Steam Old Days: The Extraordinary Begins with a Corpse Collector

Looking at the key in Alastor's fingertip, Lyndon couldn't help but ask, "What can this key unlock?"

When Lyndon asked the question, Alastor shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

"I've been busy with my shop, so I haven't been able to go check it out."

As Alastor spoke, he handed Lyndon the magnifying glass, which was placed on a book to the side, along with the key.

"If you'd like, you can go and see for yourself."

Lyndon took the key and the magnifying glass, holding the magnifying glass in his left hand and the clockwork in his right.

With the help of a magnifying glass, Lyndon could see the slight scratches on the smooth surface of the key.

Lyndon held the key and slowly turned it with his fingertips.

Finally, after the key was turned half a turn, a line of tiny text suddenly appeared under the magnifying glass.

"ZHH, 1326," Lyndon murmured. "I don't understand the abbreviation at the beginning, but the numbers after it look like a room code."

Lyndon put down the magnifying glass, fiddled with the key between his fingers, and said.

"Strictly speaking, it's a safe's code," Alastor said.

Upon hearing this, Lyndon turned his head to look at the pattern on the wallpaper and fell into deep thought.

He kept repeating the abbreviations on the key.

"ZHH...ZHH...is that an abbreviation for which bank?"

Lyndon suddenly realized that the technology in this world was between the first and second industrial revolutions, so the safes in this world were not like those in his previous life, which came in various sizes and could be placed in the homes of ordinary people.

The safes in this world are quite large. Even the most common safes are made of cast iron and weigh hundreds of kilograms.

Therefore, only banks install safes on a large scale, and only bank safe codes will have numbers like 1326.

Alastor nodded in response to Lyndon's question.

He told Lyndon that ZHH was an abbreviation for a bank in the Fog City called Zie and Harrington Bank.

As its name suggests, this bank was jointly founded by the Zier and Harrington families.

Its main business was providing large amounts of financial loans to emerging railway companies and coal mine owners at the time.

After several years of development, the bank's branches have spread throughout many major industrial cities in the United Kingdom of the Three Islands.

Besides that, ZHH Bank is most renowned for its cast iron vaults.

They possess the largest and most robust vault in all of Fog City, no, even in the entire United Kingdom of the Three Islands.

It is said that it can even withstand dragon's breath for half an hour.

Its safety rating is unparalleled.

Arthur went to great lengths to hide the things there.

This also made Lyndon curious about what Arthur had hidden in the ZHH bank.

"It seems I'll have to make a trip there if I want to know Arthur's secret."

Lyndon gripped the keys tightly and said.

"Whatever you want."

While Lyndon was checking the keys, Alastor had already finished eating the rest of the white bread on his plate.

Alastor finished the rest of his cold tea in one gulp.

"If there's nothing else, you should leave now and not disturb my business!"

Alastor stood up, and as soon as he tied on his leather apron, he urged Lyndon to get lost.

"You can't just kick me out like that."

Lyndon shook the tattered shirt he was wearing, which was stained with blood, and smiled bitterly.

Seeing this, Alastor could only go to his own room to find Lyndon some clothes.

He rummaged through the closet, but still couldn't find any clothes suitable for Lyndon.

Actually, the two are not much different in height and build. Linden can wear any clothes that Alastor finds, but the problem is that Alastor's clothes are all very expensive!

He didn't want Lyndon to just take his expensive clothes away like that.

After rummaging through the closet for ages, Alastor finally found a decent-looking white shirt under a pile of clothes.

In this world, a white shirt is a very respectable garment.

Because the air in Chongqing is always filled with factory smoke and coal dust, pure white cotton and linen shirts are extremely prone to getting dirty in this environment.

Often, after just a few casual walks outside, their clothes become filthy and disheveled.

Therefore, ordinary people will choose clothes that are resistant to dirt.

Only truly wealthy people, with the leisure, money, and servants to help them with laundry, can keep their white shirts pristine and presentable.

The collar and cuffs of the white shirt that Alastor found could not be removed!

This means that if the collar and cuffs are damaged or soiled, the entire garment is ruined.

Alastor lent Lyndon his white shirt and vest.

"Once you're dressed, let's go."

Alastor urged Lyndon to leave again.

"About Wesley..."

As Lyndon stepped out of the store, intending to remind Alastor, he was interrupted by Alastor who said, "Okay, I know, goodbye."

After saying that, Alastor closed the shop door.

Lyndon looked at the closed pawnshop door, then turned and walked out of the alley.

As soon as he stepped onto the street, Lyndon remembered something.

