After a brief silence, Klein picked up the tea, took a sip, and said with a smile:
“This is an option that can be considered, but Emperor Roselle once said that you should never rush into making a decision. Only after repeated comparisons can you get the best answer.
“Is there any other choice?”
Walter, wearing white gloves, said without showing any abnormality in his expression:
"Pacefield Street can also meet your requirements. I remember that the house at No. 9 is looking for a tenant. It is a villa-style, two-story house with more than a dozen rooms, a stable, a servant's room, and a small garden. The furniture and utensils are relatively old, but still decent. The annual rent is 220 pounds."
This price is reasonable... reasonable... However, No. 9 Pestfield Street means that it is no more than 100 meters away from St. Samuel's Church. Although this is in line with the theory that the darkest place is under the lamp, there must be many night watchmen among the passers-by. When I want to leave and return secretly, it is very inconvenient and easy to get into trouble... Klein, who originally had a rental budget of only 150 or 60 pounds, suddenly felt that 220 pounds was not bad after seeing the price of the garden building in front.
This made him wonder if the butler Walter deliberately said the expensive one first.
Klein thought for a few seconds and said:
"Anything else?"
Walter replied without a trace of impatience:
"No. 160 Böklund Street is also for rent. It is also a three-story building with a garden, stables, and servants' quarters. It has a dozen rooms in total, but its location is not as good as No. 32. The furnishings and furniture can only be described as decent. The annual rent is 315 pounds."
315 pounds... Klein's mind flashed through the rental price slightly numbly, and he asked thoughtfully:
"What do you suggest?"
At this moment, he actually already had the answer in his heart, but as an employer, he couldn't rush to express his opinion, because if there were any common sense flaws in the decision, it would be easy for people to look down on him.
Walter thought about it seriously and said:
“The one at 160 Böklund Street.
"Comparatively speaking, the neighbors here will be more helpful for you to enter the upper class. The house at No. 32 is too luxurious. If you rent it directly, the neighbors around you will think that you lack the necessary self-cultivation and are not decent enough."
Simply put, if you rent a house for 1,260 pounds a year right after arriving, your neighbors will easily define you as a nouveau riche eager to show off... For a wealthy man who is committed to entering the upper class, such a reputation is very bad... Klein took a sip of red tea and asked with a smile:
"Then why did you bring up 32 Böklund Street as an option?"
Walter saluted calmly and said:
“Dear sir, I am just a housekeeper. My responsibility is not to make decisions, but to present all appropriate options and make certain suggestions for your reference.
"Without knowing your specific preferences, I must give you the options as comprehensively as possible."
Very professional... He must be worried that Dwayne Dantès is a nouveau riche who likes to show off, so the choice of 32 Böklund Street was a test to some extent, so that he could adjust the direction of the suggestion and management style later... Klein laughed and said:
“Excluding house 32, we have to choose between the two.
"Before making a decision, I usually go to the site to take a look. We will leave after lunch."
"Yes, sir." Walter still looked serious and old-fashioned.
…………
South of the bridge, inside the Harvest Church.
Emlyn White was wiping the silver candlestick while thinking about the clues provided by Miss Magician.
"A secret gathering of Beyonders... This is equivalent to providing no clues. It is very difficult to track down the case, and I can't join the gathering in a short time..." Emlyn looked at himself on the surface of the silverware and raised his hand to comb his hair.
Then he put away the rag, retreated to the first row of chairs in the church, sat down, and watched Bishop Utravsky praying earnestly in front of the altar with unfocused eyes.
Ideas popped up one after another, sometimes sparking something. Emlyn suddenly grasped a detail:
"Why would a puppet that could be of extreme interest to the followers of the 'Original Moon' just appear?"
Moon puppet, moon puppet... This feels like fishing bait. Could it be a trap designed by Russ Bathory and his friends? Emlyn's eyes lit up and he stood up suddenly.
Russ Bathory was a vampire baron who participated in the hunting competition and was regarded by Emlyn as the strongest competitor.
The more Emlyn thought about it, the more he felt that this was possible, because he remembered that Bathory was an antique enthusiast, and he especially liked collecting strange and bizarre items from the southern continent!
After pacing back and forth for a few steps, the corners of his mouth curled up a little, he uttered a "Hey", and muttered silently to himself:
"I can't enter that Beyonder gathering to check the whereabouts of Windsor, a believer of the 'Original Moon', but I can monitor Russ Bathory and eliminate the target before he does!
“Haha, I’m looking forward to what kind of expression he will have.
