Chapter 253 Committee Objectives
The two nobles were still talking, but Angel's mind was no longer in this small carriage.
She picked up her handbag and pretended to search for something. She pressed the "Crimson Eye" inside, and her mind mapped every living thing within a 50-meter radius, centered on the carriage. They had already returned from the northern suburbs to the city center, but as it was approaching dusk, the streets were deserted, along with carriages. Angel quickly filtered out all figures within the area and found no sign of a Beyonder.
Of course, perhaps the opponent's sequence is far beyond her own, far beyond the range that the "Scarlet Eye" can detect, but if she is targeted by such a stalker, her magic mirror warning will not be only slightly triggered.
Or, is the other party outside the range of 50 meters, following the carriage from a distance?
After releasing the magical item, the whispers in Angel's ear gradually faded away, and Grelint's slightly concerned greeting came:
"Miss Irene, what's wrong with you?"
She came back to her senses and found that Audrey and Grallint were looking at her with curiosity in their eyes.
"Sorry, my 'divination' sense was a little triggered just now." She found that she could now easily make up similar lies without blushing. "It seems that someone is following us."
"What!"
The one who reacted the most was the only male in the carriage, Viscount Greylint. His cheeks, which had gradually regained their rosy color after he came out of that strange classroom, turned pale in an instant.
He pulled the curtain of the car window and looked out, then retracted his head after a moment: "I didn't see it. No, there are many carriages outside. I'm not sure if someone is following us."
Audrey, on the other hand, was relatively calm. Perhaps it was because of the uniqueness of Beyonders, or perhaps it was just her nature. She also peeked outside, then looked at Angel. "Ms. Irene, can you locate the stalker?"
"I'm sorry, I can only vaguely sense a hint of malice, but it's not strong. The other party probably has no intention of attacking us. They may just want to follow us to our residence."
Angel answered honestly.
"But we weren't conspicuous at the party. We only bought 300 pounds worth of things and didn't compete with anyone else. How could we be targeted?"
Your Excellency, 300 pounds is already a lot. The poor people in the East End might even kill for 3 pounds...
Angel didn't say these words out loud, but looked at the calm Audrey, who frowned slightly and said after thinking for a moment:
"I've been to this party twice, and I haven't been followed. Furthermore, the organizer has fully considered the possibility of being followed, and everyone left through different exits... Unless the organizer himself sent his men to follow us, which would be easy for him.
"Xiu and Fors were present at the first two gatherings, and no one was following us. This time, we also took a cheap, unmarked carriage. As Grallint said, a 300-pound transaction wouldn't attract anyone's attention. Could it be..."
Angel's heart was in his throat.
When Xio and Fors went to the party with Audrey, no one followed them. But when I went with her, someone followed me. Does she think there's something wrong with me?
Fortunately, Audrey didn't dwell on this, but looked at Grallint:
"Glint, I think they're still coming for me, or rather, 'Earl Hall's Daughter.' We'll change carriages later and return to your mansion along the original route. I'll take Hall's carriage and leave."
"Don't we need to notify Hibbert? My house has a telegraph installed. Wouldn't it be better if you wait at my house and let him send someone to pick you up?"
The Viscount was still somewhat worried and kept looking out the window as he answered.
"That's not necessary. If they really wanted to kidnap me, the northern suburbs would have been a better place. And if they just wanted to follow me, it wouldn't make sense for me to send more people. Yeah, but you're right. I can wait at your house for a while. Maybe they'll give up."
Audrey said with a confident smile.
Looking into her sparkling green eyes, Angel felt as if this "audience" had some plan.
Pretending not to notice the stalkers, the carriage continued on as usual. After circling the North District twice, the few people changed to another carriage and returned to Viscount Grellant's residence in the Queen's District.
Angel left through the side door as arranged by Audrey. She politely declined the Viscount's offer to send a carriage to take her there, walked a few hundred meters, and then used the witch's invisibility ability to disappear in an empty corner and returned the same way.
She waited at the door of the Viscount's house for about half an hour. A carriage with the Earl of Hall's family crest drove out of the main gate and slowly left.
