Chapter 98: Star of Ming Liang, Son of Morning

Chapter 98 The Star of Akira, Son of the Morning

Greenwich District, night had fallen.

Tuesday night, the sky was filled with stars.

And on the roof of a small building under the stars, Arthur was holding a nautical monocular toward a house across the street.

It was the rented house of Clayden Jones, the new sergeant of the Greenwich Police District.

Peering through the lens, Arthur’s reddened eyes saw dark shadows behind the curtains of the house.

Sergeant Jones appeared to be organizing his equipment, a sergeant’s knife, and a flintlock pistol issued by the police department.

In addition to that, Arthur saw the vapors of several necklaces and rings.

The view of the binoculars turned, and in the alleyway next to Jones’ rented house was Tom, dozing against the wall.

And on the second floor of the hotel next door, it was Tony who was giving Arthur a thumbs up, signaling that all was well.

And down the street, it was Officer Dennis Lloyd in his police uniform on his normal nighttime duty.

Arthur put away the binoculars and couldn’t help but marvel, “This thing I borrowed from Elder really works, the Royal Navy really does have a lot of good stuff hidden that I didn’t know about.”

And Agareth, who was standing beside him, was also observing the whole street with binoculars with great interest.

The Red Devil hemmed and hawed as he looked and waved at Arthur, “Come, Arthur, I’ll show you something good. Greenwich at night always reveals something different to me.”

Arthur took the binoculars from the Red Devil’s hand, and he couldn’t help but frown after just one look.

“Three men and a woman? They can play all they want, but they’d better not make a scene for me. I don’t know how I’m going to present my case to Scotland Yard if I make a case out of this kind of thing!”

Dang! Dang! Knock!
Midnight had come, and not far away the church bells were ringing.

Arthur glanced down at his watch, the hour hand pointed to twelve, the hunting season had begun.

The curtains in the Jones house were drawn back slightly, and from them a pair of eyes showed, as he scanned the street and watched Officer Dennis go away.

Jones let out a slight breath, his ears ringing with the promise Clemens had made to him that day.

–When the Whigs come to power, you will take over the Greenwich Police District from Arthur Hastings.

Jones clenched his fists and muttered under his breath, “Life, death, riches and honor are at stake.”

His wife sat on the edge of the bed looking at him with some concern: “Clayden, are you …… you okay?”

Jones turned around and looked at the three children lying on the bed who had fallen asleep, and smiled again as he sat next to his wife and touched her face.

“Don’t worry, I’m going out, I’ll be back soon.”

The wife asked, “But …… now the time is so late, you go out to do what? Clayden, didn’t you say that the Bureau granted you a leave of absence? You should be recuperating from such a serious injury.”

Jones was also a bit moved when he heard this, and he pursed his lips and smiled, “Being injured is a small thing, making money is a big thing. I’m going to buy you nice new clothes so that you can live like a real noblewoman. The children will also start school soon, I have to save up some tuition for them, I ……”

When Mrs. Jones heard this, she couldn’t help but raise her hand to cover his mouth, “Clayden, stop it, I beg you, stop it.”

She pleaded with tears in her eyes, “You have been taking money into the house for more than half a year, and I have asked the wives of other police officers, and they have told me that their husbands do not take as much as you do. Clayden, you tell me, you …… you tell me the truth, what the hell have you been doing for the last six months?”

Officer Jones heard this and also fell silent, he looked at his tearful wife and took her in his arms.

“Honey, I couldn’t help it. I want us all to have a good life, but the price of having a good life is that I need to do things that no one else dares to do. That’s the way the world is, if you don’t eat people, they’ll eat you.”

Mrs. Jones shook her head as she lifted her tear-stained face and cupped her husband’s face.

She always felt that this face was so familiar and yet so strange.

“Clayden, you’ve grown a beard, you never used to look like that. I remember when we lived in the country and you were a healthy, sunny lad.

We lived a tight life, worrying about tomorrow’s meal every day, but back then, we lived a solid life, not like now, where we’re scared every day.”

Speaking here, Mrs. Jones tremblingly touched out a small mahogany box from under the bed, which was a token of love made for her by Jones himself.

