In the evening, as the sky gradually turned into a dusky yellow, Snow finally concluded his "overclocked" study session. He removed the monocle from his face, tucked it into his breast pocket, returned every book to its original place, and began to take stock of the inventory Mr. A had left him.
Besides what he already knew, he saw several Sequence 9 and Sequence 8 potion formulas, including [Lawyer], [Arbiter], and [Beast Tamer]. This greatly replenished Snow's collection. In contrast, the non-characteristic inventory was somewhat pitiful; aside from the Secrets Supplicant pathway traits that almost no one would buy, there were only some relatively abundant common spiritual materials.
'It seems that if I want to hold the fort, besides martial force, I'll need to offer something a bit different... Mmm, maybe I can take this opportunity to sell some intelligence?'
Snow was in the middle of feverish preparations for the Beyonder gathering to be held tonight. However, just as he estimated the time was about right and intended to have the butler prepare the room for the gathering, his brow suddenly furrowed...
...
In the magnificent and bustling hall, a melodious tune played softly. One after another, the famous figures of Backlund danced in the ballroom, enacting the highest elegance of the city.
However, not everyone could immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the ball.
'Truly boring, yet I have to attend... Sigh, can't they just let me stay there quietly? Speaking of which, I don't see Mr. Devil today... True, invitations to a ball of this caliber wouldn't be issued to non-nobles...'
Audrey, having just finished the opening dance, let her thoughts wander in boredom. Her bright, watery eyes drifted toward the distant horizon. Soon, however, the observation skills granted by [Spectator] allowed her to catch sight of an approaching figure. She immediately retracted her gaze, slowed her pace, straightened her back, and put on a smile. In an instant, she transformed from a daydreaming girl back into the elegant and quiet Miss Hall.
"Hello, Baron Gramir," Audrey greeted the newcomer with a flawless smile and perfect etiquette. The man before her,with sparse eyebrows and pale blue eyes,also smiled and bowed, "Hello, Miss Hall. You are the brightest and most dazzling jewel of this ball."
Upholding aristocratic "fake smiles," they exchanged a few pleasantries before passing each other. It seemed like nothing more than an entirely ordinary, chance encounter. But after walking only a few steps, her brow suddenly furrowed as the Baron's strange behaviors began to surface in her mind one by one.
'Could it be that he's actually been replaced by someone else?' Audrey's bright emerald eyes momentarily froze. Although she often fantasized about adventures and encounters with famous figures from the mysterious world, when she truly encountered one, her heart,not yet fully prepared,inevitably experienced tension and panic.
Audrey quickly adjusted her state and glanced around, only to see Madame Norma, standing not far away, suddenly wink at her. This nearly made her hair stand on end.
But soon, she realized that Madame Norma hadn't noticed her abnormality. She breathed a sigh of relief:
'Fortunately, I have Mr. Devil's protection; otherwise, Madame Norma would definitely have noticed my changes! No, regardless of whether it's Qilangos or what he intends to do, I must inform Father!'
With her mind racing, Audrey quickened her pace into the dining hall and found Earl Hall, who was currently communicating with the Chief Secretary of the Cabinet and others.
She wore an impeccable smile and stepped forward with a gait that didn't burden her gown excessively. She lightly took Earl Hall's arm and said to the others, "Gentlemen, may I borrow Earl Hall for a few minutes?"
"Beautiful lady, that is your right." Amidst the friendly responses of the gentlemen, Audrey pulled her father to the nearest balcony and found a secluded corner. Only then did she speak to her middle-aged, somewhat stout father, "Father, I have something to tell you."
Seeing his daughter's serious expression, Earl Hall,who had been wearing a doting smile,immediately retracted his relaxed mood and became solemn.
After listening to his daughter recount every detail she had discovered, his expression turned very grave. After smiling and reassuring her with a few words, he quickly departed.
Seeing her father already in conversation with a less-familiar noble, Audrey turned and went to the small prayer chapel of Duke Negan's estate. Although under Mr. Devil's protection, she wouldn't be noticed even if she prayed to Mr. Fool in public, she still sought out a quiet place due to psychological factors.
'Should I say she's truly a believer of Mr. Fool?'
The similarly reckless-cautious Miss Audrey began her prayer to Mr. Fool in that secluded corner, right in front of the symbol of the Lord of Storms...
...
'Mr. Devil is sleeping this early today?' Not long after Mr. Devil's dinner prayer, Klein discovered someone was once again praying to him. While complaining about Mr. Devil in his heart, he took four steps counter-clockwise and arrived above the gray fog.
'It's Miss Justice? Did something happen on her end?'
Upon discovering that the contracting and expanding crimson star belonged to Miss Justice, Klein immediately dropped his previous leisure. He instantly tapped on the star and began to view her prayer.
Subsequently, Miss Justice's voice,wearing a cream-colored court dress,began to echo in his ears in overlapping layers.
...
'Qilangos actually used "Creeping Hunger" to infiltrate Duke Negan's ball!' Klein frowned. Having gained some experience with such matters, he didn't hesitate. He first responded to Miss Justice, then immediately cast a roughly edited scene to Mr. Hanged Man.
Having done all this, he let out a sigh of relief and intended to leave the space above the gray fog. However, at that moment, another crimson star began to expand and contract violently.
'Mr. Devil? What does he want now?' Klein muttered with a face full of disdain, yet he still reached out and tapped on the star.
To his surprise, this time Mr. Devil wasn't following his usual ritual prayer. Instead, he spoke in a tone that was difficult to describe, "Esteemed Mr. Fool, I request your hearing and your gaze. Please help me tell Miss Justice: please, please, PLEASE do not pray to other beings in front of the symbols of the Orthodox Gods ever again! Seriously!"
"Uh... speaking of which, the place Miss Justice was in just now did seem to be a small prayer chapel..." Klein couldn't help but smile knowingly as he listened to Mr. Devil's nearly collapsing voice. But just as he was about to pass Mr. Devil's scene directly to Miss Justice, his body suddenly went stiff.
Because he finally remembered that not too long ago, he seemed to have prayed to the Eternal Blazing Sun right in front of the symbol of the Evernight Goddess?
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]
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A/N: "Reckless-Cautious Duality" (莽怂二象性) - A common internet slang term in the novel's community, describing characters who alternate between extreme boldness and extreme caution. In this case, it refers to Audrey's "recklessness" in praying to an "evil god" right in front of an orthodox god's symbol.
A/N: "Norma" (诺玛) - Madame Norma, a high-society figure in Backlund, whom Audrey uses as an observation benchmark.
T/N: "Baron Gramir" (格拉米尔男爵) - The character Qilangos has mimicked using "Creeping Hunger."
T/N: "Doting Smile" (宠溺笑容) - A standard descriptor for Earl Hall's relationship with his daughter, emphasizing her high status and sheltered but observant life.
I wont be able to upload chapter for a whole week, so across all the ff i currently worked on, i will upload 7 chapter in advance to cover for it. also, this will be the schedule too, 7 chapter at once, per week, same day and same hours (Currently it is, Sunday, 15 march, 23:00 Indonesian time For Me) if you found any mistake do tell, but ill fix it next week, lastly please do give these ff a review or two, be it good or bad and gimme ur stone while ur at it lol. 1 bonus chapter for all.