Old Friend (3,600+)

Yinchao City.

Early in the morning, Vidi got out of bed. The enticing aroma of food had already drifted in from the living room.

The toast was golden-brown and steaming, with two perfectly fried slices of bacon beside it and a sunny-side-up egg.

Fresh, hot milk in a glass jar was enough to make anyone's mouth water at a glance.

"Master, today's newspaper!"

Vidi took his seat, and the maid stepped forward to place a napkin around his neck.

At the table nearby, his Butler set down the iron and brought over the newspaper he had pressed.

In this era, civilian technology and military technology—or even royal technology—were worlds apart. Though the latter two had already reached the age of transistors and screens, printing ink in the civilian world was still generally poor quality, with a shoddy feel to it. Freshly printed newspapers were especially bad; just touching one would leave a layer of ink on your fingers.

Ordinary newspapers couldn't afford particularly advanced technology, either, because of the cost.

So in truly upper-class households, someone was assigned to iron the newspapers delivered each morning. Usually, that was the Butler's job.

"Mm!"

Vidi took the warm newspaper. After ironing, the ink had dried completely, giving off a faint, clean scent, and it didn't stain his hands at all.

"The Society for Scientific Exploration has gone bankrupt?"

He drank his milk, ate the bacon sandwiched in his toast, then glanced at the paper. The news surprised him, though at the same time it seemed entirely predictable.

"So many supernatural incidents have appeared in the kingdom, and they can't explain a single one. Angry readers have been demanding answers for ages..."

Vidi turned to the second page. A striking headline immediately caught his eye: "Exploring the Great Siberian Forest: Mysterious Werewolf Tracks