"Well, Miss Magician, this clue is indeed worth 100 pounds."
Just when Emlyn was extremely excited, Father Utravsky finished his prayer, walked over, looked down at him, and said gently:
"Our piety is not in words, but in every detail, and you are not paying enough attention today.
"Wipe the candlesticks again."
"Okay, okay." Emlyn responded suddenly feeling ashamed.
When the priest turned and walked towards the confessional, he finally came to his senses and whispered in amusement and anger:
"I'm not religious at all, and I don't need to be religious!"
…………
Rows of straight Intis sycamore trees stood on both sides, making the street look quiet and peaceful. Klein carried a gold-inlaid cane and slowly walked out of house No. 160.
He took a breath silently, turned his head and said to the butler Walter:
“Tell the owner here that I am satisfied.
"Let's just rent it for a year. Then we might move to a better place, like Queens."
His words implied his ambition to obtain a title, because Queen's Borough was where the nobles gathered.
As for why not just rent for half a year to save money, it is because this type of high-end housing only accepts long-term contracts, with one year being the shortest term.
Frankly speaking, if money wasn't a problem, Klein would still like this house. It has a clean lawn, a beautiful garden, and is well-furnished with exquisite utensils. There are many bedrooms and enough furniture. Each floor has multiple bathrooms. The stables and servants' quarters at the back are not built with shoddy workmanship. It is the best residence Klein could have imagined.
Walter responded immediately:
"I'll get a solicitor shortly.
"Sir, do you have any specific requests for your servant?"
Klein strolled under the Intis sycamore tree and said with a smile:
"I'd like to hear your advice first."
Walter thought for a moment and said:
"Sir, you will still need a housekeeper no matter what."
During the previous interview, Klein mentioned that Dwayne Dantès was unmarried and childless, and had no lover in Backlund, so he did not need a personal maid.
Seeing that Dwayne Dantès only nodded slightly without expressing his opinion, Walter continued:
"Her duties are to manage the maids and the family's financial expenditures. Sir, you cannot leave everything to me or to the same person. Checks and balances are an art in politics and a good way to manage the family. Emperor Roselle once said that absolute power leads to absolute corruption.
"I have confidence in myself when it comes to money, but that's all I have."
Well, that's very frank... A housekeeper is still necessary. The annual salary is about thirty or forty pounds... Klein nodded:
"good."
At this time, Walter walked upright behind Klein and reached out to help him stop a rental carriage.
As they got into the carriage, he continued:
"As for the selection of the housekeeper, I will let the 'Association for Helping Household Servants' come up with a list, and you can choose it yourself. I will not offer any suggestions.
"Based on the current living situation, you will also need a household property manager, who can be male or female, a personal valet, two first-class maids in charge of the bedroom, two second-class maids in charge of the living room, two male servants in charge of receiving guests, a storage room maid, a kitchen maid, two laundry maids, and two male servants for rough work.
"In addition to these, there is a cook, two gardeners, two coachmen, or a coachman and a coachman's assistant, and if necessary, a page, a handyman, a house nurse, and a cook's assistant.
"You don't have a carriage now, so you must have two later. One is a sedan, which costs about 300 pounds, and the other is a two-wheeled one, which costs about 100 pounds..."
Listening to the butler's detailed introduction of the servants he needed, Klein's mind went numb. He didn't want to calculate how much it would cost him. He would pay monthly or weekly anyway, not for a whole year at a time.
Not counting servants, handymen, house nurses, and cook assistants, there are 10 to 11 male servants, and 9 to 10 female servants and housekeepers... It's almost double what I expected before, so the weekly expenses must be more than 10 pounds... This can only be confirmed after all are hired and the salary is negotiated... There is also a carriage... Klein looked at Walter's mouth moving non-stop, and his thoughts drifted away involuntarily.
Seeing the calm, elegant and graceful Mr. Dwayne Dantes nodding frequently, Walter subconsciously expanded the topic a little:
"You will also need to rent a manor in the suburbs and invite some friends to spend a pleasant weekend there. Don't worry, you can wait until you have held a few dances and dinners at No. 160...
"Sir, please don't ask your neighbors in this neighborhood for a maid. Only families with an annual income of less than 500 pounds who cannot hire enough maids to do different things will hire a maid...
“…”
Klein listened numbly, and smiled gently as if by reflex.
After returning to the hotel and watching the butler Walter go out, he sat down and lost all expression.
At 2:40, Klein rubbed his forehead, slowly stood up, and went into the bedroom to prepare to convene this week's Tarot Club.