Chapter 582 Backlund and the Others

Angel used the "Hypocrisy" ring to restore her face to "Erin Watson", nodded slightly, opened the door and walked into the living room.

Sherman sheathed his revolver and followed her.

"Have you become an 'instigator'?"

Angel asked casually after finding a chair to sit on in the simple living room.

She had previously learned from Laura's letter that Sherman was preparing to be promoted to "Instigator". She had just come here through the "Mirror World" and deliberately made some noise, which made Sherman somewhat alert. This showed that he had become a Sequence 8 and possessed stronger perception abilities.

Unfortunately, like almost all extraordinary people, he became more dependent on his spiritual warnings of danger. Once his "perception" and "spiritual warning" conflicted, Sherman subconsciously chose to believe the latter, and therefore did not respond accordingly in the first time.

Therefore, Angel reminded him and warned him not to trust his spiritual intuition too much, but to combine it with the assassin's path of extraordinary keen perception, so as not to fall into the trap of the enemy with anti-divination ability.

"Yes, Miss Irene. Ms. Lola gave me the corresponding potion formula and... taught me the 'acting method'. Two months ago, I successfully advanced to Sequence 8."

Sherman found two teacups, poured some black tea into them, placed them on the table, and sat on the other side.

He knew very well that the woman in front of him would most likely not drink this cup of cheap black tea, but as the instigator, he knew that even if the other party didn't drink it, he still had to prepare it.

"Tell me about the situation in the East District."

Angel's eyes wandered over the floating tea leaves, but he finally took the cup and took a sip as a courtesy.

"After that horrific disaster, the East District's population dropped by a full 10%. An equal number of people lost their ability to work and could no longer support themselves. This exacerbated the existing conflicts... Fortunately, the kingdom enacted many new laws, and the Church of the Evernight Goddess also settled here. With the help of donated supplies, everyone's life has improved slightly, and many gangs have stopped fighting each other, temporarily quieting down."

That's most likely the work of the Nightmares... Angel nodded and asked:

"What about your role? This situation should be best suited for the role of 'Instigator', right?"

From Sherman's narration, she soon learned that this new "instigator" had infiltrated and taken over a gang active at the junction of the East and North Districts, the "Black Claw Gang", through the experience he had accumulated in the "Assassin" stage and with the help of his good friend Hugh Dilcha.

Sherman originally planned to use a conspiracy-style assassination to eliminate the former gang boss, allowing himself, as the deputy, to become the legitimate boss. However, the boss from Feysac was arrested in an operation and there was no news of him since then. Sherman, who was extraordinary in skills and had good relationships with all the members, took the opportunity to rise to the top and became the leader of nearly a hundred Loen and Feysac gang members.

Through this "ascension" and various actions that followed, Sherman successfully digested most of the potion and summarized his own rules of acting.

"I didn't expect Xio to support you in joining the gang. I remember she hates evil, didn't she?"

Angel asked curiously.

"In the East District, gangs are older than factories. They won't disappear, they'll only be replaced by something else. And under my control, at least they won't do evil as recklessly. I convinced her."

Sherman replied with a smile. Compared to the timidity and shyness when Angel first saw him, the "instigator" at this moment undoubtedly had stronger confidence in his actions and methods.

"I hope you can remember these promises. Otherwise, even without me, the Beyonders of the Church will come to you... You should know the 'Nighthawks', right?" Angel reminded.

"Yes, Miss Hugh mentioned this to me as well."

Sherman nodded solemnly.

After entering the extraordinary world and coming into contact with various extraordinary people, he also learned a lot of information that was originally kept secret from ordinary people.

For example, the bishop who preached in the church with a warm face might very well be a Mid-Sequence Beyonder. For example, the church had its own Beyonder organization that would secretly resolve disasters caused by Beyonders. For example, the "Witch Sect" he belonged to was actually one of the culprits of the Backlund smog at the end of last year...

"Ms. Irene, I heard from Ms. Lola that the 'Witch Cult' caused the great smog. Is that true?"

He asked cautiously.

"That's right. The Witch Cult is responsible for everything, including the constant disappearances and kidnappings in the East District, and the thick smog that ultimately covered everything up..."

Angel replied, and when Sherman's face showed a mixture of fear, confusion, and other emotions, he added:

"But Lola and I don't belong to one of them. You can think of us as another branch of the sect, a branch that has a negative attitude towards these practices."

"What about Sylvia? Is she too?"

Sherman asked hesitantly.

That guy should have become the new Baron or even Viscountess in Trier, Intis, but I remember that the Republic of Intis has abolished all titles. She must be disappointed... Angel secretly complained and nodded reluctantly, acknowledging that Sherman's former superior also had the same status.

This answer made Sherman breathe a sigh of relief and feel less guilty.

During this time, he was trying his best to avoid committing any evil deeds while worrying about his identity. Although Laura and Irene didn't behave like the legendary evil cult members, he still worried about being visited by an official Beyonder one day.

