Chapter 124: Very Bright and Very Dark
“Good afternoon, Professor Noel.”
The mild-mannered painter, Alden Bridges, greeted Siles with a slight smile.
It was January 30th, a Friday afternoon.
Nearly two weeks ago, Siles had asked Dorothea for the Bridges family’s address and subsequently written a letter to Emil, asking if he would like to test play a sample from the Toy Store. In the letter, he carefully avoided mentioning Mr. Ghost.
However, this letter didn’t receive a response until recently, and the person who wrote back was Alden Bridges, not Emil.
In the letter, Alden invited Siles over as a guest with a very mild but unquestionable attitude, setting the date for Friday afternoon, January 30th.
Normally, Siles would gather with the club students every Friday afternoon. But this week’s activity happened to be a symposium, and the topic was proposed by the students, so Siles decided to let them discuss it among themselves, planning to give a summary next Friday.
Thus, he visited the Bridges household right on time this afternoon.
However, the fact that the responder was Alden also surprised Siles—did Alden just open the letter addressed to Emil directly?
This wasn’t something a proper parent should do; it left the child with no privacy. Considering the stubbornness Alden hid beneath his mild exterior, it didn’t seem too surprising that he would do such a thing.
Of course, this also explained why Emil was always so indecisive in reality, but much more proactive in the dream. His nature as a young boy had probably been suppressed within the family for a long time.
Precisely because of this, Siles was well prepared for the content of the conversation during this visit. Alden would probably warn him not to lead Emil astray. It was likely to clarify his stance that Alden specifically invited Siles over in the letter.
However, Siles’s true intention had nothing to do with toys. He merely wanted to test Alden.
Siles had also considered whether it was necessary to start with Adolphus, but due to Dorothea’s presence, Adolphus might not be completely honest; he might worry that Siles would accidentally let Dorothea know the truth.
Therefore, probing from Alden’s side was a more suitable choice. Their relationship was more unfamiliar, making it more fitting to discuss some… equally unfamiliar topics.
Despite this, Siles still brought a bag of toys for Emil. It was just unknown whether Alden would allow Emil to play with these toys after the conversation ended.
Tomorrow would be the day the Toy Store officially opened for business. Of course, the shop in the underground black market could be said to be operating quietly, and the custom advertising cards from the merchant Jerome Lanmere had already been distributed all over the city.
Siles was very curious if there would be any orders sent to their pre-order addresses tomorrow and how many there would be: there was one pre-order address in each of the East District and the West District to satisfy the needs of different customers.
Siles had handed all these matters over to the three ladies to handle. After all, he wouldn’t have much time to pay attention to the Toy Store tomorrow—he would be rushing between Lamifa University and the History Society, and probably wouldn’t have free time to go to the West District until the evening.
The year-end meeting at Lamifa University and the commendation ceremony at the History Society. He could already imagine how troublesome and headache-inducing that would be.
He might even run into Jonathan Bryant at the History Society’s commendation ceremony. That would also be a great opportunity to probe, especially if he could glean something from his conversation with Alden today.
Thinking this, Siles also smiled slightly and greeted Alden, “Good afternoon, Mr. Bridges.”
They sat face-to-face in the drawing room. Outside the room, Emil peeked his head in. A woman called his name from afar; Emil hesitated for a moment, then ran off anyway.
Alden took the initiative to explain, “That’s Emil’s mother, my daughter.” He paused, “A daughter who doesn’t cause me much worry.”
Siles deliberated for a moment, feeling he probably didn’t need to discuss parenting methods with this old painter regarding his daughter and grandson.
…In fact, he wasn’t all that skilled at educating children either; he had just picked up some knowledge, intentionally or otherwise, from the internet back on Earth. Back on Earth, he hadn’t even planned to marry and have children, so naturally he didn’t understand childhood education.
It was just that, as a novelist, knowing a little bit about everything in any field was very normal.
He said, “After that lady’s husband left, you naturally became her safe haven.”
This remark made Alden’s expression soften even more. He sighed and said, “Perhaps so. Or perhaps, I’d prefer her to have a happy family. As her father, I always hope for that.”
