Part 1 The Joker Chapter 52 The Audience
”Stop thinking about the damn bill and let’s talk about ritual magic.” Old Neil looked relaxed as he put away the candles, cauldron, and silver knife.
Krynn was tempted to shrug his shoulders like the MiB in his last life, but ultimately refrained from the less-than-gentlemanly gesture.
He turned his attention back to the ritual magic itself, tossing out the details of his previous doubts and receiving sufficiently definitive answers, such as the fact that there was a certain format for the incantations, and that as long as it was fulfilled and the key meanings were clearly expressed in Hermetic, the rest of the incantations could be played out as they pleased, but of course profanity and insufficiently reverent descriptions were absolutely forbidden.
The “occult lesson” continued until noon, when old Neil coughed softly:
”We must return to Zotland Street.”
Speaking of which, he grumbled vaguely:
”I missed a lovely breakfast to pick up those damned materials.”
Crane looked around amused and puzzled and said:
”Mr. Neil, don’t you have a cook at home? Or a maid in charge of the cooking?”
Twelve pounds a week was enough to afford several servants!
According to the newspapers, given lodging and food, hiring an ordinary cook would only cost between 12 and 15 Soules a week, not even a pound, and handyman maids were even cheaper at between 3 Soules and 6p and 6 Soules a week, and of course, one couldn’t go counting on their cooking skills.
Er, that’s not right either, in Mr. Neal’s state of still owing 30 pounds in foreign debt, it’s only normal that he doesn’t hire cooks and maids ……
I seem to have asked the wrong question again ……
While Klein regretted it, old Neil didn’t mind at all and shook his head:
”I often try ritual magic at home and study extraordinary items and corresponding literature, I wouldn’t and couldn’t hire ordinary people as cooks, manservants and maids, I just have people come to clean periodically, and if they weren’t ordinary people, do you think they would be willing to do similar work?”
”I seem to have asked a stupid question, and that’s probably because I don’t do things at home that involve mystery.” Klein explained, laughing to himself.
Old Neil stood up early and put on his round-brimmed felt hat, muttering as he headed for the door:
”I think I can smell sautéed foie gras …… I’m going to have a good one when the bill is settled once and for all! I’m sure I could eat a whole roast pork with apple sauce for lunch, and no, that’s not enough, I must have another sausage with mashed potatoes ……”
Talk about making me hungry …… Klein swallowed and quickly followed Old Neil to the nearby public carriage point.
Back on Zoltan Street, Old Neil had just stepped out of the carriage when he suddenly let out a “hmmm”:
”What do I see? Goddess, what do I see?”
With the sudden agility of a lad of seventeen or eighteen, he darted to the curb and picked up an object.
Klein leaned in suspiciously, took a closer look, and realized that it was a well-made leather wallet.
It was difficult for his eyes and insight to tell whether the dark brown wallet was cowhide or sheepskin, except to note that it was embroidered with a small light blue coat of arms, and on top of the coat of arms was a dove with its wings spread out and ready to fly.
That was the impression Crane gained at first glance, and from the second he was glued to the single bill that bulged the wallet.
They were gold pounds with black stripes on a gray background, at least twenty toward the top!
Old Neil unfolded the wallet, drew out the bills, looked at them closely, and gave a quick heave:
”Ten pound bills for the venerable ‘founding father’ ‘protector’ William I. Oh, goddess, the whole thirty, and a few fives, ones, and fivesouls.”
Over three hundred pounds? That’s a truly huge amount of money! I might not be able to save so much money in ten years …… Klein’s breathing became involuntarily heavy.
Because of the high value of gold pounds, picking up such a wallet was the same as picking up a carrier case of banknotes in the latter days.
”I don’t know which gentleman dropped it …… surely it won’t be an ordinary person.” Klein calmly analyzed.
Such a wallet obviously does not belong to a lady.
”Don’t care who he is.” Old Neil laughed softly, “It’s not like we’re going to try and take possession of all this money that doesn’t belong to us, let’s wait here for a bit, I think that gentleman will be back soon to look for it, and it’s not something that’s easy to give up for anyone.”
Crane was secretly relieved, and had a whole new appreciation of old Neil’s moral character.
He had feared that the other would use the money to pay off his bills under the pretext of the “Goddess’s gift,” and was thinking hard how to stop it, how to persuade him.
This is “do what you want, but do no harm”? Klein had a sudden realization.
The two men waited on the street for less than a minute before they saw a luxurious four-wheeled carriage approaching with a light blue coat of arms featuring a dove with open wings.
The carriage stopped, and a middle-aged man in black formal attire and a bow tie of the same color left the carriage, looked towards the wallet, and took off his hat to salute:
”Gentlemen, this would be my master’s wallet.”
”Your coat of arms proves everything, but I need to verify it one more time, it’s the responsibility of all, may I ask, how much money is in the wallet?” Old Neil responded politely.
