Mystery: When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Chapter 499 symbolizes happiness.
The next morning, at Moretti's house.

Klein woke up from his dream, opened his eyes, and stretched.

I picked up my phone, glanced at the time, and then turned off the alarm.

He sat up from the sofa and straightened his clothes. He raised his right hand, and a golden scale appeared in his palm.

It was a golden scale, and in the center of the scale was a large, golden man giving a thumbs-up.

In this all-encompassing universe, morality takes form and gives him a thumbs up.

This is "the praise of lofty morality".

This is a reward I brought from this simulated universe; I don't know what it's for.

Hmm, he remembered that Russell also had a "contempt for lofty morals".

Putting aside his "praise of lofty morality," Klein stood up, and the living room lights automatically turned on.

He went to the kitchen, opened the cupboard, and wanted to see if there was any food inside.

White bread, jam, eggs, a little bit of meat...

They were all things that were easy to preserve, and the seasonings were scarce.

Ordinary families don't have that many kinds of seasonings or various cooking techniques. They can only pursue simplicity, practicality, and economy. As long as the meat isn't burnt or spoiled, it's good no matter how it is for people who only eat it once a week or even once a week.

Klein thought for a moment, closed the cabinet door, and turned to face the dining table.

“I’d like to see three bowls of wontons, two baskets of xiaolongbao, and three cups of soy milk on the table,” Klein snapped his fingers.

Then, he responded to himself and fulfilled his own desire.

The food appeared out of thin air, and both its appearance and smell were exactly the same as what he could buy in the old days before he traveled back in time.

Sometimes when he has a craving, he will put on a mask, make a wish to himself, and then use his ability as a recollection artist to recall a dish from the past.

Over time, his passion for food accumulated to the point where he could easily create things out of thin air.

After doing all this, Klein turned his head and glanced thoughtfully at the simple, semi-open kitchen and the cabinets with almost no ingredients.

Let's get the older brother and sister a new house. Hmm... Queens will do.

I hope there will be houses for sale in the Royal Palace area.

The aroma of delicious food filled the small house, and Melissa, who was about to wake up and was a light sleeper, quickly smelled it.

She groggily rolled out of bed and walked out of the room with her hair a little messy.

"It smells so good..." Melissa murmured with a hint of doubt before even entering the living room.

"Awake? Then come and have breakfast. I'll call Benson." Klein casually pulled out a chair.

As soon as Klein finished speaking, the doorbell in Benson's room opened automatically.

His blanket seemed to come alive; a corner of it curled up and gently patted Benson's face.

Melissa looked at Klein, still somewhat dazed.

I want to say something, but I don't know what to say.

She glanced at the table, then at the turned-on light, wanting to remind Klein not to turn on the light during the day, but then felt it was unnecessary to tell her brother, who had finally returned home, these things.

Klein noticed Melissa's worry.

“It’s alright, Melissa. You won’t be living here soon. I’m planning to buy you a house in Queens. You can move there then. It’s okay if the kerosene lamps here are a little extravagant.” Klein patted his sister’s head. “Besides, these things are going to be obsolete soon. It would be a waste if you didn’t use them up.”

“No need, we’re perfectly fine here, there’s really no need to waste money…” Melissa was startled by the name “Queens” and subconsciously ignored the second half of her sentence.

Queens is a place where nobles live, and even ordinary barons may not live there.

“Melissa, you may not have a clear understanding of the assets of a pope.” Klein shamelessly bestowed upon himself the title of pope on the spot.

“My current assets exceed £200 million, enough to easily buy three baronies, and that’s without me deliberately accumulating money.”

"Not to mention, if I were to actually ask, the whole world would send me money."

Klein was not lying; the value of an angel cannot be measured in money.

Although he is essentially only a Sequence Four, the mask's power allows him to forcibly move to Sequence Two.

More importantly, this mask has no cooldown period.

