72
A day in the life of Edward Vaughan.
I woke up from my luxurious, Intis-style bed and stared at the draped canopy for a few minutes. All the furniture had been with me for over a century; I could close my eyes and imagine every line of the carvings on the bedposts. My Ally and Richard always looked like they wanted to pry off some ivory and gem decorations, or secretly take a gold-inlaid chair or a carved drawer to auction whenever they saw them.
I go to bed promptly at eleven every night, drink a glass of warm water before bed, and wake up at eight in the morning. Roselle and Adela both praised me for my humanity.
I started working, moving My Ally next to me.
Ever since it arrived, it could take over some of the ledger-checking work. It looked very unhappy, but I was very pleased.
I neatly stacked the monthly bills from various organizations and the Aurora Order's weekly expenditure reports, which had just been sacrificed, into its stroller. It rolled its eyes and reluctantly pulled out one to read. At the end of the ledger was a huge, bloody red stamp:
This month's 'loss': two hundred twenty pounds, five soli, eight pence.
My Ally's pupils dilated. This month's loss was enough for two sets of my clothes, which was undoubtedly adding insult to injury for the already not-so-wealthy Aurora Order. But it had already accepted all of this and continued to flip through other reports.
"Financial Application: Two intelligence agents in Ahuwa County inadvertently left incorrect identification while transmitting information and were subsequently arrested as Intis spies. Materials are ready; a total of four hundred pounds is needed for bail.
Annotation: No money. Let them break out of prison themselves."
"Report: During a charity event in Pritz Harbor, a dispute arose with the Plateau Man Gang, resulting in five Deaths and ten injuries. The aftermath has been handled.
Annotation: Well done. Killing is fine, but don't damage buildings."
"Report: The Honored Vassal deliberately caused trouble and refused to participate in the charity event in Backlund East District. He has now been sent back to headquarters for recuperation."
"Report: God's Emissary Mr. A has passed the merit assessment and obtained promotion qualifications. His personal wish is 'to still advance via this Path, as it is the closest path to the Lord,' refusing promotion via adjacent Paths. The organization currently has no spare Sequence 4 characteristics. Should a task be issued to search for potion materials?"
… …
My Ally began to get busy, sometimes issuing divine oracles, and sometimes putting on a pained expression while looking at the bills. Miss Fors Wall's manuscript would only be submitted to me for review in the afternoon, so the progress on the opera's musical score could be slowed down a bit. Nearing noon, I put on my overcoat and leisurely went out to the store to buy ingredients and bread.
I ran into a gentleman from a law firm on another street that collaborated with the editorial department. He greeted me, and I returned the greeting.
Passing through Backlund East District, I observed the despair and suffering of the people. I recalled the cooperation application sent by the Demoness Sect earlier; the detailed content was to help a high-ranking member digest a potion and complete a ritual. The ritual location was the East District, and it might cause a large-scale disaster at that time. Hmm, I must admit I like the disasters brought by Witches and Hunters, but I don't like the Death after the disaster. If she could infinitely extend the process of disaster and the process of dying, I would be more interested.
However, the terms of their cooperation were to help My Ally descend, and now that the Aurora Order had successfully descended, cooperation was naturally no longer needed. As for whether the terms would be modified to continue, that was not something I needed to consider.
This is a district where suffering and hope intertwine, a blind spot in the sight of the gods, and a breeding ground for cults and extreme emotions.
Most of the people living here would sell anything for a piece of bread; life and soul are the cheapest, while labor is the most valuable. I remember I should have met the person from the Pilgrimage Sect responsible for this area, but that was probably more than twenty years ago.
Noon. Time to go back and cook. My Ally adamantly refused to maintain its humanity in this way.
It is only Sequence 8; it has no say.
I built my happiness upon its suffering, which is good. After a short lunch break, I took the completed musical score and left early, preparing for my meeting with Miss Fors at around three in the afternoon.
During this time, I decided to first pass the time at my favorite club because it had various resting places and enough afternoon tea to choose from, as well as a professional, well-equipped band to help me with preliminary rehearsals—the number of times I packed food from there also increased after My Ally descended. If it weren't for the fact that only members could enter, I would very much hope Miss Fors could come here to talk with me.
Someone else greeted me. I responded with a nod and a smile.
After a brief conversation, I learned that the front desk was processing a new member, and the lady who greeted me turned out to be an admirer of my work and came to the Krag Club every week.
The new member seemed to be a detective; he didn't notice me, and I didn't notice him. The waiter skillfully arranged a private reading room with a piano for me and also notified the resident band to start rehearsing.
The rehearsal went very smoothly.
At three in the afternoon, I met Miss Fors at our usual spot. We had a pleasant conversation, and I complimented her exquisite smoky eye makeup.
Smoky eye makeup was a makeup style invented by Roselle. It was used to emphasize deep-set eyes and enhance facial contours, and it was very popular in Intis.
During our conversation, I casually asked about the Abraham Family. Miss Fors knew nothing and was very interested in the Fourth Epoch secrets I revealed in snippets. It seems she must have obtained the bracelet by chance and become an Beyonder of the 'Apprentice' Path.
Her bracelet and the Sealed Artifact I carried at the time had such a strong aggregation of characteristics; they must be products of the Abraham Family, or at the very least, relics of someone closely related to the Abraham Family. Since Miss Fors used it, it is highly probable that she will hear the call of 'Bethel Abraham' under the control of the Mother Goddess of Depravity during the full moon.
However, the Mother Goddess of Depravity and I have no direct conflict of interest. I don't need to help Abraham or even Mr. Door to stop her. In fact, if the Mother Goddess of Depravity gains a slight advantage, the chances of her tearing open the seal and retrieving the Sefirah earlier will increase, and it would be even better if she could also suppress the Mother Tree of Desire.
