"Howard, speaking of invitations, I also received one," Allen continued. "Well, to be precise, I actually received it a long time ago, but I didn't find out about its existence until today."
"Who gave it to you?" Howard was a little curious.
Allen didn't answer immediately.
Under Howard's gaze, he took off the silver and blue "Plane Pioneer" medal on his chest, which symbolized the stars and the sea, turned it over to the back, and then pulled out a fingernail-sized piece from the gap.
pieces of paper.
Howard looked closer and saw this line of writing on the piece of paper:
"Sunday night, eight o'clock, Riverside Bar."
"Who gave it to you?" Howard frowned slightly and asked.
Allen smiled and replied: "Of course, whoever gave you the badge is who gave you the piece of paper."
"Her Majesty the Queen?"
Howard was a little surprised. In his understanding, Queen Margaret, as the head of state, is naturally aloof and obeyed by everyone. Whoever she wants to see can just give orders directly to let them into the palace? Why use such a hidden method?
How to deliver messages?
"You can't believe it." Allen stuffed the piece of paper into his pocket and answered Howard's question. "You have to understand that the royal family today is not the royal family hundreds of years ago. They had a cabinet in front of them and a church in the back.
, may not live as comfortably as ordinary magicians like us."
Howard was silent.
He spent his entire youth studying diligently, just to enter the upper class society of Braden Kingdom as his family expected, and to make the people around him live a better life.
But he obviously did not expect that under the shining golden shell of the upper class, there was a complex and dangerous undercurrent hidden, and that he was so close to Allen and himself.
"Of course, don't worry," Allen seemed to notice the change in expression on Howard's face. Allen stood up from the sofa and patted his shoulder, "Just learn magic. I'm here, but it's not your turn."
Worry about these things."
Howard shook his head helplessly. He had long been accustomed to Allen's attitude, so he decisively changed the subject:
"Alan, what are your plans this weekend?"
"This weekend..." Allen paused for a moment and said with a helpless smile on his face, "To be honest, I haven't had a weekend since I started learning prophecy from Mr. Merlins."
"Come on." Howard glanced at him sympathetically.
"What about you?"
"Alan, I was just going to tell you," Howard replied, "I want to take a leave this weekend to go home and see my family. Since I sent home last month's allowance,
My mother was planning to resign from the textile factory and also mentioned moving. She said she wanted to rent an apartment with a balcony and a bathroom in the upstream part of the city. That had been her dream all along."
"Congratulations!" Allen smiled and congratulated, "I think your mother will be very proud of having a son like you!
"It's just that you only told me the news now, so I don't even have time to prepare any gifts."
"There's no need for gifts," Howard said firmly, "I don't want to owe you any more meals."
Allen smiled and said nothing.
…………
In this way, in the evening of that day, Howard arrived at the train station in Lund City, the capital of the Braden Kingdom, as planned.
This time coincides with the sunset.
The blood-red sun hung in the sky, dyeing the gauze-like clouds red and the thick smoke emitted by the steam train.
Howard stood in front of the ticket booth and hesitated for a moment.
When the conductor asked him, "Do you want to buy a first-class seat, a second-class seat, or a third-class carriage?" he almost bought a third-class ticket out of habit.
But at this moment, he suddenly remembered what Allen once said, "As a magician, you must have the dignity of a magician, but you must never treat yourself badly for a few shillings."
So he thought about it and decided to buy a second-class ticket.
Although the second-class seats are not as luxurious and comfortable as the first-class seats, compared with the third-class carriages that don’t even have seats, they can at least allow him to rest and recuperate.
This forced him to reluctantly admit that he had been staying in the Mage Tower during the recent period, eating well, sleeping well, and being subtly influenced by Allen's ideas. He had become less able to endure hardships than before.
In the past he could stand in the third-class carriage all day without saying a word.
But now, whenever he thought of the crowded environment of the third-class carriage, and the smell of food, lunch, and sweat that filled the carriage, Howard would feel fear from the bottom of his heart.
…………
After waiting at the station for about half an hour, Howard boarded the train carrying his light suitcase.
Second-class seats are different from first-class seats in that there are no soundproof boxes.
Because of this, the cry of the child in front, the quarrel of the couple behind, the shouts of the conductor checking tickets, plus the collision of the steam train wheels and the rails, lingered in Howard's ears.
But Howard's face remained as calm as ever.
He opened his suitcase, took out the "Spell Modeling" borrowed from Allen, and began to read it attentively, blocking out the distracting noise around him.
Time passes quickly.
The bloody setting sun converged its bright brilliance and gradually sank below the horizon. At the same time, the kerosene lamps on both sides of the railway track gradually lit up, shining with a warm yellow halo like stars falling to the ground.
Howard's vision also became dim.
He had to recite the "illumination" spell in order to see the writing on the book clearly.
However, at this moment, a voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Sorry to interrupt you. Is there anyone across from you?"
The speaker was a young man with red hair.
He is young, has handsome features, wears a white shirt and gray vest, and has a white rose on his chest, which gives him a quiet and elegant temperament.
"There's no one around, so just sit down and sit down!" Howard replied politely.
The red-haired young man smiled and sat directly opposite him.
"Which station are you sitting at?" he asked.
"Alexandria," Howard replied, "what about you?"
"What a coincidence, so am I," the red-haired young man took out a ticket and waved it in front of Howard, with a playful smile on his face, "We happen to be going the same way!"
"Indeed, what a coincidence!" Howard replied awkwardly but politely.
He has never been good at talking, neither looking for topics nor talking to others. Especially when facing strangers, he is often at a loss.
Because of this, Allen often commented on him, "With a character like yours, you will be alone for the rest of your life."
Fortunately, the red-haired young man was a talkative person, and the awkward silence was quickly ended.
"You looked so focused just now. What book were you reading? Can you recommend it to me?"
""Spell Modeling"."
""Spell Modeling"...are you a magician?"
"A first-level magician. Not worth mentioning."
"Don't be too modest," the red-haired young man said with a smile. "In the Kingdom of Braden, there are only a few magic apprentices, and there is even less formal magicians. You must know that the person I admire most is just
A first-level magician."
"Are you also a fan of Alan York?" Howard asked in surprise. The word "fan" was something Alan taught him.
"A fan... I guess he is," the red-haired young man thought for a moment and replied, "From your tone, it sounds like you know him?"
"I'm his roommate." Howard replied.
…………
ps: Thank you for the 100 reward from _Leng Shen, Bubble E Summer, and book friend 160627211526410!