Chapter 691 The Baron's Visit
"Good evening, Your Excellency the Archbishop."
The four people who were talking all bowed to the archbishop who was named "Saint".
Angel had sensed the approach of this "Sleepless One" before the High-Sequence Beyonder approached, as if she could sense a terrifying crisis approaching, but she knew that the stronger the spirituality and the higher the sequence, the clearer the perception, so she did not alert others.
This definitely isn't an "inherent" ability. I didn't have this feeling the last time I met him in the office. Could he be testing me, and Dwayne Dantès... Angel pondered, looking at Klein beside him. He saw that he had good control over his expression and body movements. Like everyone else, he drew a crimson moon on his chest and joined the Archbishop in praising the goddess.
"I am deeply gratified by your devotion and generosity. The great success of this charity dinner is inseparable from Mr. Dwayne Dantes's proposal and everyone's positive response."
Anthony lowered his right hand from the dark holy emblem on his chest and said to Klein with a smile.
"I've been coming to church frequently lately to listen to Bishop Elektra's sermons, which has cleansed my soul. It's reminded me of the injustices I witnessed in my early years, which gave me the idea to make this donation and the urge to start a student aid fund."
Klein bowed slightly and replied respectfully, explaining that the threat he faced due to his holdings was a voluntary sacrifice.
Of course, if one is willing to accept a partial loss, these shares can be sold, but Klein still took the opportunity to do this charity. Perhaps it has something to do with his experiences in the East District during his time as "Sherlock"... Angel listened to Klein's insincere words and thought to himself.
"The goddess bears witness to your good deeds."
Saint Anthony nodded slightly and commented.
This sentence sounded very ordinary to the other believers, but Angel understood it.
Has this saint discovered that Dwayne Dantes was involved in the invasion of Chanis Gate that day?
This wasn't surprising. Even "Sword of the Goddess" Cecima seemed to know some of the behind-the-scenes happenings. As the Archbishop of the Backlund Diocese and an absolute leader of the Church of the Evernight Goddess, if Anthony Stevenson knew nothing about this, then his faith in the Goddess was questionable!
So, what he meant by this sentence was that he, or the Goddess Church, had stopped pursuing the invasion incident, and the entire "trial" was over?
Klein had clearly thought of this as well. Undisguised joy appeared on his face. He once again drew the crimson moon on his chest, praising the goddess's mercy.
After a brief conversation, the saint left a corner of the hall to talk with other guests. Angel noticed that he did not discriminate among believers based on the amount of their donations, but treated them all equally, from near to far, with a warm attitude, fully demonstrating the demeanor of an archbishop.
Of course, he came to us first, probably because of the "teachings" just now... Angel and Klein looked at each other and continued their conversation with Earl Hall tacitly.
Since Angel and Klein had both shown a certain inclination towards the New Party and sufficient devotion to the Goddess after entering Backlund and entering high society, Earl Hall, a member of the New Party and one of the spokespersons for the Goddess Church in Loen politics, semi-formally invited the two to attend a large ball to be held at the Earl's suburban estate at the end of the month. Audrey also took the opportunity to invite Angel to her regularly held literary salon, making Angel even more certain that "Justice" had begun to doubt her identity.
Moreover, she should be able to become suspicious of Dwayne Dantès based on my relationship with The World in the Tarot Club… Angel smiled helplessly and agreed.
As the four of them were talking, Audrey's brother, Hibbert Hall, also came over and invited Klein to join a private club he and some young nobles were hosting. This made Angel notice the completely different "division of labor" between the brother and sister.
It was obvious that Earl Hall's eldest son, Hibbert, would inherit his father's title and most of his political resources, gradually entering the political arena. Audrey, however, had no right to inherit the title, but her identity as a Beyonder had been discovered by her family, and she would likely be arranged to move closer to the church, serving as a link between religion and politics.
As for their second son, Alfred Hall, he is still active in Balam as a soldier and will probably follow the military path in the future... After quickly distinguishing the work scopes of several "heirs", Angel was about to make a few comments when he suddenly found Bishop Elektra, who had sent off the archbishop, walking towards him quickly with a smile on her face.
He didn't bring his wife, who was almost twice his age, with him today...
As soon as this thought came into Angel's mind, the bishop spoke:
"Dawn, Miss Christine, I didn't expect that you would be so satisfied with each other shortly after I proposed. I'm so relieved!"
Angel and Klein froze as they looked at Elektra, who had been feeling depressed due to being by the Archbishop's side and now seemed overly enthusiastic.
————
Early in the morning, just as Angel returned to his bedroom from the mirror world, he received a letter from the headless messenger Renette...