Klein didn't wear a mask every day, mainly so as not to lose himself.

Of course, there's also the reason that wearing a mask all the time would be very uncomfortable. I don't know how Serres manages to wear a mask on the side of her face as an accessory every day.

Although he could also simply house the mask inside his body as he does now.

However, this can also be tiring; to put it another way, it's like maintaining Kegel exercises 24 hours a day.

Benson yawned as he came out of the room, walked to the dining table, sat down, looked at the breakfast on the table, and sniffed.

"Let's eat first, we can chat while we eat." Klein pulled up a chair and sat down, taking the lead by picking up a small steamed bun with his chopsticks and putting it in his mouth.

Melissa picked up the glass of soy milk, looked at it, and took a small sip.

Benson touched the wontons in the bowl with his spoon, scooped up a piece and put it in his mouth.

Seeing that his brother and sister were adapting well to the breakfast, and sensing the "happiness" emanating from them, Klein smiled and said.

"Hmm, let me think. I'll buy you two viscount titles, and then leave you... 100 million pounds."

Benson, who was drinking soup, almost choked.

What should I buy? How much will it cost?

You're making it sound so casual; I thought you were talking about buying two Dipsy pies.

Klein also took a sip of soy milk and continued rambling:

"You can use this money to buy a manor in the suburbs and go there for summer vacations. You don't need to stay there during the year; just hire some servants to clean it."

“You don’t need to get involved in politics. This money is enough for you to live very well and keep you away from most dangers.”

"If you encounter danger, you can recite the name of Mr. Fool. Hmm... not the one in the church, I'll tell you a new name. You can think of it as Mr. Fool's private email address. If you pray using this name, Mr. Fool will notice you more quickly..."

"Klein, are you leaving again?" Melissa asked with some concern.

Klein smiled and poured chili peppers into the wontons: "Not so fast. I just wanted to plan and arrange things in advance so that I wouldn't be too late when I leave."

He recalled what the Trash Can Knight Rumble III had told him in the simulated universe.

"When I have the opportunity to make a choice, I won't let myself regret it," he said.

Although Melissa and Benson are frugal, they are by no means pedantic or misers.

After learning that Klein's wealth far exceeded their expectations, they accepted the money. There was no need for family members to go through the motions of refusing.

Klein smiled as he ate his breakfast, watching the two of them eat.

“Klein, was it you who protected us at home before the war broke out?” Melissa asked while taking small bites.

"Yes and no." Klein thought for a moment. "You can think of him as my alter ego."

The Spirit Worm, which forms the core, originated from a period of his life, while the Candy Knight, which forms the outer shell, was created directly by him.

Therefore, it is perfectly reasonable to say that Merlin Helmos is his alter ego.

“I guessed it right away,” Melissa said happily. “Although I wasn’t sure at the time, I definitely had that guess.”

"Really? How did you guess that?" Benson asked curiously.

He didn't see any flaws.

“The lamb stew with peas that Mr. Merlin taught you tastes exactly the same as the one Klein makes,” Melissa explained.

"Is that so?" Benson, who was not sensitive to food at all and whose personality was not very emotional, scratched his head.

He wondered why Melissa cried when he fed her that.

He still thought it was because his cooking skills were so bad that he wasted the best tender peas and lamb, which made Melissa cry.

Klein watched with a smile. Melissa also glanced at Klein, and for some reason, she had a strange feeling that there was a black cat tail gently swaying behind Klein.

“Klein, maybe you should find a girl you like and marry her. That would help relieve a lot of your stress,” Melissa suddenly said.

Klein's expression froze.

"Haha."

“And Benson, don’t laugh, you’re the same.”

"Haha." This time it was Klein's turn to laugh.

Time passed slowly, and breakfast ended amidst laughter and cheerful conversation.

About 20 minutes later, the three of them finished their breakfast.

Klein made a grabbing motion in the air, as if by magic, producing three circus tickets and three tickets to the play "The Return of the Earl".

