Christina Reception Room Entering the second floor, you are immediately mesmerized by the floor-to-ceiling windows. The view here is excellent, and you can enjoy the maze-like landscaping of the garden downstairs and the bustling streets. The crowd, the dial and hands on the four-story "Church of the Fool" church bell tower on another street are clearly visible, just like the Wall Clock exclusive to the Benson family.
It feels like this Reception Room is bigger than all the rooms in 6 Daffodil Street put together... Tina couldn't help but sigh when he came to Benson's house after moving for the first time.
Her sister Dorothy was also looking around, her eyes sweeping over the oil paintings and sculptures that were unknown whether they were originals or imitations, and she touched Arodes's Mirror hidden in her pocket with a complicated expression.
"You guys take a rest and I'll ask Zanney to come over and accompany you."
Lily rubbed the heads of Tina and Dorothy again, smiled with satisfaction, and then looked at the middle-aged woman waiting aside:
"Tromi, ask the maid to prepare some refreshments and ask the chef to cook their favorite dishes."
Refreshments, and lunch... Tina looked back at Church of the Fool, and suddenly felt his stomach twitching, and the taste buds and appetite that had just been opened by Sweet Iced Tea were about to arouse.
She looked at Female Butler, who was called Tromi, and then noticed that the maid who previously served in Benson's home had now been promoted and began to manage all the affairs in this building.
And my family didn't hire a maid. It's obvious that the combined income of my parents is not low... After today, everything will be different. I want to make a wish for their income to become 1,000 pounds a year, no, 10,000 pounds, and then move to a single-family villa in Backlund... Empress Borough seems good, but is it too ostentatious? Maybe a certain street in Hillston Borough is good. Then go to the suburbs and buy a manor with a wine cellar. It must have its own housekeeper and winemaker. The remaining money can be used to open a factory in East Borough. No. Sitting in vain... Tina was completely immersed in the imagination of a better life after making a wish to "Genie". He didn't even know when Aunt Lily left.
Soon, several plates of exquisite pastries and black tea with sugar were brought out. Along with the maid came a girl wearing a white dress, with blond hair and brown eyes, and a face of Gentle Beauty.
She looks a little older than Tina and Dorothy, but her face is very similar to the two sisters. In other words, it combines Tina's flamboyant beauty and Dorothy's reserved personality, and even looks a little weak.
This is the daughter of Benson and Lily, the cousin of the two sisters, Zanney·Moretti, who is already fifteen years old.
"Zanney!"
Tina shouted in surprise, jumped up from the soft and comfortable single sofa, and pounced on the girl who was two years older but a little shorter than her. The latter's originally smiling expression froze for a moment, as if he remembered something bad, but in the end he did not flinch, but stretched out his hands and hugged Tina.
This delicate relationship originated from a conflict three years ago. When Tina was a guest at Benson's house, he grabbed Zanney's hair and pressed her down because of a fight for an album, making the weak cousin cry. In the end, Dorothy's persuasion prevented it from causing a bigger problem.
After Angel found out about this, he lost his temper with Tina for the first time and locked her in the basement of her home by her ears. She was not released until Sun went down. Unlike Dorothy, Tina was particularly afraid of dark and humid basements when she was a child. This punishment made her no longer dare to use her height and strength to bully anyone, especially her cousin Zanney.
Fortunately, three years later, no one seemed to mention this matter anymore. In the end, Tina saved half a year's pocket money and bought several picture books by the great painter Anderson as gifts to Zanney. Apologize... Looking at the sister and cousin hugging each other, Dorothy on the side smiled, picked up the teacup and took a sip, preparing to take advantage of this short quiet time to rest for a while, leaving his empty stomach to feast on lunch.
Unfortunately, Tina quickly pulled Zanney to find her and said to her:
"Dorothy's grades are the best in the class. She will enter Ivors Public School of Tingen City next year, aiming to study the history department of Backlund University."
"I hope we can be classmates in three years."
Zanney said with a smile, making Dorothy seem to see Aunt Lily who was one size smaller and younger.
She always found it difficult to deal with such a quiet look. She glanced at Tina angrily and said:
"I hope you will spend your energy on Uncle Benson later and find a way to prevent him from sending you back to Tingen, or you can directly tell your mother what happened today and lock you in the basement for a day of reflection."
