Dunn got out of the carriage after saying those words, leaving Lu Ze in a daze inside.
After coming to his senses, Lu Ze carefully observed the details of his body. Sure enough, just as Dunn had said, his nails and hair had been meticulously trimmed. Siris hadn't sent servants to look after them, and the original owner had been insane all day, so it could only have been his sister who did it.
Looking at his clean nails, Lu Ze felt a warmth flowing through his chest. He couldn't tell if it was the original Lu Ze's gratitude towards his sister or his own appreciation for good human nature as a modern person—but whatever the reason, it made him feel a strong fondness for that lovely and persistent little girl.
When this incident is over, if I can still live with Cecilia, I must treat her well.
Lu Ze told himself inwardly.
Looking up, the passengers from the other carriage also disembarked. The brown-eyed Nighthawk walked in front, with Cecilia and the policewoman following close behind. Lu Ze noticed that the young Nighthawk was carefully holding a burning candle, its flame flickering, surrounded by faint whispers.
"Klein, how is it?"
Dunn asked, his meaning implied.
"No problem," the brown-eyed Klein replied, gently blowing out the candle.
When the candle extinguished, Cecilia's body trembled, and she looked around in surprise, as if she had just zoned out and was only now realizing she had gotten out of the carriage.
Sure enough, she had also undergone an inspection in the other carriage.
The accompanying policewoman got back in her carriage and left. The two groups converged, and Dunn pushed open the door of Blackthorn Security Company, leading them inside.
The first thing that came into view was a reception hall, furnished with classical sofas, soft-cushioned armchairs, and a raw wood coffee table. A partition behind the furniture blocked the view of deeper areas. Directly opposite was a desk, behind which sat a brown-haired girl, currently with her head drooping, nodding off to sleep.
Are Nighthawks all this relaxed? But then again, it is almost midnight.
Lu Ze thought.
"Roxanne."
Seeing this, Dunn raised his voice, sounding somewhat helpless.
"Ugh! No, Captain!"
The brown-haired girl immediately woke up, straightening her body like a spring. "I wasn't sleeping, I just zoned out!"
No, no, no, girl, you haven't even wiped the drool from the corner of your mouth yet.
Lu Ze grumbled inwardly.
"Hahaha, that's right, Captain, I can testify. Roxanne wasn't sleeping, she was just strolling in the Goddess's divine kingdom, contemplating life." Leonard teased with a smile, holding that peculiar emblem in his hand. The girl named Roxanne glared at him, but he didn't mind, still grinning.
"Alright. Go prepare some tea and wipe your mouth while you're at it."
Dunn sent the girl away, then turned back to his other two team members. "You two go down to Chanis Gate first and return the [Goddess's Gaze] and the [Calming Candle]."
"Okay."
Klein and Leonard exchanged glances and responded, but their feet didn't move.
Dunn thought for a moment, then added:
"Also, Leonard, call out Lorna and Frye from the recreation room."
"Yes."
The two nodded, but still didn't move.
Seeing this, Dunn frowned and rubbed his temples with effort. "Oh, right, Chanis Gate is too dangerous at night. Don't put those two Sealed Artifacts in there yet. Just leave them in my office, and we'll deal with them in the morning."
Only after he seemed to have thought for a long time did Klein and Leonard finally start to move. But even after taking a few steps, they kept looking back, as if afraid Dunn had forgotten something else.
Are they that forgetful?
Lu Ze and Cecilia exchanged glances, both a little surprised. This Nighthawk captain had left them with an impression of extreme depth and reliability since they met. But that filter seemed to have slightly dissipated during their recent interaction.
"You two, please sit down."
Dunn, however, was completely unaware, inviting the siblings to sit. At this moment, Roxanne, who had been dozing, also brought over the brewed black tea. The tea set was exquisite and beautiful, and the tea leaves also seemed to be of high quality, but the two of them were so uneasy that no matter how good the tea was, they couldn't taste any sweetness.
"Mr. Dunn, what are we going to do next?"
Lu Ze asked proactively.
"Stay here and accept our protection."