Siles felt slightly uncomfortable, but he didn’t let this feeling show. He listened quietly to some of Alden’s thoughts while observing the drawing room they were currently in.
It was somewhat similar to the Grant family’s drawing room. In fact, the distance between the two families’ mansions wasn’t that far, which fit well with the friendship between Alden and Adolphus. Outside the similar floor-to-ceiling windows was the same withered and decayed winter scenery.
“…I’m so sorry to make you listen to so many complaints,” Alden said softly. “But normally, I don’t have anyone to tell these things to. You know, family, education, younger generations—these things vary from person to person.”
Siles’s heart stirred, and he followed the topic, saying, “Indeed. Mr. Bridges, I once heard that because Personari, the God of Fertility and Life, possesses the power of ‘fertility,’ His believers also paid more attention to matters of family education.”
A strange look crossed Alden’s face. He couldn’t help but say, “Is that really true? That’s quite rare and very practical. If only today’s Old God followers also had the piety and loyalty of those past believers.”
“Today’s Old God followers are indeed not very harmless,” Siles said impassively. “I’ve even heard of some things happening in hospitals, concerning some young children. You know, that’s a hospital.”
Alden sat there stiffly, his expression instantly looking exceptionally awful.
After a moment, he finally managed to conceal his abnormality. He coughed, then said, “…Yes. Professor Noel, I… I understand what you mean. It is, after all… it is a hospital. People always trust hospitals.”
“Hospitals are always staging life and death.” Siles couldn’t help but sigh, and this was his true emotion. “Perhaps, believers of life and death would also view that place as incredibly important.”
Alden fell into silence. He looked at Siles with an almost bewildered gaze and asked somewhat hesitantly, “Professor Noel… you… how much do you know? Have you… investigated something?”
Siles paused.
Before actually speaking, he used a check to give himself some insurance. After all, this conversation very likely concerned countless young, tender lives.
He silently recited in his heart, “Check Siles Noel’s social skills stat.”
[Keeper of Secrets, Siles Noel (University Professor), is making a social skills check.]
[Social Skills: 45/…]
Siles chose 10 from the numbers that popped up in front of him.
[Social Skills: 45/10, Success.]
[An elderly, stubborn gentleman faces a young, visionary professor. He must be contemplating whether it is necessary to tell you some information, but his hesitation itself already symbolizes his wavering. The world has changed, he realizes.]
Siles said, “I think, since you say this, it means you probably also know about Darwin Hospital.”
When Siles uttered the words “Darwin Hospital,” Alden’s face twitched. He looked both utterly shocked and as if it was expected. This completely contradictory expression made his face look exceptionally twisted.
Siles held the fountain pen in his pocket a bit warily. He had to do so; during his previous combat training, Chendo had finally managed to cultivate some combat instincts in Siles.
After a while, Alden let out a long sigh of relief. He didn’t rush to speak with Siles, but instead called for a servant.
He continued to say mildly, “That bag contains the toys you brought for Emil, yes?”
His attitude had imperceptibly become even milder. A true mildness, one should say.
Siles wasn’t entirely sure what caused this shift in attitude, but he still nodded calmly and said, “Yes.” He paused, then added, “I hope Emil will like them.”
Alden didn’t ask anything else. He had the servant take the bag to Emil. After the servant left, he picked up his hot tea and took several sips in a row. Siles noticed that his hand was trembling—and that was the hand he used to hold his paintbrush, which should have been very steady.
Silence lingered in the drawing room for a long time.
Finally, Alden took the initiative to break the silence.
He said, “I am a painter, as you can see.”
Siles nodded cautiously and slowly.
Alden said, “I am 67 years old this year. I started learning to paint when I was born, attended a well-known fine arts academy in the city, sold my first painting in my thirties, and slowly became famous after that.
“I was a teacher at the fine arts academy for my entire life and retired at sixty. It has been seven years since then. And I am gradually growing old, just like my father.”
Siles suddenly felt mentally prepared for what Alden was about to say, which made him unwittingly breathe a sigh of relief. He looked at the elderly painter, his gaze very calm.
Alden, on the other hand, trembled under that gaze.
