Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 24 Frugal Living

The golden afterglow outside the window darkened the room. Klein looked into Melissa's eyes and couldn't find the words to say for a moment, because none of the lines he had prepared were needed.

He coughed lightly twice, his mind racing, and said:

"Melissa, isn't this a waste of salary? What if Benson and my colleagues come to visit in the future? Are we going to entertain them in a place like this? And what if I get married to Benson and have a wife? Are we going to still have bunk beds?"

"You don't have fiancées yet, right? You can wait a bit longer and save up more money," Melissa said logically.

"No, Melissa, these are the rules of society." Klein had a headache and could only resort to general principles. "If you're getting a weekly wage of 3 pounds, you should have the dignity to match it."

To be honest, having lived in a cramped shared apartment before, he was no stranger to his current living conditions and was completely adapted to them. But it was precisely because of this experience that he understood more and more the inconvenience that such an environment would cause for girls. Moreover, his goal was to become an extraordinary person, study mysticism, and find the "way" home. In the future, he would inevitably have to perform some magical rituals at home. With so many people in the apartment, it would be easy for problems to arise.

Seeing that Melissa wanted to say more, Klein quickly added:

"Don't worry, I'm not considering detached houses, I'm planning to look at townhouses. In short, it has to have its own bathroom. Also, I like Mrs. Sling's bread, Tingen biscuits and lemon cake. We can start by considering places close to Iron Cross Street and Daffodil Street."

Melissa pursed her lips slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly nodded.

"Besides, I'm not in a rush to move. I have to wait for Benson to come back," Klein said with a smile. "Otherwise, when he opens the door, he'll be shocked and bewildered, saying, 'Where are my things? Where are my siblings? Where is my home? Is this my home? Did I come to the wrong place? Goddess, tell me, is this a dream? How come I came back after being away for a few days and my home is gone!'"

He imitated Benson's tone, which made Melissa's eyes crinkle unconsciously, revealing shallow dimples on her cheeks.

"No, Mr. Frankie will wait at the door until Benson hands over the apartment key. Benson won't be able to go upstairs at all," the girl said, mocking the stingy and greedy landlord.

At Moretti's house, everyone loved to make fun of their landlord, Mr. Frankie, whenever they had a chance, a trend started by the eldest brother, Benson.

“Yes, he wouldn’t change the locks for the next tenant.” Klein smiled and agreed, pointing to the door and saying humorously, “Ms. Melissa, how about we go to Silver Crown Restaurant to celebrate?”

Melissa sighed softly and said:

"Klein, do you know Selena? My classmate, my good friend."

Selena? Klein immediately pictured a girl with long, wine-red hair and deep brown eyes. Her parents were believers in the goddess of the night and blessed her with the name of Saint Selena. She was not yet sixteen, half a year younger than her younger sister Melissa, and was a happy, cheerful, and outgoing girl.

"Hmm." Klein nodded, indicating that he remembered Selena Wood.

"Her brother Chris is a solicitor and currently earns close to £3 a week. His fiancée works part-time as a typist," Melissa described the situation before adding, "They've been engaged for over four years and are still saving money for a stable and good life after marriage. They haven't gone down the aisle yet and plan to wait at least another year. According to Selena, people like her brother are usually like this; they generally don't get married until after 28. You have to prepare in advance, save money, and not waste it."

"It's just going to a restaurant for a meal, is it really necessary to make such a big deal out of it..." Klein didn't know whether to laugh or cry. After thinking for a few seconds, he said, "Melissa, I currently have a weekly wage of 3 pounds, and it will increase every year thereafter, so you don't need to worry."

"But we need to save money to prepare for unexpected events, such as when that security company suddenly goes bankrupt. I have a classmate who had to drop out of school because his father's company went bankrupt and he had to find temporary work at the docks. His family's situation deteriorated instantly." Melissa earnestly advised her brother.

...Klein reached up and covered his face:

"That security company, that one, has some connections with the government, um, it won't go bankrupt easily."

"But the government isn't stable either. After each election, if there's a change in political parties, most positions will be filled by different people, and things will get chaotic," Melissa retorted persistently.

...Sis, you really know a lot... Klein shook his head, both amused and annoyed.

"All right……"

"Then I'll make a soup with the leftover ingredients from yesterday. You go to the street and buy a pan-fried fish, a piece of beef with black pepper sauce, a small can of cream, and a glass of ginger beer. Anyway, let's celebrate a little."

These are all foods that vendors on Iron Cross Street often sell: a pan-fried fish costs 6 to 8 pence, a small piece of beef with black pepper sauce costs 5 pence, a glass of ginger beer costs 1 pence, and a small can of butter, about a quarter pound, costs 4 pence—you can buy 1 pound of butter directly for only 1 soule and 3 pence.

The original owner was responsible for buying groceries for the family during holidays, so he was familiar with the prices. Klein did the mental calculations for a few seconds and figured it would cost about 1 soule and 6 pence, so he directly took the two 1 soule bills.

"Hmm." Melissa no longer objected, put down her bag of stationery, and took the money.

Watching his sister take out a small jar of cream and a bowl of other food, and walk briskly towards the door, Klein thought for a moment and called out to her:

"Melissa, use the rest of the money to buy some fruit."

