Reclined back into his chair until the distant church bell rang seven times, one after another, and only then did Zhou Mingrui slowly rise, walking to the cabinet to retrieve his clothes. A black waistcoat paired with a matching suit, slightly tight trousers at the ankles, and a half-high hat—alongside a quiet scholarly aura—made Zhou Mingrui feel as though he were watching a Victorian-era English drama unfold in the mirror. "I'm not here for an interview," he murmured softly, shaking his head with a faint smile. "I just came to buy groceries and gather supplies for the Transfer Ritual." Klein had become so deeply concerned about the upcoming interview that it had turned into an instinct—whenever Zhou Mingrui lost focus, he automatically donned this one set of formal attire. Exhaling deeply, Zhou Mingrui removed his suit and waistcoat, replacing them with a brown-yellow, slightly worn outer coat and shifting his hat to a matching round-brimmed felt cap. After attending to himself, he walked over to the high bed, lifted the top mattress, and extended his hand into the hidden opening at the base. After a moment of searching, he found a folded layer inside. As he withdrew his right hand, a stack of about seven or eight bills now rested in it—dark green with a slightly pale hue. These were Benson’s current savings, including three days’ living expenses. Of these, only two five-sol notes remained; the rest were one-sol denominations. In the Luon Kingdom's monetary system, the sol ranks second, derived from ancient silver coins—one sol equals twelve copper pence, with face values of one and five. At the top of the currency hierarchy stands the gold pound, a paper currency backed by gold, directly linked to the sol—at twenty sols per pound—with denominations of one, five, and ten. Zhou Mingrui unfolded the bills and smelled a faint, delicate scent—distinctly fresh—the aroma of money itself. Perhaps influenced by Klein’s memory fragments, or perhaps simply driven by an unchanging yearning for currency, in that very moment Zhou Mingrui found himself falling deeply in love with these small paper creatures. Look at how beautifully designed the portraits are—even the dignified, bearded King George III seems endearing! And look at the watermark visible through sunlight—so elegant and refined! The carefully engineered anti-counterfeit features make it clearly superior to counterfeit counterparts! After admiring for several seconds, Zhou Mingrui pulled out two one-sol bills, rolled up the rest, and tucked them back into the inner layer of the mattress. Smoothed out the cloth near the tear, he folded the two newly selected bills neatly and placed them in the left pocket of his brown-yellow coat, separating them from a few copper pence tucked inside his waistband. With everything thus arranged, he inserted his keys into the right pocket, took hold of the large brown paper bag, and quickly headed toward the door. Tapping, tapping—his footsteps began fast and gradually slowed until they ceased entirely. Zhou Mingrui stood at the edge of the door, his brow now furrowed. Klein’s suicide incident carried several mysteries. Would he encounter some kind of "accident" simply by stepping out like this? After a moment’s reflection, Zhou Mingrui returned to the desk, opened the drawer, and pulled out the brass-glossy revolver—a single weapon he could rely upon for self-defense. Though he had never practiced shooting, merely producing this gun would surely be enough to intimidate anyone! He stroked the cold metal cylinder of the revolver, then tucked it into the pocket where the bills were located. Holding his cash firmly in his palm and pressing down on the grip with his fingers, he perfectly concealed both items. A deep sense of security now surged within him. As someone who knew a bit about many things, however, a new concern suddenly arose: "Would I accidentally trigger it?" With several thoughts flowing through his mind, Zhou Mingrui soon found clarity—he reached out to the gun, swung the cylinder to its ready position so that the chamber previously emptied due to the 'suicide' was now primed for firing, then closed it firmly. Now, even if the gun discharged, it would only fire an empty case! After reinserting the revolver, he kept his left hand inserted into the pocket without withdrawing it. He adjusted his hat with his right hand and opened the door, stepping out with a solid 'clunk'. The corridor remained dimly lit during the day, sunlight filtering through at the ends of the hall. The scene was one of quiet routine. At the intersection of Iron Cross Street and Narcissus Street stood a municipal square, now dotted with various tents. A group of eccentric clowns wearing odd attire distributed flyers around. "Tomorrow night—the circus?" Zhou Mingrui glanced at the brochures in someone’s hands and softly read out the content. Melissa would surely enjoy that. But what was the ticket price? As an idea formed, he approached one of the clowns dressed in contrasting red and yellow. As he prepared to ask about the tickets, a soft, raspy female voice suddenly spoke from beside him: "Do you wish to have a divination session?" Without thinking, Zhou Mingruity turned his head and saw a woman standing before a low tent—wearing a pointed hat and a black dress. Her face was painted in red and yellow, her eyes deep gray-blue. "No," he replied, shaking his head. "I simply don’t have the funds." The woman smiled warmly: "My tarot readings are quite accurate." "Tarot?" Zhou Mingrui paused—his mind immediately registering that this pronunciation resembled Earth’s tarot cards! On Earth, tarot is a form of fortune-telling playing card, enhanced with symbolic imagery. Wait—now he suddenly remembered the origins of tarot divination in this world. It did not stem from seven traditional deities or ancient customs. Instead, it was invented over 170 years ago by Roscelle Gustave, then Prime Minister of the Republic of Intis. Roscelle had developed steam engines and improved sailing vessels, ultimately overthrowing the Kingdom of Intis and earning recognition from the Church of the Divine Craftsman as the first Prime Minister of the newly formed Republic. Later, he led military campaigns that brought countries such as Lurberg under protection, compelling the powerful northern kingdoms—Luon, Feneport, and Vosak—to submit. He then restructured the republic into an empire, styling himself "Caesar." During Roscelle’s reign, the Church of the Divine Craftsman received its first publicly revealed divine prophecy since the Fifth Era—the title "Divine Craftsman" was officially changed to "God of Steam and Machinery." Roscelle also invented tarot divination, establishing both the current composition and gameplay of the card deck—many of which closely resembled familiar games such as Mahjong, Pong, Skat, and Texas Hold’em. Furthermore, he commissioned ship expeditions that successfully navigated stormy seas to establish a route connecting to the southern continent, thus initiating the colonial era. Unfortunately, in his later years, Roscelle was betrayed by the Church of Eternal Sun, the House of Solon, and other noble families. In the year 1198 of the Fifth Era, he was assassinated at the White Maple Palace. Now—recalling these facts, Zhou Mingrui suddenly felt a twinge of toothache. Could this woman be an ancestor traveler? With that thought, he resolved to see what the actual tarot cards looked like here. So, he nodded to the woman in the pointed hat and face-painted with colors: "If not… if the price is reasonable, I’ll give it a try." The woman immediately brightened: "Mr. Zhou, you are the very first person today to come for a reading—so it’s free."