Part 1v the undead chapter vii the met and the unmet
St. Samuel’s Church, inside the large prayer hall.
The short black-haired bishop withdrew his gaze, no longer looking at the middle-aged gentleman in front of the offering box, nor did he entertain the idea of going over to climb into the conversation.
Here, in front of the altar, he represented the Church, under the watchful eye of the Goddess, and was not likely to warm up to anyone just because they donated more.
However, he remembered the other party’s rather good looks and mature and elegant temperament, and planned to try to get to know him if he had the chance to meet again in the future.
Silently watching the last bill slide into the offering box, Klein closed his eyes and turned to leave the place.
As he passed the preaching bishop, he deliberately glanced at the clergyman and nodded with a smile.
The bishop returned the warm smile and nodded four times clockwise on his chest.
Without rushing to make contact with the people involved, making sure that his behavior was logical and free of suspicion-inducing abruptness, Klein sidestepped a believer in a calm and spontaneous manner, made his way back down the aisle to where he’d just been seated, grabbed his hat and cane, and walked out of the church one step at a time.
At this point, the devotees who had finished listening to the sermon either went to the offering box to express their feelings or simply got up and left without feeling any problem, as it was not a forced behavior.
Even devout believers who love to donate do not throw money into the offering box every time they come here and tend to do it once or twice a week or fortnight depending on the family.
The common people give about a few pence at a time, the middle class three to five soules, and the rich and nobles in gold pounds, not exceeding 100.
This was the general situation, but every year on the Holy Day of the Night Goddess, or Winter Rite Day, the amount of a single offering swelled considerably, with the better-off commoners opting for two to three sousl, the middle class for about five pounds, and the upper classes making donations directly to the diocese, the bishop, and ecclesiastical charities. bishops, and church charities, with donations ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds.
–Winter Solstice, the day of the longest night of the year, is considered to be the birth of the “Goddess of the Night”.
……
Outside the church, Klein stood at the edge of the square and watched the flocks of pigeons flutter up and down like nothing else.
He even bought some food from a neighboring vendor and leisurely fed the pigeons, having no intention of flipping through the newspaper ads himself to find a suitable residence in the North End, as that was the butler’s task.
A good butler who had lived in Birkeland for many years was expected to know the general neighborhoods in which the different aristocrats, the different tycoons, and the top middle class who could help their masters, lived, so that they could pick out residences with a purpose.
Neighborhood interaction is the first step in bringing a newcomer into the appropriate circle!
”Whether it’s the Carlton Club, where Conservative Party bigwigs congregate, or the Liberals’ Club of the New Party, or the various clubs of active or retired officers representing the military, you have to have introductions of sufficient weight to get in touch with …… Hey, the Kingdom is now what’s known as club politics. ” Klein pulled his thoughts back to consider what to do after the persona-building act of feeding the pigeons was over.
After some serious thought, he realized that there really wasn’t anything he needed to do right away, as the plan was still on the surface.
So he was going to enjoy an expensive but hearty lunch, both as Dawn Dantes was supposed to behave, and as a curiosity of Kline’s own.
In those previous months in Birkeland, he’d never plucked up the courage to meet a few of the metropolis’ most prestigious restaurants, and had been choosing one of four between his own restaurant, the Kraig Club cafeteria, the regular diner down the street, and Lawyer Jürgen’s, with intermittent trips to the East Side, where he’d settled for breakfast or lunch in just about any greasy-looking café.
”La Boree Restaurant? Their head chef is said to have come from the Earl of Hall’s family, providing the rich, barristers, and senior government employees with aristocratic flavors that are usually hard to access …… It seems that the Earl of Hall has invested in this restaurant with a good share of the shares …… Well, this one specializes in Birkeland local cuisine, very famous for its desserts and very unfriendly prices ……
”Intis Serenzo’s Restaurant, this has the purest Intis cuisine, huh, many of the signature dishes in it bear the name of Rossel, saying that they have been handed down from within the court of this emperor …… Moreover, unlike most of the restaurants at the same level, it only offers a few entrees to choose from every day, and it is very diverse in its offerings …… “Klein recalled the information about the top restaurants he had previously read from newspapers and magazines, and finally decided to go and meet the Emperor’s court cuisine.
He stopped no longer, stopped a carriage, and headed to Indis Cerenzo’s Restaurant in the West End.
When he arrived at the door, Klein handed his coat, hat, and cane to a red vested waiter while asking the other person:
”Are there any seats available? I don’t have a reservation.”
”There is.” The red vested waiter did not see any difference and asked with a humble attitude, “Sir, is this your first time here? Only by yourself?”
Klein nodded frankly and smiled:
”Yes.”
”Then do I have the honor to introduce you to our restaurant’s most unique dishes and famous wines?” The red vested waiter said as he led the customer inside.
”That’s exactly what I need.” Klein passed through the ornately decorated door and saw the walls that seemed to be reflecting golden light.
For a moment, he seemed to be inside some kind of vault.
