Inside the Earl Hall's luxurious villa in Queens Borough.
Audrey sat on a white napkin, watching the maid cut bacon for her, arrange perfectly cooked eggs on both sides, spread jam on fluffy bread, and add sauce to the grilled mushrooms.
In true aristocratic families, maids were divided into many categories. In addition to personal maids, there were maids for different bedrooms, studies, living rooms, guest rooms, clothing, shoes, jewelry, dining, laundry, and kitchen, with each type of maid assigned to a specific task.
Although this was a great waste of manpower, for nobles, dignity was everything, and they would not lower their standards in this regard unless they were heavily indebted.
Audrey took a sip of the reddish-brown tea, letting the subtle aroma of malt and rose linger in her mouth.
Just then, she heard her father, Earl Hall, a member of the Kingdom's Senate and a prominent banker, muttering to himself while looking at the newspaper in his hand:
" The Aurora Order is insane!"
"The Aurora Order? "Audrey blinked and asked curiously.
"What did they do?"
"Oh, my dear, you wouldn't believe it, but they actually assassinated Intis's ambassador, Bakerland. It didn't do them any good." Earl Hall shook his head as he flipped through the newspaper.
Audrey's elder brother, the Earl's eldest son, Hibbert Hall, swallowed the roasted mushroom in his mouth and offered his opinion:
"Perhaps they want to damage the relationship between the Kingdom and Intis, and let the war spread from the colonies to the Northern Continent."
This nobleman's son had a handsome face and brilliant blond hair; no matter which angle you looked at him from, he had a classical sculptural beauty.
"No, if that were the case, they wouldn't have left so much obvious evidence. Besides, the kingdom has too many new policies about to be implemented, and it needs a period of stability. We won't rashly start a war. What happened last night was reported in the newspapers this morning, with a detailed account and specific details of the perpetrators, which is enough to explain His Majesty the King and his ministers' thoughts." Earl Hall pointed to his child.
Audrey listened intently to her father and brother discussing this issue, and it took her a while to react:
Was Bakerland assassinated?
Did Mr. A succeed?
Is he really a member of the Aurora Order?
He deliberately revealed that it was Aurora Order did it, just to prove that he was the one who carried it out, and that it wasn't a scam to collect the final payment.
That's so fast and efficient! I made the first payment yesterday afternoon, and I heard the result this morning. It's a good result!
Audrey was shocked, but also overwhelmed with joy; and beneath that joy, there was an instinctive fear.
The fact that Mr. The Fool's Blessed completed the task so easily and simply was certainly something to be happy about, but the strength and efficiency displayed by Mr. A and the Aurora Order behind him made Audrey subconsciously feel afraid.
Well, thankfully I already reached a loan agreement with Glaint yesterday. As a Viscount, he should have successfully raised the funds without attracting attention... I'll give the remaining amount to Mr. A in the next couple of days, through Hugh and Fors. I absolutely cannot do it myself... I also can't attend Mr. A's parties for the next month or two. Luckily, I have other circles... Audrey took a demure bite of the soft bread spread with jam.
As breakfast drew to a close, a small cake with cream, cherries, and strawberries was placed on her plate, and she, now calmer, suddenly felt a sense of pride.
Mr. The Hanged Man still wanted to participate in the mission, but he had probably only completed the initial stages of the commission... It was all over... Well, he was at sea after all. Audrey, in a good mood, sipped her dessert with a smile in her eyes.
In Hillston Borough, Hugh and Fors stared at the newspaper in front of them, remaining motionless for a long time.
"... Mr. A made this, right?" Hugh looked at his friend with a mixture of shock and doubt.
Fors turned the stone-encrusted bracelet on her wrist and shook her head in equal bewilderment:
"Maybe."
"I know about the Aurora Order, but I don't know if Mr. A is a member of the Aurora Order."
"Probably, after all, we just gave him 2,000 pounds yesterday, so there shouldn't be anyone else trying to assassinate Ambassador Bakerland..." Hugh said uncertainly.
Fors remained silent for a few seconds, then suddenly sighed:
"Regardless of whether Mr. A did it or not, we have to give him the remaining £8,000. No one can prove he didn't do it, and if we want to stay in this business, we can't renege on our debt!"
"Anyway, it's not our money... and we even get a £500 reward!" Hugh exclaimed, suddenly becoming cheerful.
"The problem is, I always feel it would be dangerous to go see Mr. A again..." Fors pondered. "When it's time to pay the final payment, I'll go myself. That's better for both of us."
"But..." Hugh instinctively felt a little uneasy.
"Your presence will hinder my escape," Fors said with a disdainful tone, shaking the bracelet on her wrist.
"Okay," Hugh replied helplessly, scratching his frizzy blond hair.
