Chapter 10: Crystal

Xiao Fen did not know exactly what deep hatred existed between the two types of monsters that they would start fighting as soon as they met, but now was not the time to consider these things.

On the contrary, now was just the right time. Xiao Fen could take advantage of the time when the monsters on both sides were fighting each other to leave the scene safely and find a safer place.

Just then, a glint of light in the fire attracted his attention.

It was the light beside the corpses of those giant monsters. It looked like a crystal. Under the illumination of the flames, this crystal was shining and looked crystal clear.

In the very center of the crystal, there was a metal-like object. Looking through the surface of the crystal at this moment, the entire crystal was like an evil eye, tempting Xiao Fen.

Xiao Fen could guarantee that there was absolutely no such crystal on this street just now. In fact, if there were such a crystal here during the day, the one who could see it would definitely not be Xiao Fen.

In other words, this extremely strange crystal had dropped from these dead monsters.

Thinking of “drop”, Xiao Fen could not help but take a deep breath. From the perspective of online games, what monsters drop is generally better than the blank items in shops.

Although he did not know what this crystal could bring, Xiao Fen would absolutely not give up this opportunity. The space in his handbag was still very large, and he could completely take this crystal away and study it slowly.

Thinking of this, he moved his body again.

The running shoes he had brought to this world and had been wearing had now been replaced by calf leather shoes.

These new shoes fit as if they had been measured specifically for Xiao Fen’s feet, and the soft calf leather also made Xiao Fen feel comfortable. In such a cold foggy night, wearing such leather shoes was definitely a comfortable feeling.

This feeling had not yet ended. Xiao Fen’s body suddenly rushed out like a projectile shot from a slingshot. Almost within 3 seconds, he had already rushed to the side of that crystal.

Without bending down and lowering his head, but with a skillful step and hook, he grabbed this crystal in the air. Without stopping, he exerted force again, and his figure ran fiercely towards the fog on the other end of the street where there was no fighting.

Behind him, the battle between the ropes and the giant monsters suddenly stopped for a moment because of his appearance. At the moment Xiao Fen started running, dozens of ropes struck the place where Xiao Fen had just been standing.

However, this after-the-fact shot was meaningless. Just like before, Xiao Fen had completely disappeared into the vast fog before these ropes could hit him.

South London, near the south bank of the River Thames, a straight-line distance of about 2 kilometers from the boat dock. The “First Blacksmith” tavern. At 7 o’clock in the evening, the business of this tavern, which also operated as an inn, had just begun.

Glass mirrors, crescent-shaped private rooms, patterns of a goddess pouring wine etched on the windows, reflecting the dim light on the window glass, and neatly arranged beer barrels; all these could give a temptation similar to paradise to those struggling to walk in the cold fog outside.

It seemed that walking into such a tavern could relieve all worries and sorrows.

The First Blacksmith tavern had been glamorous for a while. Before those rumors and terrifying sounds of the night spread through this neighborhood, the owner of this tavern had made a lot of money from those middle-class clerks and had renovated this tavern many times.

However, with the appearance of rumors and terrifying sounds in this neighborhood, a large number of the wealthy class left this neighborhood one after another, and the business of this tavern plummeted.

Fortunately, it had not yet reached the most difficult time.

Although those rumors made people dare not stay alone on the streets once they entered the foggy night, they also forced some people who returned late to stay outside the range covered by those sounds, waiting for the midnight bell to strike, for all the sounds to disappear, and then go home separately.

During this period, people who had to stay outside could only go to nearby taverns to solve the problem of their hunger. A few individuals would also rest for a night in the small guest rooms of the taverns. Among them, the First Blacksmith tavern was their best choice.

Unlike other taverns, the First Blacksmith tavern’s business hours would drag on very late, which was tacitly approved by Scotland Yard. Those detectives could not solve the strange phenomena here, so they could only accept some flexible solutions.

The fog came very early today and was much thicker than before.

The most critical thing was that in the depths of this fog, those strange sounds were exceptionally loud tonight. Various howls rose one after another, and even the tavern attendants who were already used to these sounds were somewhat terrified at this moment.

Just then, the wind chime connected to the door suddenly rang with a jingling sound. This sound seemed exceptionally harsh amidst those howls. A female attendant was even scared to the point that her hands trembled, and she shattered a glass on the ground.

A middle-aged man wearing a dark coat and a hard top hat walked in from the outside. He shook his clothes slightly, as if the fog was still stained on him. In his right hand, he carried a not-large leather bag, which was cut very appropriately and looked expensive.

“My name is Palin. I just arrived in London not long ago. Give me an undisturbed room. I want to stay for two days. Also, I need a dinner, a roast beef, a large salad, a portion of boiled mussels. I’ve been tired all day, and my appetite is so good I could eat a cow. No wine, just normal water is fine.”

This tall middle-aged man with a high nose and light blue eyes directly interrupted the bartender’s greeting.

His voice was somewhat nasal, sounding like he had a cold, and his appearance looked somewhat exhausted.

Glancing at the layout of the tavern, this guest who claimed to be named Palin continued to say self-importantly: “Listen, here is 5 pounds. If you can resolve these matters within one minute, the remaining money is all yours. One more question, and 5 shillings will be deducted.”

The bartender immediately shut up, turned his head to signal the female attendant on the other side, and said: “Fermira, quickly take this distinguished gentleman to the private room upstairs. Also, notify the back kitchen to serve the food quickly. This gentleman is so exhausted, we must let him recover his spirit as soon as possible.”

The female attendant, whose bust was as large as her age, rolled her eyes at the bartender, turned her head to look at the middle-aged man named Palin, and said with a smile: “Sir, please follow me this way. The private room is just upstairs. As long as you sleep for a while, your spirit will definitely get better.”

Palin muttered something, which seemed to be “I hope so”, but this sound was not very clear.

He followed behind Fermira up to the second floor. After a while, the female attendant walked down with shining eyes and whispered: “Oh my, he gave me 5 shillings. It’s the first time I’ve seen such a generous person. Even the masters over at Westminster wouldn’t give me that much tip at once.”

The bartender looked at the five one-pound banknotes on the counter and asked: “What do you think, Fermira? Should we tell Scotland Yard? Tonight is too unusual, and the arrival of this generous gentleman is such a coincidence. I always feel there is a problem. I was thinking, if the detectives from Scotland Yard came once, maybe I would feel a bit more at ease.”

“That’s why you are an idiot, and I am not,” Fermira said mockingly. “Your eyes are growing under your nose, Colan. Just like you said, since there is such a big commotion outside, how could an outsider come in so calmly like that?”

After taking a sip of water, Fermira continued: “Also, just before I sent this master into the room, I clearly smelled a very strange foul odor on his body. That’s right, it’s the same smell left behind in the places where those vagrants in the neighborhood disappeared.”

Looking at the bartender’s dumbfounded eyes, the female attendant whispered a “closing argument”: “You know, if it were me, I would definitely not think of looking for any detective gentlemen from Scotland Yard to help. The master upstairs came for those sounds. I can be sure of that. Maybe he is even a secret agent from Scotland Yard. If you want to live your life well, listen to me, and pretend you didn’t see anything.”

The bartender shrugged, picked up the 5 pounds from the counter, turned his head to look elsewhere, and shouted: “Sylvia, what are you dazing about over there? You dropped another glass here; this will be deducted from your salary. Clean it up quickly; the guests will be arriving in a moment.”