Part 4 The Undead Chapter 6 The Rich Man’s Daily Routine
”Just a moment then, would you like coffee, or black tea?” Belin asked enthusiastically.
Klein smiled:
”When I was younger, I liked coffee and the strong flavor, but now, I can accept black tea more.”
”I also prefer black tea, so …… a cup of Marquis black tea?” Belin offered with a smile.
The coffee and black tea that the “Metropolis Helping Household Servants’ Association” served to its guests were of average quality, belonging to the lower middle class, and the Marquis Black Tea was something that Belin had brought from home for her own enjoyment.
Klein is not a person without knowledge, and is very good at observation, just after the entrance, without a trace of the surroundings of the various details into the bottom of the eyes, found that the coffee and black tea canisters placed in the display cabinet are very ordinary, I believe that the quality of the things inside is certainly not too high, so he thought that the marquis black tea is either the association’s collection, used to entertain the guests, or belongs to the lady before the private ownership, but no matter what, are sufficient to explain the other party’s intention. enough to illustrate the other party’s intention.
He did not reveal it and smiled:
”Thank you, I can’t refuse your offer.
”I don’t know what to call you, ma’am?”
”Belin, just call me Belin.” Belin said with a smile that blossomed like a flower.
She whirled around and walked briskly on her feet into the inner room, letting her colleague who was actually in charge of the information pick out the right person, and then, returning to the reception desk, she picked up the silver-encrusted tin canister and made black tea with skillful movements.
Hey, there is a durable face, a nice temperament, a dress that reflects the status, even if you are already middle aged, you can still feel the goodwill of a pretty girl …… Klein could not help but sigh for a while when he experienced something similar for the first time.
This makes him more and more realize the importance of the faceless man code “can only be yourself”.
If you don’t keep this in mind, and are obsessed with the advantages that appearances bring, you’ll remain the same, forgetting or even rejecting your past self, and gradually get lost!
Soon after, Beline came over with a white-glazed porcelain teacup with gold flakes, and placed it in front of Mr. Dawn Dantes, with a light smile:
”It will need to chill for a while yet.”
Klein looked down at the cup and said, half-jokingly:
”It’s just the thing to adjust me to a more formal approach to this cup of black tea.”
His implied compliments and thanks made Belin’s mood better and better, only to realize that Mr. Dantes was a true gentleman and a good talker.
He was certainly not a devotee of the Storm Lord …… Belin gathered her long, slightly curly brown hair and returned to the inner room of her own accord, urging on her colleague.
Not long after, she brought over a stack of information and sat down on the single sofa next to her and said:
”After screening, there are three suitable housekeepers here, I’ll start with a general introduction.
”The first, Mr. Asnya, 55 years old, he used to serve the Viscount Yorkville, then because the Viscount invested in the failure of mineral exploration, the family’s finances were in crisis, and had to sell the landed estates, dismissed a large number of servants and left, during these ten years, he was successively employed by two rich men, and made excellent contributions to the management of their families. ”
As she spoke, Belin’s brown eyes contained light, as if hiding two stars, with the unique vigor of a young girl.
Klein nodded gently:
”Then why did he leave those two rich men?”
Belin smiled and answered:
”The first rich man made a large investment in East Byron and the whole family moved there, Mr. Asnya was not willing to leave Bakerland so he took the initiative to resign, the second rich man left all the affairs of the house to his children because his health was not too good, and that gentleman had a more trusted butler.
”Mr. Asnia is a devotee of the goddess of the night, and is more Tory in his political leanings, and asks for a salary of £130 a year.”
”May the goddess bless him.” Klein drew the Crimson Moon with four clockwise nods on his chest.
Belin said with a twinkle in her eye:
”Mr. Dantes, are you also a devotee of the Goddess?”
”Of course.” Klein smiled and nodded without explaining too much.
No wonder it was so gentle! Beilein gave a dark praise and continued her introduction:
”Mr. Ribak, 48 years old, used to serve the Negan family, serving as a deputy butler, butler’s assistant for a long time, and then became Baron Sindras’s butler in a trade.
”Not long after Duke Negan’s assassination, Mr. Ribak, whose years of service had expired, failed to get a new contract from Mr. Baron and had to come to our association for help.
