The car was driving at a constant speed on the road. Xia Yibing was a good driver. He cut in line and overtook several times, and he was as slippery as a loach, which surprised Hitzfeld.
She was not only amazed at the woman's driving skills, but also at the fact that she hadn't been to the capital for a while and there were actually a lot more cars on the road.
At this time, it should still be some time before getting off work. Even if I have an early day off on Friday, it is obviously not the rush hour. I have the impression that there are only three or five cars on the road at most. I have never seen so many.
"There are too many cars." Xia Yibing took out two tickets from her pocket and handed them to her while driving. "Take them... In fact, Lawrence should thank us for this."
"What do you mean?" Hitzfeld didn't understand.
"You invented alternating current." The woman raised her eyebrows. "This is a reform of the entire power system... You have no idea how intensive and extensive the things involved are. I heard that the steel production of many of their factories has doubled."
"Alternating current was not invented by me. I just 'discovered' it. Strictly speaking, it is an archaeological act." Hitzfeld said righteously.
"As for steel production... I think if modern industry wants to continue to develop, they need to find a few more oil fields."
The blood of modern industry is oil, and this will not change. Its importance is no less than those innovative technologies, and in some sense it is even more transcendent.
"You didn't buy a box?" At this time, Hitzfeld finally saw the ticket clearly under the flickering light of the street lamp. She was surprised to find that Xia Yibing actually bought a row seat - which means that after entering the stadium, they will have to squeeze together with the citizens watching the game.
She herself doesn't mind...but doesn't this man have a strong possessiveness towards her?
Moreover, her possessiveness over Xia cannot be said to be weak. In such a chaotic and dark place, there might be some short-sighted people harassing her. Why did she not buy a private room?
With her connections, it should be easy to buy a private room.
"There are still private rooms available." Xia Yibing said, "I specifically asked... They have many private rooms that are not rented out to the public. They are specially provided for those 'nobles' who suddenly decide to come and watch the game to entertain them..."
"Then why did you..."
"Don't ask Aisuen." Xia Yibing tilted her head and glanced at her. "I have my own plans, and I'm sure this will not do any harm to us."
"..." Hitzfeld still didn't understand, but since she said so, she would just shut up and see what she was up to.
Soon, the car carrying the two people stopped on Huangshi Street.
Huangshi Street, Hitzfeld remembered that there was a Huangshi Square here. This place is a bit far from the rich area, but the advantage is that it is close to the dock and has a high population density. If there are any celebrations or activities, the street and the square look more lively.
It was already very lively now - she was surprised again because she couldn't remember why today was a special day.
She claimed to be confident about the festivals, but after thinking it over several times, she realized that today was not any festival... She could only keep her eyes on the woman's face, waiting for her to say something else.
But Xia Yibing just gave her a smile, pulled out the key, opened the car door and went out.
Hey?
what does it mean?
Hitzfeld hurried to catch up and saw the woman come around and lock the door. He followed her in a daze and let her lead the way to the front.
There are really too many people.
Although it wasn't crowded yet and there was a little space in between, you have to know that people were just getting off work, so these people probably came from all over the city.
What's worth coming here for?
"Come here." Xia Yibing waved her hand to the girl and took her to the other side of the street. They squeezed through a gloomy and narrow doorway that was only one person tall, and then climbed the equally narrow stairs to the third floor. They could finally overlook the entire square from the rooftop.
There were already people here, and they were also looking for a place to watch the fun. Xia Yibing showed them the relevant documents, and these people ran away in a hurry.
"What on earth are you doing..."
Hitzfeld tried to get to the edge of the roof.
Looking down from this angle, the entire Yellowstone Square is filled with people.
Men, women, young and old, commoners and nobles, all of these people came for the first time ever, just to watch the show on the high platform in the square.
It's not an ordinary good show.
As soon as Hitzfeld saw what was on it, he couldn't help frowning.
Erected wooden frame.
Trapezoidal guillotine.
And there is a small round hole below specially prepared for the neck.
This is... the guillotine!
"Forty-five people are involved, including a certain tailor baron, and 45 of them will be executed today."
A light explanation came from behind.
"As soon as I got the news, I thought I had to bring you to see it with your own eyes."
"I don't want you to doubt us, Aisuen..."
"I want you to know that someone will give you justice."
"I……"
Hitzfeld was speechless.
There were strong executioners on the platform cleaning up the bloodstains, and it seemed like they came at a wrong time.
But soon - she caught a glimpse of a few ragged men behind the stage. They were handcuffed and shackled together, shivering in the wind, and a man in black was pulling one of them onto the stage.
From this perspective, they came at the right time.
The execution was very quick: the man in black and the executioner pressed the prisoner on the guillotine, and then the man in black took out a document and read out the man's charges.
There were as many as 20 sentences, and every time a sentence was read out, there would be an outbreak of angry shouts at the scene.
Then the execution took place—Hitzfeld saw the head fall to the ground, and then the crowd erupted in the most violent cheers. The executioner dragged the headless body to the front of the stage, cut it open vertically, and jumped on it. With every step, bright red stuff could be seen gushing out, and the crowd would cheer even louder every time blood spurted out.
It seemed as if this was not an execution but a grand ceremony.
She suddenly felt a little sick.
The girl covered her mouth with her hand, her face not looking good.
She could see rotten meat, she could see monsters, but she just...she just couldn't stand seeing such barbarity between her own kind.
"You are too kind." Xia Yibing noticed the change in her expression.
"I do not have……"
Hitzfeld wanted to argue.
