And I even paid an extra price for the " Clown " potion recipe... This is all the mess I made back then trying to claim credit in two separate installments... Oh well, I haven't found a chance to say lately that I actually have the " Clown " Potion recipe... Klein took a breath and forced a smile:
I hope the inspection goes smoothly.
He wholeheartedly supported Dunn's decision to send him back to continue guarding Chanis Gate, because he not only lacked professional skills in surveillance and investigation, but also failed to meet the minimum requirements in direct combat.
In the field of shooting, he is considered quite good compared to ordinary police officers, but each of his team members is Beyonder whose physical fitness has been greatly improved; even if they are not sharpshooters, they are not far off.
As for close combat, Klein is only at a beginner level.
Simply put, even with the Sleeping Charm, the Slumber Charm, and the Dream Charm, he is still a support-type Beyonder. Dealing with ordinary people is easy for him, but he would be in considerable danger if he encountered someone of his own kind who was skilled in combat.
Once I advance to Sequence 8 and become a " Clown " skilled in technical combat and possibly possessing a small amount of magic, I'll be able to complete ordinary extraordinary missions on my own... Hmm, if I could also successfully Stealing the power of the Sealed Artifact "3-0782" and create the " Solar Flare Charm," that would be even more perfect. Overcoming the strong with the weak wouldn't be impossible... Klein thought expectantly as he slowly walked back to Blackthorn Security Company.
By the next morning, when he finished his shift and left Chanis Gate, the Nighthawks team's surveillance of Hood Eugen at the asylum had still yielded no useful leads, and for the time being, they could only pin their hopes on an internal investigation by their so-called informant.
Back home, Klein quietly finished his breakfast, lay down in his bedroom, and slept soundly until noon.
He woke up naturally, washed up briefly, and followed the aroma of food downstairs.
"Is Melissa preparing lunch?" Klein asked, glancing at Benson was reading a newspaper in the living room.
Benson lowered the newspaper and said:
"Yes, she had guests visiting today, so I asked her to chat with them while I prepared lunch. But she didn't trust my cooking skills and pulled the guests into the kitchen with her, which was very impolite."
Benson, you noticed Melissa's dislike for your cooking so quickly... Klein suppressed a laugh, walked to the armchair, and casually asked:
" Melissa's guest?"
"Yes, you should know her, Elizabeth, whom you met at Selena's birthday dinner." Benson leaned back and continued comfortably reading the newspaper.
He hadn't just seen her at the birthday dinner... she actually came to visit... Klein's expression froze slightly as he glanced sideways at the kitchen doorway.
Just then, Melissa came out carrying a plate, followed by Elizabeth, who was also wearing an apron.
" Klein, you're awake? I was just about to wake you." Melissa placed the plate of meat, which smelled delicious, on the table with obvious delight. "This is Elizabeth, you know her."
"Hello, Klein." Elizabeth, with her adorable chubby face, greeted him with a bright smile.
Klein responded politely and gently.
After the two finished exchanging greetings, Melissa blinked and said very seriously:
" Elizabeth will be coming with us to the ' Help Domestic Servants Association ' later. They employ several servants and have extensive experience in this area, so they can offer us some advice."
"Actually, we've already drafted the requirements for selecting maids who do odd jobs. Listen to them and see if there's anything you need to add."
Melissa wiped her hands on her apron, took a piece of paper from the pocket of her loungewear, unfolded it, and read aloud:
1. Good physical health.
2. Hardworking and responsible.
3. Skilled in cooking.
4. Quiet and not noisy.
5. Simple family background.
6. Average appearance.
One requirement after another was read out, leaving Klein and Benson speechless and bewildered. They hadn't expected that hiring a maid for menial tasks would be so complicated.
" Melissa, didn't you used to be against hiring maids for chores?" Klein asked instinctively after his sister stopped.
Melissa pursed her lips and nodded solemnly:
"Yes, I object, but since my objection is ineffective, I think we must get this done. And to do something well, we must be adequately prepared beforehand. Um, do you have anything to add?"
"No!" Klein and Benson shook their heads simultaneously, causing Elizabeth to cover her mouth and chuckle.
After lunch, the group of four took a horse-drawn carriage to the " Tingen City Help Domestic Servants Association " located on Champagne Street.
This is actually very similar to the "domestic service company" that Klein knew in his previous life, but it has a semi-charitable nature. On the one hand, they register the personal information and job requirements of various servants, which makes it convenient for employers to choose and also increases the employment possibility of the recipients. On the other hand, they organize some basic training to improve the work ability of the recipients.
