The boy lifted his head and looked at him.
There was no awe or guardedness in his eyes, only pure confusion.
"Of course I know, sir." He pointed to the door plate and read: "Baker Street, Number 22, Fisher Bakery."
The boy thought for a moment, then added matter-of-factly, "This is a second-grade compulsory lesson. If I couldn't read, how could I deliver newspapers and earn money?"
Varius stood there without responding immediately.
In the Imperial Capital, literacy was a privilege of the priests and nobility.
Knowledge was tightly guarded within high walls; the common people were not only ignorant but were deliberately kept from accessing writing.
As a result, the lower class was driven like beasts by instinct and fear.
Yet here, a child delivering newspapers could read, write, and earn a reward from it.
This is what truly shocked Varius.
Not far away, a few people gathered outside a bakery.