“…You already knew, didn’t you? Professor Noel, perhaps you already knew what my father said to me the night before he died… You already expected it, didn’t you?” Alden’s voice was low and trembling.
Siles hesitated for a moment and finally nodded. He said, “Yes, Mr. Bridges. Due to various reasons, I guessed what your possible… true faith might be.”
Alden froze there, and then he smiled bitterly.
He sighed, but his expression looked a bit better afterward. He said, “When I saw the letter you wrote to Emil, I found it simply unbelievable; I didn’t understand why you would want to give Emil toys.
“But when I told Emil he couldn’t play with the toys and couldn’t let you come over, he… how should I say it, the light in his eyes vanished.
“At that moment, I realized that what I considered a distraction that sapped one’s ambition was far more than just toys to him. It was something much more important.
“…I have been a painter my whole life, from my youth to my old age. Now that I am about to die, I am still a painter. I embarked on this path because of family tradition, but… but my father told me that we do not believe in Atkinia.
“Our family uses our faith in Atkinia to cover up our faith in Thaddeus. Because Atkinia’s believers are more harmless, because Thaddeus’s believers appear dangerous.
“Perhaps since then, I began to doubt—I doubted why I became a painter. Because of the family’s fake faith? Because death would inevitably strike in the end?
“I harbored these doubts, never able to avoid them. Yet, I still made my descendants walk this same path of doubt. I still forced Emil to do things he didn’t like.
“And sooner or later, when I am about to die, I will also have to tell my daughter and my grandson, tell them this was because of a fake, fabricated faith. What we truly believe in is Thaddeus… and they, too, will face the shattering of their concepts at that time.
“Is this a good thing? Is this a bad thing? Or can we only survive within such a repetitive cycle of hypocritical faith?”
He murmured in a low voice. These matters had probably been fermenting in his heart for a long time; right now, it felt more like he was muttering to himself rather than recounting the past to Siles.
And Siles continued to listen silently.
From Alden’s words, he verified the various speculations in his heart.
The Bridges family, the Grant family, and perhaps the Calverley family as well—they were all pursuing the original faith in Thaddeus. They strove to make their lives valuable so that the death equating to their lives would also hold some value.
After Thaddeus fell, they chose to hide their faith for various reasons.
This might be related to the situation at the time. The late Age of Silence was chaotic, and the believers of Thaddeus themselves had fractured, not to mention the existence of believers of life, whose stance was unclear but definitely in opposition to the believers of death.
Therefore, they hid themselves under the relatively harmless identity of Atkinia’s believers.
…Of course, Siles thought, it was hard to say whether this fake faith in Atkinia had become real over the four hundred years of the Age of Mist.
After all, from what Alden just said, when he learned that his family’s true faith was actually Thaddeus, he did feel a sense that his beliefs had been shattered.
Family faith versus personal faith. Must the younger generations of the family convert to Thaddeus just because it is the family’s true faith, once they learn about it?
Siles felt this was an overly presumptive and heavy-handed measure. However, in this world, especially among its upper classes, bloodline and family inheritance still seemed to be held in very high regard.
Furthermore, Alden’s candor exceeded Siles’s expectations. He had thought he would need to spend more time carefully probing this seemingly mild but actually stubborn old man before finally extracting the answers he wanted.
…Perhaps it was the help of that check?
Or perhaps it was this cold winter and the passing of his friend that made Alden realize this was no longer an ordinary year. He might have also reached the age his father was when he confessed the truth to him.
Regardless of what the old painter was thinking, for Siles, this attitude was ultimately a good thing.
After finishing that long speech, Alden couldn’t help but fall silent for a moment. When he recovered, he showed an old, tired smile.
He made a joke, trying his best to shake off this mood, “I didn’t invite you here today to talk about such unpleasant topics.”
Siles also smiled slightly and said, “Life is always full of surprises.”
“Fate is always capricious,” Alden said softly, then took a deep breath. “Then, I suppose the topic you really want to discuss is… Jonathan Bryant.”
Siles nodded.
Jonathan Bryant. The Duchy of Konst’s Minister of Finance, an Elder of the History Society, the behind-the-scenes backer of underground gangs, the founder of Darwin Hospital, and the initiator of a chilling human experimentation project.
