He sat back in his chair until the cathedral's bell rang seven times in a row. Only then did Zhou Mingrui slowly stand up, walk to the cupboard, and take out his clothes.
He was wearing a black vest, a suit of the same color, trousers that were slightly tight around the ankles, and a half top hat. When Zhou Mingrui looked at himself in the mirror, he felt like he was watching an English drama about the Victorian era.
"I'm not going for an interview. I'm just buying some groceries and preparing the ingredients for the luck enhancement ritual …" he suddenly mumbled softly as he shook his head and laughed.
Klein was so concerned about the upcoming interview that it turned into an instinct. When he wasn't focused enough, he would habitually wear the only decent set of clothes he had.
After taking a deep breath, Zhou Mingrui took off his suit and vest, changing into an old brownish-yellow coat. He also changed into a felt hat of the same color with round edges.
After tidying himself up, he walked to the side of the bunk bed, lifted up the cushion, and reached his hand into an inconspicuous hole at the bottom. After searching for a while, he found the interlayer.
When he retracted his right hand, there was a roll of notes in his palm. There were about eight of them, and they were dark green with a hint of white.
This was all of Baansen's savings, including his living expenses for the next three days. There were only two five-soli notes, and the rest were one-soli notes.
In the Rouen Kingdom's currency system, the soli was the second tier. It originated from ancient silver coins. One soli was equivalent to twelve copper pennies, and there were two denominations, one and five.
At the top of the currency was the gold pound. It was also a type of paper currency, but it was backed by gold and was directly pegged. One gold pound was equivalent to twenty soli, and there were three denominations — one, five, and ten.
Zhou Mingrui unfolded the notes and caught a very faint scent of special ink.
It was the smell of money.
Perhaps it was due to the influence of Klein's memory fragments, or perhaps it was because of his unchanging desire for money, but at that instant, Zhou Mingrui felt that he had fallen in love with these little guys.
Look, their designs are so exquisite, making the stern and old-fashioned George III with his mustache look so adorable …
Look, the watermark that can be seen through the sunlight is so alluring. The meticulously designed anti-counterfeiting label makes it completely different from the coquettish imitations!
After admiring it for dozens of seconds, Zhou Mingrui pulled out two one-soli notes, rolled the rest up, and stuffed it back into the inner compartment of the mat.
Zhou Mingrui smoothed the cloth around the hole and folded the two notes neatly. He put them in the left pocket of his brownish-yellow jacket and separated them from the few pennies in his trouser pocket.
After doing all this, he put the key into his right pocket, took the dark brown paper bag, and quickly walked to the door.
Tap, tap, tap. The footsteps slowed down and finally stopped.
Zhou Mingrui stood by the door, his brows furrowed.
There were many mysteries surrounding Klein's suicide. Would he encounter an "accident" if he went out like this?
After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Mingrui returned to the desk, opened the drawer, and took out the revolver that shone with a brass luster.
This was the only defensive weapon he could think of, and it was also a powerful weapon!
Although he had never practiced shooting before, he was sure that he would be able to intimidate people with this pistol!
Rubbing the cold metal cylinder, Zhou Mingrui stuffed the pistol into the pocket where the notes were. He gripped the notes tightly in his palm and pressed his fingers on the gun's handle, perfectly concealing it.
A sense of security welled up in him, and he, who knew a little about everything, suddenly had a worry.
Could it have fired by mistake?
As thoughts flooded his mind, Zhou Mingrui quickly found an idea. He pulled out the pistol, swung the cylinder to the left, and moved the empty cartridge that had been emptied due to the suicide to the firing position. Then, he snapped it shut.
This way, even if it went off, it would only be an empty bullet!
After stuffing the pistol back in, Zhou Mingrui's left hand remained in his pocket and didn't take it out again.
He pressed down on his hat with his right hand, pulled open the door, and left with a bang.
The corridor was still dark during the day, and the sunlight that seeped through the window at the end was rather limited. Zhou Mingrui quickly walked down the stairs and left the apartment before feeling the radiance and warmth.
Although it was close to July and midsummer, Tingen was located to the north of the Kingdom of Rouen. It had a unique climate, and the highest temperature of the year was less than 30 ° C on Earth. It was even cooler in the morning, and the streets were filled with dirty water and littered with trash. In Klein's memory, it was not rare to see such a scene in a low-income area, even if there were sewers. This was because of the large number of people and the quality of life.
