On Tuesday morning, Lex woke up early, had breakfast, and then went to the bank.
He first settled Hanged Man's account, then transferred 5,000 pounds to Bison's account, leaving him with less than 1,000 pounds in his personal account, and his anonymous account shrinking to only 75 pounds.
"So poor."
As he walked out of the bank, Lex muttered about his poverty and planned to see Mr. Parker that evening to see if the club could help him sell the jewels.
"If my account balance is less than 5,000 pounds, I don't feel safe."
Lamenting the difficulties of life, Lex got into a carriage, and upon returning to the Violet Hotel, he met an old acquaintance.
The major shareholder of Pigeon Telegraph Company, Luke Bruce!
"Good morning, Mr. Lex, it seems you've returned from a long journey." Mr. Luke, wearing gold-rimmed glasses today, looked very energetic.
Seeing him, Lex also confirmed one thing: those who had been hypnotized by Hudson were finally out of danger.
"Good morning, Mr. Luke, it's a pleasure to see you. Come, let's go upstairs to talk."
Lex was about to invite him upstairs.
Luke, however, smiled and said, "Actually, I came to find you because I wanted to invite you to Tingen University. Professor Newman's research has made some phased progress."
Lex said in surprise, "Really? It hasn't been that long. Alright, let's go then."
Tingen University.
It was already September, and students had returned to school. Walking along the tree-lined paths of the campus, seeing the young faces coming and going, Lex felt a bit dazed, as if he had returned to the campus of his previous life.
But he quickly sobered up and went to the laboratory with Luke.
Entering the laboratory, Lex saw Professor Newman guiding several students through an experiment, but he looked around and didn't see Melissa.
Luke, who was beside him, saw this and chuckled, "Mr. Lex, are you looking for the girl who reminds you of your sister at home?"
Mr. Luke, your words sound like they have another meaning.
Lex coughed dryly and smiled, saying, "She certainly is an impressive girl."
Luke nodded in agreement but lowered his voice, saying, "That girl has returned to school, but she still comes over occasionally. However, I heard from Professor Newman that something happened to her family not long ago."
Lex asked somewhat nervously, "What happened?"
Luke glanced at him and smiled, with an air of 'as expected.'
But now, Lex didn't care what he misunderstood. Lex was more worried that Melissa might be in danger, after all, she was Klein's sister.
"It seems someone in her family passed away."
Luke shrugged, "Professor Newman might know the specifics more clearly."
At this moment, the professor came over.
Through the professor, Lex learned that in early September, one of Melissa's older brothers unfortunately passed away. Because of this, the girl was still quite downhearted and hadn't attended school for several days.
Hearing this news, Lex was certain that the person must be Klein.
But Klein wasn't dead, otherwise, how could he have presided over yesterday's Tarot Club?
Did Klein use a faked death to deceive certain people, but why would he even hide it from his own siblings?
Oh, right.
This must be for their own good. This way, Melissa and the others would be completely unrelated to 'Klein.'
Klein was protecting them!
Lex decided to visit Melissa that afternoon to see if she needed any help.
After listening to Professor Newman's progress report and observing several related experiments, Lex was suddenly inspired. During a break, he consulted Professor Newman.
"Professor Newman, are there any lecturers at the university familiar with chemistry? I have a small chemistry question I'd like to ask."
Professor Newman chuckled, "Mr. Lex truly has a wide range of interests. Of course there are, come with me."
In a laboratory equipped with alcohol lamps, test tubes, conduits, and other tools, they met a middle-aged man.
"This is Lecturer Jobony, he is a chemistry lecturer at our school."
After Dr. Newman briefly introduced Lex and the lecturer, Lex went straight to the point: "Hello, Mr. Jobony. I'd like to ask, is there any way to collect hydrogen gas?"
"Hydrogen gas?"
Jobony was unlike Professor Newman; he was well-dressed and had a neat mustache.
"Sir, I must warn you, hydrogen is a dangerous gas; it's highly flammable. When the concentration is too high, it can even cause an explosion."
Lex smiled and said, "Thank you for the warning, I will keep that in mind. I'm more curious if we can collect this gas using simple tools."
Jobony looked at him and said, "Collecting hydrogen is not difficult. You only need to react iron, zinc, etc., with dilute sulfuric acid or dilute hydrochloric acid to produce this flammable gas, and then use the water displacement method to collect it."
"Fortunately, there are ready-made materials here, I can demonstrate it for you."
Next, the lecturer performed an experiment, allowing Lex to witness firsthand how to collect a bottle of hydrogen gas from scratch.
"Mr. Lex, this is one method for collecting hydrogen. But I must still warn you, if this gas is mixed with air and ignited, it will produce a violent explosion."
"I don't know why you want to collect hydrogen, but if you don't want to blow off your own roof, it's best not to do so."
Lex placed his hand on his chest and bowed slightly, "Thank you for your guidance and advice, I will remember it, Mr. Jobony."
Jobony nodded and said nothing more, beginning to pack up his tools.
Lex had already noted down the process of the experiment, as well as the materials and equipment needed.
Hydrogen!
If I can collect and store this gas. When needed, mixed with air, and then using Pyromaniac's ability, I will create an explosive effect no less than a cannon shell bombardment with my bare hands.
Perhaps, this is one way to play the Pyromaniac!
Upon returning to the inn, Lex took out some money and asked Matthew to purchase the necessary chemical tools, as well as materials like iron and zinc.
In the afternoon, Lex arrived at Daffodil Street. When he inquired about Melissa's address from Dr. Newman, and learned that Melissa lived at Daffodil Street No. 5, Lex realized that he had been so close to the center of the 'Tingen Story' on his very first day in Tingen.
However, now that the 'Tingen Story' was over, he, holding a bouquet of flowers, fearlessly approached the door of No. 5 and rang the bell.
About a minute later, the door opened, and a young girl looked out. She wore a simple long dress, her face was thin, her slightly pale skin had less luster than usual, and even her long black hair, which cascaded down her back, looked a bit dry.
Her brown eyes seemed to be covered with a faint layer of gray, making her appear listless. In the afternoon sun, she squinted slightly, and when she clearly saw Lex's face, she said with some surprise, "Mr. Lex, why are you here?"