But here, they were first going to discuss Jonathan Bryant’s more obscure identity—a believer of death.
“He values ‘life’ more than we do…” Alden hesitated for a moment, then said, “The value of life, I mean. He tries to make himself as important a figure as possible, meddling in every field, making himself widely known. Wealth, power, strength, virtue—he strives to obtain and possess everything, adding line after line to his glorious life resume… adding countless lines, so that he can then face Thaddeus with a clear conscience.”
Siles listened quietly, noticing that when Alden mentioned the God of Death and Disaster, he habitually called Him “Thaddeus” instead of the more appropriate “my god”.
…Perhaps this also offered a glimpse into the nature of his faith. It was merely a family “mission” and could hardly be called true “faith.”
“But…” Alden suddenly hesitated. “But… but sometimes, things can get reversed.”
Siles then said, “Instead, he began to cling to the warmth of life.”
Alden wanted to say something but ultimately just sighed slowly. After a moment of silence, he said, “Yes… yes. I admit that. However, I must also admit that I, too, am actually afraid of death and cling to life. It’s just that Jonathan is a much more insane, paranoid person. He mistook his attachment to life as a revelation given to him by Thaddeus; he believed it was the deity invisibly catalyzing his desire for life.”
Hearing this, Siles suddenly found it a bit laughable.
He wondered, did the deity know He had invisibly become the chief culprit?
“…Is that what led to the creation of Darwin Hospital?” Siles asked.
“No, you can’t say that.” Alden shook his head. “At least in the beginning, Darwin Hospital was just meant to… do some charity, make some money… that’s all. You may know that the West District Darwin Hospital was established fourteen years ago, and the East District one even earlier. Fourteen years ago… anyway, at that time, Jonathan seemed to intend to extend his sphere of influence into the West District.”
Siles was very clear about this. He also realized that Alden seemed to know something about what happened fourteen years ago. But that wasn’t the focus of their current conversation.
“But later, the situation changed,” Siles said. “Starting three years ago. What did Jonathan encounter at that time?”
Alden looked at Siles in surprise and finally shook his head, saying, “Professor Noel, you truly are amazing. I don’t even understand how you could know so much. …Yes, three years ago, the situation changed. I haven’t discussed the specifics with Jonathan either. I only know that three years ago, he suffered a severe illness, and after that, things took a sharp turn for the worse.
“From that moment on, his personality became increasingly extreme and stubborn; no one’s persuasion had any effect. It was also around that time… at least from what I heard, it was around that time that he started conducting some rather… unseemly research.”
Siles nodded thoughtfully. He shifted the subject and asked, “If you don’t mind me asking… how did you get in touch with Jonathan Bryant?”
“Old God followers… Of course, we can also call them Old God followers. So, we have an organization… or rather, a family alliance.” Speaking of this, Alden even couldn’t help but shake his head.
After a moment, he continued, “The reason I am willing to tell you so much today is, first, because you are Thea’s mentor, and I believe you are trustworthy; second, because you made me realize there are some problems with my parenting methods. Third, because the family alliance I belong to is actually something you cannot reach. I have guessed what you are investigating, and that… although I am powerless to stop it, I also hope someone will stop it. This is perhaps what I ought to do.
“…In short, it is a gathering of relevant families within the Duchy of Konst that harbor the faith in Thaddeus. Only when the previous patriarch dies and the new patriarch learns the truth about the family’s faith can they inherit the relevant alliance seat.
“We hold a gathering periodically, sometimes weekly, sometimes every six months. Those who attend the gatherings are all gray-haired, so our topics are always… the topics of old men. It was there that I learned about Jonathan’s situation. He also… gave us some advice.”
At this point, Alden couldn’t help but sigh.
“What advice?” Siles asked involuntarily.
“…Not to let the younger generations of our families come into contact with objects of unknown origin.” Alden’s tone became very complex. “That is not just… I mean, it is not as simple as an out-of-control Time Trace. As far as I know, many people who are about to die have also joined that complex and massive plan, that…”
He paused, not knowing how to continue for a moment.
