Mysterious Master

Melissa

Having decided on his plan, Zhou Mingrui suddenly had a backbone. Fear, disquiet and anxiety were all huddled in the corner.

It wasn't until then that he was in the mood to examine what was left of Crane's memory.

It was Zhou's habit to stand up, turn off the pipe valve, watch the wall lamp fade until it goes out, and then sit down again, unconsciously rubbing the brass wheel of the pistol and holding his head to "reflect" quietly in the crimson darkness, like the most attentive audience in a cinema.

Perhaps as a result of the bullet's passage, Klein's memory, like broken glass, not only loses coherence, but is noticeably missing in many places, such as where the elaborate revolver came from, whether it was a suicide or a homicide, what the notebook meant by the phrase "Everyone dies, including me," and whether he was involved in anything strange in the two days before it happened.

Not only these specific memories have become fragmentary and incomplete, but also the knowledge he has mastered. Looking at the current state, Zhou Mingrui believes that if Klein returns to the university, he may not be able to graduate, even though he has only left the campus for a few days and does not relax himself at all.

"In two days, I have an interview with the history department of Tingen University..."

"Universities in the Kingdom of Ruen have a tradition of not directly detenting graduates... The tutor gave a recommendation from Tingen University, a recommendation from Baekeland University..."

...

Zhou Mingrui silently "watching", the red moon outside the window slanted west, gradually sinking, until there was a slight light in the east, the horizon dyed gold.

At that moment, a noise came from the inner room, and soon footsteps came close to the isolation door.

"Melissa woke up... She's on time as always." Min-rui Zhou smiled, feeling like a sister to Melissa, influenced by Klein's memory.

However, I don't have a real sister... "He then quipped.

Unlike Benson and Klein, Melissa's first education was not completed at the Sunday school of the Night Goddess Church. By the time she reached school age, the Kingdom of Rune had enacted the "Law on Primary Education", established the Council of Lower and Middle Education, and provided special funds to increase the investment.

Within three years, a number of public elementary schools had been established on the premise of a number of church schools, maintaining strict religious neutrality and not involving the Storm Lord, the Night Goddess, and the Church of Steam and Machinery.

Three pence a week at a state primary school is expensive compared with a copper penny a week at a Sunday school, but when taken together, it is almost free.

Unlike most girls, Melissa grew up loving gears, clockwork, bearings and so on. She decided to be a steam mechanic.

Benson, the eldest brother, who had suffered from cultural loss and understood the importance of education, supported his sister's dream just as he supported Klein's college education. After all, Tingen Technical School was only secondary education, and there was no need to go to a grammar school or public school for accumulation.

Last July, 15-year-old Melissa passed her entrance exam to join the Steam and mechanics department at Tingen Technical School, raising her weekly fees to 9p.

At the same time, the import and export company that Benson worked for was affected by the situation in the South Mainland, both profit and business volume were greatly reduced, and he had to lay off more than one third of staff. In order to keep his job and maintain his life, Benson had to accept more heavy tasks, and he had to work overtime often or go on business trips to places with harsh environment, just like these days.