Lord of the Mysteries - Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Seeing the unconvinced look his sister's face, Klein suddenly felt like it was a good opportunity . He sized her up and said with a solemn expression, "Melissa, I think you aren't showing enough respect to today's banquet as well . "

"What?" Melissa wore a puzzled look .

Klein pointed at her neck .

"As a lady, you are lacking a necklace that accentuates that area . "

Without waiting for his sister to say another word, he smiled as he fished out a silver amulet wrapped with angel wings from his pocket .

"Thankfully, I prepared one for you . "

" . . . " Melissa was taken aback at first before she asked, "How much was it?"

Sis, your concerns are really quite misplaced . . . Klein silently scoffed as he explained with a chuckle, "It's actually not very expensive . Since it was in an incomplete state, I imitated an item that I've seen before and engraved blessing incantations and beautiful patterns on them . "

"You engraved them?" Melissa was indeed distracted .

"How is it? What do you think of my work?" Klein took the opportunity to hand over the amulet to his sister .

Melissa studied it before gently biting down on her lip .

"I like the surrounding angel feathers . "

If you think the incantations and symbols I engraved are ugly then just say so . There's no need to mince your words . . . An amulet's value is in its effects! The corner of Klein's mouth twitched . Just as he was about to urge his sister to accept it, he saw Melissa put on the necklace with a forced expression on her face . She then carefully adjusted the positioning of the amulet .

"Perfect . " Klein sized her up and gave her exaggerated praise .

Melissa shot him a glance and looked down at her amulet . She said listlessly, "Klein, you were never like that before . Acting like that . . . "

"Perhaps it's because of my good job . With a decent income, I've become more confident . " Klein interrupted his sister and gave a preemptive explanation .

Sigh, even though I received the original Klein's memory fragments, making myself appear natural in most major aspects, certain fine details are still there . I'm still used to presenting my real personality . . . Especially when I'm getting closer and more familiar with Benson and Melissa . . . He sighed inwardly .

Melissa seemed to accept his explanation and pouted her lips .

"It's great that you're like that . . . really great . . . "

After the two engaged in a short conversation, Benson came down having changed his clothes . He wore a white shirt with a black vested tuxedo . His black bowtie and a pair of long, straight trousers made it seem like he had undergone a complete makeover . It was like he was a successful businessman after years of hard work .

Same for the receding hairline . . . Klein chuckled inwardly .

"Excellent, Benson . It suits you very well," he said with a brilliant smile while throwing up his hands .

Melissa also nodded in agreement on the sideline .

"The facts show that my clothing is more important than me . " Benson gave a self-derisive comment .

Klein took the opportunity to fish out the remaining amulet and repeated his explanation from earlier before saying, "I also made one for you . "

"Not bad . I'll bring it with me . " Benson accepted it without a fuss as he quipped, "Klein, I wouldn't find it odd, even if you were to suddenly know how to style your hair, make clothes, fix watches, and feed curly-haired baboons . "

"Life is just so full of surprises," Klein replied with a smile .

Following that, the siblings tidied themselves up before walking out the main door . They took a trackless public carriage and arrived at the North Borough's Fania Street where Selena's house was .

The Wood family lived in a terrace house as well, but unlike Klein's place, they had a porch . They had a small lawn in the front which made it look very elegant .

When they rung the doorbell, Klein, Benson, and Melissa only had to wait for around ten seconds before they were able to see the star of the day, Selena Wood .

With a head covered in wine-red hair, the girl gave Melissa a delighted hug .

"I like this dress of yours . It makes you look exceptionally beautiful . "

Standing beside Selena Wood was her father, Mr . Wood, senior employee of Backlund Bank's Tingen branch .

"Welcome, our honorable elder brother . Welcome, our young historian . " He deliberately addressed Benson and Klein in an exaggerated manner .

Young historian . . . Why doesn't he add the description of me having a conscience? . . . Klein retorted as he took off his hat and replied with a smile, "Mr . Wood, you look much more spirited and younger than I imagined . "

His style of flattery had unknowingly inclined himself to the Foodaholic Empire .

Benson held out his hand and shook Wood's hand .

"I know a lot of bank employees, but they're all equally arrogant and stiff, as though they're the latest machines . None of them are as civilized as you . "

"If you were to meet me at the bank, you might not say that about me . " Wood laughed cheerfully .

After exchanging pleasantries, Selena, who was wearing a new dress, led the siblings inside with a hop in her step . At times, she would mention in her usual tone that, "Elizabeth is already here," and at other times, she would suppress her voice saying, "Melissa, your brothers are more handsome than I imagined . "

Hey, I have good hearing . . . Although you are flattering me . . . Klein helplessly looked at the two sixteen-year-old girls walking ahead of him .