Siles, however, picked up the thread at this moment and said, “That resurrection plan.”
Alden shuddered almost uncontrollably. He picked up his teacup and violently gulped down several mouthfuls of the already cold tea. His tone trembled: “It is truly unbelievable… Professor, I’m not saying it’s unbelievable that you know about this, although that is indeed somewhat…
“I mean, that plan. That evil, audacious, mind-boggling plan. When I wake up in the dead of night, I feel as if I’ve caught a glimpse of a corner of a massive monster; it’s terrifying, disgusting, and chilling.
“…I mean, anyone hearing about Revelators and the power of Revelators wouldn’t possibly think of doing that, right? But he actually thought of it, and actually did it. He scattered items he had used in every corner of the city, as if sowing seeds everywhere, hoping that one day his life would take root and sprout from those new seeds, growing back healthy and strong. Jonathan Bryant is a genius, an evil and blasphemous genius!”
The more he spoke, the more agitated Alden became. By the end, he was practically flailing his arms, his face flushed red. But when he finished that last sentence, his mood suddenly plummeted.
He panted; his aged body could not sustain such violent emotional fluctuations. He took a sip of water with trembling hands before slowly calming down. He smiled bitterly.
Siles remained silent throughout.
After a while, Alden murmured, “Unbelievable, isn’t it? I must admit, for a moment, I was indeed tempted by that plan… Immortality. Perhaps I could live to see the day the Old Gods return.
“But I was afraid, after all. That is an unbelievable thought and practice. I am unwilling to use my own soul for this experiment, nor am I willing to obtain my own immortality by killing others. That is too terrifying.”
Saying this, he shook his head and truly calmed down.
Siles said, “That is indeed a very evil plan.”
Alden nodded in agreement.
They had reached a consensus, so the atmosphere in the drawing room improved considerably. Alden stood up and paced around the drawing room for a bit, as if to work out the stiffness in his limbs. He stood by the fireplace, warming himself, as if trying to draw warmth from the flames.
Siles asked, “So, regarding this plan, is there anything we can do?”
“Jonathan wouldn’t actually discuss this plan with us for real,” Alden said. “However, some of the others who are also participating in this plan are a bit loose-lipped and occasionally reveal some information.”
Siles nodded in agreement. He asked, “Do you know who is involved?”
Alden casually listed a few names, which Siles noted down one by one. He thought, perhaps he could try to find these people’s dreams in the deep-sea dreams. Jonathan rarely dreamt, so Siles would have a hard time learning anything from his dreams. But now, the dreams of these insiders were also a viable option.
“It’s hard for me to actually get any direct information out of them. Of course, if you want to investigate them, that is a method too,” Alden said. “If we’re really talking about the information I did find out…”
He fell deep in thought.
Siles waited patiently for him to think.
After a while, as if waking from a dream, Alden said, “Dawson Street.”
Siles paused and couldn’t help asking, “What?”
“…Dawson Street in the West District,” Alden said softly. “As far as I know, that is the place Jonathan is developing; it’s an underground black market. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it.”
Siles nodded slowly. He actually knew about this early on, but until now, he had never considered that Dawson Street might be connected to Jonathan’s resurrection plan.
Alden said, “If you investigate the related shipments at Dawson Street, especially those Time Traces of unknown origin, you might be able to find some of Jonathan’s flaws. As far as I know, he seems to be hiding his identity and mixing some of the Time Traces he has used into Dawson Street.”
Siles paused, saying somewhat troubled, “I thought his plan was to resurrect himself in the bodies of young children?”
“That is what Darwin Hospital is doing,” Alden said meaningfully. “But outside of Darwin Hospital, he is of course also willing to prepare other possible backup plans. And those backup plans might not be as careful and meticulous as the plan at Darwin Hospital.”
In other words, it was highly likely he would leave a flaw.
Siles nodded thoughtfully.
Dawson Street. This was indeed a place he had overlooked. In fact, it was a mixed bag of people where information was passed very cryptically. If Jonathan really wanted to do something, he might very well take advantage of the convenience such an environment provided.