Tina's smile suddenly froze on his face.
Lunch was served family-style, without too much red tape. The servants only brought roasted chicken, Pan-Fried Foie Gras, cream cheese baked corn and other dishes to the table one by one, as well as Tina, Dorothy sisters like to eat pea stewed lamb every time they come to Benson's home, and then leave the restaurant, leaving their private space to the Moretti Family.
"... Actually, I'm not used to being cared for by servants. Before, we only employed one person, Tromi, and a handywoman who came to the house three times a week... But with the arrival of East Borough, South District and With the development of Saint George Borough's factories, more young people who could only be hired as servants will find better jobs. Most people will soon find that it is better to spend money to hire a servant who specializes in doing things than to do it themselves. The life of a middle-class family with four or five servants will become a thing of the past."
After taking a sip of low-alcohol sparkling wine and swallowing the foie gras in his mouth, Benson couldn't help but start to evaluate Backlund's employment prospects.
I always feel that my father's habit of preaching during meals was learned from his brother... Tina murmured, scooping up a large spoonful of mutton dipped in sticky soup and soft peas, and carefully put it into his mouth while thinking about how to speak, to persuade Benson not to send himself and Dorothy back to Tingen in the afternoon.
At this time, Melissa, who had just arrived in a hurry before lunch, suddenly asked:
"Angel Are the meals you have cooked recently improved compared to before? How does it compare with this mutton stew?"
Here it is again, the annual torture session of asking mom "how is the dish done"... Tina glanced at Dorothy and saw that she was competing with the creamed corn kernels on the plate, so he had to say:
"It's already seven to eight points as good as dad."
In fact, no, we all prefer to eat the food cooked by our father, but as long as my mother glares, everyone will say that she cooks better food, and my father applauds the most vigorously... She added in her heart.
But how can we talk about this kind of thing outside?
Fortunately, Melissa seemed to just ask casually without going into details. Dorothy promptly changed the topic to the "fixed-wing aircraft" that his aunt had recently studied, filling the restaurant with an academic atmosphere, and even Benson couldn't add a few words.
It was not until the meal was over that he found the opportunity and said, with Deputy Minister Ministry of Finance outside but not showing such momentum at home.
"Next week is Angel's birthday, and we are planning to go to Tingen then, hoping to eat her specialty dishes.
"By the way, have you prepared a birthday gift for her?"
"Certainly!"
Tina replied immediately.
She worked so hard to send "Genie" to various designated locations, wasn't it just to fulfill the other person's wish first, and then make her own wish?
"Really, then I'm looking forward to it," Benson smiled and nodded, "I mean, she will be looking forward to it."
After the meal, Tina found Benson and mentioned that he did not want to return to Tingen so soon. Unexpectedly, he got an unexpected surprise.
"I originally planned to send you back immediately, but Melissa said that since you are all here, you can take the opportunity to visit her laboratory. On the one hand, it will be a weekend break, and on the other hand, it will also let you know some of the latest scientific results in advance..."
Benson pointed at Melissa standing by the door and said.
You can visit the laboratory...Tina felt happy.
Not only was this something she had long expected, but she could also take the opportunity to get rid of Benson. As long as Persuasion Melissa sent them to Steam Train Station instead of sending them directly back to Tingen like Benson did, there would still be room for everything to change!
At that time, "Genie" will have the final say whether to buy a ticket back to Tingen or a ticket to Pritz Harbor.
Compared with the excited Tina, Dorothy felt a little inconsistent. She always felt that her uncle, who was still resolute in the morning, became more talkative now, as if he suddenly changed his mind under someone's persuasion.
Who could it be... She resisted the urge to take out Arrodes and ask.
Passing through the school gate where an entire abandoned steam locomotive was placed, Melissa entered Backlund Technical University's campus with Dorothy and Tina who picked up the bag containing "Genie" again.
18 years ago, this place was renamed University of Industry and Technology from the original Technical College. Melissa happened to be admitted here that year and became the second college student in the Moretti family. She also got to know Lily Granger and eventually matched her with her brother Benson.
