The dark steam tram moved silently in the city shrouded in gray fog. This time period was the thickest in the old Dunling at night, and the visible range was no more than ten meters. The ghost tram chose to depart at this time. It did not make any sound, moving along the rails on the remote road, cleverly missing all the patrolling mounted police, stopping and starting along the way and picking up many mysterious guests. Everyone sat in the gorgeous carriage, and the soundproof compartments isolated each seat from each other.
Eve looked out the window. It was pitch black and there was nothing in it. This place was like a tin can that isolated herself from everything. The enclosed space made her feel uneasy.
"Where exactly are you taking me?"
Eve began to feel a little regretful. The detective in front of her was not trustworthy, at least not completely trustworthy. She should have been more wary of him.
This is a compartment in the carriage. Lorenzo is sitting opposite Eve. He looks very familiar with the situation and speaks slowly.
"Attend Sabo's ball."
Lorenzo took out a mask and handed it to Eve.
"Sabo is mainly engaged in smuggling business. He has a group of cooperating Viking pirates in the northern waters. They are responsible for plundering and sending the goods to the port of Rendonna, and then Sabo sells the stolen goods."
"Those are things that cannot be seen in public. Ordinary people cannot afford them, except for the upper class nobles. So he would hold balls regularly. Although it is called a ball, it is actually a trade fair. Money is exchanged for goods."
After listening to Lorenzo's words, Eve's heart calmed down a little.
"The threshold to attend this dance is very high. I had to ask someone to help me get the ticket."
"The coin?"
Eve was deeply impressed by the coin. This was the center of a country, but there appeared a currency in circulation that had never been seen before. Eve had to be vigilant.
"Yes, they usually call it a butcher's coin. It is minted by the lord of the lower city, the Shrike. It has a Shrike image engraved on it."
Lorenzo explained to Eve the complexity of the downtown area.
Where there are people, rules will emerge and classes will be divided, even in the chaotic and dirty downtown area.
"To rule a region, all you need to do is unify the currency. Now everyone knows that coins and banknotes with lions printed on them are hard currencies internationally, and in the lower city, coins with shrike printed on them are the mainstream. Every butcher coin can be traded directly, and you can exchange it for any currency on the black market."
"You can think of the entire downtown area as a huge casino, and the butcher coins in your hand are your chips."
Lorenzo took out a few more coins and handed them to Eve. They felt heavy in the hand and it was unknown what precious metal they were made of.
"Sabo is a very cautious man. His business is very profitable. Everyone wants to replace him. Normally he hides in a heavily guarded bunker, but this time he will attend the ball. That is our only chance to directly contact him."
"He would not let anyone know where the ball was. Every time there was a ball, a postman would deliver letters to the nobles, informing them of the station location, and then they would set out at midnight.
As he spoke, Lorenzo put on his mask, a brass mask with scattered gears on the edge for decoration.