Chapter 464 - Consultation
Prince Edessak Augustus? What connection does he have with the danger that might lead to tragedy? Moreover, this matter seems to have received the attention of Mr. Fool! Audrey instantly matched the name with a face, giving rise to great worry and doubt in her.
In her opinion, things that caught the attention of Mr. Fool were either very dangerous, extremely secretive, or had far-reaching importance, and were by no means simple. For example, the True Creator had attempted to descend upon Backlund with the help of Lanevus and the harsh conditions of East Borough’s factory district, Emperor Roselle’s Dark Emperor card, or the death of the Duke Negan, and the Twilight Hermit Order.
Taking these examples into account, Audrey had good reason to believe that, if not handled well, or given too little attention, the major event involving Prince Edessak would inevitably lead to a very, very terrible storm!
Yes… Prince Edessak hasn’t bothered me for quite some time, and I was only relieved by that and didn’t think too much about it. Now, it does seem a little problematic… At the previous ball, he still warmly kept me back to discuss some boring topics, trying his hand at pompous bad humor. But just two or three days after that, he turned rather cold and had even deliberately avoided me… I have to find a chance to ask Father about him, but I can’t show too much curiosity, or else it might be very possible that he would agree to the royal family’s marriage request… Audrey recalled some details, and she suddenly felt her shoulders sink from the weight.
She had never liked Prince Edessak, including his two elder brothers, and she had no intention of becoming a princess consort. As for the reason, it was very simple. The followers of the Evernight Goddess couldn’t accept that the Augustus family had believed in the Lord of Storms for generations, which meant their arrogance, pomposity, contempt, and eccentricity against women had penetrated deep into their bones. It was hard to change them which was the one thing Audrey couldn’t tolerate the most.
When she thought of the strict, ancient, and extremely conservative environment she would find herself in after becoming a princess consort, Audrey felt that she would surely go crazy and flee, disregarding everything else. So, she wasn’t moved at all by the rather solicitous flattery of the princes; she was even very repulsed.
Edessak Augustus… The last name implies that he’s a member of the royal family. I vaguely remember that he’s a prince? What dangerous matter is he going to do? I have no way of coming into contact with him… Right, I can ask Miss Audrey and Viscount Glaint for help, but I have to think of a reason ahead of time to prevent any suspicion from them… Fors frowned slightly as she interpreted Mr. Fool’s words.
Alger was very interested in the matter, but he didn’t dare to ask Mr. Fool, who was obviously just providing a hint. He could only ponder to himself for two seconds before saying to Justice, The Magician, and The World, “The atmosphere over the sea isn’t calm either. It might have a connection with Backlund, just like those machines.”
His words were completely baseless. He simply wanted to exaggerate the degree of the danger and let the three Tarot Club members in Backlund investigate it diligently.
… I have to say that Mr. Hanged Man has acted in concert so well… Klein, who was watching from the sidelines, gave up on the idea of having The World say something similar.
He only mentioned Prince Edessak, but not the lady with the sapphire ring who was suspected of having a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. He didn’t even mention the possibility that the matter Prince Edessak might be involved in had to do with 0-08 and Ince Zangwill because he didn’t know the circumstances of the top Sealed Artifact that could even destroy a country. All he could rely on were minute clues to make guesses that he wasn’t completely sure of. He was afraid that if he directly told the key points to Justice and Miss Magician, their investigations would be detected by the target the moment they honed in on the target.
This was also why Klein didn’t try to find an opportunity to inform the Machinery Hivemind. Based on his guesses about Sealed Artifact 0-08, he suspected that if he left Minsk Street and rode a horse carriage to the Lever Cathedral or the Steam Cathedral, he would encounter an unexpected and absolutely unstoppable attack, such as the eruption of a Sealed Artifact hidden underground or a fatal strike of a High-Sequence Beyonder.
Only the screening of the gray fog allowed Klein to not worry about such problems. To a certain extent, he could inform Justice and The Magician about this through a more gentle, more roundabout, and more veiled manner.
In addition, Klein had other plans. It was to “leave” Backlund by bowing out the stage as a side character among side characters and changing his appearance without anyone noticing. He would then secretly return and contact the Machinery Hivemind in a manner beyond the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact’s senses!
Let’s hope this will succeed. I hope there’s a chance of finding Ince Zangwill! Yes, the premise is that he is indeed involved in this matter… Wait a minute, while Mr. Azik was after Ince Zangwill, he had a conflict with MI9. He became secretly wanted, and MI9 has always been considered to be a pro-royal faction in the military… A series of coincidences revolving Prince Edessak is rather similar to the features displayed by Sealed Artifact 0-08 in the past… This seems to indirectly confirm Ince Zangwill’s existence…
Klein closed his eyes, and the bright boots and pale hand flashed back to him.
