Divination

Jlius returned to the inn where he was staying, seeking a moment of rest.

As he lay on his bed, he let out a sigh. Surviving in this world was proving to be difficult. He needed strength—true strength—and devoted believers if he wished to wield the power of the Forbidden Throne. Yet, ever since joining the cathedral, he felt as if he had been thrown into chaos, unable to achieve what he truly desired.

What he had wanted was simple—to integrate into this world as an ordinary person, to avoid being entangled in mysteries and dangers while slowly uncovering his own abilities and the secrets of the Forbidden Throne. With that thought in mind, he began reviewing the memories of the real Julius, intending to live a normal life under this name.

That was when he found something—Julius had applied for a position as an assistant lecturer at Velun Academy, and the interview was scheduled soon. A great opportunity lay before him Without realizing it, he drifted into sleep.

As the first light of dawn seeped through the window, Julius awoke with renewed energy. His mind quickly returned to the looming interview—an obstacle he needed to overcome, a step toward securing that position.

Returning to his chair, he heard the faraway cathedral's bells chime again. It continued seven times before Julius slowly stood up. He went up front to the cupboard and took out his clothes.

A black vest with a matching suit, trousers that clung tightly to his legs, a halved top hat, and his faint scholarly air made Julius feel like he was watching an English drama set in the Victorian era.

He suddenly muttered softly as he shook his head with a wry smile, "I'm not going for an interview. All I'm doing is buying some ingredients to prepare for my luck enhancement ritual…"

Julius was so concerned about his impending interview that it became instinct. When he was not focused enough, he habitually wore his only decent set of clothing.

After taking a breath, Julius took off his suit and vest, switching to a brownish-yellow coat. He also changed to a felt hat with a rounded edge of the same color.

With his outfit done, he walked to the side of the bed and lifted a square cushion. He reached his hand into an inconspicuous hole beneath and rummaged around before finding an intermediate layer.

When he retracted his right hand, there was a roll of notes in his palm. There were about eight notes with faded dark green colors.

These were all the savings Elliot had at the moment. It even included the living expenses for the next three days. Two of them were five ardins notes and the remaining were one-ardin notes.

In the Azlan Kingdom's currency system, ardin was ranked second. It originated from ancient silver coins. One ardin was equivalent to twelve copper pence. They had denominations of one and five ardin.

At the top of the currency system was the gold sovereign. They were also paper-based but were guaranteed by gold and pegged directly. A gold sovereign was equivalent to twenty ardin. They had denominations of one, five, and ten gold sovereigns.

Julius spread a note and caught a whiff of the faint unique ink.

This was the smell of money.

Perhaps a result of his memory fragments or his constant desire for money, Julius felt like he had instantly fallen in love with these notes.

Behold, their designs are so beautiful. It makes the stern and old-fashioned King Edward III and his two mustaches appear especially adorable…

Behold, the watermark that can be seen when the note is placed against sunlight is so alluring. The exquisite design for the anti-counterfeit label makes it completely different from those fake fancy schlocks!

Julius admired it for nearly a minute before pulling out two one-ardin notes. He then rolled up the remaining notes and stuffed them back into the cushion's concealed layer.

After arranging and flattening the cloth around the hole, Julius folded the two notes he had taken out neatly and placed them into the left pocket of his brownish-yellow jacket. He separated the notes from the few pence he had in his trouser pocket.

With all of this done, he placed a key into his right pocket and brought a dark brownish paper bag along with him and quickly walked toward the door.

His shuffling footsteps slowed down from a brisk pace until it eventually stopped.

Julius stood by the door and was unsure when he had already begun to frown.

Cain's death was fraught with peculiarities. Would he encounter any 'accidents' if he were to leave just like that?

After some deep thought, Julius returned to his desk and pulled open the drawer. He then took out a dark, slender dagger. The blade seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it.

This was the only defensive weapon he could think of, and it was the only weapon with sufficient power!

Although he had never practiced using a dagger in combat, this was not an ordinary blade—it carried a hint of mystical power, a trait of his Shadow Watcher abilities.

He caressed the dagger's cold handle before carefully concealing it inside his pocket. He clasped the money in his palm as his fingers brushed over the dagger's hilt. It was perfectly hidden.

Feeling secure, he who knew a little of everything suddenly had a worry.

Would I end up cutting myself?

Being deluged with such a thought, Julius quickly thought of a solution. He adjusted the dagger's position, ensuring the sharp edge was facing away from him, before taking a deep breath.

After stuffing the dagger back into his pocket, Julius kept his left hand there.

He pressed down on his hat with his right hand and pulled open the door before leaving.

The corridor during the day remained dim as limited sunlight shone in from the window situated at the end of the corridor. Julius quickly went down the stairs and left the apartment before taking in the brilliance and warmth of the sun.

Although it was almost July, it was still considered the middle of summer. However, Velun was situated north of the Azlan Kingdom, so it had unique climate characteristics. The highest annual temperature was not even 30°C on Earth, with even cooler mornings.

After passing through the bustling streets, Julius arrived at Sylvia's Bakery.

The owner of the bakery was a seventy-plus-year-old woman named Sylvia Marlen. Her hair was completely grayish-white, and she always wore a genial smile. From the beginning of his memories, she had been here selling bread and pastries.

"Oh, dear Julius, where's Elliot? Is he not back?" Sylvia asked, smiling.

"In a few more days," answered Julius vaguely.

As Sylvia took the rye bread, she sighed. "He sure is a hardworking lad. He will have a good wife."

Upon saying this, the corners of her lips curled up as she said playfully, "All is good now. You have already graduated. You are a history graduate of our Vermont University—Oh, you will soon be able to earn money. You should not be staying in the apartment you are currently living in. At the very least, you should have a bathroom you can call your own."

If Julius were to successfully pass his interview and become a lecturer at Velun Academy, his family would immediately be pushed up to a higher socioeconomic status!

After finishing his errands, he walked through the Elmwood Plaza, where a makeshift carnival was taking place.

There were performers, clowns, and even a fortune-teller.

"Would you like to try a reading?" a woman's voice called out to him.

Julius turned his head and saw a woman wearing a pointed hat and a long black dress standing in front of a short tent.

Her face was smeared with red and yellow paint, and her eyes were a profound grayish-blue.

"No," Julius shook his head in response. He did not have the spare cash for fortune-telling.

The woman laughed and said, "My Oracle Reading is very accurate."

"Oracle Reading…" Julius was instantly dumbfounded.

This term… it felt strangely familiar.

And then, memories surfaced—fragments of knowledge about how this practice was introduced by Emperor Roswald decades ago, along with many other innovations…

Could he have been… another transmigrator?

Intrigued, Julius hesitated before nodding.

"If the… well… price is reasonable, I'll give it a try."

The woman immediately said with a laugh, "Sir, you are the first one here today, so it's on the house."