Laughter Like a Barbell

"The illusion you dispelled in front of everyone wasn't completely gone, just one layer, but it was indeed dispelled, and it happened in front of everyone. This gave everyone the illusion that the illusion was gone, so they subconsciously thought that it had been switched and the remaining thing was a fake, so they didn't pay much attention."

"Moreover, since the auction is imminent, they will definitely be anxious to find clues. And among all these people, you are the only one from the Mineralogy Department, so those four gems will definitely end up in your hands for appraisal. Therefore, you have a lot of room to maneuver, which is to say, you brought them back openly and legitimately, just like now."

"So..."

"The answer is completely correct."

Rowe looked at her with a smile, took out the four gems, and at the same time used the spell left by Avalonrimelli to directly break the illusion. In the blink of an eye, the four magic eyes, which had been identified as ordinary gems by several magicians, once again revealed their true nature.

"Oh, oh, oh! Just as I thought, but it's amazing you could do something like that."

Seeing the Mystic Eyes appear, Aozaki Touko's expression became even more excited, but she also felt a little heartache.

After all, Jewel-Grade Mystic Eyes is the highest-level magical treasure in the world and should be carefully stored away. Recalling how it had just passed through everyone's hands and remained on the ground for so long, she couldn't help but shudder. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel fortunate that she and Lehmann were both respectable people and had been careful not to handle the gem too roughly. If it had passed through the hands of that priest named Hansa, it could easily have damaged the Mystic Eyes itself.

Looking at the four beautiful, pearl-like magic Mystic Eyes in Rovey's hand, Aozaki Touko suddenly lowered her voice and asked.

"So... what are your plans now? Do you have any escape plans or anything? After all, given the current situation, this train is unlikely to let us leave until we find the lost Mystic Eyes. Although the methods you used this time are indeed unparalleled, they are not foolproof. Continuing to investigate will definitely lead to trouble."

That's the truth.

Even though Rovey's methods were perfect, combined with the Age of Gods illusion technique cast by Merry, he successfully blinded everyone and made them completely fooled.

However, it is by no means perfect to the point of being without any flaws.

As a famous detective once said: There is no such thing as a perfect crime in this world.

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

Such methods might never be discovered in the ordinary world, but this is the realm of the mysterious, where they have many ways to trace the origins.

If they still have no leads before the auction at 6 p. m., they will have to resort to drastic measures.

There are many Mystic Eyes in the Rail Zeppelin that can see into the past and track clues. Try them one by one and you will eventually find some clues.

This was the train conductor's assurance, and also a warning he issued.

After all, if the thief were one of these guests, he would definitely feel a sense of crisis and try to escape the train before being discovered.

For the real killer, staying would undoubtedly be a bad deal.

After all, two pairs of Jewel-Grade Mystic Eyes are already the most precious treasures in the world.

Now that we've got everything, leaving is probably the safest option.

Although that's what the other party said, Rovey sensed a threat or even coercion in their words.

They may have already secretly laid a trap, waiting for the escapee to expose himself.

And even if the other party manages to escape, it doesn't matter. Because whoever escapes is guilty, and the Mystic Eye Train will definitely find out their identity and hunt them down to the ends of the earth to get their revenge. At that point, even Lord won't be able to maintain their authority.

It can be said that the initiative has been taken back by the Mystic Eye Train team.

Aozaki Touko was aware of this, which is why she was worried about Rovey.

Even if Rovey were to advance to the Grand Magus and become the new rising star of the Clock Tower, the Mystic Eye Train would let him go, and the trouble that followed would be no less than that of the Sealing Designation.

That's why she wanted to hear what Rovey had to say.

If there's a way to escape directly, then she'll continue her life on the run with Rovey today. Since she's already been hunted down by the designated Executor of the Sealing Designation, it doesn't matter if it's the Rail Zeppelin instead.

After all, no matter how powerful this train is, it can't surpass the Department of Law.

Trading two pairs of Jewel-Grade Mystic Eyes for a chase is actually worthwhile.

Moreover, even if Rovey didn't make a move, the other party would have done so tonight anyway. What she was doing now was merely striking first, so she didn't see any problem with it.

Since reconciliation is impossible right now, it might be better to escalate the situation further.

When the time comes, she can take Rovey back to her hidden hideout in Mifune City, and there won't be any major problems.

However, Rovey Wei calmly asked her, "Leave? Why should we leave? Aren't we here for the auction? What does the Mystic Eyes, which I stole from the warehouse with my own skills, have to do with what I bought?"

This statement truly baffled Aozaki Touko. She genuinely hadn't expected Rovey to be so unfazed by the so-called past perspective and prepared to fight to the bitter end.

