Chapter 87 - 15. Trandell

Chapter 87: 15. TrandellAfter discussing affairs with Ken, Fisher walked out of the school while examining the staff handbook and was immediately dazzled by the annual salary of 200,000 Naliou stated on the cover. This meant an average of over 16,000 Naliou per month, which was double the 8,000 Naliou monthly salary of a researcher at the Royal College.

However, considering that the school’s financier was the Nali Exploration Company, their affluence was no surprise—money was no issue for them.

In addition, the school’s degree certificates were graded, which meant students were assessed based on their GPA unlike the standard diploma issued at the Royal College before. GPA was an important quantitative criterion at Saint Nali University, as it evaluated the students’ academic performance in subjects and was scored by the professors.

After carefully reading through the materials, Fisher realized there was no carriage to hail, but fortunately, Ken had instructed the staff to send him back to the city by carriage, or else he would have had to walk a great distance to the tram station.

Leaning on the edge of the carriage, Fisher enjoyed the views of Saint Nali. From this direction, he could see the splendid Golden Palace at the center of Saint Nali, with the griffin flag waving in the wind, shimmering with the golden brilliance below, during the afternoon.

A while later, the carriage stopped in front of the street where Fisher rented his house. He thanked the coachman, grabbed his materials, got off the carriage, and then at his doorstep, he saw a man in a suit holding a gift box, hesitating whether to knock. From this angle, Fisher caught a glimpse of the familiar profile—it was someone he knew.

Fisher’s gaze turned cold and he moved forward to knock on the man’s head with his hand cane, causing the man to hold his head in pain and curse instantly,

"Hey! Who’s being so rude? Do you know who I am? I’m from the New Party... Oh! Fisher, when did you get back? I was just about to look for you, heard you just returned from the South Continent."

The man, named Trandell, and Fisher were about the same age. His blonde hair was stylishly swept back, and while he had a decent appearance, his demeanor was far from gentlemanly, resembling more a homeless punk.

Trandell was Fisher’s roommate at the Royal College, who, after graduating, had joined the Exploration Party where he did quite well for himself financially.

Generally, Fisher didn’t get along with politicians, but Trandell was an exception; though not exactly a saint, he was surprisingly honest and unambitious, content with just a decent life.

"I just got back from Saint Nali University to discuss a job position."

"Wait, you’re going to work there as a professor?! Principal Damien will be furious. He must have sent you many invitations to join him; you even called him ’a walking corpse’ and he didn’t mind. Now, antagonizing him like this, I bet he’ll be sick to his stomach when he hears about it."

As they talked, Fisher led Trandell into his rental house; Lady Martha wasn’t home, she seemed to have gone to a neighbor’s place to play cards.

"That’s not my problem. I want no part in the affairs of the New Party or the Griffin Party. If I find Saint Nali University heading in that direction, I’ll resign."

"I know, I know. Everyone’s aware of your integrity... But imagine, if you’d joined the New Party, you’d likely be a senator by now, hanging out with me at the Pink Hall every day, considering we both appreciate the company of ladies."

He winked as he followed Fisher into his room, and handed over the gift he carried, "By the way, welcome back, a bottle of Black Mamba Palace Wine as a welcoming gift."

Given how expensive Black Mamba Palace Wine was, Trandell being able to give it away so casually showed he wasn’t exactly scrimping in his role at the New Party.

Fisher, pleased, scrutinized the pure black bottle but sharply caught a new term from Trandell’s earlier speech,

"The ’Pink Hall’?"

"Ah, you just got back, so it’s normal you’re unaware," Trandell replied, touching his slicked-back blonde hair, then murmured with a suggestive tone, "It’s a new... entertainment spot on Nate Weng Street, they got it all—ladies, cigarettes, fine wines, even more thrilling stuff."

Fisher gave him a cold stare, warning,

"Don’t tell me you’ve been using drugs. I’ve told you not to touch that stuff."

"I haven’t, I haven’t! After you told me how bad those substances are for health, I’ve been really careful. I haven’t touched it even though other members have, at most I just played some games with the ladies there..."

Trandell raised his hands innocently. He indeed cherished his life too much to risk it, and the mention of the dangerous effects of such drugs had scared him off.

Fisher frowned upon hearing this; the benefits of the New Economic Bill were obvious, as the economy of Nali had soared to heights never seen before after its enactment. However, whether it improved citizens’ welfare was questionable, especially since now dangerous services and goods were openly available on the market.

