Chapter 1, Choice

He does not want to think about why such a paradoxical situation is occurring, because he would have died in two months due to a conspiracy deliberately disguised as an accidental death, and at this moment, his feelings of gratitude completely overshadow his sense of fear

Dengpus is thirty years old this year, a robust young man with a thick beard. Like most people in the slums of Zward City, he works as a steelworker at a nearby steel mill. If he wants to have dinner with Velak after work, he must first take a shower; otherwise, the fastidious Velak will unceremoniously refuse him entry.

If all of that is not a dream, then tonight, a group of horsemen arriving from the capital, Lezein, will seek him out and take him to Lezein to impersonate the deceased eldest son of the Thomas family, in order to resolve the crisis facing their consortium

Villac, whose mind was in disarray, casually replied: "I plan to reseal it during the break."

The layout of this palm-sized space is quite simple. To the left of the entrance, there is a long, narrow table with two high stools beside it. To the right, there is a combination bed that includes a desk and a wardrobe. Directly in front, against the window and occupying nearly half of the room, is a makeshift darkroom for developing photographs, tightly covered with opaque fabric.

Then... let's think about it again. Two thousand four hundred copper coins is not a small amount for them. Nord hesitated symbolically for a moment, took a sip of wine, and comforted himself, "Actually, the eight-person room is quite good; it only costs eight hundred copper coins a year. Aside from the poor living conditions, isn't everything I eat, drink, and wear quite decent?"

Villac held the newspaper but could not concentrate on reading its contents. With little time left, he had to make an important decision that would profoundly affect the latter half of his life before the Thomas family arrived, while he still had the opportunity to choose.

Upon hearing this, Velak, who had been silent until now, scoffed and interjected: "The economic journal published a set of data. Last year, the per capita annual income in Brelisi was 151 Kink, which is 15,100 Copper. You haven't even reached half of the average income, yet you still think you are living quite well?"

On Saturday, most workers in the Republic of Brelsey can leave work a few hours early. As the only leisure time of the week, Nord and Dempsey usually take this opportunity to have a meal and drink together in Velak's room, enjoying the rare chance to relax

He remembers the events of that night very clearly, so he easily estimates that in about four or five hours, the members of the Thomas family will come knocking on his door and half-forcefully take him to Lazein

Nord glanced at Velak, who was looking at the newspaper, and said, "Look at how you're living; it's making me want to rent a single room too"

Reimmersed in this long-forgotten harsh environment, Velak, with an exceptionally cold expression, showed no signs of emotion, merely gazing at the vast expanse of the dilapidated slum, his eyes flickering.

Today's dinner consists of rye baked pie and cabbage soup. The price is reasonable, totaling six copper coins for three servings

Hmm. Velak recalled the match between Nord and Dempsey two months later, slowly took the packed meal and placed it on the long table, and reminded, "Your boots are too dirty, covered in mud, just leave your shoes at the door."

Nord enthusiastically poured a glass of wine for Dempsey, and the three of them began to eat.

Villac, who has lived in the capital of Raizein for two months, is beginning to find this way of life unbearable—despite residing in the best conditions of the slums and engaging in one of the best occupations available in the impoverished area

Speaking of which, you belong to the high-income group here, and neither of us gets a free pass for taking photos..." Nord said with a grin.

In such a place, being a perfectionist is simply a fatal flaw, but I quite like it. Nord had long been accustomed to Velak's demands and neatly left his boots at the door. After walking in barefoot, he caught sight of the brightness from the window, "How did you open the window"

This feeling of nausea is even more intense when entering the water room

"It is said that way, but you cannot save it up." Dempsey snorted heavily, looking disdainful.

If I work diligently in the restaurant, I should be able to earn 6,000 copper coins in a year. If I save a bit, it will be enough to rent a single room to live in. Nord appeared to be calculating carefully, trying to make his idea seem more mature and feasible.

Today is July 15, 1433, Saturday. Saturday has always been his fixed day off each week during the years he has worked as a photographer. And July 15 is a day that changed his life.

He casually pushed open the window; the sky was overcast, and in the distance, the steel mill rumbled ominously, while the humid air was permeated with a nauseating stench

The narrow room was cramped with three tall men, instantly becoming even more crowded. Although it was difficult to even turn around, no one complained. This space, measuring only seven or eight square meters, had an annual rent of two thousand four hundred copper coins, which was equivalent to two-fifths of the annual income of a villager, making it the best living environment in the slums.

