Fantasy Writers 1860

"Detective, according to the advance team, Samuel has been spotted in the area near the border of Chester City and the Londinion District, and..."

On the steam train to Chester, a police officer reports the latest developments to Inspector Leeds:

"And the Blue Blood Gang has been unusually active there lately..."

Blue Blood Gang?

Inspector Leeds frowned slightly, wondering how they had gotten themselves into this kind of place.

The inspector said they had recently been recruited and were transitioning into a government black glove operation. He also specifically instructed the detectives not to rush to prosecute any cases involving the Blue Blood Gang.

Moreover, the other side is quite kind. They have indeed been much quieter in the past few months and haven't caused any serious incidents. Their underlings, whether they've started their own companies or run sales, are all going ashore and laundering their money, seemingly ready to be taken over.

So, did they end up moving to a no-man's-land?

The Blue Blood Gang has been collecting protection money and operating a gray-market business in Lentinion, so why did they suddenly come to this remote industrial city?

Is Samuel actually a Blue Blood Gang agent? Or is the Blue Blood Gang plotting something else, and Samuel's appearance just a coincidence?

Inspector Leeds' fingers tapped unconsciously on the armrest of his chair as his mind raced through various possibilities.

If Samuel really is involved with the Blue Bloods, then this arrest operation might not go so smoothly.

"What exactly are they doing in Chester?" Inspector Leeds asked in a deep voice.

"The advance team reported that members of the Blue Blood Gang have been frequently entering and leaving a factory in the suburbs recently, and they have also rented a warehouse nearby. It is unclear what they are doing there, but horse-drawn carriages are often seen coming and going at night," the officer replied quickly while looking at the records in his hand.

"Where exactly was Samuel found? Did he have any contact with the Blue Bloods?" Inspector Less continued to press.

"According to witnesses, Samuel was seen a few days ago at a pub in the western suburbs of Chester, alone, and no Blue Bloods were seen with him at the time."

"However, when the advance team was monitoring the Blue Bloods' warehouse, they seemed to have seen a figure that looked a lot like Samuel loitering around the warehouse for a while, but it was too far away to confirm," the officer replied truthfully.

"Pass the word down," Inspector Lesder said, his eyes narrowing as he made his decision. "While arresting Samuel, keep a close eye on the Blue Bloods' movements. If they don't take action, we shouldn't either, to avoid any misunderstandings."

Now is a crucial time to recruit the Blue Blood Gang. Don't let any misunderstandings between your side and them affect the bigger picture.

Although it felt unjust for a police officer to turn a blind eye to criminal gangs and even shake hands with them, Inspector Leeds, with guidance from his superiors, had fully understood the intentions of the cabinet ministers and was impressed by their superiors' high level of understanding.

There will always be some morally corrupt individuals, born criminals, antisocial personalities, and self-destructive scum in this world. Rather than letting these unstable factors rise up on their own and form all sorts of chaotic gangs that harm society, it would be better to first concentrate them into a large gang that the authorities can intervene in.

It's like rather than cleaning up the mess of poop yourself, it's better to outsource it to a toilet company, have them build a toilet, and figure out a way to collect all the poop in the toilet.

Soon, the steam train crossed an iron bridge, emitting a long, drawn-out whistle. The windows rattled slightly from the vibration, and the enormous roar startled the river below, causing ripples to spread. Outside the window, the streets and brick buildings transformed into rows of factories and chimneys billowing black smoke, the white steam rising from the chimneys condensing into wisps of cloud in the air.

Inspector Raed looked out the car window at the rapidly receding scenery, his brow furrowing even more.

As Inspector Leeds and his men traveled by train to Chester, two doormen stood guard outside a warehouse in the Chester suburbs that had been rented to the Blue Bloods.

"Hey, tell me about the Blackwood [Lord] thing, how weird is it?" The tall, thin one of the two took a deep drag on his cigarette, smoke billowing from between his teeth. "He inexplicably turned his stronghold into a circus-like maze with his men, and then got killed by the very maze he designed."

The short, fat man rubbed his hands together. "Yeah, it's like they've been cursed..." He paused, lowering his voice even further. "...And that was a lord, not some lowly nobody like us. They just died like that, without a word from the earls and dukes above them, pretending they didn't know anything."

"That's right," the tall, thin man threw his cigarette butt on the ground and ground it hard with his foot. "In the past, other gangs would have been in trouble immediately in this situation. At the very least, another 'lord' should have taken over his territory right away. How come it's still peaceful now?"

"Sigh, I really don't know what happened to Lord Blackwood that led to such a ridiculous death, and he even lost everyone."

"It doesn't matter what happens to him now that he's dead, the main problem is that everyone else is suffering because of him... I heard he had many unique smuggling routes, and now they're all cut off. The brothers are even running out of gear lately..."

"I bet it's because of the recent co-optation thing. Other gangs think we've betrayed the Lontinion underworld and are going to be dogs for the government, so they're trying to intimidate us! And the ridiculous thing is, the big shots above are just swallowing their anger!" the tall, thin man finally couldn't help but whisper.

"Accept amnesty, accept amnesty! What kind of amnesty is this? Now they're being bullied to their own doorstep and they don't even dare to fight back... Sigh, the Blue Blood Gang has clearly gone astray. The days of chivalrous revenge are truly over..."

The short, fat man sighed upon hearing the other person's indignant speech. Just as he was about to say something, footsteps came from the alley entrance.

Samuel, dressed in a well-fitting black trench coat, walked slowly towards us with a faint smile on his lips.

Upon seeing someone approaching, the two immediately perked up. "Sir, please show me your invitation."

Samuel handed over the gold-rimmed invitation.

The invitation read: "The Annual Charity Auction of the Chester Foundation for Public Goods will be held on November 10, 1860, at 12 Palmer Street, Chester, Britannia Empire..."

We eagerly await your good news.

The Chester Foundation cordially invites Lord Renster Dahllang.