As she put down the telegram, her pleasure subsided, and the worries of reality began to emerge.
She picked up a fountain pen, dipped it in ink, and suddenly, Audrey held her wrist in midair without writing.
She had just thought of a crucial problem which was that she knew very little about the Intis ambassador Bakerland. In such cases, it was easy to misjudge the difficulty of a mission, either because no one was willing to accept it or because the mission had been entrusted to an unsuitable person, dooming the mission to fail at the very beginning.
The resulting growing cost wasn’t her main concern; instead, she believed that The Fool would better reward her and help her even further.
After pondering for a moment, Audrey turned her head to her maidservant, Annie, and said, “Tell Countess Jaria that I accept her invitation and will punctually attend her ball tomorrow evening.”
Jaria was the wife of Count Wolfe, and she had invited ambassadors to Loen from every country to her upcoming ball, including Bakerland Jean Madan.
Audrey had planned on declining the invitation with the excuse of being sick, but now she was interested in the ball.
After she observed Ambassador Bakerland and gathered enough information, she would meet with Xio and Fors! Audrey suddenly felt the excitement of participating in a major event that she always dreamed of!
…
First Manor in the Rorsted Archipelago, City of Generosity, Bayam.
Having returned to the real world, Alger Wilson changed into attire that was considered gaudy in the Intis Republic and went through the back door of the hotel into the alley and made several detours.
He stopped in front of a house with no garden or lawn and put on a familiar white mask.
Next, he knocked on the door with three heavy knocks and two light ones, separating them with two lengthy pauses and two short pauses respectively.
After about ten seconds, the door creaked open. A man wearing a pirate’s headband stuck his head out and looked around quickly.
“Come in,” the man said with a deep voice as he made way.
Without a word, Alger quietly walked into the room.
The door slammed shut.
…
At 15 Minsk Street, Klein drew the curtains open and sat down at his desk.
The information about the Secret Order that was given to him by The Hanged Man made him realize that his target might have certain connections to the Intis Republic. At the same time, he was reminded of the words The Hanged Man had used to describe the Antigonus family—”strange” and “terrifying.”
After repeatedly verifying his speculation, Klein felt that his guess was very likely close to the truth.
He had entrusted the task of assassinating the Intis Ambassador Bakerland to put an end to all latent dangers. He had to avoid suspicion, but he didn’t have the ability needed to do so.
After Ian Wright’s whereabouts were revealed to both sides, he was confident that Ambassador Bakerland wouldn’t have time to exact revenge on him in the near future and wouldn’t add to his problems.
Finding the extremely important item he mentioned was obviously what he was most concerned about.
He decided to continue heading to Bravehearts Bar tonight. Firstly, this was to come into contact with other Beyonders through Kaspars so as to choose a suitable bodyguard. Secondly, he could find an opportunity to sell Meursault’s Beyonder characteristic, gather some funds, and see if anyone was selling any powerful mystic items to enhance his strength. This was a plan that would never go out of date.
After confirming his plan, Klein pretended to leisurely read the newspaper. He waited until the sky turned dark before slowly getting up and making himself tomato oxtail soup.
After eating and drinking to his heart’s content, he drew the bedroom curtains as usual and decided not to open them tonight.
Then, summoning himself and responding to himself, he turned into the unique spirit body, bringing back Azik’s copper whistle, Meursault’s Beyonder characteristic, the self-made charms, all sorts of materials, and the tarot cards to the real world, leaving behind only a few items, such as the bloodied contract.
After doing all of this and equipping the corresponding items, Klein’s strength returned to its peak, and he was once again half an expert in mysticism.
He straightened his collar, took his hat and cane, and left 15 Minsk Street.
…
Iron Gate Street, inside Bravehearts Bar.
In exchange for a glass of beer, Klein found Kaspars in a card room, playing Fighting Evil while betting on a boxer outside. He was leading quite a pleasant life.
The familiar surroundings reminded Klein of the last time he had met Maric playing poker with more than ten living corpses. He was suddenly glad that he hadn’t brought Azik’s copper whistle with him.
Kaspars covered his cards and swore. He got up, walked to the door, and said in a low voice, “I’ll take you to a place where the people, although they aren’t as good as Maric, are pretty strong. As for whether or not you can make a deal, it has nothing to do with me. However, I have to warn you in advance, you are not to anger them, or you might not be able to see the sun tomorrow. Of course, it’s not easy to see the sun in Backlund after September.”
“Do I need to pay you?” Klein asked sincerely.
Kaspars nodded, pleased.
“Two pounds.”
Kaspars turned his head to his fellow players to inform them that he was leaving. Hobbling along, he led Klein towards the bar’s kitchen, and from there, entered the back alley and circled around a darkened house.
He took out an iron mask that could only cover half a face, handed it to Klein, and chuckled.
“Just pretend that you bought this for two pounds.”
Seeing that he was ready, Kaspars knocked on the door rhythmically.
Seven or eight seconds later, a small wooden board on the door was suddenly pulled open, revealing a pair of brown eyes behind it.
After a long moment of scrutiny, Klein finally saw the door open behind him.
A man wearing an iron mask stood there and handed Klein a hooded robe. He said to Kaspars in a hoarse voice, “Next time, remember to tell me in advance. Otherwise, hmph!”
He closed the door, turned, and led Klein through the darkened living room into the activity room on the first floor.
There was a candle burning on the coffee table, and the room was dimly lit.
There were about ten people sitting on the sofas and chairs around the coffee table. They were all wearing hooded robes and wearing iron masks.
After putting on the long robe, Klein quietly found a chair in a corner and sat down. He heard a fat-faced man complain, “Recently, there has been a group of wild beasts in the sewers that have gnawed away a lot of the herbs I grew.
“They’re very smart and didn’t even touch the poisonous ones. I need someone to help me clean them up. You know, this isn’t my specialty. I’m only good at concocting medicine and treating your illnesses.”
