She changed Europe

Page 15

"No." Rania put her hands on her hips, rubbed her nose, and looked at Gisela with a silly expression. At this moment, Gisela really wanted to scratch her chin like she usually pets a husky, but considering that her senior also had to save face, she had to give up.

“Your Highness, could it be the chandelier in the church?” Rita rolled her eyes at Rania before offering her idea to Gisela.

"I tend to believe Miss Rania's opinion on that point. Perhaps the fragment isn't even in the church." Gisela looked up at the setting sun in the distance. It seemed she wouldn't be able to finish today, she confirmed to herself.

PS1: Remember to wear more clothes as the weather gets cooler!

Chapter 52 Princess Starting from Zero: Capter52, you truly live up to your reputation!

The golden rays of the setting sun shone on the roof of St. Stephen's Church, making the beautiful and splendid glazed tiles look as if they were plated with gold, a sight that was intoxicating. The south tower, which seemed to reach the heavens, added a sacred atmosphere to the church.

“Height, South Tower, Tower of Babel.” Gisela mentally confirmed the words that had just surfaced in her mind.

"My heart is in the place closest to God, the closest to God."

"I see!" Gisela clenched her right fist and tapped it against her left hand. What place is closest to God? The answer was so obvious that she almost instantly made the connection.

“Please tell me, Miss…” Rania and Rita shook their heads in unison; they did not understand Gisela’s meaning.

"It's the South Tower. The east and west sides are in the South Tower. The South Tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral is the highest point in Vienna, which is also the closest place to God." Gisela was so happy about this judgment that she wanted to cheer, but she maintained her so-called "calmness" in order to maintain her image.

“The place closest to God is the highest place, as expected of the princess… Louise!” Rania pursed her lips, fell into a brief moment of thought, and then looked up at the blonde girl in front of her with a mixture of admiration and longing. She had a new understanding of Gisela’s intelligence. Sure enough, it was good that her family told her to “get closer” to this second princess.

"You truly live up to your reputation." Rita smiled, her every gesture still as reserved and dignified as ever, but for some reason Gisela felt that her smile was somewhat unfamiliar.

"If you all climb up there, you'll find the answer to everything!" she said, brimming with confidence.

However, Gisela will soon realize that the 136-meter-tall South Tower has no elevator; there are a full 343 steps, or 686 steps if you include the round trip, and they go straight up. What does that mean for Gisela, who is now a girl?

The dividing line for climbing stairs —

"I'm exhausted!" Gisela cried out as expected.

All of this seemed like a disaster. For a princess who was only 12 years old and had been pampered in the palace, the lack of exercise was such a natural thing.

Choosing to climb such a physically demanding tower without sufficient training is tantamount to courting death, and the consequences of wearing her own high heels are self-evident.

Gisela was now lying obediently behind Rita, letting Rita carry her onto the carriage. Although her pretty maid's back was not as broad and sturdy as a man's, Gisela could still feel the warmth through her clothes when she leaned against it, and this warmth was exactly what made Gisela feel safe.

When she came into this world alone, the maid in front of her was the first person she met. This innate sense of closeness was like that of a newborn chick, who is full of affection for the first creature it sees when it opens its eyes.

Gisela closed her eyes, feeling the fragments in her hand. The three pieces that were pieced together formed a shape that was not yet complete, but you could already make out what was drawn on it.

A man squatting on the ground, his hands clasped together in a gesture of humility, appeared to be of very high status, his clothes luxurious. Gisela imagined what the complete puzzle would look like, her mind playing out countless scenarios.

"Your Highness! It's getting late, so let's skip the St. Rupert Church." The speaker was Rania. She'd been running errands with Gisela and the others all day, and even as a noblewoman and a mage herself, she seemed exhausted. Gisela at least had a maid to look after her, but what about her? She'd been climbing up and down all by herself. If Gisela truly understood the needs of women, she certainly should let them rest.

“I’ll have the driver take my senior home first,” Gisela said, tilting her head to Rania.

And what about you?

"I have Rita with me, so you don't need to worry. Go home quickly."

"Alright then!" Rita's reliability is evident to everyone. Since Rita is by Gisela's side, she really has nothing to worry about.

Rania tossed her fiery red hair and then skillfully hopped onto the carriage, her eyes filled with worry for Gisela's current state.

"Rita, put me down, I can go now." Gisela gently patted the maid's back, indicating that she could let go of her.

“Okay, but please be careful. If the shoes are really uncomfortable, it’s perfectly fine to go barefoot.” Rita was clearly more concerned about Gisela’s health than about such trivial matters as etiquette.

