Chapter 855 Interlude
In a two-story house in the Cherwood area.
It was almost evening when Fors Wall woke up from her nap. She looked at the dim sunlight outside the window, struggled in bed for a moment, and finally got up with difficulty.
After a quick wash, the writer and "astrologer" who has been living a nocturnal life recently touched his somewhat empty stomach, wondering whether to cook something simple at home or go out and have dinner at a nearby restaurant.
"Anyway, Quinn must still be busy with her tasks... Sigh, it feels like we rarely eat together these days..."
She muttered, pushed open the bedroom door, and suddenly smelled a strong smell of meat fat mixed with the sweet fragrance of fruit, which made her stomach twitch continuously.
That's the smell of the most famous Sim Kee Dixie Pie in the neighborhood!
"Xiu? You're back?"
She twitched her nose, trying to find the source of the fragrance, while looking around for her friend in the dim living room.
"No, I'm getting ready to go out."
A vague reply came from behind the large sofa where Fors was leaning against.
When she arrived at the small area formed by the two sofas and the coffee table, she sat directly on the carpet. Hugh Dilcha, her entire body covered, had already finished her portion of Dixie pie and drank the sweet iced tea that accompanied it in one gulp. She wiped her mouth, stood up, and pointed to another pie wrapped in a paper bag and said:
"This is for you. I'm going out now and probably won't be back until late at night."
Fors picked up her own dinner, not caring about the heat. She opened the package and took a bite into the pie filled with a large amount of minced meat and small pieces of apple shreds, her mouth instantly filled with rich juice.
She hummed in satisfaction, then asked vaguely:
"Are you going to monitor that Viscount again?"
"It's about protecting him from harm, and surveillance is secondary."
Hugh corrected her friend's misunderstanding. She had already come to the door, put on her boots, put on her bowler hat, and slung a small bag filled with newspapers as a disguise, dressed like a newsboy.
Seeing that Fors was still munching on the pie blankly, as if she hadn't woken up yet, she couldn't help but remind her:
"You remember that you're going to the fortune-telling room at the circus tonight, right?"
"Ah?" Fors, whose cheeks were puffed up by the pie, was stunned for a moment before reacting. "Of course I remember. I'm already the most popular person in that circus, a mysterious astrologer, answering your questions every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night."
She swallowed the pie in her mouth and recited her opening remarks.
Recently, while digesting the "Astrologer" potion, Fors tried the method used during her "Master of Magic" period and found a circus to play the role of "Fortune Teller". The effect was quite good. She hoped to complete the digestion of the potion this month and attempt to be promoted to "Record Officer" of Sequence 6.
Unfortunately, Xio couldn't keep up with my progress. She still needed to accumulate merit to exchange for the "Judge" potion formula from her superior. She was unwilling to accept the Beyonder characteristics I bought for her for free and insisted on saving up money to buy them from me... Fors muttered as she stuffed the last bite of the layered, wheat-rich pie into her mouth. She bit out the gravy inside, chewed it carefully, and let out a satisfied groan.
Following Xio's example, she drank the sweet iced tea in one gulp, then returned to her bedroom, took out the crystal ball given to her by her teacher Dorian, and prepared to go to the circus to continue playing her role.
But before she went out, she suddenly had an idea, so she sat back on the sofa, holding the ball with one hand and touching the top with the other hand, stroking it constantly and whispering.
Gradually, a ray of light emerged from the crystal ball, illuminating the living room which was becoming increasingly dark as the sun set.
In the light, the figure of a newsboy about 1.5 meters tall, wearing a hat that partially covered her face, emerged. She walked quickly in the blurry picture, occasionally accepting a coin and handing out a newspaper, but her eyes frequently looked towards a certain location.
————
"A copy of the Tussock Gazette."
Hugh had not taken a few steps when he was stopped by a gentleman passing by and asked to buy a newspaper.
She withdrew her gaze from the nearby restaurant entrance, glanced at her bag, and replied with regret:
"Sorry, they're all sold out."
She had only prepared less than ten newspapers to disguise her identity, but she didn't expect that the residents of Hillston District loved reading newspapers so much that the newspapers were sold out before she even reached her target!
In desperation, she took off the round hat that represented her identity as a newsboy, messed up her shoulder-length yellow hair, wrapped her coat tightly around her, held her shoulder bag tightly, and her eyes became sharp, making her temperament completely different from before, more like a wanderer who had accidentally wandered into the commercial district.
Now, let alone buying newspapers, even passers-by walking towards her made way and looked away.
This allowed her to easily find a secluded corner and observe the luxurious restaurant across the street.
After an unknown amount of time, a four-wheeled carriage with a coat of arms consisting of a flower and two rings slowly drove up and stopped in front of the restaurant, instantly catching Xio's attention.
That's Viscount Stratford's carriage!
She stared at the carriage with great concentration until a middle-aged gentleman in a tuxedo and a white wig got off the carriage, helped the young lady out of the carriage, and took her hand as they walked into the restaurant.
Just as the carriage left and the door of the restaurant was still open, Hugh saw the face of the woman next to Stratford.
She had a beautiful face, with her brown hair tied up, revealing her fair neck. Her lively eyes, like a deer, looked at the Viscount beside her with a hint of admiration, the corners of her mouth turned up, and her face was full of happiness.
That is Hugh's friend, the "witch" Sherman who has turned into a woman.
