Thankfully, it wasn't the mushrooms I ordered, otherwise the dish would have been a waste... I was already quite used to mushrooms, but the smell smuggled in that letter just now successfully triggered my "illness"... Klein's expression quickly returned to normal. He withdrew his left hand, picked up the glass next to him, and gulped down the ice water inside in two gulps.
"Another cup, please." He turned his head as if nothing had happened and ordered the waiter standing at the door of the preparation room.
At the same time, he pressed his hands against the clothes on his abdomen, slowly got up, apologized, and walked towards the private bathroom in the private room.
This is opposite the dedicated food preparation room, located on either side of the main entrance.
Hiding inside the closet, Fors heard footsteps approaching and the bathroom door closing. She couldn't resist leaning close to Hugh's ear again, whispering with a smile:
This is the second time!
"They've only been in this box for a little over half an hour, Dawn Dantès has already gone to the restroom twice!"
"The first time it was clearly urination. If it's the same this time, it means this gentleman's kidneys, bladder, or prostate are not in good condition."
"He's out, he's out! It really was just peeing. Tsk, he seems to drink a lot of water and goes to the restroom frequently. Sigh, being a rich man isn't easy, especially for a good-looking rich man!"
Xiu rolled his eyes at his friend:
This has nothing to do with you.
"Be serious, be focused, we're doing a task!"
"Also, that congressman named Macht, his bodyguards seem pretty formidable, perhaps even Beyonder. We must be extremely careful."
Fors had to suppress her desire to communicate and pulled back, saying:
"They were all standing guard outside the door, completely unprepared for someone to walk through the wall. So unprofessional... Okay, let's talk about it when we get back."
By this time, Klein had returned to the dining table and sat down in his assigned seat.
He took a sip of ice water, a sip of white wine, and smiled at Senator Macht, saying:
"I've been in Backlund for almost two months, and I've been too busy getting to know the area to start anything new. Every day I wake up watching gold pounds flow out, with not a single pound coming back. Haha, it's time to do something."
He jokingly hinted at his willingness to get involved in the arms trade.
Senator Macht stroked his cup and said with a warm smile:
"I understand, I went through a similar phase."
How much more capital do you have? I can introduce you to some friends for collaboration.
Klein responded calmly:
"The maximum amount that can be withdrawn at the moment is 20,000 pounds."
"You're richer than I imagined," Congressman Macht remarked with a touch of admiration.
Under normal circumstances, a wealthy person who can readily come up with £20,000 in liquid funds must have a net worth of at least £100,000.
Before Dawn Dantès could be modest, he casually said:
"Didn't you previously buy a 3% stake in Coim Company? You can use that as collateral to get at least £10,000, which should help ease your financial strain."
Klein immediately smiled and sighed, saying:
"I have donated this portion of the shares to the church, and I plan to establish an educational aid fund for the poor."
"Donated to the church?" Macht hadn't met the pastor and bishop of Saint Samuel Cathedral today, and he was out and hadn't received an invitation yet, so he didn't know about it.
Madam Liana and Hibbert, who were enjoying their meal, also looked up and subconsciously turned their gazes toward Dawn Dantès.
Given their social standing, many of their acquaintances could come up with £10,000 in cash, but only a handful could actually donate that much directly, and among those few, perhaps none would be willing to do so!
No, there's already one: Dawn Dantès!
"Yes." Klein nodded calmly. "Without the goddess's protection, I would have died long ago in the chaotic Southern Continent. If I had had the opportunity to go to school and study when I was young, my life might have been completely different. I want to give some hope to those children who yearn to change their Fate."
"Your character is as admirable as your generosity," Madam Liana said sincerely, setting down her knife and fork. Hibbert nodded almost imperceptibly, her gaze towards Dawn Dantès softening considerably.
Seeing her parents chatting about charity, she apologized and left the table, heading towards the restroom, her right hand seemingly casually pressing against her stomach.
As she approached the main entrance, about to turn right, she suddenly turned her head and looked towards the cabinet in the preparation room.
Her brow furrowed slightly, revealing a hint of confusion, before she looked away and turned the knob on the bathroom door.
After washing her hands, Hibbert seemed to have forgotten the strange incident from earlier. She touched the necklace on her chest and returned to the dining table.
After the dishes and desserts were served and dinner was over, the four of them left the private room, each accompanied by their servants, and met up with the two bodyguards outside, preparing to return home.
Just then, Hibbert suddenly stopped and said:
"My earring seems to have fallen inside. Sorry, just a moment."
