Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 50 Old Neil's Method of Repaying the Money (Third Update, Please Vote)

At 7:30 p.m., at the Moretti family's dining table.

"Klein, why do you need to arrive early, even as a consultant? Aren't the security company's emergencies more dangerous?" Benson forked a piece of potato from the beef stew, subtly bringing up the events of that morning.

Klein carefully spat out the bones from the pan-fried fish and answered preparedly:

"A batch of historical documents that need to be transported to Backlund immediately. I have to be there to count them and make sure nothing is missing. You know, those guys who only know how to swing their fists don't understand Old Fursak at all."

Upon hearing his answer, Benson, having finished chewing his food, couldn't help but remark:

"Knowledge is really important."

Taking this opportunity, Klein took out the remaining 5-pound note and handed it to Benson:

"This is the extra pay I received today; you should get some decent clothes too."

"5 pounds?" Benson and Melissa exclaimed at the same time.

He picked up the banknote, looked at it again and again, and said with a mixture of surprise and doubt:

"This security company is really generous..."

他1周的薪水是1镑10苏勒，4周刚好6镑，仅仅比这额外的报酬多1镑！

With that salary, he supported his younger siblings, provided them with a decent place to live, allowed them to eat meat two or three times a week, and gave them a few new clothes every year!

"Don't you doubt what I said?" Klein asked deliberately.

Benson chuckled: "I don't think you have the ability or the guts to rob a bank."

"You're not a liar," Melissa said, putting down her knife and fork, and answered seriously.

"I... I'm a habitual liar now..." Klein felt a pang of shame.

Although this was forced by reality, his sister's belief still made him feel melancholy.

"Today's business was urgent and important, and I played a crucial role in it...that's why it's worth 5 pounds," Klein explained briefly.

In a sense, he was telling the truth.

As for the £5 in funding that was about to be distributed—the money he had previously prepared to join the fortune-telling club—he planned to keep it a secret. Firstly, taking £5 home again would really scare his brother and sister, making them suspect that he was doing something illegal. Secondly, he needed to save up some money to buy extra materials for his studies as a "fortune teller" and his mastery of esoteric knowledge.

Benson took a satisfied bite of his oat bread, thought for a dozen seconds, and said:

"My current job doesn't require me to wear very presentable clothes, well, to be precise, clothes made of very fine fabric. What I have at home is enough."

Before Klein could offer any advice, he took the initiative to bring it up:

"With this extra income, we'll finally have savings. I plan to buy a few more accounting books to study more in-depth. Klein, Melissa, I don't want to be earning less than £2 a week in five years. Ha, you know, my boss and my manager are both full of shit, and their mouths reek of filth."

"A brilliant idea," Klein agreed, then followed up with, "Why not take a look at the grammar books in my room? It's a crucial factor for becoming a truly respectable person and earning a decent living."

Perhaps, before long, civil service exams will appear in the Kingdom of Rune, and preparing in advance will give you a significant advantage...

Benson's eyes lit up:

"I had indeed forgotten about this. Come, let's drink to a bright future."

Instead of drinking rye beer, he poured oyster soup into three glasses and lightly clinked them together with his younger brother and sister.

After finishing the clear soup, Klein looked at his sister, who was struggling with the pan-fried fish, and chuckled softly.

"Besides Benson's books, I think Melissa also needs a new dress."

Melissa raised her head and shook it repeatedly:

"No, I think it's best..."

"Save it," Klein added for her.

"Yes." Melissa nodded emphatically.

"Actually, if we don't care about the fabric and the latest design, it won't be too expensive. We can save the rest of the money," Klein said in an unyielding tone.

Benson chimed in:

"Melissa, do you really want to wear your old dress to Selena's sixteenth birthday party?"

Selena Wood is Melissa's classmate and best friend. Her family is relatively well-off; her brother is a solicitor and her father is a senior employee at the Tingen branch of Backlund Bank.

However, their so-called dinner party was just inviting friends to share a meal, chat, and play cards.

"Okay," Melissa mumbled, lowering her head, then forked a piece of stewed beef.

After a moment of silence, she suddenly remembered something and quickly looked up and said:

"Mrs. Shaw next door sent her a business card through her maid, hoping to make a semi-formal visit to us on Sunday afternoon, which is tomorrow at 4 pm, to meet our new neighbors."

"Mrs. Shaw?" Klein looked at his brother and sister in complete bewilderment.

Benson tapped the edge of the table lightly with his fingers, as if deep in thought, and said:

"Mrs. Shaw at 4 Narcissus Street? I've met her husband; he's a seasoned solicitor."

"A seasoned solicitor...maybe he knows Selena's brother," Melissa said with a hint of delight.

