Chapter 29 - Both "occupation" and housing are serious matters

Klein tried his best not to show any abnormal behavior and asked with genuine curiosity: "What abilities does a 'Diviner' have?" "Your question is not accurate. It should be what abilities one acquires after taking the 'Diviner' potion?" Dunn Smith shook his head and smiled, his gray eyes and face hidden in the shadow, away from the red moon. "Astrology, card divination, pendulum divination, clairvoyance, and many similar things. Of course, it doesn't mean that you immediately understand and master them after taking the potion. The potion merely grants you the qualification and ability to learn these." "Because of the lack of direct combat methods, heh, you should be able to imagine that ritual magic requires too much preparation and is not suitable for encounters. Therefore, correspondingly, in terms of esoteric knowledge, 'Diviners' are more erudite and professional than 'Seekers of Secrets'." It sounds quite in line with my requirements... It's just that the lack of direct combat methods makes me hesitate... And the Church of the Night's Goddess probably doesn't have the subsequent 'Sequences'... 'The Sanctuary' should refer to the headquarters of the Church, the Church of Tranquility... Low Sequence direct combat methods might not be as good as firearms... Klein fell silent, the scales in his mind swaying back and forth, sometimes leaning towards 'Seeker of Secrets', sometimes towards 'Diviner'. As for 'Collector of Corpses', he had already ruled it out. Seeing this, Dunn Smith smiled and said: "Don't rush to make a choice. Tell me your answer on Monday morning. No matter which one you choose or if you decide to give up, there won't be any extra opinions within our Night's Watch." "Calm down and ask your heart." With that, he took off his hat, bowed slightly, and walked past Klein towards the staircase. Klein didn't speak, didn't give an immediate answer. He silently bowed and silently watched him leave. Although he had been longing to become a supernatural being all the time, when the opportunity truly came before him, he was still filled with hesitation: the lack of subsequent 'Sequences', the various out-of-control aspects of 'supernatural beings', the credibility of Emperor Roselle's diary, the delusional whispers that drive one crazy and lead to corruption, all mixed together to form a swamp hindering his progress. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "It's like a student filling out college applications... " Klein chuckled to himself, reined in his scattered thoughts, quietly opened the door, and returned home, lying on the bed. He lay there, eyes wide open, quietly looking at the bottom of the upper bunk bed, which was tinged with a faint red. A drunk staggered past outside the window, and in the distance, a carriage was speeding down the empty street. These noises didn't disrupt the tranquility of the night; instead, they made it even more serene and profound. Klein's emotions settled down, and he recalled various past events on Earth. He thought of his father who always exercised and spoke in a loud voice, his mother who had a chronic illness but was always busy taking care of him, his childhood friends who grew up together and evolved from playing football and basketball to playing games and mahjong, and that girl whose face had become blurry after his failed confession... These memories were like a calm flowing river, with few ripples and not too much sadness, but silently drowning his heart. Perhaps only when something is lost do we learn to cherish it. When the redness faded, the sky burned with fire, and the golden hue emerged, Klein had already made his choice. ... He got up and went to the public washroom to wash his face, refreshing himself. Then he took a one-schilling note and went to Mrs. Wendy's to buy eight pounds of rye bread with nine pence, replenishing the staple food they had eaten up last night. "After breakfast, Benson was changing his clothes and commented, "The price of bread is stabilizing..." Today was Sunday, and he and Melissa finally got a chance to rest. Dressed in a formal suit, Klein was sitting in a chair, flipping through the expired newspaper he had brought back yesterday. He was quite surprised to say, "There's an advertisement for a house for rent here: 3 Wendel Street in the North District, a detached house with two floors. There are six rooms upstairs, three bathrooms, two large balconies, a dining room, a living room, a kitchen, two bathrooms, two guest rooms, and a basement storage room downstairs. Outside the house, there is a two-acre private lawn in the front and a small garden at the back. It can be rented for one, two, or three years, with a weekly rent of one pound and six schillings. Those interested should go to No. 16 Champagne Street and find Mr. Gushuf." "This is our future goal," Benson said with a smile as he put on his black semi-formal hat. "The rents for houses in the newspapers are all rather high. The 'Tingen City Housing Improvement Company' has cheaper options that are not much worse." "Why not go to the 'Tingen Working Class Housing Improvement Association'?" Melissa asked as she came out of the partition, holding the old lace hat and wearing a grayish-white light dress that had been mended several times but was still her best one. She was quiet and reserved, yet her youthful charm was hard to hide. Benson laughed and said, "Did you hear about the 'Tingen Working Class Housing Improvement Association' from Mrs. Rochelle? Or your good friend Selina?" Melissa looked to the side and replied in a low voice, "Mrs. Rochelle... I met her while washing up last night. She asked about your interview, and I told her a bit. Then she suggested we look at the 'Tingen Working Class Housing Improvement Association'." Seeing Klein's