Chapter 62

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Before Klein went out, he meticulously cleaned his suit and top hat with a small brush and handkerchief. Then he washed his white shirt and changed into a similar linen shirt along with the only decent, cheap coat he had. Briskly, he walked out onto the street.

First, Melissa's dress. Second, Benson’s suit. Only then can I consider another suit for myself. Money is never enough... Besides, we need to save money to buy porcelain tableware to receive our guests... And I also have to save money to buy a variety of materials related to mysticism...

Klein mentally calculated the family’s financial situation as he sat on the coach. The more he thought about it, the more he shook his head.

He reckoned he needed at least a year before the three of them could live as a middle-class family.

Of course, that was without taking promotions and pay raises into consideration.

The coach drove past one street after another before stopping on Howes Street, across from the Divination Club.

Klein adjusted his black, non-silk, short hat and hopped off the carriage. Walking along the familiar street, he entered the club on the second floor, where he saw the beautiful receptionist, Angelica. There was a hint of swollen redness around her eyes, but she looked extremely relaxed.

Klein raised his hand to tap his brow lightly and carefully examined her. He noted that the gray hue deep in Angelica’s emotional colors had greatly dispersed, replaced with a bright, sunlit white. After taking it in, Klein walked over, removed his hat, and smiled. “Ms. Angelica, it’s a lovely day today, isn’t it?”

Angelica lifted her head and gasped, briefly startled. Then she beamed and said, “You are just like Mr. Vincent’s cat. You don’t make any sound while you walk, do you? But, hmm, you’re able to tell? Ha-ha, I almost forgot that you are a fortune teller skilled in reading faces...”

She paused, then gently bit her lip before giving him a bow. “Thank you. Thank you for your suggestion yesterday. I haven’t felt this relaxed, happy, and content in a year.”

Hearing her sincere gratitude, Klein felt his own joy swell. The corners of his lips lifted as he replied, “It’s my pleasure to have been of assistance.”

As he spoke, he felt his spirituality relax but also become livelier.

Is this what the Seer wants? A Seer who can truly help the inquirer?Klein pinched his brow thoughtfully before secretly tapping it twice.

In practice, he found that the motion of activating and deactivating his spirit vision was not inconspicuous enough. He hadn’t yet devised a better method to replace it. Since he had only recently become a Seer, his spirituality had not reached its limit, and neither had his mastery. Therefore, only spots that could effectively trigger his spirituality could serve as an activation switch—and there were not many such spots. The brow was by far the best option.

When I become a true Seer after fully digesting the potion, I should be able to design a more inconspicuous activation motion...

Klein nodded to himself and walked toward the half-open meeting room.

“Coffee or tea?” Angelica asked hurriedly.

“Desi coffee,” Klein answered, planning to sample all the drinks the Divination Club had to offer.

He noticed that six or seven members were present in the meeting room—but not Hines Vincent, who was almost always there.

“Mr. Vincent isn’t here today?” Klein paused and asked in passing.

Angelica blinked for a moment, then said, “Mr. Vincent doesn’t come here every day. He accepted an invitation to give a lecture for a divination organization at Enmat Harbor. Are you looking for him?”

“Not at all. I was just curious. It’s just that I’ve seen him every time I’ve come here.” Klein shook his head with a smile. Meanwhile, he realized that among the seven members present there was a familiar face—Glacis, who had divined for him before.

Wearing his monocle, Glacis was sitting at a table, absorbed in reading when he suddenly sensed someone watching him. He lifted his head, and a look of obvious joy spread across his face as he pushed his hands on the table and stood up. He dashed toward Klein and stopped before him.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Moretti. I was wondering if you would come today. I heard from Angelica that you are not a doctor but a fortune teller who is good at face-reading.”

Klein smiled. “That’s not my only field of expertise. Mr. Glacis, you no longer seem plagued by your ailment?”

Klein pinched his forehead and tapped twice on his brow. He noticed that the unhealthy hues in Glacis’s complexion had returned to normal.

“Yes, I deeply regret not taking your suggestion back then. Luckily, there is an amazing apothecary near my home. He gave my wife a magical decoction that pulled me back from the brink of death,” Glacis exclaimed with emotion.

As a quasi-member of the Nighthawks, Klein asked with occupational sensitivity, “An amazing apothecary? A magical decoction?”Magical? How magical? Is it within the range of extraordinary?

“He said it was a kind of folk remedy from Lenburg. In short, it helped tremendously with my illness,” Glacis answered, seemingly unaware that his description struck Klein as somewhat mundane.

A folk remedy apothecary?Klein tapped his brow thoughtfully. “What’s his name? Where is his shop? As you know, even a fortune teller can’t guarantee constant good health. Perhaps I will need some remedy for myself in the future.”