"Come, come, come! Delicious pan-fried fish!"
"Hot and fresh oyster soup. Drink a bowl in the morning and you'll be invigorated for the whole day!"
"Fresh fish from the port, only five pence each!"
"Muffins, eel soup with ginger beer!"
"Conches, conches, conches!"
"Vegetables freshly harvested from the farms outside the city, cheap and fresh!"
…
Mobile street vendors selling vegetables, fruits, and cooked food shouted loudly as they called out to the passersby who were in a hurry. Some of them would stop and carefully compare their purchases, while others would impatiently wave their hands because they had not found a job for the day.
Zhou Mingrui sniffed the air, which was filled with a mixture of stench and fragrance. His left hand gripped the gun handle tightly, and his right hand pressed down on his round-brimmed felt hat. He bent his back slightly, lowered his head, and walked through the bustling street.
There were thieves wherever there were people, especially in this street where there were many unemployed people working temporary jobs and starving children.
As he walked forward, the density of the crowd returned to normal. Zhou Mingrui straightened his back again, raised his head, and looked at the street.
There was a wandering accordion musician playing, and the melody was sometimes melodious and sometimes passionate.
Beside him, there were many children dressed in rags, their faces sallow from malnutrition.
They listened to the music and followed the beat, twisting their bodies according to their instincts, dancing a self-created dance. Their faces were filled with joy, as if they were little princes or angels.
A woman with a numb expression passed by. Her skirt was dirty, and her skin was dull.
Her eyes were dull and lifeless. Only when she looked at the group of children would there be a glimmer in them, as if she was seeing herself from thirty years ago.
Zhou Mingrui overtook her, turned into another street, and stopped in front of Slyn Bakery.
The owner of the bakery was a granny in her seventies. Her name was Wendy Slyn. Her hair was completely gray, and her face was always brimming with a warm smile. For as long as Klein could remember, she had been selling bread and pastries here.
Yes, the Tingen biscuits and lemon cakes that she baked herself are very delicious … Zhou Mingrui gulped and smiled.
"Mrs. Slyn, eight pounds of rye bread."
"Oh, Little Klein, where's Baansen? Isn't he back yet?" Wendy asked with a smile.
"In a few more days," Zhou Mingrui answered vaguely.
As Wendy picked up the rye bread, she sighed and said, "He's really a hardworking lad.
"He's really a hardworking young man. He'll have a good wife."
At this point, the corners of her mouth curled up as she smiled mischievously.
"It's great now. You've already graduated. Our Khoy University's history graduate ~ Yes, you'll be able to earn money very soon. You shouldn't be living in an apartment like this. At the very least, you should have your own bathroom."
"Mrs. Slyn, you really look like a young and lively lady today." Zhou Mingrui could only reply with a dry laugh.
If Klein could successfully pass the interview and become a lecturer at Tingen University, his entire family would indeed be heading straight for a well-to-do life!
In his fragmented memories, he had even fantasized renting a detached house in the suburbs. There were five to six rooms upstairs, two bathrooms, and a huge balcony. There were two rooms downstairs, a dining room, a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and an underground storage room.
This wasn't an extravagant hope. Even an intern lecturer at Tingen University had a weekly salary of two gold pounds. After becoming a full-time lecturer, it would be three gold pounds and ten soli. After all, Klein's brother, Baansen, only had a weekly salary of one pound and ten soli after working for many years. Ordinary factory workers didn't even earn a pound or a little more. And the rent for such a detached house ranged from nineteen soli to one pound and eighteen soli.
This is the difference between a monthly salary of three to four thousand and a monthly salary of fourteen to fifteen thousand … Zhou Mingrui mumbled to himself.
However, all of this was on the premise that he could pass the interview at Tingen University or Baekeland University.
As for other paths, people without a background couldn't be recommended to become a public official. As for those who studied history, the range of employment was even narrower. There wasn't much demand for the private consultants of nobles, bankers, or industrial tycoons.
Considering that the knowledge that Klein possessed had become fragmented and incomplete, Zhou Mingrui's expectations of Mrs. Slyn were filled with awkwardness and guilt.