However, speaking of Darwin Hospital, Siles thought of Nanisal Bryant again. That young boy might be Jonathan’s grandson, and… was called the “Holy Child” by the dice.
Siles did not intend to directly tell Alden that he knew of Nanisal’s existence. Even though the old painter in front of him appeared very honest, the blue light flickering on his body told Siles that he was, after all, a powerful Revelator.
Siles then said, “Regarding Jonathan… there’s always been something I didn’t quite understand. You and the others all have descendants, but why is Jonathan…”
“Why is he a childless widower?” Alden interjected.
Then, Alden sighed slightly.
After a moment of silence, he said, “As far as I know, Jonathan should have bloodline descendants; it’s just that outsiders don’t know, and he himself is unwilling to mention it. His wife died early, and she didn’t leave an heir when she passed.
“After that, Jonathan seemed to have an illegitimate child. But he was obsessed with power at the time, and the appearance of an illegitimate child would affect his reputation, so this illegitimate child, as well as the child’s mother, remained unknown. As for the current situation of this unknown illegitimate child, even fewer people know.”
Siles nodded and said, “The reason I ask this… in short, you may also know that in some research, the pollution brought by Time Traces can be passed down through the bloodline.”
Alden froze slightly, seeming to realize what Siles was trying to say, and his expression gradually turned a bit ugly.
“So, I was thinking… if Jonathan has descendants, would he prioritize resurrecting himself within the body of his descendant?” Siles said in a very low, cold tone.
Alden said incredulously, “How… how could that be possible?!” His expression was utterly shocked. “No, I mean… I mean, it is possible, but how could Jonathan… how could he do that?! That is his descendant!”
It seemed that the old painter, who held strong family values, was infuriated by Jonathan’s possible actions.
“I think this is a possible hypothesis.” Siles maintained his calm; of course, this was also because he had seen Nanisal long ago, which allowed him to be so composed.
Alden gasped for breath, seemingly infected by Siles’s calmness, and couldn’t help but look at him.
Siles paused before continuing, “Since Dawson Street is the backup plan for Darwin Hospital, is it possible that what Darwin Hospital is doing is also just a backup for an even more core, secret plan?”
Alden was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly, “You’ve convinced me… Professor Noel, I think what you said is possible.” He sighed heavily, looking almost a bit dazed.
In fact, Siles had a third hypothesis—that resurrecting the deity and resurrecting himself might be happening simultaneously. After all, Nanisal was called the “Holy Child”. That was an overly religious title.
But the old painter in front of him seemed to have received too much stimulation today. His face looked alternatingly pale and green, and his breathing was somewhat rapid, so Siles weighed his options and ultimately set this matter aside for now.
He thought that bringing this up again after some time would also be a viable option.
In truth, the root of all problems was Jonathan Bryant. As long as this guy could be stopped, whether it was resurrecting a deity or resurrecting himself, the evil plan could be halted.
They sat in silence for a while. Then, Alden took a deep breath and said, “I think, Professor Noel, our conversation today can pretty much conclude. I probably need to rest for a bit. As for Jonathan Bryant, I will keep an eye on his current situation. If he really is dying, then his plan might be entering its final stage soon. But, if he can still cling to life, then I believe he won’t easily give up his current status and position.”
Siles nodded in agreement. Changing identities, resurrecting himself—that all meant he would awaken in another person’s body. Regardless of whether this idea was actually feasible, it also meant Jonathan Bryant would cease to exist. Therefore, Siles also believed that Jonathan wouldn’t take a desperate risk until the very last step.
At the same time, however, Siles maintained a slight caution. He thought, although this reasoning made sense, it was ultimately just them speculating on Jonathan’s thoughts from an outsider’s perspective. If Jonathan was truly suffering terribly from his illness, to the point where he no longer wanted to live in that burdensome, aged body, then perhaps he was about to take action?
This thought also appeared in Siles’s mind.
He figured that if he wanted to investigate Dawson Street, it would be better to use more official channels. He wondered how the Church of the Past’s investigation into Darwin Hospital was progressing.
Soon, he bid farewell to Alden. Alden seemed to have recovered from the various thoughts, but his overall demeanor did appear noticeably older.
