13 Houls Street, North District of Tingen, the divination club on the second floor. Klein saw the attractive woman who handled the reception once again. She still had her chestnut-yellow hair coiled neatly, appearing mature and refined—difficult to judge her exact age from appearance alone. "Good day, Mr. Klein. Grace is currently out. Would you like to see someone else?" the woman smiled warmly. Upon hearing this, Klein, who had just re-adjusted his silk hat, was momentarily surprised: "Do you remember me?" It had been five days ago! The woman smiled gently. "You were the first guest to consult with Grace, and to this day, you remain the only one. I find it hard not to be impressed." Ah, the impression of being a bargain-hunter who ends up paying for more than she bargained for—Klein thought to himself, and then asked thoughtfully: "When was the last time Mr. Grace visited the club?" The brunette glanced at him thoughtfully before responding, "To be honest, we can't quite predict the members' attendance patterns—they have their own free will and various commitments. I remember, after I gave you my reading that day, Mr. Gracius hasn't come back to the club since. May you have good fortune, may the goddess watch over you..."克莱恩 murmured a prayer, then paused without further questions, and smiled, "This time, I'm not here for a reading. I'd like to join the club." "Really? That's most generous of us!" the brunette expressed genuine delight, "For a new member, please pay a yearly fee of five pounds. After that, an additional one pound annually—do you need me to go into further detail?"克莱恩 withdrew a five-pound banknote from his inner pocket, watching Henry Augustus I's portrait recede from his view. She carefully examined the anti-counterfeiting watermark, then solemnly folded the bill and handed over a form to Klein: "Please fill out your details, and I'll issue you a receipt." Is there an invoice? She looked up—Black Thorns Security Company... Klein found himself amused by his own thoughts. He picked up the wet steel pen on the table, dipped it into the blue-black ink, and neatly filled in the name, age, street address, and company name. Yet, deliberately, he left the date of birth and month blank—these were the sacred numerical mysteries that mattered most to a seer. After issuing the receipt and recording his membership details, the brunette extended her right hand: "Welcome to the Tingen City Seers' Club! I'm Angela Barret, your dedicated member service representative. Here is your membership badge, bearing our unique inscription, which will serve as proof of your membership." "Good morning, Ms. Angela." Klein gently held the other's hand a moment, then took the dark golden cuff pin. He noticed the unique inscription used the root of a word in Hermesian, the word being "seer." Angela withdrew her left hand and thought for a few seconds. "I'm not sure what form of divination you're particularly skilled in, or what method you'd like to learn at the club. We'll consider inviting a well-known seer to teach, and we'll also introduce you to members with similar interests so you can exchange ideas and enjoy the interaction." "I have a basic understanding of every form of divination—I don't need special consideration," Klein replied, slightly refining his words, and asked, "Can I already offer divination services now? I'm not a beginner just starting out." He came to play the role of a "seer," not to learn the more common, accessible forms of divination. Angelica smiled politely and said, "You're always welcome to offer readings freely at the club, though we won't recommend you to our customers until we're certain of your skill. How much would you like to charge for your readings?" "Two pence," said Cline, intending to win customers with price when he was still relatively unknown. "We'll take one-fourth of a penny—one-eighth of the total reading fee—as our service charge," Angelica explained the various terms before writing down Cline's information in the guest selection booklet of "readers." After completing these tasks, she smiled and pointed toward the conference room at the far end of the corridor. "Mr. Haynes Farnsworth is currently giving a lecture on astrological readings. You're welcome to sit quietly and listen, or raise your hand with any questions." "Very well," said Cline, moving toward the conference room with genuine interest, eager to hear how Mr. Haynes Farnsworth's approach differed from that of the older Neil. At that moment, Angelaika approached, lowering her voice: "Mr. Moretti, would you like coffee or tea? We serve free Sibe tea, Nan-Wil coffee, and Dese coffee." Having recently read the newspapers, Klein knew these coffees and teas were of moderate to average quality, yet understood they certainly surpassed the subpar varieties available at home. After a moment's thought, he said, "One cup of Nan-Wil coffee, three spoons of sugar, no milk, please." Nan-Wil, in the southern region of the Roon Kingdom, was most renowned for its beer and red wine, with many prominent figures favoring these beverages; coffee, however, was less well known. "I'll have it sent in right away," Angelaika said, pointing toward the conference room. Klein stepped slowly into the partially open doorway, hearing the讲解 delivered in a distinctly Ahovian accent: "Astrological reading is one of the more complex forms of divination... among all the branches of divination." This was relative to ordinary people, Klein silently added. He