Chapter 192: Taken Seriously

Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Two
Taken Seriously

Audrey’s eyes shifted lightly as her thoughts spread outward, analyzing many things in a flash.

Mr. Hanged Man had once described Qilangos as a lone wolf who trusted no one. Only he himself should have known his plan of action. Aside from her discovering it in advance, no one should have known that he would attempt an assassination tonight…

She had only told two people that Baron Gramir might be Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos in disguise: her father and Mr. Fool…

Although Duke Negan’s residence had telegraph lines and could transmit intelligence in time to seek help, there would be no need to conceal that. Her father’s confusion proved that the powerhouse who had killed Qilangos had not been within their expectations…

Putting it all together, the person who killed Qilangos could almost certainly be confirmed as Mr. Fool’s blessed one!

And only the Tarot Club’s special method of operation could create such a bizarre situation where the motive was unknown!

Qilangos was a Sequence 6 Wind-blessed, and he also possessed the magical item Creeping Hunger. To swiftly kill him without leaving a clear trace, one would need to be a high-Sequence powerhouse known as a “demigod,” right? Or perhaps someone used one of those rumored Sealed Artifacts with extremely grave hidden dangers and terrifying risk?

Whichever possibility was true, it was enough to prove that Mr. Fool’s blessed one was extraordinarily powerful…

As expected of Mr. Fool!

No matter what, I provided the clue. Mr. Hanged Man will have to fulfill his promise afterward and give me the Seven-Colored Lizard Dragon pituitary gland!

Should this count as the Tarot Club’s first formal operation?

One of the seven pirate admirals, Qilangos, died because of it!

Seeing that his daughter was deep in thought, with a trace of excitement mingled within, Earl Hall—who had also been a handsome gentleman in his youth—coughed once and warned rather seriously, “Audrey, I know you are very interested in the mystical field, and I have usually indulged that interest. But in this matter, you absolutely must not involve yourself. You may not even inquire about it.

“At the end of the year, the Queen will lead you formally into social circles. As an adult, you should understand and remember this: a terrifying Beyonder, or a hidden and powerful organization, is often equivalent to danger. Do you understand?”

“I understand, Father,” Audrey answered in a sweet, docile voice. “I was only a little curious just now.”

“Not even curiosity is allowed!” Earl Hall emphasized. Then he could not help showing a helpless smile.

“Mm-hm!”

Audrey hurriedly nodded obediently.

In any case, I know more about the whole matter than you do…

She stuck out her tongue inwardly.

After thinking for a while, Earl Hall said with a gentle smile, “Regardless, you are tonight’s hero. You are Duke Negan’s savior. At least half the credit for Qilangos’s death belongs to you, and that applies to the bounty as well. Of course, if no one acknowledges killing Qilangos, claims responsibility for the matter, and comes forward to collect the bounty, then the remaining half will belong to you too. Added together, that is ten thousand gold pounds.

“Mm, the bounties set by the Intis Republic, the Feysac Empire, and other countries and organizations can also be collected by sending people over. Converted together, they should amount to twenty thousand gold pounds.

“Duke Negan just promised to give you the vacation estate he owns in Desi Bay. It includes a large stretch of rubber forest. I do not know the exact yearly income, but it certainly will not be low. Back then, he spent eight thousand gold pounds to purchase it, then later built houses and bought fine plant varieties.”

Audrey, who already possessed property worth three hundred thousand pounds, could certainly be considered wealthy. Yet a reward close to, or even exceeding, forty thousand gold pounds was still a tremendous amount of income to her. Many noble young ladies’ dowries could not reach that number.

In a noble-and-merchant marriage this August, Miss Mary Oldbury, daughter of a millionaire, had received a dowry of only eighty thousand gold pounds.

“I never even thought about the bounty…” Audrey murmured from the heart.

Suddenly, she thought of something. If she claimed the bounty and her name spread, then the Hanged Man would easily be able to determine who Justice was.

That absolutely will not do! As a member of the Tarot Club, I must preserve my mystery!

Audrey looked toward her father, organized her words, and said, “Father, I am a little afraid…”

“Why? What happened?” Earl Hall quickly asked with concern.

“If it becomes known that I discovered Qilangos was impersonating Baron Gramir, I am afraid his subordinates might take revenge against me. I am afraid the people behind his attempt to assassinate Duke Negan might focus on me…”

Audrey worked hard to make herself look pitiful, weak, and helpless.

“I will hire people to protect you,” Earl Hall first replied. Then he gave a light nod. “But it is true there is no need for you to take on that risk. Besides, the person who killed Qilangos took Creeping Hunger away—though, of course, for a high-Sequence powerhouse, that is not a sufficiently convincing motive. Mm… I will tell Duke Negan to conceal this matter. He can arrange for someone else to collect the bounty, then privately compensate you afterward.”

At this point, Earl Hall smiled broadly and said, “As expected of my daughter. You earned forty thousand gold pounds with such ease. That is more than one-tenth of the wealth you currently possess.”

The three hundred thousand pounds had been divided out ahead of time as the property he would give his daughter. When she married, he would add another portion to it.

