Part 1 The Joker Chapter 23 Side Weapons
Walking down the main street of Zotland, blowing in the hot and humid breeze, the spirited Crane suddenly thought of something:
There is only 3 pence change left on his body, taking a public carriage to return to the Iron Cross would cost 4 pence, and taking a 1 gold pound bill to give change to the other party is like taking 100 dollars to buy a bottle of low-priced mineral water before he crosses over, not that there is no other way, but it is really not possible to pull that face.
”Take 3 kilometers with 3 pence and walk back the rest of the way?” Klein stuck one hand in his pocket and slowed his pace, pondering other ways.
”No way!” Quickly, he dismissed the former idea.
It would take a while to walk the rest of the way, and with twelve pounds of “money” in his pocket, it was too unsafe!
Moreover, fearing that the revolver would be confiscated by the “night watchman”, he deliberately did not bring it with him today, and if he really encountered any danger caused by Welch’s death, he would be powerless to resist!
”Find a bank in the neighborhood and change it? No, I can’t, five thousandths of a percent fee, too extravagant!” Klein shook his head noiselessly, his heart aching at the mere thought of the handling fee he might pay!
The options were thus eliminated one by one, and Klein suddenly caught a glimpse of a cloak-and-dagger store!
Yes, wouldn’t the most normal thought be to buy something at the right price and get change?
Formal dresses, shirts, vests, pants, leather boots and canes were all in the budget, so sooner or later you had to buy them!
Well, clothes are a pain in the ass to try on, and Benson knows better than I do and is better at bargaining, so we can wait until he gets back. ……
A walking stick then?
That’s good! There’s a proverb that says a cane is a gentleman’s best self-defense weapon, it can be used as half a crowbar, and a gun in one hand and a cane in the other is the way civilized people fight!
In the midst of his thoughts, Klein made up his mind, half-turned his body, and turned into the “Wilkel’s Cloak Shop”.
The layout of the store was very similar to the clothing store before he crossed over, on the left side against the wall was a row of formal wear, in the center were shirts, pants, vests and ties, and on the right side there were pairs of leather shoes and boots in a glass cabinet.
”What would you like to buy, sir?” A male clerk in a white shirt and red vest greeted him and politely asked.
In the Kingdom of Ruen, since gentlemen with status, power and wealth preferred to wear white shirts, black vests, black pants and black formal wear, and the colors were rather monotonous, the male class of servants, shopkeepers and waiters were asked to be brightly colored or colorful to differentiate between masters and servants, or between the noble and the lowly.
In contrast, while ladies and young ladies were to be dressed in different shades of color and ornately decorated, maids were to be dressed only in black and white, or white and black.
Facing the male shopkeeper’s question, Klein pondered for a moment and said:
”A cane, a little heavier and stiffer.”
The kind that could blow someone’s dog’s head off!
The red vested clerk covertly shot a glance at Klein, led him into the store, and pointed to the row of canes in the corner and said:
”The one inlaid with gold is made of iron heartwood, very heavy and hard, 11 Soule 7p, would you like to try it?”
Eleven thou sevenpence? Why don’t you go and rob it? What’s the big deal about a little gold inlay? Klein was taken aback by the price.
He didn’t move on the surface and nodded slightly:
”Okay.”
The red vest clerk removed the iron heartwood cane and carefully handed it to Klein, in a manner that he was afraid that he would drop the goods.
Just as Klein received the cane, he felt the heaviness and tried to move it, realizing that it was impossible for him to swing it smoothly.
”Too heavy.” Klein shook his head as he let out a sigh of relief.
That was no excuse!
The red vested clerk put back the iron heartwood cane and pointed to each of the other three:
”This is of walnut, made by Mr. Heth, the most celebrated cane-maker in Tingen; 10 sousl 3 pence …… this is of water-sunken wood, inlaid with silver, and as hard as steel; 7 sousl 6 pence …… this is the heart of the white Boley tree made, also inlaid with silver, 7 Sule 10p ……”
Crane took them one by one and tried them, and found that they were all of the right weight; then he flexed his fingers and tapped them, to get a rough grasp of the hardness of each cane, and, at last, he chose the cheapest one.
”Let’s go with the water-sinking wood one.” Klein pointed to the silver-encrusted cane in the red vested clerk’s hand.
”Yes, sir, please follow me over there to pay. In the future, if this cane shows wear or tarnish, you can leave it to us to take care of it for you, free of charge.” The red vested clerk guided Klein towards the counter.
Klein took this opportunity to unfold the four gold pounds clutched in his palm and remove one of the smaller two.
”Hello, 7 Soule 6p.” The clerk behind the counter smiled and saluted.
Klein was trying to maintain the decency of a gentleman, but he couldn’t help but speak as he held the 1 gold pound bill out in his left hand:
”Can it be cheaper?”
”Sir, it’s all handmade and it costs us a lot.” The red vested clerk replied next to him, “And the owner isn’t here, we’re in no position to help him lower the price.”
The clerk behind the counter followed and chimed in:
”I’m sorry, sir.”
”Okay.” Klein handed over the bill and took the black cane with its silver-studded tip from the red-vested clerk.
While waiting for the change, he took a few steps back, distanced himself, and gave the “secondary weapon” a small test swing.
Woo! Woo! Woo!
The sound of the wind was heavy, and the air had a texture to it, so Klein nodded in satisfaction.
