Jasper's words made the man opposite him smile immediately. He stretched out his hand and made a complex set of gestures in front of his chest, "May the goddess bless you! Very good. It's very good that you have this awareness. As expected, you have followed your fathers to the church since you were a child. Believer. I heard that you have gradually abandoned the way of knowledge in the past few years. Now it seems that this is all the temporary ignorance of young people. Mr. Rhys, you are very good!"
Jasper smiled reservedly, and tried hard to tell himself to keep a low profile. Compared with the original owner, his performance today was indeed very different.
Ole did not ask Jasper to sign the contract immediately, but gave him a note and asked him to go directly to Mr. Montfort at the address above tomorrow morning. Montfort is also one of the few benefactors in Lutetia City Church who has the qualifications to lead the way, so Jasper will not only learn to identify antiques from Mr. Montfort in the future, but he will also teach Jasper extraordinary knowledge.
"Here."
Captain Ole put all the documents back into the bag, sealed them with a seal that had a strong aura in Jasper's eyes, and then pushed him a wad of banknotes.
"This is three weeks' salary in advance. The work in Heritage Vintage Shop is simpler, so the weekly salary is only 4 Flints. But Mr. Montfort will also give you a bonus for your help in his shop."
Jasper nodded appreciatively and looked at the twelve green banknotes stacked in front of him. There is a 10-flint note in the kingdom's currency, but it is usually only used when settling bulk goods. Some poor people have never used a 10 Flint note in their lives. Therefore, Ole very thoughtfully changed Jasper' salary into smaller denominations.
He carefully gathered the small pieces of paper, subconsciously wanting to count them, but abruptly felt it would be impolite.
Ole found his behavior amusing, shook his head, and patted Jenkins on the shoulder. "You don't need to worry so much about money. You know, Mr. Montfort is also like that—let's not discuss it further."
Pulling out another rolled parchment, he gestured for Jasper to sign it. The golden light from this scroll nearly blinded him, forcing a temporary halt to his abilities. Jasper couldn't recognize the text but could tell it was alphabetic. Ole didn't explain, just smiled as he watched him. Jasper reluctantly said, "I knew this would happen," and wrote down the name—Jasper L. Rhys.
Leading him back along the original route, Ole made no mention of someone watching Jasper or the purpose of the underground. Silence prevailed until they neared the top of the spiral staircase, where Ole suddenly turned and said:
"By the way, forget about this matter. The peculiar experience you had needs to be documented per the church rules. Although Church of Shadowed Night and Covert has been informed, our own accounts hold more weight. Forget it for today, visit the church later this week, and Mr. Montfort will guide you."
"Yes, sir," Jasper replied cautiously. He wondered if the church knew about the candle he obtained and if they'd demand it for "reasonable" reasons. Recording all details of the strange Land seemed overly stringent. Those at the gathering seemed reluctant to associate with the Righteous God Church due to their False God allegiance and the desire to keep their secrets hidden.
Ole didn't exit the small building but headed in another direction. He instructed Jasper to follow the original path but reminded him to see Mr. Montfort the next day.
Jasper clutched the stack of bills, greeted the overly enthusiastic doorman, and then exited the small building. The young man at the gate may have thought someone could take over the rotation, but Captain Ole never mentioned this to Jasper.
Unexpectedly, Bishop Dawkins stood in the cloister not far from the small building, quietly observing the slightly red sunset on the horizon. At this moment, he resembled an ordinary old man. Who would thought that he is one of the strongest in city of Lutetia?
"Bishop Dawkins."
Jasper stepped forward to greet him but felt a little stiff after sitting for too long.
"How's it going? Is everything well?"
The old man asked with a smile, inviting Jasper to sit next to him.
"It went very well. I became a scribe and chose Heritage Vintage Shop. By the way, I have to thank you for this."
"Kid, what are you talking about? I don't know."
The old man smiled and said, "That's good. Little Jasper has finally grown up. I sense that your performance today is very different from the past. It seems that what happened last night gave you some inspiration. My child, don't forget the goddess. Don't give up on the pursuit of knowledge. You may not have the talent that your brothers possess, but they lack your unique abilities."
The former talent refers to reading, and the latter refers to the gifter.
The old man seems sincerely interested in Jasper. He has dedicated his whole life to church work and remains unmarried at this age. Therefore, Bishop Dawkins is particularly concerned about the children he has watched grow up.
"Sir, I didn't come home all night last night. At home..."
Jasper thought for a moment.
"Don't worry, I asked someone to send a message to your father last night. I encountered you on the street and invited you to stay at the church for one night. I hope I can persuade you not to be as promiscuous as you used to be."
The second half of his sentence was a bit harsh, and Jasper immediately took a stand.
"Okay, sir. The experience of almost dying last night made me realize the preciousness of life, and I will work hard to make life more valuable!"
He paused and felt that he could not change too quickly and had to do it step by step.
"I hope I can get rid of those habits through work, but some hobbies, right..."
He smiled and rubbed his hands together.
The old man did not show disappointment but felt that this was normal. Young people still have a lot of time and can take it step by step. This is already a good start.
"Forget it, then go home quickly. Your father will be very happy to know that you have a stable job."
"Goodbye then, sir."
Jasper stood up to bid farewell, but the old man suddenly took his hand and gave him a silver brooch. The brooch was decorated with a small, delicately unfolded book outlined in silver wire. On the cover of the book, you could even see a string of curly words as tiny as ants:
Knowledge leads us forward.
