Lord of Mysteries: Taiyi

A rare sunset graced Backlund, the sun painting the smog a greyish-gold hue, giving the city a sense of hope.

Kurt looked at Ms. Hugh, who was still somewhat reserved, and smiled as he spoke:

"I'd like to go check out the East District tonight. To be honest, this is my first time there. Shall we head out now?"

Hugh glanced at the ring on Kurt's left hand and kindly reminded him:

"Aren't you going to inform your wife?"

She clearly assumed that Kurt was married, and it was impolite for a married man to accompany a single woman out at night.

Kurt paused, the setting sun casting its light on his somewhat sharp cheeks. He closed his eyes slightly, his spirits dampening, and spoke in a low voice:

"If it's still possible..."

Hugh was stunned for a moment. Her inspiration was filled with an extreme sense of loneliness and a painful feeling of depression.

She spoke somewhat hesitantly:

"Ah? I'm sorry, Mr. Kurt, I didn't know... Anyway, I'm sorry."

Hugh's voice trailed off, and he looked at Mr. Kurt with a hint of pity. He hadn't expected Mr. Kurt's wife, who looked so young, to have passed away.

I'm so damn mad, why did I have to do this? Mr. Kurt must be so heartbroken right now...

Kurt did recall some things, and subconsciously stroked the "divine gift," gradually calming the sadness in his heart.

He could roughly guess what Hugh was thinking, but it was indeed true. He was getting married in a month, and now he's telling me he's been transported to a mysterious world?! And his "hometown" was destroyed, even though it was right beneath his feet…

Then Kurt smiled and joked:

"It's okay. Although she really dislikes me talking to other girls, I'm a bit rebellious..."

"She'll forgive me too," Kurt added to himself.

Hugh nodded somewhat heavily and didn't bring up the matter again, saying instead:

"Where in the East District are you going to... open a school?"

After thinking about the address Bill gave me, I simply gave him a place name:

5 Dalavi Street.

Upon hearing the location, Hugh breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"I'm more familiar with that area; it's the territory of the Huili Party. 'Huili' means outlaws... but they're much more 'law-abiding' than the Zgman Party. As long as you don't provoke them, they won't bother you, although they might try to extort protection money from you."

Kurt listened and nodded. The original story mentioned this party, but he didn't know the specifics, so he listened patiently to Miss Hugh's description. When he heard about protection fees, he frowned, but then relaxed. There was nothing he could do; he was running the school in his own name and didn't have official protection.

"How much protection money do they usually charge, or can you stop them from charging protection money?" Kurt asked Hugh.

He paused for a moment, touched his hair, and said:

"No, I can probably only get them to give up the idea of ​​extorting you, and you'll probably have to pay about £1 a week in protection money."

Kutti nodded, stood up, picked up his cane, put on his half-length silk robe, and politely gestured for Hugh to set off.

Hugh Deere, examining Kurt's formal attire, offered his advice:

"Mr. Kurt, wearing this outfit in the East District will attract the attention of thieves and outlaws."

Kurt knew all this, of course, but he also knew that the East District was dangerous, and he had not prepared clothes suitable for the East District style and for storing spiritual materials and various talismans. For safety's sake, he would wear this suit that he had personally sewn and modified for extraordinary combat today.

He smiled and said:

"I believe in your fighting skills, and this is respectable."

Seeing Kurt's attitude, Hugh had no choice but to assume that Mr. Kurt had never been to the East End, but had only heard about the situation there.

She greatly admired Kurt's desire to open a school in the chaotic, dirty, and impoverished East End, but seeing Kurt's privileged family background and his refined manners and etiquette, she was not optimistic about this purely altruistic act. She wondered if he would continue to do so... However, this did not diminish his nobility; at least he was much better than those hypocritical nobles who only talked the talk.

She glanced at the ruby ​​ring again; it was truly eye-catching. She wanted to remind Kurt to hide it, but remembering his earlier reaction, she wisely kept quiet.

Seeing Hugh staring at the ring, Kurt smiled and put on a pair of black gloves. Although this couldn't offset the side effects, it could deter some thieves, as it would prevent them from recognizing the ring's value and make their potential gains uncertain.

Most thieves would wisely give up, saving Kurt the trouble of taking them to the police station.

Hugh observed for a moment and found that the suspicious spot was still quite noticeable, but she didn't ask, afraid that it would trigger Mr. Kurt's memories again.

……

On the public carriage, Hugh, whose boots were slightly off the seat, suggested to Kurt, for safety's sake:

"I left my weapon at home today because I'm going to the West End. Just to be safe, could I go and get it? It's near the 'Perfume Street' area in the Backlund Bridge district."

Although hiring a bodyguard was just to cover up his sister's act, he still needed to make it convincing, otherwise Miss Hugh might mistake him for a villain with ill intentions...

So Kut nodded and said to the driver:

"First, let's go to the 'Perfume Street' in the Backlund Bridge area."

"Miss Hugh, what kind of weapon do you know how to use? A gun?"

To keep himself entertained on the journey, Kurt asked a series of rambling questions, filling in some details of daily life that weren't mentioned in the original work.

Soon the carriage arrived near "Perfume Street". Xiu greeted them and nimbly jumped off the carriage, walked into a small alley, and finally returned to the double apartment she and Fors rented after many twists and turns. As soon as she entered the door, she saw Fors lying on the sofa, looking like a lump of mud, reading a novel.

Hugh, looking at the candle that was teetering on the edge because Fors had placed it close to the sofa for easier reading, asked with a dark face:

"Why don't you turn on the gas light? It's dangerous for you."

She walked over and moved the candle, looking at Fors with a puzzled expression. She wasn't the kind of person who would lower her quality of life to save money.

Fors wasn't angry that the candles were taken away. She tossed her light brown, slightly wavy hair and replied lazily:

"The gaslight broke shortly after you left."

After thinking for a moment, Xiu remembered that she had left home this morning, and asked again, somewhat without much hope:

"Did you talk to the landlady?"

Fors flashed a big smile and changed the subject:

"How did the interview go? I bet the moment they saw you, they immediately thought that employing child labor is illegal, and rejected you, right?"

She habitually teased her best friend.

Xiu sighed, strode into her room, and said:

"I've been hired, Fors. Now it's time to prepare the weapons and accompany Mr. Kurt to the East District to scout out the area... and confirm the situation."

"This wealthy gentleman offered me £1 for three hours, seven times a week!"

Fors strained to shift from a lying to a half-sitting position, and asked weakly:

"What's he going to do in the East District?"

Hugh, having taken the triangular dagger, walked out of the bedroom and replied:

"To open a free school in one's own name and serve as a teacher, in the evenings."

Fors paused for a moment, then commented:

"Fool. But his behavior is respectable."