Inside the Earl Hall's luxurious villa in Queens Borough.
This should have been piano practice time, but Audrey was still sitting in front of her dressing table, thinking about how to review and memorize Roselle's Diary that evening.
Suddenly, everything around her became hazy, and an endless expanse of grayish-white mist surged forth.
In the center of that Gray Fog, the figure of the " The Fool " sat high, listening to the prayer of a man so indistinct he could not be seen at all:
"... I'm asking for some help;"
"I pray someone can help me access the bookmark tucked inside Roselle's creative manuscript;"
How did Mr. The Fool know that I would visit the Roselle Memorial Exhibition after closing time today and have the opportunity to come into contact with certain things...? Audrey listened intently, surprised but not at all strange:
Given Mr. The Fool's status and abilities, it would be quite easy for him to handle such a small matter!
As for how exactly it is mastered, ordinary Sequence users don't need to understand.
Audrey was about to respond when she heard " The Fool " speak in a low, calm voice:
You can choose to accept this commission, or not.
Um... Audrey hesitated for two seconds before saying:
"Dear Mr. ' The Fool,' I can give it a try, but success is not guaranteed."
She wasn't really interested in the minimum reward of 500 pounds. She accepted the task because she was curious about what was so special about the bookmark left behind by Emperor Roselle that made Mr. The Fool's Blessed value it so much that they offered an unlimited price.
Anyway, I was going to look through Roselle's diary today, so this is a good opportunity... Audrey thought to herself.
Klein, the " The Fool " in the Gray Fog, nodded slightly and replied with a single word:
"Good."
Once the hallucination had completely disappeared, Audrey turned her gaze to the dressing mirror, seemingly scrutinizing herself intently.
She felt both nervous and excited, yet also enthusiastically began planning her evening's activities:
"It must not be detected that anything is amiss."
"If Mr. ' The Fool's' Blessed take any action afterward, I cannot become a prime suspect."
"Just touching that bookmark won't do; if it gets lost, all eyes will be on me."
"Hmm... So, I must show the same interest and attitude towards all the items, without letting others know that my main purpose is that bookmark. The whole process must be subtle, not abrupt, and logical."
How can we create small, inconspicuous acts of damage?
"That was just a bookmark..."
Audrey's gaze swept aimlessly over the various items on the dressing table, then suddenly fixed on the open jewelry box, and on a pair of gemstone stud earrings adorned with delicate pins.
Her lips curled up slightly, her eyebrows arched slightly, and she said as if talking to herself:
"With Susie's help, that should be enough..."
At six o'clock in the evening, Backlund, where the Sun is already hard to see at this time of year, was already shrouded in darkness, and the gas streetlights began to come on one by one.
The Kingdom Museum saw off its last group of ordinary visitors, but welcomed a delegation of distinguished guests, including a count's daughter, a duke's child, and a young Viscount.
Knowing that some of the aristocratic children were troublemakers, Max Livermore, the West Borough squad leader of " Machinery Hivemind " responsible for guarding the memorial exhibition, had to disguise himself as a security guard and stay by their side at all times to prevent any accidents.
His hair was neatly combed back, and he wore a monocle, looking as refined as a university professor.
That monocle was actually a Sealed Artifact, codenamed "3-1328," nicknamed " The Eye of Crystal Max Livermore could directly see spirits, ghosts, and Specter, no longer fearing that Beyonder would use these normally undetectable things to cause trouble or steal.
Of course, this Sealed Artifact also has significant drawbacks. It can easily attract Wraith Specter and other Monster to the vicinity, and wearing it for a long time can irreversibly reduce eyesight.
"In the gloom of Backlund, she was like the bright the Sun..." Max was admiringly looking at the blonde, blue-eyed girl to his side.
Audrey looked with great interest at the toilet inlaid with gold leaf and engraved with intricate patterns, and asked the guide beside her:
"Is this the first flush toilet in the modern sense?"
"Yes, in my personal opinion, this is one of Roselle's outstanding contributions to human civilization. It and its accompanying sewer system changed the situation in Trier, which was full of, well, full of filth." The guide originally wanted to say the word "feces," but looking at the girl in front of him, he felt that he could not lose his elegant demeanor.
Audrey carefully considered her question before asking again:
"May I touch it?"
Is it still working properly?
Viscount Glaint chuckled from the side:
Why are you so curious about this too? No matter how old it is, it's still just a toilet.
The other noblemen who were on good terms with them all laughed.
"No, Glaint, you don't understand. This is the glory of human civilization," Audrey replied with a faint smile, inwardly making a vomiting face.