”He is a shallow devotee of the Storm Lord, has no problems with his character, and his political leanings are Conservative, and is asking for a salary of 120 pounds.”
Crane listened quietly, nodding his head in agreement every now and then, without interrupting Belin’s narrative.
Belin clattered over the paper, looked at it for a few moments, and said again:
”The third, Mr. Walter, 42 years old, worked as a manor deacon and butler’s assistant in Viscount Conard’s house, because of some things, there was a conflict with the butler, and he voluntarily chose to leave, and he asked for an annual salary of 115 pounds.
”He is a devotee of the Goddess of the Night, and his political leanings are with the New Party.”
The new governor of Oravi Island is a member of Viscount Connard’s family, and their family is a loyal supporter of the royal family …… The corresponding information flashed quickly within Klein’s mind.
After the introduction, Belin handed out the stack of information and said:
”Mr. Dantes, which one would you like to choose?”
Klein pondered for a few seconds and said with a smile:
”How about this, have the three of them come to the place where I live tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. I’ll meet with them, talk about it, and make a final decision.”
He knew that similar associations didn’t provide accommodation and were just a pure intermediary, even if he decided on a candidate now, he would have to wait until the afternoon or tomorrow to see his housekeeper, so he might as well get a small interview session to pick the one that better suited his intentions.
”No problem.” Belin smiled lightly, “And your address is?”
Klein took a sip of his black tea, picked up the pen and paper on the table, and wrote down the location and name of the current inn.
”You, just arrived in Birkeland?” Belin asked offhandedly as she glanced at it.
Until then, she hadn’t noticed that Mr. Dawn Dantes’ complexion was a little darker than normal, slightly bronzed, like it had been made by a long exposure to the sun, and had a slightly rugged look to it.
Well, his accent wasn’t Bakerland either …… Belin slowly recalled more details.
Klein laughed:
”I’ve come over from Dixie Bay just waiting for a good steward to help me find a suitable house and servants.”
After paying the three pound deposit, he politely took another sip of black tea and rose to take his leave.
Belin kept him until he reached the door, and watched him board the carriage.
Mr. Dantes also seemed to be a rich man …… than this, and his air, his gentlemanly style, was more charming …… Belin stood still, thinking casually.
In the carriage, Crane, with half-closed eyes, leaned against the compartment wall, and could hardly contain himself from calculating his next expenses:
”The butler is about £120, the valet takes the middle figure and counts £35, the cook £30, the gardener £25, the coachman £25, the family nurse £20, three normal maids £15, and three maids for odd jobs £10, which would make the annual expenditure on maids alone £330, which is slightly equivalent to £6.70 sousl per week, which is more than my weekly wage when I was in the city of Tingen.
”Moreover, the carriage would have to be had, something like £100, the garden-house would have to be had, and the rent would be nearly another £2 a week, and with the expenses of food, clothing, charcoal, etc., for such a large party, the whole is simply exaggerated.
”Is this the daily life of a rich man ……”
Klein suddenly kind of regretted having to take on such a persona.
He exhaled, trying to put the matter behind him, and rode a carriage to the northern district’s Pacefair Street.
Here was a pure black church with a bell tower on each side, presenting a symmetrical beauty, it was where the headquarters of the Bakerland Diocese of the Church of the Goddess of the Night was located, St. Samuel’s Church.
Klein straightened the handkerchief in his left pocket, took his gold-inlaid cane, and stepped into the church, through the quiet corridors, illuminated by the sunlight that pierced the stained glass from on high, to the great prayer hall.
It was so dimly lit that one could not help but be in a peaceful mood, and Crane found a place at random, leaned back on his cane, removed his hat, and concentrated on beginning to pray with his eyes closed.
Time ticked by, and after listening to the sermon he slowly rose and made his way to the altar, bowing to the bishop with his very short dark hair before making his way to the nearby offering box.
Exhaling silently, Klein took out two ten pound and six five pound bills and dropped them in one by one.
That bishop swept this scene out of the corner of his eye, and his expression couldn’t help but soften considerably.
Normally, unless a door-to-door request for donations or legacy donations after death, the large sums of money that could be received by the offering box in the church would only be a few dozen pounds.
This meant that the other party was a rich man, a wealthy man!