"Klein, look, this is the steam train to Backlund. The discovery of steam is absolutely the greatest invention of this era!"
Leonard eagerly began acting as a tour guide, introducing Klein to everything, from the invention of steam, to the creation of steam trains, to the laying of tracks and their use in civilian transport.
Klein maintained a polite smile, but inwardly he wondered: If Leonard knew that in the future there would be an age of electricity, how would he react?
If he saw cars driving on the streets, he would definitely exclaim at how fast those four-wheeled metal beetles could run.
If he saw airplanes in the sky, he would be completely stunned, when did humans conquer the skies?
And when he got a smartphone, his expression would surely be even more spectacular.
Thinking to that point, Klein's lips curved into a faint smile. Why didn't I know how to enjoy it more back then?
After waiting for about half an hour, the two finally boarded the steam train to Backlund.
With a long woooo echoing through every corner of the platform, the massive, beast-like locomotive pulled more than twenty carriages and started toward Backlund, the City of Hope.
....
When another long whistle sounded, the steam train dragged its heavy body into Backlund.
Wearing formal attire with a tailcoat and a half-tall silk top hat, Klein followed the lively Leonard out of the train and onto the platform.
Leonard stared up at the gray sky for a long moment before finally complaining,
"Klein, the sky in Backlund is even worse than what the newspapers described. Just thinking that I will be living in a place like this ruins my mood."
"Besides the gloomy sky, the air quality here is terrible. Except for the advanced technology and large population, nothing here can compare to Tingen."
"Sigh, in such a gray world, poetry has already drifted far away from me, farther and farther. If there comes a day when I can no longer write moving poems, it must be Backlund's fault."
"Eh, that sentence sounded rather poetic. I must write it down, maybe I can use it in a new poem later."
With Leonard doing all the complaining, Klein, who had originally also wanted to grumble, chose instead to remain silent. He took out his pocket watch and checked the time.
Four-thirty in the afternoon, yet the sky already looked like late night. Gas lamps were lit everywhere, dim yellow light chasing away the gloom.
He suddenly recalled a joke from the Tasosok Newspaper:
A gentleman newly arrived in Backlund got lost in the thick fog.
He asked a soaked passerby how to get to the Tasosok River.
The man kindly replied: "Walk straight. Don't stop. I just swam up from there."
Every time he saw news about Backlund, the reporters and editors spared no effort ridiculing the pollution here. Now it seemed, they were already being considerate of the nobles' dignity.
"Let's go. We need to report to Saint Samuel Church."
"Klein, why didn't you choose to join the Red Gloves with me?"
"I prefer being a Night Watcher."
"All right… hopefully we'll still see each other often."
"We will. You just joined the Red Gloves, you'll need some time to adjust."
Leonard thought that made sense, so the two compared their map and soon boarded a steam tram heading toward the North Borough.
After reporting in at Saint Samuel Church, Klein was assigned to the Night Watcher squad responsible for the West Borough.
In Backlund, there were three Night Watcher squads, one stationed in the Empress Borough, one in the West Borough, and one in the Dock District.
Being directly assigned to the West Borough was already a decent start.
Although the three squads had the same rank, the Empress Borough was where the high nobles and the royal family resided. The Night Watcher squad there had the best position, and the requirements to join it were much higher.
Klein didn't care too much about that. He was more concerned about how much his weekly salary increased after transferring to Backlund.
And whether the Night Watcher squad arranged housing and meals.
If he had to find his own place and pay for his own meals, shouldn't there be housing and meal subsidies?
After all, this was Backlund, daily expenses must be much higher than in Tingen.
Leonard, who had to stay for Red Gloves training, was sighing over the Church of the Evernight Goddess's power.
Backlund was divided into so many districts, yet the Church of the Evernight occupied the Empress Borough, West Borough, and North Borough, three major areas at once.
