Chapter 23 Dionysus Festival 01
The meeting was not long. Madam Janet mainly explained the extent of the plague and solemnly instructed every wizard present:
"During the recent routine patrols, the town's soldiers have the right to enter homes to conduct random epidemic prevention checks. Please properly hide any items related to your wizard identity."
"Whether it's a wizard hat, a crystal ball, a divination notebook, or an herb encyclopedia, don't be careless."
Just when everyone thought the meeting was about to end, Mrs. Janet said in a louder voice: "There is one last thing."
"If you come across someone claiming to be a 'bachelor' or 'alchemist' in the streets, markets, or taverns recently, and want to use a large sum of money or other benefits in exchange for information about the 'habits', 'daily details', or 'life patterns' of wizards... please come to the Chamber of Commerce and let me know as soon as possible."
Many people looked confused.
"What does he want those for?"
"Sounds like some kind of research investigation?"
"Someone is actually interested in the wizarding lifestyle?"
Dame Janet explained:
"According to the information I received, someone is secretly defrauding money under the guise of 'studying the behavior patterns of wizards'."
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the wizards who had not taken it seriously suddenly changed, and several of them even subconsciously tightened their purses around their waists.
"Wait, how can this be a scam? Didn't they pay for the information?"
A young wizard who was inexperienced in the world scratched the new wizard hat on his head, raised his hand in confusion and asked.
"Isn't that obvious enough?"
Sera sneered and said in a light tone:
"Once you sell the information to them, they will immediately change their attitude and threaten to report you to the court."
"If you are not a wizard, then you have to explain the source of your information. After all, this information is not something that ordinary people can know."
"If you're a wizard, then they'll just blackmail you, saying they'll keep your mouth shut if you pay them a 'hush money'."
"Tell me, will you give me the money when the time comes?"
After the words fell, the air was silent for two seconds.
The young wizard, who originally thought this was a good way to make money, was choked after hearing Sera's explanation.
She whispered, "...This, this is too immoral."
Several wizards of similar age around him also showed expressions of shock and vigilance, and whispered:
"So this is the trick?"
"They don't really want to buy information at all. They are specifically trying to lure wizards! Who can understand the habits and daily life of wizards better than the wizards themselves?"
"This is simply a scam trap tailor-made for us. It's scarier than a trial court..."
"If I hadn't listened to today's meeting, I might have really believed it..."
A witch wearing a washed-out cloak sighed softly, with a hint of fear in her tone, "Life has been really hard lately. If I get cheated out of greed, I won't even be able to afford food."
As soon as she said this, there were several sighs of agreement from the people around her.
Many wizards present were already living in poverty, especially at a time when the plague was spreading and the Inquisition was becoming increasingly strict. The little savings they had were accumulated through frugality.
Once you are cheated, you will not only lose money, but you may also be in danger of your identity being exposed - by then, it will be too late to cry.
Madam Janet glanced at everyone's reactions and slowed down her tone:
"In these uncertain times, everyone must be more cautious. Don't trust any promises from strangers. If you encounter something that doesn't seem right, don't just take it on, and don't deal with it on your own. You can always come to the Chamber of Commerce to find me, or ask other members of the Conclave for help."
"Please remember - you are not alone. We are companions and we have each other's backs. Only by watching over each other and supporting each other can we overcome the difficulties."
With the final instructions, Mrs. Janet declared the meeting adjourned.
The crowd left one after another, and the sound of cloaks fluttering and footsteps gradually became sparse.
Just when Zhu Yu was about to leave, he was stopped by Mrs. Janet.
"Elena, please stay for a moment. I have something else to ask you."
Zhu Yu was not surprised. She stopped and paused.
At this moment, Sera happened to pass by her.
She looked her up and down, curled her lips and said:
"Tsk, I wonder which cemetery you've been in recently. You've already got the smell of the dead all over you."
"Remember to take a bath with some 'Snakeroot Grass' when you get back. It's very effective in removing corpse qi..."
After saying this, she lowered the brim of her hat and walked away.
Zhu Yu lowered his head and sniffed himself. There was only a faint smell of disinfectant on his body, and no trace of corpse smell at all.
Is it because Sera is a necromancer and is particularly sensitive to this kind of aura?
She thought about it and decided to go back and ask Mrs. Gwen to prepare some snakeroot, which could be added to her bath.
Just as she was lost in thought, Mrs. Janet's voice came from the front, bringing her back to reality.
"When I received the news from your family's secret envoy that day, I immediately conducted a comprehensive investigation of all the wizard members of the secret society in the town of Arce."
"Fortunately, at least so far, we haven't found any of the situations you described where 'wizards were used as experimental subjects'."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
What she was most worried about was that this cruel experiment on cursed wizards had infiltrated the land of Arce that she managed with her own hands.
Although judging from Captain Rhine’s attitude before, a situation like the one in Beleriand where the city is completely controlled by the “Grand Maester and Alchemist” should not be common, and the tentacles of that force do not seem to have yet extended into the town of Arce.
But it was not until this moment, when she heard Mrs. Janet's personal confirmation, that she felt finally at peace.
"Then... why didn't you just say this directly at the meeting?" Zhu Yu asked, "Why did you have to beat around the bush and deliberately use the word 'fraud' to remind everyone?"
