Dead.
'Waking' from his dream, Klein sighed with a heavy heart. The vagrant who had striven to live had indeed not escaped his fate.
Even though he had been somewhat prepared, Klein still couldn't remain indifferent when divining the death of someone he knew.
He sighed silently, hesitated for a moment, and then wrote down another divination statement: "The condition of Madam Liv's family."
He entered the dreamscape again.
A moment later, Klein saw a damp, cold apartment. He saw doctors and nurses in white coats and large masks enter, carrying out bodies.
Just as Klein expected to see Liv's family among those bodies, he saw a woman and two girls stopped by police at the cordon.
"Leave here, don't go in. Do you want to catch the Plague?"
The woman craned her neck and said, "But our things and money are still at home. Without them, we can't go anywhere."
A priest in a black clerical robe walked over and said to the lady, "You can go to the cathedral. It is currently taking in refugees, and the church will help you through this difficult time."
Only then did the lady pull the two girls away.
That lady was the laundress Liv, and her two daughters, Freya and Daisy.
Klein woke up, gently clenching his fist: "That's great, they're alive, they're still alive!"
"Although it will be very difficult going forward, as long as they are alive, there is still hope."
December 26th, Sunday evening.
Lex put down a newspaper, which contained reports on the heavy fog and haze incident of the previous two days.
'...According to preliminary statistics, a total of over 3,100 people died directly in that heavy fog and haze. The subsequent spread of the Plague has successively claimed 6,200 lives, mostly the elderly and young children, but also strong young men and women.'
'The Air Pollution Investigation Committee called for the urgent amendment of labor laws, the improvement of minimum worker protections, the revision of working hours, and the reduction of factory smoke emissions to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.'
'To assist families affected by the heavy fog and haze, relevant departments announced that necessary reforms would be made to the Poor Law.'
Phew.
Lex exhaled. As expected, nearly ten thousand people had perished.
Even though the situation was much better than what the Watcher had 'predicted,' behind those cold numbers were still shocking corpses.
Ten thousand people. If they were to flood the streets, they would be enough to completely block Backlund's longest street.
Just then, his sister Harribel's low voice came, "Lex, it's time to go."
He looked up at his sister, who was wearing a black dress and a matching hat, and nodded.
Tonight, a grand mass would be held at Saint Samuel Cathedral for the deceased, along with a charity fundraiser. How could Bison miss such an opportunity to gain reputation and prestige?
So he had his family prepare early to attend the evening's grand mass.
Picking up the black semi-top hat on the table, Lex put it on his head, and with his sister Harribel, went outside. Levto drove, and they took another carriage to their destination.
Through the windows, they could see gentlemen in black overcoats and top hats, and ladies in heavy black dresses and veiled hats, all walking towards Saint Samuel Cathedral.
Harribel, who had learned what had happened in the heavy fog and haze, had no trace of a smile on her face. Her eyes were like dust-covered crystals, no longer dazzling.
"I heard that tonight everyone will go to the upper reaches of the Tussock River and the docks to release river lanterns to comfort the departed souls."
After a long pause, Harribel finally spoke.
Lex forced a smile: "That scene will surely be very heartwarming."
Harribel looked out the window and said, "Lex, how many people do we have in Enki Town all together?"
"Nearly ten thousand people died that day. I really can't imagine it. Although I don't know them, I still feel very sad."
Lex gently took his sister's hand and patted the back of her hand, saying, "It's okay, it will get better. Disaster may take lives, but disaster also gives the living strong faith."
Harribel huddled closer, leaning against her brother's arm, and said nothing.
After the grand mass ended, Lex's family returned home. It was already 8 PM.
After they had dinner, Bison called Lex to the study.
Entering the study, as soon as the door closed, Bison laughed heartily. He excitedly clapped Lex on the shoulder and said loudly, "Do you know? I heard good news. The kingdom will relax the property restrictions for the upcoming elections."
"This way, if there are no accidents, I will soon be able to secure a seat in the Upper House."
"I am already a Baron, and we own land in Enki Town commensurate with our title. After selling the logging camp, our financial situation is good. I really can't think of any reason to lose the election."
"Especially now that my son is already a Navy Lieutenant Commander, everything is going according to my plan."
"The only downside is that it benefits those factory owners and bankers. As long as they have enough land and donate enough money, they can obtain a title."
"This makes titles too cheap, far less noble than before."
Bison shook his head, then laughed again: "But, who cares. Times are different, aren't they, my boy?"
Lex smiled without responding.
Bison said with a beaming smile, "Because of the heavy fog and haze incident, Mr. Macht's ball, which was originally scheduled for last night at his home, was canceled. I had originally wanted to use this opportunity to formally introduce you to the Councillor."
"He has a daughter. If you were to marry his daughter, Mr. Macht and I could unite, and our influence would become immense. I believe Mr. Macht has similar thoughts."
Lex coughed and said, "I'll be going to sea after the New Year, so I'm not considering starting a family for now. I'll wait until my work stabilizes."
Bison nodded: "That's fine. You became a Lieutenant Commander in less than half a year, which shows that the Navy values you greatly. You should indeed seize this opportunity to achieve more and greater merits."
"In that case, it's alright. If you miss Mr. Macht, you can choose someone better in the future."
"I recently met a young Viscount who is not yet married. Perhaps your sister would be a suitable candidate."
Lex couldn't help but frown: "Harribel? But she told me she wants to go to school. She wants to study in Backlund."
Bison smiled and said, "Her opinion isn't that important."
Lex couldn't help but say, "I think it's best to ask for her opinion first on this matter."
Bison's smile gradually disappeared: "I told you, her opinion isn't important. Besides, this has nothing to do with you!"