When the golden retriever's serene gaze peeked out from the shadows and met his eyes, Klein's brow twitched almost imperceptibly, making no attempt to hide the fact that he was slightly startled.
His gaze naturally shifted to Miss Justice and her group.
That's terrifying... Why is that dog squatting in the corner, hiding in the shadows... It seemed to be watching everyone in the hall with a sinister gaze... Uh, Miss Justice seems to have fed the animals a dose of the " Spectator " Potion, and once consulted Mr. The Hanged Man about it... Could it be this golden retriever? Two " Spectator," one in the open and one in the shadows, which "actor" can withstand that! In high society, there should be more than just Miss Justice and her group of " Spectator." She joined the Psychology Alchemists under the guidance of other nobles, I think she's Duke Negan's sister? Klein muttered and analyzed to himself as he walked towards the Macht family, casually asking:
"The people who just came in seem to be of high rank?"
Macht glanced at Dawn Dantès and chuckled:
"The Earl of East Chester, you can just call him Earl Hall, you should have heard of him."
"That's his wife, Lady Caitlyn, and that's his eldest son, Lord Hibbert, whom you've already met..."
Upon hearing Congressman Macht's introduction, Klein suddenly felt embarrassed, because he had indeed seen Hibbert Hall at the ball held by the other party, but he hadn't paid any attention to this lord just now, otherwise he wouldn't have had the question of which noble family this was.
Taken aback by Miss Justice's sudden appearance... Klein maintained a smiling and listening posture.
Representative Macht continued:
"That's his daughter, Miss Audrey Hall, who has been hailed as Backlund's Most Dazzling Gem in social circles for the past two years. That's quite fitting, isn't it?"
Before Dawn Dantès could respond, he subtly added:
"Her suitors included princes, dukes, and many noble gentlemen and ladies."
Congressman Macht's underlying message was clear: you, with your wide-ranging interests with women, should forget about this lady; she's a target you can't and shouldn't touch.
Klein, however, had a different thought in mind:
"So Miss ' Justice ' is Earl Hall's daughter. No wonder she's so rich, no wonder she never haggles..."
" Earl Hall is one of the kingdom's top bankers, one of the most influential senators, and one of the hereditary nobles, with a net worth no less than, if not greater than Baron Sindras..."
Even if Miss Justice cannot inherit the title and the family business, the inheritance she receives will still be in the tens of thousands of pounds...
"In addition to her looks, background, and personality, she is indeed the best candidate for marriage alliances between royalty and high nobility..."
"However, her continuous purchases of magical items don't seem like the kind of wealth that only amounts to a few hundred thousand pounds... Is it reimbursable? I wish I could rely on my father's connections too..."
In a flash of inspiration, Klein responded with a smile to Senator Macht's reminder:
"I had heard various rumors about Miss Audrey before, but today I found that they were not so exaggerated."
"It's a pity I'm not a prince, nor an heir to the titles of duke, marquess, earl, Viscount; otherwise, I could also be one of her suitors."
This is a subtle way of indicating that he is aware of his own identity and status.
Congressman Macht didn't continue the topic, instead introducing Dawn Dantès to some of the guests he knew, truly bringing him into high society. Of course, the biggest help in this matter came from the Church of Evernight; without their charity gala for the educational fund, Macht wouldn't have been able to directly introduce Dawn Dantès to those of high status.
Marquess Loenfelt, Earl Gross, Viscount Loveland... one by one, the noble followers of the goddess exchanged a few pleasantries with Dawn Dantès, all with quite a warm attitude.
Before Macht could finish his introduction, an elderly man entered through the door.
He wore a black and red clerical robe, with five Sacred Emblem of Darkness on his chest. His face was clean-shaven, and his eyes were deep, dark, and serene.
Everyone, including Earl Hall, turned to face the old man and bowed respectfully.
Good evening, Your Excellency Saint Anthony.
This old man was none other than Saint Anthony Stevenson, one of the thirteen archbishops of the Church of Evernight!
He was the head of the Backlund diocese, a true high-ranking member of the church.
Upon seeing the archbishop, Klein felt an involuntary tremor run through him, an uncontrollable and undisguised feeling, as if he had returned to his childhood, walking along a country path with no streetlights and occasional graves.
He glanced around and saw that none of the other guests had such a strong reaction. He immediately understood that the "fear" brought by Saint Anthony was more clearly felt the stronger Spirituality. He quickly Cogitation and tried to restrain himself.
As he began to control his trembling, Saint Anthony smiled, looked around, and tapped his chest four times clockwise, saying:
"Praise the goddess."
"Praise be to the goddess!" the guests at the charity gala responded.