The incessant noise in my ears, the lingering stench of the corridor on my body, the cramped and rudimentary room, and a life where one can see the end at a glance

In the midst of the debate, Velak quietly took out six copper coins to settle the bill. Initially considering fleeing the slums to avoid being found by the Thomas family, he decided to stay here and wait for someone from the Thomas family to find him

He is well aware of Nord's extravagant spending habits, and it is a pipe dream to expect him to save up four hundred copper coins, let alone two thousand four hundred copper coins

Upon hearing these words, Velak was frozen in place

The newspaper serves as the only medium through which Velak understands the outside world

This is the most dangerous choice, and it is also the only choice he can make to change his monotonous life.

Oh. Nord, without raising any suspicion, sat at the table looking around, "Where is the wine I brought that day?"

"Look for it yourself." Velak sat at the desk, smoking a cigarette

Since Nord became a waiter at a restaurant in Zivord City, he has been bringing a few newspapers left by customers for him to read every day

Not long after, Dempsey also arrived

Dengpus was eating heartily: "Isn't that single room across from Velak still vacant? But can you afford to take out that much money?"

The slums certainly sell newspapers, but it is ultimately more cost-effective for Nord to obtain them for free. Moreover, the slums only have the Zivord Daily, while the city boasts well-known newspapers such as the Bressy Economic Journal, the Political Weekly, the World News, and the Western Times, which are on entirely different levels in terms of content.

At least it's not bad in our impoverished area. If you compare me to those wealthy people in the city, not to mention me, you are also far behind

As soon as he stepped out, he was met with the pervasive smells of smoke, alcohol, sweat, and vomit lingering in the corridor. The mingling of these odors was nauseating, and while Velak had always found it difficult to adapt, it was now even harder to accept

After the meal was nearly finished, Nord and Dempsey began to drink and discuss the recent events in the slums, while Velak took a basin to the washroom to freshen up

The light streamed in, bringing a glimmer of brightness to the room that Velak had not seen since becoming a photographer, having had no contact with sunlight since then

Before Velak could say anything, Dempsey interjected: "Come on, I can hardly take a photo once a year, unlike you who is so vain and always wants to take pictures. If Velak really gives you a free pass, I fear you might have to move back to a dormitory with eight people next month..."

After being in a daze for more than half an hour, Velak extinguished a cigarette, stood up from the desk, and walked into the makeshift darkroom built in the small room. Without worrying about whether the exposed film would be ruined, he directly tore open the opaque fabric used to block the window.

Incredible as it may seem, he indeed returned to two months ago

Enduring the foul smell after washing up, Velak hurriedly returned to the room holding the basin. Inside, Nord, who was already tipsy, was loudly arguing with Dempsey about who should pay for the dinner that totaled 6 copper coins.

When the Thomas family arrived, Nord and Dempsey happened to be present as well. Originally, the Thomas family intended to eliminate these two individuals, who held no value to them, to prevent any potential leaks of information. However, at the strong insistence of Velak, the two were taken to the capital, Lezein, and ultimately met their demise in that conspiracy.

Just as the names of the two individuals rose in his mind, a knock on the door suddenly sounded

Outside the door stood Nord, with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a meal, wearing a beige trench coat and grinning. He is four years younger than Velak, being only twenty-two this year: "Dempsey said he would go take a shower first and will come over after he finishes."

Everything that Velak possesses, which is envied and resented by others in the slums, can actually be seen at a glance as soon as one enters the door; it seems as if he can also glimpse the entirety of his future life from it

Nord got up, found a bottle of wine he had brought a few days ago from the partition, poured half a glass, and leisurely began to drink: "Why do you seem so troubled?"

Nord and Dempsey... the names of two friends surfaced in Velak's mind

Because the water room and the toilet are connected, the odors of vomit and excrement originate from here, making the smell in this area several times stronger than that in the corridor, almost reaching the limits of what humans can endure

"Oh, right, the newspaper." Just as they were about to have a meal, Nord suddenly remembered something and took out a few folded newspapers from his trench coat pocket, handing them to Velak

Villac moved the chair from in front of the desk, and the three of them had just enough space to sit.

Standing in front of the window, Velak came to his senses, turned around, and walked to the door to open it

Is that so? Nord held a wine glass in one hand, resting the other on the back of the chair, crossing his legs as he gazed at Velak's back.

You are overthinking it. Velak shook his head slightly, contemplating whether he should escape from here to avoid a tragedy from happening again