Although she wanted to advise Rovey to calm down, seeing the confident look in his eyes, she realized that Rovey must have his own reasons for daring to say that.

To this, Rovey could only think to himself that even the Star of Omniscience, and Merlin's Extra Clairvoyance, couldn't see his past or future. Who were they trying to scare with a mere Mystic Eyes that didn't even reach the Rainbow level? Go ahead and look if you can; if you can see it, then you're truly impressive.

You should know that he had considered all the Mystic Eyes before this operation, so no matter how Lita tried, she wouldn't be able to find any clues today.

And...

The other party had been plotting to kill them all along. Given such a deep grudge, how could they possibly be satisfied with just two pairs of Jewel-Grade Mystic Eyes?

Not to mention there are only three children in the family, and we haven't even prepared their wedding favors yet. How can they just leave like this...?

Moreover, since we've already started, we must go all the way and eliminate any lingering worries.

After all, the other party wasn't a good person either.

Since they were the ones who sent the invitation first and schemed against me and Aoko, then they shouldn't blame me for what I did.

However, the fact that an auction could still be held under the current circumstances surprised Rovey somewhat.

After all, there is no doubt that because the two originally planned Jewel-Grade Mystic Eyes were stolen, the Mystic Eye Train can only take out equivalent items from its collection to replace them in order to cope with the auction.

Although Jewel-Grade Mystic Eyes are extremely rare, the other party is, after all, a massive calamity that has been operating for hundreds of years, so there must still be some in stock.

With only three hours left, they were all frantically busy, and finding it was impossible, so they had to use other goods as substitutes. He could take advantage of their chaos to complete his arrangements.

Now we'll see who prepares the biggest surprise for whom when the auction starts at 6 p. m.

He turned his head and glanced at Aoko, who was sitting next to him with a somewhat confused look in her eyes.

Rovey immediately told her not to just sit there idly. He told her to take advantage of the fact that those guys were busy and quickly put up all his spell cards. He noticed that Hansa's side had almost finished putting up the cards, and Aoko's side should also hurry up and get going.

Part of the reason I've caused such a commotion is to create an opportunity for Aoko and Hansa to set up the ceremony. Now is arguably the perfect time; what are we waiting for? Let's seize the opportunity and make our move...

Subsequently, under Rovey's direction, Aozaki Touko decided to trust him one more time and gave him earnest instructions.

"You idiot, you absolutely mustn't die, understand?"

Seeing Aozaki Touko's serious gaze, Rovey Wei could only smile helplessly and nod repeatedly to make his promise.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen. After all, there are still many people waiting for me to come home."

Only after seeing Rovey's assurance did Aozaki Touko breathe a sigh of relief, and then she left the room with her stack of spell cards to complete the setup.

"Really..."

Rovey shook his head as he watched the direction Aoko had left in.

He felt somewhat helpless at her nervous appearance. After all, something like the Mystic Eye Train was far less terrifying than what he was about to face. He didn't even consider it a threat. This trip was just a pastime at best.

If they don't keep trying to cause trouble, and everyone can get through this auction peacefully, there will naturally be no problem.

But this time they were the ones who broke the rules first...

In that case, he wouldn't mind having one less insignificant legend in the Northern Europe region.

Fortunately, the number of Mystic Eyes stored here is quite abundant, enough for him to take back as a souvenir. Moreover, with so many high-level Mystic Eyes fused together, who knows what kind of amazing Mystic Code he might create.

Even if it were used as magical materials and consumables, the amount would still be considerable.

So, compared to Aoko, who was still feeling nervous, all Rovey really wanted to say was—

"The end has come for the Mystic Eye Train."

Chapter 139 Laughter Like a Barbell

Time: 5 PM.

It's roughly the timeframe scheduled for the auction.

Because it is located on the ocean in the Northern Europe region, it gets dark very quickly here. Just as night falls, the view outside the window is already pitch black.

In the pitch-black night, no ship lights could be seen on the sea; only the occasional twinkling stars and the moon's reflection swayed on the waves. The sea wind howled, making the waves surge and crash against the train windows with a loud roar, seemingly an omen of some unrest.

Thump thump...

In the guest room, just as Rovey was putting the two pairs of Jewel-Grade Mystic Eyes he had just acquired into the thermos on the table, along with some magic-rich nutrient solution, for preservation, there was a sudden knock on the door.

When he opened the door, he saw that the person on the other end was indeed a train staff member who had come to inform him to attend the auction.

"Hello Mr. Crowley, I'm here to escort you to the auction venue," the staff member said.

In response, Rovey Wei made him wait at the door for a while, saying he needed to prepare. He also made sure to ask, "Is the auction still proceeding as scheduled?"