“I don’t sympathize with them…”
"I'm glad they were punished. To be honest... I do feel a sense of relief."
"But I didn't expect it to be this way..."
“I don’t think it’s a testament to civilization.”
"Deterrence is necessary." Xia Yibing has a different opinion on this.
"Just because you're good at solving cases and studying the occult doesn't mean you're always right."
"We are now starting to specialize, and it's clear that this kind of work should be done by me."
"I do not mind……"
Hitzfeld leaned against the railing and looked at the woman with some fear.
"I know you...Even Alvin gave me so much money because he was afraid that I would suffer from depression."
After all, her status is different now.
Whether for the purpose of appeasement or flattery, this country, Sarah...cannot remain silent about its savior.
"But if I were someone who cared about this kind of thing, would you still like me?"
"That's hard to say." Xia Yibing smiled happily.
It seemed that she didn't care whether the girl was happy or not. She just wanted her to know what happened - she didn't want to leave any psychological problems.
"Maybe no matter how many times I start over, I will still like you."
She suddenly half-knelt down facing the girl, carefully grasped her right ankle, gently freed the small foot in stockings from the shoe, and placed it on her face.
He closed his eyes, with a look of intoxication on his face.
"I just want you to know, Aisuen - the world is grateful to you, the human world is grateful to you."
"Without you, Wayne Harbor wouldn't be what it is today, with thousands of families living and working in peace and contentment."
"I don't want you to think too much..."
"Let's just keep guarding it, okay?"
--------
There is one more chapter during the day.
Chapter 14: An Encounter on the Court
The Beetle was driving on the way to the "Ice Dragon Stadium in Port Wien". The passengers were sulking while the female driver had a silly smile on her face.
"You'd better explain it to me." Hitzfeld had taken off the boot on his right foot, bent his leg and put it up, pressing his heel on the cushion, and was pulling the stockings on his toes. "Where did you learn this?"
"I said I learned it from you, believe it or not."
"Do not believe."
Of course she didn't believe it - what nonsense! If she said that she did pay too much attention to Xia's legs and feet sometimes, which made the other party interested in these legs and feet, Hitzfeld would admit it.
But that ritualistic action just now: actually pressing her feet against his face and making that perverted expression, how could it be said that he learned this from her?
I can't possibly be that perverted. If you lie, please be serious...
"It's true." Xia Yibing suppressed her smile, "Do you still remember the book 'Travels in the South China Sea' that you read before?"
"Remember, why did you mention this?"
"It's related to this... The man in the book said that he lived in the native tribe for a period of time. I took some time to read all the books on the subject and found that the natives like to do this kind of thing very much."
Hitzfeld was stunned.
Although it feels a bit absurd, Xia Yibing is not wrong. Many natives have similar surrender rituals, which usually involve kneeling down and lifting the other person's feet and placing them on top of the head, indicating that "whatever the other person steps on is yours."
There is an advanced version of this ritual. In the field of football, if someone performs well, his teammates will put his feet on their knees and make a shoe-wiping gesture when celebrating.
Some are placed on the shoulders, mostly to express admiration and respect.
But it's definitely not on the face?
"The face is also part of the head." Xia Yibing began to argue, "Just tell me whether the face is on the head."
Hitzfeld was too lazy to pay attention to her and turned his head to the window, but soon he couldn't help grinning - this logic was really funny.
Her hand was still on her right foot, this action was mainly to clean up the dust on the ground after kicking Xia Yibing over.
But as she smiled and put her fingers on the soles of her feet to rub the dust, she suddenly felt a slight electric current spreading from that place, traveling up through her body, tickling all the way to her mind and heart.
I won't develop some weird habit...
The corners of his mouth twitched, and Hitzfeld cursed the red-haired nurse in his heart.
What a sinner, Ms. De Leyeman.
If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have noticed this at all.
A few dozen minutes later, the car arrived at the destination. There was an open-air parking lot outside the stadium. Xia Yibing parked the Beetle, and the two of them took their belongings and prepared to enter the stadium.
"The game will start in thirty minutes." Xia Yibing took out his pocket watch and took a look. "We are lucky."
Her original plan was to drive the girl here in advance, so that she could arrive 20-30 minutes earlier than the rush hour and the road would not be too congested.
But suddenly she received news that an execution was going to take place. This project meant much more to the two of them than watching a game, so she decisively changed the priority of her goals. As a result, she arrived at the stadium just in time for the rush hour. Several roads were blocked, and she wished she could just carry the Beetle and walk.
Arriving half an hour early was indeed a good thing. She had thought they would be late.
Hitzfeld didn't answer for the time being. She tiptoed to look into the distance and found that the iron fence outside the parking lot was also crowded with people.
They were all spectators, and most of them should have entered the venue in advance. But even so, the small number of people left seemed so numerous that she even had the strange illusion that "the venue could not accommodate them at all."
"Don't watch it. There's no room to begin with." Xia Yibing grabbed her arm and led her forward, explaining as she walked: "Not everyone can afford a ticket, but there are always more people who like the game."
"So they chose not to buy tickets, but only came to the outside of the stadium to cheer for the team?" Hitzfeld immediately understood, but still found it incredible. "I've heard of this phenomenon, but I thought it only existed in..."
"Only exists among the fans of big teams?" Xia Yibing found her confused look adorable and couldn't help but pinch her nose. "Why don't you think about how many teams there are locally, my lovely detective."
Hitzfeld was immediately unhappy again. She frowned and stared at the bastard, wanting to hear how she would make up an explanation this time.
