Part 1 The Joker Chapter 111 The Missing Out
It wasn’t long before the lecturer with the higher cheekbones mounted the half-height wooden platform at the front of the small auditorium and released her voice:
”Good morning, kind and benevolent ladies, I am Saivyara Hedda, and I am going to share with you today the experience of arranging your household expenses, which is divided into three parts, firstly, how a family with an annual income of about £100 should balance the expenses of food, housing, clothing and hiring servants, and secondly, what additional expenses should be incurred by a family with an annual income of up to £200, in order to make itself look more decent ……”
Melissa listened attentively, remembering without having to do a silent calculation the annual income of her two brothers combined.
”Over £200 ……” she thought with half relief and half trepidation.
She was both elated and contented with her present life and afraid that it would be gone in the twinkling of an eye.
At this time, Selene with her burgundy hair covered her mouth and lowered her voice to her two best friends:
”She seems to be a devotee of the Storm Lord, and she’s wearing the Storm Badge.”
Melissa gazed and saw that Teacher Saiviyara was wearing a badge depicting gale force winds and ocean waves at the left chest position.
She hastened to explain:
”I guess it’s not surprising that Mrs. Schrader, who told me about this lecture, is a devotee of the Storm Lord, and I guess teacher is too.”
”Well, I don’t feel there’s anything wrong with that, we’re here to hear about specific billing programs.” Elizabeth relieved Melissa.
”But, except for Melissa, none of us need or are qualified to make a spending plan for the family.” The burgundy-haired Selena muttered.
Elizabeth retorted without hesitation:
”But we’ll get married eventually, and we’ll have families of our own eventually.”
Selene, who had been a little afraid of Elizabeth after the “Magic Mirror Divination” incident, nodded her head and pretended to listen attentively to the lecture.
The lecturer, Seviera, on the other hand, raised her right hand and said:
”The premise of all this spending plan is that we must respect the opinion of the men, they are the source of income, the pillars of the family, they face anxiety, stress, trouble and chaos in the muddy society, and win everything for us, so we must create a peaceful environment that is not disturbed by external affairs, so that they can obtain relaxation when they come home, and so that their minds can be baptized and in a better state to meet the challenges ……”
”That’s why Mr. Lulmi, the famous philosopher, sociologist, humanist, and economist, once said that women are the angels of the family.”
Selena asked in a slightly excited whisper as she held her cheeks and traced her dimples:
”Lulmi, the gentleman who said, ‘Man is born free’?”
”Yes, but he is a follower of the Storm Lord.” Elizabeth answered hesitantly.
Just then, the lecture teacher, Seviera, continued:
”Mr. Lulmi also told us that women are inherently defective in intelligence and logic, and since this is the case, we, who are incapable of judgment, should accept the words of our fathers and husbands as religious beliefs ……” (Note 1)
This description made Melissa, Selena and Elizabeth look at me and look at you for a long time.
”Shall we go?” Finally, Selena tentatively suggested.
Melissa and Elizabeth nodded vigorously at the same time:
”Yes!”
They grabbed their sarongs, crouched their backs, and slipped toward the side door, trying to get out of here without drawing attention to themselves.
As they carefully reached the outside and stood up straight, they suddenly heard a loud round of applause from inside the small auditorium.
Melissa subconsciously turned back and gazed through the doorway to look inside.
She saw Mrs. Schrader applauding, and saw one of the ladies applauding.
Whew, praise the goddess …… Melissa exhaled and moved away from the place that was making her uncomfortable all over with Selena and Elizabeth.
”Shall we go to Harrods?” Standing under the roadside street tree, Selena suggested cheerfully, forgetting what had just happened.
Melissa said after a few seconds of silence:
”I want to go back to studying.”
”Studying ……,” Selena said dully, running her burgundy hair through her face as if it was back to business as usual.
”And I have to get bread, and beef, and potatoes, and fruit …… Klein has to work today, and Benson’s gone to the municipal library, and ummmmm, I have to get back!” Melissa suddenly felt such a love of textbooks, of clockwork, of gears.
Deciding to distance herself from Melissa, who was in an unusual state today, Selena looked sideways at Elizabeth and smiled curtly:
”Why don’t the two of us go to Harrods? I’ve long since spent all my personal money, but it’s wonderful to browse and look around.”
”Uh-huh.” Elizabeth agreed to her best friend’s proposal, asking as if casually, “Melissa, your brother Klein works on Sundays too, doesn’t he?”
