There are mostly old houses in this neighborhood. Under the constant water and infiltration of London rain all year round, the mottled walls and the inexhaustible musty smell have become a major feature of these old houses.
Maka sat by the window of the living room, smelling the stale smell and eating pancakes, and the old man's chatter was constantly lingering in her ears.
To be honest, Maka doesn't reject this feeling - he has lived in the castle enough, and changing the taste of the old houses in the city can make him feel more relaxed.
He had finished everything he needed to do this time, and he still had to wait for the last step to go back before he could continue.
For him, that is also a very important step, and it will also determine a person's life, death and destiny.
However, even this simple rest and relaxation seems to hide some unknown secret.
"Young man, haven't you met those 'weirdos' on the road? They are the kind I just mentioned -"
"Huh? Oh, I have encountered them before..." Maka took a sip of water, and then said casually, "Those guys are indeed weird and dangerous, so I secretly avoided them."
While he was talking casually, he glanced at the closed door in the living room as if inadvertently. This movement was very small, but under his slightly deliberate guidance, it was still seen by the old man opposite.
Immediately, Maka noticed that the old man seemed slightly nervous.
Obviously, there must be something hidden there that he cannot see... Well, maybe it's one person, or maybe a few people.
He didn't go out of his way to sense what was in the room.
"Sir, thank you for the water and food," Maka suddenly put down the water glass in her hand and asked rather bluntly, "but I am very curious, why would you invite a stranger like me to your home... What if I am not something If you are a good person, what should you do?”
The old man probably didn't expect that Maka would ask such a straightforward question, and he was stunned for a moment. And then, he thought about it and said:
"Even if you are not a good person, it doesn't matter... At times like this, what everyone wants is often just something to fill their stomachs. But unfortunately, I don't have that much to eat here."
No matter how far-fetched this reason sounds, Maka naturally won't believe it. However, he did not immediately express his doubts, but nodded.
He had just sat down and there were still several hours until dawn, so there was no need to be in such a hurry to reveal anything.
But although Maka didn't expose it, the old man opposite felt a little annoyed that he had made up such a crude excuse at the moment, and for a while he even spoke less.
"Um?"
After observing the old man's somewhat clumsy cover-up, Maka, who had not paid much attention to certain doubts just now, now became a little curious.
If it was just a trap, he wouldn't care at all. At most, he only needed to open the door and take a look before leaving at the end.
But now, he looked at the old man opposite him up and down with some doubts.
"Sir, if you have something to say, just say it!"
For Maka, who once wandered alone in the chaotic dock town, just the old man's inconsistent and inexplicable state was enough to make him have many associations and guesses.
He has seen villains who took old men or women hostage and coerced the latter to set traps, deceive or rob passengers or businessmen who came with the ship on the dock. This kind of bad things were not uncommon.
And now, the behavior of the old man sitting in front of him seemed to be very similar to some scenes in his memory.
London has fallen into chaos in recent days. While most city residents are hiding in their homes in fear, the food everyone has stored at home is also being depleted little by little.
Under such circumstances, hungry people can do anything, not to mention there are always some ruthless guys.
This is not a random speculation by Maka, because Lupine has already discovered this sign.
In fact, if the chaos in the city hadn't continued and the streets outside were still very dangerous, the entire city might have become even more chaotic.
Of course, the only doubt in front of Maka now is why the old man would find him, a person who was "shopping" with empty hands.
What does the other party want from you
"Old sir?"
Seeing that the old man stopped talking, Maka couldn't help but call him, and then saw him shaking his head as if he had just come back to his senses.
"No, I... don't have anything else to say."
"All right!"
Maka shrugged and then leaned on the back of the old sofa, obviously not in a hurry.
"So, sir... you just said that you have seen a lot of 'weirdos'. What do they look like specifically? What specifically did they do?" He asked as if chatting, "All I saw were a few black eyes. I was so scared at the time that I didn’t dare to take a closer look at the guy.”
He said he was scared, but his expression was indifferent. It was obvious that he no longer had much interest in pretending to be an ordinary Muggle.
After all, since the old man has never told the truth, there is no point in pretending to be like him.
Facing Maka's perfunctory look, the old man seemed to feel a little embarrassed. I saw him opening his mouth several times, but he didn't know whether to answer Maka's words or say something else...
For example, tell some truths hidden in your heart
And it wasn't until the old man hesitated for a long time without really saying anything that Maka smiled calmly and said:
"Sir, don't be nervous... Just say whatever you want. Otherwise, you can just let the people inside come out. Don't be too embarrassed."
"you-"
When the old man heard his words, he finally couldn't help but said:
"How did you know there was someone in the room?"
"Oh, I didn't know," Maka spread her hands, "But now I know."
He was not lying, because he did not specifically perceive what was in the room, he just made a pure guess.
But soon, he saw the old man and said:
"Young man... oh no, I mean, sir. You... no matter who you are, please leave now! I hired the wrong person -"
"What?"
Maka couldn't understand the old man's sudden words - what does "inviting the wrong person" mean
"Sir, what do you mean when you say this?"
"Ah? No, it doesn't mean anything... You must be the 'Wizard', right? Sir, I'm sorry, if you want to kill, just kill me. Please."