Having settled on a plan, Zhou Mingrui finally found a sense of stability. The fear, hesitation, and insecurity that had been plaguing him all retreated into the shadows.
It was only then that he turned his attention to carefully examining the fragmented remnants of Klein's memories.
Zhou Mingrui habitually stood up, shut off the gas valve, and watched the wall lamp dim and extinguish. He then sat back down, unconsciously rubbing the brass cylinder of the revolver in his hand while pressing his temple. In the crimson-stained darkness, he quietly "reviewed" the memories, as if he were the most attentive audience in a movie theater.
Perhaps due to the impact of the bullet that had passed through his head, Klein's memories resembled shattered glass. Not only were they disjointed, but they were also missing critical pieces—like where the finely crafted revolver came from, whether it was a suicide or murder, the meaning behind the note reading "Everyone will die, including me", and whether Klein had encountered anything unusual in the two days leading up to the incident.
Even his knowledge and skills were fragmented. Based on his current condition, Zhou Mingrui believed that Klein, despite having left university only a few days prior, might struggle to graduate if he returned now. And this was despite Klein's diligent efforts to maintain his academic performance.
"Two days from now, there's an interview at the Department of History at Tingen University...""The universities in the Loen Kingdom don't have the tradition of keeping graduates as teaching staff... The mentor gave him letters of recommendation for both Tingen University and Backlund University..."
As Zhou Mingrui silently "watched" these fragmented memories, the crimson moon outside began its descent, giving way to faint light on the eastern horizon. The edge of the sky was dyed gold with the approach of dawn.
At this moment, sounds of movement came from the inner room, followed by footsteps nearing the partition door.
"Melissa's awake... She's as punctual as ever," Zhou Mingrui thought with a slight smile. Influenced by Klein's memories, he now felt a sibling-like affection for Melissa, as though she were his own younger sister.
Though, I don't actually have a younger sister, he added wryly to himself.
Melissa was different from Klein and Benson. She hadn't received her early education at the Sunday School run by the Church of the Evernight Goddess. By the time she was old enough for schooling, the Loen Kingdom had already enacted the Elementary Education Act, established the Committee of Primary and Secondary Education, and significantly increased funding for education.
Within just three years, numerous public elementary schools were established, incorporating many former church schools. These schools maintained strict religious neutrality, steering clear of conflicts among the Church of the Storm Lord, the Church of the Evernight Goddess, and the Church of the Steam and Machinery God.
Compared to the one penny per week cost of Sunday School—where students only attended classes on Sundays—public elementary schools charged three pennies per week but offered six full days of classes. This made them effectively low-cost, nearly free options.
Unlike most girls her age, Melissa had been fascinated by gears, springs, and bearings since childhood and dreamed of becoming a steam mechanic.
Benson, their elder brother, who had experienced firsthand the struggles of limited education and understood its importance, supported Melissa's ambitions just as he had supported Klein's pursuit of university. After all, Tingen Technical School, which Melissa wanted to attend, was considered a secondary education institution and didn't require prior attendance at grammar schools or public schools for admission.
Last July, at the age of fifteen, Melissa passed the entrance exam and successfully joined the Steam and Machinery Department of Tingen Technical School. However, her tuition had risen to nine pennies per week.
Meanwhile, Benson's job at an import-export company had been severely impacted by turmoil in the Southern Continent. Profits and business volume both plummeted, forcing the company to lay off over a third of its staff. To keep his job and sustain the family, Benson had to take on even more arduous tasks, often working overtime or traveling to challenging locations—just as he had been doing these past few days.
Klein had considered helping his brother shoulder the burden, but coming from a humble background, he had already felt inadequate in university. For example, he hadn't learned Ancient Feysac, the root language of all Northern Continent countries, until university. For noble or wealthy children, this was something they had been taught since childhood.
The same could be said for many other areas. Klein had poured all his energy into catching up, frequently staying up late and rising early, barely managing to keep pace and graduate with average grades.
As Zhou Mingrui's thoughts wandered through fragmented memories of Benson and Melissa, the sound of a doorknob turning pulled him back to reality. The door to the inner room creaked open, and he suddenly remembered the revolver in his hand.
This is a semi-restricted item!It might scare the child!And let's not forget about the wound on my head!
Seeing Melissa about to step out, Zhou Mingrui pressed his temple, hastily opened a drawer of the desk, and tossed the revolver inside with a loud thud.
"What was that noise?" Melissa asked, her curious brown eyes glancing over.
At sixteen years old, she was in her prime youth. Despite their meager diet and her pale, thin face, her skin retained a natural luster, radiating a youthful vibrancy.
As her inquisitive gaze fell on him, Zhou Mingrui forced a calm expression and picked up a random object near his hand before closing the drawer to conceal the revolver. His other hand instinctively touched his temple, confirming that the wound had healed.
The object he had picked up turned out to be a silver pocket watch adorned with intricate vine and leaf patterns. He pressed the button at the top, and the lid popped open.
