Otto forced back his impending laughter, the corners of his mouth curving up wildly as he quickly returned to the carriage with Philin.
The moment he squeezed into the carriage, Otto hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand, his shoulders twitching as he was terribly afraid he wouldn’t be able to hold it in and would burst out laughing directly.
That Fat Priest’s comical appearance of scattering wealth in the square just now, coupled with that fanatical expression, was simply the funniest comedy he had ever seen across both of his lifetimes.
Philin cast a look of utter awe at Otto, becoming even more convinced that this lord was kind-hearted and enthusiastic.
Afterwards, Philin lowered his head to take out a sheepskin roll and a charcoal pencil, continuing to tally the goods and accounts brought this time inside the carriage.
Quietness returned to the carriage, with only the rustling sound of the charcoal pencil scratching against the parchment.
As for Otto, he leaned against the side in sheer boredom, fished that game token out of his trouser pocket, and flipped it back and forth in his palm to play with it.
The coin hopped agilely between his fingers, emitting a faint metallic reflection.
Watching Philin writing furiously on the paper, Otto couldn’t help sighing inwardly: “It really isn’t easy being a merchant nowadays.”
Without Excel spreadsheets, calculators, or the multiplication table, calculating accounts every day relied entirely on rote memorization in the brain and records on paper.
It wasn’t until evening approached and the setting sun cast its rays downward that Philin finally let out a long sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and carefully put away the sheepskin roll.
“Lord Otto, I’ve kept you waiting for a long time.
Everything has been tallied.” Philin smiled apologetically, “Let’s go to the Windmill Inn to rest now.”
Otto nodded, tucked the game token back into his pocket, and got off the carriage following Philin.
The two of them, along with a few staff members, wound their way through the streets and finally arrived in front of a building hanging a dilapidated wooden sign.
Otto looked up and glanced at it; rather than calling this an inn, it was more like a large slum formed by several spacious houses forced together.
There was no second floor; the walls were plastered with rough stones and mud, and the roof was covered with a thick layer of thatch.
However, Otto couldn’t be bothered to be picky.
After all, it was only the early sixth century AD.
In an era where even a brick house was considered a luxury mansion, being able to have a proper, licensed inn could already be considered quite a magical commercial miracle.
Walking into the inn, the smell of roast meat and an indescribable stench of body odor drifted over, but compared to the outdoor public toilet outside, this smell was already refreshingly refined.
Philin led Otto around the noisy hall in the front and came to a detached stone house in the back that was noticeably a circle larger than the other rooms.
At first glance, this room was different from those large communal sleeping quarters outside; it at least had a fairly sturdy wooden door, and the window was even covered with a layer of light-transmitting animal hide.
Philin pushed open the wooden door, stood somewhat apprehensively at the doorway, rubbed his hands together, and said:
“Lord Otto, we’ll be staying here tonight…
I’m truly sorry, this is already the best room around here, but I still have to wrong you by sharing a room with me…
If you feel that won’t do, I can go to the front and squeeze into the communal dormitory with my employees, and leave this room for you to rest alone.”
Hearing Philin’s words, which were humble to the extreme, Otto was just about to say “It’s fine, I’m not particular about these things,” when the familiar electronic chime in his mind popped out a step ahead.
[Ding!
Triggered side quest: Sincere Friend]
[Quest Details: As a transmigrator of the new era, equality for all is a belief engraved in one’s bones!
Please make the person before you truly treat you as an equal friend and break down the barriers of class!]
[Quest Reward: 320 gold coins.]
Good grief, here comes money delivery again!
Looking at the 320 gold coins on the panel, Otto was simply overjoyed in his heart.
He reined in his casual expression, looked at Philin standing at the doorway with a reserved look all over his face, smiled gently, and shook his head slightly.
“Mr.
Philin, the essence of association lies in candor; you must not treat me with regards to status and hierarchy.”
As soon as Otto opened his mouth, he directly switched to the “cultured scholar” mode, deciding to show off the classical Chinese he had memorized by heart during high school Chinese classes in his past life.
Seeing Otto put his hands behind his back, he began to spout fancy archaic phrases:
“Whenever you meet me, you bow low with humble words, and your every advance and retreat maintains a look of cautious reverence; watching this actually creates a barrier in my heart.
