Assembly

The night passed without incident, and Gilan finally enjoyed a good night's sleep in his comfortable bed.

Time quickly arrived at the appointed "Movie Day," the morning of June 25th.

Gilan rose early to wash and dress, donning his new clothes and leather shoes, throwing on a brown trench coat, and topping it off with a felt hat before heading downstairs to the meeting spot, "Swan Cafe."

Although it was only around eight in the morning, the cafe was already bustling with patrons.

Many gentlemen and ladies sat at their tables, enjoying the cafe's limited-time offerings of cream bread or blackcurrant cake, sipping hot drinks, reading morning papers and magazines, and chatting idly to recharge for the day's work ahead.

Perhaps because he had arrived early and there was still some time before ten o'clock, the other members of the Record Society had yet to appear. Gilan simply found a seat in a corner and spent 9 Melang to order the set meal of "Sticky Bark Milk Tea" and a "Bacon Bread Roll."

It is worth mentioning that the bark milk tea was made by brewing milk and black tea with Orchis and Iris tuber powder, mixed with Sassafras bark. It looked like a thick, gooey mess and didn't have much aesthetic appeal, but it tasted rich with a lingering sweetness; Gilan was quite fond of this exotic beverage.

He chewed on his bread while idly flipping through a magazine left on the tabletop.

"Lazy Tips: If you don't want to be exposed to miasma due to bathing for too long, you can use a hot towel to wipe yourself down bit by bit. Wash one area, cover it with clothing, then move on to the next. This way, you can complete a full-body wash while staying dressed."

"Ladies' Tips: Use lemon to wash your face to combat freckles, red spots, and moles; use almond rose water to wash your hands to make them fair and smooth; boil rosemary water to wash your hair to both clean and protect against miasma..."

"Attached is the secret recipe for 'Isabella' tooth powder, which ladies can make at home: 16 ounces of talcum powder or cuttlebone powder, 1.5 ounces of coral, burnt alum, sandalwood, and rose rock, 1.8 ounces of orris root, and 0.1 ounces of cloves and cinnamon, 0.2 ounces of camphor. Grind after moistening with alcohol, then mix to finish."

"'Isabella's' latest product, 'Flamingo Perfume,' is now on the market! Developed according to the research notes of the famous scholar Catherine Merlin, it contains 15 rare materials and is a rose-scented classic perfume distilled from 30 spice essences... Limited to 100 bottles, limited-time special price of 9 Caesar and 19 Pfennig!"

Gilan swallowed his food, sipped his bark milk tea, and closed the magazine.

He glanced at the cover, which featured a cute, pink, flowery title—Ladies' Daily Reading.

"Mr. Snowy Owl, I didn't expect you to be here so early."

Just then, a familiar and hearty male voice reached him.

Gilan looked up to see Mr. Oystercatcher and Mr. Stork approaching together.

"Good morning, gentlemen." He nodded to the two men and gestured for them to sit. "Let me buy you coffee."

"You're too kind, thank you."

The two men took their seats.

Gilan summoned the young, pretty waiter and ordered the most expensive item in the cafe for each of the men: the "Swan Set A," consisting of a "Smoked Haddock Sandwich," "Caviar Salad," and "Essence Coffee."

Although 18 Pfennig had just been spent, Gilan felt it was appropriate, as both gentlemen had helped him significantly.

"Mr. Snowy Owl, I am the owner here, you know; there's no need to waste your money."

Mr. Stork hung his black top hat on his cane, leaned back, and smiled gently.

"It's not the same," Gilan said earnestly.

Mr. Stork seemed to understand his meaning, said no more, and simply nodded slightly.

Soon, the three began to eat and chat, eventually turning the conversation to the cafe itself.

"By the way, Mr. Stork, I've always been curious why you chose to open a cafe," Mr. Oystercatcher asked the elegant middle-aged man while eating his sandwich. "In the Horst District, wouldn't opening a clothing or accessory shop be more profitable than this?"

"You don't understand," Mr. Stork said, shaking his head as he sipped his coffee. "Shortly after the Empire issued the 'Prohibition Act,' it passed several other decrees, including the 'Revitalization Plan'... Taxes on goods like tea, coffee, peppermint candy, dark chocolate, tuna, strawberries, and bananas were lowered significantly, which made the profit margins for cafes much higher."

He smiled and set down his cup.

"Besides, I quite like coffee."

"So that's how it is." Mr. Oystercatcher laughed jokingly. "I like it too; I'll just have to come here more often to mooch off you."

Gilan, sitting to the side, seemed to have caught onto a blind spot.

'The "Revitalization Plan"? Those goods with lowered taxes all seem to be food and drinks that refresh the mind...'

"By the way, Mr. Snowy Owl."

At this moment, Mr. Stork leaned in and whispered to Gilan.

"I've found out who the employer behind Detective Granny is; it's the five direct descendants of the Louis Family."

"The Louis Family..." Gilan was stunned for a moment, then quickly understood. "I see. Thank you for the heads-up, Mr. Stork."

"You're welcome," Mr. Stork said. "The Louis Family is a well-known upper-class family in Black City, living right next door in the Second Horst District. But now that you've joined the Society, it won't be so easy for them to give you trouble again. Rest assured."

Gilan nodded, though a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

'Sending people to hunt me down—I will make you pay for this debt sooner or later!'

Once the three had finished their meal, they waited for the other two ladies to arrive while chatting.

Mr. Oystercatcher spoke of the Society members with a moved expression.

"Miss Sparrow went to the 'Church of Hope' early this morning to help the poor. There was such a long line at the church entrance, I'm afraid there were hundreds of people... She is truly kind; not only does she donate often, but she also buys a lot of bread at her own expense to hand out one by one."

The "Church of Hope" was the most mainstream faith in the Bremen Empire, with churches spread across every region of the empire. More than fifty percent of the populace believed in "God" Omer.

He had many honorifics, such as "Heavenly God," "Noon Dawn," and "God of Hope and Order."

People firmly believed that the ancient world was ruled by demons and filled with darkness and suffering, and that it was Omer who destroyed the demons, ultimately sacrificing himself to usher in an era of lasting peace for humanity.

Even the Dawn Era calendar was calculated from the day of Omer's birth, and many festivals were established to commemorate Him.

"Miss Sparrow is indeed a kind lady," Mr. Stork agreed with a nod.

Just then, a playful and melodious voice drifted over:

"Oh? I think I heard someone praising me."

The three gentlemen turned their heads to see Miss Sparrow, wearing a wide-brimmed white straw hat and two braided pigtails, standing prettily by the table.

She was dressed in a long green skirt today, paired with a long Basque Shirt and a small white gauze cape, making her look exceptionally elegant and adorable.

"We were indeed praising you." Mr. Stork smiled, raising his hand to check his watch. "It's nine-forty-five. Hasn't Miss Seagull arrived yet?"

"Why don't we go back to the apartment to wait for her? It's not convenient to talk in depth here."

Mr. Oystercatcher suggested.

Mr. Stork scanned the surroundings, noticed there were still a few customers left, and nodded in agreement.

As the group exited the "Swan Coffee Shop" and stepped into the entrance of the adjacent apartment building, they saw Miss Seagull walking down the spiral staircase, her face looking haggard.

"Huh? Miss Seagull, so you spent the night at the apartment?"

Miss Sparrow asked in surprise.

Miss Seagull did not answer immediately; her beautiful eyes, slightly shadowed by dark circles, swept over the four of them without leaving a trace.