observed that five or six long tables had formed a semicircle, surrounding a middle-aged man dressed in a black classical robe—Hinnes Vanzant. The man had pronounced dark circles under his eyes, with thick, firm brown hair standing upright in a stubborn, prickly manner, like a hedgehog. Beyond that, the man presenting the astrological reading showed no particularly striking features. Upon seeing Klein enter, Hinnes Vanzant gave a slight nod, neither pausing nor interrupting his lecture, merely slowing his pace slightly. Klein inserted one hand into his pocket and held his staff in the other, finding a spot near the edge and settling comfortably back. With the afternoon sun still bright and clear, he took in the room, noting that there were six members present—four men and two women. Some were taking careful notes, others were whispering to one another, while others exchanged a wry smile with Caine. Setting down his walking stick, Caine adjusted his half-high silk hat and lightly tapped his fingers twice against his brow. His gaze settled on Heinas, where he perceived the atmosphere, the distinct hues, brightness, and thickness. "Deep crimson—slightly anxious in tone. The rest of the readings are healthy, though there's an issue here. I'm not quite sure what it is..." Caine murmured thoughtfully while listening attentively. At that moment, he clenched his right fist against his mouth to hold back a laugh, feeling suddenly like an unlicensed old Chinese physician. Regarding his ability of spiritual vision, he was now quite satisfied—even though he could only assess the general condition and not discern specific details, it still provided him with a wealth of useful information. He then glanced around once more, lightly tapping his brow twice again, as if reflecting on Heinas' earlier words. Astrological chart reading is a branch of astrology, yet ordinary people can also attempt to interpret it. For instance, the most fundamental "natal chart" is based on the positions of celestial bodies—such as the Sun, Moon, Mercury, and Venus—at the time of an individual's birth, plotted onto the celestial sphere and symbolically placed in their correct positions on the chart, accompanied by descriptions of the corresponding zodiac signs. This interpretation then provides insights into the person's destiny. To achieve this, the astrologer must be able to reverse-calculate the states of planets and constellations, a process that is quite complex. Naturally, some have published reference books for consultation, while others have simplified the approach, offering only the most general interpretations based on zodiac signs. Watching him go, a young man in a white shirt and black jacket rose up and walked over to Caine: "Hello, I'm Edward Steff." "Hello, Caine Moretti." Caine stood in return. "The astrolabe is simply too complex—every time I hear about it, I find myself drawn into a dream." Edward Steff said with a touch of self-mockery. Caine smiled: "That's because Mr. Vanzante is always eager to share all his knowledge with us, as if he were serving us an entire Indis feast at once—quite overwhelming for digestion." "If it were me, I could easily finish a full Indis meal, though they always serve just a little food in large plates," Edward chuckled, settling into his seat and asking curiously, "Are you a new member? I haven't seen you in quite some time." "I just joined the club today," Caine replied with ease. "What do you specialize in? I'm most skilled in Tarot and poker readings." Edward casually asked. "I understand a bit, and only a bit," said Kline, applying his previous descriptions of himself to the present moment. He wasn't being modest—there simply were still so many mysterious knowledges in the field of divination that he hadn't mastered yet. As other members approached to exchange ideas about astrological readings, Angela entered the conference room: "Mr. Steve, someone has come to consult you." "Thank you," Edward Steve smiled and stood up. "You seem to be a capable diviner," Kline remarked. "No, that's only because my fees are just right," Edward chuckled. "Ordinary people wouldn't directly choose the most expensive consultants, and unless someone's head has been kicked by a donkey, they wouldn't feel comfortable with the cheapest ones. The ones in the middle—those with moderate prices—usually get the most opportunities." "I'm exactly the one you described—my head was kicked by an ox," said Caine, suddenly shaking his head with a wry smile. "It seems my pricing strategy has gone awry." He stood up, took his cane, and stepped out of the conference room, rejoining Angela. "I'd like to revise my divination fee—eight pence, if you don't mind." Angela looked at him intently and replied, "We'll gladly accommodate your request, though we'll also inform our clients that you've just joined our club." "Perfect," Caine nodded, unconcerned. Sometimes, the very element of mystery is a key attraction for diviners. After updating his records, Caine turned and walked back toward the conference room. At that moment, he noticed Heinrich Van Sint emerging from the room of clear crystal, holding a silver mirror in hand. The well-known diviner addressed the three men and two women present: "I've recently mastered a new form of divination—mirror divination. Would you like to learn it?" Mirror divination? This isn't exactly a safe divination method at all... Caine, dressed in a formal black suit, stops outside the conference room and frowns.