How could she still be with Viscount Stratford, and look so deeply in love...
Xio's expression changed, he muttered, his eyes fixed on the backs of the two men, not knowing whether he was blaming the other person or himself.
In a corner that she didn't notice, a white figure flashed by on the window glass that reflected the street scene.
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"'White Saint' Katarina? Why would she protect Stratford?"
In the office behind the noisy canning factory, Triss, wearing a black classical dress and with a gentle and sweet temperament, raised her eyebrows and asked in confusion.
"It's not protection, it's surveillance," Angel, who sat across from her in a plain white dress that formed a stark contrast to her, said slowly. "My source didn't point to Katarina, but only indicated that there was a high-sequence witch hiding behind him... But in Backlund, she should be the only one who meets the requirements."
"So, Stratford actually knew about this, knew that someone was plotting against him, and knew that Sherman approached him with other motives. His appearance of being attracted to her was all a disguise?"
Triss muttered to herself, as if she had suddenly figured out a lot of things. Her expression kept changing, and finally settled on a faint smile.
She picked up the transparent glass bottle on the table with a narrow mouth and a round belly, which looked like a graceful beauty from the side, and put the bubbling dark brown liquid into her mouth. She took a tentative sip and frowned again.
"It's so sweet, just like the fake love between Sherman and Stepford who both know the other is acting... burp."
As she spoke, she burped and expelled the gas from her stomach.
"After drinking enough bitter beer, the workers in the East District will soon like this refreshing and sugar-replenishing drink." Angel chuckled and stretched out his finger to touch the bottle of "Coke". The surface of the glass bottle was frosted and the temperature of the liquid inside quickly dropped to freezing point. "Try taking another sip."
Triss glanced at her, picked up the glass bottle that soaked her palms with coldness and brought an inexplicable sense of refreshment, and took another sip of the carbonated drink inside.
This time, she didn't comment for a long time. Instead, she lowered her head, savoring the feeling of the cold liquid going deep into her throat and into her abdomen.
"It tastes better this way," she put down the bottle reluctantly and quickly changed the subject. "Since we're sure there's a 'trap', should we, hiccup...abandon this plan?"
"Of course, continuing will only lead to Sherman's sacrifice, and you might even be involved... Tell her to use half a month to slowly distance herself from Viscount Stratford, leave him, and discard this fake identity... Then, we'll kidnap Stratford and extract all the information!"
ah?
Triss was stunned for a moment. She thought that the blonde witch in front of her was ready to give up the existing plan, give up the bait thrown by the military and the "Witch Sect", and look for clues to the truth about the smog. However, she did not expect that the other party would change the subject and actually prepare to forcibly kidnap the target protected by the "Immortal" witch?
"Didn't you say that Caterina Pelle was watching him? She's the 'ageless' witch."
She couldn't help but warn him out loud, lest the witch of "despair" die in vain.
"Of course, I will use the power of 'secrecy' to prevent the news from leaking out. Before taking action, I will also contact Katarina to understand her intentions. If a conflict is truly unavoidable..."
Angel said, extending his finger again and touching the empty glass bottle on the table.
The transparent glass lost its luster centered on the point where she touched it, and the grayish-white color quickly spread. In an instant, the novel-shaped glass bottle turned into a stone with a mottled surface.
"...I am also an 'ageless' witch."
————
In Bayam's rebel private port.
On the deck of the "Red-Headed Lady", the sailors who had just returned from the "Fountain of Youth" and were preparing to go out to sea again after a short rest were moving boxes of fruit and sugar into the cabin. On the sea surface below the side of the ship, a slim mermaid was floating lazily along the waves, revealing her belly covered with scales.
In the captain's room, Elaine, who still had red hair and no longer disguised herself, had just sent away the terrifying headless messenger with a gold coin. She unfolded the letter sent to her by the "Golden Queen", took a quick look at it, and showed surprise on her face.
"To expand the fleet, should we first order three three-masted sailing ships like the 'Redhead'?
“There’s no need to hide my identity any further. It’s better to let Tracy know that I’m Elaine?
"Ready to be promoted to 'Reaper'?"
She picked up the envelope on the table and shook out a talisman made of purple translucent crystal. She looked carefully at it in the light of the oil lamp and found a curled-up worm with twelve segments inside.
————
Tuesday evening, in front of the "Old Ville Restaurant" on Alka Street in the North District.
A hired carriage stopped at the side of the street. A young man in a double-breasted frock coat, slightly padded shoulders, and a half-high silk hat got out first. He reached out and took the slender, white hand of the woman traveling with him, helping her get out of the carriage as well.
The latter was wearing a light green dress with long golden hair draped behind her. Apart from the gold ring with amethyst on her left ring finger and the maple leaf-shaped pendant on her chest, there were no other distracting decorations.
She took the hand of the man next to her and walked into the Old Ville restaurant together. Led by the waiter, they came to the private room on the second floor.
After escorting the guests to the private room and receiving the tip, the waiter walked briskly back to the first floor, feeling thankful for his good luck today while recalling the appearance of the young man and woman.
He suddenly realized that he remembered that the other person had good taste in clothes and his clothing combinations were quite beautiful, but the appearance of the two was very vague and he could not remember the specific details no matter how hard he tried.
Strange… he muttered, stuffed the tip into his pocket, and quickly forgot about this little thing.
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