St. John's Market was a popular landmark in Newport. It was one of the largest indoor markets in the city, bustling with traders, merchants, and townsfolk of all social classes.
Luke was dressed in black trousers, a white shirt, and a black waistcoat on top. He refrained from wearing a hat since his forehead was still bandaged. It would be inconvenient.
Furthermore, it was too hot to wear a coat on top. He had the top button of his shirt undone, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.
To the refined eye, he might appear unkempt; to the practical man, merely sensible.
His eyes shone like the brightest of stars as he looked around at the interior of the building. It was a massive structure with high arched ceilings, filled with gas lamps.
The aromas of freshly baked bread, roasted chestnuts, spices, and salted fish gently assaulted his nostrils, making his mouth water.
The crowd inside was a mix of working-class people, struggling students such as himself, and even well-dressed merchants.
As he took in the scene before him, he couldn't help but exclaim, "That's crazy!"
The clothes that people around him wore reminded him of the Victorian era back on Earth. Every second that passed by filled him with disbelief.
He truly had transmigrated to a whole new world!
Luke gradually took a hold of himself and reached for his pocket. Looking at the five silver coins, he thought to himself, Right, these are called shillings. I should be able to buy some stuff with this.
St. John's Market was a fifteen-minute walk from his house, and it was the place where the previous owner of the body, Abel, usually got his groceries from.
Now that he was finally able to move around after his accident—where he technically died—he figured that it was finally time to do something with the second chance that he got at life.
Fortunately, the house belongs to me, I won't have to worry about paying rent. As for food… Abel used to cook food himself at home, but recalling how bland the food tasted like from my, uh, his memories, I'd rather not.
Plus, I don't even know how to cook. Never had to in my past life, anyway…
Luke went into deep thought as he rested his back against a wall near the entrance of the market.
I'm sorted with money until next week, I think. Abel has been saving money that his brother sent every month for the past few years.
But the saved-up money seems strangely… low. Where has this guy been spending his money? Fuck, I can't seem to recall…
For now, I just need to buy some food. Ugh, when was the last time I even ate? I'm famished!
Oh, and I should also buy today's newspaper and get up-to-date with the current affairs of Newport and the Albion Empire.
Having made up his mind, he strode towards the deeper parts of the market. Recalling his memories, Luke went to the vendors that sold popular street foods.
It was truly a wonderful experience for him. Not only could he walk to places, he could also try the fresh local delicacies of the city he now found himself in. He was tired of eating takeouts in his past life.
For now, Luke pushed aside the mystery of why those thugs attacked him two nights ago, or why he was miraculously granted a second chance in a strange new world.
First, food!
…
About another twenty minutes later, Luke emerged from the market with a jolly smile on his face.
In one hand, he held onto the street foods that were quite famous amongst the locals, and on the other hand he held the latest issue of The Newport Herald, the local newspaper.
Glancing at the meat pie filled with minced beef, onions, and gravy wrapped in greaseproof paper, thin oat pancakes topped with cheese, and finally roasted chestnuts wrapped in a small paper cone, Luke's mouth started watering.
The food cost him a total of 10 pennies and the newspaper was purchased for 1 penny.
As he absentmindedly walked toward the nearest public bench on the sidewalk that he'd seen on his way to the market, he thought to himself, The currency system of Albion is quite confusing. Do they not have the decimal system or something?
The Albion currency system was broken down into three categories - sterling, shilling, and penny. Sterling was the highest denomination, while the penny was the lowest.
1 sterling was equivalent to 20 shillings, and 1 shilling was equivalent to 12 pennies.
Just as he was about to take a seat on the wooden bench, a figure bumped into him, causing him to almost lose balance and fall.
Although Luke managed to regain his balance, the food he was holding onto now lay on the dirty cobblestone sidewalk. He looked at the food he was greatly looking forward to eating, his expression instantly turning dark.
With a deep frown etched on his face, he looked at the person who had just bumped into him and annoyingly said, "Look where you're going—"
He stopped speaking midway when he noticed it was a woman.
"Oh dear!" The lady gasped, eyes widening at the food spoiled on the ground. Then, she turned to Luke with an apologetic look and added, "I beg your pardon, sir!"
Luke observed her silently, but the frown on his face remained, showing his deep dissatisfaction at what had happened.
It was a young woman, seemingly in her early twenties, with brown hair and light blue eyes. She wore a soft-green gown made of linen, with a high neckline, long sleeves puffed at the shoulders, and a cream-colored spencer jacket on top.
She wore light-colored gloves and carried a small handbag. Her hair was parted from the middle and tied into a bun. The young woman was very well dressed and looked pretty.
Seeing what she was wearing, Luke frowned even more as he thought, So many layers of clothing… Isn't she feeling suffocated? Well, whatever.
He harrumphed in displeasure and walked past her, "Tsk, watch where you're going next time."
The woman was momentarily dazed after witnessing Luke's reaction. She hurriedly caught up to him and said, "Sir, please, allow me to make amends! There's a coffee house just around the corner. If you don't mind, I would very much like to buy you something to eat."
Luke stopped, glancing at her with squinted eyes.
What does she want?
Does she like me or something? No way!
Or is this how the women in Albion society usually behave?
"… Sir, I would simply like to buy you a cup of coffee to make amends for wasting your food," said the woman awkwardly, seeing the suspicion in the youth's eyes.
"Hmm." Luke looked at her for a few moments before nodding. "Fine, lead the way."
"Splendid!" The lady beamed. Then, she continued to stare at Luke, waiting for him to introduce himself.
After all, in Albion society, a respectable woman would never introduce herself directly to a man—that was considered improper.
However, seeing Luke remain silent and continuing to stare at her with a raised eyebrow, she couldn't help but awkwardly introduce herself first with a slight curtsy.
"I am Miss Thompson."
Luke nodded. He was almost about to introduce himself as Luke, but at the last moment, he swallowed his words. He then casually offered a handshake. "Abel."
The woman looked at his outstretched hand with a slightly stunned look on her face. But she quickly composed herself and shook the youth's hand in amusement.
"How very modern of you, Mr. Abel! I suppose I shall oblige."