Although the atmosphere had reached the point of tension, they still sat down together to eat breakfast. During the meal, the agent was continuously observing them.
Strangely, Aunt Kane's way of eating didn't resemble that of someone impoverished. Although she looked somewhat old and dressed simply, and her words were not very refined, from some detailed small gestures, it could be seen she wasn't like a small-town girl but rather resembled a wealthy girl from a big city.
Kate obviously noticed this too because she was also a wealthy girl. She was Batman's cousin, and her mother and Batman's mother, Martha, both came from the Kane family, which was once one of the Four Great Families of Gotham. People who received etiquette education from an early age have habits that are hard to change.
For instance, while Kate and Aunt Kane were having soup, their spoons scooped outwardly, meaning from their direction towards the opposite direction, rather than, like many people's habits, scooping from the outside in.
This rule is said to originate from Middle Ages noble banquets, possibly originating from the Spanish region. It's unclear why it was done this way, as it's untraceable. There is speculation that it was to prevent the spoon from touching the vessel and making an ungraceful sound, but it's not definitive, and there is no more plausible explanation. It only circulated within a very small range, seemingly brought to America by Irish Catholic missionaries. Except for those very old and conservative Catholic families, no one does this anymore.
Coincidentally, Irish missionaries were among the first to land on the East Coast of the United States, so this etiquette was also passed down to Gotham's upper-class society, which Bruce Wayne and Kate Kane both belonged to.
The problem is, Siv Town should be a western city, and it's not really coastal, considered an inland city, and it's very small, with an economically backward appearance. It's impossible for such a place to have any respectable upper-class people.
This suggests that Aunt Kane might be from the East Coast, and possibly from a large city over there, like New York, Chicago, or Boston. But why did she marry into this small city, and why didn't she return home after her husband died, no one knows.
To say it's for her daughter doesn't make sense at all. When they first arrived, Aunt Kane's eyes were almost glued to Shiller. She saw that Shiller was a wealthy man and wanted to introduce her daughter to him, proving she wanted her daughter to marry high.
But in such a remote little town, how could any truly wealthy people come? Even being in the West, wouldn't people go to Los Angeles for a vacation? If she wanted her daughter to marry well, she must take her to a big city. Her daughter is nineteen, not a newborn, this rundown house is of no value, so why not return to her hometown together?
Realizing that Aunt Kane's background might be a clue, the agent started probing again. He used his advantageous position to pretend to be very interested in Linda, asking questions endlessly.
Amazingly, Aunt Kane responded quite well. Despite her initial eagerness, seemed somewhat unashamed, and at this moment, she didn't over-praise herself, implying with words like "Kane family's granddaughter."
Once these words were out, the agent understood that the Kane family was a big family here too, even a granddaughter would be considered a good lineage. The omission of mentioning her husband's family indicates her husband was likely a local, unknown, and impoverished.
This was even stranger: a wealthy girl from a big city on the East Coast marries into such a remote place and doesn't return home after her husband dies; how much hatred must there be with her original family?
But considering her attitude towards her own niece, it might indeed be that she was unhappy with her family.
The breakfast ended amidst an atmosphere of hidden agendas. Kate insisted on taking Peter to see a doctor, Peter appeared helpless, but Shiller knew perfectly well they had planned it, with one playing the tough role, and the other gentle.
And his sneaky act of taking medicine wasn't discovered by Aunt Kane. Hunting, though still slightly weak, had improved greatly, whereas the agent's left arm could barely be lifted.
Fortunately, they didn't need to do any physical labor now, which could be hidden well. Soon, Aunt Kane proposed letting Linda take them for a tour to see the creek and waterfall.
Coincidentally, Shiller wanted to use this opportunity to familiarize himself with the town's layout, understand where that frightening box came from that scared them, and what secrets the town held.
Linda wore a denim dungaree dress, her hair was braided into two thick braids, and she walked silently ahead. Both Shillers followed behind her, pretending to be interested in sightseeing.
Since they hadn't driven over, they had to walk, but fortunately, the town wasn't large, they walked for over twenty minutes to enter the forest. Passing through a dense forest, a stream appeared in front of them.
This was a north-high, south-low canyon, the stream happened to flow through the middle of the canyon, and there was a small waterfall upstream. Around it were many deciduous trees already bare, but there were still many evergreen pine trees, making the scenery quite nice.
Walking upstream, the agent attempted to chat with Linda. He said, "There ought to be a lot of anadromous fish here, right? It must be a great place for fishing, have you ever fished?"
Linda silently shook her head.
"Then you really should try it; fishing is quite fun. Before, I caught a particularly big salmon on Loch Lomond in Scotland."
"During the spawning season?" Linda asked.
The agent was slightly taken aback, nodded, and said, "That's right. During that time, fish are more in need of food, making it easier to catch them. I admit fishing at that time was indeed simpler. But I'm not a professional, just someone who enjoys the fun."
