Returning from Sector 10, the two men sat in the staff room. They played Trappola for a couple of hours.
Looking at the clock, Silas saw that the time was getting closer to 9. He bid farewell to Mr. Rudolph and started the journey to the Rockette Food Bank.
...
After the short walk, Silas entered the charity foundation.
This time Sophia was talking to an older gentleman.
Stopping their conversation, Sophia said to Silas, "This is Baron Viridian, the owner of the food bank. He insists on meeting any new volunteers."
Casting his black eyes on Silas, the Baron approached him. "Why are you inclined to volunteer?"
Remembering the words of Mr. Rudolph, Silas confidently answered, "It's important to help those less fortunate than us."
Baron Viridian patted Silas on the shoulder and left the food bank.
I guess he liked my answer. Thank you, Mr. Rudolph!
Following normal procedure, Silas put his apron on and headed to the kitchen.
Today the food being served consisted of pea soup and a slice of bread.
He helped with other chores, such as setting up tables, cleaning, and sweeping the floors until people started arriving.
Silas started serving as more people formed a line.
Eventually, after a little more than an hour, everyone was served. Silas got his share and tried looking for Malcolm. Seeing he wasn't there, he sat in an empty corner of the dining room, hoping for some peace and quiet.
Silas cast his gaze upward; across the room, a tramp was eyeing him.
Deciding to ignore the tramp, he focused back on his food.
After finishing his meal, he helped the other volunteers clean the dining room after all the homeless people left.
After cleaning up, a brunette woman approached him. She was one of the volunteers.
With her soft voice, she said, "You don't seem to be from around here."
Her gray eyes glanced at his poor clothing.
Silas sighed inwardly.
I should save up for some new clothing.
"I'm Amelia. If you ever need a place to sleep, you can find me here." She winked and walked away.
Was she flirting with me?
Slapping his cheeks in disappointment, Silas fell asleep in the food bank.
...
The following morning, Silas headed to The Divination Shop.
When he arrived, he saw Mr. Rudolph unlocking the front door.
"Good morning, Mr. Rudolph," Silas greeted him.
"Nice to see you. Come in."
Mr. Rudolph opened the door and both of them entered.
This day, the shop had much more business.
Today, customers came in steadily, their faces a mix of curiosity and hope. Silas was intrigued by the variety of requests, ranging from lost items to questions about the future. He watched each divination carefully.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
He noted how Mr. Rudolph always required the name of a person involved in the divination and a piece of information closely related to the subject of the divination.
In total, Mr. Rudolph made 20 Talends and 177 Florins.
At around 2 o'clock, a tall woman wearing a black regal dress entered the store.
Her face was covered in a black veil.
Coincidentally being in the waiting room, Silas asked, "Is there any way I could help you, madam?"
"I want a divination," she simply replied. Her voice brought a melancholic feeling to the room.
Silas led her to the divination room, where Mr. Rudolph was sitting.
He seems to know when someone enters the store. It's probably related to his powers. Also, how does he manage to sober up that quickly?
"What do you wish to know?" Rudolph asked as the woman took a seat.
"A week ago, my husband died. He was murdered and the Royal Knights have no idea who did it. I even hired private investigators, to no avail. I wish to know who killed my husband."
"His name was Andreas Maji. He died at 103 Cuupland Street, next to the Sky Cathedral."
She seems to have been through this before. She gave all the information needed without Mr. Rudolph asking first.
He glanced at his teacher but didn't receive any response from him.
Instead, Mr. Rudolph pulled out the divination book he used, placed his hand on it, and whispered, "Truth."
Silas was always in awe when he saw the starry walls or the pages turning on their own.
This time the divination was a little bit different. Instead of flipping, the pages tore themselves out and the walls reflected a scene of murder. Screams of a man could be heard as an object pierced his skin.
The scene on the wall changed to a man lying in a large pool of blood.
The quill turned blood red and a strong gust of wind blew for a split second.
After everything had calmed down, a single page depicted a man in his 40s with black hair and yellow eyes. His face was covered in freckles. His long nose and sharp jawline were his most distinct features.
Under the image, a name was written.
"Luis Kearney."
What the f*ck was that? How did she not react at all! You can also draw using divination? Wait a second, could the time influence the divination? This is the first divination of the past that I've seen. Could they depict what truly happened instead of just showing a starry sky?
Showing the drawing to the woman, Mr. Rudolph said, "This is the man who killed your husband, madam."
She handed the usual fee of 1 Talend to Mr. Rudolph. A tear ran down her cheek.
"Thanks for your help," she thanked him with her melancholic voice.
She turned to walk away.
Rudolph's voice sounded again, "Madam, for 50 Talends we can find the man for you."
The woman paused, her back still turned, "And what would you do with him?"
"Whatever you desire." The old man smiled.
Without hesitation, the woman tossed 5 ten Talend notes on the table.
In the Noes Kingdom, Talends were found in coins, 5 Talend notes, 10, 20, 50, and even 1000 Talend notes.
Pocketing the money smoothly, Mr. Rudolph spoke up again, "You can meet us here tomorrow, at the same time."
After the madam left, Mr. Rudolph's expression turned serious. "Luis is most likely a Weaver."
"But this is a good opportunity for you to learn more about weaving, my dear student!"
"First of all, how do you know he's a Weaver? And second, I don't know if it's very safe for a normal person to confront a Weaver," Silas rebutted.
"Well, Luis Kearney is a priest in the Sky Cathedral. Most priests are usually Weavers. As for any danger, you won't really be fighting—just watching. Well, unless I need help," Mr. Rudolph assured him.
"Just in case, under a chair in the waiting room, you can find a gun and a dagger."
A gun? Don't those cost at least 1000 Talends? Weren't they also invented a couple of months ago and are highly illegal?
"Let's get going." Mr. Rudolph spoke first before Silas could address his concerns.
"You already know where Luis is?"
Rudolph pointed to the book on the table, "Flip to the next page."
Silas did as he was told. On the next page, a single sentence had been written.
"Luis Kearney will be at the Gentlemen's Club on Looke Road until 10 p.m."
Silas was impressed.
He divined this ahead of time? Or did he do this without me noticing?
Silas went to the waiting room and looked under each chair.
Finally, he found what he was looking for. A silver dagger and a flintlock pistol were stuck to the bottom of a chair. With a tug, he took out the two weapons and quickly hid them under his jacket.
Looke Road was in Sector 6; the divination shop was in Sector 7, so the two men walked there.
While walking, Mr. Rudolph explained what he was going to do. "We'll ambush Luis by staying on the roof of the Gentlemen's Club. When he exits, I'll jump down and confront him."
Arriving at 3:30, the two men made their way to the roof of the club.
"Do we really have to wait six and a half hours?"
I'll miss my volunteer hours at the food bank.
"Some things require patience. We can't just barge in the club, can we? Even if we could, are you even 18 yet?"
"Not yet. My 18th birthday is in a month or so."
Settling in, the seriousness of the situation overcame Silas.
I wonder if Luis will actually put up a good fight. If Mr. Rudolph gets defeated, will Luis come for me next?
"Silas, if I'm ever about to lose, don't be afraid to shoot." Mr. Rudolph's raspy voice sounded. His tone was serious.
Sh*t, even Mr. Rudolph isn't confident. I don't even know how to shoot a gun.
...
Looke Road's Gentlemen's Club, 10 p.m.
Luis Kearney walked out of the club in a drunken state. Accompanying him were two women in very revealing clothing.
They were clearly trying to seduce him.
To their surprise, a figure suddenly fell from the sky. The hunt was on.