*Chapter 63: Balancing Main and Side Jobs!*

On the second floor, in the study.

Goethe sat behind his desk, frowning. His pen moved hesitantly, pausing frequently. Finally, as the light of dawn began to break, he let out a long sigh of relief.

“The first five chapters are finally done!” Goethe muttered softly.

After returning to 11 Kimmel Street yesterday, Goethe went straight to the study.

To maximize his profits, he needed to write the so-called Adventures in the Wilderness as quickly as possible and get it published.

Moreover, this book had to contain some seemingly legitimate but vague extraordinary knowledge—after abandoning his plan to approach the authorities, choosing to engage with wild “extraordinary individuals” became Goethe's only option. However, without the constraints of the law, this approach would be far more dangerous!

Therefore, for safety's sake, Goethe carefully selected some ambiguous extraordinary knowledge.

Goethe hoped to use this book to lure the “extraordinary individuals” in the “secret realm” to reveal themselves, but he did not want to put himself in real danger.

Or, to be more precise, even if there was danger, it had to be within controllable limits.

Surely, a few pieces of vague extraordinary knowledge wouldn’t attract an overwhelmingly powerful “extraordinary individual,” would it?

Goethe pondered.

Then, he looked over the article he had written and, after a moment of consideration, began deleting some of the vague extraordinary knowledge, leaving only a small portion—

“Holmes discovered that the ‘blood writing’ was composed of an unknown script. He became uncontrollably excited and stayed up all night studying it. After several failed attempts to persuade him, his friend, Dr. Watson, brought breakfast to Holmes. But at that moment, the accompanying inspector knocked on their door with bad news: the ghostly wolf had killed again!”

...

Goethe read the passage several times, then looked at the “blood writing” replaced with two correct “glyphs” and two incorrect ones, still feeling it was a bit dangerous.

Finally, he reduced the number of “glyphs” to two—one correct and one incorrect.

“This should be safe now!” Goethe muttered to himself, rising and heading downstairs.

Goethe was quite confident that the manuscript would be well received.

Not only because his groundwork had been solid.

But also because he believed in the talent of the great writers from his hometown.

Even with his modifications, it would still be brilliant.

Of course, what Goethe was most grateful for was that the “secret realm” was connected to the “anchor point world,” where some hidden knowledge was the same. And he just so happened to have learned the most basic glyphs.

Otherwise, this would have been a nightmare difficulty.

“Good morning, Master.”

The butler, who had stood guard outside the study all night, bowed immediately as he saw Goethe emerge—household butlers referred to their employers just as servants in traditional noble households would.

If the butler or maid returned home daily, they would address their employer as Sir, Madam, or the like.

“You’ve worked hard, Kai.”

“After breakfast, go get some rest.”

“As a writer, my schedule is different from ordinary people’s, and you’ll need to adapt to that.”

Noticing the butler’s weary expression, Goethe smiled.

“I’ll adapt as quickly as possible, Master. Please don’t worry.”

“Maria has prepared the egg sauce as you instructed.”

The butler responded meticulously.

As a competent servant, it was his duty to prioritize his employer's needs.

Especially when this employer was not a demanding person.

Of course, Kai vividly remembered what had happened yesterday—the six people lying on the ground made it clear that even though his employer wasn’t demanding, he still needed to show utmost respect.

Goethe nodded and headed to the first floor.

The maid, Maria, had been waiting by the dining table for some time.

Unlike the butler, who was exhausted, the maid, having slept through the night and simply risen early, was full of energy.

“Master, this is the egg sauce you requested. I’ve prepared bread and salad to accompany it.”

Maria presented her work to Goethe.

The egg sauce in front of him was different from what Goethe remembered. Due to the addition of milk, it was grayish-white, with a taste that was sweet, spicy, and somewhat salty. The texture was quite thick, somewhat like yogurt.

Goethe took a sip, then began dipping bread into it and eating it with the salad.

He ate quickly and soon finished breakfast.

Seeing Maria’s expectant expression, Goethe didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm.

“You did a good job, but don’t make it again next time.”

Goethe said tactfully.

Then, after a brief pause, he continued.

“In the future, try to keep our meals as simple and normal as possible.”

Goethe emphasized.

“Understood, Master.”

*Maria nodded repeatedly, her face beaming with happiness.*

Her master praised her cooking! But why did he say not to make it again next time?

Could it be that he’s saving it for a special occasion?

The maid was a bit puzzled.

