"Don't think about that damn bill anymore, let's talk about ritual magic." Old Neil put away the candles, cauldron, silver knife and other items with a relaxed look.

Klein wanted to shrug his shoulders like the Americans in his previous life, but in the end he decided not to do this ungentlemanly gesture.

He turned his attention back to the ritual magic itself, raised the detailed questions he had previously doubted, and received sufficiently definite answers. For example, the chanted spells had a certain format, and as long as it was met and the key meaning was clearly expressed in Hermetic, the rest of the format could be played freely. Of course, blasphemous and disrespectful descriptions were absolutely forbidden.

This "Mysticism Course" lasted until noon. Old Neil coughed twice and said:

"We must return to Zouteland Street."

At this point, he uttered an inarticulate complaint:

"I missed my lovely breakfast to pick up those damn materials."

Klein looked around with amusement and confusion and said:

"Mr. Neil, don't you have a cook at home? Or a maid who is responsible for cooking?"

A weekly wage of £12 is enough to support several servants!

According to the newspaper, if accommodation and food were provided, it would only cost 12 to 15 soli per week to hire an ordinary cook, less than 1 pound. A maid who did odd jobs was even cheaper, with a weekly salary of only 3 soli 6 pence to 6 soli. Of course, you couldn't expect their cooking skills.

Well, that's not right. Mr. Neil still owes 30 pounds of foreign debt, so it's normal not to hire a cook and a servant...

I seem to have asked the wrong question again...

When Klein regretted it, Old Neil shook his head and said, “I don’t mind at all.

"I often try ritual magic at home and study extraordinary items and corresponding documents. I will not and cannot hire ordinary people to be cooks, servants, and maids. I just ask people to come and clean regularly. If they are not ordinary people, do you think they would be willing to do similar work?"

"I seem to have asked a stupid question, perhaps because I don't do anything involving mystery at home," Klein explained with a self-deprecating tone.

Old Neil had already stood up, put on his round-brimmed felt hat, and walked out the door, muttering:

"I seem to smell the aroma of pan-fried foie gras... Once the bill is settled, I must have a good portion! I can definitely eat a whole piece of roast pork with apple sauce for lunch. No, that's not enough, I must have a sausage with mashed potatoes..."

You're making me hungry... Klein swallowed his saliva and quickly followed Old Neil to the nearby public carriage stop.

Back at Zouteland Street, Old Neil had just stepped off the carriage when he suddenly said, "Hmm":

"What do I see? Goddess, what do I see?"

He suddenly became as agile as a boy of seventeen or eighteen years old. He quickly ran to the side of the road and picked up something.

Klein moved closer in confusion and took a closer look, and found that it was a wallet with exquisite workmanship.

With his eyesight and knowledge, it was difficult to tell whether the dark brown wallet was made of cowhide or sheepskin. He only noticed that there was a small light blue emblem embroidered on it, with a white dove spreading its wings as if about to fly.

This was the impression Klein got at first glance, and from the second glance onwards, his eyes were glued to the banknotes that bulged out his wallet.

Those were gold pounds with a gray background and black stripes, at least 20 of them facing upwards!

Old Neil opened his wallet, pulled out the bills, looked at them carefully, and exclaimed:

"10-pound notes, the revered 'Founder' and 'Protector' William I, oh goddess, a full 30, and a few 5-pound, 1-pound and 5-sol notes."

More than three hundred pounds? This is a truly huge sum of money! I might not be able to save this much money in ten years... Klein's breathing became heavy involuntarily.

Because the value of the gold pound was very high, picking up such a wallet was like picking up a suitcase of banknotes in later generations.

“I don’t know which gentleman dropped it… It definitely wasn’t an ordinary person.” Klein analyzed calmly.

Such a wallet obviously does not belong to a lady.

"Don't worry about who he is." Old Neil chuckled. "We won't try to take possession of money that doesn't belong to us. Let's wait here. I think the gentleman will come back soon to look for it. It's not easy for anyone to give up this."

Klein secretly breathed a sigh of relief and gained a new understanding of Old Neil's moral character.

He was worried that the other party would use the money as an excuse of "a gift from the goddess" to pay off bills, and was thinking hard about how to stop it and how to persuade him.

Is this "Do whatever you want, but don't hurt"? Klein suddenly had some understanding.

The two waited on the street for less than a minute before they saw a luxurious four-wheeled carriage speeding towards them. On the light blue emblem on the side was a white dove with its wings spread.

The carriage stopped, and a middle-aged man in a black suit and a matching bow tie left the carriage. He looked at the wallet, took off his hat and saluted:

"Gentlemen, this is supposed to be my master's purse."

