Chapter 622: Encountering Urged Marriage
Although this lady had her hair tied up and wore sunglasses as a disguise, through undisturbed observation of the "mirror world" and simple divination, it was confirmed that she was the Tarot Club's "magician" and a friend of "Justice" Audrey, Ms. Fors Wall. It seemed that my previous speculation was correct. Audrey occasionally worried about her identity being exposed in the Tarot Club because of her...
As early as when she was "Erin Watson", Angel returned to the Tarot Club and quickly became suspicious of the identity of the "magician". Her hairstyle and color, the path to the potion, and her location in Backlund all pointed to someone she knew.
But it wasn't until now, when she saw the lady in person "offline", that she confirmed her identity.
She came here in disguise, and her suitcase looked empty. Could it be that she had given something to someone in the room just now?
Angel thought about it and quickly determined that the "magician" was here to hand over the head of "Mr. X".
After completing the commission that night, Klein handed the head, which proved his identity, to Fors through Mr. Fool's channels. Unexpectedly, she handed over the head less than 48 hours later, which indirectly verified his statement - she was indeed issuing the commission on behalf of the Abraham family, and not out of personal grudge.
Just now, when Angel was talking to Laura, there were noises coming from next door from time to time, but it was as if there was a curtain blocking prying eyes, blocking her subconscious divination and listening.
In order to avoid being discovered by the other party for forcibly breaking through this barrier to perform divination, Angel, who had other important things to do, did not pay too much attention to the other party. But after saying goodbye to Laura, she still satisfied her curiosity in the simplest way - entering the "mirror world" and squatting at the door of the room.
After successfully recognizing Fors's identity, Angel was certain that the person participating in the conversation next door was most likely a descendant of the Abraham family.
And it is normal for such an ancient family to carry certain magical items that can resist divination.
She looked at the guest room at the end of the corridor, thought for a moment, but still did not take the initiative to visit.
Since the "magician" has already agreed to act as a matchmaker for her, there is no need for her to launch a surprise attack, as this will easily damage her image in the other party's eyes and even turn peaceful communication into a certain degree of confrontation.
However, it is not a wise choice to confront a family that has been active on the historical stage since the Fourth Age and has lasted for thousands of years.
After realizing this, she used the familiar Backlund "mirror world" to leave and return to her home in Hillston District.
————
On Monday, after having a sumptuous Intis-style lunch, Angel took a carriage to St. Samuel's Church in the North District to listen to the sermon and pray to the goddess as usual.
This time, besides her personal maid Elsa, she was also accompanied by her butler, Libark. The latter was looking out the window absentmindedly, which was very different from his usual focused and serious demeanor. This made Angel curious and asked:
"Ribak, do you have something to tell me?"
Her direct question made the butler stunned for a moment, then he lowered his head and whispered:
"Yes, miss, I heard that you are interested in making friends with retired officers and nobles who have connections in this area?"
This was the information Angel had spread during casual conversation after returning home after getting information about Qonas Kilger from Laura yesterday. After all, meeting this active-duty soldier, the Major General Deputy Director of MI9, in public was extremely difficult with her civilian status as a newcomer to Backlund. Only by first getting to know some retired military officers could she have the chance to "accidentally" encounter this military demigod in social settings.
Of course, a too direct change of "social concepts" would easily make people see something unusual, so Angel only used the ability of an instigator to lay a foundation among the servants, and had not yet started with neighbors and friends. Unexpectedly, his housekeeper had already noticed this keenly.
"Yes, you should know that I lived in Intis for a few years before, and many wealthy people there have experience in doing business overseas, so I also dabbled in this field a little."
Angel's tone was sighing, as if he was recalling his past life.
"By chance, I took advantage of the Soran family's success and owned my own cargo ship. I currently travel back and forth between the Rorsted Islands and the Northern Continent, doing some less public and legitimate business. Heh, it's not illegal in the Kingdom of Loen, as the ship is registered in the Gargas Islands and the captain is from Intis. You don't have to worry."
Seeing the housekeeper's expression change, she added.
"To expand my business, I'm thinking that maybe I should focus my networking efforts on retired military officers. They have connections within the military, especially the navy, and can access resources that outsiders can't. This might help me expand my business."
She implicitly expressed her intention to get involved in the business of smuggling military equipment, but she made her words vague so that even if the housekeeper and personal maid had ulterior motives, there would be no clear evidence.
"I see," Ryback nodded, seemingly not caring at all about what was hidden in Angel's words. "If that's the case, I might be able to think of a solution for you."
Hmm? I was just laying the groundwork for future action, but I didn't expect to get such a surprise?
Angel was stunned, and immediately thought of his butler's previous work experience:
He once served the assassinated Duke Pallas Negan, and was also sent by the Duke to teach aristocratic etiquette to the newly promoted Baron Sinderas.
"Duke?"
