Amyrius Rieveldt... a true Demigod... Upon hearing Bilt's explanation, two words instantly popped into Klein's mind:
Sorry, goodbye!
Seeing Gehrman Sparrow subtly raise an eyebrow, Bilt quickly explained:
This will not affect the difficulty of the task.
"No one here needs Demigod to demonstrate their power."
He cleared his throat and forced a smile, saying:
"To make this mission less difficult, His Excellency the Admiral has arranged to inspect the Oravi Naval Base in the next few days. This way, he will not have to stay at the naval headquarters in the Central Sonia Sea, the ' City of Generosity ' Bayam, thus avoiding ' Sea King ' Jahn Kottman, avoiding Governor George Negan of the Rorsted Archipelago, avoiding most of his subordinates who know him well, avoiding his relatives who run family businesses there, and avoiding his mistress who knows him best."
"In other words, you don't need to face the gaze of Demigod, nor do you need to face numerous trials."
"Here, only three people are familiar with His Excellency the General. First, there is his secretary, Lieutenant Colonel Luan, who belongs to Military Intelligence Section 9 and is responsible for supervising His Excellency the General. He must have used many names; I'm not sure if this is his real name. Second, there is His Excellency the General's mistress here, a beautiful lady named Cynthia. Her ancestors were said to be nobles who were Deprivation their titles and Exile here. Third, there is Governor Auston Rieveldt of Oravi, His Excellency the General's youngest brother. The Earl of Rieveldt in the Senate is their elder brother."
It doesn't sound that difficult, and my Divination results also indicate no great danger... Klein paused for a few seconds, then nodded slightly:
"I need detailed information about Amyrius Rieveldt."
"We're ready. Here's his photograph, a description of his physical characteristics in his concealed position, his accent, his vocabulary, his different reactions and attitudes to various events, and details of his interactions with Luan, Cynthia, Aston, and others..." Bilt was overjoyed and immediately produced the numerous documents from Amyrius Rieveldt.
Klein took the photo first and saw a middle-aged man with black hair and Blue Eyes. He had a serious and old-fashioned demeanor and a lot more hair than the average Loen man.
He nodded almost imperceptibly, then raised his head.
"I know there's a lot of information here, but I'm confident you can memorize it within the next two days. You must be very professional in this area..." Before Bilt could finish speaking, he subconsciously took a step back, because the person in front of him was no longer Gehrman Sparrow, but Amyrius Rieveldt, whose serious yet Pride demeanor was exactly the same as the real Levitt!
" Storm above, this, this is almost a miracle!" Bilt looked him up and down, and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. "However, he could be three centimeters taller, and his legs would need to be a bit thicker. It's alright, no need to rush. His Excellency the Admiral will arrive the day after tomorrow with the First Squadron of the Royal Navy's Middle Sonia Fleet. He will inspect the Oravi Naval Base in the afternoon and a banquet will be held at the Governor's Mansion. I have an invitation, and I can take you in to observe His Excellency the Admiral's demeanor and his attitude when interacting with different people."
As he spoke, he took the five pounds in cash that Sothoth had taken from the safe and handed it to Klein, saying:
"It's a pleasure doing business with you!"
Klein weighed the banknotes in his hand, examined them for a few moments, and said:
"It's a pleasure doing business with you."
Backlund, Williams Street.
As a relatively inconspicuous member of the Red Gloves, Leonard Mitchell stood with his back against the exterior wall of a house, waiting for the initial interrogation at the scene to conclude.
He lifted his right foot, touching the ground only with his toes, appearing quite casual.
After a while, he saw a teammate return, his expression a mix of excitement, confusion, anticipation, and nervousness.
" Townsend, is there a result?" Leonard's heart skipped a beat, and he smiled as he moved closer.
"Yes." Townsend nodded, answering frankly, "Both sides have given their accounts; they can't lie in a dream."
With his thinning hair, Townsend put his top hat back on and said:
"Their accounts are consistent: there's a ruin belonging to the Tudor Dynasty beneath this street. The entrance is preliminarily identified as being inside that abandoned chapel, but whether there are other entrances is currently unknown."
"I see..." Leonard didn't ask any more questions. After exchanging a few casual words, he retreated to the edge and leaned against the wall again.
He glanced around and lowered his voice:
" Old Man, we've entered your area of expertise."
"The ruins of the Tudor Family are hidden here."
The slightly aged voice immediately echoed in his mind:
"You're becoming more and more impolite. In our time, disrespecting those in high positions meant becoming a living sacrifice."
"Furthermore, it's impossible for a single Tudor Family relic to appear in Backlund."
"Are they lying?" Leonard asked quietly.
The slightly aged voice chuckled:
No, it's just that they don't understand enough.
"If my deduction is Error, these ruins should belong to the ' Tudor-Trunsoest United Empire '."
"What?" Leonard was taken aback.
This belonged to an ancient dynasty he had never even heard of.
The slightly aged voice chuckled:
"What a shallow-minded boy. After the Solomon Empire was destroyed for the first time, it was replaced by the ' Tudor-Trunsoest United Empire,' which ruled the entire Northern Continent with two consuls."
"Dual governors..." Leonard chewed on the term.