That is, he didn't know the address of ZHH Bank, and he didn't have any money on him, so he couldn't even call a horse-drawn carriage.

"Never mind, let's go to the Old Sailor's Bar first and see how Giselle is doing."

Having made up his mind, Lyndon changed direction and headed towards East Street.

……

The journey from Alastor's pawn shop to the Old Sailor's Bar took nearly two hours, and by the time Lyndon reached East Street, it was already past one in the afternoon.

To Lyndon's slight surprise, the old sailor didn't open the door at this point.

Lyndon looked through the glass and saw that all the tables and chairs were neatly arranged, but there was no one inside.

As I approached the shop entrance, I saw a wooden board hanging on the handle.

A line of words was written crookedly in chalk on the wooden board.

Closed for business today.

Lyndon tried to push the door open and found that it was not closed.

As the door hinges creaked, the doorbell rang out, echoing through the empty front hall.

"Who is it? We're closed today, come back another time!"

Old Bob's voice came from inside the bar.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from under the bar.

Old Bob made a strange sound in his throat, shook his head, and stood up, rubbing his back.

When he saw that it was Lyndon, a look of surprise immediately appeared on his face.

"Why are you here?"

"Isn't today my early shift?" Lyndon asked casually, as if he considered himself part of the store.

"Didn't you deduct my wages last night? If I don't come to work today, I'm afraid you'll take all my salary."

Lyndon walked over jokingly, only to find out when he got to the bar that old Bob had put several chairs together to make a bed.

No wonder he suddenly crawled out from under the bar.

Old Bob shook his head, looking helpless, and said, "Fine, fine! I won't deduct your wages. You can go now. I guess none of you will be coming to work today."

"Why?" Lyndon asked.

Something happened last night.

"What happened?"

"Food poisoning." Old Bob kicked his numb legs, his calm demeanor tinged with a hint of madness. "After you and Jack left yesterday, the others went out for a late-night snack. After the snack, they all started vomiting and having diarrhea, complaining of stomach aches."

"Five or six of them fell down at once."

Old Bob suddenly stopped and sighed: "The boss heard the employees crying and wailing."

"The Cyril boss went to investigate and found a basket full of rotten meat in the kitchen."

"Later, the boss found out that it was Ms. Violet who did it. In order to embezzle the food expenses, she would always mix in some rotten meat when cooking for the employees."

"The boss was so angry that he punished her."

"And then what?" Lyndon continued to ask.

"Later, Ms. Violet took her anger out on the head chef, saying that he couldn't even handle such a small matter. The head chef then took his anger out on Giselle, saying that she hadn't cleaned the meat properly. So he locked her up and said he would starve her for a few days to teach her a lesson."

Lyndon's eyelids twitched when he heard that Giselle had been punished.

He blurted out, "Where is Gisele being held?"

Old Bob looked up, his eyes somewhat unfriendly. "In the room next to the kitchen, you seem to have been quite attentive to her ever since you arrived."

"I felt sorry for her, just like you would see a stray cat on the street."

With that, Lyndon ran to the back.

"I don't like cats," old Bob muttered, turning his head away.

The small room next to the kitchen is actually a storage room, where infrequently used kitchen utensils and dried goods are usually kept.

The door was an old wooden door, but a brand new iron lock hung on it.

The padlock was opened and hung on the door.

The door was ajar, and through the crack, Lyndon saw Giselle sitting against the wall, munching on a piece of bread.

A beautiful young woman sat next to Gisele.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

Lucy said as she fixed Giselle's hair.

Giselle took a bite of bread and chewed it for a long time before swallowing it.

"That's enough, Lucy."

Giselle's voice was as soft as a feather.

"Eat more, you've gotten so thin."

Lucy smiled and poked Giselle's lower back with her fingertip.

"Lucy, it itches!"

Giselle, still holding her bread, moved to the side, and because she was eating bread, she let out a snicker.

The two were laughing and joking around in the storage room, looking very happy.

Suddenly, Lucy glanced at the door out of the corner of her eye and saw a figure peeking through the crack.

"who!"

Lucy was startled by the figure at the door. She quickly pushed Gisele aside, dusted herself off, fixed her hair, and stood to the side.

Lyndon carefully pushed open the door, opened his palms, and said, "Don't be nervous, it's me."

Lucy frowned slightly; she seemed to vaguely recognize the young man at the door.

Giselle, on the other hand, had her eyes light up the moment she saw Lyndon.

"Lucy, this is Lynn." Giselle tugged at Lucy's skirt from behind. "He's Lynn, he's the one who saved me."

Upon hearing Giselle's words, Lucy looked Lyndon up and down.