“Sir, please escort Miss Rania to the Marquis of Moravia’s residence. When you arrive, please give this to the Marquis himself.” Gisela removed her earring and handed it to the old coachman. Then she whispered in his ear, “Please make sure you personally watch Miss Rania enter the mansion.”

"Don't worry, Your Highness, I will." Although the coachman found this strange request odd, as someone who had spent most of his life driving for important figures in the palace, he knew what he should and shouldn't know.

"Rania, have a safe journey and be careful on the road." After giving the driver his instructions, Gisela jumped to the side of the road to say goodbye to Rania.

"Giddy up!" The coachman cracked his whip, and the horse slowly rode forward, gradually disappearing into the night.

"Your Highness, why did you give the earrings to the coachman?" Rita asked Gisela, who was standing to the side.

"I thought you'd ask me first why I let Rania go first." Gisela's lips curled up slightly, and she seemed to be in a good mood.

"So, Your Highness, do you still wish to go to St. Rupert's Cathedral?" Rita carefully observed Gisela's expression with her blue eyes, trying to read her thoughts.

"You truly are the person I trust most! I can't hide anything from you." Gisela nodded, admitting it very readily.

“But before that, I’d like to find a chair to rest for a bit,” Gisela said calmly.

"If you'd like to take a break, I recommend that restaurant over there. The food there is one of the best in Vienna."

"But we didn't bring any money with us." The lesson from lunchtime came back to Gisela's mind again, and she didn't want to be seen as someone who ate and dashed again.

“Your Highness, don’t I have one too?” Rita tried to take out the purple, crystal-like object that Master Selena had given her.

“No need. The last one is for our survival. Besides, I have another pair of earrings. I can just pawn this one to the boss.” Gisela’s earrings were actually very expensive, but to someone who knew nothing about women’s jewelry, they were just something to exchange for money.

"As you wish, I will redeem your earrings after this matter."

Chapter 53 Princess Starting from Zero: Gisela in Action (Seeking votes and collections)

——Dining area dividing line

"By the way, Rita, your family's fief is in St. Gallen, right?" Gisela chatted with Rita while eating her steak.

"Your Highness is absolutely right, from the Saint Gallen region of the Duchy of Tyrol."

How far is it from St. Gallen to Vienna?

"About a week, since the roads in the Duchy of Tyrol are not very good due to their proximity to the Alps."

“I see,” Gisela said thoughtfully.

"By the way, do you only have one older sister?"

“Yes, as I told you not long ago, I have an older sister named Leah who married the third son of Count Vorarlberg.” Rita continued to answer Gisela’s question in a serious manner, completely unaware of Gisela’s linguistic trap. After all, in her mind, Gisela didn’t seem to be such a scheming girl.

"Did the third son of the Count of Vorarlberg also attend the Milan branch?" Rita hesitated for a moment before continuing to cut the steak on her plate with her right hand.

“Yes, Your Highness, my sister and Count Vorarlberg’s third son, Andrea, both studied at the Milan branch.”

"Is that so? So where is your sister now?" Gisela raised her head, resting her chin on her hand, watching her maid's elegant eating posture. Gisela couldn't help but sigh, "Sure enough, a well-mannered and beautiful lady eating is such a feast for the eyes."

“She should still be in her hometown in St. Gallen, because I received a letter from home three days ago saying that my father was ill. I originally wanted to ask Your Highness for leave, but my sister replied that it was my responsibility to take care of you, so she told me to leave this matter to her.” Rita’s tone was a little sad as she said this.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Rita. I'm the one who kept you in the way." Thinking about it, it was his fault that Rita couldn't go home. After all, he was a self-reliant adult, and he felt guilty about having to depend on others.

“What are you saying? Serving you is the highest honor of our family.” Rita’s purple eyes showed no sign of disappointment.

This statement did indeed shake Gisela's resolve, but... even if she didn't want to think this way, the truth was just that cruel.

"Rita, could you please get me a cup of hand-drip coffee?" This kind of coffee naturally takes time to make.

“No problem! By the way, would you like milk in your coffee too?” Rita was a meticulous person, and she naturally knew that Gisela had recently taken to adding milk to her coffee. This strange milk coffee was not yet popular in this era, so to Rita, Gisela’s habit seemed quite special. However, there was no harm in liking to drink milk, after all, His Highness was still growing.

Rita couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"of course."

—Coffee pouring dividing line

"Miss! Here's your coffee..." When Rita came out again, she noticed that the seat where Gisela had been sitting was now empty.

“Miss! Your Highness…” This time, “Rita” no longer concealed her form of address.

"Tsk!" Rita slammed her coffee down on the table and gently bit her thumbnail. Even after looking around, Rita couldn't find Gisela; she was already gone…

In the shadows of a street corner, Gisela wore a black cloak she'd somehow acquired. The large cloak completely enveloped her, making her almost blend into the darkness. To facilitate movement, she had deliberately cut open her skirt, letting the gaps reveal her stockings up to her thighs. (A truly erotic outfit.)

