After a brief silence, Klein picked up his black tea, took a sip, and said with a smile:
"This is an option to consider, but as Emperor Roselle once said, never rush into a decision; only through repeated comparisons can you arrive at the best answer."
Are there any other options?
Wearing white gloves, Walter's expression remained completely unchanged as he spoke:
" Phelps Street can also meet your requirements. I remember that the house at number 9 is looking for tenants. It's a villa-style house, two stories, with more than a dozen rooms, including stables, servants' quarters, and a small garden. The furniture and utensils are relatively old, but still decent. The annual rent is £220."
The price is reasonable... reasonable... However, 9 Phelps Street means it's no more than 100 meters from Saint Samuel Cathedral. Although this fits the theory of "blind spots," there are bound to be many Nighthawks among the passersby. It would be very inconvenient and prone to problems if I wanted to leave and return secretly... Klein originally budgeted only £150 or £160 for the rent, suddenly felt that £220 was not bad after being swayed by the price of the garden house in front.
This made him suspect that the butler, Walter, had deliberately mentioned the expensive item first.
Klein thought for a few seconds and said:
Is there anything else?
Walter answered without the slightest impatience:
"The house at 160 Böklund Street is also for rent. It's a three-story house with a garden, stables, and servants' quarters, with a dozen or so rooms, but the location isn't as good as the one at number 32. The furnishings and furniture are only decent. The annual rent is £315."
£315... Klein's mind went blank for a moment as the rent price flashed through his head, and he asked thoughtfully:
What is your suggestion?
At that moment, he already had the answer in his heart, but as an employer, he couldn't rush to express his opinion, because if there were any common-sense flaws in his decision, he would easily be looked down upon.
Walter thought about it seriously and said:
The building at 160 Böklund Street.
"Comparatively speaking, having neighbors here will be more helpful for you to enter high society, while the house at number 32 is too luxurious. Renting it directly would make the surrounding neighbors think that you lack the necessary refinement and are not proper enough."
Simply put, renting a house for £1260 a year upon arrival would easily lead neighbors to label him as a nouveau riche eager to show off... For a wealthy man striving to enter high society, such reputation is very bad... Klein took a sip of his red tea and asked with a smile:
"Then why did you bring up 32 Böklund Street as an option?"
Walter calmly bowed and said:
"Sir, I am merely a housekeeper. My responsibility is not to make decisions, but to present all suitable options and offer suggestions for your consideration."
"Without knowing your specific preferences, I must provide as many options as possible."
Very professional... He must have been worried that Dawn Dantès was a show-off nouveau riche, so suggesting 32 Böklund Street as the first option was partly a test, to allow for adjustments to the direction of his advice and management style later... Klein chuckled and said:
"Excluding house number 32, we have to choose one of the two."
"Before making a decision, I like to go and see the site in person. We'll set off after lunch."
"Yes, sir." Walter maintained his serious and rigid demeanor.
Bridge South Borough, inside the Harvest Church.
Emlyn White wiped the silver candlesticks as he pondered the clues provided by Miss " The Magician ".
"A Concealment gathering of Beyonder... that's practically no clue. It would be incredibly difficult to investigate further, and I can't join that gathering anytime soon..." Emlyn examined himself against the surface of the silverware, then raised his hand to comb his hair.
Then, he put down the rag, retreated to the first row of chairs in the church, sat down, and watched with unfocused eyes as Bishop Utravsky prayed earnestly before the altar.
One idea after another popped up, sometimes sparking new ideas, and Emlyn suddenly noticed a detail:
Why would a Puppet happen to appear that would evoke such extreme interest in believers of the ' The Moon Primordial '?
The Moon Puppet, the Moon Puppet... This feels like fishing bait! Could it be... could it be a trap set by Ruth Báthory? Emlyn's eyes lit up, and he suddenly stood up.
Ruth Báthory is a Sanguine Baron who participates in the hunting competition and is considered Emlyn's strongest rival.
Emlyn thought about it more and more and felt that this was possible, because he remembered that Báthory was an antiquities enthusiast, especially fond of collecting strange and Monster from the Southern Continent!
He paced back and forth a few times, a slight smile creeping onto his lips. He chuckled softly and muttered to himself:
"I can't get into that gathering of Beyonder to find Windsor, this ' The Moon Primordial ' follower, but I can monitor Ruth Báthory and then take care of the target before he does!"
Haha, I'm really looking forward to seeing his expression.
"Yes, the ' Magician ' clue is indeed worth 100 pounds."
