Chapter 132: Actors and Spectators

Chapter 132: Actors and Spectators

When the quiet, dim gaze of the golden retriever in the shadows entered Klein’s eyes, his forehead jumped almost imperceptibly. He did not hide the fact that he had been a little startled.

His gaze then naturally shifted away, turning toward Miss Justice’s group.

How frightening… Why is this dog crouching in a corner and hiding in the shadows for no reason… Just now, it was like it was quietly watching everyone inside the hall… Uh, Miss Justice seems to have fed a Spectator potion to an animal before, and even asked Mr. Hanged Man for advice on that… It can’t be this golden retriever, can it? Two Spectators, one in the open and one in the dark—what actor can survive that! Among the upper classes, there should be more Spectators than just Miss Justice and her dog. She joined the Psychology Alchemists because she was guided by other nobles, seemingly Duchess Negan’s younger sister?

As Klein silently grumbled and analyzed, he walked toward the Macht family and asked in an apparently casual tone, “Those who entered just now seem very noble?”

Macht glanced at Dawn Dantes and gave a hehe.

“The East Chester Earl’s family. You may address him directly as Earl Hall. You should have heard of him.

“That is his wife, Madam Caitlyn. That is his eldest son, Lord Hibbert. You have already met him…”

Hearing Councilman Macht introduce this much, Klein suddenly felt ashamed, because he truly had met Hibbert Hall at the ball the other party had hosted. Yet just now, he had completely failed to notice this lord. Otherwise, he would not have wondered which noble family this was.

I was startled by Miss Justice’s sudden appearance…

Klein maintained a smiling, listening posture.

Councilman Macht continued, “That is his daughter, Miss Audrey Hall. Over the past two years in high society, she has been called Backlund’s most dazzling gem. That description is quite fitting, is it not?”

Without waiting for Dawn Dantes to respond, he added a tactful reminder:

“Her suitors include princes, heirs to dukedoms, and many lords and gentlemen of noble status.”

Councilman Macht’s hidden meaning was very clear: you, a fellow with broad tastes when it comes to women, had better not set your sights on this young lady. She is a target you cannot and must not touch.

What turned inside Klein’s mind, however, were entirely different thoughts:

“So Miss Justice is Earl Hall’s daughter. No wonder she is so rich. No wonder she never haggles…

“Earl Hall is one of the kingdom’s top bankers, one of the most influential members of the House of Lords, and one of its hereditary nobles. His wealth and assets exceed Baron Syndras’s, if anything…

“Even if Miss Justice cannot inherit the title and the family business, the property she receives must be measured in hundreds of thousands of pounds at the very least…

“Adding her appearance, birth, and personality, she truly is the best marriage candidate for the royal family and great nobles…

“However, her performance of continuously buying mystical items does not seem like someone whose assets are only a few hundred thousand pounds… Can those be reimbursed? I want to rely on my father too…”

As thoughts flashed like lightning, Klein smiled and answered Councilman Macht’s reminder.

“I had heard various rumors about Miss Audrey before. Only today did I realize they were not exaggerated.

“What a pity. I am neither a prince nor heir to a duke, marquis, earl, or viscount. Otherwise, I could have become one of her suitors too.”

He was tactfully expressing that he knew his own identity and status.

Councilman Macht did not continue this topic. Instead, he began introducing to Dawn Dantes some of the guests he knew, truly bringing him into high society. Of course, the greatest assistance in this matter was the Evernight Church. Without them holding this charity banquet for the educational assistance fund, Macht would not have been able to directly bring Dawn Dantes before those of noble status.

Marquis Louthente, Earl Gross, Viscount Loveland… noble believers of the Goddess exchanged a few pleasantries with Dawn Dantes one after another, their attitudes rather warm and gentle.

Before Macht could finish his introductions, an old man entered through the door.

He wore a black clerical robe tinged with red. Five Dark Sacred Emblems were pinned to his chest. His face was clean, beardless. His eyes were deep, dark, and serene.

Everyone, including Earl Hall, turned toward the old man and bowed respectfully.

“Good evening, Your Grace Saint Anthony.”

This old man was Saint Anthony Stevenson, one of the thirteen archbishops of the Evernight Church!

He was the person in charge of the Backlund diocese, a true high-ranking member of the Church.

The moment Klein saw this archbishop, his body and mind trembled uncontrollably. It was difficult to restrain, difficult to conceal, as though he had returned to his childhood, walking along a rural path with no streetlamps and occasional graves appearing around him.

He swept a glance around and saw that none of the other guests had such an intense reaction. He immediately understood that the “fear” brought by Saint Anthony was felt more clearly the stronger one’s spirituality was. He hurriedly entered meditation, attempting to restrain himself.

By the time he had initially controlled the trembling, Saint Anthony had already revealed a smile and swept his gaze around. He tapped his chest four times clockwise and said, “Praise the Goddess.”

“Praise the Goddess.” The guests attending this charity banquet responded one after another.