Tired of always having someone following her around, Gisela wanted to be "reckless" this time and go solo.

Rita's identity is no longer important. Although her stance is unknown, her words just now were full of lies and flaws. The claim that a seven-day journey would result in a reply within three days is clearly a lie. When she inquired about enrolling, she clearly hesitated for several seconds. As someone with cold reading abilities, Gisela knew that this was obviously the time she needed to think before selectively concealing the truth.

Although Gisela couldn't understand why Rita would lie to her, the thought of the original Gisela dying from poisoning made Gisela, who already lacked a sense of security, suddenly feel that having Rita by her side made her a very dangerous person.

Although she admitted that she liked Rita very much, this liking would not affect her judgment.

No wonder the magic perception was abnormal back then; this was probably the reason. In any case, staying away from her at this time was the right choice.

She wouldn't go to St. Rupert's Church today, because she knew that going there would be like walking into a trap; she had a better place to wait for her rivals lurking in the shadows.

That was the central location indicated by the four churches, the very spot where the treasure lay. Only three people knew this location: she, Rania, and the real Rita. Whoever she encountered there was destined for an interesting drama to unfold tonight.

Thinking of this, Gisela's lips curled into a somewhat wicked smile. She gently brushed her golden hair aside, and her light blue eyes now gleamed with a scarlet light. Her fox ears twitched with her movement.

As night fell, the entire city was plunged into darkness. In 1868, before the advent of electric lights, even Vienna, the most prosperous capital of the empire, relied on kerosene lamps and gas lamps for city lighting.

These lighting systems require streetlight workers to manually operate them daily and change the fuel regularly, which is not only inconvenient but also significantly increases the municipal government's financial burden. Just imagine how many streets and sections of a city with hundreds of thousands of inhabitants would need such streetlights!

Old Peter was such a streetlamp worker, diligently performing his job for half a century. His hard work brought light to countless nights in Vienna. As a native Viennese, he loved the city and hoped to contribute more to it through his efforts. But time doesn't reward hard work. Now nearly seventy years old, today was the last time he would light up this street.

Why did elderly workers like Peter the Elder continue working despite their advanced age? The reason is actually quite simple: ordinary workers in that era lacked the robust social security system of the 21st century. Back then, workers had no unemployment insurance, no insurance for work-related injuries, no upper limit on their workload, and no pensions for retirement. Wages were low, and capitalists relentlessly exploited their surplus labor. Indeed, this was the era in which Marxist thought was born, and also one of humanity's darkest periods. Capitalists trampled on the blood and sweat of the people, and the engine of national prosperity was fueled by lives.

PS1: Remember to water it after you've fattened it up! 0v0

Chapter 54 Princess Starting from Zero: Capter 54 The Phantom of the Cathedral (0v0?)

Despite the harshness of the times, old Peter had little to complain about. He was even grateful to the Vienna municipal authorities for allowing older workers like himself to continue working and earning a living. Other workers, not yet fifty, were laid off from the factory because the older ones lacked the physical strength and energy. Uneducated and jobless, they could only stay at home, eating, drinking, and waiting to die. It didn't matter if they went hungry; their wives and children would also go hungry.

But old Peter was different. Although his monthly salary wasn't much, he could at least cover his own and his family's expenses and save a small amount of money for a rainy day. Although he was illiterate, he was perhaps more experienced than many people. As a street lamp worker, he spent most of his time outdoors, which gave him the opportunity to meet all sorts of people.

Vienna is the birthplace of music and a land of opportunity. Young people from both within and outside the empire aspire to come to this city, hoping to make a name for themselves using their knowledge or physical strength. (Just like young people going to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen—it's the same now as it was then.)

He had met down-on-his-luck, failed painters, impoverished musicians, and of course, renowned European artists, wealthy merchants, and arrogant nobles. He enjoyed chatting and communicating with people; this seemingly ordinary thing provided him with a window to the outside world. When he met a gentleman waiting for someone on the street during his work breaks, no one would refuse a listener willing to pass the time with him.

"It is said that the French emperor wanted to build a towering structure in Paris that would reach the sky, even taller than the Ulm Minster." (This refers to the Eiffel Tower, but it was just a rumor at the time; construction actually began in 1886.)

"The fog in London has gotten worse, and my aunt in London told me that a lot of people have died there because of it."

These rumors and gossip, both true and false, were exactly what Old Peter loved to hear. While listening to the idle chatter of passersby, Old Peter successfully lit the last street lamp on the street.