As soon as he sat down, Dunn instinctively pulled out his pipe again. But seeing Cecilia sitting opposite him, he put the pipe back, and instead took a sip of tea. "And we will immediately act, arrest Siris's accomplices, interrogate him, and stop their 瘋狂 actions until the incident is completely resolved."
That's not what I'm asking. I want to know what will happen to me after the incident is over.
Lu Ze thought to himself, but the other party didn't seem to have any intention of discussing it now, so he wisely didn't ask further.
After a few more sips of black tea, not long after, Leonard appeared from behind the partition with two other Nighthawks.
"Leonard and Frye, come with me. Lorna, you stay here and protect our guests. Klein, are you going home? I can have the carriage take you on the way."
Dunn quickly gave his instructions, stood up, put on his hat, and then asked Klein.
"No need, Captain. Catching them is more important. Going back now would wake up my family," Klein said with a yawn. "I'll just lie down in the lounge for a bit."
"Mm."
Dunn nodded, then said to Lu Ze, "If you have anything, you can tell Lorna. If any emergency arises, you must listen to her."
Seeing that Lu Ze understood, he quickly left with his two team members, leaving the Lounder siblings and Ms. Lorna to look at each other.
This was a lady who appeared very aloof, with long, smooth black hair and large eyes with slender brows. She didn't speak proactively, only quietly observed the siblings, her gaze seeming to linger on Lu Ze's face for a moment longer.
"Uh, Ms. Lorna, good evening?"
"Good evening."
Seeing Lu Ze greet her, Lorna nodded slightly and spoke calmly, "Go to the back. There's a lounge there."
"Okay, thank you."
"Follow me."
She turned and led the two towards the area behind the partition.
Lu Ze and his sister quickly followed. Before leaving, he looked back at the front desk. Sure enough, the brown-haired Roxanne had lowered her head again and started dozing off.
Hopefully, she won't get caught by Dunn when he returns.
Lu Ze thought, stepping into the area behind the partition.
Behind the partition was a short corridor, with what looked like three offices on each side. Lorna led them into the second one on the left. Inside, there were several sofa beds that looked very soft, and some newspapers were stacked on a table.
The Nighthawk named Klein had already arrived and was lying on one of the sofa beds. Seeing Lu Ze enter, he smiled and nodded to the two.
Lu Ze returned a smile.
"Feel free to sit down. If you're tired, you can also sleep."
Lorna pointed to the sofa beds. She herself chose one and sat down first, then tidied her already smooth black hair, turned and pulled a newspaper from a nearby table, and began reading it to herself.
She didn't seem to have any intention of continuing the conversation.
Lu Ze had originally wanted to take the opportunity to glean some information, but seeing her aloof demeanor, he gave up the idea. He looked at Cecilia beside him and quietly asked her, "Are you sleepy?"
"Not sleepy."
Cecilia said softly.
"Then let's sit for a while. Do you want to read a newspaper?"
Lu Ze asked. Seeing her shake her head, he simply took a newspaper from the table, glancing at its title as he did so.
"Tingen City Respectable People's Daily." What a unique name.
I want to see what the respectable people of Tingen City care about.
With this thought, Lu Ze picked up the newspaper. He suddenly regretted not bringing the tea in earlier. After all, isn't drinking tea while reading the newspaper standard? He lowered his head and casually browsed through it.
Citizens nationwide cheer and celebrate the complete repeal of the "Grain Law."
Tingen City steel magnate Baron Henry publicly declared his love for Lady Sharon at a banquet and got into a big fight with three gentlemen.
Popular opera actress exposed for long-term affair with theater owner and his stepson.
Tsk tsk tsk, as expected of news that respectable people would care about, truly stimulating.
Klein lay fully clothed, quietly resting with his eyes closed. Lorna flipped through the newspaper, occasionally looking at Lu Ze and Cecilia, seemingly diligently performing her bodyguard duties. Cecilia sat leaning against Lu Ze, initially a bit uneasy, but before long, she started to feel drowsy next to Lu Ze.
Time slowly passed.
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