Aieee--Black Tide Society, how can the Black Tide Society be here!

The next morning, the first rays of dawn rose from the horizon, staining the firmament a leaden gray.

Accompanied by the tolling of bells from the small chapel, the scent of toasted bread drifted from the kitchen.

The servants were already busy, not just with the daily labor of the estate, but to present a satisfying breakfast to their master, who weighed several tons.

Of all the people, only the guard at the gate remained drowsy; after all, there was no need to worry about thieves at this hour, and it was still a long time before the master might venture out.

Yet, just then, accompanied by the crisp crack of a whip striking the air, a carriage slowly made its way along the forest path to the front of the mansion.

The guards were instantly alert; they had not received word from the butler that there would be visitors today.

In this era, most who arrived without submitting a calling card in advance were unwelcome guests.

Just then, the curtain of the carriage was suddenly lifted at a corner. A low, magnetic voice sounded from the shadows behind the curtain: "May I ask, is this the residence of the Collector?"

"Indeed." The guard frowned and replied: "May I ask who you are, and do you have an appointment?"

The voice in the carriage replied slowly: "No, but I believe the Collector will not refuse to see me. So, please, trouble the two of you to inform the Collector, and say that Radvasch of Vienna has come to call."

"Apologies, that is not possible."

The guard frowned and said: "The mistress is very busy today, and I am afraid she does not have time to meet with you. If you wish to see her, it would be best to book an appointment three days in advance, so that my mistress may arrange a time for you..."

His voice trailed off quietly here; the guard's gaze shifted from a hostile glare to confusion, and then, from that confusion, sprouted immense terror, for the man in the carriage had pushed open the door and slowly stepped down.

"Hmm, interesting." Lude stood with his hands behind his back, head held high as he examined the five-story detached building. "When I was in Vienna, I visited whomever I pleased. I did not expect that I would need an [appointment] here."

Yes, that was right—Lude had worn that uniform he'd seized from the Obsidian Hall in Aleppo again today!

It had to be said, within the borders of the Rhine Kingdom, this act of borrowing a tiger's prestige worked wonders!

Consequently, the guard who had just been keeping people at arm's length became instantly submissive, ushering Lude into the mansion with fawning compliance.

Just kidding—this was someone from the Obsidian Hall; what could you do even if he showed up uninvited?

When these people entered the mansions of barons and bureaucrats, they kicked the doors down directly. To resist was to invite a one-way ticket to the afterlife for your entire family, so it was better for small fry like them to step aside.

And so, Lude was led all the way into the parlor by the servants, who treated him with the utmost respect.

Only when they saw this "lord" take his seat did the servants heave a sigh of relief.

It happened to be teatime, so the servants quickly served white sausages, pretzels, and black coffee.

"Sir." A servant spoke cautiously: "The mistress is washing up; she will be here shortly. Please, bear with the wait."

Lude sipped the coffee. The Collector's coffee tasted quite good, unlike the chicory root brew served at the Golden Eagle Tavern.

He then peeled the skin off a white sausage and popped it into his mouth.

The sausage must have been freshly made, as it lacked the stale, aged flavor characteristic of meat in an era lacking proper preservation.

Lude ate the sausage while surveying his surroundings.

Although according to Sally, the Collector was just a fat hag, her taste was truly not bad.

The Collector's mansion was built on the far west side of the town, a five-story reinforced concrete structure spanning a hundred meters in width.

Though only five stories, it stood taller than the average seven-story building—a change made to accommodate the unusual physique of its owner, much like the reinforced concrete structure itself, which was quite rare for this era.

However, despite being built of reinforced concrete, the exterior was heavily decorated, making it look like marble at first glance.

Given the construction techniques of the time, the mansion looked a bit like an old-fashioned row house, but once inside, the luxury of the decor was something no ordinary family could possess.

Just as Lude was deep in thought, accompanied by a tremor equivalent to a magnitude four earthquake, a hand so fat that the knuckles were buried in flesh gripped the doorframe.

As that massive figure slowly squeezed through the door, the image of [Big Mom] in Lude's mind vanished in an instant, replaced by the visage of [Mountain Demon Bogang].

Upon seeing Lude, a smile spread across the Collector's face, which was thicker than her own neck.

"Good day."

She grabbed a pretzel and chewed it heartily, saying with a remarkably deep, resonant voice: "I heard that the plan on Chairman Don Juan's side hit a snag. So, he sent you, a member of the personal guard, to demand resources from me?"

Had Lude been an ordinary person, his brain would have surely buzzed—Aieeee! The Black Tide Society, why is the Black Tide Society here!

Fortunately, Lude's composure index was high enough. The moment he heard this, his brain began to race; the next instant, he noticed that the Collector also wore a medal on her lapel, one that bore an eighty-percent resemblance to a certain medal on Lude's chest.

Come to think of it, Aleppo and Su the Medalist were somewhat alike; both were enthusiasts of medals.

The coat he had inherited from Aleppo was pinned with a dozen various medals. Lude was completely ignorant of this field; to avoid being exposed for some flaw—like missing a prerequisite medal for another—he had simply followed the established pattern.

So, these medals weren't just issued to Aleppo by the Rhine Kingdom; they were also symbols of his status within the Black Tide Society!

It was a small, circular metal badge with a matte iron-black background inside a silver ring, featuring a silver outline of surging waves and a cold, crescent moon.

However, the Collector's badge also featured an iris, while Aleppo's badge featured a dagger.

Well, well, after all that, the Collector was actually a regional head of the Black Tide Society?

But Lude had no time to dwell on that, for the Collector's words had just conveyed a piece of vital information.

She knew that Don Juan's plan to create a perfect Vessel had met with an accident, which meant she had been in contact with Don Juan after Lude escaped.

And having been in contact with Don Juan meant that, as of today, Don Juan was still alive, so—

What was the situation with Siana now?!

Lude had not felt the emotion of [anxiety] for a very long time, especially not after he had already died once.

After all, the worst possible outcome was merely dying again; since he could accept a death like the one in his past life, he could naturally accept the God of Death coming to knock on his door once more.

Yet at this moment, he inexplicably felt an indescribable sense of vexation in his heart.

To Lude, Siana was far more than just a savior, and for her sake, he even wanted to take down the Collector right now and interrogate her.

But Lude knew he could not do that, because he did not know if Don Juan was capable of eavesdropping on matters here at the Collector's place.

Even if Don Juan became aware of Lude's presence here, relying on the fact that the emperor was far away, Lude could still calmly retreat to the Loselin Empire.

However, Siana could not.

If she had not yet been exposed, now that the Vessel Project had succeeded and then been lost, she would undoubtedly still be at the core of the Black Tide Society's command; if Lude made a mistake here that caused Siana to be exposed, there would be absolutely no possibility of her escaping successfully.

Thinking of this, Lude smiled and spoke: "I would like to make a deal with you."