Ashes Street, Levand City, Maryland
September 14, 2210
Of course, Alin didn't get any more answers.
After standing up, Alin tried to move his limbs. Fortunately, he felt quite well overall and didn't feel anything particularly uncomfortable. He was feeling better now because of the figure he had seen in the foggy place. A thought went through Alin's mind "He must be some primitive being, who has power over the souls of others". That's why he tends to have such mental disorders once a week.
Alin thought for a while because he had to investigate the murders in the town of Machiavelli. It would be better if he talked to some of his church about this. Because Machiavelli was far from this town. Maybe he would have to go to Machiavelli directly or get help from someone in the church.
_ _ _ _ _
15 September, 2210
Tianshi Street, Machio City, Maryland
The cold autumn wind blew on Tianshi Street. By three in the morning, there was no one on the street except homeless vagrants or unconscious drunkards. At least by five o'clock, the vendors struggling to make a living would come out to prepare for a new day. Now was their time to rest, and only rats would come out from the openings in the sewers.
The worn wooden signboard that read "Bald Eagle Bar" swayed in the wind. Suddenly, a broken sound came from the half-open door. The rusty iron chain on the upper left corner of the signboard snapped and half of it fell off.
As the other side of the street came to life, Erwin saw all kinds of people passing by. The noisy shouts and footsteps gradually dispelled the chill that surrounded him. But there was one clear similarity among all these people - their clothes, their words, and their faces were engraved with signs of poverty. And in such an environment, crime was the least of their worries. At this Erwin squirmed uncomfortably, his gaze fixed on the others, watching them intently.
He had only come to deliver some food to this bar. These sweet treats had been ordered from his mother's bakery. He was delivering the food well.
As the alley became more lively, chaos began to form. Someone had thrown a rotten, stinking fish into a nearby ditch, and the strong stench slowly filled the air. Erwin disliked the atmosphere, he could only sit on the uncomfortable boxes and enjoy everything.
As Erwin was lost in thought, a commotion suddenly broke out in the crowd, and a woman's voice shouted, "Hurry up, catch that thief! The child!"
As the boy in the gray shirt and beret approached, Erwin reacted much faster than he had expected, thinking of catching the thief, his hand gripping the boy's arm tightly, almost pulling him down as he ran. The boy's hat fell to the ground, and he stared at Erwin in shock, as if he had just noticed someone was there.
Erwin was startled by his own immediate reaction, his eyes widening as he looked at the boy. The kid's thin cheeks suggested he had never eaten enough, not to mention the bruises on his forehead and chin, which made Erwin instinctively loosen his grip on his hand. The shouts from the crowd behind him came closer, and the boy suddenly pushed Erwin aside and ran forward. In an instant, as Erwin started to back away, his hand instinctively reached for the boy's arm and he let him run into the crowd in the other direction.
"Thief stop! Thief—uhh..." The middle-aged woman with gray hair began to hit her lower back. She finally managed to push through the crowd, but couldn't find the boy. The woman leaned over the crate and panted heavily. She was so distressed at the thought of losing her week's pay and having no money for food at home that she almost cried.
Just then, the bundle of rough red cloth from the textile worker was handed to her. The woman snatched it up and hugged it tightly to her heart, before looking at the boy opposite her: "Thank you, thank you, thank you so much..."
Erwin shook his head, but didn't speak out of caution. He simply smiled at the woman and then pushed through the crowd, slowly walking towards the intersection.
The feeling of truly helping someone was completely different.
But he felt bad for the little boy. But this was the natural order of the world, he couldn't interfere in anything and change anything. They had to find their own way.
Erwin's gaze drifted towards the fruit shop, and there were many things there that he had never seen before. The bright red, fist-sized fruits looked like apples. He wondered what the difference was in their taste. It had been almost two days since he had been transferred to this world.
As Erwin thought about these things, he subconsciously glanced at the fruit shop owner, who was impatiently pushing away a couple trying to bargain, his attention not on them.
Erwin walked towards the fruit shop and bought some red berries. Olivia floated in the air beside him and he was silent.
He thought about going to the library, because he needed to get some books on psychology. He had been back at the hospital last night. He was thinking about fixing Ann's mental problems. Maybe the mental problems could be fixed completely, or maybe not. But he had to try.
Erwin mockingly bit into the red fruit, expressing his displeasure.
At the end of the long street stands a Gothic black church, small in size but very elegant and solemn. The colorful stained glass windows hanging on the outer wall make the towering spire look out over the street.
Occasionally, people come and go through the church entrance. A young priest dressed in black stands by the door, greeting people as they pass by and chatting with acquaintances.
Erwin greeted the church as he passed. He walked another 50 meters and reached the library. For a moment, he felt like someone was following him. He said telepathically to Olivia, "Keep an eye out."
Because if Erwin showed any signs of being alert, they would notice him more. So he wanted to appear normal. He entered the library, and in front of him was a young blond boy sitting at the book counter. His yellow hair touched his shoulders. He was drinking tea, and he had a book in his hand. The book's cover read "Herbal Medicine" which was written in Maryland's state language, "Sevak."
The young man stood up, seeing a new customer, and said, "Welcome, tell me how I can help you."
"Thank you, I actually came to borrow some books," Erwin said softly.
"For that you will need to get a library card. You will need to pay 5 peons per month. What are you willing to do?" The young man in front of him smiled.
There are three types of currency in Maryland. 10 ins is equal to 1 peon, and 10 peons is equal to 1 pound. A typical middle-class family of 4 in the city spends between 8 and 15 pounds per month, but it may be less in the countryside. For a typical family of 4, 5 pounds per month is enough.
His mother was the manager of a bakery shop, so her monthly income was about 12 pounds, which was very good. And she was given two pounds per month as pocket money and his one pound.
"Yes, I agree," Erwin said without hesitation.
"I am Jems Kit, what is your name?" the young man took out a card and asked.
"Erwin Feulgen, it was nice to meet you, Mr. Kit," Erwin said calmly.
"There's no need for such formalities. Just call me Jems, Erwin," Jems said.