The watch was one of the most valuable possessions left by their father, a sergeant in the Royal Army. However, it was a secondhand item and had frequently malfunctioned in recent years. Even after visits to watchmakers, the issues persisted, causing Benson—who had once worn it to appear more distinguished—to eventually leave it at home.
Melissa, on the other hand, seemed to have a knack for mechanics. After acquiring some theoretical knowledge, she began tinkering with the watch using tools from the technical school. Recently, she had even claimed to have fixed it!
Zhou Mingrui rotated the top knob, intending to wind the watch. Yet, after several turns, there was no tightening of the spring, and the second hand remained stationary.
"It seems to be broken again," he muttered, fishing for words to defuse the situation.
Melissa shot him a blank look, walked over briskly, and snatched the watch from his hand.
Standing still, she pulled up the knob and turned it just a few times. A faint ticking sound emerged as the second hand began to move.
Pulling it up should adjust the time, not wind it... Zhou Mingrui froze, his expression momentarily blank.
At that moment, the distant bell of the cathedral tolled six times, its chime resonating with a serene yet hollow quality.
Melissa listened attentively, then pulled the knob up another notch and twisted it several more times to set the time correctly.
"All done," she said, her voice flat and emotionless. She pressed the knob back down and handed the watch to Zhou Mingrui.
He smiled back awkwardly but politely.
Melissa cast him a long, scrutinizing look before turning away to gather her toothbrush, towel, and other items. She then opened the door and left for the communal washroom.
"Her expression just now felt like a mix of disdain and helplessness.""A caring but exasperated look reserved for a foolish older brother?"
Zhou Mingrui chuckled softly, shaking his head. With a click, he closed the watch lid, only to pop it open again moments later.
He repeated the motion absentmindedly as his thoughts turned to another matter.
Without a silencer, the noise from Klein's suicide—or apparent suicide—would have been quite loud. Yet Melissa, just one wall away, had remained completely unaware.
Was she simply a deep sleeper, or was Klein's death inherently bizarre?
Click. Open. Click. Close.
When Melissa returned from washing up, she found her brother mindlessly opening and closing the watch.
She sighed and said in her sweet voice, "Klein, take out the rest of the bread. Don't forget to buy fresh ones today, along with lamb and peas. Your interview is coming up, and I'll make lamb stew with peas for you."
As she spoke, she retrieved the stove from the corner, rekindled the coals, and set a kettle of water to boil.
Just before the water reached a boil, she opened the bottom drawer of the cabinet and carefully took out a tin of cheap tea leaves, sprinkling in about ten pieces to create the illusion of proper tea.
She poured two large cups for them both, and together they ate two slices of black rye bread with their tea.
Despite the bread lacking wood shavings or excess bran, it was still unappetizing. Zhou Mingrui, weakened and famished, forced himself to swallow it with the help of the tea, all while silently complaining.
After finishing, Melissa straightened her long black hair and turned to Zhou Mingrui.
"Remember to buy fresh bread, just eight pounds. The weather's hot, and too much will spoil. Also, get lamb and peas—don't forget!"
So, she really is looking out for the bookish older brother, huh? She even emphasized it again... Zhou Mingrui smiled and nodded.
"Got it."
Regarding the weight of a pound in the Loen Kingdom, Zhou Mingrui, based on Klein's memory and his own comparisons, estimated it was roughly equivalent to half a kilogram, the same as his usual measurement of one jin.
Melissa didn't say anything further. She stood up, tidied up a bit, and packed the last slice of bread for lunch. She put on their late mother's old, worn-out bonnet, grabbed the hand-sewn bag she used for her books and stationery, and prepared to head out.
Today wasn't Sunday, so she had a full day of classes ahead of her.
It took her about fifty minutes to walk from their apartment to Tingen Technical School. There were public carriages available for one penny per kilometer. The city's fare limit was four pennies, and outlying areas cost six pennies, but Melissa always preferred to walk to save money.
As she opened the door to leave, she paused, turned halfway, and called back, "Klein, don't buy too much lamb and peas. Benson probably won't be back until Sunday. And remember—only eight pounds of bread."
"Okay, okay," Zhou Mingrui replied helplessly.
At the same time, he silently repeated the word "Sunday" to himself several times.
In the Northern Continent, a year was also divided into twelve months, with 365 or 366 days per year, and a week had seven days, just like in his own world.
The first part was due to astronomy, which made Zhou Mingrui suspect this might be a parallel world. The latter part, however, was rooted in religion, as the seven main gods of the Northern Continent were: the Eternal Sun, the Storm Lord, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, the Evernight Goddess, the Earth Mother, the God of War, and the God of Steam and Machinery.
Watching his sister leave and hearing the door click shut behind her, Zhou Mingrui sighed deeply. He quickly shifted his thoughts to the upcoming ritual.
Sorry, I really want to go home...