"We are number 2 Narcissus Street..." Klein nodded slightly and said:

"Getting to know the neighbors is necessary, but as you know, I still have to go to the security company on Sundays and can only rest on Mondays. Please give my apologies to Mrs. Shaw."

At this point, he thought of his childhood neighbors from his previous life, and the neighbors he lived with in the Iron Cross Street apartment building. He chuckled and sighed softly:

"A semi-formal visit...shouldn't neighbors get to know each other naturally and interact naturally?"

"Haha, Klein, you don't understand. You've been reading a lot of newspapers lately, but you haven't come across those magazines for families and women. They call families with an annual income of 100 to 1000 pounds the middle class, proclaiming them as the backbone of the entire kingdom, and praising the middle class for not having the arrogance of nobles and the rich, nor as rude as the low-income class."

Benson explained with ease and pleasure, "These magazines simplified many of the rituals of aristocratic interactions as a marker of the middle class; the distinction between intimate visits, semi-formal visits, and formal visits stems from this."

As he spoke, he shook his head and chuckled:

"Generally speaking, people who consider themselves gentlemen, ladies and young ladies of this class pay special attention to such details. Their visits to neighbors and friends, which take place between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., are called morning visits."

"A morning visit?" Klein and Melissa asked in surprise.

What kind of morning visit is a visit between 2 pm and 6 pm?

Benson put down his knife and fork, spread his hands, and smiled:

"I don't know why, I only looked at a few magazines that my female colleague brought, well, maybe it's because I had to wear my morning suit to visit..."

Originally, morning dress was a formal dress worn during Mass and gatherings, but later it came to refer to formal daytime attire, distinguishing it from evening dress.

"Alright, remember to buy some good coffee powder and tea tomorrow morning, and also get some muffins and lemon cakes from Mrs. Slin. We can't be rude to the neighbors." Klein chuckled, dipped the remaining bread in the gravy, stuffed it with potatoes, and put it in his mouth.

…………

The next day, Sunday morning.

Klein finished the last sip of his inferior tea, put down his newspaper, put on his half-high silk hat, picked up his silver-inlaid black cane, and slowly went out the door to take a public carriage to Zotland Street.

He greeted Rosanne, who had just finished her night shift and was heading to the lounge to sleep, and then descended to the underground.

At the corner, he encountered a member of the Night Watch team, "The Sleepless" Luo Yao Laiding.

This is a woman who looks aloof, with long, thin eyebrows, large eyes, and jet-black, smooth hair like silk.

"Good morning, Ms. Leighton," Klein said with a smile and a bow.

Luo Yao glanced at him with his deep blue eyes and nodded almost imperceptibly.

As the two were about to pass each other, Luo Yao suddenly stopped, looked straight ahead, and said:

"Ritual magic is a very dangerous thing."

Ah… Klein paused for a moment, and when he turned around again, he could only see the other person's receding figure.

"Thank you." He frowned and called out softly to Luo Yao Lai Ting's retreating figure.

Turning left, he soon saw old Neil in the armory guard room, and Bright, who shouldn't have been there.

"Let's go to my house. I've already collected the necessary materials, and Bright has agreed to keep an eye on them for me," Old Neil said with a smile.

Klein was immediately surprised:

"Not here?"

Old Neil, carrying the small silver chest, clicked his tongue:

"There is no space here to practice ritual magic."

Klein asked no more questions and followed Old Neil back to the ground. Then, the two took a public carriage and traveled to the outskirts of the northern district.

Old Neil's house is a detached house with a garden in front planted with roses, mint, and other "materials".

Upon entering, there is a carpeted porch with two high-backed chairs and an umbrella stand.

The porch leads to a spacious living room with light-colored wallpaper on the walls and dark brown flooring. A small rug with a printed pattern is placed in the center, along with a heavy-duty round table.

The round table is surrounded by comfortable benches, chairs, and a piano.

"My late wife loved music very much," Old Neil said casually, pointing to the piano. "The sofa and coffee table are in the living room... Let's set up our ritual magic in the living room today."

"Okay," Klein replied somewhat hesitantly.

Old Neil put down the small silver box, smiled, and said:

"I'll demonstrate a ritual magic spell for you first. Observe carefully and memorize it."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of parchment from a small silver box and drew strange patterns on it with specially prepared black ink that had a calming scent.

Klein looked at it again and again and realized that Old Neil seemed to be, probably, possibly drawing up a bill!

After Old Neil filled in the number "30" and the corresponding "pound" symbol in the corresponding position, Klein could no longer control himself and asked, with a mixture of confusion and bewilderment:

"Mr. Neil, what kind of ritual magic are you going to perform?"

Old Neil coughed twice and answered very seriously:

"I'm going to use magic to settle that 30-pound debt today."

"Is that even possible?" Klein's eyes widened, his mouth agape.

PS: Third update, please vote!

(End of this chapter)