”Yes, he has Mondays off, which is different from a regular job.” Melissa unconsciously raised her head slightly.
……
After leaving Blackthorn Security, Klein took a railed public carriage to the Howells neighborhood.
He tried to collect his thoughts, no longer thinking about the Antigonus family’s treasure, and let his attention return to the matter of “playing”:
It was important to digest the potion as quickly as possible and improve himself as quickly as possible, no matter what time of day it was!
”Playing a soothsayer, heh, I’m still not professional enough ah, big eaters country’s fortune teller to do everything have to look up the yellow calendar ……” Klein holding the cane, sitting in the carriage inside the seat.
He decided to divine in advance whether today was favorable for traveling and for going to the Divination Club.
This is what makes a qualified soothsayer!
Taking the opportunity to get out of the carriage, Klein pulled out a halfpenny copper coin, his vision then turned inward, his eyes flew deeper, and he silently mumbled:
”A suitable day for the Divination Club.”
”A suitable day for the Divination Club.”
……
When!
Klein flicked the coin upwards, not bothering to watch it tumble, but holding out his palm flat.
Snap! The halfpenny copper coin fell and landed firmly in his palm.
This time, it was the “1/2” number, clustered in wheat ears, facing upwards.
”The numbers are facing up, which means something bad will happen to the Divination Club today ……” Crane thought for a moment before turning and walking across the street to wait for the public carriage heading towards Daffodil Street.
He felt more and more like a diviner.
……
Howells neighborhood, in front of Harold’s department store.
Selena was about to enter when she was suddenly startled and turned her head to look to the side.
”Did something happen?” Elizabeth asked suspiciously.
Selena puffed out her cheeks and said:
”Elizabeth, I was thinking about my occult teacher, Mr. Vincent, who just passed away, the morning after my birthday ……”
”Is this because I peeked and used his secret spell? It’s been making me feel guilty and uneasy …… And, this whole time, I’ve never been very lucky.”
”So?” Elizabeth asked tacitly.
Selena bit her lip lightly:
”I want to go to the Divination Club next door and do a reading to see if what happened to Mr. Vansant really had anything to do with me.”
See What Really Happened the Day of the Birthday Dinner …… It always felt like Elizabeth was hiding something from me …… I remember the back of a man in a tuxedo ……
”Don’t you know divination yourself?” Elizabeth asked in surprise.
Selene deliberately sighed like her father:
”Alas, I am not in a fit state to divine myself.”
”Alright, then let’s go to the Divination Club next door first.” Elizabeth agreed to her friend’s suggestion.
They came next door and went down the stairs into the Divination Club, which was located on the second floor.
”Hello, good afternoon Ms. Angelica, it’s good to see you again.” Inside the reception hall, Selena greeted perkily.
Angelica smiled:
”Whenever you come by after lunch, then you should always meet me.”
Selene exchanged pleasantries with the other woman, mourning the loss of Hayneth Vansant, before saying:
”I need Divination.”
”You know the rules of the club, this is the atlas of members willing to do divination for people …… It’s the weekend and a lot of people are in.” Angelica went through the process familiarly.
Selena and Elizabeth’s heads came together, flipping quickly through the directory and corresponding introductions.
”I used to go directly to my teacher every time before, I didn’t realize that compared to last year, the club has so many more members willing to help people with divination.” Selene said with considerable interest.
Suddenly, she paused for a few seconds and whispered suspiciously:
”Klein Moretti, Klein Moretti? That’s the same name as Melissa’s brother eh?”
Elizabeth was stunned, and after looking at the words “Klein Moretti” several times, she nodded thoughtfully:
”Yes ……”
”Ms. Angelica, is this Mr. Klein Moretti here?” Selena inquired with bright eyes.
Angelica shook her head:
”I’m sorry, Mr. Klein Moretti is not at the club today.”
”Okay, another replacement.” Selena had no compulsion to recognize the other, just snickered to her best friend, “I knew it wouldn’t be Melissa’s brother, but seeing the name made me naturally think of a news headline, an Intis Post kind of headline.”
The Intis Post, started in Roselle the Great, was famous for its always sensational headlines and was one of the most recognized newspapers in the North Continent.
Elizabeth asked less intently:
”What headlines?”
Selene cleared her throat and said:
”Is it the corruption of morality or the problem of society that history undergraduates are reduced to helping people with divination on weekends to make ends meet!”
Note 1: This passage is adapted from, Rousseau, Emile.