Lionel had no idea that the few jokes he casually adapted from "A Compendium of Jokes: Monks and Daoists Section" had already caused the most serious "bloodbath" at Notre Dame Cathedral since Quasimodo pushed Claude Frollo off the high tower.
He was currently at the entrance of a five-story "Haussmannian" building, across from the Bourse in the 2nd arrondissement, confronting an arrogant doorman.
"Excuse me, sir!"
The doorman, dressed in a black trench coat, white gloves, a top hat, and wearing high leather boots, stood before Lionel like a mountain.
"Only those with an invitation may enter the building."
Lionel was a bit exasperated:
"I'm just here to find someone, do I still need an invitation?"
The doorman scrutinized Lionel from head to toe and let out a soft "humph" through his nose.
"I'm sorry, sir, our 'Orbi Trading Company' has very strict rules."
His body remained unmoving.
Then Lionel watched as an old gentleman, splendidly dressed, wearing a top hat, and leaning on a cane, arm in arm with a young woman, grandly entered the doors of the "Orbi Trading Company."
The doorman didn't even ask a single question.
As one of France's largest overseas trading companies, not a few people entered and exited the "Orbi Trading Company," but most arrived by carriage at the entrance, or at the very least, were quite decently dressed.
They naturally entered and exited without obstruction.
Visitors like Lionel, who exuded the "smell" of poverty, were the doorman's primary focus of prevention.
Even if he was a top student from the Sorbonne and a future elite, as long as he couldn't afford a refined private carriage or beautiful custom-made suits, in the doorman's eyes, he was no different from a vagrant or a beggar.
Outside the campus, Lionel could more truly feel the chasm created by class differences in this era.
Now he couldn't, like when he mocked Albert, rely on a few witty remarks to gain entry through these doors.
Lionel could only first leave the front of the "Orbi Trading Company," turn a corner, find a cafe, and sit down to think of a solution.
The cafe waiter quickly stood beside him.
"Sir, what would you like?
We have a newly launched afternoon tea set, which includes a standard espresso, a slice of Provence-style cream mousse, a portion of..."
Lionel interrupted his chatter.
"Just a black coffee for me, no sugar."
The waiter's face quickly fell, but he still bowed slightly and said,
"Very good, sir, as you wish!"
After the black coffee was served, Lionel casually took a copy of "Le Petit Journal" from the cafe's newspaper rack and started flipping through it while drinking.
"Le Petit Journal" was the first French newspaper that could be retailed "per copy" rather than sustained by "subscriptions," and also the first cheap French newspaper.
A single copy cost only half the price of other newspapers at the time, hence the "Petit" in its name.
As a cheap, popular newspaper, it firmly adhered to the principle of "depoliticization."
Although it still published important government news on its front page, serialized literature, bizarre social happenings, and gossip news were the main reasons people bought it.
Just as Lionel finished reading the main news on the front page, he noticed a somewhat furtive-looking man sit down across from his small round table.
He was probably in his twenties, wearing a short jacket common among the working class.
Brown hair showed around the brim of his beret.
His eyes were grayish-brown.
He had a high, thin, blade-like nose, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile played on his lips.
Lionel looked around, noticing that the cafe was sparsely populated and there were many empty tables.
So he asked,
"Good afternoon, you...?"
The man's lips curved into a fuller shape, revealing a brilliant smile.
"Good afternoon, my name is Noé, Noé Dupont."
He then extended his hand.
Lionel did not shake his hand, but instead leaned back slightly with a wary posture.
The man named Noé Dupont didn't mind, withdrawing his hand without any trace of embarrassment.
"You want to enter the 'Orbi Trading Company' building?"
Lionel neither confirmed nor denied, but counter-questioned,
"How do you know?"
Noé Dupont leaned casually back in his chair, with a cynical smile.
"I was making a deal with someone across the street...
I'm not wrong, am I?
Arthur—that bear who blocked your way—is a complete snob."
Lionel relaxed a little and vaguely guessed the other party's intention.