He returned his eyes to the front, ready to see the bills and coins, but was shocked to find the red-vested clerk far away, and the one behind the counter cowering in the corner, close to the double-barreled shotgun hanging on the wall.
The Kingdom of Ruen had a semi-regulation policy on hot weapons, and in order to own a gun, one needed to apply for an “All Weapons License” or a “Hunting License”, but no matter which, one could not own military-controlled things such as repeating rifles, steam-pressurized rifles, or six-barrel machine guns.
An “all-weapons use license” allows one to purchase and keep any kind of civilian firearm at will, but it is extremely troublesome to obtain, and even businessmen of a certain status may not be able to pass the vetting process, whereas a “hunting license” is relatively easy to obtain, and can be obtained by even a farmer in the outskirts of the countryside, but this kind of license is limited to the use of shotguns. The license is limited to the use of hunting rifles, and there is a limit to the number, many thin assets will apply for a person, in order to do in critical situations of self-protection, such as now ……
…… Klein looked at the two shopkeepers who were full of wariness, the corner of his mouth twitched a little, and laughed dryly:
”Not bad, this cane is perfect for swinging, I’m satisfied.”
Seeing that he had no intention of attacking, the clerk behind the counter’s expression relaxed and handed out the bills and copper coins he had just searched for with both hands.
Klein took it and glanced at it, nodding inwardly when he saw that there were two 5-soule and two 1-soule bills and one 5-penny and one 1-penny copper coin.
After a two-second pause, he ignored the clerk’s gaze and unfolded each of the four bills against a bright spot to make sure the security pattern and watermark were correct.
After doing so, Klein put the bills and coins away, took his cane, held his bowler hat, and walked like a gentleman out of the “Wilkel Cloak and Hat Shop”, taking the luxury of a nearby trackless public carriage, and returning to his apartment after a single transfer and a total cost of six pence.
Closing the door behind him, he counted the eleven pounds and twelve sesterces three times before placing them in his desk drawer, and then found the pistol with its copper-colored revolver and wooden grip.
It clanked!
Five brass-colored bullets landed on the desk one after another, and Klein slipped the silver “Demon Hunter bullets” with their intricate patterns and dark emblems into the revolver one by one.
Again, he only inserted five bullets, leaving space to prevent misfires, and stored the rest in the small metal box with the five normal bullets he had just taken out.
Snap!
The revolver closed, and Klein hallowed a good deal more security.
He loaded the revolver into his armpit pouch with great interest, buckled it securely, and then practiced the motion of unbuckling and drawing over and over again, resting for a while when his arms became sore and weak and then resuming until it was getting dark and the sound of a tenant walking in the aisle appeared.
Whew! Klein exhaled a cloudy breath and put the revolver back in the armpit gun pouch.
Up until this point, he had changed out of his formal clothes and vest, donned his everyday tan jacket, and performed arm relaxation exercises.
Da, da, da, footsteps approached, a key was inserted into the lock hole, and the sound of twisting sounded.
Melissa, draped in silky black hair, pushed through the door, her nose twitching imperceptibly as her gaze swept over the stove, which hadn’t even been lit, and the gleam in her eyes suddenly dimmed a little.
”Klein, I’ll cook the rest of last night’s ingredients together, Benson might be back tomorrow.” Melissa turned her head to look at her brother.
Klein smiled with his hands in his pockets and his thighs leaning against the edge of the desk:
”No, we’re going out to eat.”
”Eat out?” Melissa asked back, startled.
”How about ‘The Silvercrest’ on Daffodil Street? I hear it tastes great.” Klein suggested.
”But, but ……,” Melissa still didn’t get the picture.
Klein laughed:
”Celebrate the fact that I got a job.”
”You got a job?” Melissa’s voice involuntarily got louder, “But, but isn’t the interview at Tingen University tomorrow?”
”Another job.” Klein smiled as he pulled the wad of bills out of the drawer, “They also advanced me four weeks’ pay.”
Melissa’s eyes widened as she looked at the sheets of gold pounds and Sooler and said:
”Goddess …… you, they, you, what kind of job did you get?”
This …… Klein looked stunned, weighing his words and said:
”A security company with a mission to find, collect and protect antiquities, they need professional consultants, five year contract, three pounds a week.”
”…… was that what was bothering you last night?” Melissa said after a moment of silence.
Klein nodded at that:
”Yes, it’s more decent to be a faculty member at Tingen University, but this job, I like it better.”
”…… Actually, it’s pretty good.” With an encouraging smile, Melissa asked, half-questioningly, half-curiously, “How come they’re giving you an advance on your salary for four whole weeks?”
”Because we need to move, we need more room, we need our own washroom.” Klein’s mouth turned up at the corners and he spread his hands.
He felt like he was smiling impeccably, just short of asking, “Surprise?”
Melissa was stunned and suddenly spoke quickly, slightly flustered:
”Klein, we actually live pretty well, and it’s just habit for me to occasionally complain about not having my own washroom, do you remember Jenny? Used to live next door to us, ever since her father got hurt and lost his job and had to move down the street, the family of five is stuck in one room, sleeping three in high and low beds and two on the floor, and they’re thinking of subletting the empty floor space that’s left to someone else ……”
”We’re nice and lucky compared to her family, don’t waste your paycheck on this, and besides, I love Mrs. Slim’s bakery.”
Sis, that’s a different reaction than I expected from the script …… Klein was dumbfounded to hear.