By the time Shen returned to the apartment building, the evening fog had already settled between the narrow streets of the district. The gas lamps along the road had begun to glow faintly, their yellow light mixing with the gray haze that hung in the air.
He climbed the worn wooden stairs slowly, the small stack of books balanced carefully in his arms.
The hallway smelled faintly of boiled vegetables and soap. Someone down the corridor was humming a tune while washing dishes.
Shen stopped in front of the apartment door, adjusted the books, and pushed it open.
Inside, the room was warm.
Arthur sat at the small table with several sheets of paper spread out before him. He was leaning slightly forward, pen in hand, clearly focused on the work in front of him. The dim light from the oil lamp on the table reflected off the lenses of his glasses.
From the small kitchen area, the sound of plates and utensils clinking together could be heard.
"Elara, can you pass me the salt?" Sera said.
"You already have the salt," Elara replied calmly.
"That's the pepper."
Shen stepped inside quietly and closed the door behind him.
Arthur looked up from his work and looked at Shen.
His eyes moved from Shen's face to the stack of books in his hands.
"Hmm… where did these books come from?"
The question came so quickly that Shen was almost caught off guard.
Arthur really did notice everything.
Shen placed the books carefully on the table and stretched his shoulders a little.
"Ah, those," he said casually. "I helped someone find something he had lost earlier today."
Arthur leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Oh! You helped a stranger?"
"A nobleman," Shen said.
That made Arthur raise an eyebrow.
Elara and Sera also glanced over from the kitchen.
"A nobleman?" Elara repeated.
Shen nodded and picked up one of the books.
"He had dropped a small item near the street market. I found it and returned it to him. We talked a little afterward."
Arthur watched him quietly.
"And during that conversation," Arthur said slowly, "he decided to give you six books."
Shen scratched the side of his head.
"Well…he was a man who was interested in novels, so we ended up talking about novels."
Sera walked over with two plates in her hands and placed them on the table.
"You talked about novels with a nobleman?" she asked with a small smile.
"Yes," Shen said.
"And he just happened to have six books with him?" Arthur asked.
Shen opened his mouth.
Arthur had already straightened slightly in his chair. His expression remained calm, but the direction of the conversation had clearly shifted.
"Where did you meet him?" Arthur asked.
"Near the harbor."
"What kind of item did you help him find?"
"A… wallet."
Arthur tapped the table lightly with his pen.
"And you talked long enough to discuss novels with a nobleman at that."
Shen could feel the conversation slowly tightening around him.
He wanted to smack himself for earlier thinking this kind of stupid excuse would work on Arthur hell even he believed it would not work on him.
Arthur had always been like this. Once he began asking questions, he would try to guide the conversation in his favor step by step until everything became clear to him.
Shen decided not to let the conversation go further.
He reached into his coat pocket and placed a stack of banknotes on the table.
Three hundred pounds.
Arthur's pen stopped moving.
Elara froze.
Sera blinked.
The room became quiet.
Arthur looked at the money for several seconds in surprise before looking back at Shen.
"That nobleman paid you this?"
Shen nodded.
"He was grateful that I found his wallet."
Arthur leaned back in his chair again.
For a moment he didn't say anything.
Then he slowly nodded.
"I see."
Elara walked closer and looked at the banknotes.
"That's… a lot of gratitude," she said.
Sera laughed softly.
"Well, our Shen has always been lucky."
Arthur stacked the banknotes together and pushed them slightly back toward Shen.
"We'll talk about the details later," he said. "Dinner is ready. Let's eat first."
Right on cue, Elara placed a large bowl on the table.
"Finally," she said. "Before the food gets cold."
The four of them sat down together.
Dinner was simple—bread, vegetables, and a small portion of meat. Nothing fancy, but the warm food filled the small apartment with a comforting smell.
Sera talked about one of her literature classes.
Elara mentioned an argument she had with another student during a debate.
Arthur listened quietly, smiling a little while occasionally asking a question or two.
Shen mostly focused on eating.
After dinner, he picked up the stack of banknotes again and placed them in front of Arthur.
"Here," Shen said. "You can use this."
Arthur frowned slightly.
"This is your money, Shen."
Shen shook his head.
"The family needs it more right now."
Arthur hesitated for a few seconds.
Then he separated the stack and took half of it.
"One hundred and fifty pounds is enough," he said.
He pushed the other half back toward Shen.
"You earned it. Keep the rest."
Shen stared at the money.
"But—"
Arthur raised a hand.
"No arguments."
Shen scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Taking the money again felt strange, especially when he still had two hundred pounds hidden away.
"Use it for Elara and Sera's tuition," Shen said quickly.
Arthur paused.
The sisters also looked at him.
After a moment, Arthur sighed.
"That much money will cover tuition and the rent for this place for quite a while."
"Then save the rest," Shen said.
Arthur looked at him again.
"For what?"
"For a better home," Shen replied. "This place is a bit too small for us."
Elara also looked around the room thoughtfully.
"Well… I wouldn't mind a slightly bigger kitchen."
Sera nodded.
"Yeah, that would be nice."
Arthur looked at the money again, pursing his lips.
Then he nodded slowly.
"Alright."
He placed the rest of the money together and set it aside carefully.
"Thank you for this, Shen," he said, smiling quietly.
Shen waved his hand nonchalantly.
"It's nothing."
A few minutes later, Shen gathered the books from the table.
"I'll be in my room."
Arthur nodded without looking up.
Shen walked down the short hallway and entered his small bedroom.
He closed the door behind him and let out a long breath.
"Arthur is scary sometimes," he muttered.
He placed the books on his desk and sat down.
After a moment, he picked up the occult book and started reading.
The pages were filled with simple explanations about mysticism.
Basic concepts like spirituality, ritual circles, and ingredient preparation were explained in clear language.
Some sections described how to recognize supernatural materials.
Others explained how small rituals could be performed safely.
Shen read quietly for an hour.
The more he read, the more he realized how little he actually knew.
Even with his knowledge from the novel, the real process of preparing rituals and handling materials required patience and careful study.
Eventually he closed the book and leaned back in his chair.
"That gathering at the warehouse district…"
That was something he needed to investigate soon.
Shen stood up and stretched before lying down on his bed.
The ceiling above him was plain and slightly cracked, just like always.
His thoughts drifted back to the cloaked man in the bar.
Who was that man?
And why help him?
"I don't think I have anything special."
Shen stared at the ceiling for a while longer.
Eventually his eyes grew heavy.
The room slowly fell silent as the night deepened outside.
Arthur sat alone at the table, still working.
The apartment had grown quiet.
Then he glanced toward Shen's closed bedroom door and shook his head slightly.
"You're still too green at hiding things, Shen," he said softly. "A nobleman giving away three hundred pounds and talking with you about novels, especially when it was the first time you met, you say."
Arthur smiled faintly.
"I've dealt with my share of rich people and know how many nobles there are who are not so generous."
"Even if those types of nobles exist, they are rare and not from around here."
"And there's definitely more money somewhere besides those three hundred pounds."
"And this story of how you encountered and helped a nobleman, and he gave you three hundred pounds or more," he said. "That excuse has many mistakes, no matter how you look at it."
He leaned back in his chair.
"I don't know how you got it," he murmured. "But I trust you, Shen."
Then he returned to his paperwork.
Inside his room, Shen turned slightly in his sleep, blissfully unaware that Arthur had already seen through his lie.