After confirming the plan, Zhou Mingrui immediately found his backbone. His fear, hesitation, and insecurity were all curled up in a corner.
Only then did he have the mood to carefully examine Klein's remaining memory fragments.
Zhou Mingrui habitually stood up and closed the pipe valve. He watched the wall lights slowly dim until they were extinguished. He sat down again, subconsciously stroking the brass revolver's revolver while pressing his hand to the side of his head. In the crimson darkness, he quietly "reminisced" like the most attentive audience member in a movie theater.
Perhaps due to the impact of the bullet, Klein's memory was like shattered glass. Not only did it lose its coherence, but there were also many areas that were clearly missing content. For example, where did the intricately made revolver come from? Was it a suicide or murder? What did the phrase "everyone will die, including me" in the notebook mean? Did he participate in anything strange two days before the incident?
Not only were these specific memories fragmented and incomplete, even the knowledge he grasped was the same. In his current state, Zhou Mingrui believed that if Klein returned to university, he would probably not be able to graduate, even if he had only left campus for a few days and had not relaxed at all.
In two days, I have to attend an interview for Tingen University's history department …
The universities in the Rouen Kingdom have a tradition of not directly retaining their graduates … My tutor gave me a recommendation letter from Tingen University and Baekeland University …
…
As Zhou Mingrui silently "watched," the crimson moon set in the west and gradually sank until a faint light appeared in the east. The horizon was dyed gold.
At this moment, there was movement in the room. Soon, footsteps approached the isolation door.
Melissa is awake … She's as punctual as ever. Zhou Mingrui smiled. Influenced by Klein's memories, he felt that Melissa was like looking at his biological sister.
However, I don't have a biological sister … He then lampooned.
Melissa was different from Baansen and Klein. Her early education was not completed in the Sunday school of the Church of the Evernight Goddess. When she reached the age of schooling, the Rouen Kingdom enacted the Elementary Education Act and established the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. They also provided special funding and increased investment.
In just three years, under the premise of incorporating many churches' schools, many public elementary schools were established. They strictly maintained the principle of religious neutrality and did not involve themselves in the disputes between the Lord of Storms, the Evernight Goddess, and the God of Steam and Machinery.
Compared to the Sunday school which only cost one copper penny a week, the public elementary school's tuition fee of three pence a week was quite expensive. However, the former only studied one day a week on Sundays, while the latter had to attend classes six days a week. Overall, the price was so low that it was almost free.
Melissa was different from most girls. She liked gears, springs, bearings, and other things since she was young. She was determined to become a steam engine mechanic.
Her eldest brother, Baansen, who had suffered a cultural disadvantage, understood the importance of education. Just like how he supported Klein's university studies, he supported his sister's dream. After all, Tingen Technical School was only considered a secondary education. There was no need for her to go to grammar school or public school to gain experience.
Last July, the fifteen-year-old Melissa passed the entrance exam and became a member of the Tingen Technical School's School of Steam and Machinery. Her weekly tuition fee was also raised to nine pence.
At the same time, the import and export company that Baansen worked for was affected by the situation in the Southern Continent. Be it profits or business volume, they had shrunk greatly. They had no choice but to lay off more than a third of their staff. In order to keep his job and maintain his lifestyle, Baansen could only accept more arduous tasks. He had to work overtime frequently or go on business trips to places with harsh environments, just like what he had been doing for the past few days.
It wasn't that Klein didn't want to help his brother bear the burden, but as a commoner who had been admitted into an ordinary grammar school, he felt strongly that he was lacking the moment he entered university. For example, the ancient Feysac language, which was the origin language of all the countries in the Northern Continent, was something that children of nobility and the wealthy had to learn from a young age. However, he had only come into contact with it in university.
There were many similar aspects. Klein had used all his strength, often staying up late and waking up early, to barely catch up to others and successfully graduate with average grades.
Memories of his brother and sister flashed through Zhou Mingrui's mind. Only when the doorknob turned and the door creaked open did he jolt awake. He recalled that he was holding a revolver in his hand.
This is a semi-controlled item!
It will scare the kids!
Also, there's also the wound on my head!
Seeing that Melissa was about to come out, Zhou Mingrui pressed down on his Sun acupoint and hurriedly pulled open the desk drawer. He threw the revolver inside and smashed it with a bang.
"What happened?" Melissa heard the commotion and looked over in puzzlement.
She was in the prime of her youth. Even though she didn't have much to eat and her face was thin and slightly pale, her skin was still glowing and exuded the aura of a young girl.
Seeing his sister's brown eyes looking at him, Zhou Mingrui forced himself to calm down. He picked up the item near his hand and calmly closed the drawer to hide the existence of the revolver. The touch of his other hand on his Sun acupoint confirmed that the wound had already healed!
He took out a silver-white vine-leaf pattern pocket watch from the drawer. He pressed the top lightly, and the cover popped open.
