Chapter Eighteen Familiar People

  The Copper Crown tavern was slightly brighter near noon, the light piercing through the gloom, and there were many more people inside than when Lucien had come in the morning last time. The bard's singing voice, talking voices, and loud discussions mixed together, making it noisy and boisterous.

  Lucien noticed that there were quite a few strangers wearing leather armor, or exuding a fierce aura, and even some stunningly beautiful women, who seemed to be mercenaries and adventurers.

  With difficulty, Lucien squeezed through the crowded masses and finally reached the front of the bar.

  "Hey, guest, want one?" Korn said, drinking his beer without even lifting his head.

  Lucien chuckled and said, "Uncle Korn, it's me."

  "Uh, Lucien, what happened to you?" Korn's beard quivered as he took in Lucien's bruised face. "Wait a minute, Jackson from Aaron's gang came looking for you this morning. You didn't mess with those thugs, did you, kid?"

  Lucien didn't want to say more: "Well, it's settled then, Uncle Koen. I'd like to know which scholars are teaching the script?"

  "You, have you collected five silver nails? You didn't rob those thugs, did you?" Koen was even more astonished, his gaze at Lucien as if he were looking at an unknown creature.

  Lucien thought to himself that it was indeed a robbery, but he couldn't say so, and instead made some vague excuses, mentioning that in the end it was Joel's family who lent him the money to make up for it.

  Quin took a big swig of ale and exclaimed, "Lucien, you and John are finally men, with hot blood and glory in your veins!"

  "But you and Joel's family should be careful, although as long as John is still Viscount's knight attendant, they won't dare to retaliate directly, but privately, there will always be guys who like to take risks and gamble." Korn warned Lucien again.

  Lucien nodded solemnly: "We will be careful."

  Kane pulled out a piece of white paper, on which were drawn strange patterns that looked like a child's scribbles: "Hehe, I'm illiterate, but I can still draw some symbols for myself."

  Then he would be willing to recite the names of scholars who were willing to teach texts, their addresses and study times one by one, and let Lucien choose for himself.

  Lucien listened attentively, comparing one by one, and suddenly heard a familiar name: "Victor? Musician Mr. Victor?"

  Kane looked at Lucien strangely: "Yeah, you know Mr. Victor?"

  "I met him at the musicians' association last time, but isn't Mr. Viktor having a concert at the Philharmonic Hall in more than three months? Does he have time to teach lyrics?" Lucien thought maybe Cohen was mistaken.

  Koen burst out laughing: "That's exactly why Mr. Viktor teaches writing."

  It's not easy to hold a concert in the Philharmonic Hall, you need to get an invitation from the Board of the Musical Society or Their Majesties, or Princess Natasha. And since there is only one concert per week at the Philharmonic Hall, unless you are one of those ten famous musicians, everyone else has to wait for a long time. Mr. Viktor received the invitation half a year ago and in preparation for this concert, he turned down all other performances, including an invitation from the Syracuse Court, so his income became very small, it is said that he relied solely on his savings.

  Lucien seemed to understand the reason: "But since Mr. Viktor attaches so much importance to the concert in the Salle des Psaumes, why waste time teaching texts?" It could have been borrowed to get through.

  "I'm not sure, I heard that the closer to the music festival, Mr. Viktor's pressure is getting bigger, you also know that musicians are always very sensitive, if they don't find something else to do, maybe Mr. Viktor will be driven crazy by this music festival! Gurgle." Korn took a sip of his beer.

  Lucien thought for a moment and compared to other scholars, he had met Viktor before and felt that his character and demeanor were not bad: "Well, then I'll go find Mr. Viktor to study."

  …………

  Gisou District, named after the great musician Gisou who invented the violin, is home to most of Alto's musicians and instrumentalists. The scenery is beautiful and quiet, clean and tidy.

  Tall and dense trees similar to willows line both sides of the street, sunlight filtering through the leaves onto the ground, forming patches of bright golden light that contrast with the surrounding shadows in a rhythm of light and darkness.

  Lucien walked under the trees according to the address given by Korn, and after getting lost several times, he finally found 12 Snieuwstraat in Ghent.

  Inside the dark green walls is a two-story small building, covered with green vines, exuding an ancient and quiet atmosphere. If everything goes smoothly, in the next two months, every Monday to Friday from 2 pm to 4 pm, Lucien will undergo life-changing learning here.

  Lucien knocked gently on the large door, and soon a servant came over. Through the iron gate with bars, he looked Lucien up and down, slightly furrowing his brow: "May I ask who you are looking for?"

  Lucien said bluntly, "Learning literacy for a month costs five silver nails. Pay first and then learn. Are you ready?"

  Lucien was no longer bothered by such a degree of discrimination. Now, nothing was more important than learning the script himself. He took out his purse and poured out several silver nails in his hand: "Of course."

