Audrey's eyes darted around, her thoughts wandering, and she quickly analyzed many things:
Mr. " The Hanged Man " described Qilangos as a lone wolf who trusts no one. Only he knows his plans, and apart from my prior discovery, no one else should have known he would assassinate someone tonight...
I only told my father and Mr. The Fool about the fact that Baron Gramir was suspected to be " Admiral Hurricane " Qilangos in disguise...
Although Duke Negan's mansion had telegraph lines that could transmit intelligence and summon help in a timely manner, there was no need to hide it... Father's confusion indicated that the powerful figure who killed Qilangos was not one they had anticipated...
In conclusion, it is almost certain that the person who killed Qilangos was a member of Mr. " The Fool's " faction!
Moreover, only our Tarot Club's special mode can create bizarre situations with unclear motives!
Qilangos is Sequence 6 " Wind-blessed " and possesses the magical item " Creeping Hunger," capable of killing him swiftly and without leaving a trace. Only High-Sequence powerhouse known as a " Demigod," could do that? Or perhaps he used a legendary, highly dangerous Sealed Artifact?
Regardless of the possibility, it's enough to demonstrate that Mr. The Fool's retinue is exceptionally powerful...
As expected of Mr. The Fool!
Regardless, I've provided a clue, and Mr. The Hanged Man has to keep his promise and give me the pituitary gland of the Rainbow Salamander!
Shouldn't this be considered our " Tarot Club's" first official operation?
As a result, Qilangos, one of the seven pirate generals, died!
Seeing his daughter's thoughtful expression tinged with excitement, Earl Hall, who had been a handsome man in his youth, coughed lightly and gave a rather serious warning:
" Audrey, I know you're interested in the mystical realm, and I usually indulge you. But you absolutely cannot get involved in this matter, not even inquiring about it. At the end of the year, the Queen will formally introduce you to social settings. As an adult, you should understand and remember that a terrifying Beyonder, or a Concealment and powerful organization, is often synonymous with danger, understand?"
"I understand, Daddy," Audrey replied sweetly. "I was just a little curious."
"Even curiosity is not allowed!" Earl Hall emphasized, then couldn't help but smile helplessly.
"Mmm!" Audrey nodded obediently.
Anyway, I know the whole story better than you do... she thought to herself, making a face.
Earl Hall thought for a moment, then smiled gently:
"Regardless, you are the hero of tonight, the savior of Duke Negan. At least half of Qilangos ' death is due to you, as is the bounty. Of course, if no one admits to killing Qilangos, claims responsibility, and comes forward to claim the bounty, the other half will also belong to you, totaling 10,000 gold pounds."
"Yes, we can also send people to collect the bounties set up by countries and organizations such as the Republic of Intis and the Feynapotter Empire. Converted, it should be 20,000 gold pounds."
" The Duke Negan just promised to give you his holiday estate in Desi Bay, which includes a large rubber plantation. I don't know the specifics of the annual income, but it certainly isn't low. He bought it for 8,000 gold pounds and subsequently built houses and purchased high-quality rubber seeds."
Audrey already possessed 300,000 pounds in assets, could be considered wealthy, but a reward of nearly or even exceeding 40,000 gold pounds was still a huge sum for her, an amount that many noble ladies did not even receive as part of their dowry.
In a marriage between a nobleman and a merchant in August, Miss Mary poder Aubrey, the daughter of a millionaire, received a dowry of £80,000.
"I never even considered the bounty..." Audrey whispered from the bottom of her heart.
Suddenly, she thought of something: if she went to claim the bounty and spread her fame, the " The Hanged Man " could easily determine who " Justice " was.
That won't do! As a member of the Tarot Club, I must maintain my secrecy! Audrey looked at her father, gathering her thoughts before speaking:
"Dad, I'm a little scared..."
"Why? What happened?" Earl Hall asked anxiously.
"If word gets out that I discovered Qilangos was impersonating Baron Gramir, I'm afraid his men will retaliate against me, and I'm afraid the person who orchestrated his assassination of Duke Negan will target me..." Audrey tried to make herself appear pitiful, weak, and helpless.
"I will arrange for someone to protect you," Earl Hall responded first, then nodded slightly. "But there's really no need for you to take that risk, and the person who killed Qilangos took ' Creeping Hunger.' Of course, for High-Sequence powerhouse, that's not a convincing motive. Hmm... I'll tell Duke Negan to keep this a secret and have someone else collect the bounty, then I'll compensate you privately later."
At this point, Earl Hall said with a broad smile:
"As expected of my daughter, she easily earned 40,000 gold pounds, which is more than a tenth of your current wealth."
That £300,000 was a pre-allocated portion of his estate for his daughter, and he would make up for it when she got married.
"Were you so great before you had a dad?" Audrey asked happily.
Earl Hall shook his head and chuckled:
"They're much better than me. My first business venture only earned me 60 pounds."
