Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 731: Can’t you be an upper-class person without money?
What kind of party would cost two thousand pounds? Does this guy know how huge this amount of money is? Could it be that he has been planning to move his detective agency to Westminster for a long time, so he took this opportunity to cheat me out of my money?

Lingge was a little suspicious.

However, he was a cultured man and would not speak out his doubts casually. He just replied a little stiffly: "I don't have that much money, and I don't think it's necessary to spend that much money to attend this party."

In fact, it should not be difficult to discuss this money with the Countess. As the ancestor of the Bloodfang Valenhild family, she is so poor that she only has money left. But as Ling said, he didn't think that attending a party would require such a large expense, even if this was Lunweiting.

"No, no, no, Mr. Ling, I think you must have misunderstood something."

Miss Gloria smiled softly: "Although I am not very willing to talk about money and link its vulgar value with my noble character, in order to dispel your doubts, let me do the math for you. Ahem!"

She coughed twice in a pretentious manner, then put on a serious expression and raised her first finger: "First of all, I hope you understand a concept: Mr. Heinrich Schliemann is not only a history professor at the University of Lenwitting, but also a traditional aristocrat with the title of Viscount. His family has a long history and is very influential in Lenkwill. Therefore, the Institute of Prehistoric Heritage established by him has also attracted the attention of many upper-class people, including well-known entrepreneurs, bankers or manor owners, as well as celebrities from all walks of life, parliamentarians and even royal nobles. These people may not be interested in archaeology, but for the sake of Viscount Schliemann, they are still willing to attend the party to show their sincerity. Since we want to sneak into the party, we will inevitably come into contact with these people. In order to prevent being exposed, we must first integrate into their circle, at least in terms of image, etiquette and conversation. Do you understand what I mean, Mr. Ling?"

Ling Ge pondered, a thoughtful look in his eyes: "It's not hard to understand. Etiquette and conversation are formed by habit and are difficult to change, but there seems to be a lot of room for improvement in image."

"Yes, that's it!"

Gloria was very satisfied with Ling's understanding, so she stretched out her second finger. Her index finger and middle finger were both erected, forming a V gesture, which looked like she was shouting "yeah" to the two of them, although what she said next did not make Ling happy at all: "There is a saying in Lunweiting that a beggar wearing golden clothes can also go to the king's palace. Although we are not beggars, our situations are actually similar. We all want to blend into the circle of the "king". For this reason, a suitable dress and a good first impression are very important. It can help us disguise ourselves better and reduce the probability of being exposed. However, the problem is that dresses suitable for such occasions are usually very high-end. Even if they are not customized or purchased, renting them in a high-end clothing store will cost at least one hundred to two hundred pounds. Considering that it is suspicious to attend the party alone and you need a companion, you must rent two sets."

"Oh, by the way, as guests, we are under the surveillance of Professor Heinrich Schliemann at all times and cannot move freely. This is also to confuse his vision. Therefore, we need other people to sneak into his secret study on our behalf to obtain intelligence. It is best to have two people, so that there are not too many people and they can take care of each other. These two people can sneak in as attendants, but in such formal occasions, even the attendants must be dressed decently and generously. They don't have to follow the specifications of high-end dresses, but at least, cheap maid outfits like Miss Alice's are definitely not acceptable."

"In summary, we need two sets of high-end dresses and two sets of decent attendant uniforms, all calculated at rental prices. Taking into account possible damage or loss during the operation, the budget for this is about 600 pounds. Mr. Ling, Miss Saint Charia, do you have any opinions?"

Both of them shook their heads, but the meanings were different. Ling Ge understood and knew that her calculation method was fine and even conservative, so he shook his head to indicate that he had no opinion. Saint Xia Liya didn't understand at all. Of course, she could count, but she knew nothing about such worldly things, and she didn't know whether Gloria had secretly taken kickbacks to fill her own pockets, so she could only shake her head blankly and leave the judgment to Ling Ge. "Okay, let's discuss the next point." Gloria nodded with satisfaction and stretched out her third white finger. Ling Ge suddenly found that her finger was a little short and had some baby fat, but this had nothing to do with the current topic: "In addition to the dress, there is another thing that is indispensable, that is the carriage. When attending a party for the upper class, you can't just walk there by yourself. That would be so cheap and would easily arouse the suspicion or dissatisfaction of the host, which would be detrimental to our infiltration. The same is true for the dress. Carriages can also be rented, but they need to be as high-end as possible. By the way, does anyone among you know how to drive? If not, we have to pay extra to hire a professional coachman. Therefore, the rental fee, deposit, coachman's wages and other miscellaneous expenses of the carriage, this part of the budget is about 500 to 800 pounds. What do you think?"

What else could he feel? Lingge shook his head numbly, and Saint Xia Liya looked at him worriedly, mainly worried that the pressure of life was too great and the pillar of the family would collapse directly.

"Alas, there is a saying in Lunwitin that goes: A beggar can ride in a golden coach and enter the king's palace." Gloria sighed pretentiously: "There is nothing we can do. This world is so realistic."

How can a beggar like you want to enter the king's palace so badly? Also, next time, remember to change the format before making up a proverb.

"Of course, of course. Finally, there is one more very important thing." Gloria was indifferent to Ling's complaining eyes and raised her fourth finger. "That is the fundraising part of the party. It can also be said to be the most important part. Professor Heinrich has resorted to this method to promote archaeology and expand the influence of the Institute of Prehistoric Heritage. He is such a smart man. There is no specific amount required for donations, but according to the unwritten rules, it must be at least 500 to 1,000 pounds. This money is nothing to Professor Heinrich, and it is certainly nothing to the guests attending the party, but to us, it is It was a heavy burden, and we had to donate it. Once Professor Heinrich found out that his secret study had been invaded, he would definitely use all means to find clues, and the guests who attended that night would undoubtedly be the first suspects. At this time, the professor checked the guest list and found that some people could not even afford to donate hundreds of pounds, but only donated six pence. There must be something fishy... Then wouldn't we be exposed? In other words, this money is to buy us a ray of hope in the last resort, and we must not save it. Of course, if the intruder is exposed halfway, we can naturally not donate, but I think you don't want to see this happen, right?"

Ling Ge sighed helplessly: "Is there a fifth point?"

"No more." Miss Gloria said with a smile, "Basically, these places need money, so my request is reasonable, right? I definitely don't mean to embezzle it, right?"

That's true. According to her calculations, every penny of the money was spent where it should be spent. Even the agents in the financial center didn't calculate as clearly as she did.

but.

Linger frowned and said, "I still think it's not necessary to spend so much money."

"Eh?" This was Gloria's puzzled voice: Is Mr. Lingge a miser? He won't even give up on such a necessary expense?
"Huh?" This was Saint Xia Liya's puzzled voice: Could it be that Ling Ge was influenced by Alice and refused to give in even to such necessary expenses?
　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)