Chapter 738 - Life of a Tycoon
“Please wait a moment. Would you like coffee or tea?” Baylin asked warmly.
Klein laughed and replied, “I enjoyed coffee when I was younger, the rich and fragrant kind, but now, I prefer black tea.”
“I prefer black tea as well. Then… a cup of marquis black tea?” Baylin suggested with a smile.
The coffee and tea provided to guests at the City Family Servant Assistance Association were ordinary in quality, ranging from low- to medium-quality. Marquis black tea was tea that Baylin had brought from home for her own enjoyment.
Klein wasn’t a simpleton, and he was great at observing. Just as he walked into the door, he would take in everything about his surroundings without anyone noticing. He discovered that the coffee and tea container placed in the display case were very ordinary, and he believed that the quality was definitely lacking. Therefore, he believed that marquis black tea was likely reserved by the association for VIPs, or it belonged to the lady before him. Regardless, it expressed how sincere she was.
He didn’t expose her as he smiled.
“Thank you, you leave me unable to reject your suggestion.
“How may I address you, ma’am?”
“Baylin, just call me Baylin,” Baylin said with a smile which resembled a blooming flower.
She immediately briskly walked inside, and she selected suitable candidates from her colleague. Then, she returned to the reception counter, picked up a tin container, and skillfully brewed a cup of black tea.
Sigh, with a good-looking face and a good disposition while being dressed in a way that speaks volumes of my status, I can still sense the friendliness from a beautiful girl even though I’m middle-aged… Klein was having such an experience for the first time as he couldn’t help but sigh.
This made him further understand the importance of the Faceless principle of ultimately “being yourself.”
If he didn’t keep this in mind and lost himself to the benefits brought about by his appearance, he would keep maintaining the corresponding appearance, resulting in him forgetting or even rejecting his former self, and he would gradually lose his identity!
Soon, Baylin carried a white gold-rimmed porcelain teacup and placed it in front of Dwayne Dantès. She said with a smile, “It still needs some time to cool down.”
Klein looked down at the cup, and he said half-jokingly, “Perfect, this gives me the time to adjust my mood to more formally face this cup of black tea.”
His compliments and gratitude made Baylin feel even better. She found him a true gentleman, one who knew his way with words.
He’s definitely not a believer of the Lord of Storms… Baylin combed her slightly curly brown hair, and she returned to the room to hurry her colleague.
Before long, she came over with a stack of documents and sat on the single-seater beside him.
“After the screening, we have three suitable butlers. I’ll briefly introduce them to you.
“The first person is Mr. Asnia, age 55. He once served Viscount Yorkville, but after this viscount had a failed mining prospect investment, his family fell into a particular financial situation, and he had to sell its land and manors while terminating many of its servants. In the past decade, he was hired by two tycoons, and he has contributed significantly to the management of their households.”
As she spoke, Baylin’s brown eyes sparkled like two stars hid in them. She exuded the unique vibes of a teenage girl.
Klein nodded slightly and said, “Then why did he leave the two tycoons?”
Baylin replied with a smile, “The first tycoon invested greatly in East Balam, and his whole family had moved there. Mr. Asnia wasn’t willing to leave Backlund, so he offered to resign. The second tycoon’s health isn’t too good, and he had handed the family business to his son who has a butler he trusts more.
“Mr. Asnia is a believer of the Evernight Goddess, and his political inclinations is with the Conservative Party. He expects an annual salary of 130 pounds.”
“May Goddess bless him.” Klein tapped four spots in a clockwise manner on his chest, forming the sign of the crimson moon.
Baylin’s eyes lit up as she asked, “Mr. Dantès, are you a believer of the Goddess?”
“Of course.” Klein nodded with a smile without explaining further.
It’s no wonder he’s so gentle! Baylin praised inwardly as she continued introducing, “Mr. Rebach, age 48. He once served the Negan family, and he was the deputy butler for a long period of time, as well as an assistant to the butler. Later, after a transaction, he became Baron Syndras’s butler.
“Shortly after Duke Negan was assassinated, Mr. Rebach, whose contract came to an end, didn’t receive a new contract from the baron, so he had no choice but to seek our help.
“He’s not a staunch believer of the Lord of Storms, and his personality is without problems. His political inclination is with the Conservative Party. He expects an annual salary of 120 pounds.”
