Chapter 21: Club
After some idle chatter between the brothers, the remnants of pan-fried fish from the previous night were made into a soup with some vegetables . During the boiling process, the steam moistened the rye bread .
Smearing a little butter on the bread, Klein and Benson had a simple meal, but they were very satisfied with it . After all the fragrance and sweetness of butter brought them endless aftertastes .
After Benson left, Klein headed to the Lettuce and Meat market with three Soli notes and some spare pennies . He spent six pence on a pound of beef and seven pence on a fresh and succulent fish with few bones . Additionally, he bought potatoes, peas, radishes, rhubarbs, lettuce, and turnips, as well as spices such as rosemary, basil, cumin, and cooking oils .
During this entire time, he continued to think of the fight between clown and him. I can't get into a fight before reaching sequence 8.
Even my shooting skills is not at high level after becoming a clown I can get a precise control over my body.
After spending some time at Smyrin Bakery, Klein returned home and began weight-lifting with heavier items such as books to train his arm strength . Klein did not overexert himself since it would lead to fatigue and thus put him in greater danger . He took an appropriate break and began reading the book for different types of language for make himself to understand it.
In the evening, Benson and Melissa sat in front of a desk . The food was placed neatly like children in upper primary school .
The fragrances of the dishes were composed of a rich melody of scents—the soul captivating fragrance of the stewed beef, the obviously tender potatoes, the sweetness of the thick pea soup, the mellow flavors of the stewed rhubarb, and the sweetness of the buttered rye bread .
Benson gulped a mouthful of saliva as he turned around to see Klein placing a crispy fish onto a plate . He felt the fragrance of the oil permeate through his nostrils into his throat and then into his stomach .
Groan! His stomach made a distinct protest .
Klein rolled up his sleeves and held up a plate of fried fish before placing it in the middle of the tidied desk . Following that, he returned to the cupboard and took out two large cups of ginger beer and placed them where he and Benson sat .
He smiled at Melissa and took out a lemon pudding as if he were performing a magic trick . "We'll have beer, while you'll have this . "
" . . . Thank you . " Melissa took the lemon pudding .
When Benson saw this, he raised his calm and said with a smile, "This is to celebrate Klein's finding of a decent job . "
Klein raised his cup and clinked it with Benson before clinking it with Melissa's lemon pudding . "Praise the Lady!"
He tilted his head back and drank it down . The spicy feeling warmed his gullet, bringing him great aftertastes .
Despite its name, ginger beer did not contain any alcohol . It was a mixture of the ginger's spiciness and the sourness of lemon that made it taste similar to beer . It was a kind of beverage that both women and children found acceptable . However, Melissa did not like the taste of it .
"Praise the Lady!" Benson drank a mouthful as well while Melissa took a nibble of the lemon pudding . She chewed at it repeatedly before swallowing it down unwillingly .
"Give it a try . " Klein put down his cup and picked up his fork and spoon and pointed at the tableful of food .
As the eldest brother, Benson did not stand on ceremony as he dug up a spoonful of mashed potatoes and stuffed it into his mouth .
The beaten potatoes were boiled thoroughly and mixed with the faint taste of lard and just enough salt . It whetted his appetite and made him salivate .
"Not . . . bad . . . Not bad," praised Benson vaguely . "It's much more delicious than the one I had back at work . They only used butter . "
This is one of my specialties after all . . . Klein accepted the praise . "It's all thanks to the teachings of the chef at Welch's place . "
Melissa looked at the beef soup . The green basil leaves, the green lettuce heads, and the radishes were submerged in the colorless soup, covering the tender beef . The soup was clear and its fragrance tantalizing .
She forked a piece of beef and placed it in her mouth to chew . The beef retained a little chewiness despite being stewed tender . The mixture of salt, the sweetness from the radishes, and the spiciness from the basil leaves complemented the deliciousness of the beef .
" . . . " She seemed to give her approbation, but she could not stop her chewing .
Klein tasted it and felt that although it was delicious, it was not without regret . This was still far from his usual standard . After all, he was lacking in certain condiments and could only use replacements . It was no wonder it tasted different .
However, after seeing Benson and Melissa looking satisfied from tasting it, he began suspecting his tastes . He could not help but down a mouthful of ginger beer to cleanse his tongue .
The siblings were stuffed by the end of the meal . They laid slumped in the chairs for quite a while .
"Let us praise the Lady once more!" Benson raised his ginger beer—which had only one mouthful left—as he said in satisfaction .
"Praise the Lady!" Klein downed the last bit of his beverage .
"Praise the Lady . " Melissa finally put the last bit of lemon pudding into her mouth and enjoyed the flavors swishing through her mouth .
When Klein saw this, he took advantage of his tipsiness and smiled . "Melissa, that's not right . You should eat the thing you find most delicious thing at the beginning . That way, you can fully appreciate its most delicious aspects . Tasting it when you are filled and satiated will not do the food justice . "
"No, it's still as delicious as it can be," answered Melissa firmly and stubbornly .
The siblings had a happy chat, and after digesting their meals, they cleaned up the plates, cutlery, and stored the oil which was used to fry the fish .
After busying themselves, it was revision time . One refreshed his accounting knowledge while another continued reading the study material and notes . Time was spent to its fullest .
At eleven, the siblings extinguished the gas lamp and went to bed after washing up .
Under the scorching afternoon sun, Klein left his house .
Since he had to walk all the way from Iron Cross Street to Welch's place, he wore a linen shirt instead of his formal attire of top hat and leather boots . He wore a matching brown coat, a round felt hat and a pair of old leather shoes . That way, he did not need to worry that the stench of his sweat would contaminate the rather expensive suit .
As he went down Daffodil Street, he strolled toward Iron Cross Street .
Iron Cross Street was not characterized by just a single street . Like its name suggested, it was formed by two roads that crossed each other .
With the intersection at its core, it was split into Left Street, Right Street, Upper Street, and Lower Street . Klein, Benson, and Melissa previously lived on Lower Street .
However, the residents living at his former apartment and the surrounding area did not think of the area as Lower Street . Instead, they created the term Middle Street . By doing so, they made a clear difference between those staying there and the poor who lived two hundred meters down the road .
There, a bedroom was occupied by five or six people, and sometimes even up to ten .
Klein walked along the periphery of Left Street as he let his mind wander . He recalled the Antigonus family's notebook and how it was missing . He thought of its importance to the Nighthawks and thought of the deaths that resulted from it .
His heart slowly turned heavy as his face turned ashen .
There were far fewer street side hawkers in the afternoon . They gathered again after half past five . The ones that stayed behind looked drowsy and listless .
The moment he entered the area, Klein's heart suddenly felt overwhelmed by darkness . His heart felt heavy, down, and gloomy for an inexplicable reason .
He ignored it because he can't do anything for them.
At the turn of the street, Klein looked at the shops when his gaze swept past a few signboards on the second floor .
"Harrods Department Store . "
"Military Veterans Mess . "
"Divination Club . "
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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