With the arrival of the archbishop, Councilor Macht stopped introducing the remaining guests to Klein, as the party had officially begun.
As is customary, everyone first sat down and prayed devoutly to the goddess for three minutes. Then, the church choir walked to the front of the shrine and praised the goddess with ethereal and orderly songs that seemed to cleanse the soul.
After the religious ceremony, Bishop Electra, as instructed by Saint Anthony, went to the side of where the choir had just stood. There was a raised wooden platform on which various books could be laid out.
"Thank you all for coming. Your character is like a bright star in the quiet Evernight..." Bishop Electra said politely for a few moments, then continued, "Our establishment of this scholarship fund for the poor stems from the suggestion of Mr. Dawn Dantès, a truly noble gentleman whose piety and character are impeccable and serve as a model Dawn Dantès to give us a brief speech."
Although Klein was prepared, he still let out a quiet hiss when he heard the last half of the sentence.
This is unlike any other time. There are two or even more " Spectator " here. He can't just brag however he wants. The content of his speech must be truthful enough to avoid being seen as lying or using false examples!
He pressed his hand against his clothes, quickly stood up, and buttoned up his suit jacket as he walked toward the tall wooden platform.
Reaching the back of the high wooden platform, he steadied himself, glanced around at the nobles, councilors, clergy, and senior government officials, and began to speak with a smile:
"I'm a little nervous. This is the first time I've been stared at like this by so many people of high status."
"I used to frequent impoverished areas and the chaotic Southern Continent, so I witnessed many things. There was a little girl who, from the age of six, helped her mother make matchboxes. If she didn't do this, her family wouldn't even have money to buy black bread after paying the rent. The kind of black bread they ate had a lot of bran, and occasionally you could bite into grit and pebbles; it was so hard that you could use it as a stick to attack others..."
"As the little girl grew up, although she was exhausted every day and her family had no extra money, she still longed for the night school run by the church, hoping to learn to read and write and acquire knowledge. She knew that only in this way could she escape her current life, avoid hunger, wear clothes that could truly protect her from the cold, and avoid working in a factory with terrible conditions, dying in her early twenties..."
Klein selected some of the experiences he had seen with poor children, combined them together, and told them with genuine emotion.
He could clearly see that the women all showed expressions of pity and compassion to varying degrees, and some of the girls even had a glimmer in their eyes, such as Audrey Hall.
What an easily moved child... My performance came from the heart; it even moved myself, let alone the " Spectator "... However, most gentlemen weren't particularly touched. Some were probably already aware of the plight of the poor, while others were the type who didn't care about those of lower status... Klein glanced around and continued:
"Our industry is developing, and we will certainly need more literate workers in the future... Our electoral criteria are being relaxed, and those eligible to vote in the future will inevitably include the vast majority of educated people... Out of compassion for these poor children, and out of hope for the future of the kingdom, I have decided to donate all my shares in the Coim Company to the church to establish a scholarship fund for the poor, so that after free night school, they will have the opportunity to enter the true halls of knowledge..."
Earl Hall, with his handsome little mustache, nodded in agreement and was the first to raise his hands and clap gently.
Amidst enthusiastic applause, Klein returned to his rightful place, and Bishop Electra stepped forward to announce:
"Mr. Dawn Dantès has donated shares worth £15,000, which we will use to establish the ' Loen Charity Bursary Foundation.' Ladies and gentlemen, if you agree with his idea and have compassion for children who thirst for knowledge, you can participate in this fund."
As he spoke, he pointed to the donation box next to him.
Audrey then looked away, rubbed her eyes, and turned to her father, saying:
"Dad, I'm planning to donate 1000 pounds, what about you?"
As she spoke, she quickly summarized what she had just observed in her mind:
" Dawn Dantès must have experienced life at the bottom of society; his compassion, his pity, his speeches are all very real... those poor children are truly pitiful..."
"When the bishop mentioned that the shares were worth £15,000, the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily. It was clear he was quite distressed about the money, but his sincerity in donating didn't seem feigned... This only shows that he's a gentleman who loves money but 'loves' kindness even more..."
What caused his surprise and attempt to conceal it when he saw me before?
"Where has he seen me before, yet he doesn't know who I am? But there's no need to hide it..."
"He recognized my necklace as a magical item, so he was surprised, and then tried to cover it up?"
"If that's the case, it means he must be Beyonder, and his Sequence can't be too low..."
"Hmm, I'll ask Susie again when we get back. Maybe it noticed other details. It was hiding in the shadows, unsuspecting, and could have discovered more."
Lost in thought, Audrey saw her father Earl Hall, smiling as he took out his checkbook and pen.
The amount he wrote down was:
£10,000!