After that, Angel continued to ask him a lot of questions about what happened in the East District, as well as the areas and related businesses that the Black Claw Gang was responsible for. Finally, when he learned that Sherman had not moved out of here because of Liv's family next door, he laughed at him in a good-natured way.

It was not until Sherman blushed with embarrassment that Angel took Lola's communication potion from him and used the "mirror world" to leave quickly.

Watching the countless phantoms overlapping and then gradually returning to normal, Sherman stood in front of the mirror and did not leave for a long time.

Angel's words before he left were still echoing in his mind:

"At this point, can you really make up your mind to take the 'witch' potion and become a woman?"

————

Using a communication potion, Angel and Lola agreed on a time to meet the female witch from the Pellet family at the three-story house in the Backlund Bridge District where they had previously met.

She didn't bring the hunter Vincent with her, but went to the appointment alone, which surprised Angel a little.

"After several collaborations, I'm sure you're trustworthy, so I didn't bring anyone else along as a gesture of sincerity."

This beautiful woman with black hair and blue eyes wore a simple dress and a hood, and she didn't look like a "joyful" witch at all.

Angel did not show his "desperate" side of his promotion. He still used the "hypocrisy" ring to transform into the original Irene and had a secret conversation with Laura in the secret room in the three-story building.

She came to see him this time because, on the one hand, she wanted to quickly understand the situation here after leaving Backlund for nearly half a year and inquire about his progress in investigating the truth behind the smog. On the other hand, she wanted to use Laura's connections to prepare for her own entry into Backlund's upper-class social circles.

Of course, Angel had a backup plan, and that was Backlund's most dazzling jewel, the apple of Count Hall's eye, the "Justice" lady of the Tarot Club, Audrey Hall.

However, this would undoubtedly directly expose the fact that the "Queen" had returned to Backlund, and would also make it more vulnerable to scrutiny by the Orthodox Church. Angel didn't want to do this unless there was no other way.

"After you left, the three major churches and the military launched a purge of all hidden secret organizations and wild Beyonders in Backlund. As far as I know, the forces of the Witch Cult and the Aurora Society were almost completely expelled from the city. Only recently did the Aurora Society send new divine messengers to lurk in the chaotic East District... Heh, this intelligence was discovered by Sherman. As a low-sequence Beyonder, his abilities are beyond my expectations."

Lola sat lazily opposite Angel, quietly introducing Backlund's recent situation, which reminded Angel of his encounter with her at the Divination Club.

"What about the Witch Cult? Don't they have any intention of returning to this city?"

She asked tentatively.

"I'm not aware of it, at least not openly. If a woman appears in a social setting and attracts everyone's attention, I'll be the first to know."

You really understand the path of the "Witch Sect"... Angel muttered silently, and preliminarily confirmed that Laura and her mother, Katarina, had no private contact.

Or maybe she's just pretending to have returned to the sect and is trying to lure me in? But if that's the case, then the one waiting here must be the "ageless" witch Katarina...

She pondered and asked:

"What about their conspiracy behind the scenes? How is your investigation going?"

"After Prince Edessak's 'suicide,' all leads related to the royal family were almost lost. They either used the prince's death to escape their dark history of collaborating with the cult, or went into deeper hiding. Vincent made some discoveries from the military. MI9 was likely involved in human trafficking, but there was a strong possibility of demigod powers involved, so he wasn't able to pursue the matter further."

Demigod... Angel thought of the demigod who appeared at the human trafficking scene between "Mad Captain" and "Finger" on the outskirts of Bayam. She described the image of a mysterious man with a hood, tall stature, slightly long arms, and a covered face, and briefly recounted the course of the battle, looking forward to Laura's answer.

Laura thought for a moment and shook her head, indicating that she didn't know such a person.

"Suspected to be a demigod of the 'Lawyer' path... I'll ask Vincent and let you know as soon as I have any results." She quickly gave up thinking and memorized these characteristics, then smiled slyly. "Speaking of demigods, how does it feel to be promoted to 'Despair'? Miss Angelica Sage?"

She knows?

Angel's eyes narrowed as he immediately realized that his battle with Bayam and the corresponding wanted order must have reached Backlund. His alias "Angelica" had also been known to him due to the spell used to summon the black cat, Winza.

"Since you knew I had advanced to Sequence 4, why did you dare to come alone?"

She adjusted her expression and asked back in a cold tone.

"That's because I made sure you were on my side, not the other side."

Laura chuckled, seemingly completely unafraid of Angel's implicit threat.

"Oh, are you so sure?" Angel sneered and continued, "The clue to the main ingredient of my potion was provided by your mother, Katarina. The messenger who signed the contract with me was one of your brothers or sisters. Maybe I actually joined the 'Witch Cult' and became their vanguard to return to Backlund?"

"Brother, sister?"

Laura repeated subconsciously, and smiled again after a moment:

"First, I can confirm that Mother doesn't have such a child. Secondly, how do you know she's not on... our side?"