Lord of Mysteries: Return of the Stars!

The 500 gold pounds would last quite a while. As long as he didn't host a banquet, he wouldn't need to spend more money for at least two or three months.

After handling these chores, Hastur let Neil manage the rest while he stayed in the study to quietly read.

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A new day began with a beautiful morning.

A maid knocked gently on the door from outside, calling sweetly twice. Hastur woke up and, as usual, lay on his back in bed for about ten minutes, letting his mind awaken after a night's sleep.

He got up, changed clothes, and went to the washroom to freshen up. A maid stood nearby, ready to provide any service he might need.

Being watched like that made him feel a little uneasy.

Fortunately, he had declined Neil's suggestion of a personal maid in advance.

Otherwise, in the morning, a maid would have helped him out of bed, undressed his pajamas, and changed him into new clothes.

If one were too lazy and didn't like doing things themselves, there were even staff available to help with brushing teeth, washing hair, washing face, and bathing.

As a noble, you only needed to act like a doll and let them dress you up beautifully.

Just thinking about such a life gave Hastur a chill.

This wasn't about whether he could adapt or not, it was that he truly felt there was no need for it, at least for now. He simply couldn't enjoy such enthusiastic service in good conscience.

After finishing his grooming, he straightened his appearance in front of the mirror, with a maid helping to smooth out some of the wrinkles on his clothes.

He went downstairs, and the delicious aroma from the dining room had already wafted out. Today's breakfast included several delicate side dishes paired with two bowls of rice porridge, alongside freshly baked muffins and a slice of golden-fried bread spread with egg yolk sauce.

Finally being able to enjoy a bowl of porridge in the morning made Hastur quite content. When he was alone, cooking porridge was very inconvenient.

After breakfast, under the watchful gaze of butler Neil, he got into the Campbell family's carriage and had the coachman take him to the area near the Backlund Bridge by the docks.

This was where he had arranged to meet Professor Wayne.

Hastur told the coachman to return home and waited alone on Backlund Bridge.

Click!

He checked the time, 9:42 a.m., eighteen minutes before the scheduled meeting time of ten o'clock.

Hastur put away his pocket watch and stood by the bridge, gazing at the nearby docklands.

That was where Backlund faced the sea. With numerous ports, it hosted the world's most advanced shipyards and some of the hardest-working laborers.

The chimneys there stood in rows and clusters, puffing out clouds of black smoke that resembled mist, staining the already gray sky even darker.

After about ten minutes, Professor Wayne's familiar voice rang out.

"Sorry I'm late."

"No, I'm just a bit early."

Hastur smiled and greeted Professor Wayne, noticing that there were two other men with him.

One wore black-rimmed glasses, appeared to be in his early thirties, and had a scholarly air. He was likely a lecturer at Backlund or one of Professor Wayne's assistants.

The other man was dressed like a dockworker, around forty years old, somewhat thin, with slightly swollen eyes, wavy brown hair, and a slightly disheveled appearance.

This must be the guide Professor Wayne had found for the docklands.

"This is my student Fron Argon, a law lecturer at Backlund University. He's here to assist me this time."

"And this is Jim, who has lived in the docklands for many years. He'll be our guide today."

Professor Wayne gave a brief introduction with a smile.

After a short exchange, the group of four decided to walk to the docklands.

The docklands were noisy and crowded, with roads often cluttered with goods from around the world. Many children ran back and forth in the streets, making it unsuitable for carriage travel.

Jim quickly assumed his role as a guide and began introducing the various aspects of the docklands to the other three.

At first, he tried to express himself in a gentlemanly and polite manner, but once he got into it, he began casually referring to factory overseers as idiots or curly-haired baboons.

This actually made things feel more authentic.

Hastur and Lecturer Fron listened with amused smiles, while Professor Wayne occasionally asked questions, which Jim answered and elaborated on. The group soon arrived at the docklands.

As soon as they entered, a wave of heat greeted them. The blazing sun hung high in the sky, casting golden ripples across the sea's surface.

Dozens of ships, large and small, were docked nearby. Most of the workers transporting goods between ships and warehouses were shirtless, showing off their strong, muscular builds.

Jim explained that this was because carrying cargo in clothes would easily damage them. It was better to work shirtless, then bathe and change into clean clothes at the end of the day.

The arrival of the group drew curious glances from nearby workers. A few of them greeted Jim warmly, and he responded to each of them. 

As they ventured deeper into the docklands, more children came into view. They wore tattered clothes, their hair was messy, and most were barefoot. Those who had shoes wore ones far too large, clearly hand-me-downs from adults.

They ran and played among the workers, cargo boxes, fish stalls, and vegetable stands, their faces beaming with smiles bright enough to cut through the smog.

"Don't underestimate them just because they're small," Jim remarked. "Once the workers finish for the day, these kids band together to scavenge the port for any goods that might've been left behind. They've even formed several small gangs, and sometimes they get into fights over it."

As the group passed through the area where the children were playing, a few of the bolder ones surrounded them, stretching out their dry little hands and asking politely, "Kind sirs, could you spare some change?"

Professor Wayne was clearly used to such situations. He remained calm and said with a smile, "I'll be donating to the local almshouse. As long as you're willing to go there for classes, you'll have food to eat."

The children pouted. Food alone didn't impress them, and learning at the almshouse seemed boring compared to the freedom and fun of playing outside.