"So, you have a way to help me bypass him and enter the building?"
Noé Dupont leaned forward and held up a finger.
"Two francs, give me two francs and I'll get you in."
Lionel scoffed.
"Two francs?
Are you crazy, or did I mishear?
I might as well just slip it directly to that bear named Arthur!"
Two francs was almost equivalent to a laborer's daily wage.
In fact, he had been about to do just that, but there were too many people coming and going at the time, making it inconvenient.
Noé Dupont hadn't expected Lionel to refuse so bluntly, and to immediately see through his plan.
But giving up was certainly not in his nature.
"You think it's too expensive?
There's another way then, only one and a half francs, no less!"
Lionel's face was expressionless.
"One franc, no more!"
Noé Dupont didn't hesitate at all.
"Deal!"
Lionel was taken aback, then added,
"I'll pay after I'm inside."
Noé Dupont's smile remained.
"No problem! Have you finished your coffee?"
Lionel tilted his head back and drank the remaining coffee, placed the newspaper on the table, and put a 1 sou copper coin on top of it.
Only then did he leave with Noé Dupont.
The waiter soon came over, collected the copper coin and the newspaper, and watching their retreating figures, he showed a mocking expression and muttered,
"Beggars and rats..."
Lionel followed Noé Dupont, turning a few corners along the streets and alleys, and arrived at the back of the "Orbi Trading Company" building, a dirty and smelly alley.
Noé Dupont extended his hand to Lionel.
"Give me five sous."
Lionel looked bewildered.
"I haven't even entered the building yet!"
Noé Dupont said with a grin.
"Consider it an advance payment; I can't be expected to pay out of my own pocket, can I?"
Lionel had just received 20 francs in manuscript fees, so he was relatively well-off.
After a slight hesitation, he took out five sous and handed them to the other man.
Noé Dupont took the coins and put them in his pocket.
"Wait here."
He then walked to a door and knocked a few times.
Soon, the door opened, and a chubby-faced, big-eared head poked out.
Seeing Noé Dupont, he glared angrily and began,
"You cheat..."
Noé Dupont quickly pulled out the five sous he had just received from his pocket, handed them to the big-headed man, interrupting his "spell," and then whispered a few words.
The big-headed man turned towards Lionel, scrutinized him twice, then turned back and said something to Noé Dupont, and then retreated.
Only then did Noé Dupont wave to Lionel, motioning him to come to the door.
"After Arthur rejected you, you wound your way to the back alley, discovered this door wasn't locked, and thus entered the building without permission.
After passing through the back kitchen and laundry room, you arrived at the office area... Understand?"
Lionel nodded.
Only then did Noé Dupont reveal a satisfied smile.
He then took off his hat, turned it upside down, and held it out to Lionel.
Lionel simply tossed the remaining 15 sous into the hat.
Only then did Noé Dupont bow to him.
"Good luck, sir!
If you ever need to get into somewhere else in the future—even the Countess's bedroom—you can come find me here.
'Noé the Rat,' that's me!"
He then whistled and left.
Lionel watched the other man's back disappear around the corner, shook his head, pushed open the door, and went inside.
As the "rat" had said, just inside the door, first was a smoky, fiery kitchen, followed by a steam-filled laundry room.
The busy cooks and laundry workers didn't even glance at him, as if he were invisible.
Lionel, understanding the situation, said nothing and tiptoed past them.
After pushing open a swinging door, the world before his eyes suddenly transformed—
A luxurious corridor carpeted with thick rugs, where even during the day, extremely bright gas lamps were lit, making everything bright and resplendent.
Office workers in suits hurried to and fro, carrying various documents.
From the offices, laughter or angry shouts could occasionally be heard...
Lionel momentarily thought he had returned to the 21st century, finding himself in a CBD office area.
Business, indeed, was always the most dynamic component of this world!
However, this was no time for contemplation.
He had to quickly find the office where he could inquire about a person named "Emile," otherwise, his attire here would be too out of place, and he could easily be exposed and thrown out the door.
(End of Chapter)
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