377 Capims Dinner (1/2)

Putting down his dark red fountain pen, Klein picked up the piece of paper with the divination statement and leaned back in his chair.

His lips moved as he whispered, ”Capim's dinner time today,” over and over again.

Klein's voice echoed above the empty gray fog as his eyes rapidly turned dark, and his eyelids drooped.

In a fragmented dreamscape, he saw the spacious, elegant dining room where there was gilded porcelain cutlery, caviar, roasted chicken, lamb stew, fried rib eye steak, deep-fried Dragon-Bone Fish, thick creamy soup, and so on.

The food was placed in a certain order according to specific requests in front of several diners. Among them was the slightly plump Capim; the middle-aged gentleman in a white hood, Harras; the thin-bloused Katy; and Parker, whose face was rather unintimidating due to his old age.

Looking out from the end of the dining table, he could see a window decorated with gorgeous decorations. Outside the window, the clouds were sparse, and the crimson moon was faintly discernible in the air.

Klein opened his eyes and marked the location of the moon in his dream. Using his knowledge in astromancy, he quickly calculated a rough corresponding time.

It looks like it's from 7:30 to 7:45 in the evening… Considering those few scenes, Capim and the others have already finished more than half their meals, so I can push the time back by another 15 minutes. That way, 7:30 is the best choice… Klein muttered silently to himself as he interpreted the revelation from his dream divination.

Eating at half past seven was not a rare occurrence. This was even considered mainstream in the Loen Kingdom and even the Northern Continent because many middle-class people—either due to their personal situations or because of low rent—lived in the suburbs and had to commute to work by taking the short-distance steam locomotive. By the time they got home, it was usually after seven in the evening, so it was normal for people to have dinner between 7:30 and 8:00.

Klein had had the same experience in Tingen City, but that was because he had no servants and no housewife. Once the three siblings returned home, they still needed to busy themselves for quite a while before they could enjoy any hot food. It wasn't because they lived far from work.

This was why civilians and the poor often had dinner between 7:30 and 8:00.

As lunch and dinner were separated by quite some time, afternoon tea, which should've belonged to the upper-class citizens, became popular among the middle-class citizens and civilians.

When he finished the interpretation, Klein recalled the revelation he had just received. Klein became acutely aware of a problem: Where were Capim's wife and children?

They didn't appear in the dining room… Is Capim an extreme believer in the Lord of Storms, so his wife and children have to eat their meals in the activity room? Or is there another reason? Or could he be unmarried and childless? He's already a middle-aged man… Klein tried to divine the situation, but he failed to receive any effective revelations, so he gave up.

7:30. He repeated the time once more before returning to the real world.

…

In the evening, even at home, Capim, who was wearing a formal bow tie, narrowed his eyes and looked at his subordinates before him. He asked in a slow but chilling voice, ”Fabian is dead?”

”Yes, Boss.” Even though he had been working with Capim for many years, his subordinate still felt fear and horror.

”Odysseus, call me Mister. Mister. In a few years, you'll have to call me Sir Capim.” Capim loosened his bow tie and casually handled a thick cigar. ”When did Fabian die? How did he die?”

”This afternoon, I sent him to East Borough to do something. He ended up in a conflict with the Zmanger gang and got stabbed in the neck…” Odysseus described in a trembling voice.

Capim, who was toasting the cigar, said in an unperturbed tone, ”Fabian is really a fool.

”But are the Zmanger gang fools to not know that he's my subordinate?”

”Mister, as you know, highlanders often join the Zmanger gang when they arrive in East Borough, and they're barbaric and reckless, and they don't give a shit who's who,” Odysseus quickly explained.

Capim snorted.

”Have they forgotten that this isn't the highlands? Or have they forgotten who I am?

”Odysseus, I want the body of the Zmanger gang's leader from that block. Can you do it? If you can't, I'll sink your wife, your child, as well as you into the Tussock River.”

”Mister, no problem!” Odysseus immediately raised his voice.

He immediately asked in a low voice, ”Who can I mobilize?”

Capim was about to reply when the door suddenly opened and the middle-aged gentleman with a white wig, Harras, walked in.

He gave Odysseus a cold glance before casting his gaze onto Capim.

”I heard that one of your subordinates had a conflict with a gang in East Borough and ended up dying?”

”Yes, Mr. Harras.” Capim stood up, cigar in hand.

Harras stared into Capim's eyes and said, ”You want revenge on them?”

Capim's forehead suddenly dripped with beads of sweat.

”No, not at all. Mr. Harras, you misunderstand.”

Harras nodded slightly. ”You have to remember that during this critical period, we have to try our best to not cause any trouble unless necessary.”

He paused for a second and observed Capim's reaction.

”You are not the only human trafficker in Backlund. We can support you, but we can also do so for others. You have to remember this point.

”The reason why I picked you was because you were vicious and shameless enough. However, you were extremely cautious. It wasn't because you were the biggest human trafficker.”

From the side, Odysseus listened to the duo's conversation. He wished that he was just a mass of air. That way, he didn't need to see how humble his boss, Capim, was.

Without a trace of anger on his face, Capim smiled and said, ”Mr. Harras, my main concern is that Fabian's death isn't simple. It might disrupt your plans.”

”No, there's nothing wrong with his death,” Harras said in an affirmative tone. ”I didn't get any feedback.”

”Is that so…” Capim acted enlightened. ”Then I'm relieved.”

He looked at Odysseus and signaled him to leave. He then lowered his voice and said, ”Mr. Harras, this time, there are the kind of goods you like from this batch.”