Fantasy Writers 1860

"As the first bidder, I'm willing to offer 10 gold pounds. Is there anyone willing to offer a higher price?"

"15 gold pounds."

"21 gold pounds."

"22 pounds 10 Ducati".

The gentlemen and ladies in the hall began to bid in turn, and the prices kept rising, making the atmosphere more and more lively.

Alia looked at Evelyn in the corner, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"30 gold pounds."

As soon as Aliya finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

The price should have been around 24 gold pounds, since while the Shun Kingdom vase is indeed exquisitely crafted, there were quite a few knowledgeable people present who could see its true value.

Although everyone is here to participate in a charity auction, and the proceeds will be donated to an orphanage (in theory), having the intention to support charity does not mean that Chun Chun is here to be taken advantage of.

Why is Mrs. Spencer's daughter suddenly involved in the bidding? And why is she bidding so high right from the start?

Does she really like this vase that much?

"32 gold pounds." Soon someone realized they couldn't let the atmosphere cool down, so they gritted their teeth and continued to bid a little higher.

"40 gold pounds." Alia said with a faint smile.

"40 gold pounds each time, any more bids?" The old woman on the stage began to count down. "40 gold pounds twice, 40 gold pounds three times... Sold! Thank you, Miss Alia, for your contribution to charity!"

……

After the auction, the main events of the day will be over, and guests may choose whether or not to leave.

If you wish to stay, food and drinks will continue to be served in the banquet hall, and the banquet itself will continue.

Among the many carriages at the castle gate, some people had already begun to leave.

As Home Secretary Calvin was getting into his car, he bumped into Police Commissioner Soren behind him.

"What is the purpose of this summons?" Soren asked softly, adjusting the brim of his top hat.

"To hold Holy Communion..."

"The Holy Communion ceremony... is it really that urgent to call a general meeting in the middle of the night for something like this? To be honest, I'm too full to eat."

"...And by the way, let's finalize the timetable for the final trial. Can you let me finish what I have to say?" Calvin's face remained unchanged, but his tone revealed his utter helplessness.

"And who told you to eat so much? You knew we had a second round."

Soren smiled, did not linger, but simply raised his cane slightly to bid farewell before walking toward his carriage.

Anyway, we'll be seeing each other again in about ten minutes.

Meanwhile, Aliya, who had long been impatient, also chose to leave.

Compared to the bright, large magic crystal lamps in the banquet hall, the corridor was much dimmer, and her shadow was stretched long, twisting and deforming on the wall.

She pushed open the door to her room, sat down at the dressing table, and tried to see herself in the mirror by the dim moonlight that streamed into the room, without turning on the light.

She reached out and touched the mirror, her fingertips brushing against her reflection. The cold touch sent a shiver through her.

That innocent and lovely smile gradually faded away.

"Evelyn, tell me...am I hypocritical too?"

"I smiled at those people at the banquet, but in my heart I was mocking them. In essence, I was no different from them; we both looked down on others. I just had a little more self-awareness—'I know I'm looking down on them.' But isn't that self-awareness just another form of arrogance?"

She didn't see Evelyn on her way back, and she hasn't seen her since, but she's pretty sure the other person will respond to her right now.

She always responds to herself, no matter when or where.

"Miss."

Sure enough, Evelyn's voice came from behind the bed curtains, and her body emerged from the darkness.

"You always like to take the blame for other people's mistakes, but you don't have to take responsibility for them at all."

"You always say that."

"They sympathize with the suffering common people, yet they take everything for granted as the reason for their suffering. You are different from them; you don't take all of this for granted." Evelyn became somewhat emotional as she said this.

"There's an old saying in my hometown: 'To know without acting is to remain ignorant.' Those who truly sympathize with the common people will not stop at sighing, nor will they become the source of that suffering..."

"And you, on the other hand, embody the unity of knowledge and action."

"But I am also one of the sources of that pain. In places I cannot see, how many people till the land for my family? How many people work in my family's factories? And how many people suffer in the process?" Alya said in a deep voice.

"You always like to take the blame for other people's mistakes... This isn't your fault. You couldn't choose your birth, so you shouldn't bear the blame for things you can't choose. Besides, you've already done your best within the scope of your choices, even..."

Alya turned around and watched Evelyn emerge from the shadows and slowly walk towards her. Moonlight poured in from the French windows, gilding her silhouette with a silver edge.

"It's almost too good to be true..."

The girl's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of enthusiasm shone through her eyes.

"You always manage to see things from angles I never thought of." Alya sighed softly, as if she had relaxed a little, her fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the dressing table.

"That vase," Alia suddenly changed the subject, "did it remind you of anything?"

Evelyn's body stiffened slightly for a moment, then she recovered: "It just looks... familiar. In my hometown, porcelain like this is everywhere..."

"Really? I thought you seemed to care about it a lot back then. Maybe it reminded you of something, so you just bought it on a whim," Alya said nonchalantly.

This girl from the East clearly remembered all the philosophical thoughts and knowledge from the East, but she forgot her own origins and how she came to Britannia.

To be honest, Aliya thought the amnesia plot was too cliché; she herself wouldn't dare to use such a setting when writing her own novels.

But who doesn't have a few secrets?

If Evelyn doesn't intend to tell, then I don't intend to ask.

"Thank you, Miss..." Evelyn lowered her head slightly, trying to disappear into the darkness again.

"If anyone should be thanking you, it should be me thanking you!" Aliya grabbed Evelyn's arm as she was about to disappear into the darkness, revealing a sunny smile that seemed to dispel the darkness of the night: "Without you, I couldn't have become the 'Golden Iris'."

"...Me too. If it weren't for you, I might have died on the streets long ago, and I wouldn't be here like this...by your side, helping you complete that dreamlike practice..."

"So, we're accomplices!" Aliya shook off her previous confusion and returned to her carefree and cheerful state.

The two, who were relaxing and cuddling, were unaware that a figure that did not exist in reality was floating in the dim dressing mirror.