"Yes, the auction will proceed as scheduled."

The staff member answered truthfully in response.

Rovey wasn't particularly surprised by the result.

This auction involves far too many things. It not only involves the noble families of the Clock Tower, but also many independent Magus from the outside world, and more importantly, the mystery and reputation that the Rail Zeppelin has accumulated over hundreds of years.

Now that the invitations have been sent out, the auction should proceed as scheduled regardless. After all, any problems arising from this are the organizer's incompetence, and have nothing to do with the guests. On the contrary, if unexpected events occur during the auction and the organizer, the Rail Zeppelin, is unable to resolve them, it will only highlight their incompetence. Furthermore, this matter will pose a significant threat and challenge to the Rail Zeppelin's centuries-old reputation as a source of calamity. If they fail to provide a reasonable explanation and instead cancel the auction, their centuries-old reputation will suffer immense damage.

Once mystery loses its mystery, it ceases to be mysterious, and its power will be greatly weakened.

The Rail Zeppelin is undoubtedly a huge mystery in the Northern Europe Magecraft world, but the current situation will undoubtedly greatly damage the train's mystery, weaken its original fear in the hearts of Magus, and make other Magus feel that even the so-called Dragon can be stolen, and that they can't handle it and can only resort to the most useless cancellation policy. It seems that it is not a big deal. Rather than a secret realm in mythology, it is more like a man-made fake secret realm.

Such rumors, once they take hold, would be a major blow to the entire train, which is why they had to deal with them seriously.

Fortunately, over the centuries, the Mystic Eye Train had accumulated more than just those two pairs of Jewel-Grade Mystic Eyes; it also had other stock. So, after the two pairs of Jewel-Grade Mystic Eyes were stolen, the organizers had to temporarily fill the huge gap by taking out two lesser Mystic Eyes from their stock.

As for the real thief, we'll deal with him after everything is over.

The auction is now just around the corner.

Since there were still no clues, Lita decided to wait until the train arrived in Iceland and then stay there until the person with the Mystic Eyes ability came. She would then switch to the Mystic Eyes and try them one by one to find the culprit.

Now...

She has other, more important things to do.

The first step is to apprehend all the people in the car before finding the murderer, and then settle accounts with that woman.

It wasn't just because of the time she caused such a huge embarrassment on this train. More importantly, this time the woman had clearly discovered some crucial clue but was unwilling to reveal it.

Although she had a prime suspect among all the people in the car, she couldn't find any evidence.

But...

To convict someone, you need to find evidence—that's a step that only ordinary people need to follow. But for her, as long as she has any suspicion of you, she can take you down.

Ordinary, secular laws cannot even restrain Magus, let alone her. This train belongs to her kingdom, where she herself is the rule.

However, regardless of whether it was that guy who did it, she wouldn't actually kill him. After all, Magus was so to her liking and talented was truly rare, and killing him so easily would be a waste. Taking him under her wing was the best solution, and besides, she felt she was getting a bit too lonely on her own. Cultivating a few capable and respectable confidants, like Eltnum did, would add some fun to the long years to come.

So--

'I'm sure that man will be extremely surprised when he arrives...'

Lita couldn't help but groan as she imagined Rovey and Aozaki Touko being imprisoned here, their faces filled with terror.

Compared to the theft case, which is certain to lead to the capture of the culprit, the matter at hand is more important.

"Bang--!!"

A sudden, unexpected explosion rang in my ears.

Inside the train, in the magnificent exhibition hall, Lita was happily waiting for everyone to arrive so that she could begin her forbidden feast.

With a loud bang, the overhead lights suddenly went out, plunging the room into darkness. Or rather, it wasn't just the lights above her and in the exhibition hall; the entire train's lights were extinguished in that instant by an unknown energy.

"Um?"

Lita frowned involuntarily.

In that brief instant, she felt a strange magical force, similar to an electromagnetic pulse, suddenly erupt somewhere on the train. In just a moment, it extinguished all the lights on board, both technological and magical. Only a few flickering flames remained, continuing to emit a faint glow in the darkness.

What happened in that instant made Lita and everyone else on the train feel uneasy, realizing that something big must have occurred.

Lehmann, who was holding his daughter's hand and heading this way, realized something bad had happened the moment the lights went out. He quickly refused the staff's invitation to take him to the exhibition hall for the auction and hurriedly retreated to his room, intending not to come out again until the lights came back on.

In just a moment, the train traveling on the sea surface completely disappeared into the night, sinking into this boundless darkness.

"Is there a problem with the power room?" Lita thought instinctively.

However, the unusual magical pulse that had just erupted quickly refuted her idea.

'No, it can't be...'