Chapter 62: The “Seer’s” Advice

Chapter Sixty-Two
The “Seer’s” Advice

Before leaving, Klein seized the time to clean his formal suit and hat with meticulous care, using a small brush and a handkerchief. Then he changed out of his white shirt, put on a linen one of the same color, matched it with his only decent, inexpensive coat from before, and hurried into the street.

First Melissa’s dress, then Benson’s formal suit, and only after that can I consider a second set for myself. Money is never enough… Besides, we need to gradually collect glazed porcelain tableware for receiving guests… And I still have to save money to buy various mysticism materials…

Sitting aboard the public carriage, Klein mentally calculated the household finances. The more he counted, the more he shook his head.

He estimated that it would take at least a year before he, his elder brother, and his younger sister could live like members of the so-called middle class.

Of course, that was without considering promotion or a raise.

The public carriage passed street after street before stopping across from the Divination Club on Howes Street.

Klein pressed down his black, non-silk half-top hat, half-stepping, half-hopping down from the carriage. Following the familiar path, he entered the club on the second floor and saw Angelica, the pretty lady with brownish-yellow hair.

There were remnants of redness and swelling around her eyes, but her whole person looked extremely relaxed.

Klein lifted his hand and lightly tapped the space between his brows twice. After observing her carefully, he found that much of the thick gray darkness deep within Angelica’s emotional colors had dissipated, and that a few bright, sunlit traces of white had appeared in its place.

Only after finishing his observation did Klein walk over. Removing his hat, he smiled.

“Miss Angelica, today is truly a brilliant, sunny day, is it not?”

Angelica looked up and gave a short cry of surprise. Immediately afterward, a smile bloomed across her face.

“You are very much like Mr. Vincent’s cat. You both walk without making any sound. Mm, you can tell? Heh. I nearly forgot. You are a diviner skilled in face reading…”

She paused, bit her lip lightly, and curtsied.

“Thank you. Thank you for the suggestion you gave yesterday. I feel much better. This past year, I have never been as relaxed, happy, and fulfilled as I am now.”

Hearing her sincere thanks, Klein was infected by that joy and cheerfulness as well. The corners of his mouth lifted.

“It is my honor to have helped you.”

As he spoke, he felt as if his own spirituality had also become lighter and more lively.

Is this what the potion wants from a “Seer”? A “Seer” who can genuinely help the one who asks?

Klein pinched the space between his brows as though thinking, then quietly tapped it twice.

He had to admit that through practice, he had already discovered that his current action for activating and deactivating spirit vision was still not hidden enough. The problem was that for the moment, he could not think of a better substitute. He had not been a Seer for long, and his spirituality had not grown to its present limit. His control was likewise still insufficient. Therefore, the medium that served as a “switch” had to be some place capable of effectively stimulating his spirituality. There were not many suitable spots. The space between the brows was a relatively superior choice.

Once I completely digest the potion and become a true Seer, I should be able to design a more concealed switching action…

Klein nodded almost invisibly and walked toward the meeting room with the door half-open.

“Coffee or black tea?” Angelica hurriedly asked.

“Desi coffee,” Klein answered, adopting the attitude of trying every beverage available.

At that moment, he saw six or seven members inside the meeting room, but none of them was Hynas Vincent, who had so often been there before.

“Mr. Vincent is not here?” Klein stopped and asked casually.

Angelica froze for a moment.

“Mr. Vincent does not come every day. He accepted an invitation to lecture at a divination organization in Enmat Port. Do you have business with him?”

“No. I am merely curious. After all, every time I came before, I saw him.”

Klein smiled and shook his head.

At the same time, he discovered a familiar face among the seven members:

Glacis, the man who had once performed a divination for him.

Glacis was wearing his monocle as he read the materials laid out on the table. Suddenly noticing that someone was watching him, he raised his head and looked toward the source of the gaze.

An obvious delight instantly appeared on his face. Pressing both hands against the table, he stood and rushed several steps to Klein.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Moretti. I was just wondering whether you would come today.

“I heard from Angelica that you are not a doctor, but a diviner skilled in reading faces?”

Klein smiled.

“That is not my only specialty. Mr. Glacis, it seems you have completely shaken off your illness?”

He pinched his forehead and tapped his glabella twice, discovering that Glacis’s health colors had returned to normal.

“Yes. At that time, I truly regretted it. I regretted not listening to your suggestion. Fortunately—fortunately, near my home there is an extremely capable pharmacist. He gave my wife a rather miraculous medicine, and that kept me far from death.”

Glacis sighed deeply.

As a probationary member of a Nighthawk team, Klein’s professional sensitivity was immediately stirred.

“An extremely capable pharmacist? A rather miraculous medicine?”

Miraculous? How miraculous? Does it belong to the extraordinary domain?

“He said it was a kind of folk medicine from Lenburg. In short, it was of great help to my illness,” Glacis answered without sensing anything unusual.

A folk herbalist?

