Chapter 3: Melissa
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With a plan in place, Zhou Mingrui finally felt a sense of direction. His fear, hesitation, and insecurity retreated to a corner of his mind.
Only now did he have the mindset to carefully examine the fragmented memories left behind by Klein.
Following his usual habit, Zhou Mingrui stood up, turned off the gas valve, and watched the wall lamp dim until it extinguished. He sat back down, absentmindedly rubbing the brass cylinder of the revolver while pressing his temple. In the crimson-tinged darkness, he quietly sifted through the memories, like the most attentive viewer in a movie theater.
Perhaps due to the bullet that had pierced his head, Klein's memories were like shattered glass, not only disjointed but missing significant pieces. Where did the finely crafted revolver come from? Was it suicide or murder? What did the notebook's phrase, "Everyone will die, including me," mean? Did anything strange happen in the two days leading up to the incident?
Not only were specific memories fragmented and incomplete, but even Klein's knowledge was affected. In his current state, Zhou Mingrui doubted Klein could graduate if he returned to university, despite having left campus just days ago and never slacking in his studies.
"Two days from now, I have an interview with the History Department at Tingen University…"
"Loen Kingdom's universities don't have a tradition of keeping graduates on as faculty… My mentor gave me recommendation letters for Tingen University and Backlund University…"
…
As Zhou Mingrui silently "watched" these memories, the crimson moon outside sank westward, gradually disappearing until faint light appeared in the east, painting the horizon gold.
At that moment, sounds came from the inner room, followed by footsteps approaching the dividing door.
"Melissa's awake… She's as punctual as ever," Zhou Mingrui said with a slight smile, influenced by Klein's memories, which made him feel as though Melissa was his own little sister.
Except I don't actually have a little sister… he added with a mental quip.
Unlike Benson and Klein, Melissa didn't receive her early education at the Evernight Goddess Church's Sunday school. By the time she was old enough to study, the Loen Kingdom had passed the Elementary Education Act, establishing the Committee for Primary and Secondary Education and increasing funding.
Within three years, many church schools were absorbed, and numerous public primary schools were established, strictly adhering to religious neutrality to avoid conflicts between the Church of the Storm Lord, the Evernight Goddess, and the God of Steam and Machinery.
Compared to the Sunday school's one-penny-per-week fee, public primary schools charged three pennies a week, steep by comparison. However, Sunday school only offered lessons one day a week, while public schools provided six full days of education, making them a near-free bargain in the long run.
Unlike most girls, Melissa had been fascinated by gears, springs, and bearings since childhood, aspiring to become a steam mechanic.
Having experienced the limitations of his own lack of education, Benson, the eldest brother, supported Melissa's dream just as he had Klein's university education. After all, Tingen Technical School was considered secondary education, not requiring further study at a grammar school or public school.
Last July, at fifteen, Melissa passed the entrance exam and joined the Steam and Machinery Department at Tingen Technical School, where the weekly tuition rose to nine pennies.
Meanwhile, the import-export company where Benson worked was hit hard by the situation in the Southern Continent. Profits and business volume plummeted, forcing layoffs of over a third of the staff. To keep his job and sustain the family, Benson took on heavier workloads, often working overtime or traveling to harsh environments, as he was doing these past few days.
Klein hadn't been oblivious to helping his brother, but as a commoner who entered university through an ordinary grammar school, he keenly felt his own shortcomings. For instance, Ancient Feysac, the root language of all Northern Continent nations, was something noble and wealthy children learned from a young age. Klein, however, only encountered it in university.
There were many such gaps. Klein had poured all his energy into his studies, often staying up late and rising early, just to barely keep up with others and graduate with average grades.
Memories of his brother and sister flashed through Zhou Mingrui's mind. When the inner door creaked open, he snapped back to reality, suddenly remembering the revolver in his hand.
This was a semi-controlled item!
It could terrify a kid!
And… and the wound on my head!
Seeing Melissa about to emerge, Zhou Mingrui pressed his temple and hurriedly opened the desk drawer, tossing the revolver inside with a loud thud.
"What was that?" Melissa, hearing the noise, looked over curiously.
She was in the prime of her youth. Even without nutritious food, her slim, pale face still glowed with the radiance of a young girl.
Meeting his sister's inquisitive brown eyes, Zhou Mingrui forced himself to stay calm. He grabbed something nearby, calmly closed the drawer to hide the revolver, and felt his temple, realizing the wound had already healed!
In his hand was a silver pocket watch adorned with vine and leaf patterns. With a gentle press, the cover popped open.
