Fantasy Writers 1860

Loia, Lothian, is an upscale residential area.

14-year-old Ryan is a newspaper deliveryman. His daily job is to follow his boss's instructions to pick up the various new newspapers and magazines that are published each day from a fixed location, and then deliver them to middle-class homes, cafes, public reading rooms, or similar places that have subscribed to them.

Ryan was chosen by his boss because of his good looks, education, and clean and likable personality, and was assigned to deliver newspapers to the respectable noblemen in the Loia district.

During this time of rampant epidemic, more and more newspaper delivery workers have contracted coughs and are unable to come to work. Out of desperation, the boss had no choice but to have Ryan deliver some other newspapers to the gentlemen in the Loia district, and then also deliver them to those who couldn't come to work.

In addition, the boss would give him an extra 5 guilders a day, which means he could get 11 days' wages for every 10 days he worked.

You have to get up even earlier.

Since noblemen read the newspaper as soon as they wake up in the morning, and now they have to take on other tasks, they will be too late if they don't arrive early.

Ryan set off early enough today; before dawn, he had already arrived in the Loia district and, as usual, began placing the familiar yet unfamiliar newspapers, such as the Imperial Guardian, the Times, the Art of Poetry, and the Mirror of the Motherland, into their corresponding mailboxes according to their address numbers.

He said he was familiar with these things because, as a newspaper deliveryman, he saw them every day; he said they were unfamiliar because he rarely understood what was written inside.

Although he possessed extensive knowledge and good manners, this was all relative to the people around him. Being able to read and write was considered "extensive knowledge," and being able to respectfully and elegantly address people as "Master," "Sir," "Your Excellency," or "Miss" was considered "well-mannered."

He knew almost none of the words in those newspapers, except for articles, prepositions, and a few verbs.

Even the words I recognize can't be understood.

After delivering to several homes, Ryan leaned against a pink and white wall to rest for a while, and took out a stack of Time newspapers to read.

Yesterday he overheard how to read the newspaper like the upper class, and now that he's resting, he'll give it a try:

"Yesterday, Congressman Wilson attended a debate regarding the establishment of an environmental hazard assessment (I don't recognize these terms) and related standard billing procedures. During the questioning session with the spiritual lord, Congressman Wilson performed poorly and ultimately split in the schism chamber. The proposal still failed to pass and could not proceed to the third reading."

Ryan recalled the explanation he had heard yesterday and read the passage again.

"Yesterday, the whip instructed MP Wilson to attend the debate on the motion to establish an Environmental Hazard Assessment Commission and related standards. Faced with questioning from clerics in the House of Lords, MP Wilson performed poorly. In the end, the motion was voted on in the ballot box but failed to pass and could not proceed to the third reading stage."

So this is what these words mean in the eyes of men!

Ryan felt as if his brain had been upgraded, as if he had been enlightened, and his mind had suddenly become clear.

I overheard someone talking about this once when I was delivering newspapers. They said that people who get coughs do so because they inhale too many harmful environmental substances.

From what he just heard, Ryan understood that the gentlemen of the council were setting up a special committee to assess those environmental hazards in preparation for addressing the problem later.

Although we don't know what the committee does, and the bill doesn't seem to have passed, it shows that the gentlemen of the parliament have indeed been paying attention to this matter for us commoners and are working hard to make the empire better.

If even the gentlemen are like this, how can I be lazy?

As Ryan thought about this, a surge of power welled up within him, and he felt an inexhaustible energy coursing through his body.

So he stopped resting and continued working.

After running through the streets and alleys and distributing all the newspapers he had, Ryan looked up and saw that it was already broad daylight.

"Alright, this is the last newspaper for the Loia district. After a short rest, we'll deliver it to the Tannhäuser district." Ryan leaned against the wall and took out a copy of the "Lentinion Weekly" from his bag.

He hadn't seen newspapers with that name much, probably because he hadn't delivered newspapers to customers in the Tannhäuser area for a long time.

The Tannhäuser district is primarily inhabited by wealthy businessmen, entrepreneurs and factory owners, university professors, renowned writers and poets, high-ranking police inspectors, and actors—the upper-middle class.

The newspapers sent there were much easier to understand; compared to "Time" and "Mirror of the Motherland," they were simply easy to read.

He flipped to the jokes section—a section that serious newspapers didn't have—and surprisingly enjoyed the feeling of reading ten lines at a glance.

"I'm a cultured man too..." Ryan felt smug about this and continued reading to savor the pleasure. "In the first phase, we declared that nothing had happened. In the second phase..."

