I loaded the Mysticism panel.

Chapter 176 Scholarship Must Keep Pace with the Times

The Red Elm Tree Restaurant is located in the old stone building at the end of the new street.

A sign hangs at the entrance, featuring a red elm leaf pattern, with a line of small characters coiled on the leaf stalk:

"Old Roads, Old Wines"

When the door to the private room opened, Sofia and Clara were whispering to each other.

Upon seeing Richard and his family enter, she exclaimed "Oh!" and headed towards the door to greet them.

"You've arrived!"

Isabella stood up from the table and beckoned to her sister, "Sit down."

The seating arrangement was quite natural: the aunt sat on one side with two students, and the mother sat opposite with two children.

After her mother sat down, she moved Evelyn's seat further inside.

"Sit over here with me, don't always hide behind your brother."

The little girl shrank back, but her mother could only shoo her to a corner.

Isabella spoke first:

"I looked at the menu and ordered a few things tonight."

Venison pie, roasted spring chicken, stewed lamb belly, cream of mushroom soup, and kale salad; dessert was lemon tarts and candied pears.

The mother nodded: "The venison pie is this restaurant's specialty. The old chef is sixty years old this year and he's still cooking."

Sofia secretly raised her hand from the other side of the long table.

"Teacher, I'd like to add a serving of fish and chips."

"You come to a proper restaurant to eat this? Are you a child?" Clara next to her retorted first.

"But I just love eating it... Professor, just this once."

"They always say that."

Isabella sighed, but nodded to the waitress who walked over and said, "Add a serving of fish and chips."

"Okay." The waitress wrote it down.

"Remember to fry the fish until it's well-done," Sofia added. "The skin should be crispy."

………………

When we were almost finished with the main course, the waitresses started clearing away the plates.

Isabella reached out and touched the leather handbag next to her chair leg, then untied it.

She took out a bundle wrapped in oil paper from the bag.

She carefully peeled back the oil paper, revealing a bunch of small white flowers inside, which had been pressed dry but were still intact.

"What is this?" The mother's gaze fell on the flowers.

I bought it at the Beijing Lantern Festival this year.

"You bought it?"

"That stall is still there." Isabella pushed the bouquet of flowers toward her sister.

"The old woman who sold flowers is over seventy years old now, but she still recognizes me."

The mother reached out and took the bunch of daisies.

"Isabella, it's clearly you who likes daisies the most."

She looked up and glanced at her younger sister.

"...It's been like this since I was little. Whatever I like, I have to like too."

"Sister, you don't like daisies?"

"I like what you like, of course I like it too," the mother replied irritably, placing the bouquet of flowers on the edge of the table.

Isabella then took a small tin box from her leather handbag.

She handed the tin box to her niece.

"For me?"

"Um."

Inside the tin box is a set of silver baking tools: a small spatula, a fine-nozzle funnel, and a metal nozzle for a piping bag.

"This is……?"

"Small kits from 'Ludvis Steel Fixtures Shop'".

Isabella explained, "This is a 200-year-old shop that has been in the business for a long time. This set is their beginner-level product, designed for teenagers who are just starting to learn baking."

Evelyn's eyes widened, and she picked up the scraper and twirled it under the light.

The scraper handle is engraved with a line of small words—EW (Evelyn Williams).

"You even engraved my name on it?"

"The craftsmen who run workshops must have their own names on their tools," Isabella complimented her naturally.

Evelyn put the scraper back into the tin box.

"Thank you, Auntie, I like it very much."

Sofia couldn't hold back any longer either.

"I brought one too!"

She handed the first gift to Evelyn.

It was a small metal cylinder with a small pull ring at the other end.

"Kaleidoscope," Sofia introduced herself first.

"The latest model from the toy store uses cut glass pieces inside, and it has three times more patterns than a regular kaleidoscope."

Evelyn held the kaleidoscope up to her eyes.

She pulled the small ring at the end.

"Wow!"