Just as Emlyn was getting unusually excited, Father Utravsky finished his prayer, came over, looked down at him, and said gently:
"Our piety is not in words, but in every detail, and you were not focused enough today."
"Wipe the candlesticks again."
"Okay, okay," Emlyn replied, suddenly feeling ashamed.
Only after the priest turned and walked towards the confessional did he realize what had happened, and muttered to himself, both amused and annoyed:
"I am not devout at all, and I don't need to demonstrate piety!"
Rows of straight Intis plane trees stood on both sides, making the street quiet and serene. Klein, carrying a gold-inlaid cane, slowly walked out of the house at number 160.
He took a silent breath and turned to the butler Walter, saying:
Tell the owner here that I am very satisfied.
"Let's just rent for a year for now. We might move to a better place later, like Queens Borough."
His words implied his ambition to obtain a title, since Queens Borough was a place where nobles gathered.
As for why they don't rent for only six months to save money, it's because these high-end properties only accept long-term contracts, with one year being the shortest term.
To be honest, if money weren't an issue, Klein would quite like this house. It had a clean lawn, a beautiful garden, tasteful furnishings, exquisite items, numerous bedrooms, and ample furniture. Each floor had multiple bathrooms, and the stables and servants' quarters at the side and rear were also well-maintained. It was the best residence Klein could have imagined.
Walter immediately responded:
I'll go and hire a Lawyer right away.
"Sir, what specific requirements do you have for the servant?"
Klein strolled under the plane trees of Intis and said with a smile:
"I'd like to hear your advice first."
Walter thought for a moment and said:
"Sir, no matter what, you still need a housekeeper."
During their previous meeting, Klein mentioned that Dawn Dantès was unmarried and childless, and had no lover in Backlund, so he didn't need a personal maid.
Seeing that Dawn Dantès only nodded slightly without expressing his opinion, Walter continued:
"Her duties are to manage the maids and household finances. Sir, you cannot entrust everything to me, to the same person. Checks and balances are the art of politics and a good way to manage the household. As Emperor Roselle said, absolute power corrupts absolutely."
"I have a lot of confidence in myself when it comes to money, but that's all it is—confidence."
"Yes, very frankly... A housekeeper is still necessary, with an annual salary of around thirty or forty pounds..." Klein nodded.
"Good."
At that moment, Walter walked straight behind Klein and reached out to help him flag down a horse-drawn carriage.
Once inside the carriage, he continued:
"I will have the ' Help Domestic Servants Association ' provide a list for you to choose from; I will not offer any suggestions."
"Based on the current living situation, you will also need a household property manager, who can be male or female, a personal male servant, two first-class maids in charge of the bedrooms, two second-class maids in charge of the living room, two male servants in charge of receiving guests, a storeroom maid, a kitchen maid, two laundry maids, and two male servants for general labor."
"In addition to these, we also need a cook, two gardeners, two coachmen, or a coachman and a coachman's assistant. If necessary, we can add a servant, a helper, a family nurse, and a cook's assistant."
"You don't have a carriage yet; you'll need two later: a four-wheeled sedan chair, costing around 300 pounds, and a two-wheeled carriage, costing roughly 100 pounds..."
As the butler detailed the servants he needed, Klein's mind went blank. He didn't want to calculate how much it would cost him, since he would be paid monthly or weekly anyway, not a year's worth at once.
Not counting servants, laborers, family nurses, and cooks' assistants, there will be 10 to 11 male servants and 9 to 10 female servants plus a housekeeper... almost double what I had previously estimated, and the weekly expenses will probably exceed 10 pounds... This can only be confirmed once everyone is hired and their salaries are negotiated... and there are also carriages... Klein watched Walter's mouth move incessantly, and his thoughts drifted away involuntarily.
Seeing that the composed, refined, and extremely elegant Dawn Dantès nodded frequently, Walter subconsciously broadened the topic a bit:
"You'll need to rent a manor in the suburbs later to host some friends for a pleasant weekend. There's no rush; you can do that after you've held a few dances and dinners at No. 160..."
"Sir, please don't mention maids to the neighbors in this neighborhood. Only families with an annual income of less than £500 who cannot afford enough maids to do different things hire maids..."
Klein listened numbly, a gentle smile appearing on his face as if by reflex.
Back at the hotel, he watched the butler Walter, leave before sitting down, his expression completely blank.
At 2:40, Klein rubbed his temples, slowly got up, and went into the bedroom to prepare for this week's Tarot Club.