When Shade awoke from his long sleep, he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. It was not white, but painted with bright yet solemn religious murals.
He stared blankly at the image of a saint preaching to believers by a riverbank, but before he could make some remark about an "unfamiliar ceiling," a voice came from beside him:
"You're awake?"
"Priest Augustus?"
Turning his head, he saw the priest seated on an iron chair beside the bed, holding a newspaper and dressed in a white clerical robe. Not far behind him was the wall, covered by brass gas pipes and wrapped steam pipes. The gas pipes connected to a gas lamp on the wall that cast a warm glow.
The gas lamp had a distinctly religious design: a naked man raised both arms high, with light radiating from between them.
By that light, Shade saw that the newspaper in the priest's hands was the Töbesk City Evening News.
Of the two open pages facing Shade, the left reported on Princess Leisha's visit to Kasonlik. The upper half of the right page covered the frequent child abductions in the city, while the lower half reported on an earthquake in southern Tobesk City. From the report, the damage caused by the earthquake did not seem severe.
Has there been an earthquake in Tobesk City lately?
The newly awakened Shade thought, then noticed that the date was Monday, while this newspaper was only published in the evening.
"Finally awake? You slept for nearly an entire day. It's already eight o'clock on Monday night. How are you feeling?"
The old priest chided him in a joking tone.
"Monday night? Oh no! Little Mia!"
Shade froze, then sprang from the bed almost in the next instant. He had not expected to be unable to