Late at night, in Backlund's North Borough.
Earl Jiao found himself amid a frozen wilderness. Without even a fur cloak to keep him warm, he rubbed his hands together against the cold.
After shivering for a while, Earl Jiao finally woke up and realized he had been dreaming.
It was already summer in Backlund-
Hiss!
So cold!
Earl Jiao noticed that even his breath was misting. Since it was summer, he had covered himself with only a thin silk quilt and wore a light silk robe.
Why was it so cold?
Earl Jiao was about to ring for a servant when he discovered that the cold had left him stiff. He could not even reach out, let alone speak loudly.
Just as he realized something was wrong and tried to find a way out of this predicament, a puppet suddenly poked its head over the edge of the bed and climbed up. "You're awake?"
It was a crudely made puppet, with rough stitches plainly visible across its body. Even its mouth and eyes had been drawn on.
Whoever had drawn its features probably had never learned how to draw faces properly, leaving the puppet with a rather eerie expression.
Jiao was a Sequence 8 Sheriff. Although the bizarre sight startled him, he quickly calmed down. "Who sent you?"
He was a nobleman with real power and a member of the House of Lords. He assumed the puppet was an assassin sent by a political enemy.
"Who sent me?" The puppet let out a hoarse, chilling laugh. "Heh heh heh. After all these years, you don't even recognize me?"
Earl Jiao frowned. He truly could not recall ever encountering a Beyonder skilled at controlling puppets.
Raphael continued in a hoarse voice tinged with weariness. "Let me give you another hint. The