After finishing his work meal and resting for a while at the company, Caesar and Klein, who had returned from the Divination Club, went to the home of Gawain, the combat instructor, to continue their combat practice.
They only stopped when the afternoon gradually ended, changed out of their practice knight uniforms, and after showering, the two bid farewell to Gawain and left the house to take a public carriage back to Narcissus Street.
Throughout the process, Klein occasionally cast his gaze on Caesar, as if observing him.
He must be wondering how my potion digestion is going.
Caesar guessed with great certainty.
So Caesar met Klein's gaze and smiled faintly:
"Klein, the method you mentioned really works! I feel the potion's influence has lessened a lot!"
"Ah? Cough, cough. It works, that's good."
Klein coughed, then said seriously, "Then I think this method can continue to be promoted. Once you and I have fully mastered our potions, we'll share it with other members."
The two chatted casually for a few minutes before parting ways at their respective doorsteps.
"Cecilia, how long has the mutton been cooking?"
As soon as Caesar pushed open the Door, he called out into the house, smiling as he spoke to his younger sister.
—Could he really be a favored one of the True Creator?
Klein stood at his own doorstep, looking at Caesar's retreating figure, thinking with a strange expression. He detests the Aurora Order so much, personally killed three cultists, and stopped several evil god rituals. Such a blasphemous favored one couldn't possibly exist, could he?
Shaking his head, with complex emotions, Klein closed the Door.
Glistening mutton and radish chunks were submerged in the milky white soup, and as the soup simmered, the tender mutton trembled gently.
The kitchen was filled with a delicious aroma and a faint gamey smell, refreshing to the mind.
Good mutton doesn't need too many seasonings; just a little spice to remove the gamey smell is enough to bring out the meat's inherent sweetness.
Seeing that the meat was almost done, Caesar turned off the heat and sprinkled in fine salt, stirring it evenly.
Salt should not be added too early when cooking mutton, otherwise the meat will become tough.
After waiting a few minutes, he ladled out the mutton and radish chunks with some soup, placed them in a bowl, and sprinkled fresh green basil leaves as a garnish.
Sprinkling pepper, he picked up a piece of mutton and took a bite. It was tender yet chewy, with the umami and meaty aroma filling his nostrils and mouth. Then he took a sip of the steaming hot broth.
Goodness, the Cardini siblings ate without even lifting their heads.
"Cecilia, I just discovered a serious problem."
"What problem, big brother?"
"It's just, well,"
Caesar took a sip of soup and said with a bit of guilt, "I just remembered that I should have prepared a dress for you to wear to the theater."
Cecilia looked at him in surprise.
"Caesar, you actually noticed something like this? No, was it a thoughtful lady who reminded you?"
"My sister, do you have so little faith in your big brother? Alright. This time, someone else did tell me."
Caesar's voice rose a few pitches, then quickly lowered, "Anyway, the theater performance is at night, so we'll go out during the day and buy a ready-made one on the street."
"If we buy ready-made clothes, the price will be quite a bit higher, won't it? Although your weekly salary is high, you shouldn't spend it so carelessly," Cecilia said, "Big brother, I don't really care about those things. As long as you can accompany me, it doesn't have to be the theater, anywhere is fine."
Sister, why do you talk less like my sister and more like my mother?
Caesar blinked, then smiled.
"That won't do. Everyone else has one, so how can my sister not have one? Don't worry, the money will be here soon."
Knock, knock, knock!
As they spoke, someone knocked on the Door from outside. Leonard had come to pick him up.
"Who is it?"
Cecilia asked.
"The person bringing you money for the dress."
Caesar smiled and stood up.
— — — —
After instructing his sister to be careful at home, Caesar and Leonard, who was behind the Door, got into the carriage together.
As soon as he sat down, he suddenly worried about his sister's safety. Such a beautiful young girl, what if someone had ill intentions? It seemed he would have to teach her close-quarters combat techniques later, at least for self-defense.
Thinking this, he spoke little with Leonard along the way, quietly letting the carriage take them to the dock district on the outskirts of Tingen City.
Tingen City boasted a superior geographical environment, with two main rivers: the Khoy River and the Tussock River.
The Khoy River merged with the Tussock River outside the city, then flowed all the way to the capital, Backlund.
Numerous passenger and cargo ships shuttled back and forth along the rivers, docking in the port area.
By handling the flow of these ships, the dock district rapidly developed, with trade stations, warehouses, and slums stretching in an unbroken line.
Stevedores, beggars, and streetwalkers—people from all walks of life converged here, mixing in a complex way, making it the most chaotic area in Tingen City in terms of public order.
Night had fallen, yet the dock district remained noisy.
Dockworkers returning from their labor drank cheap wine in taverns, while those who earned more went to chat with the ladies.
Beggars huddled in corners to shelter from the wind, and shirtless children sucked their fingers, eyes wide as they watched the lively scene in the lamplight.
Behind them, in the river bend, ships lay silently in the Darkness, like man-eating giants floating and drifting on the water.
Caesar and Leonard walked across a muddy patch of ground and arrived at Mr. Pangde's shipping company.
William Shipping Company primarily handled cargo transportation on the Tussock River.
The entire company owned five cargo ships, and it was said to be very profitable.
"Names of the long-sleeping etched in the sunset,"
"One of them, awakened by your night."
The guards at the Door were no match for Leonard. He merely recited a few lines of poetry from a distance, and these poor fellows immediately closed their eyes, collapsing in a heap.
"Reciting poetry at night, at this moment, I can truly be considered a Midnight Poet, right, Mr. Secrets Suppliant?"
He said to Caesar with a smile.
Is he hinting at my acting method?
One by one, they all know these secrets.
Caesar just nodded, pretending not to understand at all, and said, "You're right."
Leonard's face fell slightly at the reply, but he quickly perked up, leading Caesar swaggering into the company building.
Orange-yellow gas lamps illuminated the corridor. They followed the signs, searching floor by floor, and soon found the manager's office, its Door tightly locked.
Just as Caesar was wondering how to pick the lock, he saw Leonard take two pieces of wire from his pocket, insert them into the keyhole, and fiddle with them a few times. With a "click," he had neatly opened the Door.
"Learned it specifically from the petty thieves at the police station."
Leonard put away the two wires, smiling a little smugly.
There's no need to be proud of that.
Caesar followed behind him. The moment the Door opened, a thin, white thread seemed to stretch horizontally in front of Leonard, illuminated by the lantern.
He didn't notice it and stepped forward, breaking the thread.
Probably a spider's web.
Caesar thought to himself, seeing that Leonard had already gone in, he didn't bother to remind him and followed him into the office.
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