The glass plate inside the cylinder rotates, and layer upon layer of colorful patterns unfold within the lens.

The gift given to Richard was even more unusual—it was a camera.

"This is Colton's latest portable camera."

Sofia handed over the camera: "It's the most popular gadget among young people in Beijing these past two years."

Richard took it.

I've only ever seen this kind of thing in museums and vintage shops in my past life.

"Use film rolls?"

"Yes, a roll of Colton 120 film can take eight photos, and several photo studios in Briston accept Colton 120 for developing."

Richard turned the camera over.

The fuselage weighs less than a pound and is inconspicuous when hidden in the inner pocket of a suit.

The inspiration did not receive any etheric fluctuations; it is a purely modern craft.

However, the handicrafts themselves have considerable practical value.

As times progress, sometimes when there's no time to copy things down, taking a picture can save a lot of trouble.

"Senior Sophia," he said, feeling the camera was getting a little too hot to handle, "this gift is a bit too expensive."

"It's alright," Sophia said frankly. "It was taken from the research funding allocated by my advisor, so it's basically spending your aunt's money."

"...Using my money to curry favor with my nephew?" Isabella's eyelids twitched upon hearing this.

There was nothing Richard could do but thank both of them.

Clara then pulled out a small cloth bag.

Evelyn.

She first took out a palm-sized glass bottle from the cloth bag.

"For you."

Evelyn took the bottle with both hands.

It was a small hexagonal bottle, adorned with a silver leaf, with a label on the bottle: Violet and First Pear - Maiden's Dew.

"Is it perfume?"

"Yes." Clara nodded.

"Most perfumes sold on the market use synthetic fragrances, which have a strong smell and become pungent after wearing them for half a day."

This bottle uses violet hydrosol and the green peel of early this year's pears, so the fragrance will be relatively mild.

"The way it's used is also different from the cologne for adults."

"Unscrew the bottle cap and gently dab it onto the small area behind your ear where the fine hairs are."

"For a child your age, the scent should only be noticeable when someone hugs you, and that's just right."

Evelyn held the small silver leaf between her fingers and twirled it around; she had never received anything so delicate before.

"...Thank you, Clara."

"We're all on the same side, no need to be so polite."

Next, Clara took out a small ebony box from her cloth bag.

"This is for you too."

Richard reached out and took it.

The box lid was lifted, revealing a dark green velvet lining.

The velvet was divided into two sections.

On the left shelf, six small biscuits were neatly arranged;

On the right side of the shelf, there lies a shallow brass dish.

"Is this incense?"

"Mm." Clara nodded.

"Scholars often sit at their desks for most of the day, and after a while, they become exhausted."

She extended her index finger and pointed to the sesame seed cake on the left.

"This incense has a calming and sleep-inducing effect."

Richard picked up one of the sesame cakes and could smell its bitter, resinous aroma.

Clara explained:

"The base is frankincense, with benzoin and a little bit of herbs added inside."

This is what's burned at the entrances of fire temples and those ancient churches.

Richard gently closed the lid of the box.

"Thank you, senior."

"You're welcome."

Clara's gaze returned to the cup of black tea in front of her.

Of all the people at the table, she was the quietest.

When the dessert was served, the mother patted her daughter's head.

"Evelyn, finish your dessert and come back with me. Your brother and aunt have important business to attend to."

"What important matter is it?"

"...You wouldn't understand academic matters."

Evelyn pouted, but she knew her mother was telling the truth.

………………

The hostel corridor is not long.

Isabella walked ahead, with Richard half a step behind her.

The oak door at the end of the corridor has a sign that reads "3-A".

Richard had been mentally preparing a list since the morning.

My aunt needs to see the Sphinx lamp in person, the disposal of the sun seal and the Sophie incense burner needs to be decided, and the ownership of the bronze ornaments also needs to be discussed; these are the important matters.

But he also wanted to take this opportunity to ask some more important questions.

"Auntie," he said.

"Um?"

"I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

"Speak up, just tell me what information you need, don't be polite with me." Isabella didn't stop walking.