"Go! Go! Go play somewhere else!"

Seeing that Professor Wayne had already expressed his stance, Jim stepped forward, forcing a fierce look onto his face, waving his hands to shoo away the children gathered around.

The children scattered in all directions, mocking Jim as an old bachelor while they ran. When Jim grew angry and tried to chase after them, they quickly ran back to rejoin their little groups.

"Hmph, a bunch of ill-mannered brats, still young and already gossiping like the women at home." Jim was still fuming.

In front of such distinguished guests, having a group of children reveal the fact that he wasn't married made him feel utterly humiliated.

Even though being unmarried was a perfectly normal thing.

Professor Wayne smiled and said, "Let's go."

"It's only because you gentlemen are kindhearted. If it were some ill-tempered masters, they'd have had the servants lash them with whips."

"Not long ago, two kids here ran into someone and got whipped so badly the blood soaked through the backs of their shirts."

"No one dared to step in and stop it. When the children's parents arrived, they didn't dare say much either, just tearfully carried their children home. I heard they're still bedridden, recovering." Jim started talking more.

"Didn't they think to ask the beater for compensation?" Lecturer Fron, who had been silent until now, couldn't help but speak.

Jim chuckled, "Of course there was compensation, but it was the children's parents who apologized and compensated the gentlemen. Even then, it depended on whether the other side was willing to let the matter go. If they came across an unreasonable brute, even the children's parents would get a couple lashes themselves."

"..." Lecturer Fron froze, face turning pale, and said no more.

…

The Sunrise Almshouse stood at the end of the dock district, halfway up a small hill. Every morning when the sun rose over the sea, it was the first place to catch sight of it.

"Let those suffering from poverty welcome their own sunrise a little earlier."

This was the meaning behind the name, given by a marquis who fully funded its construction over thirty years ago.

When Hastur and his group arrived at the Sunrise Almshouse, the blazing sun in the sky hung just over the mountaintop.

Jim glanced at the almshouse and forced a smile, saying, "Sir, my guiding task is now complete. I hope you all have a pleasant time ahead."

"You've been a very capable guide."

"Thank you for your praise."

Jim smiled and left, taking with him the 12 Soli guiding fee.

Professor Wayne was a frequent visitor here, and his arrival was warmly received by Dean Darn of the Sunrise Almshouse.

Standing behind him, Hastur noticed that the professor's expression was a bit off, pleased, but also slightly annoyed.

He gave Dean Darn a brief look before shifting his focus to the almshouse itself.

Because of its location halfway up a hill, where stone was easy to quarry, the walls surrounding the almshouse were built from large stones stacked nearly four meters high. The smooth, moss-covered surface of the walls made it almost impossible to enter or leave except through the main gate.

Within the stone walls stood rows of gray-black buildings, mostly three stories tall. The overall layout formed a character shaped like "two rectangles stacked above one another" (日), with only the tallest tower protruding and slightly disrupting the symmetry.

As a whole, it looked more like a school.

After chatting for a while, Professor Wayne introduced Hastur and Lecturer Fron. When Dean Darn learned that Hastur was a noble baron, his face lit up with smiles.

"It's getting late. Why don't we have lunch first and discuss everything else afterward?" Dean Darn suggested.

Professor Wayne smiled. "We'll follow your arrangements, of course."

As they stepped through the main gate of the almshouse, a faint chill greeted them, and the surrounding temperature dropped several degrees.

"It's really cool in here."

Lecturer Fron commented with a smile, and Hastur also smiled.

Having walked all the way under the blazing sun, they had sweated quite a bit. The climb just now had been especially hot, so entering here felt like stepping into an icehouse, it instantly refreshed them.

Passing through two open spaces resembling playgrounds, they reached the third-floor dining hall at the back.

"Every time I come here, I prefer to dine with the children, it makes me feel younger." Professor Wayne said while glancing at Hastur.

Understanding the cue, Hastur smiled and said, "I also enjoy being around children, it's much livelier that way."

Dean Darn's face showed a flicker of hesitation but did not object. He smiled as well and said, "I'm just concerned the children might be unruly and disturb your meal."

Professor Wayne said, "To us, that would be a rare and valuable experience."

"Very well then, I'll have someone make the arrangements." Dean Darn gave instructions to two nearby almshouse administrators to prepare tables and food on the first floor.

"Dean Darn, how many people are currently housed here?"

Lecturer Fron asked curiously. He had observed earlier that this almshouse was quite large, with over a hundred connected three-story rooms, not counting the basement and three separate buildings.

He had visited the almshouse near Saint Samuel's Church before, which was very large, but this one was by no means small.

Considering that the dock district couldn't compare to the Queen's District where Saint Samuel's was located, this was quite impressive.

Dean Darn thought for a moment and replied, "We house about 2,300 people. As for staff, administrators, teachers, cooks, maids, there are 122 in total."

"That's quite a feat," Fron remarked, knowing well how difficult it was to accommodate over two thousand people.

"It's not just our hard work and dedication, it's also the concern of all sectors of society for the charitable cause of aiding the poor," Dean Darn said modestly.

"Your humility and virtue are truly admirable."

Lecturer Fron and Dean Darn continued to chat casually, while Hastur listened quietly, speculating about Professor Wayne's intentions.