In the basement of the "Golden Rooster Hotel" there is a small bar that can only accommodate twenty or thirty people.
As soon as Lumian walked in, he saw a man jump onto a small round table, holding a beer, and said to the four or five guests around him:
"Ladies and gentlemen, listen to me, listen to me! I experienced an incredible thing the day before yesterday!"
With the light of a few steam lamps on the wall, Lumian found that the man was very young, only twenty-two or twenty-three years old, with short light brown hair, no beard, and a particularly rosy face that I don't know if it was because he had drunk alcohol.
He was wearing a linen shirt, black trousers, and strapless leather shoes, and was not short, just over 1.7 meters tall, but his arms and legs were surprisingly short, and he looked about the same as a person who was less than 1.6 meters tall.
At this time, he waved his short arms and spat and preached:
"How incredible is that? I tell you, it changed my view of faith, and as a believer in the 'God of Steam and Machinery', I am ready to convert to the 'Eternal Sun'!
"Listen, how amazing this is, isn't it?
"Can you imagine that I was hungry for five days before? I lost my job, was fired by that bastard manager, and didn't get a job until I ran out of savings.
"I was hungry for five days, I could only lie in bed, my whole body was very weak, I almost died, do you know how I feel when I am about to die? Oh, God bless you never to know.
"I was thinking, I can't die like this, I came to Trier to get rich, I had to do something, and then I saw the portrait of Saint-Viev on the wall.
"Yes, I struggled to get up, knelt on the ground, and prayed to St. Vieve for help, at that time, I was still a believer in the 'God of Steam and Machinery', but what could a starving person do? And, no matter what, it won't hurt!
"Just five minutes after I finished praying, a friend of mine came to visit me and found out that I was in a difficult situation, and he didn't have much money, but he reminded me that I had rented a kerosene lamp for the night, and the deposit was 35 coppes, a full 7 ricks!
"God, I forgot about it, and quickly asked my friend to help me return the kerosene lamp, and used the refunded deposit to buy bread, half a liter of bad wine, the bread was cold and wet, just like putty was sprinkled on it, the wine was a little sour, very light and light, but it was the most delicious meal I have ever had, ladies and gentlemen, I came back to life!
"I also found a new job today, and I will go to the nearest St. Vieve Church to light a candle tomorrow when I rest!"
St. Vieve is the only female angel mentioned in the canon of the Church of the Eternal Sun, one of the patron angels of the city of Trier - the other two belong to the "God of Steam and Machinery" church and the great figures in the history of Intis.
Lumian looked at the young man's small blue eyes brightened with excitement as he walked towards the bar.
The bartender, who was wiping the glass with a flannel cloth, raised his head, glanced at the "speaker" stepping on the round table, and laughed softly:
"Charlie really can't be quiet forever, he keeps talking."
The bartender was about thirty years old, with a dark brown beard on his mouth, but not thick, and his hair of the same color was tied into a ponytail with an artistic temperament.
Lumian sat down on a high stool and asked with a smile:
"Is he telling the truth?"
"Who knows?" The bartender shrugged, "You must have heard the saying: It is better to believe in a Lim than to believe in a snake. Charlie is a Lim man."
Lim and Leston are both southern, with similar accents, but closer to Lemberg, they are mountainous provinces.
Lumian said thoughtfully:
"This proverb should not be finished, I feel like there is more to come."
The bartender's blue eyes said with an obvious smile:
"You feel right, that proverb is longer than you think:
"It is better to believe in a Lim than to believe in a Rune, and it is better to believe in a Lim than to believe in a snake, but never trust the islanders"
The archipelago refers to the Misty Sea Islands west of Intis, one of the overseas colonies of the Republic, and the islanders often play roles such as thugs and fraudsters in Trier.
Without waiting for Lumian to ask again, the bartender glanced at Charlie, who was still talking endlessly, with a mocking gaze, and said in a low voice:
"If that was what he really experienced, then he certainly didn't know that the portrait of Saint-Vieve was not posted in his room at all."
"Whose is that?" Lumian asked amusedly.
The bartender struggled to contain his laughter:
"Charlie lives in room 504, and the last tenant often went to City Wall Street in the Red Princess District, and the room was posted in the room by one of Trier's most famous prostitutes, Suzanne. Matisse.
"Think about it, think about it, Charlie thought he was praying for angel help, but he was actually praying to a prostitute, and he felt that he had changed his luck because of this, got rid of hunger, and got a new job, what an ironic thing!"
"Yes." Lumian strongly agreed.
This is a bridge that he can't make up, and the reality is sometimes more outrageous than the story.
He then added:
"It's good if it's useful."
The bartender didn't talk any more and asked:
"What do you need?"
"A glass of anise vermouth." Lumian tapped his fingers on the bar, indicating that he was thinking, "What do you have to eat here?"
"How about Divar broth? 3 ricks a big spoon." The bartender made a suggestion.
3 ricks is 15 coppes, 0.15 Felkin.
Lumian showed an attitude of interest:
"What is Divar broth?"
The bartender explained casually:
"It was invented by Dival, the owner of a restaurant, who cooked meat, sauerkraut, turnips, etc. together into a thick soup, and finally sprinkled with cheese and breadcrumbs, just one serving can fill you up, and it tastes quite good, so Dival is now a rich man and moved to the opera district."