Upon hearing this, Richard began counting as he walked:

Do you have any text encryption practice materials here?

Or an extended comparative table of Gaelic, liturgical, and later Alexandrian variants.

As he reported this, he thought of the information he was currently most concerned about.

"And..." he thought for a moment, "If there are any introductory materials related to double copying, I'd like to take a look."

Isabella turned to the side and twirled the bunch of brass keys between her fingers.

"Introductory materials on double copying?"

"Um."

"Didn't your mentor tell you how troublesome this kind of thing is?"

"I did mention it," Richard answered honestly.

"But he also said that learning encryption is a basic skill."

Isabella switched the key to her other hand.

"It's not a bad thing," she repeated his words. "It's quite rare."

She walked back toward room 3-A.

"I'll write this down first," she said as she walked. "I'll organize it in the next couple of days and then give you all the information later."

Richard nodded.

When he reached the door of 3-A, he belatedly realized what was happening.

Organize, organize what?

He glanced at his aunt's suitcase twice along the way.

The box wasn't big, and it could only hold a limited amount of things.

A change of clothes, a work notebook, a few pens, some personal belongings... it probably won't fit a bundle of books or a file folder.

Richard couldn't help but speak up:

"Auntie, you didn't bring those documents with you when you left, did you?"

Isabella reached into her pocket for her keys.

"Of course I didn't bring it."

As she answered, she inserted the key into the lock.

"According to the list you just gave, it would take up two large suitcases if all of it were packed in."

I'm here on a business trip, not moving."

Richard stood behind her.

The key turned in the lock, and the door popped open a crack.

"Then why...?"

Isabella pushed open the door and went in first.

She took off her coat and sat down at the desk.

"Richard, scholarship must keep pace with the times."

"The Royal Telegraph Office set up dedicated lines between the capital and six major cities two years ago."

She twirled the pen in her hand:

"Currently, it is not widely used by civilians, but Imperial University and several other universities can use the academic dedicated line."

She pointed to a corner of the room where an old-fashioned telephone stood, which Richard hadn't paid much attention to when he came in.

Behind the telephone was another device he didn't quite recognize.

The whole machine looked like a hybrid of a telegraph machine and a typewriter, but much bulkier than both.

"They've even installed it in a small place like Briston?" Richard's gaze lingered on the machine.

"Bristol certainly doesn't."

Isabella walked around to the side of the machine and bent down to look at the markings on the roller.

"I made a call in advance and had one temporarily transferred from Manchester."

She straightened up: "In our line of work, there is a huge amount of cross-regional information flow."

A field report needs to be signed, stamped, and transmitted between three cities; without such a document, waiting for the package would take until next month.

Richard walked around to the side of the machine and reached out to touch the metal casing.

The outer shell is warm, while the inside is working.

The principle is...

"You don't need to understand the principles," Isabella interrupted him. "Anyway, you're not studying engineering."

"..."

"Just know this." She put the pen back in her pocket.

"I make a phone call from here to tell the students in the archives what they need."

They laid the materials out on the machine at one end, and a few hours later, a copy would be spinning out on the rollers on this side.

Richard walked around the machine for a while.

A thick roll of special paper with an extremely fine mesh was placed on the side of the roller.

On the small shelf next to it, there were more than a dozen used metal pen nibs, each of which was wiped very clean.

He originally thought that he would have his aunt come from the capital to compile a systematic set of information for him.

It will take at least a month before I can send the package, after she finishes this business trip and returns to the capital.

As a result, the other party only needed to make one phone call, and the copy was delivered to them two days later.

I never imagined that my aunt, who is from the electrical age, would remind me to keep up with the times. I was born in the Internet age in my previous life.

Isabella reached out and pressed the bell.

The inn's waiter quickly brought a pot of hot tea and two teacups.

"Have something to drink first."

She picked up the teapot and poured half a cup into each of the two cups.

"What you're about to see requires you to calm down before you do so."