Ebner, keeping Daphne behind had no other ulterior motive; he simply wanted to learn about the political situation in Intis from her.
After learning that Trier had basically stabilized, that the "Eternal Blazing Sun Church" and the "Steam Church," along with the major families, were inclined to restore Roselle's early "Grand Consul" system, and that the Sauron family was very likely to once again take control of Intis's national politics, he let Daphne return.
After all, this kind of "transitional regime" was actually very difficult to sustain in the long term and was destined to pay the price for a future "defeat."
As for whether Intis could win? Heh. Although the Loen royal family was desperately courting disaster, the Goddess, because of "my" existence, was far more terrifying than in the original story… How could she possibly lose?
Shaking his head, Ebner also left his own "Bizarre Domain" and returned to the villa at 28 Kingster Street.
Since Xio was still in the "Ghost Empire" preparing for her "advancement ritual," and Fors was busy with her final "Astrologer" acting, the villa felt rather quiet.
At this moment, Ebner happened to receive a message from Miss Clossfia of "Sloth."
That's right… a month ago I agreed to "Gluttony's" invitation to make a trip to Indor Port… Ebner slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing it.
He hadn't actually forgotten. With a separate "Eye of Insight" acting as a "memo," forgetting was impossible. It was just that there were still a day or two before the deadline, so no "reminder" had been triggered.
According to Klein, Leonard also seems to have chased after a mission to Indor Port, and the "Transformation Staff – Earth" that I've already finished crafting still hasn't been delivered to him…
Hmm, since he can't spare the time to arrange the ritual to receive the "sacrifice," I might as well find an opportunity to personally hand it to him.
As his thoughts turned, Ebner did not immediately head to Indor, because before that, there was still one thing he needed to do—that was to take Madam Philina, whom he had "hypnotized," to the "City of Miracles," Livihid, for "academic" research…
…
Monday afternoon.
22 Pesfill Street, headquarters of the "Academy Awards Charity Foundation."
—Because of the original story, Ebner had deliberately chosen this location when selecting the site.
Audrey, who had already been working at the "Charity Foundation" for several days, followed behind a middle-aged professional woman—Margaret transformed by the "Red Saint"—passing through the main entrance together, going up to the second floor, and returning to the office shared by the two ladies.
Since they had gone to the factory district and bridge district that morning, Audrey, a noble young lady, was wearing a relatively plain dress: white as the base, accented with dark green, with ruffled cuffs and collar, and only layered lace at the chest forming a bow-shaped flower.
She hadn't even worn any jewelry, only a belt of indiscernible quality. Only at her left arm did the clothing show a slight bulge when the wind blew and pressed the fabric against her skin.
But in Margaret's eyes—someone who had once truly lived at the bottom—this kind of attire was still too eye-catching, which was why they hadn't entered the East District today.
—Margaret had been born in the era when Roselle had just become the "Son of Steam." The living conditions of the slums in the early Industrial Revolution were only worse than those of today's East District in Loen!
"Miss Audrey, after inspecting several public schools, what are your impressions?" Margaret asked with a smile.
Having been "brainwashed" by Ebner, she poured all her enthusiasm into her work after becoming the manager of the "Charity Foundation," using it to atone for the things she had done in the past.
Audrey glanced at the lady before her—somewhat aged but still graceful—and after thinking for a moment, replied:
"Many of the children in those schools are truly pitiful. To save money, they all bring black bread for lunch, accompanied by a cup of plain water.
"But I suspect that this probably isn't the most genuine situation… They likely wouldn't let us see the worst scenes.
"But I can imagine that it must be terrible."
As she spoke, pity gradually appeared in Audrey's emerald-green eyes.
"World" Gehrman Sparrow had once described similar things at the Tarot Club. Her friends Xio and Fors had also briefly mentioned the real situation of Beckland's lower classes, but things not personally witnessed could still only be imagined.
"This is already quite good… but the actual situation will only be worse than what you imagine… And our foundation's financial resources are limited, so every penny must be spent where it truly matters," Margaret sighed silently, as if recalling her own past circumstances, before continuing, "I brought you to see the lower levels not to make you feel the dark side of this world, but to ensure you have a clear understanding of certain matters, so you won't be deceived by people below."
Audrey nodded slightly, with a bit of force but minimal movement. Although she was already a "Hypnotist," making it very difficult for ordinary people to deceive her, there were indeed exceptions. Some people regarded the "bad things" they did as "righteous" undertakings and even believed it themselves… In such cases, she could still be misled.
