The nights in Toppoint are always so dark, chaotic, yet intoxicating.
At the very bottom of Taymor Lane, that jumble of scrap metal, ship planks and wooden fences, hides a surprising underground world.
Those rough guys who have been sailing on the sea for a long time will always seize all the time on the shore to let pounds, alcohol and women wash away the smell of sea from their bodies.
There is a saying that has been circulating among the crew members who spend most of the year floating on the sea: Don't wait until your body is floating on the sea before you regret that your gold is on the bottom of the sea.
Maka walked in the deep and familiar alley, and from time to time she would meet some strong men in groups. They were also walking deeper.
But no one speaks to each other until they reach their destination - this is one of the many unwritten rules of Taymor Lane.
When Maka came to a dilapidated iron room that had been converted from a large shipping container, he walked to the door with familiarity and pushed the sloppy old man who was dozing off on a tin bucket.
"Baird, wake up!"
The old man raised his head with squinted eyes and glanced at Maka boredly.
"Stop pushing. When have you ever seen me fall asleep?" The old man said vaguely, picking up the dirty wine bottle in his hand and taking a swig of it.
While he was drinking, he opened his palm towards Maka and shook it, "... Where's today's?"
Maka took out a small roll of paper from her pocket and slapped it into the old man's hand angrily.
The old man habitually curled up his fingers and touched it, then curled his lips: "Kid, even if you are an acquaintance, the price should be raised next time!"
He said, waving to Maka, motioning for him to come closer.
"There are quite a few fat people today. One is a merchant marine leader on the West Coast, named Alger; the other is a nobleman from Brest, France, named Vincent or something..." The old man hummed, with the wine in his mouth. His anger flew straight into Maka's face, but he had to continue listening, "Well, there are some guys from North Germany. Although their origins are not clear, they are dressed well."
"Baird, let's get to the point..." Seeing that the old man was still mumbling something, Maka couldn't help but urge.
"Okay, you brat always loses your temper... The leader of the merchant ship brought a little girl with him. I looked like... you understand." The old man said with a smile, "Those serious caravans on the West Coast have also started to go dark. It’s not a waste of time for those old guys who lost their lives to pave the way for them.”
Maka nodded in understanding, touched her chin and whispered: "This is a big deal..."
"Kid, do you still want to go it alone? This time you are a big man—"
"So what about living people? It mainly depends on where they are brought from..." Maka thought about it and was suddenly stunned for a moment, "Why do I feel that this thing is a bit familiar?"
The sloppy old man said nothing.
Entering this gold-selling cave in Taymor Lane, you won't be able to leave without spending a whole night, and some guys can even stay there until the money in their pockets is gone.
There was still plenty of time, so Maka waved casually to the old man and walked towards the broken iron house as if taking a walk.
Behind the tin house, there is a place that is blocked up, down, left and right. There are a lot of people here, and most of them are stuck in a passage leading to the underground and wandering around.
Those people looked much sloppier than old Baird. Most of them were shirtless and wore a pair of tattered trousers underneath. When they saw someone passing by, they would wander forward, secretly take out some small paper bags from their pockets, and start selling to them in a low voice.
As Maka walked inside, those people rarely even looked at him - they had long remembered Maka's appearance, and that was not the object of their "business".
Through a downward sloping passage, he casually greeted the two muscular men standing at the exit, and then Maka stepped into the "Torpoint Underground Entertainment Center" where he made a living.
There are many acquaintances here, but no one takes the initiative to contact each other - they all have their own things to do, and the pound is at stake, and no one has time to talk nonsense.
And more of them are "uncle" who come here to spend money.
In this underground place, as soon as you enter the entrance, you can see that it is divided into five areas.
At the front is a large card table where many people can participate, with dice, poker, and the like, and there are all kinds of games; and on the left is the place where the wine girls greet the drinkers, with dim lights and low tables. With tables and chairs and wine bottles all over the table, getting drunk or not is just a matter of thought.
What about the right side? On a large stage, the lights are bright, the scenery is enchanting and dreamy, and the smoke is filled, bringing everyone a lot of sensory stimulation.
In the middle is a circular bar, where the people gathered are "masters" of wine tasting and life tasting. Generally speaking, the customers there are boring people with a lot of pounds stuffed in their pockets.