Audrey was overjoyed. The £40,000 bounty, her father's praise, the sense of accomplishment from causing the death of " Admiral Hurricane " Qilangos and accomplishing something extraordinary, the pride of being a member of the " Tarot Club," and the Rainbow Salamander pituitary gland she would receive from " The Hanged Man " afterward—all these brought her not just double the happiness, but triple, even quadruple, or five times the joy!
I desperately want to report this to Mr. " The Fool " immediately and get his confirmation... No, I can't. A mysterious and powerful figure with unclear motives killed Qilangos. Now, someone is definitely watching me in the shadows, searching for clues. I can't show the slightest abnormality... Bah! I'm not abnormal at all, as long as I don't try to chant Mr. " The Fool's" name...
Hmm, if it was indeed done by Mr. The Fool's retinue, he must already know the result and wouldn't need me to report it... Hmm... Should I share the reward with that Blessed? No, 20,000 pounds, no matter how it's paid, will inevitably attract attention, and I can't take that risk...
Moreover, it was always the " The Hanged Man " who asked the " The Fool " for help, so he should be the one paying for it. Hmm, he does claim to have many of Roselle's Diary!
I'll try to collect more entries from the diary. I'm grateful that Mr. " The Fool " answered my prayers; He certainly doesn't care for vulgar money...
Audrey quickly determined what to do next.
Inside the Duke Negan's mansion, in his private study.
The obese, tall duke sat in a high-backed chair behind the table, smoking a cigar, and looking at the " Songster of God," Al Snake, and the kingdom's prime minister Agusid Negan, and others opposite him.
"Based on the intelligence reports we've received, it's currently impossible to confirm which High-Sequence powerhouse was responsible for this." Agusid had just returned from the king's place.
Archbishop Snake nodded in agreement.
"We've also confirmed it using extraordinary methods; it's not one of those well-known High-Sequence powerhouses, nor is it one of the members of the Spirituality Religion."
"There is sufficient reason to believe that he is a mysterious and powerful figure unknown to us. Of course, the possibility that he used a dangerous Sealed Artifact cannot be ruled out."
Duke Negan, holding a cigar, said:
"Perhaps he's not just a High-Sequence powerhouse; there's likely a Concealment organization behind him, one we don't know enough Concealment. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to ambush Qilangos so precisely. Hmm, perhaps one of the participants at tonight's ball is a member of their organization."
His brother, Prime Minister Agusid, said solemnly:
"Regardless of the possibility, we must be careful and find out the identity of that High-Sequence powerhouse as soon as possible, what his purpose is in coming to Backlund, whether he is simply hunting down Qilangos, and why he wants to kill Qilangos."
The fact that a High-Sequence powerhouse, whose existence is not under their control, is wandering in Backlund is enough to attract the attention of the Kingdom's government and the three major churches!
Although the strongest beings of Sequence 4 and Sequence 3 might not be able to withstand the bombardment of giant ships and cannons, they don't need to confront them head-on, as they possess too many unpredictable abilities.
Therefore, this is a more dangerous existence than an ironclad warship, as can be seen from the title " Demigod, half-human" alone!
" The Songster of God " Ace Snake immediately stood up and said:
"I'll make the arrangements immediately and contact the Church of Evernight and the Church of Steam."
"His Majesty the King will also have the military and intelligence agencies cooperate," Prime Minister Agusid promised.
Inside a hotel in the North Borough Backlund.
With his bronze skin and a mole near his ear, Azik sat under the gaslight, gazing at a glove placed before him.
The glove was so thin and light, it seemed to be made of human skin, and it appeared that if it were filled with flesh and blood, it could turn back into a hand.
Azik stared for a long time, then suddenly revealed a pained and Distortion expression, muttering to himself:
"I think... I think I've worked with them before..."
Klein didn't sleep well all night because he hadn't received any reports from " Justice " or " The Hanged Man," nor a reply from Mr. Azik, and he was constantly worried about the outcome of the " Admiral Hurricane " Qilangos incident.
It must have caused quite a commotion, making Miss Justice and Mr. The Hanged Man hesitant to contact me again... But why hasn't Mr. Azik replied? Was he not involved, or did something happen to him? Was he injured by Qilangos? Klein covered his mouth with his hand, yawned, and boarded the trolleybus heading to Zouteland Street.
"Breaking News! Breaking News! ' Admiral Hurricane ' Qilangos has been killed in Backlund!"
"Breaking News! Breaking News! ' Admiral Hurricane ' Qilangos has been killed in Backlund!"
Just as the carriage was about to depart, Klein suddenly heard the voice of a newsboy—an invention of Emperor Roselle himself.
After a moment's hesitation, Klein quickly pulled out a penny, handed it out the window, and bought a copy of the Tingen Morning Post. Many other passengers made the same choice.
Klein unfolded the newspaper and immediately saw the headline:
The great pirate Qilangos was shot dead by the Duke's bodyguard in Backlund.
Qilangos is dead? Did Mr. Azik do it? Klein fell into deep thought and muttered to himself:
As the mastermind behind this whole affair, I only found out the outcome from the newspaper...