It was the most valuable item left by their father, a Royal Army sergeant, but as a secondhand piece, it had issues. Over the past few years, it frequently malfunctioned, even after repairs by watchmakers. This caused Benson, who liked carrying it to elevate his status, repeated embarrassment, so he eventually left it at home.
To be fair, Melissa might truly have a knack for mechanics. After learning theoretical knowledge, she began tinkering with the watch using tools from the technical school, recently claiming she'd fixed it!
Zhou Mingrui watched the cover spring open, noticing the second hand was still. He instinctively turned the crown to wind it.
But after a few turns, no sound of a tightening spring came, and the second hand remained motionless.
"It's broken again," he said, making small talk as he looked at his sister.
Melissa glanced at him expressionlessly, strode over, and snatched the pocket watch.
Standing in place, she first pulled out the crown slightly, gave it a few turns, and the tick-tick-tick of the second hand moving filled the air.
Wait, isn't pulling the crown supposed to adjust the time?
Zhou Mingrui's expression froze.
At that moment, the distant cathedral's bells tolled six times, their sound distant and ethereal.
Melissa listened carefully, then pulled the crown out further and turned it several times to set the time.
"Done," she said curtly, without a trace of emotion, before pushing the crown back and handing the watch to Zhou Mingrui.
Zhou Mingrui gave an awkward but polite smile.
Melissa gave her brother another deep look, then turned to the cabinet, grabbing her toothbrush, towel, and other items before heading out to the shared bathroom.
"Her expression just now… was that a mix of disdain and resignation?"
"Like she's looking out for her dimwitted brother?"
Zhou Mingrui shook his head with a low chuckle, snapping the watch cover shut with a click and popping it open again with another snap.
Repeating the motion, his thoughts wandered to a new question.
Without a silencer, a revolver shot, assuming it was suicide for now, would've been loud. Yet Melissa, just a wall away, hadn't noticed a thing.
Was she sleeping too deeply? Or was Klein's "suicide" itself steeped in weirdness?
Snap, open. Click, shut…
Melissa returned from washing up, catching her brother absentmindedly opening and closing the watch cover.
Her gaze carried a hint of resignation again as she said in a sweet voice, "Klein, take out the rest of the bread. Remember to buy fresh ones today, along with some meat and peas. Your interview's coming up soon, I'll make you pea and lamb stew."
As she spoke, she moved the stove from the corner, lit it with leftover charcoal, and boiled a pot of water.
Before the water boiled, she opened the cabinet's bottom drawer and carefully took out a tin of cheap tea, sprinkling about ten leaves into the pot, pretending it was proper tea.
They each poured a large cup and shared two loaves of rye bread with the "tea."
No sawdust or excessive bran, but it still tastes awful… Zhou Mingrui, weak and hungry, grumbled internally while forcing down the bread with the help of the tea.
A few minutes later, Melissa finished eating, gathered her black hair that fell to her vest, and looked at Zhou Mingrui. "Remember to buy fresh bread, eight pounds is enough. It's hot, so too much will spoil. And don't forget the lamb and peas!"
She's really looking out for her bookish brother, repeating herself like that… Zhou Mingrui nodded with a smile. "Got it."
From Klein's rough memory and his own comparisons, Zhou Mingrui figured a Loen Kingdom pound was close to half a kilogram, or what he knew as a jin in his previous life.
Melissa said no more. She tidied up, packed the last loaf of bread for lunch, put on their late mother's old veiled hat, and grabbed her self-sewn bag for books and stationery. She was ready to head out.
It wasn't Sunday, so she had a full day of classes.
From the apartment to Tingen Technical School was about a fifty-minute walk. Public carriages cost one penny per kilometer, with a city cap of four pennies and a suburban limit of six. To save money, Melissa always left early and walked.
As she opened the door, she paused, half-turning back. "Klein, don't buy too much lamb or peas. Benson might not be back until Sunday. Oh, and remember, eight pounds of bread."
"Got it, got it," Zhou Mingrui replied helplessly.
At the same time, he mentally repeated the word "Sunday" a few times.
In the Northern Continent, a year was divided into twelve months, with 365 to 366 days, and a week consisted of seven days.
The former was an astronomical achievement, making Zhou Mingrui suspect this was a parallel world. The latter stemmed from religion, as the Northern Continent recognized seven orthodox deities: the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of Storms, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, the Evernight Goddess, the Earth Mother, the God of War, and the God of Steam and Machinery.
Watching his sister close the door and leave, Zhou Mingrui let out a sudden sigh, his thoughts shifting to the luck-transfer ritual.
I'm sorry, but I really want to go home…