The young cleaning lady finished her work very quickly. Finally, Ashley found Furen, who was daydreaming in the downstairs living room.
Her arrival pulled Furen from his thoughts. He took out his pocket watch; it was almost 9:30. Clearly, this experienced cleaning lady had a lot of experience.
Furen was delighted with the speed. He didn't yet know if the quality of the work was perfect, but he was already satisfied with its efficiency. He declared:
"Your voice is very pretty. I'm sorry I ruined the moment by appearing like a ghost. I owe you an apology."
Ashley immediately replied, "Thank you for your compliment."
Clearly, the young woman lacked the warmth and exuberance typical of Trier's inhabitants. Furen quickly understood what kind of person she was.
He continued: "I'm very pleased with your work today. I hope you'll keep it up. Oh, and here's the money."
Ashley greeted the question with natural ease, adopting an attentive attitude. Furen continued: "Yes. When certain cleaning tools wear out, replace them. And the spark plugs too. I'll buy the rest myself. If the money isn't enough, just tell me, and I'll give you more."
Ashley nodded and took his leave quickly: "Mr. Furen, if there's nothing else, I'm leaving." After Furen nodded, Ashley slipped away.
Furen thought for a moment. There was clearly nothing more to add. He picked up the newspaper that had been distributed that day and went to his desk to read for a while.
He absently flipped through the Trier Business Evening News, but found no information about any gathering of supernatural beings. The more he read, the more he thought his subscription was a rip-off: outdated information, unfounded rumors, gossip about unknowns, scandals involving minor officials no one had ever heard of…
However, when it came to gossip, Furen knew of a newspaper that had gained a certain notoriety because of it. It was said to have experienced a meteoric rise around the same time Roselle began to make a name for herself. Before Roselle, no newspaper had dared to attack the aristocrats and the powerful.
After all, before Roselle, Intis was not a republic, but a kingdom, and the royal family was that of Sauron, the family of the "Hunters," or perhaps that of the "Provocateurs" and the "Conspirators"? Whatever the case, the royal family of that country did not have a good reputation in the kingdom of Intis; rumors often circulated about them, describing them as hot-tempered, rude, and taciturn.
This newspaper began by publishing Roselle's gossip when he was still a minor figure, then chronicled his rise to power step by step. Far from censoring the newspaper, Roselle actually granted it a kind of immunity. This is how the scandal-mongering press in Trier became completely uncontrollable.
"The longer it goes on, the more extravagant it becomes..." Furen thought, slightly amused. But Roselle's strategy had opened the country up further, bringing Intis's mindset closer to that of the Republic. Was that precisely her intention? A long-planned maneuver?
Furen shook his head indifferently and threw away the newspaper. He then picked up another daily: the Trier Daily.
This newspaper, on the other hand, was on a completely different level. Its name was unimpressive, but its content was of excellent quality and its reputation was commensurate.
"The governor is considering accelerating the opening of new sea routes... hmm... a journalist claims that behind the pirates infesting these seas are agents of Intis, and that this is all just a smear campaign orchestrated by Loen? That Intis has already positioned its pawns?"
"Clearly, these rumors are already circulating and many seem to believe them. Ha... typical of a republic."
While reading, Furen came across an advertisement in the entertainment section:
The Bakal Circus presents a new show today; early booking is recommended. Tickets are available at the post office or the circus box office.
Seeing this enormous box, Furen thought back to his original plan: to one day attend a magic show. However, he didn't want to buy a ticket for this new performance.
Firstly, a new act didn't necessarily guarantee magic. Secondly, even if he wanted it, his place wasn't guaranteed.
It's hard to imagine today just how popular the great circuses were at that time. Apart from the recently introduced silent black-and-white short films, there was practically no modern entertainment. Plays remained classic and well-regarded, but rarely performed; Trier, the capital of dramatic art, couldn't produce enough shows to fill the weekly outings of the entire population.
Much was expected of a play. But of a circus? It was merely entertainment: the demands were therefore much lower. Certainly, a few enthusiasts tried to defend the circus as a legitimate art form, but even the most fervent admirers eventually recognized the superiority of the theatre.
Slumped on his sofa, Furen was lost in thought. It was the 8th. He had plenty of time to see a show before the 15th. After so many hours of reading and studying, he certainly deserved a reward. He counted the days since his birth on his fingers… and remained silent.
If he hadn't made a mistake, he would only have stayed there for four days.
Four days of study. Even a schoolboy worked more than that.
"No, but... seriously?!" he exclaimed in despair, rubbing his hair.
It feels like months have gone by, so much has happened… Anyway. I need to relax, otherwise I'll end up like a soulless learning machine, even though I've only studied for four days!
Furen, back to his old self, began to think about the day he would go to the circus, then changed his mind: he had nothing planned for tomorrow or the day after. He would go whenever he wanted; why complicate things?
"I've become far too much of a homebody," he sighed.
(End of chapter)