"Yes, we have a lot of precipitation in winter and summer, especially in winter."
Dorothy said as Princess Margaret was observing the street with great interest, while Dorothy was observing Princess Margaret:
"Miss Mary, is the winter in Willendel any different from here?"
Princess Margaret remembered that her companion was a female writer, so she tried to make her answer more elegant:
"The winter in Willendel is completely different from that in Tobesk. It's not the difference between cold and cold, but more like..."
Xia De, who was walking in front, listened to the conversation between the two ladies and wanted to laugh but didn't dare to.
The two literary young women continued to talk about the winter scenery of Tobesk, and Dorothy would occasionally mention the detective stories she had recorded. When they approached their destination, the Cameron Woolen Mill, Shad also joined the conversation, mentioning that not all of the commissions he participated in were related to mysterious events.
"At least this time I think it's just an ordinary case. I don't know which scammer dared to do such a thing in the capital of Delarion."
Xia De said this, and the three of them watched the carriage pass by hurriedly at the intersection. On the opposite side of this T-junction was the wool textile factory surrounded by a wall. At the bottom of the wall, there was a thick steam pipe passing through a hole into the yard. The chimney inside the wall spewed black smoke into the sky covered by gray fog, and the smell of burning in the air became more serious.
From the factory gate, one could see porters wearing inappropriate short clothes for the season pushing wheelbarrows and struggling to transport goods. In factories further away, one could see countless female workers still toiling away.
“Only when you see the steam plant will you feel that there is actually no difference between Tobesk and Willendel.”
Princess Margaret said in a low voice, and then her attention was attracted by two children running by the street. They were not children from the slums near the factory, but a pair of twins who were looked after by three male servants. They were wearing decent coats and their hair was meticulously groomed. They passed by the door of the steam factory, and the beggar who was huddled by the wall just glanced at them, then lowered his head and did not move.
“After all, it’s the same era.”
Dorothy said, and then glanced at Shad. The stranger looked at the black smoke and the sky covered with gray fog. Whenever he saw such a scene, he felt that the world was so real.
Luckily, Mr. Jimmy Cameron was indeed in the factory. This kind of private factory is generally not allowed to enter, but Shade still has some reputation in the city. After handing over his business card, someone soon led the three of them into the white building on the east side of the factory.
When I saw Mr. Jimmy Cameron, he was sitting at a table in a sunny room, apparently doing his accounts. But if you look closely, the book in his hand is clearly the chivalric novel "The Lady in the Boots".
"Are you Detective Hamilton?"
After the four of them sat down, Mr. Cameron told his servant to prepare tea. He was not interested in the two ladies following Shade, but instead extended his hand to shake hands with Shade with great interest:
"I've heard of your name before. What do you want to talk to me about? Is it a female worker in the factory who is related to the case you want to investigate?"
Like his brother, he seems to be a fan of detective novels:
"Let me guess. Is it that there is a serial murder case in the city, and my female workers have unfortunately become victims? Or is it that the Redwich Field has asked you to assist in the investigation of the recent theft case, and the investigation ended up at my place?"
This plump man is wearing a dark brown coat. Compared with his well-maintained brother, Jimmy Cameron's hair volume is really worrying. Since they are brothers, the difference in hair volume must be related to their work and rest schedule.
Whenever a girl stays overnight at home, your daily routine becomes irregular.
"I'm not an ordinary person, and witches all have spells that generate magic."
Xia De responded in his heart, letting go of Mr. Cameron's hand, and shook his head with a smile:
"No, no, it's not that important."
The servant opened the door and served tea to the four people. Although this was a steam factory, Mr. Jimmy Cameron and his manager sometimes had to meet business partners in this small white building, so there was specially prepared tea.
"This lady is Miss Dorothy Louisa, and this lady is her assistant Mary. They want to investigate something with me today, and may record our conversation later. This matter is related to you."
"It's okay, I can record it. But what does it have to do with me?"
Mr Cameron scratched his dangerous hair and then showed an embarrassed expression:
"I want to make it clear in advance that I am not evading taxes. The lawyer my brother introduced me to said that it is a legal means of tax avoidance and not an illegal act."
Dorothy took out a pen and paper, but did not write this down. Princess Margaret sat next to the blonde, with a faint smile on her face. She looked around the room while listening. Although the walls were a little yellow, the wooden floor was clean. Mr. Jimmy Cameron looked very tasteful. Although the furniture was all second-hand, the brown leather sofa and dark brown wooden coffee table matched well.