Their operating funds come partly from charitable organizations and partly from additional payments from their employers. Through their aggregation, integration, convenience, and organization, they quickly forced individual agents to either join or change careers.
Upon entering the association, Klein and his group were immediately given a warm welcome. A young woman in a pale yellow dress with ruffles led them to a sofa area and asked with a smile:
Is there anything I can do to help you?
"We need to hire a maid for odd jobs." At times like these, Benson was pushed forward by his younger brother and sister.
"Do you have any specific requirements?" the young woman asked skillfully.
Benson carefully recalled the comparison between his cooking skills and Klein's, and said quite earnestly:
"Skilled in cooking."
"Skilled in cooking?" The young woman frowned slightly. "Frankly speaking, none of the maids are skilled in cooking. Why don't you hire a chef? If you need female chefs, our association has quite a few."
"Aren't there any maids skilled in cooking among the general maids?" Melissa couldn't help but interject, asking when her initial request encountered a setback.
The young woman nodded and answered affirmatively:
"The maids who do odd jobs are either daughters of low-level laborers or girls from the countryside. Their culinary skills are generally quite poor. Even with basic training from the association, they can at best ensure that the food they make won't make people sick."
"..." Melissa fell silent for a moment, finally understanding what it meant for plans to be outpaced by changes.
"That's truly regrettable." Benson thought for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "Perhaps we can change our requirements: that the person is willing and capable of learning to cook."
Not bad, Benson's mind works really fast... I don't need to interrupt... Klein sat next to him, holding a cane in one hand and a hat in the other, relaxed and at ease.
"That's no problem. During the cooking training, we'll Record the outstanding performers," the young woman said with a professional smile. "Any other requirements?"
"Yes." Sensing Melissa's gaze, Benson swallowed hard, took out the piece of paper from his pocket, and began to read it aloud, line by line.
The young woman listened intently for a long time before finally responding:
"I'll first screen the information and recommend some suitable maids for odd jobs. You don't need to rush to decide. You can choose two to four first, and I'll take them to your home for a trial run. Then we can decide who to hire. Of course, this will require you to pay the association a little more, and you'll need to prepare the ingredients yourself."
"Okay." Benson folded the papers and nodded politely.
The young woman stood up, took two steps into the office, then turned back and said with an awkward smile:
"Could you give me that piece of paper? I'm afraid I might have missed something you requested..."
"No problem," Benson replied, suppressing a laugh.
After a while, the young woman in the pale yellow dress came out with a stack of documents and handed them to Benson to choose from.
These documents contain the maids' real names, years of birth, family backgrounds, descriptions of their facial features, physical condition, past experience, relevant characteristics, and expected salaries.
While Benson and Melissa were engrossed in reviewing the documents, Elizabeth leaned closer to Klein and whispered:
Don't you have any requests?
"Yes, but not specifically enough," Klein replied casually.
Elizabeth became even more interested:
"So what would you choose?"
Klein chuckled softly, pointing to the pendulum hidden in his left sleeve:
"Of course, we write down the corresponding phrases, eliminate them one by one, Divination the one most suitable to become our household maid."
"..." Elizabeth froze for a moment, then nodded somewhat blankly after a dozen seconds. "The simplest and most effective method... I completely forgot you are..."
She didn't finish speaking because Melissa keenly sensed their whispering and turned her gaze towards her.
Melissa glanced deeply at her friend and brother, then wore a thoughtful expression.
"Hey, little sister, don't misunderstand! We're just having a normal conversation..." Klein coughed twice, took some of the documents, and casually flipped through them.
They quickly finalized three candidates, with prices ranging from 4 Soli and 8 pence to 5 Soli and 2 pence per week.
Benson didn't try to reduce the maid's salary; instead, he seriously discussed with the young woman the extra money that needed to be paid to the association.
After some friendly negotiations, he successfully reduced the fee from two weeks' wages for the maid to one week's wages, but he had to pay an additional 1 Soli for the association's carriage fee for bringing the maid to try out housekeeping.
Having finalized the matter, Elizabeth took her leave, while the three siblings returned to Daffodil Street by public carriage.
Throughout the journey, Klein felt extremely uncomfortable under Melissa's scrutinizing gaze. As soon as he entered the house, he headed straight for the second floor.
" Klein," Melissa called out to him, her tone serious after careful consideration, "If you want to get engaged to Elizabeth, you'll need to work even harder. Her father is an import/export merchant, and her mother is the daughter of Baron, or what is commonly known as a lord..."
Wait, an engagement? When did that happen? Klein looked at his sister with a blank expression.
How worried is she?
P. S.: Second update, please vote!