Chapter 229 Case File 3: The Mysterious Shadow at Rose Villa (5)
"What is it?" Andrei also subconsciously took a deep breath, but he smelled nothing except the faint fishy smell of sea water.
"It's not the smell of the living world," said Takumiu. "It's the smell of emotion... the smell of anger."
She chose a direction and groped her way forward along the rock wall. She actually found a path in the darkness that was easily overlooked. After passing through a narrow crevice that required her to inhale, hold her abdomen in, and move sideways, the view in front of them suddenly opened up. There was another path that was wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
"Leila, where does this lead to?" asked Jiangyou.
"I don't know." The inorganic puppet maid once again became artificially retarded. "This place isn't on the map."
The two had no choice but to explore on their own. They walked along the road for another half an hour before they saw the end - it turned out to be a proper prison cell.
The closer he got to the cell, the stronger the smell of anger became. Jiang You dimmed the light and looked around, only to discover that there was someone in the cell, and it was even an acquaintance.
"Ayou!" The person in the cell saw the light and rushed to the iron bars of the cell. The light reflected her face. It was Yadra: "Hurry up, let me out before he comes back!"
"Sister Yadra?! Why are you here?!"
The two voices rang out at the same time, mixing together and causing an echo in the huge cave.
Yadra quickly shushed him and lowered his voice: "Let me out first!"
Andre glanced at Yadra's outfit. She was wearing the royal blue dress that Madame Butterfly had worn that morning, and the butterfly mask was lying on the ground at her feet.
Andrei asked, "Are you Madame Butterfly? Just now, you were in the banquet hall discussing compensation with the guests. How did you get locked up here?"
Yadra sighed, "This is a long story. Let's get me out of here first."
Andre pulled a rolled-up leather bag from his trouser pocket and unfolded it to reveal a number of slender metal tools. "It'll take some time to unlock it. You might as well tell me now."
Seeing his attitude of "I won't move unless the enemy moves," Yadra had no choice but to give in: "Okay, okay, I'll tell you!"
"Madame Butterfly is just a character identity, not a specific person. She is a character created by us [Samsara Theatre Company] and played by specific troupe members."
"【Samsara Theater】?" This was an unfamiliar name, and the ignorant Jiang You had never heard of it.
Andrei's eyes flickered slightly. The black-haired knight had obviously heard about this. Seeing this, Jiang You poked him: "What is that? Is it a theater troupe performing?"
"Of course not." Andre shook his head, took out his tools and began to pick the lock. "I told you before, every country has different beliefs. We in the Principality of Huntington worship the moon, while the Rusman Federation is obsessed with exploring the illusory fate. The Samsara Troupe is a religious group in the Rusman Federation, involved in all kinds of business, both legal and legal. Alchemy, potions, food, shipping, piracy... there's no business they won't take."
——This part sounds quite ordinary.
Jiang You was puzzled: "What does that have to do with the theater troupe?"
This is where Yadra comes in to explain: "Our motto is 'Life is a play, and a play is life.' Only by playing enough roles and experiencing enough life stories can we comprehend the complex and turbulent ups and downs of fate, feel the vast and ethereal mysteries, and thereby gain more magical power and elevate our spiritual level. Therefore, our [Reincarnation Troupe] will create special roles at specific moments and positions, which will be played by qualified members of the troupe.
"Playing these roles not only allows members to operate in a foreign country under a certain identity without bringing harm upon themselves, but also allows us to experience unique lives, gain insights, and help us advance."
Takumi understood: "So Madame Butterfly is a 'character' active among the upper class nobles of the Duchy of Huntington."
"Yes," Yadra said, "We've invested a great deal of money and time in developing this character, and we've received considerable rewards from the nobles. 'Madame Butterfly' focuses solely on having fun and doesn't interfere in political affairs, but she's relentless in promoting her products and engaging in business. Cross-border shipping typically carries an 80% risk, but with the nobles' backing and their help, we've been able to mitigate the man-made disasters from the natural ones.
"This way, we only have to deal with the dangers and losses caused by bad weather during the voyage, reducing the risk to 30%. Once the risk is reduced, this business will naturally become a highly profitable one."
When she said this, Jiangyou immediately understood. She had already discovered this while running her own workshop: the people of Huntington love to follow trends, but they lack the courage to be the first to try something new. Without someone taking the first step, even the most novel products won't sell well... Or to put it bluntly, the more novel the item, the harder it is to sell.
But if Madame Butterfly takes advantage of the party to create a buzz among the nobles about the new products she is going to sell and start a trend, then the following products will become hot-selling items overnight, and there will be no need to worry about them being stuck in the cargo hold and unsold, taking up manpower and cargo space.
In the parlance of Takumi Yuu's time, Madame Butterfly was a popular influencer who lurked among the nobility, promoting products online. She hyped trends, boosted sales, and leveraged her connections with the nobility to build connections. Meanwhile, she relayed news of the Huntington nobility to the Rusman Federation's Samsara Troupe... The profits this role brought to the Samsara Troupe were undoubtedly greater than the investment they made in organizing the character and the gatherings.
"That statement is consistent with Madame Butterfly's usual style," Andrei nodded. "But this gathering is clearly different from usual. What's going on?"
"I don't know either!" Yadra said with a bitter face, "I'm just following orders. In fact, this party was arranged by one of our sponsors. He asked us to hold a party in this villa, and he will cover the entire cost of the party.
"He specifically asked Madame Butterfly to host a gathering to explore the secrets of the former royal family, and he also asked that the atmosphere be kept mysterious. He also had the final say on who to invite."
"What about inviting Little Bone to be the head chef?" Andre asked.
"No, this is a decision I made on my own." Yadra gestured to Jiangyou. "Look at this skeleton. It's so perfect for a mysterious party! What's more, she can cook! And her cooking is really delicious! Anyway, I don't need to bother the sponsor with the final say on this little thing. I can make the decision on my own."
“Hehe, that’s absolutely right! (≧ｗ≦)” Jiang You put his hands on his hips with satisfaction.
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