puzzled expression, Benson shook his head with a smile and said, "This is an association for the poor, or to be more precise, the lower class. The houses they build and renovate are mostly of the type with communal bathrooms. They only offer three options: one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom. Do you want to continue living in a place like that?" "The 'Tingen City Housing Improvement Company' has the same business, but it also provides options for the lower-middle class. To be honest, we are a bit better off than the lower-middle class now, but still not quite middle class. It's not about the salary; it's mainly due to the lack of time for accumulation." Klein understood and put away the newspaper, picked up his hat, and stood up. "Then let's go." "I remember the 'Tingen City Housing Improvement Company' is on Daffodil Street," Benson said as he opened the door. "They, like the 'Tingen Working Class Housing Improvement Association', are called 'Percent Charity'. Do you know why?" "No," Klein said as he picked up his cane and walked beside Melissa. The girl with smooth black hair that reached her back nodded in agreement. Benson stepped out and said, "These housing improvement associations and companies were established under the influence of the other side. Their funds come from three sources: one is raising funds from charitable foundations, two is getting low-interest loans of only four percent per year from the government's public affairs loan officer, and three is accepting commercial investments and giving a ten percent return each year by collecting rent. That's why they are called 'Percent Charity'." Thump, thump, thump. The three siblings went down the stairs and walked slowly towards Daffodil Street. They planned to find a house first and then go to the current landlord, Mr. Frank, to avoid the situation where they couldn't move in there but had to leave here. "I heard from Selina that there are also purely charitable housing improvement companies?" Melissa seemed to be lost in thought as she spoke. Benson chuckled and said, "Yes, there's the 'Dewell Trust Company' established by Sir Dewell. He built apartments for the working class and provided dedicated property management, but charged very low rent. However, the requirements are very strict." "Sounds like you don't like it much?" Klein, who was sharp-witted, asked with a smile. "No, I respect Sir Dewell, but I think he has no idea what the real life of the poor is like. The requirements for moving into his apartments are like the hope given by a priest, too unrealistic. For example, you must be vaccinated against major diseases, you must take turns cleaning the washroom, you can't sublet or use the apartment for business, you can't litter, and you can't let children play in the hallway. Goddess, does he want to turn everyone into gentlemen and ladies?" Benson replied in his usual tone. Klein frowned in confusion and said, "It sounds fine to me. They are all good requirements." "Mm-hmm," Melissa nodded in agreement. Benson turned his head to look at them and chuckled, "Maybe I've protected you too well and you haven't truly experienced the life of the poor. Do you think they have the money to get vaccinated? Free charity medical organizations have a waiting list of three months." "Do you think their jobs are stable and not temporary? If they can't sublet the apartment and charge a certain fee, what will they do when they lose their jobs and have to move out? And many women earn a living by sewing clothes and making matchboxes at home. This is considered commercial use. Are you going to kick them all out?" "Most of the poor are using all their energy to survive. Do you think they have the time to discipline their children and stop them from playing in the hallway? Maybe they can only lock them in the room until they are seven or eight years old and then send them to places that accept child labor." Benson described it without using many adjectives, and Klein felt a bit chilled. Is this the life of the lower class? Beside him, Melissa also fell silent. After a long while, she said in a distant tone, "After moving to Lower Street, Jenny didn't want me to visit her at her home anymore..." "I hope her father can get over his injuries and find a stable job again. But I've seen too many people who use alcohol to numb themselves from then on..." Benson chuckled with a heavy tone. Klein didn't know what to say. Melissa seemed to be in the same state. The three siblings walked in silence to Narcissus Street and found the "Tingen City Housing Improvement Company". The person in charge of receiving them was a middle-aged man with a kind smile. He wasn't wearing a suit or a hat. He wore a white shirt and a black waistcoat. "You can call me Skart. May I ask what kind of house you are looking for?" He glanced at Klein's silver-inlaid cane and smiled even more warmly. Klein looked at the eloquent Benson and gestured for him to answer. Benson spoke very directly, "A terraced house." Skart flipped through the documents and files in his hand and said with a smile, "Currently, there are not many terraced houses available. To be honest, we are more focused on helping workers and their children who are truly in housing difficulty, six, eight, or even ten or twelve people sharing one room. There is one on Narcissus Street 2, one in the North District, and one in the East District... The weekly rent ranges from 12 to 16 sulles. You can take a look at the specific introduction." He pushed the documents towards Benson, Klein, and Melissa. After browsing through them, the three siblings looked at each other and pointed to a certain position on the paper at the same time. "Let's look at the one on Narcissus Street 2 first," Benson said. Klein and Melissa nodded in agreement. This area was somewhat familiar to them.