As the maid cleared the dishes, Goethe stepped out of the door.

The damp air refreshed Goethe's spirit, and the coachman, Rick, tipped his hat in greeting. Goethe now understood why Rick was considered the best coachman at the "Simoke Private Carriage Service." Not only could he handle unexpected situations, but he also performed his main job meticulously. According to their agreement, Rick only needed to serve from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., but it was only 7:30 a.m., so Rick must have left late the previous night, well beyond their agreed-upon hours.

"Good morning, Rick."

Goethe greeted the coachman and then noticed a middle-aged man standing at his door.

The man had dew on his shoulders, indicating that he had been waiting for quite some time but hadn’t knocked.

"Good morning, Mr. Marple. I’m Trisick, the editor-in-chief of the *Hesetins Horn.* It’s an honor to meet you."

As Goethe's gaze swept over him, the man began introducing himself.

"Hello."

Goethe responded politely.

Goethe knew exactly why the man was here. After all, he had gone to great lengths to promote his new book the day before. Any newspaper in Hesetins that wasn’t run by fools would know what to do.

However, Goethe hadn’t expected the man to be waiting so early.

"If you’d like, please come into my parlor. My maid is an excellent cook and makes good tea. You could probably use a hot cup."

Goethe extended an invitation.

"That would be wonderful!"

Trisick sighed in relief.

He could sense Goethe’s goodwill.

The reason Trisick had come so early was precisely for this goodwill.

And to ensure that this goodwill wasn’t wasted, the editor-in-chief spoke directly after sitting down in the parlor.

"As long as your manuscript has no issues, *The Horn* will offer you the highest level of treatment and won’t restrict your freedom. You don’t need to agree right away; you can consult with other newspapers in Hesetins—they’ll be here soon."

"You’re a straightforward person."

Goethe took the tea Maria handed him.

It was just ordinary tea.

But that was enough.

He never wanted to eat fried egg sauce again.

"Since our paper, *The Horn,* doesn’t have an absolute advantage over others, we need honesty to win your favor."

Trisick said with a smile.

Smart guy!

Goethe thought to himself.

Trisick clearly understood that, after Goethe’s promotion yesterday, the initiative was no longer in the hands of the newspapers.

At least for now, that was the case.

Rather than losing out due to being stingy, it was better to gain through generosity and honesty.

The two continued chatting casually.

By around 8:00 to 8:30 a.m., representatives from seven or eight of the more prominent newspapers in Hesetins had arrived.

And the final outcome?

Goethe chose *The Hesetins Daily.*

After reviewing his manuscript, they offered the same freedom as *The Horn* but with more than double the pay.

And, most importantly, they were the top-selling newspaper in Hesetins.

"I hope we can work together in the future!"

Trisick showed no signs of anger as he shook hands with Goethe when saying goodbye.

"Of course!"

Goethe nodded firmly.

He needed "attention" too much right now.

Once he got through the current difficulties, Goethe wouldn’t mind working with Trisick.

"I need to rest. Wake me in the evening."

"Don’t disturb me unless it’s necessary."

Goethe instructed the maid.

"Yes, Master."

Maria nodded repeatedly.

Goethe then walked up to his third-floor bedroom.

After closing the door, he went to his wardrobe.

When he opened it, several money bags fell out.

Writing all night? Impossible!

Naturally, he had to take up some side jobs!

At this moment, Goethe's wardrobe was stuffed full of cash!

Even Goethe was a bit surprised by this haul!

At first, Goethe just wanted to avoid drawing attention to himself, so he asked a few gang members about the five people he had killed yesterday afternoon. However, the first few groups he questioned didn’t know anything.

So, after visiting several more places, he finally completed his goal.

Without realizing it, Goethe had made an outstanding contribution to Hesetins' public safety. Glancing at his wealth, which had now reached "5," he began to carefully tally up his extra earnings and tidy up any loose ends.

"150 gold crowns, 21,000 in banknotes."

"Plus 40 silver crowns and 20 copper crowns."

"Apart from gold crowns, silver and copper crowns are becoming increasingly scarce... are banknotes truly becoming the mainstream currency?"

Through the "contributions" of several small gangs, Goethe keenly noticed the difference.

"It must be due to government regulation. Is there anything I can take advantage of?"

Lying in bed, Goethe pondered.

Then, he heard Maria's footsteps.

They were hurried and somewhat panicked.

The next moment, there was a knock at the door—

"Master, two police officers want to see you!"

(End of chapter)