Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1008 Victor’s Box

"Yes, we get a lot of precipitation here in both winter and summer, especially in winter."

Dorothy said while Princess Margaret was eagerly observing the street scene, and Dorothy instead was observing Princess Margaret:

"Miss Mary, how is the winter in Velindale different from here?"

Princess Margaret remembered that her companion was a female writer, so she tried to make her answer more elegant:

"Winter in Velindale is completely different from Tobesk, it’s not a matter of cold versus cold, but more like..."

Shard, walking ahead, listened to the conversation between the two princesses, wanting to laugh but somewhat afraid to.

The two artsy young women continued discussing the winter scenery of Tobesk, and Dorothy would occasionally mention the detective stories she had written about Shard. As they approached their destination, the "Cameron Woolen Mill," Shard also joined the conversation, mentioning that not all the cases he took on were related to mysterious events.

"At least this time I think it’s just an ordinary case, but I wonder which con artist dared to try something like this in the capital of Draleon."

Shard said this as the three watched a carriage hastily pass by at the intersection, and across the T-junction was the walled-off woolen mill. Thick steam pipes pierced through holes at the base of the wall into the yard, and inside the walls, chimneys spewed black smoke towards the sky shrouded in gray fog, with the air smelling more acrid and burnt.

From the factory’s fenced gate, one could see porters in unseasonably short clothing laboriously pushing wheelbarrows to transport goods, and further inside the factory, countless female workers were still hard at work.

"Only when you see the steam factory do you realize that Tobesk and Velindale are not all that different."

Princess Margaret said softly, then her attention was caught by two children running past on the street. They weren’t kids from the slums near the factory but rather a pair of twins guarded by three male servants, dressed in well-fitted coats and neatly groomed hair, passing by the steam factory’s gate, while a beggar huddled against the wall only glanced at them before lowering his head, motionless.

"After all, they’re both from the same era."

Dorothy said, then glanced at Shard. The outlander’s gaze lingered on the black smoke, looking out at the gray fog-covered sky, and every time he saw such a scene, he felt the world seemed remarkably real.

Luckily, Mr. Jimmy Cameron was indeed inside the factory. Such private factories generally didn’t allow entry, but Shard had some reputation in the city, and after presenting his card, someone soon led the three into the white building on the factory’s east side.

When they met Mr. Jimmy Cameron, he was sitting at a desk in a sunlit room, seemingly accounting. But upon closer inspection, the book he had put down was clearly the knight’s novel "The Lady in Long Boots."

"Are you Hamilton Detective?"

After the four sat down, Mr. Cameron instructed his servant to prepare tea. He wasn’t particularly interested in the two ladies accompanying Shard, but eagerly reached out to shake hands with Shard:

"I’ve heard of you for a long time. May I ask what brings you to me? Is it related to a female worker in the factory and the case you’re investigating?"

He, like his brother, seemed to be a detective novel enthusiast:

"Let me guess, is there a serial murder case in the city, and one of my factory’s workers sadly became a victim? Or did Riddlevitch Field commission you to assist with the recent high-profile theft investigation, and you ended up finding your way here?"

This stout gentleman wore a deep brown coat; compared to his well-kept brother, Mr. Jimmy Cameron’s hair volume was indeed worrisome. Since the two are brothers, the difference in hair volume must relate to their habits.

Shard let go of Mr. Cameron’s hand, smiling and shaking his head:

"No, no, it’s not that significant."

The servant opened the door and served tea for the four, even though this was a steam factory, Mr. Jimmy Cameron and the manager sometimes had to meet business partners in this small white building, and thus specially prepared tea leaves.

"This lady is Miss Dorothy Louisa, and this lady is her assistant Mary. They wanted to join me today to investigate something that might involve you, and they might record our conversation later."

"No problem, you can record it. But, what is it that involves me?"

Mr. Cameron grabbed a handful of his precarious hair, then revealed an awkward expression:

"I must state in advance, I am not evading taxes. The lawyer introduced by my brother said it’s a legal tax avoidance measure, not illegal."

Dorothy took out pen and paper but didn’t write that part down. Princess Margaret sat beside the blonde girl, with a faint smile on her face. She listened while observing the room; though the walls were a bit yellowed, the wooden floor was well-cleaned. Mr. Jimmy Cameron seemed to have good taste; while the furniture was old, the brown leather sofa and dark brown wooden coffee table matched well.

