Alfonso’s attire was much more normal this time. He wore a set of brown casual clothes suitable for movement and was absent-mindedly heading downstairs when he nearly bumped into Siles.
Only then did he snap out of it, letting out a startled cry and repeatedly asking if Siles was alright.
Siles shook his head, his gaze subconsciously drifting to Alfonso’s clothing.
Alfonso noticed his gaze as well. Wagging his head, he said, “The last gathering is over… yes, right, it’s over.” This eccentric, slightly chatty folklorist continued, “I believe that when necessary, one should follow local customs… yes. Don’t be a maverick.”
Siles found this subtly amusing.
Siles listened quietly. Just as Alfonso paused and Siles was about to take his leave, Alfonso suddenly coughed. With a hint of boasting in his tone, he said, “Don’t think that last gathering was just a revelry for a bunch of cross-dressers!”
Siles thought to himself that he hadn’t thought that before, but now that Alfonso mentioned it… er…
Alfonso didn’t notice Siles’ inner thoughts; he just continued on his own, “It was for the Celebration of the God’s Birthday!”
The Celebration of the God’s Birthday?
Siles paused for a moment, then recalled what that was.
October was always a busy time of year. On one hand, the students’ first semester basically ended at this time, and parents were busy with their children returning home. On the other hand, late October marked the birthday of Antinam, giving birth to many activities.
For example, the winter holiday markets, and the God’s Birthday carnival. And for the Duchy and the Church, the Celebration of the God’s Birthday.
The Celebration of the God’s Birthday was consistently the liveliest time of the year in the Duchy of Constance, bar none. With Antinam being the only God in the present day, even if He didn’t seem to care much for empty fame, the believers and other humans below dared not presumptuously diminish His dignity.
Therefore, the Celebration grew grander and livelier year by year.
Siles thought for a moment and said, “The Grand Duke wants to develop the Ashless Lands, so he specifically incorporated elements of other cultures into this year’s celebration?”
Alfonso was about to speak, but hearing Siles say this, he exclaimed as if he had seen a ghost, “How did you know?!”
Siles said, “A deduction.”
Alfonso looked at him in disbelief. “You are too sharp.”
This was the second time Siles had been praised as “sharp.” Anthony Fenn had said it before—but he was just a kid. Now that Alfonso was saying it too, Siles felt even more embarrassed.
He whispered, “It’s just… a reasonable inference.”
Alfonso wagged his head, simply saying, “That’s not something an ordinary person would think of immediately.” He thought for a moment, fished a business card out of his pocket, and handed it to Siles. “I think I should extend the hand of friendship to you.”
Siles took it and smiled. “You’re an honorary professor at Lafami University?”
“Yes, but I don’t have to teach,” Alfonso said. “Those kids are too mischievous. I just want to pick a few qualified students from among them to be my apprentices.”
As he spoke, he suddenly realized something and looked at Siles with that “seen a ghost” look again.
“I also teach at Lafami University. History of Literature in the Silence Era,” Siles said. “Trust me, this is a coincidence. I only found this job recently.”
Alfonso widened his eyes, then said slowly, “How terrifying. I live in the same apartment building as my colleague, yet for two months, neither of us knew about it.”
Siles couldn’t help but smile.
He thought about how he had heard today that Angela Clayton was his student… and now he had met Alfonso, a colleague… it was wonderful.
Alfonso lamented for a while, then said, “No wonder I heard Mrs. Fenn say you’re moving tomorrow. Are you planning to live in the university dorms?”
“Yes.” At this point, Siles couldn’t help but ask, “You don’t plan to live on campus?”
Alfonso shook his head. “I don’t stay at the school most of the time. The location of Lafami University is remote enough as it is; I’m not willing to do that. However, I go to the school occasionally, so I can drop by to visit you then.
“If you have any issues, you can also write to me. I would very much welcome it.”
Siles smiled slightly and thanked him.
Afterward, Alfonso bid him farewell and went out to attend to his own business. He seemed to always go out at this time.
Thinking of the footsteps in the corridor the last time he met Alfonso at night… Siles suddenly harbored a trace of suspicion. Was that Alfonso? Or… someone else?
Siles stood there, thinking involuntarily for a moment, then shook his head, left the dark, dim corridor, and returned to his warm room.
He sat down and closed his eyes to rest for a moment. Thinking that tomorrow he had to move and organize his office, Siles felt a headache coming on, feeling like his back was already aching.
Fortunately, he had no classes on Monday.
…But he had to go to the Historical Society on Monday afternoon.
Siles sighed from the bottom of his heart.
A week ago, during the interview, he had already received his course schedule.
No class on Monday; a major elective on Tuesday morning, a public elective in the evening; no class on Wednesday; another public elective on Thursday afternoon; and a major elective on Friday morning.
At first glance, he had plenty of time, but if he counted writing papers, the Historical Society courses, Grenfield’s invitation, and the undecided matter of the apprentice, his schedule was as tight as a high school student’s on Earth.
…He also had to find time to write his novel.