...and a small metal bottle the size of a finger.
Sensing the familiar majestic aura inside, Angel knew that this should be the blood provided by Annie again, the blood donated by a complete mythical creature, a "Balancer", with a power far exceeding that of high-level talismans. Even being sealed in the bottle made her shudder.
Anne opened the letter and took a quick look. As she expected, the letter did not mention Angel using a spell to kill her in order to "comply with the contract". Instead, it talked about the pirate conference that would be held on June 18, the next Saturday, on an unnamed island between Tuscat Island and Gargas Islands. The "mysterious queen" Bernadette had been invited, and Anne also decided to attend - in the identity of the mysterious ghost ship of the "golden queen" Angelica Sage.
Of course, Angel needs to provide his own crew.
By then, my crew might only consist of Elaine, plus a few of her sailors at most. However, at a critical moment, I can summon a team of "Reapers" to support the situation. Each of them has the strength of Sequence 5 and the status of a demigod, which will make me the most powerful force on the sea. Of course, it will only be within half an hour... Angel muttered, burned the letter, and looked up to find that Renette Tinicole was still floating in the air, and the heads were looking at him.
"She...didn't pay?"
"She said..." "She..." "No..." "Gold coins..."
Renette's four heads spoke one after another, and there was actually a hint of dissatisfaction and grievance in those bright red eyes.
The last person who said he had no money and didn't want to pay the bill has been buried in the ground by the messenger. It seems that she can't defeat Anne, who is an angel, and can only come back to me to collect the debt... So, Renette's strength should be between Sequence 3 and Sequence 2. Does this mean that she was very likely an angel in her lifetime?
Angel thought about it, and under the pressure of the gaze, he quickly took out a gold coin, paid the bill for Anne, and sent the powerful messenger away.
Humph, she still owes me ten thousand pounds...
Angel murmured softly only after Renette's figure completely disappeared, but he didn't dare to speak too loudly, for fear that she would come back.
…
In the afternoon, Angel was waiting for Baron Syndras's visit in the reception room on the third floor of her house, which had the widest view. At the same time, she also received information about many recent events at sea that she had asked her butler to collect.
"Sure enough, there's a reason Anne and Bernadette are actively participating in the Pirate Conference... Over the past month, rumors of the 'Ghost Empire' have intensified. Many pirates and merchant ships have claimed to have seen a massive moving city beneath the night sky, but approaching it has yielded nothing... It seems that Nast, the 'King of the Five Seas,' who organized the conference, is likely to discuss this topic, and Bernadette and the others are quite interested..."
After summarizing some valid information from various irrelevant or exaggerated news, Angel came to a conclusion.
She was looking forward to this meeting between pirates more and more!
After putting away the newspapers, Angel sat on the soft chair and rested for a while. Then he heard the butler, Barker, knock on the door.
"Miss, Baron Sindras has arrived."
"Please ask him to come over."
Angel answered, and with the help of the maid, he made a final check of his clothes, and then asked the servants to prepare the Baron's favorite white wine and various snacks in advance, while he waited quietly in the reception room.
According to the etiquette of the upper class in Loen, a formal visit requires the host to personally greet the visitor at the door, unless the status of the two is very different. However, the baron's visit this time is informal, so Angel only needs to make the corresponding preparations.
And I don't know the purpose of his coming here. Based on Klein's recent experience, this baron is probably a ruthless character with a kind face but a black heart. It's better to give him a little face... Angel found an excuse for his neglect.
She wasn't worried about the Baron posing a threat to her life. Even if he was willing to pay a large sum of money to hire a demigod to do something, Angel had enough countermeasures. Besides, such drastic measures were too far-fetched for the people of Loen. They were probably only suitable in Intis, where court conspiracies were frequent...
While Angel was criticizing the Baron, footsteps were heard outside the door, and then Ribak opened the door and invited a middle-aged gentleman and his valet into the room.
"Good afternoon, Your Excellency the Baron."
Angel greeted him indifferently, his eyes lingering for a moment on the man's black hair streaked with silver, his broad forehead and his clean-shaven face, then he looked at the butler who was obviously also acting as a bodyguard.
"You wait at the door."
As if noticing Angel's gaze, Backlund Bank's third-largest shareholder, a rising noble who had obtained a title with the help of the Conservative Party and become their "money bag," but who had quietly sided with the New Party, whispered instructions to the butler, then walked into the reception room and sat down in the chair across from Angel.
Angel also waved his hand and drove his personal maid Aisha out of the room, then returned to his seat under Sindras' surprised eyes.
With a click, the door closed tightly, and only two people were left in the reception room.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