"Your coat of arms proves everything, but I need to verify it again. This is my responsibility to everyone. May I ask, how much money is in your wallet?" Old Neil responded politely.

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then laughed at himself:

"As a butler, I shouldn't know how much money is left in my master's wallet. Sorry, please allow me to ask."

"It's your freedom." Old Neil made a gesture of invitation.

The middle-aged man returned to the carriage and exchanged a few words with the people inside through the window.

He approached Klein and Old Neil again and said with a smile:

"More than £300, but less than £350. My master does not remember the exact amount."

I don’t remember... He is really a wealthy man. If I had so much money, I would have counted it over and over again... Klein was filled with envy.

Old Neil nodded and handed the wallet back:

"Goddess, prove that this belongs to you."

The middle-aged man took the wallet, counted it roughly, and then took out three 10-pound notes from it:

"My master is Sir Deville. He said that he admires your qualities. This is the reward that an honest person deserves. Please do not refuse it."

Sir Deville? The Sir Deville who founded the Deville Trust Company to provide cheap rental housing for low-income workers? Klein immediately remembered the name.

He is a knight whom his brother Benson respects but thinks is not realistic enough.

"Thank you, sir. He is a kind and generous gentleman." Old Neil took the three banknotes without hesitation.

After watching Sir Deville's carriage go away, he saw that there was no one around, so he turned to look at Klein, flicked the banknotes, and laughed:

"30 pounds, the bill is settled."

"I said it would be resolved in a reasonable manner."

"That's the power of magic."

...The power of magic! This is possible! Klein was stunned again.

After a few minutes of rest, he walked into the stairwell and crawled towards the security company, wondering:

"Mr. Neil, why don't you pray for a larger amount?"

"Don't be greedy, especially when performing ritual magic. Moderation is the key element for every secret peeker to survive long enough." Old Neil explained happily and easily.

…………

Inside the huge banquet hall, several chandeliers were supported by burning candles, which gave off a soothing aroma and whose cumulative light was no less brilliant than that of gas lamps.

Long tables were filled with delicious foods such as pan-fried foie gras, grilled steak, roasted chicken, fried sole, Ducie oysters, stewed lamb, cream soup, etc. In addition, there were bottles of Misty Champagne, Olmere Wine and Southville Red Wine, which exuded attractive colors under the light.

Servants in red vests carried plates with crystal glasses and shuttled between gentlemen and ladies who were dressed either elegantly or gorgeously.

Audrey Hall wore a light white long dress with a stand-up collar, high waist and leg-of-mutton sleeves. The upper body was tightly bound, the waist was extremely thin, and the multi-layered cake-cut was perfectly supported by the whale hoop.

Her long golden hair was elegantly tied up, her earrings, necklace and ring all sparkled brightly, and on her feet were a pair of white dancing shoes inlaid with roses and diamonds.

"Are there 4, 5, or 6 petticoats inside?" Audrey touched the bustle with her right hand wearing a white gauze glove.

In her left hand she was holding a glass of crystal clear champagne.

Audrey did not stand at the center of the party and become the focus of everyone as she did in the past. Instead, she avoided the hustle and bustle and stood quietly in the shadow of the curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

She took a sip of champagne and looked at the people in front of her with a detached look that didn't belong here:

Count Wolfe's youngest son was chatting with Viscount Conrad's daughter. He liked to use the method of waving his arms to emphasize his tone. Well, the more he waved, the less credible his words were. This was a proven conclusion... He always couldn't help but praise himself and belittle others, but he couldn't control his guilty conscience, which would be expressed in the way he spoke and in his body language...

Today, Madam Della used her left hand to cover her laughter again and again. Well, I know, she was showing off the pure aquamarine on her left hand...

Her husband, Duke Nigan, was discussing the situation with several conservative nobles not far away. From the beginning of the banquet until now, he had only actively looked for his Lady Della once...

They barely made any real eye contact... maybe, well, they weren't as affectionate as they appeared...

Mrs. Parnis was amused by Baron Larry seven times, which was normal and not surprising, but why did she look at her husband with a guilty look... Well, they separated... No, wherever they went could lead to the garden...

…

In this extravagant banquet, Audrey noticed many details that she would never have noticed before.

For a moment, she almost believed that she was watching a play.

"Everyone is a good actor..." She sighed silently, her eyes cold.

At this moment, she suddenly felt something and turned her head sharply, looking at the spacious balcony outside the floor-to-ceiling window, and at the dark corner of the spacious balcony.

In the shadow, a large golden retriever sat quietly, looking inside and at Audrey with a peaceful gaze, half of its body hidden in the darkness.

Susie… Audrey’s mouth twitched, her expression instantly collapsed, and she could no longer maintain the status of “audience”.