The Divine Armor of the Old Century（Book 1）

Chapter 14

It was now 11:55 PM. With only five minutes left until midnight, the bustle of the inner city was beginning to die down. Pedestrians were fewer, and mounted police with iron whistles and rifles were patrolling along specific routes.

Although the hustle and bustle were winding down, the faint singing could still be heard amidst the buildings. The intoxicating scent of alcohol sweetened the air. Thick white fog slowly rose, steam from underground, but unlike the crude emissions in the outer city, it silently surged from the ground's crevices, enveloping everything beneath it.

Eve rarely saw the inner city at such late hours. Usually, by now, she would be nestled in her soft bed, not wandering around with a lunatic detective.

Looking to the side, Lloyd seemed to be waiting for something, constantly checking the time on his pocket watch. Since they left the restaurant, Lloyd had been like this, constantly looking at the time and the surroundings as if searching for something. He didn't say a word, leaving Eve to follow him like this.

The fog covered everything. From the airship above the night sky, this place looked like a white sea. Spires and clock towers rose from the gray mist, and the electric lights were like fireflies dotted among them.

"We're here."

Suddenly, Lloyd said this, standing with Eve on the roadside.

"Here?"

Eve was a bit puzzled. They were on a platform, the stop for the steam tram. However, looking at the sign, the last tram had stopped running two hours ago.

All around was a hazy mist, the hot steam heating the evening breeze, blowing on Eve's face. The warmth felt as if there were monsters lurking behind the mist, sending breaths of air.

The girl subconsciously tightened her skirt, underneath which lay not shapely thighs but dangerous weapons.

"Yes, here."

Lloyd suddenly said, his gaze fixed on the mist ahead.

"Actually, the steam trams in Old Dunling have always been losing money. The ticket prices for transporting passengers don't cover the costs at all. It's the tax support from those big entrepreneurs that keeps them going. So, to alleviate this, the steam trams are also leased or sold to the public."

Looking down at the platform, the metal tracks shimmered, but as Lloyd's gaze lingered, the gloss began to tremble.

"You, from the noble class, should know about this. Companies rent out or sell carriages to individuals. When they need to travel, they directly call the locomotive. Your Phoenix family is quite powerful; you've directly acquired a train. Nobles usually decorate their carriages extremely luxuriously, like a small palace. When there's a banquet, this mobile palace will stop in front of the guests' homes, and the attendants will bow and wait for them to attend."

Lloyd spoke of things Eve wouldn't know.

"But there are also other uses. For example, a certain count will embrace his mistress in the carriage. The carriage is completely separated from the driver's cabin, and the driver has no idea what's happening behind him. They'll keep moving on the tracks of Old Dunling until the count asks to return home."

Eve frowned slightly, showing a bit of disgust.

"How do you know?"

"Because the count's wife is my client. You may not believe it, but I'm quite popular among those wealthy women."

Lloyd's eyebrows danced.

Since the first mistress case was solved, that lady introduced Lloyd to more noblewomen troubled by similar issues. They greatly appreciated Lloyd's rough yet comforting way of handling cases, and for a time, a detective known as the "Mistress Killer" circulated in the upper social circles.