She asked briefly, and Riback would surely be able to guess what she wanted to ask from this word.
"No, another one."
Riback smiled slightly and replied.
That was Baron Sindras. He purchased 600,000 acres of land and donated nearly one million pounds. He transformed himself from a banker and investor into a hereditary baron, and could be considered a legend in Backlund.
Was he secretly involved in the arms trade, or perhaps had connections in the military? Oh, right? The person he donated to and attached himself to was the former Duke Negan, a former admiral and a conservative leader. That's why the Duke asked Riback to help him enter high society. Riback is a retired soldier, so he's quite sensitive to this information... Angel pondered it, nodded, and didn't continue the topic.
Now is the time to just stop. If you are too radical, you will easily expose your true purpose.
As she looked out the window again, she arrived at St. Samuel's Church.
…
Today's sermon was still delivered by Bishop Elektra, but there were fewer priests assisting him, and the men in windbreakers who usually sat in the first row to pray were nowhere to be seen, which made Angel keenly feel that the atmosphere was different from before.
After listening to the sermon and donating 20 pounds as usual, Angel frowned slightly, approached the bishop who had become somewhat familiar to her recently, and asked softly:
"Your Excellency, what happened today? Many familiar priests are not in the prayer hall."
Elektra, who was taking a short break to prepare for the afternoon mass, couldn't help but smile kindly when he saw the lady whose donations this month were second only to Dwayne Dantès. He hesitated for a moment before answering:
"Just last week, one of the goddess' servants returned to the kingdom of God and fell asleep under the goddess's watchful eye. There were many things that needed to be dealt with, so they went to help His Excellency Archbishop Saint Anthony."
This should be talking about the funeral of the "Man in the Mirror", and actually, it is also the funeral of Senior Deacon Pierce Turner himself. After all, he was not "really" dead until three days ago, and the church had to play a full role, otherwise it would damage his reputation after his death... Angel just appropriately let his expression show a hint of curiosity, and did not continue to ask. After all, an ordinary believer would not be interested in such things.
But just as she was about to leave, Bishop Elektra stopped her:
"Ms. Christine Theresa," the thin bishop, nearly forty years old, put on an unusual smile and read out her full name. "I learned from the believer's information that you returned to Loen from Intis and came to Backlund just a month ago. Moreover, you are still considering marriage?"
This is a euphemism, no, it's more of a direct question asking me if I'm ready to get married?
Angel's gaze lingered on the bishop's face for a moment, then he nodded and asked in a questioning tone:
"Yes, Your Excellency, what can I do for you?"
"Look," Elektra said, glancing at the worshippers in the prayer hall and noticing they weren't approaching. "A devout follower of the goddess has subtly expressed his interest in you. While he's quite a bit older than you, he comes from a wealthy family, is... fairly healthy, has a kind and friendly personality, and his face hasn't shown many signs of aging. I'm asking, would you be willing to try to get in touch with him?"
"You mean M. Dawn Dantès?"
Angel said in surprise, but in his heart he immediately locked onto the culprit of this incident.
Arrodes!
"You know him? That's great. This way, well, I mean, you already have a solid foundation and can consider taking it a step further. There's going to be a dance at his mansion this Saturday. Are you willing to attend?"
The bishop showed a happy expression and continued to practice the goddess's teachings, trying hard to bring the two believers together.
Worried that Angel would refuse, he immediately added a few more words:
"Perhaps you think age is the biggest obstacle between two people, but believe me, it's not an insurmountable chasm. For example, I met my current wife three years ago and married her two years ago. The age difference between her and me is even greater than the age difference between you and Dawn."
Following the idea of leading by example, Elektra said something that even surprised Angel.
That's even bigger than the age gap between me and Klein, um, and Dawn. That's almost a 20-year gap. Your Excellency, when you met your wife, she wasn't an adult yet... Angel showed undisguised surprise, then restrained his expression, smiled, and nodded.
"Thank you, Your Excellency. I am also planning to get to know M. Dantes better. I will attend the ball he is giving."
"That's good..."
Hearing the satisfactory answer and watching the young lady's departing figure, Elektra felt a sense of accomplishment.
But the next second, he was suddenly stunned and realized what he had said in order to bring the other party together.
He quickly glanced around the prayer hall and found that the new group of believers had already taken their seats, either with their heads bowed in prayer or with their eyes closed. No one noticed what he had just said. Elektra breathed a sigh of relief, cleared her throat, opened the "Apocalypse of the Night" in front of her, and announced the start of the next sermon.
He planned to preach on the chapter on "Marriage," especially the part where the goddess encouraged true love that transcended nationality, identity, and age.
————
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Angel appeared on time in the palace shrouded in gray fog. This time, she was fully prepared to sell the Beyonder Characteristics she had accumulated and enrich her coffers.
But first…
She looked at the "world" Klein at the end of the long table, and thought of Bishop Elektra's words at noon.
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