Lord of the Mysteries

Cough!

Mike Joseph took out his handkerchief, covered his mouth, and coughed several times.

The smog in the factory district was thicker than anywhere else. The air was gray with a yellowish tint as though it was floating dust. Occasionally a pungent, suffocating odor that even Mr. Reporter, who was long used to the Backlund air, could not bear.

He turned to Klein who was also coughing softly.

“I’ve always been a huge supporter of the government’s establishment of the National Atmospheric Pollution Council and the alkaline industry inspector, but only today did I learn that the problem has become so serious.”

“If we don’t take effective measures, it may become a tragedy in the future.” Klein tried hard to clear his blocked nose.

Perhaps the whole of Backlund would be shrouded in smog that results in one’s vision not exceeding five meters, and it’s possible that an evil god would descend or be born in such a backdrop… he added silently.

Old Kohler didn’t quite understand the conversation. He cleared his throat that was filled with thick phlegm and led the reporter and the detective around the watchman and into a lead factory.

Most of the workers were women. They were working busily without any protection, and the factory floor was filled with dust.

Looking at the “tiny particles” floating in the air, Klein felt like he was looking at toxic gas. The young ladies without masks were like lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

For a moment, he felt as though he was back in Tingen, back to the time when he had helped Sir Deweyville deal with the grievance haunting him.

He seemed to have already witnessed the future of each and every female worker—some of them with throbbing heads, some with blurred vision, some turning hysterical, some with gums with a blue line, and finally, they either went blind or fell dead.

It’s like a large-scale, bloody sacrificial ritual. The only difference is that the target is that flashing symbol of money… If the Aurora Order, Rose School of Thought, and other evil sects could make good use of similar situations, just like what Lanevus did, there would be a huge problem… Klein covered his mouth and nose as he quietly watched.

Mike Joseph muttered in surprise and anger, “How can this be?

“How can they be like this?

“A while ago, all sorts of newspapers and magazines were focused on the issue of lead poisoning. Why aren’t they using any precautionary measures at all?

“They can’t even bear to use a mask?

“These factory owners are murderers!”

he so aware of lead poisoning? Right, I forgot. I had gotten Sir Deweyville to advertise the dangers of lead poisoning on the newspapers and magazines… It seems like he did it well, but for some people, what does it matter if one or two

senior journalist, Mike didn’t lose his reason. He quietly observed and asked a few workers who had changed shifts, then he left the

they entered one factory after another, but lost their mood to discuss anything when they saw the squalor of the place and the intensive

outside a factory.

happened?” Mike asked

Kohler was also

go over and

outside of the factory and blended into the crowd. It took him several minutes to get back

Kohler took

similar news before, and so he didn’t know

“This is a textile factory. They wish to use the latest textile machines, so the number of

and get their jobs back, or else they’ll probably not survive. Perhaps, the only

mouth. From the shape of his mouth, he looked like he was going to say “fools,” but he didn’t say anything in the end. He

back. I’ve pretty much finished my investigative interviews.” After a long

to walk out of

were about to part, Mike glanced

the lead factories who do not

problem, but some female workers might suffer from the hunger and cold while looking for other jobs, and

a disaster if too many factories are shut down in a short period of time,

no food or clothing, roaming the streets like zombies. They might lower the conditions of their pay in order to snatch the jobs of others… Who knows how many people in East Borough will lead an even more difficult life or die as a result. It would be a hell-like scene, and even if this world doesn’t have Beyonder powers, it would still bring about a huge disaster.

and six soli, he left the smoke-emitting factory district in

looked at the carriage ride into the distance but didn’t say

the lives of

multidimensional observation revealed a human abyss in front of his

few seconds and said, “Kohler, I’d like to ask you to help me keep an eye on the situation in

the money to build a relationship with the other workers.

Kohler’s eyes

“No problem!”

no mention of the price, and he fully

his options and said, “Every time we meet, I’ll give you 15 soli as funds and compensation. If you

Kohler blurted out

he was paid only twenty-one soli a week, or one pound