This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 449: Black Knight Armor

Chapter 449: Chapter 449: Black Knight Armor

Time slowly passed by, and throughout the entire day, Chen Ke followed Jacob around the streets of Langdon, getting to know how his small Thief Gang operated.

Since his travel to the current era, Chen Ke had never owned such an extended period of leisure, and coupled with life’s countdown ticking away like a clock, constantly ticking seconds in his field of vision, this sudden idle time made him feel particularly uncomfortable.

Langdon was a large city; even if one drove a carriage, traveling from the east side to the west could take several hours. Chen Ke and Jacob spent essentially the entire day roaming around North Langdon.

He saw many newly-minted members of the bourgeoisie entering theaters and salons, drunkards without money to pay their tab getting thrown out of taverns by bouncers, and in the afternoon, people from different classes would gather in coffeehouses to have animated discussions.

In the 19th century, the aristocracy had become a thing of the past, and the monarchical system had gone bankrupt. However, the poor who had been exploited by the aristocratic rentier class did not rejoice for long before they were confronted with the capitalist era.

Chen Ke knew of the world’s changes 200 years in the future, where labor income continuously decreased while asset appreciation yields steadily increased; in the end, the wealthy would get wealthier, and the poor poorer.

The greatest wealth in this world wasn’t currency, but rather the power to control others’ time and skills, to seize the value of others’ labor. Currency was just a meaningless symbol, a perfect lie.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Jacob tapped Chen Ke and passed him a bottle of beer.

It was already 6 p.m., and Chen Ke and Jacob were sitting on a bench in a small park, listlessly staring at the lake before them.

Chen Ke took the dark green beer bottle, tilted his head back, and took a gulp; the beer completely disappeared after passing his throat.

Jacob picked up a stone and tossed it toward the lake surface; the little stone skittered three times across the surface before sinking into the water.

"Don’t worry, Chen Ke, gathering information takes time, sometimes you have to wait many days." Jacob turned back, looking at Chen Ke.

Chen Ke didn’t respond; he just nodded symbolically and sighed deeply, aware that Jacob could never understand the importance of time to him.

Although waiting a few more days wouldn’t cause Chen Ke to drop dead, as things stood, the longer he waited, the less likely it was he’d find Xu Jing, and the more likely it was that the other Chen Ke would leave this era.

"Your children, could you ask them to keep an eye out for... my partner?" Chen Ke asked.

"Finding someone from Fei Huang Republic in Langdon isn’t hard. If they find anything, they’ll tell me. Actually, you think Mr. Dickens just happened to bump into you a second time at the café by coincidence?" Jacob laughed.

"You were following me?" Chen Ke was startled.

"Not really, but you know, it’s rare to see Fei Huang Republic’s face in Langdon, and not as a laborer, at that. And Dickens mentioned that the first time he met you, his curiosity was piqued," Jacob explained.

"His curiosity is too strong; it’s going to get him killed," Chen Ke said. Suddenly, he felt something was off and abruptly turned his head to look at Jacob.

"Hmm? What did you think of?" asked Jacob.

"Fei Huang... Republic? They had a republic by 1859?" Chen Ke asked.

"Well, that’s beyond me. The place you come from... Should be... quite different from ours, right?" Jacob countered.

"That’s hard to explain to you," Chen Ke took a deep breath.

"I can kinda tell, you’re not from around here," Jacob gestured, meaning that the two of them weren’t from the same time-space; but with his limited level of education, it was difficult for him to describe such things.

"Jacob, knowing too much isn’t a good thing, and you seem to live quite happily... I think that’s quite good," Chen Ke shook his head, not wishing to tell him about the matters of time.

"I’m kind of blunt; frankly, I’m not all that surprised either, considering there are plenty of odd things in this world," Jacob spread his hands.

He stepped onto the bench and sat on the back of the chair, pulling a top hat from his chest and putting it on, no longer engaging in conversation with Chen Ke, seemingly lost in thought.

"Jacob! Jacob!"

At the park entrance, a kid called out while running towards Chen Ke and Jacob.

Jacob hopped off the bench, and Chen Ke turned to look at the child.

"Did you find anything, Robert?" Jacob squatted in front of the kid and asked.

"We followed your orders and observed the town for a day. Out of the four Mr. Edwards, two are not in Langdon," Robert shook his head.

"Which four Edwards exactly?" Chen Ke asked curiously.

"Baron Mox’s social circle is not small, but he has a more private circle of friends, maybe I never mentioned it to you... Mr. Sean, Mox, and a few other gentlemen, they... formed a Swapping Wife Club," Jacob said with his arms crossed.

"These lords sure know how to have fun, no wonder Sean gave the diamonds to Mox..." Chen Ke shook his head.

"The four Edwards known to Baron Mox are not all doctors; the only ones currently in town are Edward Howard and Edward Norton," Robert added.

"Why aren’t the other two in town?" Chen Ke asked. If those two took the diamonds and left Langdon, things could get complicated.

"The other two Mr. Edwards left Langdon two weeks ago, apparently to deal with some business issues," Robert replied.

"It looks like you don’t have to worry anymore, you know what I mean," Jacob said.

Chen Ke nodded; since he had been dead for a week, if they had left two weeks ago, it had nothing to do with him.

"What about the other two? What did you find?" Chen Ke inquired further.

"Tonight, Sir Edward Norton is hosting a private party at his house, inviting many diamond appraisers. Maybe your diamonds are there," Robert said.

"You see, Chen Ke, we’re in luck. Since he’s inviting diamond appraisers to his private party, it’s obvious your diamonds must be with him," Jacob said with a smile.

"Wait a second... what about the other Mr. Edward?" Chen Ke asked.

"Mr. Howard hasn’t done much recently, but we all know he’s quite fond of Baron Mox’s wife," Robert said.

"Maybe they were planning to swap wives for fun? Howard didn’t have anything noteworthy going on this week?" Chen Ke probed further.

"Um... let me think. The newsboy on North Street seemed to have told me Mr. Howard likes collecting antiques, and he got a set of black knight armor a few days ago, and he’s been staying indoors ever since..." Robert said.

"Tonight we’ll pay a visit to Howard’s place," Chen Ke stood up and decided on the spot.

"Are you sure? Aren’t you looking for... the diamonds?" Jacob asked, surprised.

"Perhaps at Sir Howard’s house, we might find something even more interesting," Chen Ke said.