Chapter 595 Laura's Visit
"...Two months ago, local Storm Believers reported that a secret and sinister ritual was being held on Sona Island. The team of Punishers stationed on the mid-range island quickly arrived to investigate and quickly uncovered a large-scale case involving hundreds of people and over twenty deaths. The village involved was destroyed, and the innocent people were collectively relocated. The area has long been abandoned.
"According to subsequent judgment, the sacrifice had been going on for over half a year, possibly starting in July of last year. Most of the deceased had their heads and bodies separated, similar to the strange 'bansi' you described.
"This information comes from a Storm believer who personally handled the Sorna Island incident, so it should be reliable. Also, regarding the 'Mad Captain,' I will continue to inquire within the church."
Lying on the single sofa next to the balcony of the master bedroom, Angel fell into a long period of contemplation after listening to the message from "The Hanged Man" Alger through Mr. Fool.
The "evil sacrifice" on Sona Island did not surprise her. When she first arrived at the deserted village, she had judged this fact from various traces, but she was eager to find the black-striped shadow giant scorpion and did not conduct an in-depth investigation.
What she paid attention to was the time points when various abnormalities occurred.
"Last July... This time point is very close to the beginning of the violent sea. On Pala Island, which is very close to Sona Island, the promotion of Senior Deacon Pierce Turner was disturbed, causing the ceremony to fail. The time is also the same... Is there a connection between them?
"The same sacrifice as at Bansy Harbor, the similar separation of heads and bodies, and the timing of the changes in the Raging Sea—these events seem to have nothing in common. Could it be just a coincidence?"
After much deliberation, Angel could only put the matter aside for the time being. She had too many things to do: determine whether Pierce was real or fake, contact the church, cooperate with Klein to steal or borrow the Antigonus family notes, and gain a foothold in Backlund's upper class society... All these tasks, whether urgent or not, made her feel completely uneasy.
This is what they call not worrying about having too much debt... She chuckled and walked out of the bedroom, just in time to run into Ribak who came to the third floor.
The butler, who was dressed meticulously in a tuxedo, bowed and said:
"Miss, Ms. Laura Swan, who was scheduled to visit this afternoon, has arrived. I have arranged for her to wait in the small living room on the second floor. In addition, the invitation from His Excellency Baronet Best has been delivered, inviting you to attend the dance next Friday."
"I'll go see Laura right away. Don't rush to decide about the Baron's invitation..."
Angel didn't have a good impression of the somewhat "eager" baronet, but she knew that most of the so-called upper class were similar people, except that some could hide their true thoughts under an elegant and polite appearance, while others disdained to conceal them.
Moreover, having such an invitation from a lower-class noble would allow her to meet more other nobles and quickly advance her plans, which was actually a good thing.
…
Angel picked out a light-colored long dress from the closet that was gradually being filled with various clothes, and then he saw Ms. Lola dressed up in the small living room.
The latter sat as if he were at home, picked out the softest sofa, held a porcelain cup of Marquis black tea, and fixed his eyes on the garden outside the window, watching the gardener diligently pruning the branches.
"What brought you here? I thought you would contact me using those... more conventional means."
Angel sat opposite Laura and took another teacup from the table to prevent the other party from drinking all the expensive black tea.
She was referring to conventional means such as "communication potion" or "messenger", but with a maid standing beside her, she could only express it vaguely.
"Because I wanted to come and see your new home. It looks like a nice place for 300 pounds a year." Laura chuckled, retracted her gaze from the garden, and stopped at Angel with a look of surprise. "This is the first time I've seen you without makeup. You're more beautiful than I imagined."
Actually, she is still "putting on makeup". She can't let you see her true face easily... Angel smiled secretly and took a sip of black tea. Her face was distorted by the burn.
"I was able to rent a nice house thanks to your recommendation of the butler, Li Buck," Angel immediately changed the subject to ease the awkwardness. "Without him, I wouldn't be able to move forward in Backlund."
"But I don't see you're making much of an effort to socialize. I did hear recently that a beautiful young lady had come to Burningham Road in Hillston, but hardly anyone has seen her... Have you been hiding at home these days, waiting for people to come visit?"
Laura ruthlessly exposed Angel, which made the latter feel a little embarrassed. She glanced at her personal maid Elsa beside her. Elsa understood and took another servant who was responsible for serving tea out of the small living room and closed the door considerately.
When there were only two people left in the room, Angel put aside his hospitality etiquette, crossed his arms, and asked bluntly:
"You came here just to laugh at me?"
"Well, how dare I laugh at a witch of 'Despair'?" Seeing Angel getting angry, Laura quickly straightened her expression and replied, "If you want to gain a foothold in Backlund and enter high society, active socializing is essential. If you stay at home all the time, you probably won't even recognize all the neighbors on this street in half a year, let alone those who live in the West Side and Queens."
