Mermaid Reef

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the rain stopped.

The storm left the city unrecognizable, and the streets were like ruins, filled with all kinds of garbage.

The atmosphere in the restaurant is terrible, the glass here is all broken, and the guests don't want to wait in the wine cellar, they send the servants or waiters to the hotel front desk to inquire about the situation.

Jason was the only one sitting by the window. He didn't mind the broken window and flying curtains. He had changed into a double-breasted black morning coat, knee length, and A beige waistcoat and an ivory shirt with a lace scarf.

Underneath the intricate lace ruffles, the two buttons of the vest can be seen.

The buttons are light pink conch beads, with delicate and soft texture like waves, shining magnificently under the lamp.

Gemil, dressed as an Arabian psychic, sat across from him, holding a glass of wine in his hand, the liquid of which was light amber.

The evil god seems to have taken an interest in this human odorant.

Gemil looked up at the book in Jason's hand, and confirmed through the cover that it was a detective novel that Jason bought when they first met in London.

"You haven't finished it yet?"

"No, I'm reviewing one of the stories."

Jason spread the book out and put it on the table.

The moment the cover touches the tabletop, all water stains, leaves, and dust are gone.

The desktop is as clean as new.

"Lion's mane?" Gemil lowered his head and read out the title of the chapter in a low voice in doubt.

This short story is described from the perspective of Sherlock Holmes, not the most common Dr. Watson.

"Do you want to try to be a detective and explore the banker's secrets?" Gemil asked curiously.

Through this answer, Jason confirmed that Gemil had also read the book in his hand.

Not surprising at all.

"...No, I'm sure I don't have that kind of talent." Jason picked up the book again and said helplessly, "Going back to the story of "Lion's Mane", don't you think it disappoints you?"

"You mean that humans will die if they touch jellyfish?"

"Lion's Mane" is a strange and confusing case that happened at the seaside. The deceased left an inexplicable last word, "Lion's Mane".

The back of the deceased was horribly scarred by slender whips. Just when the police locked the suspect and wanted to arrest him, the suspect was also attacked and had the same injuries on his body.

Finally, Holmes found that the murderer was a kind of highly poisonous jellyfish in the sea, which looked like a lion's mane.

If the reader is a human being, he will be very surprised to see the end. It is said that a discussion about highly poisonous jellyfish was triggered in the salon in London.

Many people don't even know what a jellyfish is or what it looks like.

Biology is a very fashionable topic these days.

Readers all admire Sir Doyle's knowledge, and Evil God, like human readers, has learned a lot of human knowledge from these detective stories.

The only exception is Lion's Mane.

Take Jason's reading experience as an example. He read with great interest until the end, and found that the real culprit was the jellyfish he dismissed?

--Are you serious?

Jason wanted to pick up a jellyfish on the spot, shake the water out of its body, and show Sir Doyle.

This brittle thing, sir, look at it!

Jensen found the library of the University of London, flipped through the books for several days, and finally determined that jellyfish are indeed highly poisonous-to humans.

"I know that human beings are easy to die, but I didn't expect that human beings are more fragile than jellyfish."

This is outrageous!

It took Jensen a long time to accept this knowledge, but Gemil accepted it well. He said slowly: "Not to mention the toxicity, some lion's mane jellyfish are big enough to make blankets, and they are enough to suffocate a human being."

Poseidon would not reveal that he had searched through seven books before finding the pictures to make sure certain human words were creatures he knew.

Jason mused and said: "If it's a small lion's mane jellyfish, it should look like a ball of fluff, not a lion's mane, unless it's as big as a lion, but such a jellyfish will run aground near land, humans Impossible to encounter it while swimming in the bay."

Gemil raised two fingers and said, "I suspect that the jellyfish that committed the crime is a member of an evil god. Look, it attacked two humans in a row."

Jason: "..."

Gemil seems to have not realized the difference between detective fiction and reality.

This is also a common symptom of Sherlock Holmes readers, thinking that the detective is real and the stories are true.

Just based on the time described in the novel, it is judged that Mr. Holmes is already in his 70s and has retired to the countryside to raise bees, so he cannot meet this famous detective in London.

Jason silently put away the detective stories.

He originally wanted to say that he had a hunch that the secret hidden behind that weird banker might disappoint the evil god.

——It's the kind of disappointment that puts a lot of emotion and guesses hard, but the result is unimaginable.

At this time, the hotel manager Mark ran in excitedly, and he announced an exciting good news. The train station was not seriously damaged. After the track was cleared, the train could start normally.

"We have already contacted the car... Yes, the road is so bad that the carriage cannot go. The car will take all ladies and gentlemen who need to take the train to the railway station."

The hotel manager struggled to read the train timetable.

"Ah, Mr. Bauer, Mr. Johnson is the Orient Express at nine o'clock tonight."

"No, I contacted a friend to pick me up at the train station."

Jason walked up to the hotel manager Mark and handed over a [-]-dollar franc note.

Mark took the money blankly, as if he remembered that the gentleman had lost expensive clothes in the hotel.

Jason turned and walked out.

The hotel manager shook his head. He looked at the money in his hand and confirmed that it was paid by the guest in the room on the third floor where the accident occurred. The amount was sufficient, but there was no separate tip.Thinking of the appalling room, Mark began to rejoice that it was a good thing that the gentleman didn't claim compensation from the hotel. Fortunately, the gentleman was in a hurry to leave.

Uh, you should be in a hurry to leave, right?

