Chapter 322 Open the champagne first
"Cheers to everyone's escape from death!"
Raising a glass of amber champagne, Angel clinked glasses with the three detectives and Kaslana's assistant, then took a small sip, letting the slightly stimulating bubbles flow down his throat into his stomach, and burped softly and silently.
It was already noon when the Mechanical Hearts sent him back to his home in Isengard. The servants and cooks hired by the old detective had not yet returned to work, so they had to solve the lunch problem themselves.
What's embarrassing is that the task of cooking still has to be left to the two men. Angel feels that his stew is not very good, while Kaslana and Lydia say that they usually eat out and rarely cook by themselves.
Fortunately, Isengard knew a lot of Lunburg-style dishes, and Sherlock could also make some modified Loen-style dishes. The two of them quickly prepared a lunch that was not sumptuous but enough to fill everyone's stomach. Isengard also opened a bottle of champagne. The few of them temporarily put aside their worries about the future and enjoyed the food happily.
Of course, the "Apostle of Desire" Jason Belia was still at large at this time, but Ikanser was very confident in the seal of the Night Watcher. This good attitude also infected several worried people, allowing them to finally see a ray of sunshine in their mood that had been shrouded in dark clouds for many days.
"And a toast to the victims."
Before the end of lunch, Isengard suggested that they raise their glasses again and drink the remaining champagne.
There were four known casualties in this incident, including Isengard's young assistant and the three detectives' family members who were found dead in their home this morning. While the assistant died accidentally in battle, the family members died at the hands of the "Apostle of Desire" for various reasons, refusing protection. It was a sad fact that the murderer was about to be dealt with by an official Beyonder, who murdered him.
After eating and drinking, they returned to the warm living room and chatted by the fire. The topic ranged from the Apostle of Desire to the Belia family, and finally returned to the dead.
"Actually, when I first received the threatening letter, I thought it was just a prank. It wasn't until the police came knocking on my door and those 'Mechanical Hearts' showed up that I realized things weren't that simple..."
Sitting on the sofa, Kaslana took the coffee Lydia had made and put it aside, saying.
Isengard also sighed:
"Those three who refused protection probably had a similar mentality, thinking it was just a malicious joke, an act of impotent rage at best. Sadly, fate wouldn't give them a second chance..."
"They don't understand what supernatural powers can do, so they don't realize the danger. As for me... last night was the most worrying and terrifying night I've ever experienced in all these years. Because of the battle during the day, because of the evil thoughts that erupted in me..."
Kaslana's pessimism, which had almost disappeared, returned to her, making her words tremble.
"At the time, I was thinking, if I died at the hands of the 'Apostle of Desire,' my tombstone should have these words engraved on it," she pursed her lips and paused for a moment before continuing, "She had a great mother."
Angel almost thought that a seed of fear in her heart was about to explode, and quickly spoke to comfort her:
"Ms. Kaslana, Jason Belia will soon be dealt with by the Nighthawks. I believe you will all return to your normal lives and regard this experience as a valuable lesson rather than a lingering nightmare."
Although she said this, she couldn't be sure in her heart. After all, the "Apostle of Desire"'s ability to sow fear and trigger emotions had left a deep impression on her, a Sequence 6. Kaslana, who was dominated by fear and almost killed her teammates, must have been even more afraid and unforgettable.
Sherlock, who was sitting opposite her, smiled slightly and continued what the female detective had said:
"Actually, I've had similar thoughts, of course, not just in this incident. Whenever I'm in danger, I'll think about the scene of my own death, just like Ms. Kaslana, and, uh, the funeral. For example, burying in a sunny location, preferably surrounded by trees, with the body intact and flowers placed at the grave..."
He rattled off a lot of requests, and finally concluded, "In short, I hope it's not cremation. I'm afraid of fire."
This sentence successfully made several listeners laugh and relieved Kaslana from her depressed mood. Perhaps this was the young detective's real purpose, but Angel always felt that what he said "afraid of fire" seemed to have a hidden meaning, so he kept a straight face and did not laugh.