A sage in my hometown named ‘Mencius’ once said: ‘To be a friend is to be a friend of one’s virtue, and it must not carry any ulterior motives.’ The preciousness of making friends lies in sharing the same heart and virtue, not in dividing affection by status, seniority, or age.”
Philin was instantly stunned on the spot.
Transmitted into his ears, these words were simply maxims as profound and philosophical as those of a deity!
Of course, the reason was that he couldn’t understand it; naturally, had he understood it, he would have felt even more that Otto was cultured.
Otto did not stop and continued to talk eloquently inside the room:
“In the past, there were two wise men named Guan Yiwu and Bao Shuya.
When Guan Yiwu was in dire straits, he took a larger share of the money when doing business together, yet Bao Shuya never blamed him for his arrogance; later, when Guan Zhong fell into chains, Bao Shuya strongly recommended him to the monarch.
The two of them remained friends for life, bound by no constraints of noble or humble status, nor bound by the shackles of etiquette.
This is truly the model of equal friendship through the ages!”
“My alliance with you is originally out of admiration for your talent and respect for your aspirations; I do not wish for you to restrain yourself by clinging to worldly rituals.” Otto turned around, looking at Philin with sincere eyes, “The world’s imperial court has ranks, but soulmates have no gradations.
If you constantly lower your status and act respectfully in everything, you are blocking our innermost hearts with superficial forms.
From now on when we meet, put away all humble postures; normal smiling, laughing, and conversing as peers will suffice.
Do no more treat me with cumbersome rituals, so as not to fail the original intention of our heart-to-heart friendship!”
After a combo output of classical Chinese, the entire room fell so silent that a falling needle could be heard.
Philin’s mouth was open as he blankly looked at the blond youth before him, a monstrous storm having already surged within his heart!
Good heavens!
What a broad-minded breadth of mind!
What unparalleled wisdom!
Although he didn’t know who the sage named ‘Mencius’ was, nor which country’s great men ‘Guan Yiwu’ and ‘Bao Shuya’ were, just hearing these deeds made him know that Lord Otto’s hometown was definitely an ancient realm with a brilliant civilization!
Most crucially, this lord of noble birth yet fallen circumstances was actually willing to lower his status and treat a merchant reeking of copper coins like himself as an equal soulmate!
Philin’s eye sockets instantly turned red.
He abruptly sniffed, straightened his waist, and his tone was filled with unprecedented excitement and admiration:
“Mr.
Otto…
No, my friend!
You are truly too great!
Your wisdom is as dazzling as the stars in the sky!
In the future, once you pledge allegiance under King Arthur, you will surely become Britain’s greatest wise man!
No!
You will surely become the greatest wise man in the entire world!”
[Ding!
Side quest completed.]
[Reward: 320 gold coins have been distributed.]
The moment he heard the system prompt tone, Otto silently offered high incense in his heart to the Hundred Schools of Thought and the friendship of Guan and Bao in the netherworld.
The wisdom of the ancestors works just as well in Europe!
“Come in, Philin…
Get some good rest tonight.” Otto smiled and waved his hand.
Philin nodded vigorously, no longer being as submissive and timid as before, and strode into the room.
The room was indeed quite simple and crude.
Aside from a brazier for heating, there were only two wooden plank beds covered with thick animal hides, fortunately the bedding looked fairly clean.
The two of them occupied one bed each.
Having gone through a baptism of the soul, Philin relaxed at this moment and quickly fell asleep.
As for Otto sitting on the bed, outwardly he appeared to be closing his eyes to rest his mind, but internally a violent storm had already surged.
Coupled with the 320 gold coins remaining from doing quests at the church previously, and the 320 gold coins just earned, he was now a “big shot” holding 640 gold coins in his hands.
640 gold coins were just enough for four single draws!
Calmly and composedly, Otto turned over to face the wall, rubbing his hands together in front of his chest.
He had already silently initiated the metaphysical prayer mode in his heart.
Jade Emperor, Guanyin Bodhisattva, bless me O God of Gacha from another world, bless me The Fool, please don’t give me any more bread worth five hundred thousand marks!
Otto took a deep breath and summoned that light screen that only he could see.
The gacha-drawing segment officially begins!