"Pfft—" Ryan couldn't help but burst out laughing.

He felt he had indeed heard similar things before, having overheard their conversations while delivering newspapers to those members of parliament.

Just then, the door behind Ryan opened with a soft creak, and a middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion, a plump figure, and some baldness emerged from it.

"What are you looking at so happily, little Ryan?"

He is Member of Parliament Leinster.

"Ah, Your Excellency..." Ryan was somewhat surprised, not expecting him to be up so early today. "It's just a joke... Your subscription to 'Mirror of the Motherland' has been sent to your email; I'll get it for you now..."

"No need, no need, I can get it myself." Councilor Lenster waved his hand and smiled kindly, as if looking at his own child. "What joke is so funny? Let me see it."

"Uh, yes, Your Excellency..." This is a congressman, and also a noble knight, so of course I can't refuse.

Ryan knew very well that no matter how kind and friendly these men were to him, he had to always maintain a respectful and cautious attitude and never take them too seriously.

I was just a newspaper deliveryman.

Congressman Lenster took the Lentinion Weekly from Lane. He had never seen this newspaper before and assumed it was for the lower classes.

A nobleman councilor is about to inspect a hospital, and local officials commission a famous painter to create an oil painting entitled "The Councilor Inspecting the Hospital" as a gift...

Seeing this, Lenster felt it was nothing special; such things were quite normal. His own home was filled with gifts from lower-ranking officials, and there was even a painting like this hanging in the hallway.

[When the painting was completed, local officials came to inspect it, and the result shocked them: the painting depicted a man and a woman in a luxurious bed, deeply entwined.] Upon seeing this, Lenster frowned, thinking to himself, "So it's just that kind of vulgar, obscene joke. It's definitely something for the lower classes."

However, as a model gentleman of the empire, one should be tolerant of the lowbrow tastes of the lower classes and not be overly critical. Tolerance and understanding are the hallmarks of good manners.

After all, people from the lower classes are inherently dull-witted and it is difficult for them to have the same sophisticated tastes as themselves.

It's definitely not because I like watching it myself.

"What is this? Who is this woman?!" the official asked angrily. "The congressman's wife," the painter replied. "And the man?!" "The congressman's secretary..."

Ryan stood to the side, feeling the relaxed atmosphere vanish suddenly, the air seemed to grow colder, and the silence had an inexplicable suffocating quality.

He glanced up and saw Congressman Lenster's face; his once amiable smile was gone, replaced by a visible distortion, a mixture of astonishment and anger.

"Where is the congressman?" "The congressman is inspecting the hospital."

This last sentence was supposed to be the finishing touch of the joke, the source of the humor and its soul, but at this moment, Congressman Lenster's face was as long as a horse's and as black as a coal miner's, making him look anything but able to laugh.

"Mr. Congressman..." Ryan began cautiously, trying to break the unsettling silence, "This...it was just a joke, please don't take it seriously..."

"A joke?! You're treating me like a joke too, aren't you?!" Lenster suddenly shouted, startling Ryan so much that his legs went weak and he uncontrollably knelt down on the ground with a "thump".

He had never seen the usually mild-mannered and friendly Mr. Renster so angry.

It's just a joke, why are you so angry?

After a long while, Lenster took a deep breath, as if trying to force down the anger in his chest.

He forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace and said to Ryan, "Sorry, I... I lost my composure just now, don't mind... it's nothing, it's nothing... it really was... a very 'novel' joke."

After finishing his sentence haltingly, Lenster slammed the door shut as if fleeing.

"Sir, that weekly magazine..." Ryan stopped talking when he saw the door slam shut with a loud bang.

He still hasn't returned that copy of the Lentinion Weekly to himself.

That was ordered by someone else.

What can he do now that things have come to this?

He's a nobleman, a member of parliament, and he's taking a newspaper from me for free. What can I do about it?

It seems I'll have to go back to the museum and get a replacement copy.

Ryan sighed and was about to turn and leave when he noticed the observation window on the door being suddenly pulled open.

Two and a half copper coins were thrown out from inside, landing on the stone steps at the entrance with a crisp sound.

Then the observation port was suddenly pulled shut again.

Ryan picked up the money, thanked the closed door profusely, and then ran away as if he had been granted a pardon.

Lenster slowly walked back into the house, his face completely drained of color.

He went straight to the study and threw himself heavily into the large armchair.

"Damn it! Damn it! How did they know my wife was having an affair with my secretary?! And while I was inspecting the factory!"