  The middle-aged servant stared at the silver Nall in Lucien's palm with a look of utter disbelief, unable to believe his eyes. A guy dressed so shabbily could casually pull out five silver Nalls? As a servant for this kind of musician, he only made ten silver Nalls a month, and after deducting family expenses, it was already good if he could save one silver Nall each month.

  He opened the large door while warily eyeing Lucien: "Mr. Viktor is a well-known musician in Alto, and familiar with the municipal officials." Apparently suspecting that Lucien had acquired his wealth through abnormal channels.

  Lucien smiled and didn't answer, following the gaudily dressed servant through the courtyard to a two-story building, watching as he quietly opened the brown wooden door with his hands and feet and went in to report.

  After a few minutes, the servant came out and whispered: "Follow me in, and then directly hand over the silver Nal to the butler Ais in the hall."

  The hall is spacious, with a low-key dark yellow carpet, and near the amber tea table, brown sofa, small round table and other furniture are placed, while in the distance there is a long strip of tables that seem to be dining tables.

  Perhaps because there were many people coming to study, Viktor taught texts and did not choose a study room, but was right in the hall.

  On the sofa and on a red wooden chair, five boys and three girls were sitting separately. They all looked young, ranging in age from 13 or 14 to around 20 years old.

  In front of them, on the tea table or small round table, there were feather pens, paper and other objects. From time to time, they seriously copied something, while more often, they whispered pronunciation, recited words or hummed tunes.

  From their attire, Lucien could clearly tell that among the five of them, two men and one woman were dressed in clothes that although clean, seemed to be worn out but made an effort to look presentable. The other three men and two women wore clothes that regardless of whether they were old or new, looked expensive.

  Lucien guessed that they were ordinary members of a noble family who could not inherit the title and most of the property, nor could they stimulate their blood power. They didn't have extra money to hire a special home teacher, so they could only find scholars to study with. In Altor, becoming an elegant musician was a great choice.

  This private tutoring made it impossible for everyone to progress at the same pace, so Viktor, wearing a red jacket, would sometimes speak in front of one student and then whisper something in another's ear.

  Lucien glanced around the hall and saw a butler standing near the door, dressed in a black uniform, with a solemn expression. His hair was flecked with white, his face lined with wrinkles, and he looked quite old, yet he stood there with his back straight as a rod, not a single wrinkle out of place.

  "Hello, are you Mr. Ace?" Lucien walked over quietly and asked in a low voice.

  The butler nodded: "Yes, I am Ace. May I know your name and what you are currently studying?"

  "It's an honor, I'm Lucien Evans. Never had any formal education." Lucien replied quietly as he handed over the five silver Nals to Ace.

  Butler Ais took in Lucien, looked at him slightly strangely, wearing such shabby clothes, and obviously from the slums, where young people were generally rough and rude. He didn't expect that the Lucien in front of him, although he didn't understand what etiquette was, was at least very polite and mature, which was beyond his expectation.

  He walked lightly to the center of the hall, whispered a few words in Viktor's ear, Viktor turned his head to look at Lucien, then nodded kindly to him and pointed to an empty single sofa, indicating that Lucien should sit there, while Ace went upstairs.

  At this time, the five men and three women, eight young people who were concentrating on their studies in the hall, finally noticed that a new learner had arrived, and they all looked up curiously at Lucien by the door.

  Black hair and eyes, with a clear and deep facial features, can be considered to have a good appearance, but wearing a linen short jacket, same color trousers and ordinary flat shoes, although clean and tidy, cannot hide the poverty and poor living environment.

  "This beggar actually wants to learn how to read and write?"

  This was the first thought that rose in their minds, and they couldn't help but reveal a strange and surprised emotion on their faces, never expecting that the new companion would be a poor young boy.

  Then, the five young men and women who might have come from noble families quickly covered their faces with coldness, bowed their heads, and continued their studies. The two men and one woman who seemed to be commoners, however, kept staring at Lucien until he sat down on a single sofa, with curiosity and puzzlement in their eyes.

  Among them, a seventeen or eighteen-year-old ordinary boy with black hair and eyes next to Lucien subconsciously shifted to the side, as if Lucien's body emitted an invisible stench.

  Lucien didn't have a sensitive heart made of glass, but rather seemed very mature due to his experiences, so he just found it amusing, shook his head, and placed the stack of white paper and a feather pen that he had specially spent copper coins on in front of him on the small round table, quietly waiting for Viktor to come over.

  After maybe five minutes, Viktor took a black hardcover book from Ace's hand and walked to Lucien's side, placing it on the small round table. He then said in a low voice, "This is 'General Phonetics and Elementary Grammar', just right for your level as a beginner. Alright, open the first chapter of the first page, I'll teach you the pronunciation of the thirty-two letters."