"No, no, although the only things that are inevitable are taxes and death, I am not responsible for tax inspections."
Xia De immediately shook his head:
"Well, I've been investigating a magical box lately."
He looked at Mr. Cameron, who showed a look of sudden realization:
"Victor's box?"
The name was not known to Shad, and Sir Cameron this morning simply referred to it as "the box":
“Do you really believe it can replicate coins and banknotes?”
In order to prevent the two from talking about different things, Shad asked a question directly. Mr. Jimmy Cameron pursed his lips and leaned back on the sofa, holding his hands together:
"Although my brother, Lord Cameron, often says that I am uneducated, I still have basic common sense, otherwise this factory would have closed down long ago."
He hesitated and said:
“When I first heard about Victor’s Box, I didn’t believe it either.”
Dorothy subconsciously picked up a pen to record, but she didn't do it herself because she thought Princess Margaret was her assistant. Princess Margaret only realized her job after the conversation began.
"But later I believed it. It can indeed print money. I have tried it myself. I experimented with coins and banknotes respectively. They can both be copied. And I asked someone to check them. Those coins are also real."
Jimmy Cameron looked a little uneasy, but not because he realised he might have been duped:
"This shouldn't be considered privately printing the kingdom's banknotes, right?"
“Not really.”
Shade shook his head:
"My client was also deceived. He wants me to find out who is making and selling this box. I am basically sure that this is a scam, so it is not privately printed money. May I ask how many gold pounds did you spend on the so-called magic box?"
Mr Cameron thought for a moment:
"100 pounds."
"How much money has been 'copied' so far?"
"Twenty-one pounds."
"Except for the first copy of the banknote, are the serial numbers of the subsequent copies consistent with the copy itself?"
“Not consistent.”
Mr. Cameron said, with an expression on his face that showed that he didn't realize there was any problem at all. This made Shade frown slightly, because the factory owner didn't seem to be a simple mentally disabled person:
"Then have you ever thought that if the box is just a complicated and ingenious box, and the coins and banknotes you took out were just stored in the interlayer in advance? Once all the banknotes in the interlayer fall out, it will be just an ordinary box."
Mr Cameron shook his head:
"No, the gentleman who sold me the box promised that I could always go back to him if the box failed."
"Excuse me, who is the other party..."
"No, no, I can't reveal the identity of that gentleman. He told me that this kind of business can only be done by a few people, and I can't tell more people."
Because it was Shad who was investigating, Dorothy and Princess Margaret did not interrupt. But after hearing this, the girls were basically sure that this was a fraud case.
“Why can’t too many people do it?”
Shade asked persistently. Mr. Cameron clasped his hands together and tried to recall:
"He said that if too many copies of the box were sold, a large number of banknotes would be copied in a short period of time. If the total amount of goods on the market remains unchanged, the emergence of too many currencies that are not linked to the kingdom's gold reserves will lead to more currencies being pegged to the same total amount of goods, thus causing abnormal price increases, and in serious cases even causing an economic crisis."
He nodded seriously:
"So we can't let other people know about this wonderful machine at will. For the financial stability of Delarion, we must keep this secret. Yes, everything is for Delarion!"
Shad felt that Dorothy beside him seemed to be unable to control her expression. Princess Margaret lowered her head to write, so her expression could not be seen clearly.
"At least the financial and economic knowledge is correct."
Xia De made a brief comment and then proposed:
"I wonder if I have the honor to take a look at the Victor box in your hand?"
"Of course you can, but the box is not ready for use yet, detective. I'm afraid you won't be able to solve its puzzle."
Mr. Cameron said this, and he rose and fetched the box himself, which was in the safe in the corner of the room.
The gear safe with a small steam engine built in requires two rotations of the gear code, one push of the piston code, and the most important round key to be opened.
The so-called "Victor Box" kept in such an exquisite safe was actually made of wood. The box was roughly rectangular and about the size of an average person's palm. The outside of the mahogany box was not decorated much, except for some strange patterns carved out of the wood grain.
Although there was a lock on the box, Mr. Cameron did not lock it. After putting the box on the table, Shade and the other two were attracted to it. After Mr. Cameron's permission, they checked the box separately.
The inside of the box is polished very smoothly, and it is easy to tell that the volume inside the box is much smaller than the volume of the box itself. Even the dumbest person can guess that there must be a layer inside.