Today, they too are going to their deaths.

A moment later, Cui Xun sat down in the carriage.

The woman who had screamed earlier looked around, puzzled by the ordinariness of the place, while the blue-haired detective girl looked delighted, finding the place quite interesting, and even had the mind to share her opinions.

"Madam, you feel this place isn't luxurious enough, and doesn't match your expectations of this gentleman's distinguished status, is that right?"

"But a luxury private room is hardly a noble thing."

"As far as I know, most trains in the country have luxury compartments that anyone with money can ride in, so much so that even the middle class can ride in them. Many nobles complain about this, feeling that such special services that highlight status should not be given to people without titles."

"This train is one of the few without luxury cabins. The most expensive thing here is actually 'people'."

"Ahead, in the ordinary carriages without seats as soft partitions, there are at least five trained spies who have infiltrated the crowd. In the carriage we just passed, there were more than twenty elite guards."

"The fact that so many professionals could be placed in the company, and that it was clearly not for the purpose of preventing assassination, means that the 'protected' person has a very high status."

The detective girl turned to look at Cui Xun, guessing, "Major? Eldest son? A rising star at the Royal Academy of Sciences? Or perhaps, royalty!"

When she gave her last guess, the detective girl's expression was so certain, as if she had already confirmed the answer but deliberately left some room for doubt so as not to expose it.

Alice's gaze swept over the detective girl's entire body, and she asserted, "All fakes, an overcorrected country accent, a top-notch con artist and illegal detective from Florentia, using bluffing to inflate her prices, this trip to Dunling is to make big money in a wealthier region."

The detective girl's expression remained unchanged as she casually replied, "Oh, don't put it so harshly. I just exaggerated some cases a little to earn a few more silver coins. None of you received any missions to arrest me, did you?"

Alice said calmly, "If you think I conducted a passenger survey beforehand, had information about you, and then withheld it, you're wrong."

"The biggest difference between counterfeit and genuine products is the smell and the material. You can't change the material, and it won't show up normally, so you make improvements to the smell. However, you've been wearing this work uniform for too long and have encountered too many fools. After being affirmed by these fools time and time again, you've become unable to notice the changes in the things around you."

"The popular notion that the Tun Ling accent is exclusively used by the upper class is essentially a false proposition. Accents change with the social environment, and everyone's accent is slightly different. Your accent is clearly learned, not naturally spoken."

"Finally, Miss Scammer, turning yourself in might be considered a lenient decision."

The ordinary woman looked bewildered, but vaguely felt as if she had witnessed a battle between masters, both of whom were so powerful that she could not comprehend them, and Alice was even more powerful.

The detective girl realized this as well. She turned her gaze to Cui Xun and deduced at lightning speed, "There are many professionals on the train, but the truly crucial carriage only has two people, and there are no other obvious defensive measures. The passengers were not investigated at all, and the screening was so lax that enemies who needed to be killed were allowed in..."

"You must be the legendary king of spies!"

Cui Xun was taken aback. Only a very few people knew that he was qualified to compete for the throne. On the surface, all his privileges stemmed solely from his strength. How could he possibly have a title like "King of Agents"?

Alice was also taken aback, but then immediately realized what she meant and explained, "This is a concept from detective novels. In Kingsman 000, royal agents are given codenames from 001 to 999. However, Albrecht, the protagonist who has lived from the mythological era to the present day and possesses superhuman intelligence and extraordinary strength, has the codename 000 and is revered as the King of Agents."

The detective girl said慌张地, "Yes, it's that novel. I confused it with reality, and I forgot that the important person might not have read it. I'm so sorry!"

She vaguely sensed that Cui Xun's change in expression wasn't due to encountering unfamiliar words, but rather that he had been told something relevant.

Good heavens, we can't investigate this too deeply; she doesn't know anything!

Alice placed her hand on the detective girl's shoulder, her fingers seemingly casually pointing at the girl's neck, and reassured her, "Don't worry."

