Chapter 34: The Foreigner

Silas watched Evan's excited state, feeling gratified yet saying with a strange expression, "Evan, don't get too excited. I was just talking casually just now, making things up."

Evan's eyes sparkled with divine light. "Although you spoke unintentionally and casually, you gave me crucial inspiration. I think I've already discovered a way to improve it. You guys eat first; I need to think this through. If I miss such important inspiration, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

Silas grinned, his face full of happiness.

Evan drew an important sketch, then came over to eat. After finishing his meal, he left in a hurry.

Betty said with a cheerful smile, "Sorry about that! Next time, come to my place, and I'll treat you to a big meal!"

After seeing the two off.

Ada asked, "I'm going to work at the library this afternoon. Do you have any plans?"

The money of both of them had bottomed out, so Ada had found a part-time job.

Silas felt a pang of sympathy upon hearing this and quickly said, "I'll also try to find some part-time work this afternoon."

Ada counted on her fingers. "It'll be the Pale Moon Festival soon. You need to save some money to buy some new clothes for the festival banquet, and also purchase some meat to prepare festival food. Otherwise, wearing your everyday suit will get you secretly laughed at by the neighbors."

"We can't afford ready-made clothes, but we can buy fabric first. I recently saw a new type of fabric, a blend of cotton and linen; it's not expensive. I can just wear my Church robe. For your clothes, about 1 Crown should be enough. Then we can find Mrs. Gilsay on Hawthorn Alley to make them. I've already negotiated the tailoring fee; 40 Bits will suffice."

"The food will be more expensive. We're out of spices at home. It's winter now, and although meat prices have dropped a bit, spices have become very expensive. We need to prepare enough food for two people for two days, which will probably cost about two Crowns. The house also needs some decoration…"

Hearing Ada's calculations, Silas realized their financial situation was much worse than he had imagined because he had forgotten about the Pale Moon Festival.

This was a major annual festival, held on January 1st each year. It was similar to Earth's Spring Festival, with comparable customs: wearing new clothes, eating good food, and festive decorations, which, while lively, were also quite costly.

Silas then said, "You don't have to work too hard. I've been performing very well recently; I might even be able to get an advance on a month's salary. That should be enough for our festival expenses."

"Silas, you should also start saving some money for yourself. Otherwise, if you meet a girl you like in the future, you won't even be able to afford flowers," Ada said directly.

"..."

After tidying up, Ada put on her coat and left in a hurry.

Silas didn't stay idle either. He changed into his somewhat old black suit and bowler hat, took his cane, and went out.

"I can now use the Priest's second skill, Mantra of Serenity. This should help some people stabilize their minds. I should be able to find some work with it too!" Silas thought, heading along Pearl Street from the police station towards the talent market near the city center.

Walking along the wide street, Silas looked at the buildings on either side. His pace was slow, his eyes taking in the surroundings with appreciation.

"I've been in this world for so long, yet I haven't slowed down to take a good look at what it's like," Silas sighed, looking at the faint wisps of smoke in the sky.

Passing a street corner, Silas heard the sound of an argument.

Turning his head, he saw a young man in a black overcoat, carrying a suitcase, arguing with a bakery owner.

Unfortunately, due to the language barrier, the two were red-faced with contention.

"Is that Alliance Tongue? Is he from the Allied Cantons?" Silas was somewhat surprised.

The Allied Cantons Empire was one of the three major empires, located in the southwest of the continent, separated from the Belant Empire in the northeast by dozens of duchies.

However, the two countries had a good relationship because the state religion of the Allied Cantons Empire was the Nighthawk Church.

The Nighthawk Church was the origin of all Demon Hunters worldwide and, like the Church of Holy Blood, was a branch that had separated from Cabbaltos Academy.

Seeing the two on the verge of fighting, Silas, being a semi-policeman himself, quickly stepped forward and said in Alliance Tongue, "Sir, please don't misunderstand. He's not refusing to pay you; he just doesn't have change at the moment. He hopes you can wait a moment while he goes next door to get some smaller denominations."

The young man in the greatcoat was stunned upon hearing this. As if seeing a savior, he said gratefully, "Thank the Goddesses! Kind and benevolent sir, please help me translate."

The portly bakery owner looked at Silas and then said with surprise, "Priest Sotos?"

Silas smiled and nodded. "It's me, Mr. Parker."

This bakery owner, Parker, had a reasonably good relationship with Silas.

A few days ago, when Silas was inspecting this street, he had also inspected Parker's bakery. At that time, Parker's young daughter had been frightened, and Silas had used the Mantra of Serenity to help the little girl.

Parker had been very grateful and had invited him to eat some soft white bread slathered with cream.

Silas, who had been very hungry at the time, felt he had tasted the most delicious food since arriving in this world.

"Mr. Parker, please go get the change first. I know some Alliance Tongue; I'll help you keep him calm," Silas said with a smile.

Parker was instantly grateful upon hearing this, clutched the money, and ran next door.

The misunderstanding between the two was simple. The young man had a 10-Crown note to buy bread. Perhaps he was too hungry, so he started eating as soon as he received the bread.

Parker couldn't make change and was about to leave to get some. Due to the language barrier, a misunderstanding arose. And since the bread had already been eaten, a refund wasn't possible, leading to a standoff.

The young man removed his gloves and said, "Hello, sir. My name is Bart Phil. I am a merchant from the Allied Cantons Empire."

Silas extended his hand. "Silas Sotos, a trainee Priest."

Bart said with an admiring expression, "You are truly erudite, to speak such fluent Alliance Tongue."

Silas smiled. "I majored in philosophy in university. I am very interested in the Tripartite Spiritual Philosophy of the Doranon Empire, the Fourth Dynasty of the Allied Cantons, so I studied it on my own for a long time."

Bart listened with an expression of admiration. "Your erudition and kindness will be blessed by the Goddesses."

At that moment, Mr. Parker returned with a handful of banknotes and handed them to Bart.

After counting, Bart bowed apologetically to Parker.

"He is apologizing to you," Silas said.

Parker laughed and waved his hand. "It's alright, just a misunderstanding."

After the misunderstanding was resolved, Silas looked at him and said, "When doing business abroad, not knowing the language can be a very significant problem."

Bart took off his hat and scratched his head. "My teacher often warned me about this. Actually, I originally had a partner who was very fluent in Belantish, but due to some circumstances, we got separated."

Silas laughed upon hearing this. "If you trust me, I can be your temporary translator. You just need to pay me some reasonable remuneration. How about it?"

Bart carefully sized up Silas after hearing this. When his gaze fell upon the goddess pendant on Silas's chest, he smiled. "That would truly be my greatest fortune, Mr. Sotos."