Secret World of Occultists-Chapter 33: Capital Mistake

The following day, Abel walked out of the General Post Office near the docks and hired a hackney carriage at the nearby cab stand.

He instructed the driver to head to the Kensington & Blythe Commercial Trust at 47 Water Street. He would have preferred to walk but the destination was far and he didn't want to be late.

Water Street was one of Newport's oldest and most prestigious streets, serving as the commercial and financial heart of the city.

Many banks, insurance companies, merchant offices, and trading houses had their headquarters there.

The most notable institution there was of course the Newport branch of the Bank of Albion.

The youth had just posted two letters—one to his brother in Winchester, and the other to Professor Diggory from the University of Newport.

The letter he sent to his brother was about him finding a job at a prestigious commercial trust in Newport.

Abel didn't get into too many details, only mentioning that it was through an influential friend from University that he had gotten the job and that it paid him handsomely.

He concluded the letter by asking him not to send him any more money. In fact, Abel wanted to be the one to send him money instead.

But ultimately he decided not to, fearing it would arouse his brother's suspicion and cause him to catch the next train to Newport and visit him.

The second letter to Professor Diggory was about him declining the job offer as a journalist that the man had managed to get for him.

The previous Abel had been a stellar student and was well-liked by Professor Diggory. Thus, the Professor had managed to get him a job as a writer at the Newport Herald after he graduated.

However, Abel's life trajectory had completely changed since then.

Needless to say, he no longer had any interest in becoming a journalist. He chose to send Professor Diggory a letter even though the man lived in the city because Abel was too ashamed to meet him.

After all, the man had used his contacts at the newspaper company and managed to secure him a job. Yet, here he was, having already been employed at a different company.

Ah, fuck it, he thought to himself as he gazed at the scenery outside through the carriage window.

Once I settle down in the coming weeks, I'll meet him in person and apologize. For now, I must focus my mind on the training and education I receive from the Ministry.

Then there's also this...

Abel retrieved the cursed coin from his pocket. It was made of dark silver and had strange and mysterious markings on its surface.

One side displayed a skull, and the other side displayed a four-leaf clover.

I need to investigate the origins of this coin, he thought with a grave expression.

The previous Abel mentioned in his journal that he bought this coin from a pawn shop at Coppergate Street. The pawnbroker there... I must investigate that scammer!

But... considering the anomalous nature of this cursed coin... Fuck! I need to study the occult arts and strengthen myself before I can dig deeper into the origins of this coin.

That is why I must focus my all on studying the occult arts, or else I might one day share the same fate as my predecessor...

He flipped the coin and gazed at the four-leaf clover engraved on the surface.

Could this coin truly bring fortune? He wondered, his blue eyes flashing with hope.

If this is so... then could my transmigration be possible because of this coin?

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If I were to be bold in my speculations, then it could also explain why I just so happened to come across Henry and his grandfather the night of my transmigration.

I was truly fortunate to have met them, yes. If not for them, I might have bled to death!

Then going by that logic, could my survival within The Crucible and then my subsequent employment at the Trust also be a result of the fortune derived from the coin?

I also received an advance payment and a signing bonus... My weekly salary also puts me directly in the lower-middle-class income bracket.

This rags-to-riches scenario... could it really be because of this damned coin?!

Abel's heart started pounding wildly when he came to this conclusion.

But when he thought of how the previous Abel was cursed with misfortune from the same coin, ultimately leading to his demise, he felt like his hopes were doused in a bucket of cold water.

"Fuckin' hell!" He cursed under his breath. "Not every good thing happening to me is because of the coin..."

An anomalous object that bestows misfortune and fortune on its wielder? Just what kind of crazy concept is this?!

Okay, calm down, calm down.

Abel took deep breaths and tried to relax. There was no point in coming to conclusions without any information.

"As the great Sherlock Holmes once said, 'It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data,'" Abel muttered under his breath.

He needed to find out more information about the cursed coin first. And for that, he needed to strengthen himself by studying the occult arts.

Only then would he even begin to feel safe before entering the treacherous rabbit hole.

When he thought of his transmigration, he was reminded of those thugs that he had met in the alley that night. They were the reason why the previous Abel had passed away.

Abel's expression turned dark when he thought of that. In the end, he shook his head and heaved a helpless sigh.

I'm certain those thugs were hired by Jenny's father. Fuck...

That was another headache. The previous Abel—or rather, the last remnants of his will—had told him to meet Jenny and help her find closure.

He had to do it. He owed it to the previous Abel.

"So many things to do," Abel muttered lazily as he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

I even have to go looking for a new place to live in. The living conditions in my current residence are unbearable, he mused to himself.

I'll have to ask Henry to help me out with this. He probably knows people who can help me.

Thinking of the 15 shilling housing stipend that he was going to receive every week, Abel's lips involuntarily curled into a grin.

He was planning to spend the entire housing allowance and then use additional funds from his salary and find a nice place to live in.

There was no way he was going to compromise on food, clothes, and shelter—the three basic essentials of man!

Abel was going to live his second life to its fullest!

"We're here, sir!" Several minutes later, the carriage driver's words sounded from the front.

Abel got out of the carriage and paid the fare. He also tipped the driver and thanked him before entering through the double oak doors of the Kensington & Blythe Commercial Trust building.

He was planning to report to the Director and then get instructions from him about how to proceed with his training and education.

However, it seemed that that would be unnecessary.

"Abel, there you are!" Henry called out to him. He was standing in the main banking fall. But he wasn't alone. There was also an old lady accompanying him.

The youth walked toward them with a polite smile. "Good morning."

"So this is the one." The old lady gazed at him with keen interest, her words carrying a quiet sense of wonder. "The one who has awakened by the old way!"