The hotel manager suddenly couldn't remember Jason's name. On the guest list in his hand, Mr. Bauer was the only one who took the train at nine o'clock.

The banker was resting because he was unwell, and the hotel manager hurried to the waiter to inform Mr. Bauer.

Nobody noticed that a name on the register at the front desk was fading into blurred letters, and no one could make out the specific words.

***

As night fell, the Calais train station was crowded with luggage-laden crowds, arguing and waving tickets, some of whom had already missed the train.

The loud noise nearly knocked the roof off.

A separate platform not far from the turbulent crowd was empty and almost invisible, surrounded by station guards on patrol.

A dark steam train stood on the platform, and the carriage was embossed in a handsome gold with the crest of the International Sleeper Company, surrounded by the words "Simplon-Orient-Express" in French.

The air was cool, and there were puddles of water on the platform, clearly showing some minor problems caused by the previous storm.

Dozens of bottles of expensive wine are packed in boxes, and fresh fruit, cheese, and marinated lamb chops are mixed with ice waiting to be carried into the storage room car.

"...Sorry for your late arrival, the tickets sold out before four o'clock this afternoon... It's all gentlemen like you who missed the train, so they took the Simplon-Orient-Express and will arrive in Paris tomorrow morning. "

"God, this is crazy, so expensive tickets are so popular? Or am I mistaken, there are not a lot of bankrupt merchants in France? They have gold in their homes instead of francs?" (Note)

The man who was asking about the ticket was getting angry, and suddenly he looked at a guy running past him in disbelief.

—wearing a working-class gray hat, a nondescript jacket, old trousers, and dirty leather shoes.

He took out his ticket, checked it with the station patrol guards, and ran to the platform quickly.

"When will such an inferior person be able to afford a ticket for the Orient Express?" The man who asked about the ticket was about to go mad.

Gray Hat grinned when he heard the roar behind him.

He passed the ticket over to the scrutinizing eyes of the train conductor in the neat uniform in front of the carriage.

"First class carriage, number 15."

"Mr. John Doe?"

The conductor couldn't help frowning, and looked at the gray hat carefully again: "Is this the ticket booked by Mrs. Caroline from London?"

"Yes, I have worked for that venerable lady." The gray hat man said in a relaxed tone.

The French conductor suddenly remembered who Mrs. Caroline was.

Isn't that the legendary woman who shocked the whole of Britain two years ago and ushered in the spring in the press industry in half of Europe?

It is said that there is an aristocrat in the Far East who is extremely wealthy and her admirer is John Doe.

Seeing the man in the shabby gray hat in front of him, the train conductor had a weird expression on his face. He could only gently remind him, "I hope you can change into decent clothes after you get on the train. We also provide shoe shine services for passengers."

Suddenly John felt something tap on his shoulder.

He was startled suddenly, with his keenness and vigilance, how could someone walk behind him and not notice——

The detective turned his head quickly, and what he saw was a clear sapphire set on the top of a beautiful hazel walking stick.

The cane now rested lightly on the detective's shoulder.

John's smile froze on his face, he raised his head stiffly, and sure enough, he met the familiar face.

"Mr. Johnson?"

With the appearance of a noble gentleman, those light blue eyes were full of curiosity, as if seeing a familiar kitten running by the side of the street, he couldn't help but stepped forward to tease it.

John's eyes turned to the figure in the Venetian mask next to him.

Although he couldn't see the expression, John could feel a curious pleasure that was exactly the same as Jason's.

The detective's expression management was out of control, and he asked in a voice that was about to collapse: "Why are you here?"

"Mr. Johnson and his friend, Mr. Gemil? First-class cars No. 7 and No. 8. It's an honor to serve you. I wish you a pleasant journey."

The conductor was in a trance after seeing the ticket. He compared the red cover registration book in his hand, and then completely ignored the strange mask on Gemil's face, and he didn't show any surprise at the passenger with only one name and no surname.

John: "..."

Here comes the completely illogical world that challenges the detective's nerves!

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The author has something to say:

Note: After 1919, the French economy declined, inflation was severe, and the exchange rate of the franc fell miserably. In 1930, the Great Depression in the United States spread to Europe, triggering a world economic crisis (with no useful background)

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There are many stories about first-class cars.

If you want to see what the Orient Express looks like, you may see the luxury first-class cabin in the new century on Baidu, the kind of scary picture of a luxurious big bed and a luxurious bathtub for one person in a whole or half a car (hello)

This kind of thing didn't exist in 1930, because the trains at that time didn't have so many carriages, and they didn't have that high technology 【Hello】

Usually five to six carriages

If you imagine it, it can be regarded as an upgraded version of the soft sleeper. Our green leather soft sleeper can accommodate four people in a box, and the size is similar, but it is a single room with a bed, a luggage rack above the head, a wardrobe next to it, and a small wash area , including a mirror and a washbasin.

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First class carriages, first of all single boxes, first class fare

There is also a special large box.

It is two individually numbered boxes, but there is a door in the middle, because both sides can be locked, so it can be sold to aristocratic couples who go out together (this kind of room is very similar to a noble’s bedroom, between the hostess’ room and the man’s room) There is a door), a good friend, but also can be sold to two strangers, as long as the door is locked.

In addition, there is also a double room in the first-class car, which is a bunk bed, which should be a second-class ticket.

Some people will definitely ask why the second-class ticket seats appear in the first-class compartment, because many passengers will go out with their servants, secretaries, and housekeepers, and these people need to provide services for their masters at any time.