The Master of the Strange Realm

Chapter 580 Chapter 569 Great Era (Part 1)

Jenkins copied Tadpole Script in the morning and practiced a somewhat difficult ritual. He spent the whole afternoon checking the account book. Dad sat in front of the fireplace reading all day, and only left for a while at lunch. Chocolate lay on the soft cushion on the counter without moving for a whole day. Even at lunch, Jenkins placed a small plate in front of it.

Because he had to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the street lights in the evening, Jenkins left the antique shop some time in advance. After returning to the church to change clothes, he set off with other clergy who were also participating in the event.

But before leaving, Miss Befanna handed him Bishop Palod's ring.

"Isn't this... against the rules?"

This iron alloy ring has been used since the establishment of the Nolan Diocese. Since it is only one step away from becoming a real divine item, the surface is extremely smooth and rust-free. Generally speaking, Bishop Palod will not let others touch it.

"This is the decision of the diocese. You are attending the event on behalf of the bishop, so it is necessary to bring some items that symbolize power."

The opening ceremony of the first street lamp in Norland City was naturally held at the entrance of the City Hall. The City Hall is located in a block near the Central Civic Square and the clock tower. If you look down from the top of the clock tower on a clear day, you will find that the location of the City Hall happens to be at the largest bend of the Westminster River that winds through the city.

But the City Hall is located on high ground. Even in the most dangerous rainy season, when the river hits the city, this is the safest place.

It is already evening, and the fog is still so thick today. Only a few faint rays of sunset can break through the clouds and shine on the ground.

Directly opposite the City Hall building is a three-story stone brick building. The first floor is a shop, and the higher floors and attics are rented out as apartments. More than ten cables were pulled out from the eaves of the City Hall and connected to the bottom of the third-floor windows of the opposite building. Beautiful colorful flags were hung on the cables, flying in the wind.

In front of the City Hall is a stone brick road. The snow from last month has not completely melted, so the road looks wet. Gentlemen in formal suits and ladies in beautiful dresses have gathered there. Plainclothes policemen are patrolling on both sides of the street, and a large number of carriages are parked at the intersection.

Citizens are also allowed to attend the ceremony, but they can only stand outside the cordon and watch from a distance. Even so, more and more people come to join in the fun.

As the night gradually falls, the noise becomes louder and louder, and those "important people" who come to participate in the event always come late at the last minute.

Miss Michael stood with other noble ladies, listening to the people around them excitedly discussing whether there are handsome men in the crowd watching the ceremony. But on the surface, everyone behaves very ladylike, which makes it difficult for others to connect the content of the conversation with these things.

Not all women are like this, it can only be said that the trend of this era is like this, and cosmetics and silk scarves are also fluttering with the times. And most people know that those young men must also be discussing the opposite sex here.

Hathaway was not eligible to be invited to such an event, so Miss Michael could only chat with other friends, and somehow she thought of Jenkins, who was not very good at talking.

There was a loud noise at the intersection on the left, and then the citizens who came to watch automatically made way for a wide path. After a while, the carriage with the holy emblem of the sage slowly drove out from the crowd.

The coachman driving the carriage was a good driver, and the church's horses were also very docile, so the carriage passed through the crowd without causing a commotion.

The gentlemen and ladies at the door of the city hall were immediately attracted by what happened here. The mayor had not come yet, so the deputy mayor Mr. Pence led everyone over.

The motorcade slowly stopped on the left side of the city hall. After the door opened, the priests and priests in robes walked down first. The carriage in the center of the motorcade was the largest. Generally speaking, Bishop Palod of the Sage Church would appear from here.

"Have you heard?"

Miss Michael heard her friends whispering:

"Mr. Jenkins Williams has also been invited to participate in this event. Do you think he will follow Bishop Parod?"

"Jenkins will come."

Miss Michael said to herself in her heart that Hathaway mentioned this matter on the way back from Carfax Field last night.

Thinking of this, she subconsciously wanted to tiptoe through the crowd and look in the direction of the carriage, but the pair of sequined high heels on her feet were obviously not suitable for such a move.