Just as the two were feeling anxious about this matter, Mr. A sent them a new message through Concealment communication channel. He told them not to come to him, but to deposit the remaining balance into several anonymous accounts in different banks.
Whew... Hugh and Fors both breathed a sigh of relief.
In a spacious basement that resembled a temple, Mr. A, dressed in a hooded black robe, knelt in the darkness, whispering something devoutly.
In front of him was a statue nearly 3 meters tall, depicting a person hanging upside down with their legs bound by chains.
This upside-down figure has Giant's distinctive vertical single eye, and its arms are outstretched, forming a cross.
At this moment, a man shrouded in black robes entered and humbly reported:
" Mr. A, I have already passed on the message."
"Very good," Mr. A said without turning his head.
The man shrouded in black robes asked in confusion:
"Why won't you let us investigate who commissioned this task?"
Mr. A, with his head down, spoke in a detached tone:
"Unnecessary."
"You must remember, this is a crucial period."
"We want to create chaos on the mainland, we want to attract as much attention as possible, and in this way we will welcome the Lord's return!"
"Hahaha, cough cough cough..."
Mr. A suddenly laughed, then coughed violently until he collapsed to the ground.
"Cough cough!"
He coughed up clumps of bloody fragments, which continued to wriggle as they hit the ground, as if they were alive.
The man shrouded in black robes immediately lowered his head, pretending not to have seen anything.
After a long while, Mr. A finally calmed down.
He crawled forward, his mouth pressed against the ground, licking back all the bloody fragments he had coughed up.
126 New Year Road, Hillston Borough.
Feeling much lighter this time, Klein didn't follow Doragu Gale, but instead targeted his mistress Erica Taylor; after all, an affair requires two people.
The beautiful blonde, with her exquisite makeup, arrived at the Cragg Club early in a horse-drawn carriage. Klein, carrying a leather suitcase containing a portable camera and various disguises, followed her inside.
"Are there any rooms left to rest in?" he asked the pretty maid who was in charge of greeting him that day, as he wore the club's white frost badge on his chest.
The maid, dressed in a black and white dress, smiled politely:
"Yes, just follow this waiter upstairs."
Klein nodded slightly and, led by the waiter in the red vest, went up the stairs to the second floor, where he saw Erica Taylor enter a lounge facing the street.
"Would you like to see the pedestrians on the street, or the tennis court in the back?" the waiter in the red vest asked solicitously.
"It's on the street, isn't it?" Klein replied casually.
The waiter in the red vest arranged for him to be in a room two rooms away from Erica Taylor's, both with a view of the street outside the club's main entrance.
How should I take the photos? Should I sneak in and hide inside the room, or climb out the window and through the pipes outside? Neither method can conceal the exaggerated Flash, but the latter could disguise me as an outsider taking photos, preventing suspicion and getting rid of me... However, both of these methods would easily be noticed by Doragu and Erica... Should I use a spell to put them to sleep? No, that would make the photos less convincing; it must be footage of the process...
There's only one chance, and it has to be good enough... This isn't my area of expertise; I'm no art Planeswalker... If it were Old Neil, he'd definitely try to create a new Ritualistic Magic Ritualistic Magic, specifically to mask the camera Flash. Of course, the goddess might not respond to him...
As Klein deliberated on his next move, he saw the bodyguard's image reflected in a silver mirror in the room.
She was still wearing that black Gothic court dress, with a small soft hat of the same color on her head. Her hair was light gold, her face was pale, and her features were exquisite.
"Do you have a way to cover up the camera Flash?" Klein asked casually.
Before he finished speaking, he saw ripples appear on the surface of the silver mirror, and a slightly transparent hand suddenly stretched out.
The bodyguard, like a ghost, emerged from the silver mirror, walked up to Klein, and nodded slightly.
"Can."
She leaned down and moved closer, gradually blending into the camera lens!
Klein stared at the horrifying scene with his mouth slightly agape. It took him a while to come to his senses. He then picked up his portable camera and took a test shot in his lounge.
The results were better than he expected; the Flash was confined to the vicinity of the lens, and the image quality was quite good.
Perhaps it should be called "Ghost Camera" now... Klein muttered to himself, took the camera, went to the window, and waited patiently.
Not long after, he saw Doragu Gale arrive in a carriage.
Erica Taylor, on the other side, also saw her lover and hurriedly left the lounge to greet him on the first floor.
Klein seized the opportunity, used tarot cards to open the door to the other person's room, and carefully hid in the closet where extra sheets and blankets were kept.
The surrounding darkness reminded him of last night, and of the eerie and terrifying " Marionettist," Rosago.
Last night was fraught with danger, and today he's here to catch his wife cheating. Life is truly amazing... As Klein was lamenting his situation, he heard the Door Opening.