"You came to see her?" Lucy asked.

"Um."

Lyndon stepped forward, knelt down in front of Giselle, looked at her, and whispered, "I'm sorry you had to go through this."

"I'm fine," Giselle said, giving Lucy a bright smile. "Lucy's the best, taking care of me!"

Upon hearing this, Lucy, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but lower her head. Her slender fingers twirled a strand of golden hair, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

Lyndon glanced at Lucy and suddenly fell silent.

Giselle understood Lyndon's thoughts, and she said to Lucy, "Lucy, can I speak to him alone?"

Lucy glanced at Lyndon and reluctantly managed to say, "Fine, I'll stay outside. Call me if you need anything!"

As she spoke, Lucy pointed to Lyndon, then to herself.

She opened her mouth wide and made a "careful" mouth shape.

After Lucy left the storage room and closed the door again, Lyndon whispered to Gisele:

"I've finished taking care of things on my end, and your father has also sent someone to make contact. A timber ship is heading to Wiltlin the day after tomorrow."

Upon hearing this news, Gisele's eyes suddenly lit up.

In that instant, Lyndon saw a light called hope in Giselle's eyes.

This light has always been deep within Giselle's heart and has never disappeared.

But the darkness around her was too deep, and Giselle could only bury her hopes deep in her heart.

And now, Gisele can dig it up again.

"it is good."

Gisele simply said "okay".

But her eyes were already red, tears welled in the corners, and she seemed about to collapse.

Six months ago, Gisele was a simple and honest farm girl who ran a blacksmith shop with her father.

Her mother died early, and her father was her only remaining bond.

That day, a traveling circus came to the nearby town.

Giselle, with her girlish heart, went to see a circus performance with her friends.

It was there that Giselle met Violet.

Violet describes herself as a member of a charitable women's association from the foggy city, whose job is to help different girls achieve a better life.

In the fashionable parlance of the time, it was women helping women.

Violet described to Giselle her new life in the foggy city.

They said they ate only white bread and drank only milk.

They also have roast beef every weekend.

They also sleep in apartment buildings.

They also receive a weekly salary of five shillings.

Having never been to a big city before, Gisele was immediately drawn to this wonderful vision.

So she told her father about it.

At first, the father did not want Giselle to leave his side, but he could not resist Violet's repeated persuasion.

To convince Wesley, Violet thoughtfully gave Giselle's family some money and provided Wesley with an address, telling him to write a letter if he missed his daughter.

In the end, Giselle was successfully tricked by Violet into going to the foggy city.

In the early days after arriving in the foggy city, Giselle truly lived the life Violet had described.

But as time went on, Violet revealed her true colors.

She tried to force Gisele to become a prostitute, but Gisele refused, even at the cost of her life.

An accident disfigured Gisele, leaving her with an unsightly scar on her face.

Violet was furious; she felt this was a challenge to her authority and made her lose face in front of others.

So she made Giselle do the hardest and most tiring work and trapped her in the bar as a form of revenge.

"I see." Lyndon couldn't help but sigh after learning about Giselle's past.

Looking at the hideous scar on Giselle's face, he couldn't help but think how wonderful it would have been if none of this had happened.

Gisele should still be living in Birch Hill, married to an ordinary man, living a quiet life.

"Don't worry, I'll take you home. I'll make sure you get everything back for what you've suffered, one by one. I promise."

Lyndon placed his palm on Giselle's hand and said with a sincere expression.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, the sound of something being smashed came from the front of the bar.

"Bang!"

Another loud bang.

Then came the sound of tables and chairs being overturned, and the dull thud of a tray hitting the wall.

In the front hall, old Bob huddled in a corner, his neck hunched, trembling.

Cyril had just returned from the police station.

He was arrested by the police around 9 a.m.

They were only released now.

As soon as he entered, Cyril's face turned ashen and his eyes were bloodshot.

His trouser legs were splattered with mud, and his hair was a tangled mess, like a chicken coop.

Cyril's eyes burned with madness, and he was like a wild beast that had gone berserk.

Looking at the familiar decorations in the bar, he became increasingly annoyed.

So he grabbed a chair and started smashing things in the store.

"Fuck you! Damn it! Damn it!"

Cyril roared madly, his voice almost cracking.

"What's wrong with the boss?"

Old Bob moved closer to Walter, pressed himself against the wall, and couldn't help but ask.

Even the usually calm Walter was now flustered.

His face was as white as a corpse that had been dead for several days.

"Arthur is dead..."

"What?" Old Bob couldn't believe his ears.

Walter was on the verge of tears, his voice trembling: "Last night, Arthur died!"