Jones saw this box, could not help but laugh, “You still keep it?” Mrs. Jones did not speak, she just a little bit of draw out the lid of the box, inside the end of the seventy-five pounds.

She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said to Jones with a smile, “You can give these back to them; I haven’t spent a penny. Your salary isn’t much, but it’s a lot better than what we had before. Let’s start over, there will always be a good future.

Claydon, don’t go tonight. I don’t know why, but I’m feeling panicky. I don’t know why, but I’m feeling panicky. Why don’t you stay away tonight? Stay with me and the children. Since coming to London, they rarely get to see you when they’re awake.”

Jones saw the money, and looked at his wife’s face; he was plainly smiling, but there was always an indefinable pain in the smile.

“It’s too late …… all too late …… for them to leave me alone, even if I tried to get out of it.

But don’t worry, I will be fine. There are still a lot of big shots held above me, and there are big shots above the big shots.

Everyone is on this boat to make a living, they can’t just stand by and watch the boat leak, right?”

He stood up, intending to push the door out.

But before he could get out the door, Mrs. Jones stormed up to him and grabbed his hand in a death grip, “You’re not going anywhere today!”

Jones looked at his wife and just laughed and shook his head as he raised his hands and broke her fists one by one.

He whispered against his wife’s ear, “I’m sorry, honey, I’ve gone too far, so far that there’s no turning back.”

……

Arthur stood right on the roof and watched it all happen, the Red Devil had somehow managed to present all the scene dialog in front of his eyes.

Arthur had his pipe in his mouth, smoking slowly as he asked, “Agareth, what are you doing?”

The Red Devil looked at the bright white curved moon, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face bathed in moonlight.

“Arthur, isn’t that what you said? You want to know everything, and since you want to know everything, I will fulfill your wish. This one is a special service, no charge and no commitment from you.”

Arthur sucked the last bit of tobacco from his pipe and then snapped the ashes on the railing.

“The devil’s free business? Am I the first to enjoy that?”

Agareth just smiled, “That’s not true, except that this service, indeed, has not been available to anyone for a long time.”

Arthur glanced at him and didn’t say anything, just walked down the stairs step by step.

The Red Devil asked, “Where are you going?”

Arthur’s voice came out leisurely, “Fred’s Detective Agency, since Jones has decided to set out, I’ll just block him there in advance and save myself from running around.”

Agareth looked at his distant back and raised his palm, his fingertips were dancing with fire.

He looked up at the stars in the sky and muttered some words that only devils understood, seemingly setting up a question and seemingly like an answer.

The memories that had traveled through a thousand years descended into his mind again, as if he had some questions, and as if he was confused.

“O bright star, son of the morning! How is it that thou hast fallen from heaven? How is it that thou, who hast defeated the nations, art cut down to the ground?

Thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit on the mountain of the assembly, in the uttermost parts of the north, I will ascend above the high clouds, I will be equal to the Most High.

Nevertheless, thou shalt fall into Sheol, into the uttermost parts of the pit. And every one that seeth thee shall look upon thee, and take heed unto thee, and say, Is this the man that maketh the earth to tremble, and maketh the nations to quake, and maketh the world as it were a wilderness, and casteth down the cities, and bringeth not captivity home to his house?
Every king of the nations sleepeth in the glory of his own nether house.

But thou art forsaken, and shalt not enter into thy grave, but art as an abomination of a branch, clothed with slain men, pierced with the sword, and cast down to the stones of the pit.

And thou art as a trampled carcass: thou shalt not be buried with kings: for thou hast corrupted thy kingdom, and slain thy people: and the name of the children of the wicked shall never be mentioned.”

Agareth opened the parchment volume that was clipped to his armpit again, and he pushed up his monocle, muttering to himself.

“Come on, Arthur, show me exactly what choice you’ll make.”

Counting today owes 5 chapters, the state of the past two days is a bit poor, has been stuck in the text, but also and the book friends to apologize, tomorrow began to pay back 1 chapter a day, 3-4 chapters a day, and strive to pay back within a week.

(End of this chapter)