Mystery: A Spark

The rain wasn't heavy.

Therefore, there is no need to use an umbrella or wear a hat for this purpose.

Klein didn't dress up formally as usual; he simply wore casual clothes and rode in a carriage to the outskirts of the eastern district.

As soon as he stepped off the carriage, Klein saw a considerable number of people heading towards the cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

Klein glanced at them and noticed that their clothes were very simple, even tattered.

This is quite normal, because the vast majority of people who died in this smog were the poorest people in the eastern district.

They were poor, so naturally, the relatives and friends who came to mourn them could not be in good financial condition either.

Moreover, Klein knew very well that many of the dead people actually had no relatives or friends.

Disease or hunger caused them to lose everything.

Just like old Kohler.

And so they lived out their lives alone, without the company of their loved ones.

They lived alone, and they died alone.

How tragic.

Klein silently looked at the equally silent crowd before him, and inexplicably felt a sense of sadness and oppression.

He raised his hand, intending to tap his hat as usual, but suddenly realized he wasn't wearing one today.

But since his hand was already raised, he couldn't just put it down, so Klein casually touched his hair, which was already a little damp.

Then, he stepped forward and followed the group of people walking ahead, heading towards Gaoping Mausoleum, which was not far away.

Klein was actually somewhat relieved, because he hadn't brought an umbrella today, nor had he dressed up as a gentleman as usual.

Otherwise, he felt that he would stand out from the crowd, which would be very bad.

……

Gaoping Mausoleum is not far away; it only takes about ten minutes to walk there from the eastern part of the city.

So soon, Klein arrived at this newly built cemetery.

When Klein arrived, the cemetery was already packed with people.

Fortunately, the cemetery covers a large area, so it doesn't feel crowded.

Some people went into the cemetery to remember the deceased.

Others emerged from the cemetery, having finished their remembrance.

However, these people did not leave immediately after coming out. Instead, they stood not far outside the cemetery and discussed something in hushed tones with others.

A large crowd had already gathered there; Klein estimated at a glance that there were probably several hundred people.

Although Klein was somewhat curious about why these people had gathered here, he still entered the cemetery, intending to finish his business first.

The process of remembrance needs no further elaboration, since Klein didn't know anyone lying in this cemetery.

This cemetery was built by the Workers' Mutual Aid Association and is said to have received funding from the Ruhnn government.

The cemetery is filled with tombstones, each inscribed with the name and identity information of the deceased.

This information mainly comes from the workers' mutual aid association's careful investigation, but even the most careful investigation cannot accurately identify all the victims.

Therefore, the tombstones of those whose identities were unknown were unified and became a larger stone monument not far from the entrance of the cemetery.

The inscription reads, "This monument is dedicated to the more than 40,000 people who perished in the Backlund smog disaster."

Yes, more than 40,000 people, which means that only a few thousand of the victims have actually been identified.

But Klein knew that this was the result of the workers' mutual aid association's all-out efforts.

Following this severe smog event, the number of members in the Workers' Mutual Aid Association has rapidly surpassed the 1,000 mark and is quickly approaching the 10,000 mark.

But since they are not a professional investigation organization, they can only determine the identity of the deceased by asking the surrounding residents.

In this way, if someone's identity is unknown to those around them, or if those who knew them have also died, then that person's identity can no longer be ascertained.

Klein could understand this.

He knew that the workers' mutual aid society led by Arthur had done all they could and could not ask for more.

Klein felt he would be saddened by the deaths, but he probably wouldn't have a strong emotional reaction, since there were no familiar faces around.

However, as he walked past those tombstones, looking at the names on them and the detailed or brief descriptions of their identities, he still felt an indescribable sorrow.

And anger.

They shouldn't have had to suffer like this... Klein thought.

If this were a natural disaster, he would never be so angry.

But since this was a man-made disaster, Klein had every reason to be angry.

To whom should this anger be directed?

The Aurora Society? A witch cult? Or the inactive Rune government?

Perhaps both are true, Klein thought.