It was then that he noticed the oil paintings hanging on the walls, the marble statues placed in their proper places, the gold objects inlaid or embellished in various places.
”Please pay attention to your feet.” The red vested waiter warned, guiding Klein to a window seat as the beautiful melody of a violin lilted from a distant orchestra.
This waiter fetched the menu and wine list, flipping through them and introducing himself:
”Our most famous dishes here are, Braised Dagya Beef Veal Chops, Black Truffle Porcini Mushrooms, Intis-style Foie Gras, and I’d like to make a special mention of the fact that the raw materials for the Foie Gras come from the Bonas Farm in the Champagne Province of the Kingdom of Intis ……”
Klein listened to the waiter’s introduction while browsing through the menu written in Guversac, his eyes sucked in by the prices on it.
After talking about the entrees, appetizers, and desserts, the waiter turned to explaining the wine pairings that should be available, ending with:
”Our champagne, reds and whites here are all from renowned chateaux in the Champagne province, and even include a 1330’s red wine from Ormir, it’s worth £126, you can pick it up straight away if you buy it, or you can keep it here with us and have a glass every time you come in.”
126 Pounds …… I could have hired an excellent butler …… Oh …… Klein laughed graciously:
”Your food and wine are both excellent, making it difficult to choose.”
The red vested waiter smiled attentively:
”You can choose today’s chef’s recommendation, our chef will match you with a pure and delicious meal of Intis, it has three options of 15 pounds, 10 pounds and 8 pounds”
I don’t want to choose any of them …… Klein laughed as his body leaned back slightly:
”The £15 one.”
”Good.” The red vested waiter collected the menu and wine list and marched off in the direction of the back kitchen.
Klein inhaled and exhaled slowly, casually surveying the front.
Suddenly, he saw a slightly familiar figure, a lady in a long olive green dress.
She was tall and well-proportioned, and wore an old-fashioned black fedora, with a thin lattice of tulle hanging down to cover her face.
As a “Faceless Man”, Klein had a strong ability to distinguish human appearance and immediately recognized who this lady was:
The “Queen of Mysteries”, the eldest daughter of Rossel the Great, Bernadette Gustave!
Without sharply withdrawing his gaze, he naturally shifted his eyes to the side, where Bernadette, seemingly unaware of the anomaly, disappeared into the stairway.
How could she have appeared here? By the way, the signboard of this restaurant is Rossel the Great’s court cuisine, heh, not at all the biased Chinese type I imagined, the Great shouldn’t be able to cook, at most expound on the concept, this place does have stir fry …… hmmm, could it be that the master behind the curtain is her? If she is not floating on the sea, what is she doing in Birkeland? She has already found the “Black Emperor”. Klein sat calmly on the surface, but in his heart there were one doubt after another.
……
At this moment, on the street, a carriage is driving to the restaurant of Cerenzo Intis.
Inside the carriage sat the family of Alan Krebs, a well-known surgeon who was a member of the Cragg Club, a close friend of Sherlock Moriarty, and who had once commissioned the Great Detective to deal with the Will Onsettin affair.
Ever since his wife had gotten pregnant, he felt his luck had become quite good; his career was getting better every day, his income was increasing from month to month, and most recently, he had successfully completed Baron Sindras’s visceral surgery, and had been rewarded by the newly minted nobleman by inviting the family to lunch at Cerenzo’s.
”I’m told the gelato in there is very good.” Alan smiled haughtily at his wife.
His wife, a brunette beauty with an already noticeable belly, smiled warmly:
”I’m more looking forward to Roselle the Great’s court cuisine.”
Alan let out a “hmmm” and glanced sideways out the window:
”Almost there.”
As soon as he spoke, his wife covered her stomach and frowned:
”It kind of hurts.”
Alan, who was not a first time father, hurriedly checked and found no problem, but his wife was getting more and more uncomfortable, and the baby in her belly seemed to be making noise.
”I, I’d better not go, I want to go home and rest.” Alan’s wife took the initiative to propose.
Allen thought about it:
”I’ll accompany you back.”
He whirled around and instructed his personal manservant:
”You get off here and go to the restaurant to apologize to Baron Sindras on my behalf.”
By the time the carriage began to return, Allen’s wife’s discomfort had inexplicably eased, and when she entered the house, everything was already normal.
She pointed to her stomach with a tearful smile and said to her husband:
”Looks like he doesn’t want ice cream.”
Achoo! Inside Intis Serenzo’s restaurant, Klein, who hadn’t spared every bit of his previous food, enjoyed his ice cream with pain and satisfaction, and on the way, his nose got a little itchy, and he drew out his paper and sneezed.
……
A dark house in the West End.
Forsyth, who has been promoted to “astrologer”, is actively and seriously attending gatherings of the extraordinary, looking for a way to make money.
She owes Hue 220 pounds and is suspected by her best friend of being involved in illegal gambling.
I can’t even afford the requisite crystal ball right now …… As her thoughts drifted away, Voorhees suddenly heard one of the party members speak:
”I’m selling a ‘Moon Puppet’.”