After getting rid of the pessimistic mood, everyone soon ran out of topics to talk about. As the fatigue after the meal set in, Angel even wanted to go back to the second floor to take a nap and make up for the sleep she missed last night. Unfortunately, the doorbell disrupted her plan.
Standing outside the door was Ikanser Bernard, the butler of the Mechanical Heart who had just parted ways with everyone.
"Everyone, let's go in and talk."
Ikanser came here alone and even acted a little sneaky, which made Angel wary. She had seen Ms. D use the "Faceless Man's" shepherding soul to completely transform herself into another person, so she kept her eyes on the deacon until he came to the living room and found a sofa to sit on.
Fortunately, Ikanser quickly revealed his true identity: he opened the secret pocket under his windbreaker and took out the sealed silver mirror, Arrodes.
"My team is still waiting for me in the carriage outside, so I'll cut to the chase." He first stated that he had not violated the regulations for the use of Sealed Artifacts, then continued, "First, the Mandated Punisher has located Jason Belia, the 'Apostle of Desire,' and is in the process of capturing him."
"The Mandated Punishers? How are they involved?"
Isengard asked back with a serious tone.
The Beyonders of the Church of Storms followed the principle of violent management, arresting all unofficial Beyonders first and then questioning them. This earned them the reputation of "tyrants" among the people, so it was understandable that Isengard had such a reaction.
"Because two of the deceased this morning were followers of the Lord of Storms, this involves the jurisdictional division of the three major churches, so they were naturally involved in the incident."
Ikanser explained.
"During the operation at noon, the Mandated Punishers used a sealed artifact to locate Jason's position, but this also alerted the enemy to danger. They broke through the blockade before the encirclement was formed, and killed an entire team of three Mandated Punishers. They were led by a Sequence 7 'Navigator', and the other two were Sequence 8. They were all killed in less than a minute... I hate to say this, but their performance was even worse than yours yesterday."
Navigator, it sounds like a sequence that is more suitable for use in the sea or underwater... But it can instantly eliminate an entire team of fully equipped Punishers. Could it be that the injury suffered by the "Apostle of Desire" yesterday has recovered so quickly?
Angel listened to Ikanser's words and analyzed them secretly.
"After the loss of life, the Church of Storms was furious. The Archbishop of the Backlund Diocese, 'Singer of God' Ace Snake, left the Holy Wind Cathedral to personally track down the enemy. He's a Sequence 4 demigod and one of the Cardinals of the Church of Storms. If you go out now, you can even feel the gust of wind he causes as he flies over the streets. With this demigod on the scene, I don't even think it's necessary to reunite with the Nighthawks and use this silver mirror."
Ikanser placed the silver mirror Arrodes on the coffee table in front of him, and a look of relief appeared on his face.
"You said this morning that you had the Nighthawk's Seal and could quickly deal with Jason Belia, but he killed three Mandated Punishers by noon."
Sherlock pointed out the butler's lucky mentality sharply, and then looked at the silver mirror, obviously very interested in this sealed object that could tell fortunes by itself.
"Well, that's why I brought it here. Your analysis this morning makes sense. Perhaps Jason Belia really is planning to lure away the official Beyonders to achieve some purpose." Ikanser felt a little embarrassed. He coughed lightly and pushed the silver mirror forward, bringing it closer to Sherlock. "You can ask it questions. I don't mind."
In his previous use, Angel had already seen a certain characteristic of this silver mirror "Arrodes": after answering a question from the user, it would ask the other party a sharp question in return. If the answer was wrong or the person lied, he would be punished.
Although we have not yet seen its form of punishment, I imagine that for a sealed object that the church has given a code name, the punishment will not be light.
Also, does it ask questions like, “Do you believe in a secret deity?” or “What is Tarot?”
Angel looked at Sherlock, who was staring into the silver mirror on the table, obviously having similar concerns.
He reached out and gently touched the silver mirror, like testing the temperature of bath water, then withdrew his finger. Then, his eyes widened slightly, then quickly returned to normal. This made Angel think the silver mirror was showing something, but the surface, which only vaguely reflected the surrounding scene, was empty.
"Well, I guess I could give it a try."
After a moment of silence, Sherlock actually nodded in agreement.
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