Her progress was good; although the handwriting became more illegible towards the end, the plot and dialogue design were much better than the previous two times. The dialogue in plays is more exaggerated, ornate, and obscure than in novels, so it's a good thing she could successfully make the transition—I was very satisfied, as this meant I could successfully complete my work, so I gave her part of the manuscript fee in advance as encouragement.
Everyone was happy.
I was about to go home to drop off the manuscript and score, but My Ally told me to go to the Aurora Order. I asked it why, and it said Mr. A had received a big order, the specifics of which were unclear and needed to be discussed in detail.
"A bounty for assassinating the Intis ambassador. Although I don't know the specifics, the reward is ten thousand pounds."
73
Mr. A sat silently in the underground church, his eyes downcast, praying softly. The Gloomy Saint, sitting one seat away, was equally silent, pondering the possible hidden meaning behind this mission.
"Internal strife among the nobility? Or is Loen planning to use this method to incite war with Intis?" Kisma muttered to himself, somewhat uncertainly, "But this approach is perhaps too direct, too obvious, and after completing the mission, it will inevitably face fierce retaliation from the four churches and the military of both countries. You did well; the risk we bear deserves a higher reward, especially at this critical moment of the Lord's return to the earth."
"Praise the Lord," Mr. A chanted devoutly.
"Praise the Lord," Kisma also closed his eyes and chanted silently.
After a few seconds of silence in the underground church, Mr. A was the first to speak: "I plan to assassinate the Backlund ambassador tonight because he happens to be hosting a ball at home for some reason, which is a good opportunity to blend in. For a quick resolution, I ask for the Saint's help."
"No problem, unleash the abilities of the Scribe you Shepherd. The Demoness Sect's cooperation with us has stalled; otherwise, we could also use this to obtain some of their abilities. Disease curses are quite useful."
With that, the two sealed off the underground church. Mr. A used the 'Record' ability, and Kesma transformed into a several-meter-tall Black Knight, clad in armor seemingly forged from shadows, wielding a great sword, demonstrating the most basic yet powerful slashing skill again and again. It failed more than twenty times before finally successfully recording a Saint-level leaping slash.
"Currently, the force seems sufficient, but we lack an ability to control the opponent," Kisma reverted to human form, flipping through Mr. A's "notes" and pondering carefully. "You can use the abilities of the Lawyer Path, bribery or distortion, to temporarily restrain, but after switching, you must face the danger of being attacked by the ambassador's personal bodyguards en masse…"
"I can help you, for example, with the Foul Word 'Imprisonment.' " A voice, always carrying a demonic allure, came from behind them.
The Devil emerged from the simulated "Abyss," smiling and greeting the two: "Perhaps you need more direct help? I wonder what the intensity of your recording is like. 'Death' should be enough to kill the ambassador and all living things in the current venue, suitable for assassination."
"Thank you for your kindness. Our goal is only to cause the Death of one ambassador, not the lives of all nobles and wealthy merchants present, which would involve the forces behind them," Kesma immediately replied, before Mr. A could speak. "Angel-level Beyonder abilities are too precious. Once recorded, they can probably achieve the level of a top Saint. Perhaps what we need is your 'Imprisonment'-related spell."
"Chaos and despair are the true colors of everything. Never mind, this is My Ally's will; I'm just here to see if you need help."
The Abyss Angel didn't care about being rejected; its temper was always unimaginably good, which made people even more dare not to slight it and difficult to express fear:
"Recently, our believers have been cooperating closely. I don't mind helping My Ally's emissary with some small favors. I can give you 'Death' and 'Imprisonment.' If you have other Devil Path abilities recorded, I might be able to enhance them to Saint-level by infusing spirituality."
Mr. A was overjoyed and immediately Shepherded the Scribe. After repeatedly trying for over an hour, he finally successfully recorded the ability. He had already contacted the person who would provide assistance, a timber merchant invited to the ball. His entire family happened to be devout believers of the Lord—at that time, Mr. A would hide in the body of the accompanying daughter, letting the girl use her beauty to entice the ambassador to be alone, and then he would seize the opportunity to assassinate him.
This devout and respectable girl was undoubtedly going to die. Therefore, the Aurora Order would bestow rewards and favor upon this family who sacrificed for the Lord, helping them listen to the Lord's holy teachings, become Beyonder, change their names, and escape subsequent dangers.
After Mr. A left, the Gloomy Saint asked, "Do you think we need to secretly investigate the bounty issuer?"
"I don't think so," Edward said indifferently. "Now is the time to consolidate our internal forces and reorganize. There's no need to create extra trouble. And the instigator behind it may not let you investigate his whereabouts. Killing a few related bounty hunters only cuts off a source of income; it's meaningless."
"I understand. Also, the Honored Vassal is not following arrangements, and his reputation within the organization is getting worse. Do I need to help mediate?"
"No need," It said. "I will handle this matter. If he makes any small moves or tries to escape, just tell me directly."
"Yes. And one last thing," Kesma said. "A murder case was discovered somewhere in the East District. The perpetrator used a method of hollowing out internal organs. We suspect that there is a 'Devil' operating in Backlund in secret."
"…That is an interesting matter."
The Abyss Angel stroked its chin, revealing a rather interested smile: "Help me keep an eye out, but with the aggregation of Beyonder characteristics, they will eventually run into me… Let me see, which family is sending me snacks?"
— — — — — — — — — — — —
Original Author's notes" Daily updates are really tiring! I really want to slack off!* The three great Devil Families saw Edward like Jacob saw Amon.* Every time Edward went out: full of confidence and imposing, but in reality, he didn't know anyone who greeted him. Who are you, who are you, and who are you again.