He leaned back in his chair, his lips curving upward.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we shall meet next week.”
…
In Empress Borough, the opulent villa of Earl Hall.
Audrey stood in front of the full-length mirror, staring blankly at her reflection.
There were good news and bad news for her at this Tarot Gathering.
The good news was that she was about to receive one of the Psychiatrist potion’s main ingredients.
Although she was no longer the ignorant girl who had bought some basic general knowledge from The Hanged Man for a thousand pounds and knew the approximate price of a lot of Beyonder ingredients, she didn’t mind paying a premium for the eyes of a Mirror Dragon.
After Duke Negan’s assassination, she gained the desire and motivation to raise her Sequence to receive the corresponding combat strength. For this, she didn’t want to wait any longer and was willing to pay a price—as long as the ingredients appeared, she would immediately accept the offer as long as the price wasn’t too outrageous, in case something unexpected happened.
It’s like a precious piece of jewelry that many noble ladies have set their eyes on. It’s also like the purebred houses with unique bloodlines that men like. The corresponding premium is inevitable and unavoidable. At times, it’s not impossible to have the price double or triple… Besides, with Fors busying herself in the process of contacting her teacher, she definitely shouldn’t be left wasting her time while taking on risks. Yes… She also doesn’t know that I’m Justice… Audrey thought indifferently.
As for the bad news, it was no doubt related to the matter of Prince Edessak. It left her concerned and worried.
Fortunately, Mr. World received the news, and Mr. Fool had provided a warning. Otherwise, who knows how things would’ve turned out… Audrey, with such excellent conditions, you could certainly solve this problem! Come on! The girl drew the sign of the crimson moon against the reflection in the mirror and tried hard to be optimistic.
Then, she restrained her emotions and headed out to the piano room, preparing to participate in her scheduled piano lesson as if nothing had happened.
This was because Earl Hall and his wife, as well as Hibbert Hall wouldn’t be home until dinner, and she had no one to ask for information now. She could only tell herself to be calm, to be composed, and to be patient.
Before the tutor arrived, Audrey casually played the piano, using the beautiful melody to cleanse her mind and soul.
When she finished playing, she noticed that Susie had opened the door at some point and was sitting beside her. She still had a pair of gold-rimmed glasses hanging around her neck.
“Audrey, what problems did you encounter? The sound of your piano tells me that you’re frustrated over something,” Susie said suddenly.
Uh… Audrey froze, not knowing how to reply.
She suddenly felt that having a “mind-reading dog” at home wasn’t necessarily a good thing…
…
Within the campsite that had a lit bonfire.
With his eyes closed, Derrick Berg thought back quietly to what had happened at the Tarot Gathering and made sure that he hadn’t forgotten the memories of his repeated experiences.
After an unknown period of time, he opened his eyes, which were brimming with anticipation, and looked around. However, what entered into his eyes were flames and his teammates, who were exactly the same as in his memories.
At that moment, the cross-legged Demon Hunter Colin, who was leaning against a stone pillar, said, “We will set off after 50 rounds of lightning.”
At this moment, Derrick was sure that everything that had happened before wasn’t a dream or a hallucination.
…
Cherwood Borough. 15 Minsk Street.
Klein went down to the first floor and sat in the activity room, feeling the warmth of the fireplace.
He quietly rocked in the reclining chair without reading the newspapers, magazines, or even books.
It was all so peaceful and silent until he heard the ringing of his doorbell.
Klein, who was wearing a house shirt and cashmere vest, got up and walked towards the door. The visitor took him by surprise.
He opened the door and chuckled.
“Good afternoon, Emlyn. Aren’t you supposed to be helping at the Harvest Church at this hour?”
It was the handsome, somewhat effeminate, Vampire Emlyn White, whose hair was combed back at an angle.
The arrogant man’s expression froze when he heard Klein’s greeting. It took him a bit of effort to recover his composure.
“I have something to consult with you, Detective. Sherlock. Moriarty!” Emlyn enunciated one word at a time.
After inviting him into the activity room, Klein returned to his reclining chair and asked with a smile, “What is it? The fee for a consultation is one pound, but the consultation cannot exceed an hour.”
Emlyn White didn’t pay attention to his words, and he said while deep in thought, “A big shot wants me to do something… Although that matter can help me solve my problem indirectly, it also contains a great amount of risk.
“I don’t have any friends, and I’m afraid my parents will be worried, and you’re a very knowledgeable Beyonder detective… What do you suggest? Reject or accept?”
Solve your problem? Clearing the psychological cue? Klein said thoughtfully, “I can’t give you any advice with just the word ‘something.’”
Emlyn White fell silent for a few seconds before he clenched his teeth and said in a low voice, “It has something to do with that Fool…”
“Huh?” Klein almost lifted his hand to his ear.