Chapter 679: The Phantom Thief
North-central Farajo, Floz.
It was a sunny day, and the streets of Flotz were peaceful during the day. Some of the busy roads were bustling with people, as noisy as usual, and countless carriages were passing on the road.
In one of the black carriages, Dorothy was sitting in a seat in casual clothes, leisurely admiring the street view outside the window. Opposite her was Nephnesse, who was wearing a tight windbreaker. At this moment, she was concentrating on reading a new newspaper that she had bought not long ago.
"Big news... Bourbon's treasure, the Light of Maria, has reappeared in the world. To prove the glory of the nation, the collector took out his precious collection to display it.
"Recently, the director of the Friendship Foundation, the well-known collector Mr. Rock Durand, announced through the media that he would hold a grand public exhibition with the treasures accumulated by his family over the years, and invited people from all walks of life to participate. It is reported that the Durand family has a long heritage in La Boone for several decades. The owners of the family have always liked to collect all kinds of antiques and treasures, and their family has a large collection of rare treasures. The Durand family has the habit of holding treasure exhibitions at the beginning of each year, but they only entertain relatives and friends, and the scale is limited. This is the first time that such a large-scale public exhibition has been held.
"In order to promote his exhibition, Mr. Rock revealed several first-class exhibits to the media. The most eye-catching one was the necklace Maria's Light, which was once worn by Maria, the queen of Charles. This necklace is considered a top-notch treasure even in the luxurious palace of Bourbon. It was lost during the Frost Moon Revolution and there was no news of it for several years. In fact, it was protected by Mr. Rock's grandfather during the turmoil and has been preserved to this day.
"During the interview, Mr. Rock revealed that he had not wanted to make the Light of Maria public again. However, when he saw that more and more people in our society did not take the national glory seriously, mindlessly opposed the Bourbon, and destroyed the national foundation of Farajo in the name of anti-Bourbon, he was heartbroken and angry. He had the idea of doing something about it.
"In order to awaken the contemporary people's pursuit and yearning for glory, Mr. Rock decided to hold this exhibition to display the treasures collected by his family that can embody the glory of Farajo to the public. He hopes that this action will awaken the hearts of Farajo people again. This exhibition will be held at the Labuan Civic Mansion later on the 14th. After the exhibition, he will continue to donate a batch of cultural relics.
"During the interview, the reporter asked Mr. Rock whether the Ferraro issue he mentioned was due to his dissatisfaction with the recent policies of the parliament, but Mr. Rock refused to answer and insisted that his exhibition was not affected by any political factors..."
Sitting in the carriage, Nephnis looked at the newspaper in her hand attentively, reading a small paragraph from time to time. After she finished reading it all, she slowly put down the newspaper in her hand and looked at Dorothy and spoke.
"Miss Dorothy... As you expected, a few days after we started the incident, news about the exhibition appeared in the newspapers, and the exhibition really did have the Light of Maria!"
"This is expected. Even if they don't arrange the Maria Light exhibition, I will arrange for Thief K to take action again and release the news in advance so that they can go and stake out in advance... The fact that they have such an arrangement proves that they are also very anxious to get the pedestal in my hand."
As Dorothy spoke, she shifted her gaze from the car window to see Nefernis slowly speaking again.
"I'm not surprised that the Dark Gold Society is organizing the Maria Light Exhibition. What really interests me is what reason they will use to organize this exhibition so that Thief K won't be too suspicious. Now it seems... they are slightly taking advantage of the current political situation in Farajo as an excuse, which is also good."
Dorothy made such a comment, and after hearing her words, Neveu, who was sitting opposite her, spoke again.
"Now, the Dark Gold Society has announced the information about the exhibition. It will be held on the night of the 14th in a city called Labun. So is the trap they chose to set there? Are there Red Beyonders waiting there to capture Thief K?"
"No, their assassins won't appear there directly. This exhibition should be just a bait for Thief K, not a trap." Dorothy said to Nefernis, and Nefernis spoke with a slightly confused look after hearing this.
"It's a bait, not a trap... What does that mean?"
