battle, and he didn't panic at all. He said with a smile: "I will donate to the poorhouse nearby. As long as you are willing to go to class there, you can have food."

The children onlookers pursed their mouths. Just having something to eat didn't impress them, and they also had to go to the workhouse to learn something. What a boring thing that was, it couldn't be more enjoyable than playing outside.

"Go! Go! Go and play!"

Seeing that Professor Wayne had made his statement, Jim stood up with a fierce look on his face, waving his hands to drive away the children around him.

The children dispersed in a rush, mocking Jim as an old bachelor while running. Seeing that Jim was angry and wanted to chase them, they ran back to join their small group.

"Hmph, a bunch of uneducated brats who gossip about the women in the school at a young age."

Jim was still angry. In front of distinguished guests, he was ashamed to be told by a group of children that he was not married.

Although not married is a very normal thing.

Professor Wayne smiled and said, "Let's go."

"That is to say, the gentlemen are kind-hearted. If they encounter a bad-tempered gentleman, they will let the servants beat them with a whip."

"Some time ago, two of our children were severely punished with a whip for bumping into someone. The blood soaked the clothes on the back."

"But I didn't dare to go forward to stop them. The parents of the last two children came and didn't dare to say anything. They could only carry their children home with tears in their eyes. It is said that they are still lying on the bed recuperating."

Jim talked more.

"Didn't they think about asking the beater to pay compensation?" Lecturer Furren, who had been silent all this time, couldn't help but ask.

Jim chuckled, "Of course there is compensation, but it's the parents of the child who are apologizing to those gentlemen. For that, it depends on whether the other party is willing to expose this matter.

If you encounter those unreasonable and brutal gentlemen, they will even reward the parents of the children with two whips. "

"..." Lecturer Fran was stunned for a moment, his face turned pale, and he didn't say anything else.

……

The Sunrise Almshouse is located at the end of the dock area, on the hillside of a hill. Whenever the sun rises from the sea level in the early morning, you can always see the sunrise here for the first time.

"Let the poor and suffering people usher in their own sunrise earlier."

This is the meaning of the name given to this workhouse by a marquis who paid for the construction more than [-] years ago.

When Hastur and his party came to the Sunrise Workhouse, the scorching sun in the sky was just hanging on the top of the mountain.

Jim glanced at the workhouse, squeezed out a smile and said, "Sir, my guide task has been completed, I hope you will have a good time in the next time."

"You are a very qualified guide."

"Thank you for your compliment."

Jim smiled and left with a guide fee of 12 soli.

Professor Wayne is a frequent visitor here, and he was warmly received by Dean Dahn of the Sunrise Workhouse.

Hastur, who was standing behind him, could see that his face was a little unnatural, with joy and slight irritation.

He just took a look at Dean Dahn, and then moved his eyes to the workhouse.

Because it is located halfway up the mountain, it is convenient to dig stones, so the walls of the workhouse are built of large stones, with a height of nearly four meters. way in and out.

Surrounded by stone walls are gray-black houses, basically three stories high, and the overall layout is in the shape of a "day". Only the highest tower protrudes, slightly destroying the overall structure.

Overall it looks more like a school.

Professor Wayne chatted with Dean Dahn for a while, and then introduced Hastur and Lecturer Furren. When he learned that Hastur was a distinguished baron, Dean Dahn's face was full of smiles.

"It's getting late, let's have lunch first, and then talk about other things?" Dean Dahn said.

Professor Wayne smiled and said, "Naturally, it's up to you."

After entering the gate of the workhouse, there was a faint cold breath, and the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped several degrees.

"It's really cool."

Lecturer Furren smiled, and Hastur smiled too.

Walking all the way under the sun, I really sweated a lot. When I climbed the mountain just now, it was extremely hot. Entering here is like coming to an ice cellar, and the whole person is much more energetic.

Go through two open spaces similar to playgrounds and come to the innermost restaurant on the third floor.

"Every time I come here, I prefer to dine with children, which makes me feel younger."

Professor Wayne looked at Hastur again as he spoke.

Hasta understood, and said with a smile: "I also like children very much, it is more interesting to be lively."

Dean Da En showed a strange look on his face, but he didn't object. He also smiled and said, "I'm just worried that children who are ignorant will disturb your meal."

Professor Wayne said: "For us, this is also a rare experience."

"Okay then, I'll let someone arrange it."

After Dean Dahn finished speaking, he asked the two administrators of the poorhouse to go to the first floor to prepare tables and food.

"Principal Dahn, how many people are currently accommodated here?"

Lecturer Furren asked curiously. He observed it just now. This workhouse is very large. There are hundreds of three-storey houses spliced ​​together around it, not including the basement and the other three independent buildings. House of.

He had been to the workhouse near St. Samuel's Church, which was large, but here was no less.

It stands to reason that a place like the Docklands cannot compare with St. Samuel's Church, which is near Queens.

Dean Da En thought for a while and said: "There should be more than 300 people, and there are 120 administrators, teachers, chefs, maids and other staff."

"It's really not easy." Furren knows how difficult it is for a workhouse that accommodates more than 2000 people.

"It's not just about our hard work and dedication, but more about the concern of all walks of life for the charitable cause of helping the poor." Dean Dahn expressed his humility.

"Your humility and character are really admirable."

Lecturer Furren and Dean Dahn started chatting, Hastur just listened quietly, and at the same time speculated about Professor Wayne's thoughts.

(End of this chapter)