At least before the dinner this Saturday, she was determined to find time to thank Jenkins in person. When she was in her teens, she first came into contact with court novels from the maid, and she understood what the "knight saves the beauty" plot was. What happened last night touched her heart a little, but it was definitely not a good feeling like love. The sooner she thanked Jenkins, the sooner she could get rid of that strange feeling, at least that's what she thought.

The old priest who led the Sage Church shook hands with Mr. Pence briefly, and then the two of them whispered a few words. People could clearly see the surprise on Mr. Pence's face.

He finally nodded, straightened his clothes, and walked with everyone to the largest carriage.

The door of the carriage was opened, and a nervous young man walked down with an exaggerated ring.

The whisper-like conversation immediately spread among the crowd.

"Blaine, that's Mr. William, right? He seems to be wearing..."

The surprise also made Miss Michael unable to tell which friend was asking the question, but she was sure that the one who was talking to Mr. Burns with a shy smile was Jenkins, whom she had just met this morning.

Being able to appear in such an occasion wearing the ring of authority representing the identity of a bishop has a profound meaning in itself. No matter what the purpose of the Sage Church's move is, after today, no one will regard Jenkins William as a young man with a promising future - he has reached a position that people look up to.

The chirping voices of women sounded chaotically in their ears. Compared with the boring ceremony, the appearance of a young and powerful man is something worth their excitement.

"Blaine, I think you should know Mr. William's address!"

I don't know who said this, and the annoying whispers around Miss Michael became even more annoying.

PS: The plot of a hero saving a beautiful woman and then developing feelings for her is too old-fashioned, I won't use it.

Chapter 581 Chapter 570 Great Era (Part 2)

Mayor Saxe Ruto appeared later than Jenkins and others. Before today, Jenkins had only seen him in newspapers, and this gentleman actually had no outstanding features.

He was fat and tall, and his neck seemed to be nonexistent. He wore a black silk hat on his head, a particularly eye-catching red bow tie, and a neatly folded handkerchief stuffed on his chest.

The lamp that was honored to be lit by the mayor was located on the left side of the city hall. Like all the other street lamps on the road, it was covered with a large piece of white cloth.

After the mayor appeared, the men waiting by the street lamp pulled down the cloth together, and the black street lamp pole and the street lamp covered with lampshade appeared in people's eyes.

Jenkins stood with Mr. Saxe Ruto under the portico of the City Hall. He could see a line of cursive small characters engraved slightly above the street lamp, about the same level as the vision of a man of average height - [Time is like water, knowledge is like a song].

This is one of the most widely circulated sentences in the religious classics of the [Church of Knowledge and Books], praising learning knowledge to make people's life more meaningful. It is very appropriate to engrave it here.

"Ladies and gentlemen, citizens, please be quiet. I am your mayor Saxe Ruto. Today, on behalf of the Ministry of Finance of the Kingdom, the City Hall of Nolan City, and the Citizens' Self-Government Committee, I would like to announce to you that the first street lamp in Nolan City will be lit soon, and our city will become the third city in the country with street lights!"

The idle people cheered and the gentlemen and ladies nearby also applauded softly.

"Of course, we also want to thank the private merchants and the Orthodox Church for their generous sponsorship. I can't let them give speeches one by one, but at least we have invited the bishop of the Sage Church... a representative. Now please let Mr. Jenkins Williamette say a few words!"

No one told Jenkins in advance that he would speak, so when he was surrounded and walked to the center of the steps in front of the City Hall, he didn't even understand what was going on.

It is definitely inappropriate to have a cat on your shoulder on this occasion. Chocolate lay on the carriage at the corner of the street, showing a gloating expression.

"Okay, I'm Jenkins Williamette. Bishop Palod was unable to attend today's event due to something, so he entrusted me to come here on his behalf."

This is what you have to say, just organize the language casually, but the next step depends on yourself.

After a very appropriate pause, looking around at the people standing at the bottom of the steps, he continued:

"The Sage Church contributes 63% to the city's street lights..."

This points out the contribution of the church. The mayor didn't say this in his speech just now, and he put the church behind the merchants in the word order.