Klein recalled from his teachers and classmates that the current health system in this world was still in its nascent stages. With hardly any cure for many diseases, magical decoctions and remarkable apothecaries still ruled the market. There was no harm in knowing more—knowledge that might one day prove useful.

Glacis answered honestly, “His name is Lawson Darkwade. He has a shop at 18 Vlad Street in Eastside—named Lawson’s Folk Apothecary.”

“Thank you,” Klein said sincerely, committing the information to memory.

Glacis then turned and invited him to sit beside him. At that moment, Angelica entered carrying the coffee she had prepared. Compared to Southweir coffee, Desi coffee was more fragrant, though it didn’t taste quite as good... Klein took a sip and savored it for a moment.

Noticing that Klein had set his white porcelain cup down, Glacis hurriedly asked, “Mr. Moretti, may I request a divination from you? I will pay according to the price you set.”

“Eight pence is sufficient. I won’t raise the price unexpectedly.” Klein hoped that someone would request his divination services. “Would you like to go to a divination room?”

“Yes. Topaz, please,” Glacis replied, leading the way with evident familiarity.

After entering the divination room and locking the door, Klein sat behind the long table. In a serious tone, he asked, “Mr. Glacis, what would you like to divine?”

“I have an investment opportunity that involves a vast sum of money. If it fails, my family and I will suffer a heavy loss. I wish to know whether it will be a successful investment.” Glacis volunteered further, “I have divined using tarot cards previously. Hmm, a divination after purifying my soul. The result was pretty good. Yes, I did the interpretation myself, but I did not defy the principles of the symbols.”

Klein considered this for a moment and then asked curiously, “It would be helpful if you could describe the entire situation in detail, including your information. It’d be even better if you had details about the other party as well. We can perform a star chart divination.”

“All right,” Glacis said, organizing his thoughts. “When Mister Lanevus was surveying the Hornacis mountain range, he discovered a mine rich in high-quality iron ore. He emptied all his savings to purchase that land and hired a professional company to inspect it. The result was very encouraging. However, he lacks the funds needed for further development, so he formed a steelworks company and plans to apply for a bank loan using the project. At the same time, he intends to issue a corresponding number of shares to raise the initial capital. The plan is still in its infancy, but it promises handsome returns.”

Klein, who had been reading the newspaper recently and considered himself somewhat of a history expert, knew that stock equities existed in this world. He also recalled that the concept of shares originated with Emperor Roselle.

Him again...During the colonization of the Southern Continent, Emperor Roselle set up the West Balam Company and successfully solved the nation’s financial problems by raising funds from the public through the issue of shares. In doing so, he was the first to benefit from the profits of colonization.

Because the returns were great, similar ventures followed one after another. There were railway shares, mining shares, steam development shares, and so forth. Some succeeded, and some failed, which propelled the formation of organizations like the Backlund Stock Exchange.

Aside from that, Emperor Roselle had also created national bonds, unit trusts, and other financial instruments. The former went on to become the most stable form of investment today, yielding an annual return of 4-6%.

Klein recalled that Benson had once said that if he could inherit three thousand pounds, he would no longer need to work so hard anymore. With a stable annual interest of about 5%, that would yield a fixed return of 150 pounds per year—roughly equivalent to Klein’s current annual income.

So that's the so-called rentier class...

Klein sighed and asked carefully, “Are you sure there are no problems with this? Is Lanevus trustworthy?”

Glacis nodded. “I’ve seen his property papers and the inspection report. There’s a stamp from the county government of Sivellaushire and an endorsement from a professional company. Besides, there’s a photo of him with Sir Dwyer and Mr. Mayor inside his office.”

A photo? That doesn't mean anything...

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Klein had grown up in an era of information explosion and had seen too many things to be swayed by mere photographs. That alone wasn’t enough to make him buy the story.

However, it didn’t matter whether he believed it or not. All he could do was pick up a pen and draw a corresponding star chart based on the crucial time and information that Glacis had provided him.

After a long while, Klein pointed to the star chart and said, “You should be able to tell for yourself. This will be a very unsuccessful endeavor. Beneath the flourishing surface lies a steep precipice—an abyss. Based on this divination, my suggestion is to avoid it altogether.”

“...” Glacis fell silent; his mouth opened and closed several times before, a few minutes later, he managed a rueful smile. “I will carefully consider this matter after I get home.”

Hearing this answer, Klein could only shake his head with a silent sigh, feeling the helplessness of a Seer. A Seer can only offer suggestions; he could not make decisions for others.

Just as the two walked out of the Topaz Room, Angelica approached and said, “Mr. Moretti, someone is requesting your divination services.” Then she added in a whisper, “He did not ask for my recommendations, nor did he view the album.”

Has my reputation spread?

Curious, Klein turned and headed for the foyer.