That area was originally where Maka "worked", but today, he walked through the chaotic place, walked around corners casually, and wandered to the deepest part of the place.
The innermost area is the highest-end area here, and it is also the area with the highest consumption level. Generally speaking, noisy guys will not come here - the fish here are fat, but they are also smart! If you want to get benefits here, you may not be able to do it even if you put a lot of effort into it. Not many people like to go here.
However, Maka has been a little annoyed recently, and he plans to put some thought into it and then rest for a while.
After adjusting her "work clothes", Maka took a small run, looking back from time to time, pretending to be in shock.
Being young has its advantages. No matter who you are, your wariness towards a child will always be lowered.
Of course, when you do something, you always have to take some risks.
"Ouch!"
When passing behind a sofa, Maka stumbled, fell down and plunged to the ground.
There was a "bang" sound, and he actually hit the hard ground. A man on the sofa in front turned around when he heard the sound and looked behind the sofa in confusion.
Maka got up on her own, but red blood was already dripping from her forehead.
"Kid, what's wrong with you?" The man looked very energetic, with a tall and thin figure, decent clothes, and neatly plastered blond hair. At first glance, he looked like a guy who had always lived in the upper class.
"Oh - sir, I was caught here - I don't know - I escaped, but I think my mother will be worried -" Maka said incoherently, with a look of panic on her face.
"Oh, this is really too bad -" The man looked Maka up and down, only to find that the clothes on his body looked handmade, and the fabrics were quite extraordinary. He should be a child from a wealthy family.
At this time, Maka wiped something under her eyes while wiping off the blood on the bridge of her nose. Soon, a stream of tears flowed down uncontrollably.
He glanced behind the man with his blurred vision. Apart from some men and women similar to this man, he soon found a little girl not much older than him huddled in the corner of the sofa, looking at him uneasily.
"Child, if you can trust me, then tell me..." A smile appeared on the man's face, but Maka kept complaining in her heart - this guy should be Alger, the merchant marine leader on the West Coast. In this line of work, the standard is a bit low...
"... Come, sit down and talk, I will help you."
The man put his arm around Maka's shoulders and made him sit on the sofa. The men's companions also came over to comfort Maka. A young lady also took out her handkerchief and wiped the blood on Maka's forehead.
"Oh - thank you, madam!" Maka said with a grateful face and trembling lips, "My home is in London. When the servant sent me to school, I was captured by the bad guy - I really need help, sir. My father can give you a lot of money..."
He spoke in an extremely authentic London accent, glancing behind the sofa from time to time, as if he was afraid that the unfounded "bad guy" would suddenly come out and capture him.
Although his words were always intermittent, he poured out all the key information that should be revealed to them.
"It's okay, let me introduce myself first -" the man grinned and said with a gentle smile, "I am Alger, a businessman from the West Coast. If you can trust me, then why not take our boat? I can Take you back to London."
But Maka knew very well that the caravan from the west coast had just arrived from Margate and would definitely not go back in a short time. According to their previous route, they were pointing towards the Cantabrian Sea to the west of France.
"Oh - thank you so much, Mr. Alger." Maka trembled with excitement, "I will let my father pay you accordingly! Definitely!"
He is like an aristocratic boy who was spoiled by his parents. He talks about money, money, money. Although it is disgusting, there is a clear sense of reality.
After sitting on the sofa for a while, Maka expressed her worries to the man from time to time, saying that bad guys would definitely come looking for her soon.
At this moment, a fat man with curly chestnut hair and luxurious clothes walked over from the next table.
"Alger, this way." The fat man waved to Alger.
"Mr. Vincent, what's wrong?" Alger asked the young lady to look after Maka, while he walked towards the fat noble man.
"Where did this little boy come from?" the fat man said with a smile.
"Who did you escape from?" Alger also smiled, "Why, Mr. Vincent, are you..."
"Look at that child's tender skin and tender flesh. I have a distinguished customer over there who will definitely be interested." The fat man smiled obscenely, "I can use the pound in your hand to give you a discount!"
"Don't you want to hear that kid's identity?" Alger said meaningfully.
"Oh? What's the origin?" Fatty Vincent raised his eyebrows and said, "Let me tell you, if it suits that distinguished guest, it's not impossible to increase the price..."