The reason she had such a deep realization was actually because of the "birthday gift" Susie had given her earlier!
That was an "item" Susie had crafted using materials from her own body after learning "ritual" magic—or rather, a talisman. It could temporarily raise the wearer's sense of smell to Susie's own level.
Because Audrey had expressed envy multiple times during their challenges in the "Dream Maze Tower" over Susie's keen sense of smell, Susie had remembered it and "kindly" given her this birthday gift to fulfill her wish.
Unfortunately, that very day happened to be when the "Bag-Carrying Assistant" Isengard fed the "Box of Corruption" with "wolf-fish canned food." As a result, when Audrey tried it out of curiosity, she was immediately hit, and to this day still had no appetite.
After discussing a few more matters, Margaret stopped chatting and began to work seriously, while Audrey, upon returning to her lounge, kept thinking about one question:
What would "worse" look like…
…
Meanwhile, Klein had just comfortably taken a bath, easing his taut nerves. He then put on his pajamas, returned to his second-floor bedroom, and before the Tarot Gathering began, took out paper and pen to draw a complex symbol combining "窥视" (peeping) and "隐秘" (concealment).
Immediately afterward, ripples suddenly spread across the surface of the full-length mirror in the room, and silvery light formed lines of Loen script:
"The supreme, great master, your loyal, insignificant, humble servant Arrodes answers your summons!
"Do you have matters you wish to consult me about?"
Klein nodded and said:
"Yes."
Without waiting for Arrodes to indicate he could ask questions, he directly spoke:
"Do you know who the officer I encountered earlier at Congressman Macht's house was?
"If you're not sure which one I mean, I can draw him for you."
Congressman Macht had hosted another ball at his home yesterday and had introduced Klein—as Mary, an old friend from his Sherlock days—to him… The latter seemed interested in selling him shares of the Coym Company.
In the dark, profound mirror, watery light rippled, reflecting a man with a cold, stern appearance, a thick beard, and eyes so deep blue they were almost black—the very officer Klein had mentioned.
At the same time, silver words appeared on the mirror's surface, introducing him:
"His name is Qonas Kolger. He comes from MI9 and is currently a major general and deputy director. Publicly, he claims to be only Sequence 5 of the 'Lawyer' pathway, but he controls a powerful sealed artifact."
MI9… deputy director, major general… Looks like he's the "spokesperson" of the royal faction within the intelligence agency…
And the surname "Kolger" sounds familiar… Right, it's the same surname as the best friend of Mr. Azik's son…
I remember Mr. "Tower" investigated this. That Kolger, who had been the best friend of Mr. Azik's son, had died long ago. The one who caused his death was actually someone the royal family had impersonated him.
Klein nodded slightly, committing the information provided by the "Magic Mirror" to memory. He glanced at the clock, saw that it was almost three o'clock, and, without time to think further, asked naturally:
"Do you have anything else you want to say?"
If someone else asked such a question, Klein felt they would definitely be struck by lightning by Arrodes or maliciously toyed with in some other way. However, he believed that the supreme ruler above the spirit world was still qualified to ask this, and he could take the opportunity to probe Arrodes's limits.
On the surface of the full-length mirror, the silver light twisted and transformed into new words without the slightest hesitation:
"Great master, Zaratul seems to have regained his sanity. He has already arrived in Beckland and has had contact with people from the Loen royal family.
"Because what came is only his projection, I am able to see it.
"You must have already known this intelligence, right?"
Zaratul? He really broke free? Klein raised an eyebrow and said:
"I know.
"Alright, that will be all for this time. If I encounter more problems later, I'll summon you again."
"Yes, master! Your humble, loyal servant Arrodes is always at your disposal! Goodbye~" A simple stick figure waving a handkerchief appeared on the mirror's surface.
The emoticons seem to be getting richer. This thing is getting more and more "advanced"… I wonder who it learned that from… Klein watched silently until everything returned to normal.
…
Exactly three o'clock. Above the gray fog, inside the ancient, majestic palace, streaks of deep crimson light suddenly shot up, condensing into vague human silhouettes.
After meeting up with Miss "Sloth" and Miss "Greed" at the hot spring estate in Indor Port, Ebner—currently in a good mood—watched as "Justice" Audrey stood up as usual, lightly lifting her skirt and leading everyone in a greeting:
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"
(End of Chapter)