Before Madam Liana could instruct her maid to search, she turned around and walked around the corner, returning to the private room she had just been in.
Hibbert lowered her hand from her left ear, went directly into her private preparation room, walked to the cabinet, and placed her hand on it.
She had intended to open the cupboard door as quickly as possible, but after thinking about it, she cautiously held the necklace in her other hand and turned her body to the side, guarding against a sudden attack from inside.
Taking a breath, Hibbert seized the opportunity while the waiter was clearing the tables inside and suddenly pulled the cabinet open, revealing what was inside.
There was nothing here except spare cutlery and a tablecloth.
Hibbert looked puzzled again, seemingly unable to believe what she was seeing.
"I clearly sensed that there were very valuable items in here..." she muttered to herself, and before the maid could catch up, she closed the cabinet door and walked out of the private preparation room.
Outside the Intis Serenzo Restaurant, Fors and Hugh simultaneously turned around and glanced inside.
"That girl actually spotted us?" Fors said in a low voice, sounding quite incredulous.
If she hadn't been able to " Door Opening " and slip away from behind the cupboard in time, she and Hugh would have been discovered and forced to admit that they were secretly protecting Dawn Dantès.
Hugh also looked puzzled:
"When she went to the restroom, I remember you didn't say anything or move around."
"Perhaps... she's also an Beyonder, possessing some kind of Spirituality intuition..." Fors guessed uncertainly. "Mr. Dawn Dantès ' life is truly difficult. On one hand, he frequently encounters infighting among nobles and the wealthy, and on the other hand, not only does he have a butler researching dark magic in his house, but there's also Beyonder being nearby. By the way, what's her name?"
" Hibbert." Hugh was searching for Dawn Dantès ' carriage, preparing to hide underneath, when his gaze suddenly froze. " Fors, look, that man's behavior is a bit strange."
Fors followed her gaze and saw a middle-aged man in a black suit pacing back and forth on the edge of the street, looking very anxious and impatient.
"What's wrong?" Fors didn't have time to observe carefully and asked directly.
Hugh simply replied:
He was dressed like a respectable gentleman, but his shoes were dirty, as if they hadn't been cleaned in a while. You know, there's a lot of dust in Backlund.
"Also, he keeps touching his armpit area; I bet he's hiding a handgun there..."
"Besides these, his expression and his posture both indicated that he was acting strangely."
"Hmm... they'll be out soon. I'll go to the carriage first. You keep an eye on this person and protect Mr. Dantès."
"Okay." Fors found it troublesome but also quite interesting, so he retreated to a sheltered spot and kept a close eye on the entrance to the Intis Serenzo Restaurant.
Twenty or thirty seconds later, Dawn Dantès and the Macht family came out, said their goodbyes, and prepared to go to their respective carriages.
Just then, a two-wheeled carriage rushed from the street at great speed, threatening to tip over at any moment.
The horses pulling the carriage had a frantic look in their eyes, as if they were terrified, and they crashed headlong into the entrance of the Intis Serenzo Restaurant.
Macht's two bodyguards, one rushed forward to try and subdue the frightened horse, while the other protected the senator, his wife, and his daughter, and stepped aside.
At that moment, the middle-aged man who had been loitering approached from behind, pulled out a revolver, and aimed it at Senator Macht's head with Distortion expression.
Klein raised his right hand almost imperceptibly, then withdrew it without doing anything.
With a nimble leap, he avoided the startled horse head-on. At the same time, Fors, hiding on the other side, gently grasped his hand and pulled him aside.
The attacker's legs suddenly gave way, as if he tripped over something, and he fell to the ground before he could fire his gun.
In a moment of panic, he braced himself with his hand, leaped up, and was about to fire wildly without aiming.
However, when he pressed his fingers, he didn't touch anything.
His revolver had just fallen off and landed at Hibbert's feet!
Immediately afterwards, he and Jingma were subdued by the bodyguards.
"Why did you attack me?" Senator Macht suppressed his turbulent emotions, stepped forward, and asked in a deep voice.
The middle-aged man burst into laughter, shouting maniacally:
It's all your fault! It's all your fault!
"What about air pollution? What about using smokeless coal! My factory went bankrupt, my child died of illness, and my wife committed suicide!"
PS: I'll update first and revise later. I was jet-lagged yesterday and extremely sleepy, so I didn't write anything or have any drafts saved up. I'll be back to normal tomorrow. Also, thank you to the generous servant Wangcai for the Silver Alliance donation. I'd like to recommend his novel, "The City Chaser of Light"~