"Tov, welcome to London!"
Walking down a London street, Tov heard a voice call out from behind him. It was Kleon-Ivanov, the friend he had come to see today.
Both were fallen Russian nobles. After the Russian Civil War broke out, Tov had remained in Bulgaria, while Kleon had come to the United Kingdom to seek his fortunes. They had not seen each other for seven or eight years.
"Kleon, long time no see. Have you been well?" Tov asked excitedly.
"Getting by, more or less. London isn't an easy place to make a living! I've only barely managed to gain a foothold. The British are terribly exclusionary—it's simply too hard to break into high society!
What about you, Tov? How have things been going for you in Bulgaria?" Kleon asked eagerly.
"You know, Bulgaria and Russia may be next to each other, but in truth they're two different worlds. Once I got to Bulgaria, I gave up business.
Thanks to my old experience serving in the navy and fighting the Ottomans, I became a captain for a shipping company. This time, I was delivering cargo here and thought I'd stop by to see you!" Tov said with a cheerful smile.
Compared to ordinary people, they were both doing fairly well. Yet the high society they had once aimed for was drifting farther and farther away.
"Come on, let's get a drink. This damned London weather—this is no place for human beings to stay!" Kleon suggested.
"Good idea!" Tov said with a smile.
That was very Russian. Any man who did not like drinking could not possibly be a true Russian!
After entering the bar, Tov asked in confusion, "Why is everyone talking about stocks? Are you sure we didn't come to the wrong place? This is a bar, not