Klein listened silently, nodding from time to time as a response, but he didn’t cut off Baylin’s description.
Baylin flipped through the documents and took a few glances and spoke again.
“The third person is Mr. Walter, age 42. He had been the land steward and assistant butler at Viscount Conrad’s household. Due to certain matters, he had a conflict with the butler, and he chose to leave. He expects an annual salary of 115 pounds.
“He’s a believer of the Evernight Goddess, and his political inclination is with the New Party.”
Oravi Island’s new governor-general is a member of Viscount Conrad’s family. This family pledges loyalty to the royal family… The relevant information quickly flashed through Klein’s mind.
After the introduction, Baylin handed over the stack of documents.
“Mr. Dantès, who do you wish to choose?”
Klein fell silent for a few seconds before saying with a smile, “Let’s do this. Let the three of them come to where I live tomorrow at 9 a.m. I’ll meet them and have a chat with them to make the final decision.”
He knew that such associations didn’t provide lodging, and it was purely an agency. Even if he made the selection right there and then, he still had to wait until the afternoon or tomorrow to see his butler. Therefore, he decided to have a small interview to select the person that matched his intentions the best.
“No problem,” Baylin said with a smile. “May I know your address?”
Klein sipped the black tea, picked up a pen and paper from the table, and wrote down the location and name of the hotel he was staying in.
“You just came to Backlund?” Baylin blurted out a question when she saw it.
Only then did she realize that Mr. Dwayne Dantès’s skin was slightly darker than normal. It was slightly bronze-colored, seemingly a result of tanning. It gave him quite a rugged flavor.
Yes, he doesn’t have a Backlund accent… Baylin slowly recalled more details.
Klein smiled.
“I came from Desi Bay. I’m waiting for an excellent butler to help me seek out a suitable house and servants.”
After handing over a 3-pound deposit, he politely drank another sip of black tea and got up to bid farewell.
Baylin sent him all the way out of the door and watched him board the carriage.
Mr. Dantès also seems to be a tycoon… Compared to that, his bearing and gentlemanliness are even more charming… Baylin stood in her spot as she casually thought.
On the carriage, Klein half-closed his eyes as he leaned against the wall, and he couldn’t help but calculate the subsequent expenditures awaiting him.
The butler will cost around 120 pounds. Taking into account the average cost, a valet will cost 35 pounds, a chef 30 pounds, a gardener 25 pounds, a carriage driver 25 pounds, a nursery governess 20 pounds, three ordinary lady’s maid 15 pounds, and three maidservants 10 pounds. This way, just the servants alone would cost 330 pounds a year. It’s equivalent to 6 pounds 7 soli a week. This already exceeds my salary back in Tingen.
Furthermore, I’ll need to have a carriage which costs about 100 pounds. I need a garden and house, and the weekly rental fee is about 2 pounds. With all the food, clothes, and charcoal expenditure for all these people, the overall cost is ridiculous.
Is this the life of a tycoon…
Klein suddenly felt a little regret over choosing such a persona.
He exhaled as he tried hard to ignore the matter. He took a carriage to Phelps Street in North Borough.
There was a pure-black cathedral here, with a clock tower on each side, producing a symmetrical beauty. This was none other than the headquarters of the Backlund diocese of the Church of the Evernight Goddess, Saint Samuel Cathedral.
Klein adjusted the handkerchief on his left pocket, held a gold-inlaid cane, and strode into the cathedral and walked down the quiet aisle. Under the sunlight which penetrated the colored glass panes, he came to the main prayer hall.
It was very dark, making one’s mood automatically turn peaceful. Klein casually found a spot, leaned his cane, and took off his hat. He then closed his eyes and prayed.
Time passed, and after listening to the preaching, he slowly got up, walked to the altar, and bowed at the bishop with short, black hair. Then, he walked to the donation box by the side.
Exhaling silently, Klein took out two 10-pound notes, six 5-pound notes and stuffed it inside.
The bishop caught this sight through the corner of his eye as his expression couldn’t help but turn soft.
Typically, unless they specially solicited for donations or received donations from a deceased’s will, the cathedral’s donation box received tens of pounds at most.
This meant that the person was a tycoon, a rich person!