Many vendors on Iron Cross Street buy fruit of poor quality or that has been stored for too long from other places, but the locals are not angry about this because the price is very cheap. They can simply cut off the rotten parts after returning home and enjoy the delicious fruit. It is a cheap treat.

After saying this, Klein quickly moved closer, took out the remaining copper pennies from his pocket, and placed them in his sister's palm.

"Huh?" Melissa looked at her brother with a puzzled and bewildered expression in her brown eyes.

Klein took two steps back and smiled slightly:

"Remember to go to Mrs. Sling's and treat yourself to a small piece of lemon cake."

"..." Melissa opened her mouth, blinked, and finally uttered only one word, "Okay."

She turned around quickly, opened the door, and ran towards the stairs.

…………

A river flows through the area, with cypress and maple trees lining both banks, and the air is so fresh it makes you feel intoxicated.

Klein, who had come to handle the interview, carried a revolver and a cane. He stepped off the public carriage, which cost him 6 pence, and walked along the cement road toward the three-story brick building nestled in the greenery—the office building of the University of Tingen.

"As expected of one of the two most famous universities in the Kingdom of Rune..." Klein, who was visiting for the first time, exclaimed as he walked.

Compared to here, Hoy University on the other side of the river is practically rudimentary.

"Ha ya!" "Ha ya!"

As the shouts drew closer, two racing boats came rushing from the upper reaches of the Hoy River, their wooden oars turning in a neat and orderly fashion.

Rowing is a popular sport in all universities in the Kingdom of Rune. Even though Klein's family relied on scholarships to complete his university studies, he participated in the rowing club at Hoy University with Welch and others, and was a skilled rower.

"So young..." Klein stopped and gazed into the distance, sighing.

In another week, this situation will no longer exist, because school will be on summer vacation.

Following the tree-lined road, he arrived at the gray three-story brick house, registered, and entered smoothly, finding the office where he had been received last time with practiced ease.

Knock! Knock! Knock! He lightly knocked on the half-closed door with his finger.

"Come in," a male voice called from inside the door.

As Klein pushed open the door and entered, the middle-aged instructor in a white shirt and black tailcoat frowned slightly and said:

"The interview will last another hour."

"Mr. Stone, do you remember me? Klein Moretti, a student of Senior Associate Professor Cohen. You've seen my letter of recommendation," Klein said with a smile, removing his hat.

Harvin Stone stroked his thick black beard and asked in confusion:

"What can I do for you? I'm not in charge of interviews."

"Well, I've already found a job, so I won't be attending the interview today," Klein stated truthfully.

"I see..." Harvin Stone understood, stood up, extended his right hand and said, "Congratulations, you are a very polite young man. I will speak to the professor and the senior associate professors."

Klein shook hands with the other person, intending to exchange a few pleasantries before taking his leave, when a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him:

"Moretti, have you found another job?"

Klein turned around and saw an elderly man with a full head of silver hair, deep features, but few wrinkles. He had deep-set eyes, dark blue pupils, and wore a crisp black tailcoat.

"Good morning, Professor, Mr. Azik," he said hastily, bowing. "What are you doing here?"

The elderly man was Quentin Cohen, a senior associate professor in the history department at Hoy University and his mentor. Next to Cohen was a middle-aged man of medium build with bronze skin. He was holding a newspaper, had no beard, wore a top hat, had black hair and brown eyes, and had soft features. His eyes revealed an indescribable sense of vicissitude, and there was a black mole below his right ear that could only be seen upon close inspection.

Klein recognized him as Mr. Azik, a history professor at Hoy University who often helped the original owner. He liked to argue with his mentor, Senior Associate Professor Cohen, and their views often clashed. However, in reality, the two had a good personal relationship, otherwise they wouldn't have liked to chat together.

Cohen nodded and said in a calm tone:

"Azik and I are here for an academic conference. What job did you find?"

"A security company that finds, collects, and preserves antiquities. They need a professional consultant, £3 a week." Klein repeated what he had told his sister yesterday, then explained, "You know, I like exploring history, not summarizing it."

Cohen nodded slightly and said:

"Everyone has their own choices, and I'm pleased that you remembered to come to the University of Tingen to inform them instead of simply being absent."

At this point, Azik interjected and asked:

"Klein, do you know what happened to Welch and Naya? I read in the newspaper that they were murdered by burglars."

The case has been upgraded to a burglary? And it's already in the newspapers? Klein paused for a moment, carefully choosing his words:

"I'm not too clear on the specifics. Welch got a notebook from the Antigonus family of the Solomon Empire in the Quaternary period and asked me to help him decipher it. I went there for a few days, but then I got busy looking for a job. The police even came to see me a couple of days ago."

He deliberately revealed the "Solomon Empire" and the "Antigonus family" to see if the two history professors knew anything about them.

"The Quaternary Period..." Cohen muttered, frowning.

Azik, with his bronze skin and weathered eyes, was first stunned, then took a breath and rubbed his temples with his left hand, which was holding the newspaper.

"Antigonus...it sounds familiar...but I just can't remember where I've heard of it before..."

(End of this chapter)