And it wasn't until a few years later that she learned that Klein and Angel, who were originally sacrificed in Tingen, were not dead, but had secretly gotten married, allowing the two families to get married and truly become a big family.
As a result, the youngest one was first busy with studies and then work, and was exposed to the extraordinary world. After becoming Beyonder, she had no chance to fall in love, and she is still single until now.
In the occasional chat, Lily also joked that if his missing brother was still alive, he might be able to recommend him to Melissa, so that the six members of the two families could have a closer relationship with each other.
But Melissa knew that the other party was just joking. Cole Granger had been missing for nearly twenty years, had been on the kingdom's wanted list, and had the blood of many innocent people on his hands. Even if he showed up now, he would end up in jail.
Over the years, Lily has tried divination on his own, sought help from others, and tried to find the missing Cole, but found nothing. Klein and Angel also kept silent about this matter, as if they had some concerns that they did not want them to know.
In Melissa's opinion, it is very likely that Cole accidentally entered the supernatural world and fell into Criminal under the power of Potion and his own desires. He probably died in an unknown corner. The two people who had become God and Great Existence were unwilling to mention this matter, probably just because they were afraid that Lily would be sad.
Concentrating his thoughts and looking at the pair of nieces walking in front of him happily, Melissa put aside these doubts and enjoyed the brief time with them, and...
... Thinking about how to complete the script given to me.
Thinking of this, she pointed to the locomotive where many Passerby stopped to watch, and said:
"This is an iconic landscape that existed before Technical University was reorganized. It was the power part of Loen's first generation steam train. In that World War explosion, North Borough When it was bombed, it was almost blown up by Feysac's airship. Fortunately, Church of the Eternal Darkness's 'Calamity Angel' protected the school and me and Lily at that time."
"Calamity Angel of Church of the Eternal Darkness?" Dorothy, who was listening carefully, repeated doubtfully, "Isn't He the Angel of the 'Fool' church? I just saw a mural with Him as the protagonist in the church today.
"Is it the same name?"
"Of course it's not the same name. 'Calamity Angel' is an extremely rare entity in history that has been recognized by different churches and written in Holy Bible. Not only 'Eternal Darkness' and 'Fool', but also recorded in Holy Bible of 'The End', there is also a church of His in the depths of the sea. "Melissa replied in a solemn tone, "What this Angel has done is not only to prevent the harm of war to civilians, but also to save countless lives."
So awesome...Tina, who was originally admiring the university campus, sighed with emotion, and suddenly had some suspicion in his heart.
Could it be that the "The End Church" believer who saved East Borough and prevented the spread of Great Smog was this Angel?
Walking into the laboratory dedicated to Professor Melissa·Moretti, the scene that Tina imagined, full of noise, steam, roaring pipes and rotating gears, did not appear. Instead, there was a clean floor, pieces of equipment that looked like works of art, and machines connected to bundles of wires, knobs all over, and machines that were constantly spitting out punched paper tape.
Everything in the book was a lie... She looked around with a little disappointment and found that a man wearing a white robe and rubber gloves was already waiting in the laboratory.
"This is my assistant. You can call him Tony, Tony. These are my two nieces who I have mentioned to you. Come visit the laboratory."
Melissa introduced both parties.
Compared with Tina and Dorothy who greeted him in general, Tony looked to be in his early 30s, slightly fatter, and wearing glasses, and his expression was a bit shy, as if he was not used to facing strangers.
But when he heard that the other party was here for a visit, he excitedly pointed at the various equipment and began to introduce:
"This is the latest double-contact electroscope, which can withstand high voltages of 5,000 volts and accurately detect the presence of charge and polarity... Next to it is an interferometer and a spectrometer. The silver-coated glass plate produces multi-beam interference, which can Analysis the fine structure of the spectral lines and measure the wavelength. They are all powered by specialized AC generators, so there is no need to worry about troubles caused by failure or instability of the city's power system..."
"Okay Tony, don't use such professional terms, show them the latest gadgets," Melissa interrupted the other party with a smile, then turned to Tina and Dorothy who looked confused., "Don't look at him like this, but he has actually put forward a lot of useful research opinions, and his ideas are more advanced than almost all professors in the university. I am going to recommend him to study at the Western Continent, the best public school in Technical University." "
Western Continent...Dorothy is more interested in this matter. She knows that many Western Continent people have recently come to Loen, Intis and other countries to study abroad. She knows that the technology there is even more advanced than North Continent.