It was the most valuable item left behind by the father of the three siblings, the Royal Army Sergeant. But second-hand goods were second-hand goods after all. In recent years, there had been problems from time to time. Even after finding a watchmaker to repair it, it was still the same. This embarrassed Baansen, who liked to bring it along to raise his status, so he simply left it at home.
It had to be said that Melissa might really have a talent for machinery. After mastering the theoretical knowledge, she began to use the tools from the technical school to tinker with the pocket watch. Recently, she even claimed that she had repaired it!
Zhou Mingrui watched the cover pop open and saw that the second hand had stopped moving. He subconsciously turned the top, intending to wind the pocket watch.
However, after turning it a few times, there was still no sound of the spring being wound. The second hand remained motionless.
"It seems to be broken again." He looked at his sister, looking for something to say.
Melissa glanced at him expressionlessly. She quickly walked over and took the pocket watch.
She stood where she was and pulled out the button at the top of the pocket watch. After turning it a few times, there was the sound of the second hand ticking.
Normally, shouldn't pulling it out be to adjust the time … Zhou Mingrui's expression suddenly became dull.
At this moment, the distant bell of the cathedral rang six times in a row, distant and ethereal.
Melissa listened attentively and pulled the button at the top of the pocket watch higher. Then, she turned it continuously and adjusted the time.
"It's done," she said briefly and emotionlessly. Then, she pressed the top back and returned the pocket watch to Zhou Mingrui.
Zhou Mingrui awkwardly but politely returned a smile.
Melissa gave her brother a deep look, then turned to the cupboard. She took a toothbrush, a towel, and other things, then opened the door and went to the public bathroom.
"Why did her expression just now have a hint of disgust and helplessness?"
"The look of concern for her retarded brother?"
Zhou Mingrui shook his head and chuckled. With a click, he closed the pocket watch and opened it again.
As he repeated this action, he thought of a problem.
Without a silencer, Klein had committed suicide. Well, for the time being, it could be considered suicide. His suicide definitely caused quite a commotion, but Melissa, who was just a wall away, didn't notice it at all.
Was she sleeping too soundly? Or was Klein's suicide itself full of mysteries?
Click, open, click, close … When Melissa returned from washing up, she saw her brother's subconscious action of opening and closing the pocket watch.
Her gaze was once again mixed with helplessness, and she said in a sweet voice,
"Klein, take out the rest of the bread. Remember to buy new ones today. Also, meat and peas. You're going for your interview soon. I'll make you stewed lamb with peas."
As she spoke, she moved the stove out from the corner and used the remaining charcoal to start a fire and boil a pot of hot water.
Before the water boiled, she opened the bottom drawer of the cupboard and took out a can of inferior tea leaves like it was a treasure. She sprinkled about ten pieces into the pot, pretending that it was real tea.
After pouring two cups each, Melissa and Zhou Mingrui shared two pieces of rye bread with the tea.
There were no sawdust or too much gluten, but it still didn't taste good … Zhou Mingrui was currently weak and hungry. He relied on the tea and forced himself to swallow the bread while cursing.
After a few minutes, Melissa finished eating. She combed her black hair, which hung down to her back, and looked at Zhou Mingrui.
"Remember to buy new bread. Only eight pounds. The weather is hot, and too much will spoil easily. Also, lamb and peas. Remember!"
As expected of a caring brother, she has to emphasize it again … Zhou Mingrui smiled and nodded.
"Okay."
With regards to a pound in the Rouen Kingdom, Zhou Mingrui compared it with Klein's memory and believed that it was closer to the pound he was used to, which was half a kilogram.
Melissa didn't say anything else. She got up and packed the last piece of bread for lunch. She put on the tattered gauze hat her mother had left behind, picked up the bag she had sewn to carry her books and stationery, and prepared to leave.
It wasn't Sunday, and she had to attend classes for the entire day.
It took about fifty minutes to walk from the apartment to Tingen Technical School. There were public carriages that cost one penny per kilometer. The maximum fare in the city was four pence, and it was six pence in the suburbs. To save money, Melissa had to leave early and walk there herself.
Just as she opened the door, she stopped in her tracks and turned around.
"Klein, don't buy too much lamb and peas. Baansen might only be back on Sunday. Yes, remember that the bread is only eight pounds."
"Okay, okay," Zhou Mingrui replied helplessly.
At the same time, he repeated the word "Sunday" a few times in his mind.
In the Northern Continent, a year was also split into twelve months. A year had 365 to 366 days, and a week also had seven days.
The former was a result of astronomy, which made Zhou Mingrui suspect that this was a parallel World. The latter was a result of religion, as there were seven orthodox deities in the Northern Continent: the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of Storms, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, the Evernight Goddess, Earth Mother, the God of War, and the God of Steam and Machinery.
After watching his sister close the door and leave, Zhou Mingrui suddenly sighed and quickly shifted his thoughts to the luck enhancement ritual.
Sorry, I really want to go home …
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