Before leaving, Siles met with Emil. Emil seemed to like the toys he had brought over very much. So Siles gave him an advertising card, telling him that if he wanted to buy other toys, he could write to the corresponding address to order them.
Emil fiddled with the advertising card with great novelty. Then, he asked somewhat curiously, “Professor, what if there are new products?”
“For customers who have ordered by mail, we will periodically send a product catalog,” Siles said. “The advertising card will also be updated regularly.”
Emil understood and said, “I’m going to start school soon… I can share these toys with my classmates.”
Siles thought to himself that it looked like Emil would drum up quite a bit of business for the store. Emil’s classmates would likely be young children from noble families, which meant they probably had strong purchasing power.
He couldn’t help but smile slightly and said, “I look forward to the feedback from your classmates.”
He said goodbye to Emil, then left the Bridges’ home. Alden sent a driver to take Siles back to 6 Hayward Street. As expected, Chendo had already lit the stove and was waiting for Siles in the room.
It had started snowing again on the way back. Chendo had already stood up when Siles opened the door, ensuring that his lover with emerald eyes was the first thing Siles saw upon entering.
Chendo reached out and brushed the snowflakes off Siles’s shoulders, then said, “Come warm up quickly, you must be freezing.”
Siles took off his coat and said, “It is indeed very cold outside. But I had quite a good harvest this time.”
He told Chendo the information he had learned from Alden.
Chendo pondered for a while, then said, “But, we still don’t know… the specific location.”
“That probably requires someone more on the inside,” Siles said. “If it comes to a critical juncture, we can also go directly to Hubert Fox and have him take us to the corresponding location.”
Of course, this “have him” might require some more forceful methods.
Siles hadn’t done this all along because he considered it a last resort. Jonathan Bryant could just walk away, but Siles couldn’t simply choose such a crude method. He couldn’t help but sigh, feeling that the matters happening in Lamifa City were always more complex than those in the Ashless Lands. It involved many fragile young children, and that forced Siles to be much more cautious with every step.
He tried his best not to attract the attention of certain masterminds behind the scenes. He hoped the investigation by the Church of the Past would yield some information, but also felt their progress seemed very slow.
Chendo affectionately kissed his lips, then whispered, “There are still many things waiting for you tomorrow, so don’t fret over these troublesome matters anymore. We’ll go have dinner in a bit, and then you should get some rest early.”
Siles nodded, ceasing to dwell on these troubling matters.
In two more days, the deep-sea dreams would reopen to him. At that time, he might be able to enter Jonathan’s dream—or perhaps, he could also enter the dreams of more insiders?
“Oh right, I have another piece of good news for you. The title for 32 Lowell Street has been transferred, so that house is mine now,” Chendo said. “And yours.”
Siles was slightly taken aback, then said sincerely, “That is indeed good news.”
In a sense, both he and Chendo had grown accustomed to the existence of that small house. Perhaps they would move into a different house in the future, but the time they spent together at 32 Lowell Street this winter would also be etched into their lives.
Time would pass, but memories would never fade.
The next morning, Siles hurriedly rushed to the conference hall on the first floor of the main castle of Lamifa University to attend the School of Literature and History’s year-end meeting.
Thanks to his paper, Siles received a certificate of honor at the meeting, along with a bonus of one thousand Duke coins, and encouraging pats on the shoulder from several top officials of the school.
Another thing worth mentioning was that after Professor Mantel was suspended, the person currently sitting in the position of Literary History Department Head was Professor Bright.
After the meeting concluded, Siles further learned from Professor Bright that after being suspended, Professor Mantel chose to resign voluntarily.
It was truly lamentable that Professor Mantel, at the verge of retirement, ended up concluding his career in such a disgraceful situation.
Of course, this was just Siles’s thought. Professor Bright looked quite gleeful about his misfortune. However, after Professor Mantel left, Professor Bright became the acting department head, and he appeared to be severely bothered by the various administrative duties.
So, after a moment of gloating, he looked at Siles thoughtfully.
He asked, “My dear student, do you have time to be this annoying department head?”
Siles: “…”
Beloved mentor, do I look like I have time?