"This is a gift. Congratulations on finding your first job in life. Although I don't have the same talent as you, I know very well that you are the most solid force and the most reliable support of the church. Jasper, congratulations."
Looking at the smiling old man, Jasper had the urge to cry for a moment. He hadn't experienced such care in a long time.
He made up his mind to visit the old man in the church more often when he had time, and then he treasured the brooch on his chest.
The old man escorted Jasper to the church's door. Along the way, acquaintances of the original owner greeted him constantly, and the bishop announced that Jasper had finally found a decent job under his persuasion. The Rhys family has a close relationship with the church and is one of the most devout families, so many church members know about Jasper's situation.
After bidding farewell to the old man and walking on the street, it was already evening. The red, fire-like clouds in the sky were extremely gorgeous, and the citizens who were finishing work or getting off work also ended their day tiredly.
A few noisy children ran past Jasper barefoot and were scolded by the postman on the other side, who was almost knocked over. The carriage's rattle sounded from far to near to alert pedestrians. The gentleman in the carriage, wearing a top hat, covered his nose and looked at the drunk who disappeared deep into the alley with some disgust. The weather is very good today, so we can see the thick chimneys in the distance and the black smoke that is still spewing out.
"Welcome to the world, Jasper."
He stopped and said to himself in his heart.
The Church of Knowledge and Books is located in the center of Lutetia City. Judging from the location, it is not close to Jasper's home.
Jasper stared at the sunset alone for a while, thinking about everything that belonged to the original owner, and determined to live a different life from now on.
This body is already 20 years old, which is old enough for a poor man to be a father in this era, but Jasper still behaves like a child.
It refers not only to living with parents but also to all aspects of image and behavior.
He was stunned for a long time and decided to go back in the carriage. The original owner doesn't come here often, and his memory of the way back is very vague, and isn't he rich now?
He walked along the road for a while and found an empty carriage at the next intersection. The coachman wearing a dark hat looked at Jasper suspiciously for a while until he saw the silver brooch on his chest.
"It seems to be despised."
Jasper thought in his mind.
Lutetia City is the most developed coastal city in the Kingdom of Aurumia. It is not only the estuary of many rivers but also an excellent deep-water port. Although it is impossible to avoid freezing all year round, the city is always bustling even in the coldest winter.
Due to the diverse tasks that cities carry out, urban areas have become larger and larger in recent years. The continuous influx of bankrupt farmers and speculators has made the slums in the lower city bigger and bigger, while the capitalists and nobles, having earned enough profits, also hope that more shops and entertainment venues will appear in the city for their enjoyment.
"This is the best of times, it's the worst of times."
Jasper said to himself in his mind.
The carriage driver here did not have the nagging habit of the taxi driver in his previous life. After half an hour of silence, the carriage stopped safely at the intersection of Copper Lane. Japer also tested it during the journey and found that the green ability could indeed be used. Activate the emblem, which is a small sapling.
After the carriage stopped, he poked his head out of the carriage. It was fine; there were no familiar neighbors.
Pulling out a green one-dollar banknote from his pocket, the coachman looked at it carefully, then rummaged in his pocket for a moment, and gave them two blue 10-Cog notes with the Queen's face on them, and a 1-Cog coin.
12 pence = 1 Cog, 24 Cog = 1 Flint. It is not just grammar that restricts the poor from climbing to a higher class. Mathematical conversion is enough to build barriers to the middle class.
No. 7 Copper Lane is Jasper's home, a three-story building with an independent small garden.
"Don't be nervous, just perform from memory later."
Jasper Rhys, the second son of the Rhys family, has an eldest brother and a younger brother in the family. The Rhys were now truly middle class. The head of the family, Roderick Rhys, he used to run a grocery store in front of the dock in the early years. By earning money from the sailors, he sent Jasper' eldest brother to college.
Two years ago, Mr. Rhys was envious of the "lucky people" who had become rich overnight because of precise investments. So regardless of the opposition of his family, he followed the trend of this crazy era, spent most of the funds accumulated over the years, and invested with others in a marine mineral that "may" exist in the shallow sea outside Lutetia City.
The luck of the nouveau riche was merely accidental, and Roderick's end was naturally to lose everything.
But Mr. Rhys's luck is that he is not the only "player" in marine mineral investment. Mr. Smith, a wealthy man who came to invest from the royal capital - Pyra, somehow took a fancy to Rhys's talent and decided to hire him to work in his company.
And after a year, the original small grocery store owner actually got into the management of the Lutetia branch of "Smith United Mining Company". This matter seems weird to Jasper now, but he can't tell what others are after in their house.
Although he is only a small sales department leader, he himself knows how much profit the mining company's sales department has.
A year later, the Rhys family, who had made a fortune because of this series of "coincidences", not only moved from the Cogonia where they originally lived to the Montrose Quater, but also successfully sent their youngest son to a noble school, [Lutetia Private Third Preparatory Academy].
Cogonia is an area in Lutetia City that is only slightly better than the slums, while the Montrose Quater is populated by genuine middle-class gentlemen. What Mrs. Rhys appreciated most was that all the residents in Montrose Quater had steam pipelines.
Compared with the eldest son and the youngest son of the Rhys family, the second son, Jasper Rhys, made old Rhys worried. His reading talent was really not that good, and he himself was not willing to follow the path of his eldest brother. It's hanging out with those bad friends.
After many attempts to persuade him to no avail, Mr. Rhys simply let Jasper roam the streets all day long and planned to send him to learn a trade sometime later, so that he could make a living in the future, with good luck. If you do, you can still marry a pretty-looking commoner girl as your wife.