Chapter 779 The Characteristics of “Immortality”
On Thursday, after a busy few days of worrying about the arms trade in the Gargas Islands, worrying about Audrey being visited by Hvin Rambis again, and following the reactions from all parties after Ince Zangwill's death, Angel finally had some free time to continue his life as one of Backlund's "upper class."
After receiving the payment from Elaine and including her own portion, Angel's savings had exceeded 18,000 pounds, several times more than when she first returned to Backlund as Christine Theresa.
Of course, the monthly expenses of the villa she currently lives in are still staggering, and she will soon have to add the Iris Winery in the suburbs. The area of the manor villa alone is five times that of her residence in the city. The larger garden, large tracts of grape plantations and the wine cellar that requires careful care will all require more gold pounds to operate stably.
If that doesn't work, just sell some of the wine in the cellar. I heard that the wine produced by that winery is of stable quality and there will be no worries about sales... Angel happily calculated his assets and listened to the chattering butler Ribark introducing the next "task".
Balls, dinners... Throughout the summer, Backlund's upper class would likely focus on these two themes. Oh, and then there were the informal salons, a fashion among young aristocrats. They could discuss their favorite topics in these relatively private gatherings without worrying about being constrained by etiquette or elders... Listening to the almost full schedule, Angel began to complain about the extravagant lifestyle in this city.
In addition to these "routine projects," Angel also arranged for Audrey Hall to visit her newly acquired Iris Winery on Saturday. The "Loen Charity Student Aid Fund," which she hadn't visited for a long time, also invited her, a director, to participate in more affairs. Although this was a courtesy, Angel also planned to check out the operation of this foundation that aids poor students in Backlund to prevent the assets donated by her and Klein from being misused.
I haven't been in touch with Sherman and Triss lately. I wonder how their plan to deal with Viscount Stratford is going... After Ince Zangwill's death, the next thing to do is to find out the truth behind the smog. This may require the help of the Goddess Church. It seems I need to go to the church...
Thinking of this, Angel interrupted Riback's introduction to next week's arrangements and said:
"After dinner, I'm going to St. Samuel's Church... Also, I'm going to contact Mr. Sander and tell him that his deal is complete. I'm going to arrange a meeting with him when he's free to discuss follow-up matters."
No matter what the goddess' attitude is, she still has to proceed at her own pace, gradually penetrate into the military's power, and actively look for the opponent's flaws.
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After nightfall, Angel took a carriage to the North District, took a short detour to pass by 160 Böklund Street, took a look at the villa and well-maintained garden that remained brightly lit even after the owner left, and then went to St. Samuel's Church, which had two symmetrical bell towers and was extremely solemn in the crimson moonlight.
After listening to the sermon of Bishop Elektra on duty as usual, Angel took out a 50-pound note and put it into the offering box next to the altar. She drew a crimson moon on her chest and thought about how to contact Archbishop Anthony. This time she came as Christine Theresa, not as the "Shadow of the Goddess" she had disguised herself as before.
According to Klein and I's deduction, we've all become the goddess's favored ones. At this point, perhaps She will give us some kind of hint... Looking at the high-hanging dark holy emblem, Angel muttered to himself, and suddenly heard a gentle voice:
"Ms. Theresa, it seems we haven't seen each other for two weeks. I thought you and Mr. Dantes left Backlund together and went to the Southern Continent for vacation."
Angel looked at the smiling Bishop Elektra, bowed, and replied in the same gentle tone:
"He didn't take me with him, but I was very busy during this time and therefore neglected my faith."
In fact, I did go to the Southern Continent once, or even several times, and it was also for the goddess... She added in her heart, and drew a crimson moon on her chest to avoid criticizing the goddess in the church and being severely punished.
"The goddess will forgive you."
The bishop replied piously that the previous donation of 50 pounds had certainly played a big role, but it was more out of his selfish motives.
"Has there been any progress in your relationship with Dantes?" Elektra asked in a low voice with a mysterious smile on her face. "Alas, a gentleman should be more proactive in matters like this. I'll visit him when he returns to Backlund."
Bishop, this will make it seem like you can gain some special benefits by getting a couple of believers to marry. If this gets out, people will easily misunderstand that St. Samuel Church has converted to the Earth Mother Goddess... Angel smiled helplessly, but then thought that now was a good time to spread the news in advance, so he lowered his voice and replied:
"He said he would prepare a special gift for me on this trip to the Southern Continent. Hmm, maybe I misunderstood, but this should be some kind of proactive gesture."
"I see. I think it's possible. This way, progress will be very fast. But the goddess said that those who are brave enough to move forward will receive the due reward... I think this is true in everything."
Hearing Angel's answer, Elektra's eyes lit up and she did not hesitate to praise him.