"We are not for profit but for charity. The progress of the times gave birth to the steam industry, and the progress of the steam industry gave birth to various appliances that facilitate the lives of citizens. I personally have always believed that the progress of the times, the world and the individual is unified. The progress of the three complements each other and drives each other, rather than proceeding independently."

Jenkins himself did not know what he was talking about, and most of the audience thought so. A few people thought this statement was very interesting, and very few people thought that the young man who was giving the speech had mastered the essence of empty words and clichés.

"Yes, I have a dream! From the city of Nolan on the west coast of the continent to the border thorn town in the middle of Nolan, from Luden Port on the south coast to the L'Obida Mountains in the northernmost part of the kingdom, every house and every street can enjoy light in the deepest night!

I have a dream! Men and women, old people and children, the poor and the rich, can all bathe in the light of the steam industry equally under the moonlight!

I have a dream..."

Jenkins was talking nonsense with the words he had put together casually, while secretly looking at the audience standing below. Whenever someone made eye contact with him, Jenkins would smile and nod, which did not disrupt the logic of his speech at all, because even he himself did not know what would come out of his mouth before he opened his mouth.

He quickly found Miss Michael, who was standing relatively far back, and smiled and nodded out of politeness. Miss Michael didn't say anything yet, and the girls standing around her waved to Jenkins quickly.

"...Do I know them?"

Fortunately, he was giving a speech, so he didn't have time to say what he was thinking.

After a brief five-minute speech, the crowd erupted in astonishing cheers and applause. The mayor's face looked a little ugly, but he still hugged Jenkins enthusiastically and announced with him that the ribbon-cutting ceremony would begin immediately.

For safety reasons, when turning on gas street lights, you need to open the control valve buried deep underground, the main control gate at the street entrance and the special pipeline valve of the gas company at the same time. However, the city hall seemed to think that asking the mayor to turn a knob would not show the solemnity of the event, so it prepared a ladder for the mayor to climb up and turn on the bulb of the street lamp.

This was the most interesting part of this evening's event, and even Jenkins began to wonder maliciously whether the ladder could bear the mayor's weight.

"Is what I said okay?"

While everyone was crowding under the streetlight, Jenkins said hello to the old priest who was following him.

"Very well, very well, Mr. Willamette."

The old priest patted Jenkins on the shoulder with a kind smile on his face:

"It's really good. This is not a lie. Bishop Parrod has always told me that you are a very smart young man. It is indeed true. It is very good! Now is a great era of change, and there is a shortage of smart young people like you. People. Very nice!”

He nodded again:

"There is nothing wrong with Bishop Parrod's vision. No matter how the carriage of the times moves, people with a broad vision will always control the direction of progress, while others will be passive and obedient. Mr. Willamt, it is really good, Sorry, I can't find a better way to describe it."

While the crowd was moving to watch Mr. Mayor climb the ladder, Jenkins walked around the crowd and found Miss Michael standing downstairs across the street with her arms folded.

Her friends saw Jenkins coming and greeted him warmly. When they heard that he wanted to talk to Miss Michael alone, they made room for the two of them with light laughter.

"I don't have much time. I have to go back soon, so our conversation may go faster."

Standing under the eaves of the store, Jenkins spoke urgently and quickly. Miss Michael nodded immediately, ready to hear what Jenkins said about important things.

Chapter 582 Chapter 571 The Great Era (Part 2)

"It's like this. I'm going to be a guest at your house on Saturday. What should I bring? I asked my father if I could bring an expensive bottle of red wine. He said that I wanted to find out the specific preferences of the dinner host."

"For this?"

Miss Mihail watched as Jenkins spoke and looked back at the mayor who was climbing the escalator. She guessed that the man was worried that the crowd would come back later and would not be able to rush back to the door of the city hall in time.

"Father and mother have no special hobbies. I think red wine is enough."

"Okay, thanks! Then we'll see you on Saturday!"

With a simple nod, she turned around and ran back with her hat in her hand. Miss Mihail couldn't even say the prepared words of thanks.

"He's always like that."

I thought to myself, feeling amused that I finally had a familiar male friend.