With the arrival of the archbishop, Councilman Macht no longer introduced the remaining guests to Klein, because the banquet had officially begun.

As was customary, everyone first sat in their seats and prayed devoutly to the Goddess for three minutes. Then the church choir walked before the shrine and began praising the Goddess with ethereal, orderly singing that seemed capable of washing the soul.

After the religious ceremony ended, Bishop Elektra, under Saint Anthony’s direction, arrived beside where the choir had just stood. There, a tall wooden lectern stood, upon which all kinds of scriptures could be placed.

“Thank you all for coming. Your character is like the brilliant stars within the tranquil night…” Bishop Elektra first offered a few polite sentences before continuing, “This time, we are establishing an educational assistance fund for the poor because of a proposal from Mr. Dawn Dantes. He is a truly noble gentleman. His piety and character are beyond reproach and are sufficient to serve as an example. Next, we invite Mr. Dawn Dantes to give us a brief speech.”

Although Klein had already prepared himself, when he heard the final sentence, he still silently hissed.

This was unlike normal situations. Here, there were two, perhaps even more, Spectators. He could not simply brag however he wanted. The contents of his speech had to be sufficiently true, without lies or false examples being detected!

Pressing a hand against the clothing over his abdomen, he quickly stood. As he walked toward the tall wooden lectern, he buttoned his formal jacket.

Arriving behind the lectern and steadying his footing, he swept his gaze over the nobles, councilmen, clergy, and high-ranking government employees. Then he smiled and spoke:

“I am a little nervous. This is the first time I have been watched like this by so many people of noble status.

“I was once active in districts where the poor gathered. I was also active in the chaotic Southern Continent, so I witnessed no small number of things. There was a little girl who, starting from the age of six, helped her mother paste matchboxes. If they did not do so, after paying the rent, their family would not even have enough money to buy black bread. The kind of black bread they ate had a great deal of bran. Occasionally, they even bit into sand and pebbles. It was so hard it could be used like a cudgel to attack someone…”

“When this little girl gradually grew older, although she was exhausted every day and though her family had no extra money, she still longed for the night school held by the Church. She hoped to learn letters and obtain knowledge, because she knew that only then could she avoid continuing her current life, avoid going hungry, wear clothes that could truly resist the cold, and avoid entering factories with terrible conditions only to die in her twenties…”

Klein selected parts of the experiences of poor children he had seen and fused them together, speaking with true emotion.

He could clearly see that the ladies revealed more or less sympathy and pity. Waves of light even flickered in some young women’s eyes—for example, Audrey Hall’s.

What an easily moved child… My performance comes from the heart. I can even move myself, let alone a Spectator… However, most of the gentlemen are not especially touched. Some should already understand the circumstances of the poor, while others belong to the type that does not care about those of low status…

Klein swept his gaze around and continued:

“Our industry is developing. In the future, it will certainly need more literate workers… Our voting conditions are loosening. In the future, those qualified to vote will inevitably include the vast majority of those who have received education… Upholding pity for these poor children, and upholding hope for the kingdom’s future, I have decided to donate all the Coim Company shares I hold to the Church and establish an educational assistance fund for the poor, giving them the opportunity, after free night school, to enter a true hall of knowledge…”

Earl Hall, who had two beautiful little mustaches, nodded as he listened. He was the first to raise his hands and applaud lightly.

Amid warm applause, Klein returned to his seat. Bishop Elektra stepped forward and announced:

“The shares Mr. Dawn Dantes has donated are valued at fifteen thousand pounds. We will use them to establish the Loen Charity Educational Assistance Fund. Ladies and gentlemen, if you approve of his idea and sympathize with those children who thirst for knowledge, you may participate in this fund.”

As he spoke, he pointed to the donation box nearby.

Audrey then withdrew her gaze, pressed the corner of her eye, and turned her head to her father.

“Father, I plan to donate one thousand pounds. What about you?”

As she spoke, she rapidly summarized in her mind what she had observed just now:

“Dawn Dantes should have lived at the bottom before. His sympathy, his pity, and his speech were all very real… Those poor children truly are pitiful…

“When the bishop mentioned just now that the shares were valued at fifteen thousand pounds, the corner of his mouth lifted unnaturally. It can be seen that he should be rather pained over that money. However, the sincerity of his donation does not look fabricated… That can only mean he is a gentleman who loves money, but loves kindness even more…

“What exactly was the surprise and concealment when he saw me earlier?

“Has he seen me somewhere but does not know my identity? But then there is no need to hide it…

“Did he recognize that my necklace is a mystical item, so he felt surprised and then tried to conceal that matter?

“If that is true, it means he must be a Beyonder, and his Sequence should not be low…

“Mm. I will ask Susie after we return. Perhaps she observed other details. She hides in the dark, is not guarded against, and can discover more.”

As thoughts rose and fell, Audrey saw her father, Earl Hall, smile as he took out a checkbook and fountain pen.

The amount he wrote was:

Ten thousand pounds!