Using her "Crimson Eyes," she saw the bright red figure of Audrey in the carriage, along with her otherworldly dog.
A minute later, another unremarkable carriage came from the other end of the street, made a casual turn, and followed Audrey away from a distance.
It looks like it's him... He's so far away, no wonder I couldn't find the stalker with the Crimson Eye before.
After confirming the stalker, Angel quietly left.
She agreed with Audrey's opinion. If the other party had some malicious intentions, he should have taken action in the suburbs of the North District long ago. He was probably just trying to confirm Audrey's identity.
Could it really be the Audience potion? At the Tarot Club, the Hanged Man had shared information about a secret organization called the Psychic Alchemist Society. They possessed the Audience potion and preferred to hide within cities, using their extraordinary abilities to secretly influence the decisions of the upper echelons, swaying them in a direction that would benefit them.
This was considered a kind of "membership test" for them, and Audrey, who had already become a "spectator", was planning to take this opportunity to sneak into the Psychological Alchemy Society and seek subsequent potions?
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"Is the divination accurate?"
In Severia Langdon's mansion, Angel and the witch of pleasure sat in the brightly lit living room, sharing the intelligence they had obtained during the day.
"Yes, they are plotting against a lady named Mary Gale, who is also a member of the Air Pollution Investigation Committee..."
Angel told Sylvia the information he got from divination in the Hall family's luxurious villa. The latter frowned and thought, and even forgot to eat the cake in her hand.
However, the cakes and tea here are definitely not as good as Audrey's. The black tea she prepared for guests seemed to be called "Queen's Black Tea", which sounds expensive...
She was comparing the financial disparity between the "Count" and the "Baron". Sylvia had come to her senses and continued to ask:
"What do you think? These nobles are rushing to join the investigation committee with the intention of disintegrating and dividing them internally and eliminating the threat?"
"I thought so at first, but changed my mind after talking with Viscount Glint."
Angel chose her words carefully and answered cautiously. She knew that her conclusion would likely affect the subsequent actions of the witch and even the witch sect behind her.
"Grelint and Hibbert Hall seem genuinely interested in joining the committee and doing something meaningful for Backlund and even the entire Loen Kingdom. Furthermore, Earl Hall's eldest son wouldn't need to go to such lengths to plot against an ordinary woman."
"Hmph, I think this is quite typical of these nobles. They want to resolve certain obstacles, but they're unwilling to dirty their hands," Sylvia sneered. "Grelint inherited his father's mines and factories, so he should naturally be on the opposite side of the Air Pollution Investigation Committee. This is especially true for Earl Hall's family. Although the Earl is a top banker, he also has a lot of business interests. The Constant Coal and Steel Consortium's business spans the entire northern continent. There are even rumors that he already controls a large portion of the kingdom's mines. If the relevant bill is implemented, his industry will suffer huge losses. He has every reason to hinder the creation and implementation of the bill."
Angel shook her head. She originally had only a vague idea in her mind, but in her conversation with Sylvia, she gradually figured it out and understood what Hibbert was going to do.
"Aren't the other factories' losses significant? The committee's report will inevitably push the Kingdom to enact stricter standards for wastewater and smoke emissions, requiring factories to upgrade their equipment and improve their processes. Every factory involved will face the same difficulties.
"Committee members can understand these standards in advance, prepare for them, and meet the requirements. They can then use the bill to squeeze their opponents and gain a greater advantage. They can withstand these losses, but their opponents may not."
She thought of a saying from her previous life: first-class companies set standards, and second-class companies build brands.
"So, are they targeting the committee members because..."
Sylvia's eyes lit up halfway through her words, as if she had thought of the truth behind it.
"Yes, they probably chose Ms. Mary as their 'target' in order to build momentum for the committee. Perhaps it was a threatening letter, or a botched, failed attack. The committee will then expose the whole thing, condemn those who 'hindered the committee's work,' draw public attention, incite public anger, and promote subsequent investigations and the introduction of relevant bills."
Angel concluded.
This was her instinct as an "instigator," and it also fitted in with the divination and her own conclusions about Grellint and Hibbert Hall, who he described as "enthusiastic about the Inquiry Committee."
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