Klein had heard of Mr. Garr when he was investigating the serial murders.
Because the victims of the serial murders were all, or had been, prostitutes, Klein gained some understanding of the prostitute industry in Backlund while investigating.
Almost all dance halls treat streetwalkers as money-making machines, completely disregarding their well-being.
These streetwalkers were bought, kidnapped, and included women from various countries in the North Continent, the Rose Island, and even the South Continent.
The dance hall was full of gang members to prevent these "assets" from escaping.
No one dares to investigate these dance halls, because if they do, it will always implicate some big shots, and in the end, the investigation always comes to nothing.
Mr. Garr is the behind-the-scenes owner of the "Nanmu Dance Hall," which is somewhat "unconventional" in the streetwalker industry. Apart from the thugs who maintain order, no one supervises the streetwalkers.
Because the streetwalkers there were forced into this profession, the "Nanmu Dance Hall" provided them with rooms to receive customers, ensuring they wouldn't be extorted by gangsters or the police, and would find doctors for them if they got sick.
Streetwalkers are required to hand over one-fifth of their income to maintain the dance hall's operation.
Klein was deeply impressed by Mr. Garr at the time, feeling that although the man was involved in a gray industry, he still had at least a basic conscience.
But when he saw Ms. Mandy, one of Garr's subordinates, coming to the East End to "recruit people," he wondered if this gentleman was as friendly as rumored. Were those streetwalkers really there voluntarily?
So Klein asked old Kohler, "Has the girl who left with this Ms. Mandy ever returned?"
Old Kohler was slightly taken aback: "I've never heard of him coming back."
Klein frowned.
Old Kohler continued, "I've heard that whenever a streetwalker catches the eye of a big shot, her whole family moves out of the East End and lives a respectable life. I've never heard of anyone coming back."
This was somewhat unexpected for Klein, who didn't quite understand what kind of "business" the "Nanmu Dance Hall" was doing.
"I've heard about this Mr. Gar from a friend," Mike said. "Mr. Gar is a man with a story. It's said that he always wears a silver mask, and no one has ever seen his real face."
"I also heard that after Ms. Mandy selects several streetwalkers from the East End, she will spend several months or even half a year teaching them to dance, painting, music, etiquette, grammar, and so on."
"Under the influence of culture and art, these streetwalkers will become very elegant and classy, and they will usually entertain some big shots who spend a lot of money."
"Some streetwalkers, after acquiring a few regular big clients, would have a luxurious villa rented for them by Mr. Garr, who would hire a butler and servants, and arrange for them to attend various high-end balls and social events, making them look just like women from high society."
"It is said that these streetwalkers... no, they can't be called streetwalkers anymore. It is said that these 'career women' can save up enough money in one or two years at most. Some of them will move to other cities or are willing to become the mistress of some big shot."
Klein glanced at Ms. Mandy over there again: This operation sounds familiar!
His inner values made him disgusted with this kind of "business," but faced with the situation in the East District, he couldn't say anything.
Old Kohler adjusted his hat: "Look, that girl has seen hope again."
Sure enough, Klein saw that the sixteen or seventeen-year-old streetwalker's nervousness and trepidation had disappeared, and a look of joy appeared in her eyes.
He sadly realized that in this world of rigid class divisions, this seemed to be the only way for women in the East End to live a decent life.
...
West End, 51 Henry Street.
Odis politely saw Aria, who had finished her studies for the day, to the door, making the lady feel very flattered.
Today we learned how to disassemble and assemble the "Flaming Arrow," and tomorrow we'll learn how to manufacture the corresponding extraordinary bullets. That concludes the entire learning process.
Odis watched Arya's carriage leave. The reason he saw her off today was to observe the mysterious gaze fixed on the herbalist shop.
Just as he expected, the gaze that had been fixed on the shop followed the carriage as it left.
Odis pursed his lips; he knew that the gaze must have been drawn to Aria.
Arya must have noticed the gaze that was almost openly looking this way, but she remained calm, suggesting that both sides had some kind of plan.
Odis knew he was on the fringes. If those who coveted his research were killed by Bernadette, she would at most send people to keep an eye on him, and for now, he didn't need to worry about that.
...
Late at night, lush flowers suddenly sprouted outside a large warehouse in the bridge area.
The flowers grew rapidly and soon covered the entire warehouse.
The people inside only then realized something was wrong, but it was too late. The warehouse had become somewhat surreal, as if it didn't belong to the real world.
These flowers bloom into beautiful blossoms, and some even bear fruit. The flowers are the sweetest desserts in the world, while the purple fruits contain the finest wines.
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Eating a single flower is equivalent to learning the knowledge of a book; eating a single fruit and drinking the wine inside is equivalent to obtaining a secret or long-lost esoteric knowledge.
The few members of the "Morse Penitentiary" who were in charge of Backlund affairs, who were hiding here, were all fanatical about it and rushed up to devour the flowers and fruits.
But as soon as they touched these plants, they seemed to fall into a dream, as if they had suddenly reached the clouds, surrounded by strange flowers, plants and animals, as if they were in heaven.
All of this made them stand there briefly, revealing sweet smiles.
In the real world, the flowers around the warehouse suddenly sprouted many sharp thorns. These thorns grew larger and thicker, eventually piercing the bodies of the extraordinary individuals from all directions like iron swords.
They fell to the ground one by one, still wearing sweet smiles on their faces.
The flowers gradually withered, and the warehouse gradually returned to the real world.
The next second, Arya stepped out of the illusion. After confirming that everyone here was dead, she calmly harvested their extraordinary traits.
After finishing all this, Arya held the traits in her hands and bowed slightly, saying, "Your Majesty."
Those properties suddenly emitted a dazzling light and vanished from her palm.
The voice of the "mysterious queen" Bernadette came from mid-air: "Unfortunately, that demigod got away."
I thought it would be a fierce battle, but it ended very easily.
Immediately afterwards, Bernadette said in an ethereal voice, "There are still two chess pieces we can use. Go to Garr's Herbalist Shop and save Odis."
By the end, Bernadette's voice had become ethereal and finally disappeared.
Aria was slightly taken aback: Save Odis?