After walking for a short while, the two of them saw a short, somewhat hunched middle-aged man at the end of the corridor pushing a heavy cart full of old clothes. These dirty old clothes were piled up like a small mountain, likely prepared for cleaning.
Slaut was pushing with some difficulty; he coughed violently as he pushed, having to stop and rest every now and then.
Seeing this scene, Durin's impression of Slaut improved even further; he could feel that the man truly loved these children.
That was why he was willing to do this arduous labor at Hope House as a volunteer to satisfy his spiritual needs.
Durin really couldn't bear to watch any longer. He immediately stepped forward, took over the cart with his strong arms, and turned his head with a smile. "Mr. Slaut, please take a rest! Leave this to me for now."
"Ah! Mr... Mr. Durin?! Why are you here?" Slaut, standing where he was, was somewhat startled by Durin's arrival. In his view, their interaction had ended with the last trip to the mines.
Ailadi, who had led Durin over, saw that the two indeed knew each other and felt relieved. She raised a hand to tuck a strand of black hair behind her ear and said gently, "Then you two talk first. I have other things to attend to."
With that, she turned and left.
Once the middle-aged woman's figure had completely disappeared, Durin wasn't in a hurry to speak. He first delivered the cart full of dirty clothes to the laundry room. After confirming no one else was around, he prepared to speak.
Slaut, however, spoke first. "Mr. Durin, you must have come to see me for a reason! As long as I can help, I certainly won't refuse."
Durin first pulled a folded IOU from his inner pocket and said apologetically, "Sorry, I've been too busy the past few days and forgot to return this to you. It's the IOU for the one gold cogwheel you borrowed from the Renault Chem-Tech Workshop."
Slaut was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "Mr. Durin, that paper is already scrap; it's not important at all! You should just tell me, what do you need me to do?"
Durin took a deep breath and said seriously, "Alright. I need to go to Piltover on business, but I don't have a pass. Do you know where I can get a pass to Piltover?"
"Then you'll just have to forge one."
Slaut replied immediately, "As things stand now, you can't get a pass to Piltover through normal means."
"Exactly, I want to get a fake pass, the kind that can fool the Piltover Enforcers. Do you know where I can get one made?"
"..."
Slaut fell into silence. After a long while, he let out a long sigh and spoke, "I'll give you an address. You can find the person who makes passes at that address; she has very broad connections... *cough cough*!"
"Basically... *cough cough*! She can handle anything. If someone stops you, take out this badge and show it to them... *cough cough*! You'll be able to get in."
After speaking, he went into a room to find a notebook and a pencil. He wrote an address on it, then tore it off, folded it into a note, and pressed it into Durin's palm along with a badge.
The note read: South District, 6th Street, Building 31, Room 604.
Having obtained the information, Durin helped Slaut wash all the dirty clothes the children had taken off in the laundry room in one go. Scrubbing dozens of tops and pants made his arm muscles ache, and his fingers were somewhat swollen from being soaked in laundry powder.
Because he was bent over washing clothes, Durin didn't dare unstrap the Darkin Harp from his back during the process and could only keep carrying it.
Slaut didn't quite understand this behavior and wanted to step forward to help unstrap it, but Durin quickly stopped him.
After more than an hour, Durin's lumbar spine was also aching slightly.
Slaut expressed his heartfelt admiration: "Mr. Durin, you are truly a good man. Zaun needs people like you so much."
[Favorability with Slaut +5, Charm +1, Current Proficiency: 5/25]
After all the clothes were washed, Slaut also urged, "Mr. Durin, you should hurry and attend to your business! It's already half-past three."
After hanging the last piece of clothing on the drying rack, Durin wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and said, slightly breathless, "With these chores done, you won't have to work so hard. At your age, you should prioritize taking care of your health."
[Favorability with Slaut +5, Charm +1, Current Proficiency: 6/25]
Under Slaut's watchful gaze, Durin left Hope House with the note and the badge. It would take nearly two hours to walk from the East District to the South District.
Finally, Durin arrived at a bustling indoor market.
The originally dark market was filled with hanging oil lamps, so even if it wasn't as bright as the outside, it was enough for one to see the scenes inside the market clearly.
AI Model: gemini-3.1-flash-lite
The market was clearly converted from an apartment building, with small, square box-like shops carving up the entire floor; those with money rented these small shops, while those without simply set up stalls in the aisles.
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