The ladder in the city hall finally withstood the mayor's weight. When he climbed up the ladder with difficulty to install the light bulb in his pocket and then stepped back, the ladder only made a frightening "squeak" sound. .

A few minutes later, the gas company staff waiting for orders at the intersection opened the main control valve for the entire street. The two rows of streetlight poles on both sides of the road suddenly lit up and then suddenly went out. Before the crowd could scream, from east to west on the road, dim yellow lights were emitted from one lampshade after another.

They illuminated the face of the mayor, illuminated the face of Jenkins, illuminated the faces of the gentlemen and ladies at the door of the city hall, and also illuminated the faces of ordinary citizens blocked by the police cordon.

As if a bomb exploded on this street, the cheers that broke through the sky suddenly sounded and echoed in this world of darkness and light. Colorful flags flew above people's heads, and balloons were released into the cold sky. Even if the darkness never passes, wisdom will light up the faintest fire.

"We are witnessing an era."

Jenkins whispered to the old priest beside him, he was very emotional now. But the old priest didn't speak. When he turned around to look again, he found that the old man's eyes were full of tears.

As the mayor announced the official opening of street lights in Nolan City, other streets that have installed street light poles also turned on street lights tonight. Although today's gas lamps still have shortcomings such as weak light, unstable light and the risk of explosion, this is really a moment worthy of being written into history.

Although Jenkins, who came to this era, knew about the progress of steam power, it was at that moment that he truly realized the power from mortals.

"Mortal...wait a minute, I seem to have heard Miss Bevanna mention that the source of the steam revolution is the oracle of the great righteous god [The Craftsman]?"

But no matter what, Jenkins, who was filled with great shock and joy, was cheerful all the way back to the church, and even ate more at dinner. Chocolate looked at him with some concern. It was worried about Jenkins' weight.

Seeing that Jenkins asked for another bowl of soup, Chocolate took the initiative to come over and push the bowl to the side with his paw.

"What are you doing?"

"Meow~"

Cat raised his face to look at Jenkins.

Until dinner was over, Jenkins couldn't figure out what his cat was thinking. Jenkins only worries about Chocolate's weight, while Chocolate is always thinking about strange things. This is probably the biggest difference between humans and cats.

The middle of December can already be regarded as the depth of winter, so the number of people who can still come to take night classes at night has begun to decrease. This is a normal thing. Pastor Roberts, who is in charge of management, told Jenkins that this was the case in previous years.

Since last week, a girl named Feeney Faithful has also appeared in class. In fact, quite a few of these children taken in by the church would come to sit in on the evening classes. They had received education from the church, and they also understood the value of knowledge. Even if this era is unfair, at least gaining more knowledge - legal knowledge is quite beneficial to a person's life.

When Jenkins was writing multiplication tables with chalk on the blackboard, the people sitting below were still somewhat energetic. But when he announced that he could take a ten-minute break halfway through the class, the entire large classroom became extremely dull.

It's probably because a snowstorm is coming, and it feels a little stuffy even indoors. Jenkins was determined to change this situation, so when the second half of the course was about to begin, he did not continue the simple multiplication instructions. Instead, he held the podium and said to the somewhat sparse "students":

"Maybe some people wonder why we need to learn such complicated multiplication."

He noticed that he had managed to attract the attention of some of the people who were about to fall asleep, which was a good start.

"It's not surprising. I thought the same thing when I was young, I mean when my mind was immature. The most complicated arithmetic that some of you have been exposed to may be the annoying penny, first But that doesn’t mean there’s no benefit in learning more complex mathematics.”

Jenkins tapped his fingers on the blackboard with a smile on his face. Now, except for the two or three people sitting in the back row and his cat, all the creatures in the audience were looking at him.

"We don't mention that learning mathematics can develop people's logic and thinking. This is an obvious thing. Let's talk about our lives. In fact, all aspects of life contain mathematical principles, but people tend to ignore them. ,for example......"

Take a piece of chalk and draw a circle in the air to attract the audience's attention.

"I think everyone will buy fresh vegetables, although this is not easy in winter. If the price of some potatoes is..."