"so?"
"So I'm here to help you. There's a dance next Saturday night in the North District, not far from where you are. It's hosted by the recently popular Councillor Macht. Participants include retired military officers, emerging investors and factory owners, as well as some descendants of the nobility."
After hearing Laura's words, Angel fell silent for a moment. She didn't expect that this witch really came to help her.
Retired officers undoubtedly had close ties with active ones. Through them, one might be able to learn about the movements of the Loen military, especially MI9. The descendants of the nobility represented the interests of all parties and were undoubtedly a ladder to the upper class. The other ball participants were also of great help to Angel in quickly opening up the situation.
This made her immediately forget about the invitation from Baron Best, whose situation was unclear, and accepted Laura's invitation. But at the same time, Angel was also a little puzzled as to why Laura could let the other party invite her, whom she had never met before. Could it be...
"Congressman Macht also invited Vincent and me. He and Vincent were once comrades, having fought in the trenches together in East Balam. It shouldn't be difficult for him to invite another friend."
Vincent, was he the Hunter Path Beyonder who often followed Laura? Turns out he was once a soldier, no wonder military investigations were entrusted to him… Angel pondered silently, then nodded after a moment, believing his explanation.
"Well, now that we're done with business, it's time to discuss some personal matters..." Seeing Angel agree to attend the ball, Laura's lips curled up, seemingly delighted. "You've been in Backlund for a week. What new discoveries have you made? For example, have other witches contacted you, or what are the military's movements?"
Do you think I understand these things? I haven't even met my neighbors yet... Angel instinctively wanted to refute, but suddenly remembered the "man in the mirror" problem that had troubled him recently. After hesitating for a moment, he said:
"What do you, or your mother, know about the dangers of the Mirror World?"
Unexpectedly, Angel would ask such a question. Laura was obviously stunned for a moment. She frowned and replied:
"I heard from my mother that traveling in the 'Mirror World' requires extreme caution. If you casually enter and exit unfamiliar places, you may very well enter unknown areas. If it's the spirit world or the mirror in someone else's home, it's okay. But if you're extremely unlucky, you might even enter the astral world and face the gods directly."
The latter part of that sentence sounds like an exaggeration. If entering the Astral Plane was so easy, it wouldn't be the abode of the gods... But it's probably a consensus among witches not to casually use mirror travel. The first time I entered there, I fell into the depths of the spirit world, which shows how high the probability of accidents is...
Angel pondered and asked, "What about other dangers?"
"Something else? Are you...asking about the 'Man in the Mirror'?"
Laura hesitated for a moment, then immediately asked back, her expression becoming serious.
She was too perceptive... No, this actually showed that the "Man in the Mirror" was a very important issue for the witch sect, or the branch of the immortal witch Katarina, so Laura was able to react so quickly!
Thinking of this, Angel no longer concealed it. She briefly told Laura that she had met Pierce, witnessed his death, and saw another Pierce at the moon mass at St. Samuel's Church yesterday, and then slowly asked:
"My question is, how do we determine the identity of the 'man in the mirror', and...how do we deal with him?"
"The easiest way to deal with the people in the mirror is of course to kill them directly, but I'm curious. When you encounter 'similar people', your first reaction isn't twins, faceless people, or even the resurrected dead, but the people in the mirror... Is it because you've encountered them before?"
Laura looked at Angel with a serious look.
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"Right here, when they hold their weekly gatherings, they'll post the information in the Tussock Gazette in advance. It could be Tuesday, Friday, or Sunday..."
Sherman walked into a dim alley and came to a two-story house that looked very dilapidated. He was wearing a hooded cloak and a thin iron mask to hide his appearance, and his voice was a little muffled.
Behind him, Hugh Dilchar was dressed similarly, wearing high boots with insoles that made her look closer to 1.6 meters tall, like a slightly shorter woman, and less conspicuous.
"What are the requirements for bringing in new people like you?"
Hugh followed Sherman, who was familiar with the place, to the back door of the house, and asked quietly as he watched him knock on the door regularly.
"All it takes is two or more meetings and a successful transaction. I bought this dagger last week and was approved to 'acquire new customers.'"
Sherman patted the "Sun Blade" on his waist that he had bought for 450 pounds and replied.
I see. It seems I'll need at least two or three more gatherings before I can get Fors over. She seems to have made some money recently, not only paying off my debts, but also wanting to buy something... Quinn nodded. Hearing subtle footsteps behind the door, he knew they were about to enter the gathering place, and he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
To ease this feeling, she continued:
"This seems to be much stricter than gatherings in other districts. Is it because the official Beyonders have been cracking down on similar gatherings recently?"
"Of course, many similar gatherings in the lawless East District were forced to stop. This was the only one that dared to go against the law... The organizer's nickname is also very interesting. His name is Mr. X."
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