A knight who understands Dragonese, and even primarily used Dragonese during his crucial developmental stages... No wonder the " Psychology Alchemists " wanted his leftover notes... Audrey, suddenly realizing something, gathered her thoughts and cheerfully and earnestly began discussing the grammatical issues with Michelle Deut.
They quickly finished discussing the notebook, and Michelle began introducing the other items in the collection.
Time ticked by, and the tour was drawing to a close. Audrey had originally planned to make her purchase request later, to avoid making the purpose seem less clear. However, the friendly atmosphere and the natural flow of conversation made her keenly sense that this was an opportunity. So, using the power of the " Lies " necklace, she blushed with embarrassment.
"Mr. Deit, that Sauron royal helmet from the War of the White Rose is a fine memento of my ancestors. May I ask if I may purchase it from you? And that notebook from the Twenty Years' War, as I greatly admire the knights who held the Sonia Island, and thus wish to possess it as well."
"I know this is an impolite request, but I hope you can understand my feelings. Of course, you have the right to refuse."
Her eyes darted around, seemingly avoiding eye contact, half intentionally and half genuinely trying to appear guilty, timid, shy, and pitiful.
Michelle instinctively looked away for a moment, and said in a gentle voice:
"I am a collector, and I will not sell my collection."
His tone and wording weren't firm enough... The information I gathered earlier indicated that he was a gentleman who valued his reputation highly, and directly buying his collection with money was probably something he couldn't accept... The " Psychology Alchemists " didn't find someone else to complete this task, partly to accumulate contribution points for me, and partly because they were concerned about the associate professor's attitude on this matter... We have to find another way... Before Audrey's visit, she had already meticulously prepared different contingency plans based on the information she had gathered. After a brief moment of thought, she changed the subject and asked:
"Mr. Deitt, I heard you are seeking to establish an antiquities institute within Backlund University of Technology?"
"Yes, that's been my goal for the past few years," Michelle replied frankly, looking back at Audrey.
Audrey smiled faintly and said:
"I am very interested in this research and have great respect for you. I hope to see you achieve your goal."
"Well, I'd like to donate £1,000 in cash, 2,000 acres of land nearby, and a profitable estate to Backlund University of Technology, to your college, to initially establish a charitable fund for the collection and preservation of antiquities. I know this isn't enough, but I will lobby the ladies and gentlemen I know to make some contributions as well. (Note 1)"
"Mr. Deit, you are the most professional antiquities collector and researcher I know. Would you be willing to serve as the head of this charitable foundation?"
The 2,000 acres of land near the university, worth approximately £6,000, plus the estate and cash, Miss Audrey donated nearly £10,000... With such a charitable fund for the collection and preservation of antiquities, the difficulty of my research institute application will be minimized... Michelle paused for a few seconds, then smiled sincerely and bowed solemnly:
"My esteemed lady, your dedication to scholarship moves me deeply. Its brilliance rivals your beauty and refinement. I see no reason why I should refuse your invitation."
"I have already copied down the contents of that notebook, and I will deliver it along with the helmet to your residence tonight. It is a gift from a true friend."
Success! Audrey was overjoyed and wanted to praise herself, but on the surface she remained reserved and composed, without making the slightest impolite move.
"It's my honor," she said sincerely.
Although the two items were certainly not worth £10,000, she wouldn't lose anything because of them.
In her plan, this proposal contained three objectives and three benefits!
The primary objective is naturally to obtain the item, complete the quest, and successfully acquire the " Hypnotist " Potion recipe from the " Psychology Alchemists."
The second way is to maintain and enhance one's reputation, status, and image by donating to academic research to protect ancient artifacts. This is something that most nobles and wealthy people do. Even without today's donation, Audrey would contribute 3,000 pounds or more to various charities every year. Therefore, she believes that her father, Earl Hall, would not stop her from doing something similar with the small amount of real estate under his name.
The third advantage is that a Foundation focused on the collection and preservation of antiquities provides easy access to valuable historical materials and mysterious items. Audrey doesn't need to personally intervene; simply by staying at home, she can potentially acquire things that benefit her, effectively leveraging £10,000 to access more funds and build her own "power."
Of course, if Michelle Deut did not accept this exchange, she had other plans: there were members of the Hall Family in the Kingdom Higher Education Committee, as well as noble friends she knew. As long as the associate professor had the corresponding needs, she would surely find a way to meet them.
However, Audrey didn't like this approach too much, feeling it wasn't honorable enough and seemed to harm the public interest.
After settling things over, Audrey lingered for a while, chatting for about fifteen minutes, making the end of the matter seem perfectly natural.
Then, she bid farewell to Michelle's house and returned by carriage to the Hall Family's villa in City of Stoen.
Around 8 p. m., she received the helmet from the Sauron royal family and the notebook from the Twenty Years' War as promised.