"No, I've always been this young," Wendy replied humorously.
As she spoke, she placed the weighed sixteen loaves of rye bread into the dark brown paper bag that Zhou Mingrui had brought with him.
She spread out her right hand and said, "Nine pence."
Each loaf of rye bread weighed about 0.5 pounds, and deviations were inevitable.
"Nine pence? Wasn't it eleven pence two days ago?" Zhou Mingrui asked subconsciously.
Last month, it was fifteen pence.
"You have to thank the repeal of the Grain Act and the people who marched," Wendy said with a smile as she spread her hands.
Zhou Mingrui nodded, not fully understanding. Klein's memories of the matter were a little incomplete. He only remembered that the core of the Grain Act was to protect the price of the country's agricultural products. Before the price rose to a certain level, they wouldn't import grain from the southern countries of Feynapotter, Masin, and Lenburg.
Why would people march against it?
Without further ado, Zhou Mingrui was afraid that he would bring out his revolver. All he could do was carefully take out some notes, take out one, and hand it to Mrs. Slyn.
After retrieving three copper pennies and stuffing them into his trouser pocket, he carried the paper bag of bread and headed for the Lettuce and Meat market a street away. He was working hard for the lamb stew with tender peas that his sister had exhorted him to make.
At the intersection of Iron Cross Street and Daffodil Street was a municipal square. At that moment, there were many tents set up, and clowns dressed in strange and funny costumes were distributing flyers.
"Tomorrow night, circus performance?" Zhou Mingrui glanced at the flyers in someone's hand and softly read the general content.
Melissa will definitely like it. I wonder how much the entrance fee is? As this thought flashed through his mind, Zhou Mingrui approached.
Just as he was about to ask a red-and-yellow clown, a hoarse female voice sounded beside him.
"Do you want a divination?"
Subconsciously turning his head, Zhou Mingrui saw a woman wearing a pointed hat and a black dress standing in front of a low tent.
Her face was smeared with red and yellow paint, and her eyes were a deep grayish-blue.
"No." Zhou Mingrui shook his head in reply. He didn't have the spare money to do a divination.
The woman smiled and said, "That's right.
"My Tarot divination is very accurate."
Tarot … Zhou Mingrui was immediately taken aback.
The pronunciation was very similar to the tarot cards on Earth!
And the tarot cards on Earth were a type of fortune-telling poker. However, there were more "graphic cards" with various symbols.
Wait a minute … He suddenly recalled the origin of this World's Tarot divination.
It didn't originate from the seven orthodox deities, nor was it an ancient relic. Instead, it was invented more than 170 years ago by the then-consul of the Republic of Intis, Rosell Gustav.
This Mr. Rosell invented the steam engine, improved sailboats, and overthrew the rule of the Kingdom of Intis. He received the recognition of the Church of the God of Craftsmanship and became the first consul of the New Republic.
Later, he fought in the north and south, bringing Lenburg and other countries under his protection. He made the Kingdom of Rouen, Feynapotter, Feysac Empire, and other powerful countries of the Northern Continent bow their heads. Following that, he changed the Republic to an empire, calling himself Emperor Caesar.
It was during Rosell's reign that the Church of the God of Craftsmanship received the first public revelation since the Fifth Epoch. It changed the title of the God of Craftsmanship to the God of Steam and Machinery.
Rosell also invented Tarot divination and established the composition and gameplay of today's cards. There were a few types that Zhou Mingrui was familiar with, such as Upgrade, Fight the Landlord, Texas, Quint …
In addition, he sent a fleet to find a sea route to the Southern Continent amidst storms and turbulence, beginning the colonial era.
Unfortunately, he was betrayed in his old age. In 1198 of the Fifth Epoch, he was assassinated by the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, the former Intis royal family, the Sauron family, and other nobles. He perished in the White Maple Palace.
This … Upon recalling this common knowledge, Zhou Mingrui suddenly felt a toothache.
Don't tell me this is a transmigrator senior?
With this in mind, Zhou Mingrui had the intention to see what the tarot cards here looked like. Hence, he nodded at the woman with the pointed hat and painted face.
"If it's not, uh, reasonable, I'll give it a try."
The woman immediately smiled.
"Sir, you're the first person here today for divination. It's free."
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