Klein knocked lightly at his glabella as though thinking.

“What is his name? Where does he live? You understand—a diviner cannot guarantee he will never fall ill. Perhaps in the future I may need to buy medicine from him as well.”

Through his mentor and classmates, Klein knew that this world’s modern medical system had only just taken shape and remained nearly helpless before many diseases. Therefore, miraculous medicines and capable pharmacists still possessed a large market. Learning about one would not hurt. Perhaps he might one day need it.

Glacis answered frankly, “His name is Rosen Darkweed. He has a small shop at Number 18 Vlad Street in the East Borough, called Rosen’s Folk Herb Shop.”

“Thank you,” Klein said sincerely, silently committing it to memory.

Glacis turned and led him to a seat beside his own. At that moment, Angelica had also brewed the coffee and brought it over.

Compared with Southville coffee, Desi coffee has a stronger aroma, but the taste itself is relatively worse…

Klein took a sip and savored it for a moment.

Seeing him set down the white-glazed cup, Glacis considered his words and said, “Mr. Moretti, may I ask you to perform a divination for me? I will pay according to the price you set.”

“Eight pence is enough. I do not raise prices on the spot.”

Klein had been hoping someone would ask him for a divination.

“Shall we go to a divination room?”

“Yes. The citrine room.”

More familiar with the place than he was, Glacis took the lead.

Once they entered the divination room and locked the wooden door, Klein sat behind the long table and asked in a calm voice, “Mr. Glacis, what matter would you like to divine?”

“I have an investment opportunity, but the amount involved is quite large. If it fails, my family and I will suffer a heavy blow. I want to divine whether it can proceed smoothly,” Glacis said proactively. “I performed one tarot divination myself—mm, after purifying my mind. The result was quite good. Yes, I interpreted it myself, but I did not violate any of the symbolic principles.”

Klein thought for a moment and asked curiously, “Then describe the matter in detail and give me the relevant information. If you can provide information about the other party, that would be even better. We will use astrolabe divination.”

“All right.”

Glacis organized his words.

“Mr. Lanevus discovered a large iron mine in the Hornacis mountain range while conducting an investigation there. It has rich reserves and very good ore quality. He spent all his savings buying that piece of land and hired a professional company to conduct a survey. The conclusion was very encouraging.

“He lacks funds for subsequent development, so he has established a steel company. He plans to use this project to apply for a bank loan while also issuing a certain proportion of stock to raise initial funds. For now, this plan is still in private preparation, and the returns he is offering are very generous.”

Because he had often been reading newspapers lately, and because he was a “history expert,” Klein knew that this world possessed stocks. He also knew that the concept of stocks came from Emperor Roselle.

Mm. Him again.

During the colonization of the Southern Continent, he established the West Balam Company and raised funds from the public by issuing shares, smoothly resolving his financial problems and successfully grabbing the first pot of colonial profit.

Because the returns were generous, similar matters had appeared one after another from then on: railway stocks, mining stocks, steam development and utilization stocks, and so forth. Some succeeded, some failed, and this gave rise to organizations like the Backlund Stock Exchange.

Aside from that, Emperor Roselle had also created government bonds, trust funds, and other things. The former had continued to the present day and had become the most stable form of investment, with annual returns of four to six percent.

Klein remembered Benson once saying that if one inherited an estate of three thousand pounds, one would no longer need to work hard. Stable annuity returns would be roughly five percent a year, around one hundred and fifty pounds—almost equal to Klein’s present annual salary.

This is the so-called rentier class…

Klein sighed inwardly, then considered his words and asked, “Are you certain there are no problems with this matter? Is Lanevus trustworthy?”

“I have seen his land deed and the survey report. They bear the seal of the Sivellaus County government and the endorsement of a professional company. Besides, in Mr. Lanevus’s office, there are photographs of him with Sir Deweyville and with the Mayor,” Glacis answered with a nod.

Photographs? Photographs prove nothing…

Born in an age of information explosion, Klein had seen far too many similar matters and was not convinced at all.

However, whether he believed it or not did not matter much. He could only pick up the pen and, based on the key time information Glacis provided, draw the corresponding astrolabe.

After a long while, Klein pointed at the chart and said, “You should be able to see it yourself. This matter will not go smoothly. Beneath the surface prosperity lies a cliff, an abyss. My divination advice is to go around it. Avoid it.”

“…”

Glacis sank into silence. His mouth opened several times, only to close again each time.

Only after several minutes did he smile bitterly.

“After I return home, I will consider it seriously.”

Hearing this answer, Klein could only sigh inwardly and experience the helplessness a “Seer” ought to feel.

A Seer could only offer advice. He could not decide in another person’s place.

The two had only just left the citrine room when Angelica walked over.

“Mr. Moretti, someone is looking for you for a divination.”

At this point, she quietly added, “He did not ask me for a recommendation, nor did he look through the album.”

Has my reputation spread?

Klein turned toward the reception hall in puzzlement.