The door slowly opened, and two human figures entered through it. Lon looked at them and immediately recognized them — it was the two doctors who helped Lon with the boilers.
Yes, it was John and Vosen.
Vosen — a man with a beard and short black hair, held a black suitcase with exquisite golden inlays in his hands. The suitcase was not large, rather medium-sized.
John was a middle-aged man, with black hair neatly slicked back and rectangular glasses in a silver frame. Both figures looked like gentlemen going to some important meeting.
Lon was slightly surprised by their sudden visit, then smiled, saying:
— Nice to see you both.
Vosen also smiled and replied:
— Likewise, Mister Renvel!
John adjusted his glasses and gently smiled.
— It's nice to see you too, Mister Renvel. But we came to you with an important question related to yesterday's incident.
«An important question about yesterday's incident? Very good! I just wanted to know what happened next.»
Lon nodded and waved his hand for John to continue.
— So, Simon Montegran — the son of Felix Montegran — sent you a gift, in appreciation of your feats during yesterday's incident... He didn't want to meet you personally... he had business. But he told us to deliver it to you — a special gift that he wanted to hand over. — He pointed at the black suitcase with golden inlays in Vosen's hands.
— A gift? — Lon asked, puzzled.
— Yes. — John nodded, then instructed Vosen to hand the suitcase to Lon. — Inside the suitcase are twenty serjs and a special folding cane from the Monte company.
Lon took the suitcase in his hands and slowly examined it under the comments of John and Vosen.
The suitcase looked strict and exquisite. The black color, like tar, perfectly matched with the golden inlays and edges.
Lon pressed the buttons with two fingers and unlocked the suitcase, opening it.
The interior of the suitcase looked just as fine as the exterior. Its crimson-red velvet lining made it especially unusual. But the most striking items, of course, were the serjs — shimmering gold coins.
On one side of the coins was an emblem in the form of an island, surrounded by the inscription: "Celestial Organisation". And on the other side — the number one.
This was the official coin of the Celestial Organisation, with a denomination of one serj. It served as the accepted currency in the Northern and Eastern regions. Since there was no number one power in the Eastern region that could establish its own currency, everyone simply decided to accept the currency of a neutral side that hardly intervened in anything. And so, the system currency of the Celestial Organisation turned out to be the most convenient.
The currency was divided into three denominations: gor, dzon, serj. Gor was the cheapest denomination — a copper coin. One gor equaled one hundred dzons. At the same time, dzon was a silver coin. Twenty-five dzons equaled one serj — a gold coin.
With one serj, a family of three could live for a month. Many people in the Black District had never seen a serj, using only dzons or gors. In the Green District, people received a salary from one to five serjs. And people in the Blue District earned a lot of serjs.
The system was balanced and convenient to use, though there were states in the Eastern region that tried to introduce their own currency, but the effect was insignificant. And the Celestial Organisation system remained the best.
The second unusual item in the suitcase was a folding cane, made in the form of an elegant iron-golden cane with refined features. It folded into a three-section system and became straight at the press of a single button.
«This cane is quite heavy... But its appearance shows a certain status. After all, having such a cane is quite good,» — concluded Lon in his head.
«And the coins... Twenty serjs — that's a significant amount, which will help me with my goals. But giving such a sum as a reward... Is there a hidden motive?» — it was hard for him to believe that someone was truly willing to pay such a price.
Even though he helped them prevent the explosion of the boilers. But to reward him with a year's salary was a lot, especially along with such an expensive cane.
Lon sighed and felt strange. In past situations, his intuition helped him sense danger. But now, he felt nothing strange — as if it really was just a regular gift.
— So, how is it? — Vosen asked.
— Quite unusual... I didn't expect anyone to give me a gift. But Sir Simon turned out to be different. It's a pity I couldn't meet him personally. — Lon replied with a smile, examining the coin.
— That really is a pity. Sir Simon is the only nobleman who is ready to directly help the lower classes. He is respected everywhere, and naturally, he did not stand aside when he heard about the incident here. — said John, adjusting his glasses.
— I see... — Lon nodded.
If Simon truly was the kind of man John described, then he clearly deserved respect. Not every noble was willing to help even the middle class, but he did. He helped both the lower and middle classes.
Lon felt deep respect for Simon.
He looked at the two men and asked about Gord:
— So how's the investigation going? Did Sir Gord say anything?