The Honest Market District, also known as the Market District, is located on the south bank of the Serenzo River and has a large number of slum streets, while the Opera District is on the north bank of the Serenzo River, close to the boulevard district, one of the core of the Republic.
- There are twenty districts within the walls of Trier.
"Sounds good." Lumian smiled and nodded, "Then get one."
Although by six in the morning he was able to get back in shape and not worry about hunger, eating was one of the few things that made him feel alive.
The bartender nodded and asked instead:
"'Little Mummy' or 'Somersault'?"
"What?" Lumian did not hide his confusion.
The bartender was unaware of the surprise and said calmly:
"This is a common slang word for Trier bars, cafes, and beer houses, 'little mummy' refers to a small serving of anise vermouth, 'somersault' is a double portion, 'red tomato' is absinthe with pomegranate juice, mint is 'parrot', and many others are similar.
"Friend, you still have a lot to learn in Trier."
"Then it's the 'little mummy'." Lumian could feel that the bartender had hidden discrimination against foreigners, but he didn't care.
"7 ricks." The bartender opened the small goblet and quoted the price.
This is more expensive than absinthe from the old tavern in the village of Kordoo, but it is normal in places where there is a city tax.
Not long after, Lumian had another glass of pale green vermouth with a psychedelic brilliance.
He picked it up and took a sip gently, feeling the faint but timeless bitterness in the refreshing taste permeating and penetrating into his brain.
While waiting for the waitress to bring Dival broth, Lumian looked around and found glass jars, hoses, valves, gears and other items piled up on the side of the bar.
"This is?" He looked at the bartender with inquiring eyes.
The bartender replied casually while wiping the cup:
"A tenant left behind before, he was a believer in the 'God of Steam and Machinery', and he always felt that he had a talent for mechanics and saved a lot of similar things."
"What about him now?" Although Lumian guessed that the ending would not be good, he still asked quite cooperatively.
The bartender was silent for two seconds and said:
"I went to the factory, saying that I was distracted while doing things, and I was caught in the machine, and half of the people were shattered."
Lumian didn't ask any more questions, looked sideways at the pile of half-assembled parts, and fell into thought.
A few seconds later, he left the high stool, squatted on the side of the bar, and pounded the pile of things.
The bartender glanced at him and didn't stop him, just reminding him when the Divar broth was brought from the kitchen.
After a while, Lumian sat back on a high stool and tasted the thick soup with a spoon.
The rich aroma of meat, the taste of cheese, the refreshing taste of sauerkraut, and the sweetness of turnips combine to create an unforgettable and beautiful taste, and the juicy breadcrumbs are the most precious jewel in the crown of this food.
What Lumian didn't expect was that there were several pieces of meat in a plate of 3 ricks of thick soup, which could really fill an adult.
When the plate was clean, Lumian took out a handkerchief, wiped his mouth, and squatted back next to the pile of half-assembled parts, continuing his busy work just now.
Ten minutes later, he placed a machine on the bar.
The machine has a glass jar above and a complex part below that connects two rubber hoses.
Lumian immediately asked for a glass of water, poured the remaining ouzo into it, and dyed the transparent colorless liquid pale green.
Finally, he inserted one of the rubber hoses into the cup.
The bartender, who was wearing a ponytail and had a very artistic temperament, looked at it carefully and asked suspiciously:
"What is this?"
"This is my invention." Lumian drew a triangular emblem on his chest, "I am also a believer in the 'God of Steam and Machinery' and have made many achievements in the field of machinery."
Immediately afterwards, he stretched out his left palm wearing black gloves and pointed to the machine:
"It is an epoch-making machine, and its role is beyond your imagination!"
"What can it do?" Charlie, who was suspected of praying to a prostitute, walked to the bar with a beer bottle on his face, looking curious.
Lumian said seriously and excitedly:
"It's called a fool's meter, which can test a person's stupidity, and similarly, it can also test intelligence."
"Really?" Charlie and the bartender's faces were full of disbelief.
Lumian explained in detail:
"It's simple to use, blow into this tube until the liquid in the cup rises into the glass jar and forms bubbles.
"By observing the bubbles, we can obtain the corresponding stupidity index or intelligence index."
After glancing at Lumian a few times, Charlie said eagerly:
"It's amazing, worthy of being a believer in the 'God of Steam and Machinery'."
He immediately picked up the exposed rubber hose and began to blow.
After the linkage of gear valves and other parts, the light green liquid in the cup was sucked into the machine and rose to the glass jar above, forming a small bubble.
"What kind of conclusion does this mean?" Charlie asked expectantly.
The corners of Lumian's mouth curled up little by little, revealing a bright smile:
"My friend, the principle of this machine is just as simple:
"If you believe me and really use this machine to blow out a bubble, it proves that you are a 'stupid bubbling idiot'."
Charlie's expression instantly froze, and his eyes became quite angry.
The bartender next to him laughed.
"Great prank!" He praised from the bottom of his heart.
Lumian looked at Charlie with a smile, waiting for his outburst.
After a few seconds, Charlie actually put away his anger, walked towards the few guests who had listened to him before, and said loudly:
"Ladies and gentlemen, look what I found? An epoch-making machine! Can test your intelligence!"
ps: The first is to ask for a monthly pass~
(End of this chapter)