"You'll know when the time comes. Now that others have issued a letter of challenge, we have to hurry over to accept the challenge. Thief K's notice needs to be sent out a day in advance, so we have to get it right on time."
Dorothy said this as she controlled the carriage to speed up. Now they needed to leave Floz and head to the fishing spot that the Dark Gold Society had carefully set up for them.
…
Braun is located in the northwest of Flots, and is a relatively important large city in the northwest of Farajo. It has a large population and rich resources. Because of its long history, it has produced countless artists and celebrities, and has experienced many important historical events. It has also become an important cultural capital of Farajo.
Braun is a famous historical and cultural city in Farajo. Every building in the old town built by the water has a history of more than thousands of years. Among these ancient buildings with a long history, the most famous one is the Citizen's Mansion.
In the night of Braun, the weather is clear and the moon is in the sky. In the city under the moonlight, there is a magnificent scene of lights. Among the countless lights scattered on the earth in the night, there is one place that is unusually brighter than other places. This is the location of the citizen Braun’s mansion.
In the center of the old town of Braan, a palace-like building supported by countless tall pillars stands here, bathed in the moonlight and the city lights. This was once the palace built by the extravagant Lord Braan for himself to demonstrate his authority. Now it is a public place for the citizens of Braan, used to hold various large-scale activities, and now it has been completely booked to host a focal exhibition.
Under the cover of night, in the square in front of the Civic Mansion, countless citizens gathered here despite the early spring cold, waiting for something together.
These citizens were whispering to each other, and almost all of them showed a hint of curiosity, and some even showed anticipation or even excitement. A large number of people in the square were discussing something and looking forward to something, and what they were looking forward to was not just the Maria Light. Perhaps only a small number of people were really looking forward to watching the Maria Light.
"What time is it now... Is it almost time for the preview?"
"Will Thief K come? Please don't let me down..."
"Ah... I really hope to meet Master K in person..."
…
Words like these were spreading among the crowd in the square, and at the boundary between the square and the Civic Mansion, there stood a row of security guards. They put their hands behind their backs, forming a human wall and staring sternly at the crowd in front of them, preventing them from coming forward and guarding their every move.
Behind this row of security guards, at the top of a high staircase, at the entrance of the mansion, a group of people were standing at this moment. Looking closely, one could see that they were a group of reporters interviewing a person. The person being interviewed was a slightly fat middle-aged man wearing a light grey coat and a top hat.
"Mr. Rock... May I ask why you chose to display this treasure to the world again?"
"I have said in the newspaper before that the people of Faro today need something to revisit the glory of our nation in the past, and these treasures are carefully selected by me, and I believe they can re-inspire the fighting spirit of the people, especially the fighting spirit of the youth."
"Mr. Rock made such a move at this time. Is he dissatisfied with some resolutions of the parliament?"
"Sorry, I don't talk about politics."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Rock, let me ask you another question. I heard that you received a letter of warning from Thief K earlier. He said that he was going to steal the Light of Maria at the exhibition. Is this true?"
"A notice? Let me think... Ah, it seems like there was something similar, just a prank by a clown who was pretending to be so pretentious and trying to attract attention. I didn't take it seriously, but now that you mentioned it, I remembered it again."
"Pretending? Mr. Rock, the thief K has successfully committed many crimes in recent times and fooled countless police officers. He can't simply be called a clown."
"This thief K is a clown. Those policemen who let this clown succeed are even more clowns than the clowns. They are them, and I am me. My personal security measures are ten times stronger than those incompetent policemen, and will not allow the clowns any chance to take advantage.
"But I also want to thank this clown a little. It is because of his contribution that so many people came to this exhibition. I thought that after I catch him, I would not rush to hand him over to the police. I would let him perform more shows for the audience first."
At the entrance of the Civic Mansion, a man named Rock was accepting on-site interviews from many media outlets with a calm expression. He answered various questions raised by reporters with a calm demeanor. Countless flashes of light hit his face, and the air was filled with the smell of burning powder.
"Okay, reporters who have come from afar, our interview ends here now. Please come in with me to witness the official opening of this exhibition and the reappearance of the most precious treasure of this exhibition, the Light of Maria."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