However, what he felt powerless about was that he had no ability to exact a large-scale revenge on the people he was angry with.

This made him feel frustrated and depressed.

Klein didn't stay in the cemetery for long, because the atmosphere there was really not good.

So, after observing a moment of silence for the deceased, he left the cemetery.

A larger crowd had gathered not far from the cemetery, and Klein walked toward the crowd, wanting to know what was going on.

After some questioning, Klein finally learned why these people had gathered there.

The president of the Workers' Mutual Aid Association is coming; he wants to join everyone in observing a moment of silence for the victims.

Upon receiving this news, Klein suddenly realized a problem.

That means it has been exactly seven days since the Backlunds smog event.

The seventh day after death is a special day.

In the culture of that previous life's country, it was generally believed that the soul of the deceased would return home on this day.

But that's not the main point, because the customs here are different.

However, this day was certainly special, especially for Arthur, a fellow countryman who had traveled through time.

If there's something he wants to do, then it's entirely possible that Arthur would set this day as the day to launch it.

Therefore, Klein felt that Arthur's choice to observe a moment of silence with the relatives and friends of the victims on this day was probably for more than just mourning.

His guess was right.

When Arthur arrived with the members of the Mutual Aid Society, he first joined everyone in bowing and observing a three-minute moment of silence before the Gaoping Mausoleum.

After the moment of silence, Klein saw Arthur turn his head and say something to the people next to him. Then those people came around the crowd and placed some black objects on the trees.

Klein got a clear look at the objects; they looked like horns.

Clearly, these things are designed to amplify someone's voice so that everyone here can hear it.

However, in Klein's view, the appearance of these things still felt somewhat out of place.

Because this is a world where technology is still in the steam age.

Without an electrical revolution, products like loudspeakers, which are powered by electricity, seem quite strange.

Not to mention, Arthur took out these speakers that didn't even need to be connected to wires, which made the scene even stranger.

Could it be some kind of advanced technology developed by the Steam Church? Klein wondered to himself.

However, these were all minor matters. What truly intrigued Klein was what Arthur was about to say.

Standing on the high ground where the cemetery was located, looking down at the sea of ​​people gathered below, Arthur spoke his first words:

"On December 24, we suffered a huge disaster, and more than 12 of our compatriots died."

Who should be held responsible for this?

Chapter 234 To die now is to die, to launch a grand plan is to die.

More and more people are gathering.

The area outside the cemetery was already packed with people.

Looking around, all I could see were dark, swarming heads, numbering at least several thousand, and possibly tens of thousands.

Such a large-scale gathering of people naturally and quickly attracted the attention of the Kingdom's Ninth Military Intelligence Bureau.

So they sent people to investigate the situation and also sent someone to relay the message to King George III.

Among the crowd, an unremarkable-looking man stood there, looking at the imposing blond youth in front of him and the petite figure behind him, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

He was a secret agent belonging to the Kingdom's Ninth Military Intelligence Bureau, but his identity was not limited to that.

Because he was also Hugh's father's former subordinate and had received much favor from him.

Therefore, after recognizing Hugh, he deliberately made Hugh his subordinate intelligence agent, wanting to provide Hugh with some assistance within his authority.

However, this man also has his own family and his own life, so naturally he wouldn't do anything too dangerous or take too much risk for Hugh.

The man originally thought that with his help, she would be able to earn a decent living through her job at MI9, and then give her mother and brother a good life.

However, the subsequent developments were completely unexpected.

In less than two months, Hugh quickly organized a force in the East District.

While she was not the true leader of this force, anyone who knew the details of the Workers' Mutual Aid Association would not overlook this small woman who held a pivotal position within the association.

Moreover, this daughter of an old friend also got involved with the Steam Church.

Judging from the tone revealed by His Excellency Celt, even Archbishop Horamik would speak up for Hugh.

Furthermore, the exquisite craftsmanship and unique energy contained in the pair of iron fists that Xiu usually used in combat suggest that this was very likely a special weapon tailor-made for him by the Steam Church.

After all, her physique is still a little petite compared to the average person.