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Two days later, George and the Barton couple—who were filled with hope and dreams of a beautiful future in the capital—boarded the steam locomotive bound for Backlund.
It was no wonder the Bartons felt their future was bright.
Just yesterday, the Backlund City Hall had sent a letter notifying Jack of his new position following his transfer to Backlund, as well as the corresponding job description and benefits.
Normally, Jack's transfer would have been a lateral move; the position would remain the same, though the salary and benefits would be slightly better because it was in the capital.
However, the Backlund City Hall felt that Jack's work ability was exceptional and, in a rare move, actually promoted him by one level.
This turned Jack from an ordinary City Hall clerk directly into a member of the leadership class with a certain degree of real power, representing a massive leap in social status.
If one were to use a modern police system as an analogy, it would be like a common police officer suddenly becoming a local precinct director.
The work only required signing papers in an office and attending meetings, yet the salary had increased more than tenfold.
Additionally, the two houses they sold had not only maintained their value but had appreciated slightly due to their good locations. The couple now held enough money to buy a house in Backlund.
A low-ranking officer from a small county town suddenly being transferred to Beijing to be a precinct director and being able to afford a house there—how could one not be full of hope?
Of course, all of this was because of George. After the two High Deacons returned, the upper echelons of the Church personally approached the Royal Family to have the transfer order sent to the City Hall.
The steam train surged forward, traveling from morning until night, finally arriving in Backlund.
As the capital of the Loen Kingdom with a population exceeding five million, Backlund was recognized as the most prosperous city in both the North and South Continents, a place that Tingen City could not hope to compare with.
The only drawback was the poor air quality; pale yellow fog was everywhere, and visibility was extremely low.
Snap!
Held in Clarice's arms, George, still in his swaddling clothes, secretly snapped his fingers. The crotch of a gentleman who was reaching into Jack's pocket suddenly burst into flames.
Passing through the crowded throngs, the family reached the station exit.
"Jack, Jack, over here!"
"Oh, Uncle Hyde, thank you for taking the time to pick us up!"
"Hahaha, your father was my best friend. When you were little, you even peed on my neck while riding on my shoulders. Don't be so formal with your uncle!"
A decent-looking old man with meticulously groomed hair laughed as he embraced Jack.
From his parents' conversations, George knew that this Hyde was a former colleague of Jack's father when he worked at an Earl's manor, and he was currently the butler of that manor.
Previously, when Jack wanted to invest and make money to find a way to transfer to Backlund, he had intended to seek out this Uncle Hyde.
However, Jack's father had long since passed away. Although this connection existed, it was no longer as solid as before; nothing could be accomplished without spending money.
The reason Hyde was being so enthusiastic toward Jack now was half due to their old friendship and, more importantly, because of Jack's current position in the City Hall.
By helping Jack establish himself in Backlund now, Jack could help him in return if there was a need in the future.
If Jack were merely the child of an old friend seeking a living in Backlund, Hyde would have helped, but he wouldn't have been this warm. At most, he would have sent his son to pick them up and then helped find a mediocre job.
Renting a carriage prepared by Hyde, the family arrived at the house Hyde had helped rent in advance and settled in temporarily.
The next step was to slowly buy a house that suited their status with Hyde's help, and hire a butler and several servants.
With Jack's current income, even if he spent all his savings on a new house, he could fully afford the wages of a butler and several servants. This was more in line with his current status.
Five days later, it was Wednesday again.
With the help of Hyde—an Earl's butler who had lived in Backlund for fifty years and possessed extensive connections—the Bartons successfully purchased a fairly good villa on Pesfield Street in the North District.
The villa had two floors, over a dozen rooms, a stable, servant quarters, and a small garden. The furniture and utensils were relatively old but remained respectable.
The actual value of this villa was 30,000 pounds. With the Bartons' savings of just over 10,000 pounds, they hadn't initially considered taking it.
Taking it would mean getting a bank loan.
Given Jack's job, getting a loan would definitely be no problem, but the subsequent pressure on their lifestyle would be immense.
Although Jack's salary had increased more than tenfold, maintaining a decent social standing required hiring a butler and servants—that was one expense. Raising a child was another. To seek greater development, maintaining relationships with superiors, colleagues, and neighbors also required expenditures.
Coupled with a mortgage, life would be quite tight.
However, just as the Bartons were about to give up and continue looking, the landlord—allegedly in a hurry to sell—suddenly dropped the price from 30,000 to 10,000.
Thus, the Bartons were extraordinarily lucky to acquire this decent house.
Only George knew that it wasn't a "hurry to sell" at all; the Church of the Evernight Goddess must have intervened.
Because the location of Villa No. 9 on Pesfield Street was less than a hundred meters from Saint Samuel Cathedral, the headquarters of the Church of the Evernight Goddess.
Saving the Bartons 20,000 pounds was a gesture of goodwill.
But placing the house so close to the cathedral clearly showed that the Church was still wary of him and wanted to keep him under close surveillance. It was also possible they wanted to recruit him by keeping him nearby.
In the morning, a servant drove the carriage to send Jack to work at the City Hall.
Because Jack's promotion was ordered directly by the Royal Family, the people at the City Hall believed Jack had powerful backing. They were quite friendly to this newcomer from a small town.
Jack's work went very smoothly, and he was full of high spirits every day.
Clarice, on the other hand, spent her time taking George out to see the capital while building good relationships with the neighbors, preparing for their first banquet in the capital. Her life was quite fulfilling.
George continued his research every day as usual, and along the way, he helped the Church of the Evernight Goddess and the Church of the Lord of Storms each save two low-sequence Beyonders who had lost control.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the Tarot Club commenced as scheduled.
Miss Justice had obtained the formula for the Telepath potion from The Sun, and The Hanged Man had more detailed intelligence regarding Qilangos.
Qilangos had infiltrated Backlund after receiving a mission to lie low for a while and commit a horrifying atrocity.
Upon completing the mission, he would receive an item that could quickly allow him to advance to a High-Sequence powerhouse.
At the same time, The Hanged Man detailed many aspects of Qilangos's life and personality habits; he was clearly very familiar with him.
After some discussion, it was finally decided that Miss Justice would be responsible for locating Qilangos. Once he was found, George would be notified immediately to go and eliminate him.
After the Tarot Club ended, George read through the pages of Roselle's diary that Klein held and obtained some more useful intelligence.
(End of Chapter)