Klein tried hard not to show any abnormal behavior and asked with genuine curiosity:
"What abilities does a 'diviner' have?"
"Dunne Smith shook his head and smiled, his grey eyes and face turned away from the red moon, hidden in the shadows. 'Astrology, card divination, pendulum divination, clairvoyance, and many, many other things. Of course, it doesn't mean that just by taking the potion, you immediately understand and master them. The potion only gives you the qualification and ability to learn them.' 'Because of the lack of direct means of confrontation, well, you should be able to imagine that ritual magic requires too much preparation and is not suitable for encounters. Therefore, correspondingly, in the knowledge of mysticism, the 'diviner' will be more learned and professional than the 'secret seeker'."
"It sounds quite in line with my requirements... but the lack of direct means of confrontation makes me hesitate a bit... and the Night Goddess Church probably doesn't have the subsequent 'sequence'... 'The Sanctuary' should refer to the church's quiet chapel... The direct means of confrontation at a lower sequence may not be comparable to firearms... Klein fell silent, the balance in his mind swayed back and forth, sometimes 'Secret Seeker', sometimes 'Diviner', as for 'The Collector of Corpses', he no longer considered it.
Dunne Smith saw this and smiled:
"Don't rush to make a choice. Tell me the answer on Monday morning. No matter which one you want to choose or if you plan to give up directly, there won't be any additional opinions within our night watchmen."
"Take a moment to calm down and ask your heart."
After saying this, he took off his hat, bowed slightly, and walked slowly past Klein towards the staircase entrance.
Klein didn't speak, didn't immediately give an answer, remained silent in his salute, and silently watched as the faint red stain covered the bottom of the upper bunk.
Outside, the drunkard staggered past, and in the distance, a carriage was speeding on the empty street. These various noises didn't disrupt the tranquility of the night, but instead made it even more profound and deeper.
Klein's emotions settled down. He recalled all the past events on Earth, his father who loved exercising and always spoke in a loud voice, his mother who had chronic diseases but liked to take care of herself, his close friends who grew up together, played football and basketball together, and evolved into war games and mahjong games, and the person he had failed to confess to... All of these were like the calm flowing river, with few ripples, no too deep sadness, but silently drowning the soul.
Perhaps only when lost will one understand the value of it. When the red fades away, the sky turns red like fire, and the golden yellow emerges, Klein has made a choice. ......
He got up, went to the public restroom to wash his face, refreshed himself, and then took a 1-sulzer note, went to Mrs. Wendy's place and bought 8 pounds of rye bread with 9 pence, replenishing the staple food he had eaten last night.
"The price of bread has started to stabilize..." After breakfast, Benson, while changing his clothes, made an evaluation.
Today was Sunday, and he and Melissa finally got a chance to rest.
Klein, already dressed in a suit, sat on the chair, flipping through the outdated newspapers he had brought back from yesterday, saying in surprise:
"There are rental ads here: 3 No. Wandel Street in the North District, a single-family house, two floors, six rooms upstairs, three bathrooms, two large balconies, a dining room downstairs, a living room, a kitchen, two bathrooms, two guest rooms, and a basement storage room... Outside the house, there is a 2-acre private lawn in front, and a small garden behind, available for rent for one, two, or three years, with a weekly rent of 1 pound 6 sulzers. Anyone interested, please go to 16 Champagne Street and find Mr. Gusev."
"This is our future goal." Benson put on his black half-top hat and smiled, "The rents in the newspapers are all on the high side. 'The Tingen City Housing Improvement Company' has more affordable and not much worse options than them."
"Why not look for 'The Tingen Working Class Housing Improvement Association'?" Melissa, holding the worn hat, changed into a patched-up but still the best available gray-white lightweight dress, walked out of the compartment.
She was calm and reserved, yet couldn't hide her youthful charm.
Benson laughed heartily:
"Who did you hear about 'The Tingen Working Class Housing Improvement Association'? Jenny Rochelle? Or your good friend Selina?"
Melissa glanced at the side and replied in a low voice:
"Mrs. Rochelle... When I was washing up last night, I happened to meet her. She asked Klein about the interview situation, I gave her a rough account, and then she suggested looking for 'The Tingen Working Class Housing Improvement Association'."
Seeing that Klein was also puzzled, Benson smiled and shook his head, "This is a housing association for the poor, or more accurately, the lower class. The houses they build and renovate are mostly public bathroom types, offering only 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 as them, but also offers choices to the middle and lower classes. To be honest, we are a little better than the middle and lower classes now, but a little worse than the true middle class. It's not about the salary, but mainly about the lack of accumulation time."