"No, no, as they say, only taxes and death are unavoidable, but I’m not here for a tax investigation."

Shard immediately shook his head:

"Here’s the thing, I’ve been investigating a mysterious kind of box recently."

He looked at Mr. Cameron, who showed a sudden realization:

"Victor’s Box?"

Shard didn’t know this name, as Sir Camelon had only referred to it as a "box" this morning:

"Do you really believe it can replicate coins and banknotes?"

To prevent any misunderstandings, Shard directly posed the question. Mr. Jimmy Cameron leaned back on the sofa, clasping his hands together:

"Although my brother, Baron Camelon, often says I’m good for nothing, I still have basic common sense. Otherwise, this factory would have closed down long ago."

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"When I first heard about Victor’s Box, I didn’t believe it."

Dorothy instinctively picked up a pen to take notes, but remembering that Princess Margaret was her assistant, she refrained from doing it herself. Meanwhile, it was only after the conversation began that Princess Margaret realized her duties.

"But later, I believed it. It really can print money. I’ve tried it myself. I experimented with both coins and paper currency, and they can both be reproduced. I even had someone verify it; the coins are real."

Jimmy Cameron seemed somewhat uneasy, but it wasn’t because he realized he might have been deceived:

"This shouldn’t be considered as counterfeiting the Kingdom’s money, right?"

"It’s not."

Shard shook his head:

"My client was also deceived. He wants me to investigate who is manufacturing and selling these boxes. I can basically confirm that this is a scam, so it’s not about counterfeiting money. May I ask, how many Gold Pounds did you spend on this so-called magical box?"

Mr. Cameron thought for a moment:

"100 pounds."

"How much money has been ’copied’ so far?"

"21 pounds."

Shard nodded:

"Have you ever considered that if the box is just a complex and ingenious mechanism box, the coins and banknotes you take out are just stored in a compartment? Once all the banknotes in the compartment fall out, it’s just an ordinary box."

Mr. Cameron shook his head:

"No way. The gentleman who sold me the box guaranteed that I could find him anytime if the box became inactive."

"May I ask, the other party is..."

"No, no, I can’t reveal that gentleman’s identity. He told me that this business can only be done by a few people, and it can’t be disclosed to more people."

Since Shard was conducting the investigation, neither Dorothy nor Princess Margaret interrupted. But hearing this, the ladies were also almost certain that this was a fraudulent case.

"Why can’t too many people do it?"

Shard pressed on, and Mr. Cameron, clasping his hands together, tried to recall:

"He said if too many boxes are sold at once, it would lead to a large amount of banknotes being copied in a short time. With the total amount of goods in the market unchanged, the introduction of too much currency not tied to the Kingdom’s Gold reserves would lead to more currency chasing the same amount of goods, resulting in abnormal price increases, which could even trigger an economic crisis."

He nodded seriously:

"So we can’t let others know about this wonderful mechanism freely. To maintain Draleon’s financial stability, we must keep this secret. Yes, all for Draleon!"

Shard felt that Dorothy beside him seemed to struggle to control her expression, while Princess Margaret was writing down, making it difficult to see her reaction.

"At least the financial and economic knowledge is somewhat accurate."

Shard gave a brief comment and then suggested:

"I wonder if I have the honor to see the Victor’s Box in your possession?"

"Of course, but right now that box isn’t ready to be used, Detective. You’re likely unable to crack its mystery."

Mr. Cameron said this and personally got up to retrieve the box, which was stored in a safe in the corner of the room.

The gear safe with a built-in small steam engine required two gear code rotations, one piston code push, and most importantly, a circular key to be opened.

And the so-called "Victor’s Box," stored in this intricate safe, turned out to be wooden. The box was generally rectangular, about the size of two average palms. The exterior of the mahogany box was not overly decorated, merely carved with some woodgrain into mysterious patterns of indeterminate meaning.

Although the box had a latch, Mr. Cameron did not lock it. After placing the box on the table, Shard and his two companions were drawn to it. With Mr. Cameron’s permission, they each examined the box.

The inside of the box was polished very smoothly, and it was easy to see that the internal volume of the box was much smaller than the box itself. Even the dullest person could guess there must be a compartment inside.

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