Lex, dressed in worker's clothes, walked out of the Backlund subway exit and found himself somewhat out of place among the bustling crowd.
This is Backlund's economic, commercial, and financial center, home to various stock exchanges, clearinghouses, futures centers, the headquarters of the seven major banks, and numerous trading companies.
Therefore, almost all the gentlemen in this area wore formal attire and top hats, looking elegant and refined.
The blonde girl walked ahead, saying with a headache, "If I had known you were coming to Hillesden, I should have found you a suit."
"Never mind, let's hurry to Evergreen Street."
Although Lex had read reports about Backlund in various newspapers and magazines, this was his first time visiting Backlund.
Coming to this bustling city of over five million people!
Looking around, there was a pale yellow mist everywhere, with extremely poor visibility, making it even more gloomy and dim than Tingen at night.
But it was much livelier here than Tingen; it was already past nine in the evening, yet people were still coming and going.
There were cement-paved avenues, street-side lawns and gardens with towering chimneys, and various shops and company office buildings, all of which dazzled Lex.
Finally, they arrived at Evergreen Street, one of the few residential areas in Hillesden. At a glance, it was filled with uniformly planned terraced houses.
The girl in front mumbled, "The cheapest rent here is 1 pound a week, much more expensive than what we rent. However, it's also much livelier. The guys who can live here must be quite rich..."
Lex caught up with the mumbling girl in front: "I still don't know your name?"
The blonde girl kept walking and said, "You paid the money, and I'll lead the way. After tonight, we won't know each other, so names don't matter."
"If you insist on asking, I took 10 pounds as payment, so just call me Miss 10 Pounds."
She didn't look very old, but she was exceptionally cautious and didn't casually give out her name.
Lex smiled and said, "You're willing to lead the way for a complete stranger; that kindness and enthusiasm, in my opinion, are priceless."
The blonde girl glanced at him: "Smooth-talker. If I didn't know you were a Hunter, I'd think you were a noble. Only they would use such a tone to compliment a woman."
Although she said that, a barely noticeable hint of joy flashed in the girl's eyes.
"Number 12 is ahead. I'm going back."
She suddenly stopped, said a simple sentence, turned around, and left, giving Lex no chance to speak.
Lex could only shrug his shoulders and, looking at the numbers on the houses, found house number 12.
He walked up to the door and pulled the bell.
A moment later, the door opened, and warm light shone from inside. A man in a white shirt and black waistcoat stood at the door, looking at the worker-like person in front of him with confusion: "Sir, who are you looking for?"
Lex looked up, revealing a brilliant smile: "Good evening, Cromwell."
On a certain street in the East District, the blonde girl walked into a house. As soon as she entered the living room, she heard the front door open. Following that, a lazy figure walked out.
Under the light, it was a woman with slightly curly brown hair. Her light blue eyes lazily swept towards her blonde roommate: "Have you seen my coffee beans and cigarettes? Without them, my inspiration is almost dry."
"I don't think you're in the mood to rush your manuscript right now," the blonde girl said, as she familiarly rummaged for the items her friend wanted.
The lazy brown-haired woman took a cigarette from the roll her friend handed her, elegantly holding it between two fingers: "Strange, weren't you going out to buy food? Why were you gone so long?"
The blonde girl sat down on the sofa: "I ran into a guy who just arrived in Backlund, and I led the way for him."
"Is that so?"
Lighting a cigarette and leaning against the wall for a light puff, the brown-haired woman said with a smile in her eyes, "When did you become so warm-hearted?"
"I've always been warm-hearted!" The blonde girl ruffled her coarse hair. "Besides, he paid me. Although it was a bit far, I had to go to Hillesden."
"Go to Hillesden? Those who go there usually aren't short on money. How much did he give?" The brown-haired woman exhaled a smoke ring, watching it expand and vanish in the air.
"10 pounds."
"How much?"
The blonde girl turned to look at her friend: "10 pounds."
"10 pounds? This might not be a fool; for 10 pounds, I could take him sightseeing for a whole day. Of course, now is not the time to go out; we have to be careful not to be targeted by that great pirate."
The brown-haired woman shrugged her shoulders: "But even without Qilangos, I don't want to go out; it's too much trouble."
"Having to choose the right clothes, matching hats and shoes... just thinking about it gives me a headache."
She mumbled as she returned to her room: "It's getting late, goodnight."
"Goodnight."
September 6th, Thursday.
Cherwood district, morning.
Two figures walked down the street, both dressed in pure black formal wear, wearing semi-high top hats, and carrying walking sticks, perfectly fitting the description of gentlemen.
One of them, though bearded, did not appear particularly old, and his deep black eyes, as they looked around, held an indescribable charm.
This made ladies or Young Misses passing by them unable to resist taking a few extra glances at the man.
"It seems the number of likes on the tag has increased again," Lex lowered his head, pretending not to notice the women's gazes, then happily surveyed his surroundings.
After finding Cromwell on Tuesday evening, Lex finally had a place to stay in Backlund; otherwise, given his lack of identification, even if he could find a hotel, the environment probably wouldn't be very good.
Yesterday morning, Lex went to the telegraph office and sent a telegram to Matthew in Tingen and Bison in Enki Town, respectively.
He used different excuses to explain the fact that he was currently in Backlund and told them that he would return in one to two weeks at most, so they didn't need to worry about him.
In the time that followed, Cromwell acted as a tour guide, taking Lex all over Hillesden.
Today's destination was the Cherwood district, where they currently were.
"Tomorrow I'll take you to the Queen's Borough. That's where nobles and top merchants live; it's strictly regulated and the environment is beautiful. Every street, every park, is as beautiful as a scene from a painting."
A smile appeared on Cromwell's face; he seemed to have emerged from his past shadows, and the Arbiter's grey-green eyes showed a Light rarely seen in him normally.
Lex smiled. Just then, the shouts of a newsboy rang out in the street.
"Extra! Extra! 'Hurricane Admiral' Qilangos killed in Backlund!"