As exchanges between the two sides become more frequent, commodity trade expands, not only academic exchanges, but also religious and humanistic integrations are also slowly progressing.
Of course, ordinary people do not have deep feelings about this. Dorothy has only seen some articles in newspapers, which mostly mentioned the conflicts and jokes caused by the cultural differences between the two sides. Only the occasional monks, Daoist priests, and Western Continent people who appear on the street in strange clothes and do not follow the local customs can arouse the curiosity of the people.
Seeing Tony's cheeks turning red after being interrupted by Melissa, she took the initiative and asked:
"Are you really going to the Western Continent?"
"Of course, the electromagnetic research there has far surpassed ours, but we still have some advantages in internal combustion engines and navigation technology..."
Tony became excited again and smiled at Dorothy.
On the side, Tina looked around curiously, and soon found a door placed in the corner.
It was not an exit to another room on the wall, but a wooden door installed separately on the platform, with only the door frame and main body, and a rotating lock. On both sides of the door frame, countless wires of different colors and thicknesses were surrounded, connected to a large number of instruments that she could not recognize. Tina was dazzled by the various knobs, indicator lights and pointers.
"What is this?"
She turned around and found Melissa fiddling with something in front of a certain device, so she asked Tony.
"This is the latest experimental product. Its full name is 'Prototype machine based on electromagnetic force activation of Spirit World channel material transmission theory', but I prefer to call it, well, Random Door. Tony waved his gloved hands and replied, "If the theory is correct, it can send objects passing through the door to any designated location. It does not require transportation by steam trains, Passenger Ship, airships or even airplanes. It can arrive instantly!" "
Spirit World... In an instant Teleportation... What theory is it based on? There is a description of this in the knowledge instilled in Tina's mind by "Genie", but those are effects that can only be achieved by extraordinary power. Can a door powered by electricity also do it?
With doubts, she curiously stretched out her hand and touched the door handle that seemed to have some inexplicable attraction.
"Wait, wait a minute..."
Tony exclaimed, trying to rush over to stop Tina, but he tripped over the chair next to him, and his clumsy body twisted into a ball.
Seeing this, Dorothy, who was closer to Tina, grabbed his sister's shoulders and tried to pull her back.
But it was already too late. Tina pressed his hand on the door handle, turned it down, and the wooden door opened a crack.
The next second, in the flashing electric light, the figures of the two girls were immersed in rich colors and disappeared immediately.
"... The one that was tested on a white mouse..."
The second half of Tony's sentence drifted slowly over. He looked at "Random Door" that had been closed again, and the two sisters who had disappeared. He almost didn't dare to look back at the professor's expression.
A few seconds later, Melissa's emotional words came from behind him:
"Well done, I was still thinking about how to trick them into using this door, but before I could think of a good way, they went there by themselves."
Ah... Tony turned around with a dull expression and looked at Melissa with a smile on his face, as if he was looking at a murderer who planned to kill his niece and made everything into an accident.
Christina Various dense color blocks stacked together in front of his eyes kept flashing. The bright Pure Light hanging high in the sky was like a lighthouse, surrounded by countless illusory figures whose shapes could not be seen clearly.
These figures looked quite friendly, some hurriedly avoided them, some seemed to bow their heads in greeting, and some even raised their hands to say hello.
Hello...Tina's head was full of Chaos, and he wanted to reach out and say hello to them, but suddenly he felt like the world was spinning again, the weightless dizziness disappeared, and the downward gravity reappeared, and immediately his feet stepped on the soft Earth Mother.
No, that's not Earth Mother, it's a beach.
The layers of rich colors in front of her eyes returned to dullness. The deep blue seawater and the boundless sky came into view, and the sand under her feet exuded a burning breath.
Dorothy immediately appeared beside her, and the two sisters looked at everything in front of them speechlessly.
A few seconds ago they were in Backlund's university laboratory, but now they appeared on a vast beach.
Where is this? Still domestic?