Early the next morning, Mr. Oystercatcher, who lived in Room 302 next door, knocked on Gilan's door.
"Good morning, Mr. Snowy Owl." The burly man greeted him with a smile and held out a small paper bag. "I went to Cook Pawnshop yesterday, and asked a few friends for help. That's how I managed to sell all your things."
"Thank you very much." Gilan accepted the bag and thanked him earnestly.
After Gilan had asked about it at the dinner table the previous day, Mr. Oystercatcher had offered to help. Gilan naturally hadn't refused, and handed over all the gold items and firearms he'd collected.
To his surprise, the other man had managed to sell everything in just one day.
In response to Gilan's thanks, Mr. Oystercatcher smiled and waved a hand.
"Don't mention it. We're all members of the Assembly, so helping one another is only right... Though I'm sorry that the two gold bars weren't very good quality, so the pawnshop offered a rather low price."
"That's all right. As long as they sold," Gilan said.
"I hope you don't mind. In that case, I won't keep you. Movie Day isn't until tomorrow, so I'll head back to the clinic."
With a hearty smile, Mr. Oystercatcher said his goodbyes and went downstairs.
Gilan watched him disappear from view, then slowly closed the door.
After their brief interactions the previous day, he'd learned some basic information about the four members of the Record Society... The host, Mr. Stork, was rather mysterious. Although he owned the Swan Cafe downstairs, he rarely showed himself and was seldom seen.
Miss Sparrow was a rich young lady, Mr. Oystercatcher was a dentist, and Miss Seagull seemed to be the daughter of a government official. Her father was some high-ranking official in Black City.
The four didn't live in the apartment all the time. They only gathered when they received a signal from Mr. Stork, or on the agreed-upon "meeting days" and "Movie Days."
Gilan was the exception.
He was currently wanted, with a bounty on his head, and the police were searching for him everywhere, so he could only hide in the apartment for the time being... Fortunately, the search in the wealthy district was clearly less intense than in the poor district, and the police wouldn't readily barge into private residences without solid evidence.
That was also part of the protection Mr. Stork had promised him.
Gilan walked over to the desk, pulled out the chair, and sat down. Then he carefully opened the paper bag.
Inside were some banknotes and coins, as well as a handwritten note.
He picked up the note and read it:
"Gold watch: 9 Caesars, 10 pfennigs; 2 low-quality gold bars, total weight 7.6 ounces: 16 Caesars, 5 pfennigs; 2 Borchardt Pistols, plus 6 fully loaded magazines: 2 Caesars, 5 pfennigs... Total: 27 Caesars, 20 pfennigs."
Gilan counted the money and items. They matched the note exactly.
He nodded to himself. The amount was only a little less than he'd estimated, but since he'd needed to sell everything in a hurry, it was reasonable. He couldn't help feeling impressed by Mr. Oystercatcher's enthusiasm and efficiency.
Gilan opened the metal box he kept his money in and counted everything he had on him.
Excluding the Melang and Pfennig coins, he had a total of 296 Caesars and 34 pfennigs.
That's quite a lot of money, but I didn't expect the Mercury Batteries to be so expensive... If I want to explore reel films on my own, it'll cost me a fortune. I'll have to spend carefully.
Gilan thought.
He took some money and put it in his pocket, then put on his hat and left the room.
Downstairs, he didn't see any of the other members. Only Old Jerry was there, sitting alone on the sofa and reading the newspaper. When he spotted Gilan, he smiled and greeted him:
"Good morning, Mr. Snowy Owl. Mr. Stork asked me to give you this."
As he spoke, Old Jerry took an envelope from beneath the coffee table and handed it over.
"It's a forged ID for you. You're temporarily an employee of the Swan Café, but don't worry, you don't actually have to work there."
"Thank you. Please thank Mr. Stork for me, too."
Gilan accepted the envelope and thanked him.
Then he took two ten-Caesar gold-foil banknotes from his pocket and placed them on the coffee table.
"This is my share of the group's expenses. Please pass it along to Mr. Stork."
"Sure, no problem." Old Jerry smiled as he put the money away, then pointed toward the kitchen. "I've made some breakfast. There's toast, marmalade, fried croquettes, and pigeon pie. Would you like some, sir? Or perhaps a hot cup of coffee or cocoa?"
"Thank you, but I'd like to go out for a walk first and buy some fresh clothes and other necessities."
Gilan politely declined and asked Old Jerry for a gauze mask.
He put on the mask, covering his nose and mouth and leaving only his eyes visible. Then he pulled down the brim of his black felt hat and walked out of the apartment.
Seeing the bright sky outside lifted Gilan's spirits.
He strode along with his healthy legs, savoring the freedom of being able to move about without difficulty.
It was the first time since he'd crossed over that he'd felt so carefree and content.
Though even this newfound ease still came with "shackles"—his wanted status and the bounty on his head—at least he was much freer now than he'd been while fleeing through the poor district.
I'm grateful for this new life. I'll cherish every beautiful day.
Gilan thought to himself.
He didn't go far. He simply found a clothing store on Horst Third Avenue, where the apartment was, and bought two sets of white shirts, suit trousers, and ties, along with a coffee-colored trench coat.
He also bought two pairs of leather shoes, several pairs of socks, several sets of underwear, a pair of pajamas, and a wallet.
It all came to about six Caesars.
Gilan wanted to live like a proper person, with dignity, and he was willing to spend the money on that.
Besides, dressing like a member of the middle class would also help him disguise himself.
Buying the clothes and other necessities didn't take long, but Gilan didn't want to linger outside, so he soon headed back.
On the roadside not far from the café, he saw a little girl selling flowers.
The girl was eleven or twelve, with her hair tied into two adorable pigtails. But judging by her clothes, her family wasn't well-off. Gilan guessed that her parents worked as servants or shop assistants in the wealthy district.
"Sir, buy a bouquet! Give it to the girl you love."
The girl was crouched by the roadside. When she saw Gilan approaching, her eyes lit up, and she called out with a smile.
Holding his shopping bags, Gilan looked down at the flowers in front of her and asked softly:
"How much are they?"
"Red roses are five Melangs each, tulips and lilies are three Melangs each, carnations and sunflowers are two Melangs each, and marguerites are one Melang each."
The girl rattled off the prices, watching the bundled-up man expectantly.
"I'll take them all."
Gilan took out a gold coin and placed it in the girl's palm. While she stood there in a daze, he bent down, picked up the flower basket, and turned to leave.
"S-sir!"
"What's wrong? Is it not enough?" Gilan stopped and turned his head. His voice came muffled through the mask.
The girl said timidly, "You gave me way too much. I haven't given you your change..."
"The extra is your tip. Run along home now."
Gilan shook his head and strode away without looking back.
The girl's face lit up with delight, and she shouted after him:
"Thank you, kind sir! Your sweetheart is sure to love them!"
Gilan acted as if he hadn't heard. He simply thought to himself:
I'm grateful for this new life. These flowers are my reward to myself today.