"I'm getting old!" Old Peter gently rubbed his lower back. It had taken him more than two hours to install the fifty-nine streetlights on this street today; when he was younger, he could have finished them all in an hour. Perhaps because of his age, the Vienna municipal authorities had reduced the number of streetlights they required him to install each day from over a hundred to just over fifty, but the pay remained the same.

"From now on, the light of Vienna will be handed over to my grandson." Old Peter had only one daughter who married a worker at a cement factory in Vienna. Because his son-in-law was hardworking, his grandson never went hungry. Now that his grandson was indeed of age to find work, it was just the right time for him to retire. With the connections he had built up over his long career as a street light worker, it wouldn't be difficult for his grandson to take his place.

"I hope that kid doesn't embarrass himself," Old Peter muttered to himself as he carried the ladder home. Just then, a suspicious-looking man, completely shrouded in a black cloak, approached him.

The newcomer was tall and appeared to be a woman, but it would be impolite to address her directly as a woman. Although her clothes were somewhat strange, Old Peter was not the type to talk badly about others behind their backs.

"Young lady, where are you going so late? It's not safe around here at night. You'd better go home early." In the old man's opinion, unless a woman was involved in the pimping business, it was not a very reassuring thing for her to be out on the streets of Vienna alone at night, especially since he was a kind-hearted and good-natured person.

"I'm fine. Go your way and don't ask questions that are none of your business." The person under the cloak spoke in a cold tone. Although the voice sounded very deep, Old Peter could still tell that the person under the black cloak was indeed a woman.

"Since you've said that, I won't ask any more questions. But this old man still wants to remind you that Vienna hasn't been very peaceful lately. You, a young lady, should be extra careful when you're out and about." Old Peter had heard all sorts of rumors on the street about the recent security situation in Vienna. Although what those people said sounded incredibly far-fetched, some things are better believed than not, right?

"I know without you saying it." After saying that, the two left in opposite directions.

The woman in the black cloak followed the road until she arrived at a very old and dilapidated church. A careful observer would immediately recognize it as the very church Gisela had wanted to visit: the Church of St. Rupert.

The woman stood in front of the door and gently knocked on the doorknob. Immediately, a dark window that shone with light opened in the door.

“Before me there was no eternal creation,” a deep male voice echoed from inside the house.

“I will live as long as heaven and earth,” the woman replied. (The code comes from Dante's famous poem, *The Divine Comedy*.)

The door slowly opened, and she easily entered.

"Tsk! I don't remember asking you to kill anyone. How do you explain the corpses on the ground?" The woman who entered the room spoke with a hint of anger. There were 24 corpses neatly arranged in the church hall, undoubtedly belonging to the church's clergy.

There was no response; those standing around simply lowered their heads, silence being their best answer.

“You will be punished by God for blaspheming the church.”

"So what? Leah, don't forget, we're doing this for Italy." A man slowly emerged from the shadows. He was tall and handsome, dressed in a very proper black suit. He tied his long hair back, giving him a refined and cultured air. However, his sophisticated gentlemanly attire seemed completely out of place amidst the blood and corpses scattered around him.

“Andrei, you…” The woman’s tone revealed surprise and dissatisfaction.

"How could I be missing from the victory celebration?" The man named Andrei approached the woman step by step.

“If I had known what you were doing today, I would never have helped you!” The woman raised her head, staring intently at the man before her with her blue eyes hidden beneath her cloak.

The man's lips curled slightly as he continued walking towards the woman. When they were very close, he took out a rose from behind his back and held it up to the woman.

"My dear Leah, do you like this surprise?" The man's tone was calm, and his voice was full of magnetism. Surely no woman in the world could dislike such an elegant and affectionate man.

PS1: I've been a bit busy lately QAQ

Chapter 55 Princess Starting from Zero: What kind of person do you want to become?

He raised his hand and gently removed the woman's cloak, intending to pull her into his arms, but she took a step back, as if to keep her distance from him.

“Andrei, please keep your distance from me. We are merely a political alliance and a symbolic couple. Please be aware of this indisputable fact.” The woman named Leah spoke calmly, as if she were stating something trivial.

"Why? My dear Leah, aren't we husband and wife no matter what? Didn't we swear our loyalty to each other before the Lord and fulfill our so-called obligations? But can't I even have the right to embrace my wife? Is it all for these so-called trivial matters?" The man named Andrei spread his hands and questioned the woman named Leah in a very arrogant manner.

“Andrei, I don’t recall that torturing others was part of your mission? Wait a minute, didn’t we tell you to come to the church to find the fragments? Or did you never trust us at all?” Lya’s tone remained icy.

“That’s not true yet, Lia. Look what this is!” Andrei held up a fragment similar to the three fragments in Gisela’s hand and presented it to Lia.