In fact, she already had some doubts at the meeting. Mrs. Janet was not one to beat around the bush, especially when it came to issues involving the safety of the secret society.
Lady Janet: "Because there are still many things I don't understand about this matter. I don't want to cause other wizards to panic without solid evidence."
She turned around and looked Zhu Yu in the eye, and asked seriously, "The Lady Lucia you mentioned has been deceived by that group of people many times, right? Are you 100% sure that what she told you is true?"
Zhu Yu was stunned and did not answer Mrs. Janet's question immediately.
Lady Janet continued: "I'm not saying she's lying. But don't you think her words are too 'complete'? It's like a theory that has been instilled, so I guess what she knows is the part they are willing to let her know."
"Why do those people need curse wizards? Is it because the conversion rate is high and curse power is easier to 'store' and 'control'? Or does the power of curse have other unknown secrets?"
"For example, they already have the power of a knight that can fight against wizards, so why do they still go to so much trouble to contact and brainwash wizards?"
"An organization with huge political resources and control over the regular army would want to replicate a 'wizard group' at any cost just to enhance its combat effectiveness? It sounds reasonable, but it's too superficial."
Zhu Yu's brows gradually furrowed, and his thoughts became deeper and deeper.
When she was in Beleriand, she was only concerned with solving the problem and dealing with the current chaos, and she did not delve into many details.
Now that we have calmed down and look back, there are indeed many loopholes behind Mrs. Lucia’s so-called “ideals” and “motives” that are worth pondering.
Seeing her lost in thought, Mrs. Janet patted her shoulder gently:
"It's not that I don't trust Madam Lucia's position as a wizard, nor do I distrust you. I'm just worried that the goal of the power behind it may be far more than just 'obtaining the power of wizards'."
"They are too patient, too good at hiding, and too patient. We have been following clues for more than ten years, and only now have we seen the tip of the iceberg... If you hadn't accidentally got involved in the Rose Festival and successfully exposed the conspiracy of the sacrifice, we would have no idea that there has long been such a dangerous force lurking in the world that specifically targets the wizard community."
"They can achieve that level in Belran City, there must be a strong force behind them." Madam Janet looked up at Zhu Yu, "Although our Secret Society is also working hard to pave the way for the upper echelons, such as the new Victoria City Lord, but for now, our layout at the top is far from enough."
"So, if we rashly make this matter public, even if it's just to warn our companions, it may bring greater risks. The secret society is not a monolithic entity. Once the enemy's spies sneak into it or a member is successfully brainwashed... let alone tracking down the truth, I'm afraid they will start cleaning up the traces before us."
"That's why I decided to use the term 'scam' to alert everyone. Once we completely lose the initiative, it will be too late to investigate."
Zhu Yu was silent for a moment, and finally nodded: "You are right."
Rather than exposing everything in a big way, it is more important to find out their real motives and their possible next courses of action.
"My clues have been cut off with the death of Madam Lucia." Zhu Yu said with a hint of frustration and regret, "She didn't know much, and before she died, she obviously realized that she had been used by those people."
"But the Inquisition..."
Zhu Yu's eyes lit up as he suddenly thought of something. "This incident was mainly handled by the trial court in Asser Town. They must have collected a lot of useful information, whether it's interrogation records or physical evidence from the scene. They should be able to dig out something."
Speaking of this, Zhu Yu couldn't help but sigh:
"It's really fortunate that I accepted Captain Rhine's invitation to join the company. At that time, I only had the idea of 'infiltrating the enemy'. Now it seems that this job is far more important than I thought."
Mrs. Janet was stunned for a moment, then she came to her senses and frowned slightly:
"You're going to work right under their noses? Are you sure you can do that without exposing your identity?"
She was obviously shocked by Zhu Yu's boldness, and her words were dissuading:
"That's no place to joke. The Inquisition is more sensitive to wizards than the royal dogs."
"Of course I have a way to bypass their detection." Zhu Yu winked at her with a relaxed expression, "Besides, I am a 'Knight of Light' after all, they won't easily suspect me."
"...You really dare to gamble."
Mrs. Janet shook her head, and seeing that she was unwilling to talk more about her plans, she did not continue to ask.
The two walked out of the monastery while talking.
It was already dark, a light mist was floating on the streets, and the dim lights cast jumping spots of light on the cobblestone road.
Before leaving, Mrs. Janet suddenly stopped and raised her hand to help Zhu Yu straighten his slightly tilted wizard hat, with a hint of ridicule in her tone:
"Oh, I almost forgot that you still have to prepare for the Dionysian Festival. You don't have many days of leisure left."
"What?"
The relaxed expression on Zhu Yu's face froze in an instant.
Where did the Dionysian festival come from?
Help, why are the holidays in this copy more frequent than in her real life?
Mrs. Janet did not notice her abnormality. She just thought she was lamenting the busy festival affairs and said with a smile:
"Fortunately, you have a lot of reliable people around you to help you, so I don't need to worry too much."
After saying that, she gently pushed Zhu Yu forward and sent him to Maggie who was waiting beside the carriage.
Zhu Yu rubbed her brows helplessly, and as she boarded the carriage with Maggie's help, she silently complained in her heart about how many festivals were waiting for her in this world...
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