Audrey put on white gauze gloves, sat down at the desk with great interest, put the helmet aside, and began to carefully read through the contents of her notes.
She found that the records were fragmented. The early part mainly focused on how the knight stationed on the Ancient Elves Island learned to brew Sonia Blood Wine, how he pursued the ladies around him, and how he passed the time. The middle and later part entered the Twenty Years' War phase, mainly involving cursing the Feysac, complaining about his comrades, and considering plans to hold out. It ended after the first loss of Sonia Island.
"Aside from the grammar being somewhat similar to that of Dragonese, there aren't any major problems, and I can't see any clues hidden anywhere..." Audrey frowned slightly and closed her notebook.
She just tried using occult methods to examine herself, but still found nothing.
This made her reluctant to waste time, and she prepared to hand it over to the " Psychology Alchemists " just like that.
In a flash, a new idea suddenly came to her:
"Mr. The Fool and Mr. The Hanged Man always consider things from different perspectives and offer advice. Should I learn from them?"
"Hmm... to look at it from another angle, let's assume the content of the notes is correct, then what the ' Psychology Alchemists ' is pursuing is itself?"
"What's so special about it? I didn't notice it before... It belonged to a knight who habitually spoke the Dragonese, that knight must have experienced something... Divination, yes, Divination! Perhaps we can use Divination, with the help of this notebook, to find the knight's last whereabouts or the Original traces, and this is very likely related to a Dragon!"
"Since it's Dragon, there's a strong possibility it's Mind Dragon, representing the ' Spectator ' pathway. Clues related to it are indeed worth the ' Psychology Alchemists's ' attention..."
" Audrey, that's a great idea!"
Audrey's eyes suddenly brightened, as if hiding a distinct brilliance.
She couldn't help but turn her head and look at the large golden retriever squatting beside her.
Susie glanced at her owner and barked:
" Audrey, do you want me to praise you?"
"No, it's not necessary..." Audrey turned her head back, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Then, she discovered a crucial problem: she didn't know how to Divination, or rather, the insights she received from Divination were very inaccurate!
There's no way to verify it... No, I can still ask Mr. The Fool for help! Mysticism Ritual? That seems to only work on oneself, not on external objects... Artificial Sleepwalking? It's similar to Mysticism Ritual, so that won't work either... Offering a sacrifice to Mr. The Fool, asking Him to help with Divination, and then bestowing it upon me... No, that won't do. That seems disrespectful. He's not my father or teacher; He's a real deity. Using that method is too casual, it feels a bit blasphemous... Audrey's thoughts gradually shifted from Mr. The Fool to Divination.
Although she wasn't very skilled at Divination, she had some understanding of related occult knowledge and quickly identified a major category of Divination methods:
That is, through certain rituals, one requests a third-party power, or asks an unknown, mysterious being for answers. The most typical example of this method is " Magic Mirror Divination "!
"Hmm... that is indeed dangerous, but the danger lies in the fact that the object of my prayers might be malicious or could cause someone to break down at the mere touch. I have absolutely no such worries. I'm asking Mr. ' The Fool '!" Audrey blinked, suppressing her excitement, and turned to the golden retriever, saying:
" Susie, go stand guard outside. I'm going to examine this notebook using occult methods."
"Didn't you just use it?" Susie asked, puzzled.
She's getting harder and harder to fool... Audrey's eyes flickered slightly as she said frankly:
I plan to try ' Magic Mirror Divination '.
"Don't worry, I have a secure request object."
"Okay." Susie was sure Audrey was telling the truth.
It took a few steps, then turned around and gave a final instruction:
" Audrey, be careful not to be possessed by a mysterious entity's projection."
"I know," Audrey replied without any concern.
In her view, if Mr. The Fool really wanted to harm her, he would have had countless opportunities long ago, and there was no need to wait until now.
After Susie Door Opening and closed the door herself, Audrey sat down at the desk outside, recited the name of "Mr. The Fool," and requested to use the " Magic Mirror Divination Method."
After a while, Klein, who was aboard the " Future ", entered the washroom, came up above the Gray Fog, and heard Miss " Justice's" plea.
"Is that even possible? Well, as a mysterious and unknown entity, I can indeed act as a third-party force in ' Magic Mirror Divination '..." Klein gave a somewhat amused reply, "Yes."
Audrey immediately picked up her notebook, sat down at her dressing table, and lit a candle in front of the mirror.
Note 1: The "acre" in this book refers to the "area". In the mid-to-late Victorian era, the price of land in the suburbs of cities was approximately £100 to £130 per acre, which translates to £2.10 to £3.5 per are. Of course, this does not necessarily mean that the price is very accurate. I calculated it by subtracting the cost of building a house from the total cost of buying land and building a house in the data at that time.
P. S.: Requesting monthly votes and recommendation votes!