"Don't worry about anything! That's way too dangerous! It's like you could chop someone's head off with a single swift chop! It's precisely this kind of behavior that makes people more worried." The detective girl mentally screamed, trying to calm herself down.

Cui Xun replied, "I'm always easygoing, and this little thing doesn't bother me at all. As for urging you to turn yourself in, there's no need to rush to admit anything if you haven't done anything wrong. Let's sit down together now."

The detective girl plopped down, as if afraid that Cui Xun would give the order to shut her up forever. The other lady also adopted a ladylike posture, looking extremely reserved.

Cui Xun had recently grown accustomed to the restraint others displayed when facing superiors. He said gently, "Well then, let me introduce myself. I am Cui Xun, and I would say I am a very capable royal agent. When we are not on special missions, we don't really pay much attention to secrecy."

Alice said slowly, "Basically all criminals who know our real names and identities will die, so there's no need to worry about retaliation. And special agents who carry out special missions generally won't follow a superior who isn't used to keeping secrets."

"I am Alice, an elite agent and a knight with the rank of Knight."

The detective girl's eyes lit up: "Ms. Thistle? I've heard of you! You're not even thirty years old yet, and you've already achieved such impressive feats, and you're a woman! You're my favorite knight with the title; I grew up listening to your stories."

Alice's lips twitched: "I'm not that mature yet, and I don't have many stories to tell. You're making me sound like someone from the previous generation."

The detective girl asked, puzzled, "Isn't that right?"

The reserved lady interrupted, "Miss Alice is so young and beautiful, she looks like she's not even twenty! How could you be mistaken!"

Cui Xun said uncertainly, "Appearances can be very deceptive, but considering strength and experience, it seems impossible for someone to be young. Oh, by the way, little detective, what's your name, and how old are you?"

The detective girl proudly declared, "Tessa, no surname, twelve!"

"Twelve!" Faced with a twelve-year-old girl with such height, appearance, and intelligence, the reserved lady felt a deep sense of defeat.

"Twelve?" Alice pondered seriously whether the girl in front of her was a precocious mixed-race individual.

"Twelve." Cui Xun had seen twelve-year-old elementary school students who were 1.7 meters tall online, so he wasn't too surprised.

However, at that age, Alice is indeed an "old thing" to her, and she should even be called "uncle".

At such a young age, and without a surname or family, she managed to survive in an era that's practically a juicer for ordinary people. Even if she's really lucky, Cui Xun couldn't help but doubt Tessa's lineage.

He did not sense any obvious extraordinary characteristics or activated spirituality, but some special mixed-race individuals, before awakening, are no different from ordinary people except for their special abilities.

A witch, a fairy, or some kind of human subspecies? No, she might simply be a mutated individual born from an ordinary person, just like him.

Of course, these are not important.

"I was initially thinking of hiring you, but since you're only twelve, I'll pass."

Tessa exclaimed in shock, "Wait, so what if I'm twelve! As long as you pay enough, I can find anything you want, or pin something on a bad person for whom we can't find evidence right now!"

Cui Xun said calmly, "Because I want to abolish child labor."

Tessa's thoughts moved much faster than her expressions changed, so much so that all the emotions that erupted from Cui Xun's words were piled up on her face: surprise, joy, curiosity, distress, grief, confusion, and relaxation, all intertwined to form an extremely distorted expression.

But she quickly adjusted her mindset and tried to prove that Cui Xun could not possibly do such a thing: "Poor people would never accept such a thing. They are too poor. When their children are a little older, they have to work, become apprentices, and do chores for the family. Otherwise, poor families with multiple children will be driven into debt by their children."

"Moreover, if children are left idle, they will always do stupid things, and the mortality rate of unsupervised children running around is quite high."

"Besides, without work experience and without learning skills as an apprentice, given the current trend, they will definitely not be able to find a job in the future."

Cui Xun affirmed, "I've thought about it, so compulsory education will be written into law soon, and schools will also provide meals."

Tessa exclaimed in disbelief, "Support the education and food for all the children in the country? Where will all that money and teachers come from?!"