Siles checked the time on his pocket watch and said very sincerely, “Professor, I still have to go to the History Society for the commendation ceremony there. I have to go.”
Professor Bright: “…”
What, do people even have to rush between commendation ceremonies these days?
But Siles was indeed pressed for time. The meeting at Lamifa University didn’t end until past eleven, and the commendation ceremony at the History Society was starting at one o’clock. Siles could only grab a quick bite to eat in the carriage.
…Of course, it was a rice ball that Chendo had prepared for him in advance. He finally didn’t have to gnaw on dry bread in the carriage like he did when he first arrived in this world.
Professor Bright fell silent for a moment, and could only pat Siles to encourage his busy former apprentice.
In the afternoon, when Siles arrived at the History Society and prepared to attend its commendation ceremony, over in the underground black market on Dawson Street in the West District, Irene Finn and the others were also doing the final preparations for their store’s opening.
The store was ultimately named the “Guixia Grocery Store”. The reason for using the name “Guixia” was because Siles casually mentioned he was about to open a store during a club activity. Naturally, the students curiously asked for the store’s name. It wasn’t until that moment that Siles suddenly realized he hadn’t named the store yet—and naming things is always difficult.
So in the end, he simply borrowed the name of the Literary Society. Of course, Dorothea and Jules had no objections to this. They were actually very interested in some of the toys Siles described.
Angela had already played with the samples Siles brought over during their Saturday gathering, so she just watched the other students’ curious looks with a smile.
In the end, Siles also distributed a batch of advertising cards to them to satisfy the students’ curiosity.
In short, after a long preparation period, this shop—named a grocery store but actually a toy store that also sold some handicrafts—was finally going to open its doors for business on February 1st.
It was visibly apparent that what would bring more sales to this store in the future would be the mail-order service; however, the three ladies in charge of running the store still decided to display the corresponding samples in the underground black market shop.
In the slightly dim store in the underground black market, the Finn family had already arrived and was busy taking inventory. Chendo was also there; he was discussing the storage of goods with the black market manager.
Jimmy and Anthony Finn brought a bunch of young children here as well. They ran around, moving things, wiping tables, and occasionally competing to see who could carry more items. The vast majority of the children were laughing and joking, feeling happy about the opening of this store. They could earn enough money from this store to cover their living expenses, and perhaps, even escape the life of a street urchin in the West District.
In contrast, Jimmy acted much more serious. He tried hard to memorize the price of every item, carefully observing the trademarks and craftsmanship. Occasionally, he would reach out and gently touch those brand-new toys, not even daring to use too much force.
During a break, he somewhat nervously took out some coins and quietly bought a small Rubik’s Cube. He held it in his hand, playing with it, overcome with joy. That brand-new Rubik’s Cube seemed to also symbolize his brand-new life.
When a new batch of goods arrived, Jimmy counted the quantity, then ran over to Irene Finn and asked, “Ms. Irene, where should these two boxes be placed?”
The latter was about to answer, but suddenly froze.
“Ms. Irene?” Jimmy tilted his head in confusion.
Irene Finn was stunned for a moment—ever since she married Bertram Finn, she had been called Mrs. Finn. In the distant past, when she was younger, people called her Miss Cole, which was her maiden name.
Now, for the first time, someone called her Ms. Irene.
This unfamiliar form of address stirred strange ripples in her heart. She felt somewhat at a loss, yet also slightly bewildered because of it. After a moment, Irene coughed lightly and said, “Just put them over there.”
Jimmy nodded vigorously, then organized those goods with his companions. At some point, he inadvertently raised his head and looked towards the underground black market.
The light here always flickered between bright and dark, because the underground passage didn’t have enough light sources; the illumination relied entirely on the wall lamps hung on the walls. Occasionally, there were small ventilation windows near the top of the walls, which brought in slightly glaring sunlight.
However, the vast majority of the underground passages were shrouded in a somewhat dim, gloomy atmosphere. Sometimes, when people stood at one end of the passage and looked towards the far other end, they could only see darkness and a hazy endpoint.
Jimmy suddenly froze.
He thought, Very bright… and very dark…?