Klein understood and put away the newspaper, took off the hat, stood up, and said:
"Let's go."
"I remember 'The Tingen City Housing Improvement Company' is on Narcissus Street." Benson said as he opened the door, "They are the same as 'The Tingen Working Class Housing Improvement Association', called 'Five Percent Charity'. Do you know why?"
"I don't know." Klein picked up his walking stick and walked beside Melissa.
And the girl with smooth black hair that reached her chest also nodded.
Benson stepped out and said:
"These housing improvement associations and companies were established under the influence of Beckland. Their funds come from three channels: one is to raise funds from charitable foundations, two is through application, obtaining a high-quality loan from the government's public affairs loan commissioner with an annual interest rate of only 4 percent, and three is to accept commercial investment, receiving a 5 percent return from the tenant by charging a certain rent. That's why it's called 'Five Percent Charity'."
The three of them, the brother and sister, descended the stairs, walking slowly towards Narcissus Street. They planned to determine the house first before going to the current landlord, Mr. Frank, to avoid the situation where they can't move in there but have to leave here. "I heard Selina say there were those purely charitable housing improvement companies?" Melissa said, as if she was thinking.
Benson chuckled:
"There are. The 'Deville Trust Company' established by Sir Deville with his donation is one example. He built apartments for the working class and provided specialized property management, but charged only a relatively low rent. However, the requirements were very strict."
"It sounds like you don't really like it?" Klein observed keenly and asked with a smile.
"No, I respect Sir Deville very much, but I think he surely doesn't know what real poverty is like. The occupancy requirements for his apartments are like the hope given by a priest, which is too unrealistic. For instance, they must be vaccinated, they must take turns cleaning the bathrooms, they can't sublet the houses or use them for business, they can't throw garbage around, they can't let children play in the corridors. Goddess, does he hope to turn everyone into gentlemen and ladies?" Benson replied in his usual tone.
Klein frowned in confusion and said:
"It sounds like there are no problems. They are all very good requirements."
"Um." Melissa agreed and nodded.
Benson turned his head and gave them a glance, then chuckled:
"Perhaps I have protected you too well and haven't really experienced the life of the poor. Do you think they have the money to get vaccinated? Free charity medical organizations can wait in line for up to three months before getting vaccinated."
"Do you think their jobs are stable? Not temporary? If they can't rent out the houses in shares and charge a certain fee, they can move out when unemployed? And many ladies do sewing and making matchboxes at home to make a living. This is a form of business application. Should they all be evicted?"
"Most of the poor are using all their energy to maintain their lives. Do you think they will have time to discipline their children and prevent them from playing in the corridors? Probably they can only be locked in the house until they are seven or eight years old and then sent to a place that is willing to accept child labor."
Benson described it without many adjectives, and Klein felt a little scared.
Is this the life of the lower class?
Beside him, Melissa also fell silent, and after a long time, she said in a vague tone:
"After moving to the Lower Street, Jenny no longer wanted me to go to her house to see her..."
"Hope her father can come out of the shadow of his injury and find a stable job again. But I have seen too many drunkards who use alcohol to numb themselves..." Benson said with a heavy laugh.
Klein didn't know what to say. Melissa seemed to be in the same state. The three siblings walked in silence to Water Lily Street and found the "Tingen Housing Improvement Company".
The person who received them was a kind-faced middle-aged man, not wearing formal clothes or a hat, a white shirt, and a black coat.
"You can call me Scott. Do any of you need a certain type of house?" He glanced at Klein's silver-handled cane and smiled even more warmly.
Klein looked at the eloquent Benson and signaled for him to answer.
Benson spoke very directly:
"Row houses."
Scott flipped through the documents and files in his hand, and smiled up at the corner of his mouth:
"There are currently five units that are not for rent. To be honest, we are more focused on those who really have housing difficulties. Six, eight, even ten or twelve workers and their children living in one room, row houses are not many. One is at 2 Water Lily Street, one is in the North District, and one is in the East District... The weekly rent ranges from 12 to 16 solles. You can look at the specific introduction."
He pushed the documents in his hand to Benson, Klein, and Melissa.
After browsing through them, the siblings looked at each other and pointed to a certain position on the paper.
"We'll look at 2 Water Lily Street first," said Benson, and Klein and Melissa nodded in agreement. This area is roughly the one they are familiar with.