The Pink Hall, huh...

"Well, let’s not dwell on that. Did you bring me any souvenirs from the South Continent? I heard they have some great specialties like Dragon Blood, which I could really use lately."

Trandell rubbed his hands together, looking expectantly at Fisher. Fisher glanced at him, then placed the iron kettle that was on the table in front of him, making him curiously inspect the kettle,

"What’s this?"

"Rum from Nali."

"Are you talking about the one sold on the street for 10 euros?"

"Yes."

"That’s not a specialty from South Continent."

"I bought it in South Continent."

"You bought the Nali wine in South Continent and then brought it back to Nali to give it to me? And it’s only worth 10 euros?"

"To be precise, it’s 25 euros, including 15 euros for shipping."

Fisher nodded, which annoyed Trandell,

"...You damned Fisher, give me back my Black Mamba Wine! You stingy miser! I knew this about you when we lived together!"

Of course, this was just a joke between friends. Previously in South Continent Rafael had taken all the wagons, so Fisher had brought back almost nothing, and he was very hard up for money, so naturally, he couldn’t give Trandell any souvenirs.

However, Trandell didn’t really care about these things since Fisher had helped him a lot in the past, and he himself had gotten quite rich, so he didn’t lack these things.

He was just protesting verbally, obviously wanting to enjoy the fine wine Fisher brought, and as Fisher started pouring the drink, Trandell sipped it and his expression became quite relaxed—enjoying it was what he loved the most.

"I heard that Schwali is experiencing economic difficulties, and their Queen is already considering easing tensions with us Nali—probably in a few months, they’ll be sending delegates... I need to remind the citizens to keep an eye on their sons."

Trandell was drinking and sharing some internal news with Fisher, which ordinary people wouldn’t hear, or if they did, it wouldn’t be as useful to them as it was to Fisher.

"Ha, you’d better clean up your act regarding sponsoring pirates to pillage Schwali, it isn’t fun getting caught."

"My goodness, how did you know we’re funding pirates to rob Schwali?"

"Guessed."

Fisher recalled the Iceberg Queen Alagina, who had tried to harass him, and he still had the necklace Lingna had stolen from her in his pocket, but he probably wouldn’t have the chance to see her again to return it.

"Most people in the party think easing relations is beneficial for us, we’ve been cold to each other for so many years, it’s adding a lot of costs to trade and communication..."

Nali Exploration Company had many foreign trade routes, and the cold war with Schwali forced them to reroute their maritime trade, increasing their transportation costs, something the New Party aligned with the exploration company certainly considered.

But easing relations with Schwali would be beneficial in other areas too, such as academia. Schwali’s academic community hadn’t exchanged with Nali in a long time, and many experts’ papers in various fields couldn’t be responded to and exchanged in Nali.

After discussing matters for a while, half of the Black Mamba Wine was gone, Fisher’s demeanour was still normal, but Trandell’s face had flushed, his eyes were becoming unfocused.

Fisher glanced at the slightly slanted Sun outside, it was only the afternoon and this guy was already getting senseless, so he turned and asked Trandell,

"Are you sure you’re okay drinking this much?"

"What’s the matter? I’m off work, and I’ve made plans to meet other deputies for a gig at Pink Hall, want to join?"

He lewdly gestured with his hips, then picked up the jacket next to him, and asked Fisher with a mischievous smile.

Fisher shook his head speechlessly, sealed the half-drunk bottle of Black Mamba Wine, and then said,

"I’m busy tonight, you go ahead but remember not to touch anything off-limits."

"Other than ladies, I won’t touch anything, brave Trandell! Charge!"

He drunkenly shouted a few nonsensical phrases, then said goodbye to Fisher, hailed a carriage as he left, disappearing into the streets—it was going to be a sleepless night.

Fisher stood by the window watching him get into the carriage and then sat down. He wasn’t drunk but still felt a bit of heat inside, though it didn’t interfere with his ability to review his own papers.

Sounds of the door opening came from downstairs—it was Lady Martha returning, the distant Sun was setting, only the griffin flag in the sky was still fluttering, and farther away, where it was still afternoon, lights had already turned on, casting a soft pink glow over many buildings, exactly in the direction Trandell was headed.

That was the direction of Pink Hall.