"If it weren't for fulfilling the request from Mr. The Fool's Blessed, I wouldn't want to do this..." she sighed helplessly.
The guide chimed in:
"Miss Hall is absolutely right. The brilliance of human civilization is not only reflected in weapons like cannons and muskets that changed the nature of warfare, but also shines in every detail of our lives."
"Dear lady, I don't know if it still works properly, because nobody will use it."
The guide glanced at Max Livermore as he spoke, and only continued after receiving an affirmative nod:
"You can touch it, or even open the water tank, to look at the internal mechanical structure, but please be very careful."
"Thank you." Audrey watched as the security personnel opened the glass wall, then quickly stepped forward, extended her right hand, clad in a white gauze glove, and carefully touched the flush button.
Then, she slowly stepped back and smiled:
"Alright, that's enough. I've satisfied my curiosity; I can't hurt it anymore."
She always kept in mind that her character this time was an innocent and curious young girl.
After seeing this, they entered the exhibition hall containing Roselle's Diary.
After giving a half-circle introduction, Audrey asked again:
"May I look through this notebook? We're both very interested in these strange symbols."
"Um... I've heard that paper older than a certain age can be damaged even by contact with air, let alone direct contact. That probably wouldn't be good, right?"
She blinked, letting her beautiful, jewel-like eyes express sincerity, longing, and a slight sense of loss.
The guide glanced at Max Livermore again, and only smiled after receiving a reply:
"The church uses special preservation methods to keep the paper as good as it was produced a few years ago. And even without these methods, we will try our best to meet your requests, although it may require a change of environment and clothing, and a more rigorous process."
"You can flip it over, but not for too long, and don't use force."
Audrey's eyes immediately lit up, making it impossible to look away.
After expressing her sincere gratitude, she and Viscount Glaint and other occult enthusiasts opened the glass case and carefully began to flip through the notebook.
Audrey tried hard to memorize them, but because the symbols were too complex, she could only remember a very limited amount in a short time.
"It's about two pages long, I wonder if there's any way to make a copy..." Her thoughts wandered, and she gave her spot to her companion on the outside.
In this way, she made requests to carefully appreciate a particular item in each exhibition hall, and these requests were generally granted.
They walked and stopped frequently until they arrived at the restored study.
Audrey maintained her previous demeanor, occasionally asking questions and fully demonstrating her curiosity.
When the guide introduced the "creative manuscripts," her eyes lit up as she spoke:
"May I flip through it? I'd like to see what the great inventor Roselle's manuscripts looked like and what ingenious ideas they contained."
"No problem, beautiful Miss Hall, esteemed Viscount Glaint, you may both peruse it. Ah, and if any of you are a devout believer in the church, you may even be able to request a copy," the guide replied, following Max's Psychological Suggestion.
As a devotee of the goddess, Audrey could only respond with a faint smile, unable to speak.
At the same time, she pretended to flip her hair, reached out and touched her right ear, and quietly removed the earring.
Immediately afterwards, the glass covering the desk was opened, and Audrey stepped forward, pressed down on the manuscript, casually pulled out the bookmark, and turned a page at random.
Just then, Susie, having received her Psychological Suggestion, suddenly called out from another direction:
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to her. Audrey lowered her arm and used the earring in her palm to pierce the bookmark she was holding, silently reciting the phrase "Pirate King" in Hermes and Ancient Hermes.
The sharp, needle-like decoration touched the surface of the bookmark, and just as it was about to penetrate to the other side, Audrey suddenly felt a strong and illusory resistance.
Abnormal resistance!
The resistance was fleeting; the "needle" made a small mark, almost piercing through.
"It really reacted! Something's really strange!" Audrey's eyes narrowed, and she didn't dare to try again. She raised her hand and placed the bookmark on the table.
Then, she looked at Susie and calmly instructed the maid Annie:
"Hmm... take it to the bathroom."
"Yes, Miss." Annie quickly led Susie out of the exhibition hall.
when!
Taking this opportunity, Audrey threw the earring in her hand to the ground, then turned her head and looked at it, saying:
"Excuse me, my earring fell out."
The other maids quickly came over, picked up the earring, and helped her put it on.
This brief interlude passed quickly, and everyone's attention returned to the manuscript. After they had roughly flipped through it, "security guard" Max Livermore hurriedly inserted the bookmarks and closed the glass case again.
In the next few exhibition halls, Audrey remained highly interested, just like before, and showed no unusual behavior.
Only after leaving the museum and returning home did she find an opportunity to recite the name of " The Fool " and report the outcome of the matter:
"... As Blessed requested, I slightly damaged the bookmark."
"It... it's reacting abnormally."