Oh no, that sounded even more like a high school student.
Siles felt a headache.
Thinking of writing the novel, he took out the book Grenfield had just given him, as well as two bestsellers he had bought at the book market earlier, and began to browse through them.
Ms. Antonia Carmin’s detective mystery novel went without saying; there was indeed love and hate, but they pointed toward homicide cases. The latter two adventure novels mainly highlighted thrills and excitement, not girlish romance.
…Girlish romance.
Siles frowned in distress.
Asking a grown man like him to write directly about falling in love was something he wasn’t quite good at. But he could take a different approach.
After pondering for a moment, Siles wrote a line on the draft paper: The lonely knight hiding in the shadows takes revenge for love. After a moment, he added another line: And is saved by love.
He thought for a moment and nodded with satisfaction.
First, it would ensure the male protagonist was liked by female readers; second, it would ensure male readers would argue endlessly over the “Red and White Roses.”
A novelist from Earth had to have this ability to lead the conversation—even if this novel was currently just two lines of text.
He put down the draft paper, put the matter aside for now, and turned to packing. Most items, such as clothes, had actually been packed into cardboard boxes a few days ago.
What remained to be packed now were his lesson plans, documents, and books. He put all of these into a cardboard box. The manuscript from Professor Cabel, which had instantly increased his spirituality by two points, was stuffed into the very bottom of the box with his eyes closed.
Then, he packed some daily necessities and miscellaneous items.
Finally, three neat boxes were stacked there, and the whole room appeared empty.
Siles stood there, stunned for a moment, then let out a long sigh of relief.
It was July 29th, the 400th year of the Mist Era. This was the beginning of a brand-new century, and no one knew what the future would become.
For Siles, starting tomorrow, his life would truly get on track. Since coming to this world, he had met many people, learned many things, and gained a lot of knowledge.
He played the role of a young man about to become a university professor. But his soul was still that stranger from Earth.
The road home was still long. Siles sighed inwardly.
Fortunately, he wasn’t truly a young man in his early twenties. He peacefully suppressed all emotions slowly and firmly, sat there zoning out for a moment, then got up to go to the washroom, falling into a deep sleep early.
At seven o’clock the next morning, Siles had packed everything and planned to call a rental carriage to help him move. However, when he went downstairs, he met Bertram Fenn, who was just about to go out.
Hearing that he was moving, Bertram kindly offered to drive Siles there.
Siles felt bad troubling Bertram; the Fenn family had already helped him a lot. But Mr. Bertram’s hospitality was hard to refuse, and he said he was going to the East City anyway for some business matters.
He had just returned to Lafami City, and he would likely be busy with social engagements for the next few days.
So in the end, Siles moved his three cardboard boxes into the back seat of Bertram’s car and said goodbye to Mrs. Fenn and Anthony—the latter looked resistant but still awkwardly waved to Siles.
Siles sat in the passenger seat of the car, experiencing the small automobile of this world with some novelty.
“First time in a car?”
“Yes.” Siles savored the experience. “It feels very stable.”
“This is considered cutting-edge technology of our era,” Bertram replied. “It hasn’t become popular within the Duchy of Constance yet; it’s more common in other countries.”
Siles nodded. Thinking of the energy issue in this world that he had been curious about before, he asked, “How is it powered?”
“Star Dust,” Bertram answered casually.
Siles was stunned, not expecting to hear such a particularly… how to put it, fancy name?
While driving carefully, Bertram glanced at Siles and said, “Never heard of it?”
“No.”
Siles felt the stability of the car—although not fast, the fact that such a stable, convenient, and pollution-free means of transportation could appear in this era amazed him greatly.
Thinking of the supernatural power of this world, he couldn’t help but wonder, was Star Dust related to the Revelator?
“Star Dust is a product of the Ashless Lands, a type of crystal that emits a faint glow at night. Because it looks as bright as stars, the first person to discover it named it Star Dust, and the name has been used ever since.”
Siles nodded.
Bertram continued to explain, “When Star Dust burns and is heated, it can provide a stable energy output. A single grain of Star Dust can drive this car for nearly ten hours.
“I’m not very clear on the specific principles myself. It’s said to have been first discovered by the tribes in the Ashless Lands, who used Star Dust for warmth during the long winters.
“Then some merchants discovered sources of Star Dust and promoted it to some countries. However, many countries are still hesitating because the production of Star Dust is relatively low.
“I also bought a car incidentally because I acquired a portion of Star Dust in the Ashless Lands.”
Siles was shaken to the core.
After a moment, he asked Bertram firmly, “Do you have channels to invest in Star Dust?”
“Invest?” Bertram asked in surprise subconsciously. After a moment, he said, “I know one or two merchants who do this, but I haven’t inquired about Star Dust… Do you think it has investment prospects?”
More than just prospects! That was a golden rice bowl… no, a golden cornucopia!
Siles remained calm on the surface and said, “I believe it does.”
Bertram didn’t doubt his words and nodded, “I understand. I’ll ask around.”