At this moment, Angel noticed a figure flashing past the side door of the prayer hall. It was the rotating bishop who had received the "Shadow of the Goddess" twice before.
She had an idea and expressed to the somewhat excited Elektra her desire to go to the library to read the church scriptures carefully. Naturally, the bishop could not refuse the request of a believer who had just donated 50 pounds and had a good relationship with him.
A moment later, as expected, Angel met the middle-aged bishop with rough skin on his hands in the library. Led by the bishop, he passed through the heavy iron door engraved with seven dark holy emblems at the bottom of the church and came to the door of Archbishop Anthony Stevenson's office.
"His Excellency the Archbishop is waiting for you."
The middle-aged bishop whispered in a different tone than last time, and then retreated into the darkness.
It looked like he didn't recognize me, he just followed orders and brought me here... Angel nodded in understanding, pushed open the unlocked wooden door, and entered the office.
This spacious underground office was lit with only a few candles, shrouding most of the bookshelves, tables, and chairs in darkness. However, Angel's dark vision clearly reflected everything in the room: bookshelves filled with church texts, neatly arranged tables and chairs, a large desk in the back, and...
"Mr. Sword of the Goddess, long time no see."
Angel stared at Crested Cecima, who was sitting in a high-backed chair with a silver metal box beside him, lowered his head slightly, and greeted him.
She finally knew who had asked the bishop to lead the way and call her here.
And he may have already been promoted to a Sequence 4 "Night Watcher"... Angel tried to observe him carefully, but did not find any changes in his appearance, expression, or etheric body under the clairvoyance. On the one hand, this was because the clairvoyance of the "Witch" was not as convenient as that of the fortune teller, the secret voyeur, and other paths. On the other hand, she believed that the "Sleepless Ones", that is, the Beyonders of the "Night" path, would likely gradually come into contact with the "hidden" power after entering the higher sequence, which would make it difficult to discern their sequence and strength.
"Good evening, Miss Angel, 'Shadow of the Goddess,'" Cecima stood up and greeted her as her followers would. "You can probably guess why I asked you to come."
"I think it has something to do with the reward for the mission?"
Angel suppressed his inner anticipation and asked back in a calm tone.
"This is certainly the most important point, but I prefer to call it the goddess's gift..." Cecima chuckled and looked towards the desk. "Sir Anthony, please give her that extraordinary characteristic."
Um?
Angel also looked at the desk, and found that there was an old man sitting on the chair behind the desk. It was Anthony Stevenson, who was wearing a black archbishop's robe with red, a soft hat on his head, and had deep eyes.
He's been sitting there!
Angel was a little surprised as he recalled everything that happened after he entered the room. He found that he had not missed that direction when he scanned the interior of the room, but the archbishop was not behind the desk at that time.
It seems that the way this saint hides himself is not "psychological invisibility" to make people ignore him, but some kind of "hidden" power... She greeted the archbishop whom she hadn't seen for a while thoughtfully.
The latter came to Angel from behind the desk, holding a palm-sized black wooden box in both hands. This box, which almost blended into the surrounding environment, instantly attracted Angel's attention, making her feel an inexplicable expectation in her heart.
She knew without being reminded that the box contained the "Immortal" witch's extraordinary characteristic that was promised to her, obtained by dismantling the "1" level seal.
Taking the wooden box, Angel carefully removed the outer seal and opened the lid. A cold breath instantly filled the entire office.
In the narrow space of the box, there was a strange object the size of an egg, which looked like a smooth pebble. Its surface was grayish white, and covered with strange patterns that attracted the eye. Angel looked closely and found that the patterns were constantly changing, showing a kind of changing beauty that made her almost unable to take her eyes away.
Fortunately, as a fellow "witch", Angel had a certain resistance to this power that stimulated her inner desire and possessiveness. She quickly returned to normal, closed the lid of the box, and sealed the box again with the spiritual wall, suppressing all kinds of desires that had emerged in her heart at any time.
She looked at the other two people in the room, and as expected, she found that the two calm-looking people also had a hint of lust aroused in their hearts. Although this was well concealed by the power of the saint, Angel, who could easily perceive the desires of those around him, still felt it.
If it was a mid-sequence Beyonder with slightly less self-control, he would have probably rushed over without caring about the difference in strength... She thought secretly and put the wooden box away.
"Praise the goddess and thank her for her gift." She drew a circle on her chest, symbolizing the crimson moon, praising the goddess' generosity and easing the awkwardness between the two. "So, besides this, is there anything else you two asked me to come here for?"
"Yes, Your Excellency, 'Shadow of the Goddess,'" Archbishop Anthony spoke first. There was a hint of surprise in his eyes, as if he had not previously realized that 'Christine' was his colleague. "Let's discuss your next assignment."
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