“Am I as impressive as you were before, Father?” Audrey asked back, delighted.

Earl Hall shook his head and laughed.

“Far more impressive. My first profit in business was only sixty pounds.”

Audrey instantly became exceptionally happy. The forty thousand pounds in reward, her father’s praise, the sense of accomplishment from causing Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos’s death and completing an extraordinary matter, her pride as a member of the Tarot Club, and the Seven-Colored Lizard Dragon pituitary gland she would later obtain from the Hanged Man—all of these gave her not merely double the joy, but triple, quadruple, even quintuple joy!

I truly want to report this to Mr. Fool immediately and receive His confirmation… No, I cannot. A mysterious powerhouse of unknown motive killed Qilangos. Someone must surely be secretly observing me and searching for clues. I cannot show the slightest abnormality… Pah! I was never abnormal to begin with. So long as I do not try reciting Mr. Fool’s honorific name…

Mm. If it truly was Mr. Fool’s blessed one who did it, He must already know the result. There is no need for me to report again… Hm… Do I need to share the bounty with that blessed one? No. No matter how twenty thousand pounds is paid, it will definitely attract attention. I cannot take that risk…

And besides, it was always the Hanged Man who was asking Mr. Fool for help. He should be the one to pay compensation. Mm-hm. He did claim to have many pages of Roselle’s diary!

I will do my best to collect more diary pages to thank Mr. Fool for responding to my prayer. He surely has no interest in vulgar money…

Audrey quickly determined what she should do next.

…

Inside Duke Negan’s residence, in a private small study.

The tall, fat duke sat in a high-backed chair behind the desk, smoking a cigar and looking at God Singer Ace Snake, Prime Minister Aguesid Negan, and the others seated opposite him.

“From the intelligence gradually being reported back, we currently cannot confirm which high-Sequence powerhouse carried out this matter,” Aguesid said. He had just returned from the King.

Archbishop Snake followed with a nod.

“We also used extraordinary means to verify it. It was none of the familiar high-Sequence powerhouses, nor was it any of the known people from the Spirit Order.

“There is sufficient reason to believe it was a mysterious powerhouse we do not know about. Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that he used a dangerous Sealed Artifact.”

Holding his cigar, Duke Negan said, “Perhaps it was not merely a high-Sequence powerhouse. Behind him, there may very well be a hidden organization—one we do not understand well enough. Otherwise, there would be no way to ambush Qilangos so precisely. Mm, perhaps one of tonight’s ball attendees is a member of theirs.”

His younger brother, Prime Minister Aguesid, said gravely, “Whichever possibility is true, we must be cautious. We must determine that high-Sequence powerhouse’s identity as soon as possible, determine the purpose of his coming to Backlund, determine whether he was purely pursuing Qilangos, and determine why he killed Qilangos.”

A high-Sequence powerhouse wandering through Backlund outside their grasp was a matter sufficient to draw the serious attention of the Kingdom’s government and the three Churches.

Although Sequence 4 and Sequence 3 powerhouses might not necessarily withstand bombardment from ironclad ships and artillery, they did not need to engage in direct confrontation at all. They possessed far too many bizarre abilities.

Thus, this was an existence more dangerous than an ironclad warship. That much could be seen simply from the title “demigod.”

God Singer Ace Snake immediately stood and said, “I will arrange it at once and contact the Churches of Evernight and Steam.”

“His Majesty will also have the military and intelligence agencies cooperate,” Prime Minister Aguesid promised.

…

Backlund’s North Borough. Inside a hotel.

Azik, with bronze skin and a mole by his ear, sat beneath a gas lamp, staring at the glove laid before him.

That glove was extremely thin and light, as though made from human skin. It seemed that if flesh and blood were poured into it, it would turn back into a hand.

Azik gazed at it for a long time. Suddenly, a painful and distorted expression appeared on his face. In a low voice, he muttered, “I seem… I seem to have cooperated with them before…”

…

Klein slept poorly the entire night.

He had received no report from Justice or the Hanged Man, no reply from Mr. Azik, and the matter of Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos had remained constantly on his mind.

It probably caused quite a large disturbance, making Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man afraid to contact me rashly… But why has Mr. Azik not replied? Did he not participate, or did something happen to him? Was he wounded by Qilangos?

Klein covered his mouth and yawned, then boarded a trackless public carriage bound for Zouteland Street.

“Extra! Extra! Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos killed in Backlund!”

“Extra! Extra! Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos killed in Backlund!”

…

Just as the carriage was about to begin moving, Klein suddenly heard the voice of a newspaper boy—another invention originating from Emperor Roselle.

After freezing for a moment, he hurriedly took out a one-penny coin, handed it out the window, and bought a copy of the Tingen Morning Post. Quite a few passengers made the same choice.

Unfolding the paper, Klein immediately saw the headline:

“Great Pirate Qilangos Killed by Duke’s Bodyguard in Backlund.”

Qilangos is dead? Mr. Azik did it?

Klein sank into thought, then could not help silently mocking himself:

As the hidden boss behind this whole matter, I actually had to read the newspaper to learn the result…