“I think I missed two family gatherings, didn’t I?” Klein asked with a smile.

"I remember the first time was when Melissa sometimes wanted our whole family to go see 'The Return of the Earl.' The second time... well, you two went to the circus to see the clowns together."

“But you should have been there too, right?” Benson asked. “The one who gave Melissa the flowers.”

“Yes, it’s me.” Klein nodded. “But being a tourist and being a staff member are completely different.”

“The most important thing is that the three of you are together,” Melissa added.

“Yes, the most important thing is that we’re together.” Klein nodded in agreement, and Benson also expressed his consent.

“Let’s get going now.” Klein waved his right hand lightly, and the leftover bowls, steamers, and cups on the table disappeared, leaving the table clean and tidy, without even a trace of oil.

“This ability is really convenient,” Benson exclaimed.

Klein smiled and nodded.

"So where should we go now? To see a play, or to the circus?"

“Then of course we’ll go to the circus first.” Klein gestured with the tickets in his hand. “We just ate, so let’s walk around there a bit to digest.”

As he spoke, he distributed tickets to his brother and sister, two tickets each, one for the circus and one for the theater.

"This doesn't seem to be a real ticket, does it?" Melissa looked at the ticket in her hand.

There was no performance time, no performance address, and no name of the theater or circus listed.

“No, these are the tickets, the real tickets.” Klein shook his head. “There’s no time limit, because you can see it whenever you want today. There’s no location limit, because you can see it wherever you want, wherever you go.”

“Today, the world will revolve only around us, at least in Backlund,” Klein said.

Benson and Melissa returned to their room with some skepticism, changed into their outdoor clothes, and returned to the living room a few minutes later.

At this moment, Benson was wearing a black vest with a white lining and black trousers. Melissa, on the other hand, was wearing a light yellow-white dress and a sun hat.

"There's not much sun in October, and it might even be a bit cold," Benson warned.

“It’s alright, the weather is lovely today,” Klein replied.

As he spoke, he reached into the air and took out a golden Serbian daisy, which he then pinned to his sister's hat.

He pushed open the door, and the warm sunlight from outside shone in, falling on Melissa's face and giving it a bright golden hue.

It seems Klein was right; the temperature wasn't low today, and the sunshine brought warmth and a sense of laziness.

Klein adjusted his black, round-topped silk hat, then stepped out of the room and into the sunlight.

Benson and Melissa followed closely behind him.

Soon, the three arrived at the nearest municipal square, where they saw tents set up and a circus performing.

“See, I told you, we’re going to have good luck today,” Klein said with a smile.

Take out your ticket and enter the circus, where you'll find all sorts of lively facilities.

Clowns swarmed over, some performing tricks like riding on horse-drawn cartwheels without falling over, others crawling on giant balls, and still others throwing tennis balls into the air and catching them one by one with comical movements.

Melissa smiled happily, and Benson clapped enthusiastically.

Their emotions affected Klein, who was quite sensitive to them. He slowed his pace, falling half a step behind, and gently observed the man and woman beside him.

Just then, a small cart selling cotton candy passed by on the roadside not far away.

Melissa's eyes lit up. She grabbed Klein's hand, pulled him along, and pushed Benson. The three of them ran towards the cotton candy cart.

No matter what, little girls always love sweets.

Sunlight streamed down from above, illuminating the three of them.

The Serbian daisy pinned to Melissa's hat was also tinged with a light gold, shining like gold, symbolizing happiness.

…………

P.S.: I feel that slice-of-life scenes are much harder to write than battle scenes. Writing this chapter made me lose a lot of hair, but it's okay. After finishing it, I feel a warm feeling about the corpse spots.

I'm going back to school tomorrow. Although I can still write novels during class, I won't be able to use voice input or a computer, so it will be very slow. I'll go back to updating in the evening.

Finally, it's the end of the month, please vote with your monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)