"It indeed is very enjoyable," Linda said.
The agent felt somewhat baffled. Linda's tone when saying this seemed odd, conveying a kind of eerie smile, but the agent didn't understand what was so funny about catching salmon.
Linda had very few physical movements and spoke very little, resulting in an insufficient behavioral analysis sample. The agent had to continue: "You must have quite a lot of fish here. There should be a fishing tackle shop in town; later we can browse around, maybe buy a fishing rod or so. You don't need a permit to fish here, do you?"
"No," Linda replied, "but we don't have a fishing tackle shop."
"Alright." The agent wasn't really intending to fish; he was just trying to get her to talk.
"But I can make you a fishing rod," Linda said, "tell me what kind you want, and I can make it for you."
The agent said with some surprise, "Didn't you say you'd never fished before? Can you make a fishing rod?"
"I've never fished, but I'm good at handicrafts. My dad was a carpenter, and he taught me everything he knew. I've made furniture for many people, so a simple wooden fishing rod shouldn't be a problem."
"Alright, so what materials do you need? Those two friends who brought us here came from Siv City. They should be able to get things that we don't have in the town."
"Just prepare the fishing line," Linda said.
The agent nodded. This was quite a pleasant surprise, not only did he learn about her father's former profession, but he also gained a new tool. Although it's unclear what use a fishing rod would be, building a good relationship with Linda wouldn't hurt.
He planned to find the Henry Chao duo later; these two certainly hadn't left. It was obvious to the agent that they hadn't just stumbled upon this town, but had come here purposely.
Arriving at the bottom of the waterfall, Linda suddenly pointed at the splashing water and said, "There are a lot of fish there."
"Ah, yes, because the waterfall oxygenates the water. It means there's a higher oxygen level there, so many fish go there to breathe."
"Do fish need to breathe?"
"Of course, their gills are meant to filter the air. In water with higher oxygen content, fish gather. This is indeed a good fishing spot."
"Can you teach me to fish?"
"Sure, I can. Fishing isn't hard, as long as there's a school of fish, you can easily catch a lot."
"Can I catch salmon?"
"Not necessarily. Your water systems might not have salmon. However, the water systems on the West Coast do, so there might be some here as well."
"When do salmon spawn?"
"Usually in winter, which is now."
The agent noticed Linda smiling again, a genuine yet somewhat eerie smile. Kate wasn't wrong; her niece might indeed be crazy.
After enjoying the natural scenery, it was time to take a stroll through the town. This town really wasn't big, and it could be fully explored in a short time. However, what puzzled the agent was that the town lacked many essential facilities.
"Do you not have a police station here?" The agent asked, confused. It's known that during the West's expansion, the first thing built was a police station. A town's foundation relies on a police station. Without one, the state government generally wouldn't approve the town's establishment.
"There used to be one, but it was removed."
"Removed? Does that still make this place a town?"
"Perhaps not. It's been years since outsiders visited because the new maps don't have this town, only some old maps do."
The agent thought of the map Peter had pulled out earlier, which indeed seemed quite old. This meant that the town's establishment had been revoked. But without government funding, how were public services maintained?
Soon he realized: there weren't many households left in this town, most houses were abandoned, and the remaining ones were tightly shut, giving no hint of occupancy. In such a case, public services probably weren't needed; everyone had to fend for themselves.
However, the agent also noticed that this town used to be quite prosperous: on one hand, there were plenty of houses, and they were well-built; even the dilapidated old house that Aunt Cain lived in was made of stone, not the wooden houses of the new century. This proved that the previous residents here were quite well-off.
On the other hand, the town was quite well-planned, with various former conveniences located close together, and a small square that seemed to be used as a market. If there weren't enough townsfolk, such a place wouldn't exist.
Heading out of the town, there was a park built next to the downstream part of the creek, with a cemetery beside it. The agent specifically wanted to take a walk there.
This wasn't surprising, as in European and American countries, cemeteries are considered good places for relaxation and leisure, without any taboo, otherwise, they wouldn't be built so close to the town.
However, not all cemeteries are free from taboo. In European and American cultures, well-maintained cemeteries are considered fine and close to God, but disorganized burial grounds are not accepted. They are believed to be filled with souls of criminals and cursed by Satan; and neglected graves are considered unlucky, as they might cause the souls of the living to become Onryo. These kinds need to be avoided.
When the agent went over, he found that the cemetery in this town was surprisingly well-maintained. Although there were indeed some weeds and the tombstones were covered in dust, it still looked relatively tidy, with no toppled tombstones.
As they stepped into the cemetery, a flock of crows suddenly flew in from the East, landing in the cemetery in droves. The agent squinted his eyes. In the West, crows are usually seen as ominous. Was this an omen?