The slightly aged voice said with a half-laugh, half-sigh:
"In that underground ruin, there should be an inverted candlestick with 41 on the left and 4 on the right, two thrones that look like they belong to Giant, and... heh heh, it might be the place where Alista Tudor became the ' Blood Emperor '."
Leonard frowned slightly, then relaxed and smiled easily:
There must be many secrets hidden inside.
"Of course, but you're not qualified to know yet." The slightly aged voice clicked its tongue.
Leonard subtly pursed his lips and said:
"Next, we should be exploring the ruins."
The slightly aged voice chuckled twice, then fell silent.
A minute later, Leonard saw Archbishop Saint Anthony and Archbishop Horamick of the Church of Steam finish their conversation and head back to their respective places.
Immediately afterwards, Horamick ordered all members of " Machinery Hivemind " to evacuate, leaving the place to the Nighthawks of the Church of the Evernight Goddess.
What happened? Leonard was filled with confusion upon witnessing this scene.
Just then, the voice of Archbishop Saint Anthony rang in the ears of all the Nighthawks:
" The Red Gloves assemble, and the rest of the Nighthawks leave the Mirror World, find a reason to evacuate all the people here, and promise to give them housing compensation."
"After all the people have evacuated, Red Gloves and I will destroy the underground ruins that originated from the evil era!"
"No entry allowed, destroy it immediately!"
May the goddess protect us.
This... Leonard never expected things to develop this way.
7:30 p. m., Oravi Governor's Palace.
Klein transformed into Sothoth, dressed in a black tailcoat and matching bow tie, and followed Bilt into the banquet hall.
Inside, it was warm as springtime, with a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the dome, flickering with countless candlelight, illuminating the entire venue as if it were daytime.
In the right corner, band members wearing vests and bow ties played a lively melody, while on the left were long tables laden with delicious dishes such as roasted chicken, pan-fried foie gras, stewed lamb, roast goose in the Backlund style, and Oravi baked with cream cheese.
Even from a distance, Klein seemed to smell the aroma emanating from them and prepared to go over and get a plate to fill with food.
At this moment, Bilt, looking slightly awkward, tugged at his sleeve, turned his head, and lowered his voice, saying:
Remember the etiquette for this kind of banquet.
"Our purpose now is to observe Your Excellency's actions, so a glass of wine will suffice."
"We have Misty Champagne, Ormir wine, and Southville red wine here—all rare and exquisite wines. You can have a little, but not too much. We must remain sufficiently sober. And, try to just pretend while drinking."
Klein looked away and nodded.
He and Bilt each took a glass of enticing golden champagne, its bubbles as fine as mist, from a tray carried by a red-vested waiter passing by. They then moved closer to the center of the banquet, Amyrius Rieveldt, dressed in a dark blue naval admiral's uniform.
Given their status, they naturally couldn't get close to the general; they could only stay at a slightly distance and observe his every move.
" Amyrius was of average build and didn't look particularly robust; his slightly downturned mouth revealed his actual age..."
He had no beard, and his azure eyes seemed to hold an unyielding and indefensible authority...
His dark blue general's uniform was impeccably tailored, with red sashes at the shoulders that led down to his chest, from which hung medals...
His cuffs were studded with gold, which shone against the same color epaulettes...
"The epaulettes are divided into three parts, from the inside out: a crown inlaid with rubies, a crossed scepter and longsword, and four the Star adorned with diamonds..." Klein entered a state of deep concentration, using the " Faceless " ability to memorize the admiral's detailed characteristics and his attitude when talking to different people.
During this process, he only took a small sip of the Misty Champagne, without paying attention to what it tasted like.
After gathering enough information, Klein let out a breath, calming his mind from its frantic activity.
The exhaustion made him feel hungry, so he placed his wine glass on the tray held by the waiter in the red vest and prepared to go to the long table to get some food.
Just then, Bilt approached and said:
"The general gave me the signal; we're going to the designated location to meet him."
... Klein withdrew his gaze from the roast chicken and glanced indifferently at Bilt.
Bilt felt a chill run down his spine and hurriedly turned around, leading Gehrman Sparrow through the French windows into the garden.
After walking for nearly a minute on the secluded road, he stopped and pointed at Klein's face:
"You can now resemble His Excellency the General."
"Just pretend you're that homeless man who looks a lot like him."
Klein nodded slightly and wiped his face with his palm.
He did this to cover up any unsightly things like granulation tissue or pimples that might appear on his face when his appearance changes.
When he lowered his hand, Bilt saw a middle-aged man who looked eight or nine parts like Amyrius Rieveldt.
"Very good." Bilt took a few steps forward, came to the door of the storeroom, and pushed open the slightly ajar door.
Amyrius Rieveldt, still wearing his eye-catching admiral's uniform, stood by the window, facing the entrance, admiring the view of the garden.
At this moment, he turned his head slightly and looked at the visitor who looked very much like himself.
The indescribable sense of authority and oppression made Klein involuntarily lower his head.
Amyrius Rieveldt's gaze didn't linger long, slowly shifting to Bilt, and he said in a completely emotionless tone:
This is not the homeless person you mentioned earlier.
"He is an Beyonder."