El alquimista de la serpiente ciega

# "El Alquimista de la Serpiente Ciega" by Ralph Barby

This Spanish-language crime-noir serial installment centers on the Half Moon, a notorious London night club functioning as a criminal underworld hub. Inspector Hastings of Scotland Yard seeks to demolish the establishment, suspecting it conceals illegal operations and provides access to ancient underground passages where people disappear.

The club, owned by scattered shareholders bound by unwritten codes, operates under manager "Velatorio"—a sinister figure who also runs a crematorium outside the city. The narrative details the club's two-level structure, basement gambling operations, and rumored connections to primitive medieval sewers beneath London.

The scene focuses on Laly la Gorda ("Fat Laly"), a gaunt, heavily made-up former performer now reduced to desperate circumstances, attempting to sell her club share to Velatorio. He refuses and dismisses her brutally, though she threatens to expose the establishment's secrets to police. The text emphasizes the sordid atmosphere, criminal elements, and the mysterious depths underlying the club's operations.