This isn't right . I'm still quite far from being considered handsome . . . Tsk, Miss Selena, how ugly did you imagine Benson and I to be? A balding, gloomy, fat man with a pale expression and lifeless eyes? Klein pinched his glabella in passing as he diligently practiced his Spirit Vision .

Miss Selena Wood is healthy . She's excited and very happy . . . Mr . Wood's lungs are a little problematic . Right, I see his pipe . . . Klein swept his gaze across the crowd while in a good mood .

"Elizabeth, Melissa is here . " At that moment, Selena introduced with a brisk tone .

A girl dressed in a blue frilly dress walked over . She had naturally curled brown hair and adorable baby fat .

Klein was stunned when he saw her because he knew the girl .

He had helped her choose an amulet back at the underground market!

Elizabeth greeted Melissa first before looking at Benson and Klein .

She was stunned and her brows knitted slightly, as though she was thinking about something .

Soon, Elizabeth smiled and politely greeted them as though nothing had happened .

Klein also pretended not to recognize her . Under Wood's lead, they came to the sofa in the living room where they were introduced to Chris—Selena Wood's brother—and the other guests .

As Klein watched Benson chat with Chris and the other solicitors happily over the topic of their neighbor, Mr . Shaud, he couldn't help but feel envious .

I don't have such socializing skills . . . He picked up a cocktail from a table in the corner of the room as he listened quietly . At times, he would nod and echo with a smile .

It didn't take long before all the guests arrived and the banquet officially began .

As too many guests had been invited, the Wood family's dining table could not accommodate everyone . Therefore, the banquet was done in a buffet manner . The maidservant served the steak dishes, roast chicken, fried fish, mashed potatoes, etc and placed them on different tables . The male servants were responsible for carving the meat, allowing for guests to take what they wanted .

Klein couldn't help but click his tongue when he saw the elegant enamel plates and silver cutlery . He felt that the Woods were being too extravagant as a middle-class family .

Since they're so rich, why would Chris need so many years to prepare for his wedding?" When he thought of what his sister had previously mentioned, he was puzzled . "Yeah, it was probably to save up money to buy this cutlery that would have taken them so many years to afford . To such families, they have to look respectable!

Amidst his mixed emotions, Klein picked up a plate and walked in front of a dining table . He forked a piece of honey-glazed roasted meat .

At that moment, Elizabeth with her adorable baby fat cheeks came over . As she looked at the food, she whispered, "So you are Melissa's brother . . . Thank you . Selena likes the amulet I gave her a lot . She said that she felt healthier the moment she wore it . "

Selena . . . Amulet . . . Klein suddenly recalled the reason for selecting an amulet for the girl beside him .

It was to give to a friend who liked mysticism as a birthday gift!

That friend was Selena? Selena liked items related to mysticism? Klein frowned slightly as he smiled politely .

"It might just be akin to a placebo effect . "

After saying that, he began waiting for her to praise Emperor Roselle .

However, Elizabeth's reaction was that of confusion .

"What's a placebo effect?"

"It means it's completely psychological . At times, we believe that we will turn for the better and end up really becoming better," Klein explained crudely .

"No, she said it's different from the amulets that she bought in the past . It feels different," Elizabeth emphasized .

She cocked her head and shot a glance at Klein and said curiously, "I never expected Melissa's brother to be an expert at mysticism . "

"As you know, I studied history, so it's common to encounter similar matters . " Klein diverted the topic skillfully as he asked, "Are you also studying at the Tingen Technical School?"

"No, Selena and I were Melissa's former schoolmates . Later, she went to a technical school . I study at the nearby Ivos Public School," Elizabeth explained seriously .

A public school wasn't established and maintained by the government . Instead, it was a school that accepted students from the public . It was an evolution of good grammar schools whose goal was to groom graduates so as to enter university . The schools were rather expensive and they would consider the students' family background . It could even be out the of range of typical middle-class families .

She didn't talk much . After choosing her food, she returned to Selena's side .

After congratulating the star of the day on a happy birthday, the banquet gradually came to an end . Klein and Benson were invited to a game of Texas hold'em . The small blind was half a penny, and the big blind was a penny . As for Melissa, Elizabeth, Selena, and their friends, they went upstairs . It was unknown if they were chatting or playing games .

Klein's luck was pretty bad . He played about twenty rounds, but didn't receive a good hand at all . All he could do was fold and be a spectator .

When he flipped the ends of his cards again, he found a Two of Hearts and a Five of Spades .

"Shall I try a bluff once?" Klein considered for a moment, but did not manage to muster the courage . He also resisted the urge to use divination to cheat .

He covered his cards and rapped the table, indicating that he was not making a call . Then, he got up and left the table to head for the bathroom .

Roselle was also a person with a obsessive-compulsive disorder . He actually found an odd reason to name the play style Texas . . . Klein shook his head as he proceeded forward .

At that moment, he suddenly came to a halt as his pupils constricted .

His spiritual perception told him that there was a strange fluctuation upstairs!