In the dead of night, the streets on the outskirts of Bayne City lay deserted, a pristine blanket of snow, already five centimeters deep, muffling all sound.
The gas streetlamps cast a pale, flickering glow upon the white expanse, their reflected light lending a faint luminescence to the otherwise darkened city.
In this world, the city outskirts were considered relatively dangerous after dark. Recently, five mysterious disappearances had plagued this very vicinity.
Silas, with the Husky trotting faithfully at his heels, navigated the familiar streets from Sotos's memories. Soon, he arrived at a somewhat dilapidated tenement building in the western suburbs.
It was an old, four-story apartment block, its exterior walls stained black with age and grime. The wooden window frames were decaying, and the glass panes were filmed with layers of dust.
Silas's home was on the fourth floor.
His parents had been among the early waves of rural folk seeking work in the city. They'd caught a favorable turn in policy, granting them the chance to purchase a house over twenty years old.
The two simple, hardworking farmers had toiled day and night, scraping together every last coin, even selling prized possessions, to buy this one small apartment.
Silas vaguely recalled from Sotos's memories a period in his childhood, lasting half a year, where he'd eaten nothing but black bread tinged with the sour taste of brewer's yeast, all to afford this home.
Yet, even then, young Sotos had been overjoyed. They finally had a place of their own in the city, a vast improvement over the cramped, squalid factory dormitories they had endured before.
Fumbling in his trouser pocket, Silas retrieved a ring of keys. He unlocked the outer iron gate and began the slow ascent up the exterior iron staircase that clung to the side of the building.
Gripping the railing for support, he laboriously climbed to the fourth-floor landing. He made his way to the easternmost door and knocked.
Clatter, clatter…
Instantly, through the flimsy iron door, Silas heard a flurry of hurried footsteps from within.
Not five seconds later, the door was wrenched open, revealing a young woman clad in a simple black nun's habit, her dark hair neatly coiled at the nape of her neck.
This was his tenant, Ada Newton. She was a trainee nun from out of town, twenty-eight years old, and had been renting a room from Silas Sotos for over two years.
Ada was strikingly beautiful. She possessed a cascade of lovely, raven-black hair, with a few tendrils artfully escaping to soften her slightly high forehead.
Her face was a perfect oval, her skin fair, complemented by deep, dark eyes. Dressed in her modest, well-fitting habit, she exuded an aura of serene, classical elegance.
At this moment, however, Ada looked unwell. Her face was pale, and faint shadows smudged the skin beneath her eyes.
"Goddess be praised, you're finally back safe, Silas!" Upon seeing him, Ada's face lit up with such profound relief and happiness, it was as if she, not Silas, had just escaped some mortal peril.
Silas felt a pang of guilt and bowed slightly. "I'm truly sorry to have worried you, Ada."
This nun possessed a heart of pure gold, a simple, unvarnished kindness. She was a genuinely good person, unable to bear seeing others suffer or face danger.
Sotos's first encounter with Ada had been on the street.
Newly arrived in the city, she had witnessed a woman being held hostage. With remarkable composure and a gentle expression, Ada had approached and calmly negotiated with the assailant.
After five minutes, she had persuaded the kidnapper to exchange himself for the hostage. Later, when the police attacked the kidnapper, Ada had astonishingly shielded him with her own body, taking the blows from their batons.
Witnessing this, Sotos had been deeply moved.
Later, by chance, he heard she was searching for affordable lodging. Silas Sotos had then offered her the spare bedroom in his apartment for the incredibly low price of ten Bits a month.
Bits were the smallest unit of currency in the Empire. Above them was the Crown; one hundred Bits equaled one Crown.
Since the Empire operated on a gold standard, one Crown was equivalent to one gram of gold. Silas quickly calculated that the purchasing power of one Crown was roughly equivalent to sixty-five US dollars in his old world.
Ten Bits a month, then, was about six US dollars and fifty cents – practically giving the room away for free.
Ada, naturally, understood Silas Sotos's kindness. Upon learning of his own tragic past, she had been moved to tears. After moving in, she had taken on the role of an elder sister, managing Silas Sotos's daily household affairs.
As Ada ushered Silas inside, she finally noticed the Husky trailing behind him.
"This is…?" Ada looked surprised.
Silas replied casually, "A stray I found on my way back. Looked so pitiful, I brought him along."
Hearing this, Ada clasped Silas's hands, her expression earnest. "Kind little Silas, the Goddess will surely favor you for your compassion."
Gazing at Ada's beautiful face, so close to his own, Silas felt not a shred of improper desire.
Ada's sincerity and kindness radiated an almost innate saintliness, a purity that seemed to dispel any impure thoughts in those who drew near.
The most vivid memory Silas inherited from Sotos concerning Ada involved an encounter with muggers on their way home.
The ruffians, lusting after Ada's beauty, had intended to assault her. Yet, when they actually got close to her, they were so overcome by her aura that they fell to their knees, weeping and begging for her forgiveness.
The incident had utterly astounded Sotos at the time.
Silas had barely sat down when Ada bustled into another room, returning with a warm blanket which she draped over his shoulders. She then quickly set about lighting the fireplace before disappearing into the kitchen to prepare food.
"Ada, you really don't need to go to all this trouble," Silas said, feeling genuinely embarrassed.
Ada's voice drifted from the kitchen, "Just warm yourself by the fire. The food will be ready soon."
Silas said no more; Ada's heartfelt hospitality was impossible to refuse.
He turned his attention to the Husky, now sprawled contentedly beside him, stroking its fur as his mind raced, trying to concoct a plausible story to explain his three-day absence.
Ten minutes later, Ada placed a simple but warming meal on the table.
There was coarse grey bread, steaming mashed potatoes, soft yellow butter, and fragrant cured meat.
It was humble fare, yet it smelled divine.
The aroma instantly whetted Silas's appetite. He attacked the food with an ungentlemanly hunger, forgetting all decorum.
Beside him, Ada watched with a gentle, happy smile.
As he ate, Ada asked with concern, "Where have you been all this time? Do you have any idea how worried I've been? I've prayed for you every day. I even reported you missing to the police."
Silas swallowed a mouthful and delivered the excuse he'd prepared. "I was tricked by a fraudulent organization. They promised big money, but it turned out they were just rounding people up to train us to scam others. They held me for three days. I managed to escape when they weren't paying attention."
Hearing Silas's explanation, Ada froze for a moment. A flicker of something unreadable – confusion, perhaps even shock – flashed deep within her dark eyes.
Silas, engrossed in his meal, didn't notice. He just smiled and said, "Don't worry about it, Ada. You probably haven't slept well these past few days. You should get some rest!"
Ada's expression quickly returned to normal, her smile reappearing. "I'm alright. Though I'm still just a trainee nun, my regular prayers have made my spiritual fortitude much stronger than yours."
Silas nodded with a smile and continued eating.
Ada didn't remain idle. She crouched down beside the Husky, stroking its fur with a smile. "You must be starving too!"
With that, she went into the kitchen and returned shortly with a large beef bone, which she offered to the Husky.
The Husky's eyes lit up at the sight of the bone. It pounced like a ravenous wolf, seizing the prize and immediately began to gnaw on it with great enthusiasm.