Alice proudly replied, "Thanks to productivity innovation, the compromises made by major domestic powers, and our own financial resources."

"The number of clerical staff recently replaced by machines, along with some special support, is sufficient to meet the regular needs of teachers. Teaching materials and teaching systems that are compatible with the law have also begun to be prepared and tested."

"There's even less to worry about in terms of food. Our technology and grain production are actually enough to feed everyone in the country. The only problem is in resource allocation, but now we have the means to make others back down."

Tessa gave up on pursuing the matter, finding the world utterly insane. To avoid being casually sent to school, she quickly changed the subject, looking at the woman who, while not fully understanding the others' discussion, sensed its profound meaning.

"I almost forgot, we still have one last person to introduce themselves. Madam, this gentleman is going to Dunling to change this kingdom, I'm just looking to make some money, and what are you planning to do?"

"My name is Julia Henderson," the woman began hesitantly. After a moment of consideration, she continued slowly, "I'm going to Dunlin to stay with relatives."

"Originally, my family was quite wealthy. My grandfather owned a large farm, which was full of grain and raised a lot of cattle. But a year ago, a nobleman used underhanded means to forcibly buy the land where the farm was located at a low price."

"Fortunately, my eldest brother has his own factory, so bringing Grandpa's family to the city wasn't a problem. But a few months later, competitors lowered prices with machines from the Royal Academy of Sciences, leaving him with a large stockpile of unsold goods and causing significant cash flow problems."

"But my uncle is quite capable. He somehow got hold of the machine, and my older brother also encouraged the remaining workers to fight for their jobs by suspending their wages for a period of time."

"But before things could get much better, another problem arose. The union started extorting my brother, an organization called the Wage Increase Alliance pressured him to raise his salary and make up for the back wages, and numerous government orders kept increasing his costs, squeezing out the last bit of savings from him."

"He argued his case, but was eventually imprisoned by the despicable officials who had taken bribes, and I had no choice but to seek refuge with my second brother."

"My second brother is a bakery owner. His business isn't booming, but he can barely support my grandfather and my eldest brother's family during the wage increase wave. However, he really can't help me, so he can only recommend my relatives in Tun Ling."

After telling her story, the woman looked at Cui Xun and pleaded, "Kind gentleman, please help my family. I am willing to pay any price."

Cui Xun said sincerely, "What I'm about to say might be a little harsh, but just take it with a grain of salt."

"I think the current situation is not bad, so I suspect that your family members are all horrible beasts. They consider it a loss if they don't make money. Exploitation is ingrained in their instincts. Even with your seemingly innocent grandfather, I feel that you are hiding who was originally working for him and how his land was forcibly bought."

Since the woman appeared perfectly normal to him from his perspective of discerning good from evil, Cui Xun did not directly speak ill of her.

The woman opened her mouth, intending to retort angrily, but facing the amiable yet dignified Cui Xun, she shrank back, sobbing, "My relatives are all kind-hearted people; they have always been good to others, they just suffered misfortune. They have never done anything wrong!"

Cui Xun rubbed his forehead, feeling that this kind of stupid relative of a bad person was really quite difficult for him to deal with.

She's not that bad, capable of directly joining in the wrongdoing, but she's not that clever or upright either, capable of understanding that she's an accomplice to bad people. But from another perspective, what she raised is indeed a problem.

He didn't consider at all how those who couldn't buy the machines immediately, or who couldn't reduce costs and wages, would cope with the upcoming takeover.

In his view, these people are essentially no different from workers. The result of such a blow is nothing more than a downgrade in life and changing jobs. It is not difficult at all. On the contrary, it can effectively avoid the firepower aimed at capitalists in the future civil war.

You can't say that living a life like an ordinary person is persecution, can you?

But what if, at the implementation level, problems arise with people in other regions whom he cannot supervise? Some people are simply unfortunate enough to step into these fiercely competitive fields at this time, and then, full of enthusiasm but burdened with debt, they are crushed by the tide of the times.