Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 53 - 50 Kevin’s Ingenious Ideas

Lyle, like a heliophobe, stayed inside his house until noon, during which he fed himself grapes once, choosing the most succulent vegetable he could find. He couldn’t stop praising the freshness of the ingredients.

Since he didn’t feel hungry, naturally, he didn’t think of eating. If he could maintain this state on a regular basis, he imagined he could save a lot of money.

After long hours of studying, Emo script now etched deeper in his memory, Lyle was like he’d been injected with two ounces of sedative. Even his face felt numb, unable to express any emotions, hence fear was nonexistent.

The involuntary trembling of his body finally ceased.

Knock knock knock!

Footsteps approached, someone pounded on Lyle’s door vigorously, shaking the dust off the threshold.

"Lyle, your patron has arrived!"

Kevin’s voice was loud and melodious, but also noisy. Lyle didn’t have neighbors with such booming voices; it almost sounded like Yule’s, beckoning him to open the door for his hefty patron.

That ever-compliant golden hair shone with sunlight as he leaned against the door frame, his moneybag at his feet, striking a dashing pose with a harmless and pure smile on his lips.

Lyle felt somewhat regretful that his door swung inwards rather than outwards, otherwise it would have smacked right into the lofty nose of this pretentious Mr.

Lyle’s Plague Doctor disguise apparently gave him a bit of a surprise.

"Are you still conducting medical research? Aren’t you already a peace officer?"

Lyle didn’t intend to tell Kevin about his odd condition; he could imagine the kind of conversation that might ensue.

"Hey! Kevin, your poverty-stricken friend’s got an egg for a head now."

"Cool, Lyle, maybe we could try hatching it. Perhaps a golden chicken would pop out to solve your financial woes."

Well, that would be a jest. Kevin always put his concern first, but concern alone didn’t solve problems.

"Aren’t you going to invite me in? After all, I’ve carried your money all the way here." Kevin kept spouting playful words, "Thirsty for a cup of water."

"If you really did carry it all the way, I would indeed be grateful," Lyle glanced at the knight behind Kevin, taking care of Kevin’s horse. Lyle picked up the moneybag, "I would thank that gentleman and the hardworking horse instead." Despite saying so, Lyle still opened the door wide for Kevin.

Kevin didn’t stand on ceremony, striding over to sit on the sole chair in Lyle’s home, rubbing his new leather boots. "These new shoes are chafing a bit."

Although it sounded like bragging, Kevin was just thoughtlessly complaining because when he truly wanted to boast, he’d be much more blatant about it.

Lyle stuffed the moneybag inside a cabinet, but still chose to courteously pour Kevin a glass of tap water.

"Is this water boiled? Is it drinkable?" Lyle had experienced drinking boiled water at the school. To make his actions look logical, he had written a report on sterilization, doing his part as a time traveler to accelerate societal progress.

"Drink it if you like, don’t if you begrudge it." The environment was less contaminated now, young people had stronger immunities, and water wasn’t deadly. Was boiling water free of charge? What’s wrong with drinking cool water in the heat?

Kevin only half-heartedly groused; frankly, he wasn’t all that fussy himself. He watched Lyle, showing no sign of wanting to take off his bird beak mask.

"That mask, doesn’t it make you feel suffocated?"

"It’s manageable."

"You haven’t really been chewed on by a dog, have you?"

"Huh?"

"At a tea party this morning, just some idle chatter with the young gentry, they said some peace officer got half his butt chewed off by a dog while out on duty, now he’s on sick leave recovering. Considering you also happen to be a peace officer currently on leave, I thought maybe you were the victim."

"No, it wasn’t me."

"I thought as much. Saw you with all limbs attached yesterday, nothing odd about you. And here you are, all dressed up and too shy to show your face—what happened last night?"

"...Secret."

Kevin glanced at Lyle, deciding not to dwell, "Alright then, take a look at this, see if it’s any use to you."

Kevin pulled out a few golden vouchers from inside his coat and spread them out on Lyle’s table.

"What are these?" Lyle sifted through his memory, sure he wasn’t familiar with them.

"Atonement Vouchers, from the church. Want them?"

Atonement Vouchers, also known as Absolution Talismans, were a unique phenomenon of the Medieval era. The Church’s doctrine propagated that humanity’s progenitors, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God’s will and tasted the forbidden fruit, thus beginning their fall from grace—this was Original Sin. As their descendants, humanity was born sinful. By following the Church, engaging in religious activities, or going on a pilgrimage to the Roman Church, God would forgive your sins. For the capitalists reluctant to travel, the Church offered another option: paying a sum to receive a Spell, which is the Atonement Voucher, serving as evidence of your sinlessness, akin to the peace charms and Evil-Repelling Talismans drawn by half-deity Taoists, a sort of placebo.

In historical reality, that’s what they were for, but in this fantasy world, the Atonement Vouchers had some additional uses.

A one-time use of divine light? Of course, you had to exchange it at the Church.

Lyle began to consider the feasibility, whether his condition could be solved with divine light.

The answer was no. If the Church saw his current state, it was uncertain whether they’d choose judgment or burn him at the stake directly. He would then become just like a cooked egg. Mr. Raymond might be able to help, but there was no need for these useless vouchers to seek Raymond’s assistance.

"No need for them, Kevin. Thanks for your kind gesture, but I don’t need them. I’ll recover in a few days."

"Is that so?" Kevin didn’t pursue the matter and pocketed the Gold Vouchers again, a voucher for treating injuries inflicted by a parent still came in handy for himself.

After some more idle talk about hunting spoils with Lyle, Kevin prepared to leave. Before going, he looked at Lyle, bundled up in his disguise, and sighed.

"Lyle, as a brother, hear my advice: money is important, but a man’s dignity and health are too."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know times are hard for you, but remember to restraint yourself. The nobility I know all have odd quirks to some degree; it’s definitely uncomfortable to be alone with them, don’t force yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Ah? Don’t play dumb anymore. I can guess your situation—a dalliance with some high-ranked noble crone to get by in Oliou, selling body and soul for her, playing some unhealthy little games in the dead of night, leaving marks on your body, now too ashamed to face people. Lyle, my boy, you need to learn some lessons."

"...Get lost!"