Although normally each church dealt with their own congregation and matters weren't strictly separated, it was mixed jurisdiction, the impression remained.
To Leonard, this only proved that the Evernight Goddess was the strongest. A true believer always found opportunities to praise their deity.
"Klein, we part ways here. Once I settle down, remember to write to me."
"Mm. I'm planning to learn how to summon a messenger from Miss Daly."
"Summoning a spirit world messenger, huh? If I have time, I'll get one too. That's what makes a proper Beyonder." Leonard looked excited.
Klein only shook his head inwardly. He was just thinking that if he had to write letters to chat with Leonard frequently, postage would cost a fortune. Messenger delivery would be cheaper.
After parting with Leonard, Klein went alone to report to the West Borough Night Watcher squad.
....
"I wonder how things in Tingen are progressing. Has the original story changed? Did Klein rewrite the ending, or did he still die in that disaster?"
At home, Hastur calculated the timeline. The Tingen incident was about to reach its conclusion.
He hadn't sent anyone to Tingen, so he had no idea what actually happened.
He only saw a tiny piece of news in the Loen Bulletin a few days ago.
The report said Tingen had a minor unrest, but it was quickly resolved.
Such short information revealed nothing useful.
Thus, Hastur could only guess what happened in Tingen.
Because of this distraction, he hadn't continued forging Roselle's diary. He had to stall Audrey, claiming there were no new diary pages, missing out on a chance to earn money.
"Baron, Manager Harley sent over the factory's profit for this month."
While Hastur was deep in thought, Butler Neil interrupted.
"How much in total?"
"3,400 gold pounds."
"Not bad. Prepare a portion to be sent to the Glaint's residence."
"Manager Harley already divided it according to share proportions. The 3,400 gold pounds is your net profit for this month. He also said that next month it will rise by at least fifty percent."
This time, Hastur was genuinely moved. He originally thought he would only get around 2,000 gold pounds. He hadn't expected this much.
At this rate, he could earn at least fifty thousand gold pounds in a year.
That was a huge sum.
"Keep 3,000 gold pounds. The remaining 400 is for household expenses." Hastur quickly allocated the funds. Butler Neil left to handle the matter.
"Now, I finally have a real business of my own, though still far from a magnate like Earl Hall."
Hastur pondered a moment and decided to reinvest the 3,000 gold pounds. He planned to acquire some industries with future potential.
With his current finances he could only acquire small companies, far from the threshold of industries like steel or banking.
...
Night.
Another full moon, the fifteenth.
Fors lay on her bed, ready to face the murmurs of the full moon.
With experience accumulated, she wasn't nervous anymore.
What she feared was Xio discovering her secret.
She believed Xio wouldn't tell anyone she was a Follower of the Stars, but the more people who knew, the more dangerous it became.
Especially with the current unease among Beyonders in Backlund.
So whenever full moon murmurs arrived, Fors always sent Xio out, locked the doors and windows, and stayed alone in her room.
After about twenty minutes, the full moon murmurs struck. That familiar pain, Fors felt she would never forget it.
She knelt on the bed in a reverent posture, hands clasped, praying to the Sovereign of the Stars.
Mainly because she didn't know what rituals were required, what posture, what scripture, what gestures symbolized the Stars, etc.
When a brilliant starry sky unfolded above the ceiling, starlight descending, the murmurs vanished instantly.
Only peace and tranquility remained, no pain.
At this moment, her faith became more firm.
No matter how turbulent Backlund became, she never regretted choosing to believe in the Sovereign of the Stars.
Yes, she believed she was already a devout Follower of the Stars.
When the duration of the murmurs passed, Fors offered reverent gratitude to the Sovereign of the Stars.
Normally, at this point, the starry sky would fade and everything return to normal.
But this time, she saw the starlight condense into lines of text, ancient Hermes.
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;"
"The Mysterious Ruler above the Gray Fog;"
"The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck."
"Every few days, find an opportunity to pray."