The middle-aged man was stunned, then he scoffed to himself:
”As a butler, one should not be aware of how much money is left in the master’s wallet, sorry, please allow me to ask.”
”That is your freedom.” Old Neil made a gesture of invitation.
The middle-aged man returned to the carriage and, through the window, exchanged a couple of words with the man inside.
He reapproached Crane and Old Neil and said with a smile:
”More than three hundred pounds, less than three hundred and fifty pounds, my master does not remember the exact amount.”
Does not remember …… still really dog big ah, I want to have so much money, surely counted over and over …… Klein is full of envy at this.
Old Neil nodded and handed the wallet back:
”The goddess proves that this belongs to you.”
The middle-aged man took the wallet, roughly counted it, and then drew three ten-pound bills out of it:
”My master is Sir Devereux, he says that your qualities are appreciated by him, this is the payment that honest people deserve, please don’t refuse it.”
Sir De Vere? The Sir De Vere who established the De Vere Trust Company to provide cheap rental housing for the lower class laborers? Crane remembered the name at once.
He was the Sir that his brother Benson both respected and thought didn’t do things close enough to reality.
”Thank you Sir, he is a kind and generous gentleman.” Without ceremony, the elder Neil took the three bills.
After watching Sir Devereux’s carriage go away, he saw that no one was around, so he turned his head to look at Crane, flicked the bills, and let out a laugh:
”Thirty pounds, the bill is settled.”
”I told you it would be settled in a reasonable way.”
”That’s the power of magic.”
…… God damn the power of magic! That would work too! Again, Klein was dumbfounded.
After a few minutes’ reprieve, entering the stairway and crawling toward the security company, he asked suspiciously:
”Mr. Neil, why didn’t you pray for a larger amount?”
”Don’t be greedy, especially not when performing ritual magic; moderation is a key ingredient for every peeper of the secret to live long enough.” Old Neil explained easily and cheerfully.
……
Inside the huge banquet hall, several chandeliers were erected with a single burning candle, which gave off a soothing aroma and accumulated a glow no less than that of a gas lamp by sheer volume.
A long table was set with such delicacies as pan-fried foie gras, grilled steak, roasted rooster, fried sole, Dixie oysters, stewed lamb, creamy bisque, and bottles of Misty Champagne, Ormell’s, and Southwell’s red wines, which glowed with a seductive hue under the illumination.
A servant in a red vest, on the other hand, carried a tray with crystal goblets, and passed among the gentlemen and ladies who were dressed either elegantly or magnificently.
Audrey Hall wore a pale white gown with a stand-up collar, high waist, and leg-of-mutton sleeves, tightly cinched at the top and extremely thin at the waist, while the multi-layered cake silhouette was perfectly held up by whale hoops.
Her long blonde hair was elegantly coiled and bound, her earrings, necklace and ring all sparkled brightly, and at her feet were a pair of white dancing shoes encrusted with roses and diamonds.
”Are there four, five, or six petticoats in there?” Audrey touched the skirt support with her white-gloved right hand.
Her left hand was holding a glass of crystal-colored champagne.
Instead of being in the center of the party and the focus of everyone’s attention, as she always was, Audrey avoided the bustle and stood quietly in the shadow of the curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows.
She took a sip of her champagne and looked ahead at the people in a gesture that didn’t belong here, abstractedly:
The youngest son of the Earl of Wolfe was chatting with the daughter of the Viscount Connard, and he liked to strengthen his tone by waving his little arm, well, the more he waved, the less credible the content of his speech, this is a proven conclusion …… He always can not help but elevate himself and demean other people, but it is difficult to control the weakness of the heart, this will be from the way he speaks, body language. ……
Mrs. Della has been hiding her laughter with her left hand again and again today, hmmm, I see, she’s showing off the pristine aquamarine on her left hand ……
Her husband, Duke Negan, was not far away discussing the situation with a few conservative nobles, and he had only actively sought out his Lady Della with his eyes once since the beginning of the party ……
They’ve barely made real eye contact …… Maybe, um, they’re not as in love as they appear ……
Mrs. Panis was amused seven times by Baron Larry, which was normal and not surprising, but why did she look at her husband with sheepish eyes …… Well, they were separated …… No, the places they went led to the garden ……
……
In the midst of this extravagant banquet, Audrey discerned many details which she would not ordinarily have noticed at all.
For a moment, she almost truly believed she was watching a play.
”Everyone is a good dramatist ……” she sighed silently, her eyes clear and cold.
It was then that she suddenly felt something and jerked her head around, looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows and into the shadowy corner of the spacious balcony.
Within that shadow, a big golden dog sat quietly, his eyes looking in, looking at Audrey, half of his body was hidden in the darkness.
Susie …… Audrey’s mouth twitched, her expression instantly collapsed, no longer able to maintain the state of “audience”.