r18novel Chapter 111 Celebration
Chapter 111 Celebration
Suren looked at the red-haired girl in the room, her face showing no extra expression, and also performed a hat-tipping salute.
At the party, Suren used the fat man's appearance, so he wasn't worried about the girl recognizing him.
The red-haired girl, known as Claire, looked past Charles and landed on Suren, a bright smile spreading across her face.
"You must be Mr. Karen Dantès? Mr. Charles mentioned you? I heard you're a powerful superhuman?"
Suren shook his head slightly and said modestly, "I was just lucky and managed to complete some simple tasks."
Claya blinked, seemingly not intending to let Suren off the hook: "How about we take on similar requests later and see who can resolve them faster?"
Suren was speechless. This girl must have some serious illness. Why would she think about such a meaningless thing?
He was about to refuse when a voice interrupted him: "Claya, you're being ridiculous again."
Suren looked in the direction of the voice and found that the speaker was Herbert.
At this moment, he looked at Suren apologetically and said, "I'm really sorry, but Kleia always likes to compete with other superhumans."
Suren smiled and indicated that she didn't mind.
The group sat down and chatted casually. The conversation naturally turned to the incident involving Joseph.
Suren then asked, "Mr. Herbert, the information you provided has left a deep impression on me. I'm quite curious about how you did it."
"It's simple, some reasoning, plus some luck," Herbert replied casually.
He then added some explanations, attempting to prove that he had indeed arrived at his conclusion through reasoning.
But Suren soon discovered that Herbert had completely drawn the target before shooting the arrow; he was merely trying to explain it with some theories, but in reality, there was no basis for it at all.
Charles and Loft may not have realized it, but Suren could clearly perceive the flaws in their words.
Because Suren had done the same thing before. Back in Verdu, Suren had used the same method to fool Etherin, only Herbert's rhetoric was more professional than Suren's.
At that moment, Suren also realized that Herbert was not an ordinary person as Charles had said.
The other party's so-called reasoning clearly relied on supernatural abilities.
However, he did not expose the other party, but listened quietly to what the other party had to say, after all, he had other purposes for visiting today.
Finally, Suren found a suitable opportunity to speak: "Mr. Herbert, I heard from Mr. Charles that your father rose from commoner to nobleman?"
"Yes, he is indeed a qualified pragmatist."
However, Herbert's face showed little pride, but rather some dissatisfaction. He changed the subject: "But he was not a good father or husband. He cared more about his lover than his mother and children."
Suren hadn't expected this response, and could only say apologetically, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought this up."
Claire, standing to the side, seemed unconcerned: "It's alright, Karen. At least my incompetent father left me and Herbert a substantial fortune, allowing us to live a comfortable life."
"Uh." Suren really didn't know how to respond at this point; the attitude of the brother and sister was completely different from what he had imagined.
Fortunately, Loft spoke up at that moment, breaking the awkward atmosphere: "Miss Claire, I remembered that wonderful request you mentioned last time. Why don't you talk about it again? Mr. Dantès should also be very interested."
Claire shrugged rather unladylike, and then went along with Loft's suggestion to start a conversation about a commission.
After exchanging pleasantries, Suren left her contact information and then got up to leave with Charles and the others.
Watching the three figures disappear, Herbert's smile faded, and he spoke in a low voice to Claire beside him:
"I think there's something wrong with this Karen Dantès. She seems quite interested in our father. Have you noticed anything?"
A few silver glints seemed to flash in Kleia's eyes, then she slowly shook her head, her tone somewhat grave: "I can't see through him. His causal connections are very ordinary, so ordinary they seem unreal..."
"This person seems to be someone special..."
Herbert waved his hand, then his eyes sharpened: "Never mind, as long as he doesn't get in our way, finding Jack the Ripper is more important now."
Claire smiled charmingly: "I'm quite interested in him."
Herbert glanced helplessly at his sister, shook his head, and said nothing more.
……
After parting ways with Charles and the others, Suren took a steam bus back to his residence alone.
Back at the secondhand shop, Suren was still pondering what Herbert and his sister had revealed.
"According to what Herbert just said, his father has a mistress. Tom can investigate that; perhaps he can find some clues from her."
"In addition, either Herbert or Claire, one of them definitely has strong reconnaissance capabilities, and it's even possible that both of them do."
Thinking about this, Suren couldn't help but wonder: "If that's the case, do they already know that their father may have been replaced? Perhaps that's why their attitude is so unusual?"
Perhaps because of her "secret knowledge," Suren is very sensitive to events that contain secrets.
The hidden secrets behind the Herbert family intensified Suren's strange feeling.
However, Suren still needs to prepare for the operation two days from now, so she has to temporarily put aside the investigation of the Herbert family.
……
Time flies, and two days have passed in the blink of an eye.
Today marks the start of the celebration.
That afternoon, Suren carefully checked his "Mandala Ring" to make sure that all the items were prepared and nothing was missing.
At the same time, he mentally reviewed the plan for today's actions.
After preparing, Su Lun pushed open the door of the Silent Chords secondhand shop and stepped onto the street.
Unlike usual, the streets were filled with all kinds of flowers, and many banners with congratulatory messages were hung along the roadside.
The streets were bustling with people, and there were many temporary stalls set up on both sides of the road, with some vendors hawking their wares behind their stalls.
Suren weaved through the crowded streets toward the Breton district.
Half an hour later, Suren arrived at the northern part of the Breton district.
This area is, after all, the Upper Town, where nobles reside, so it's not as noisy as the St. Woods district and feels quite deserted.
In the square of the Breton district, there was a makeshift stage where an opera was being performed, seemingly celebrating the love story of Anthony and his wife.
There were also many elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen in the audience, enjoying the performance.
Suren knew that most of the people watching the performance were members of unknown small families.
The nobles of higher status should be waiting in the sanctuary for the banquet to begin.
Suren didn't stop, quickly crossed the square, and arrived at a dilapidated house on the edge.
He knocked gently on the door, then whispered, "With my sword, I will restore glory."
After a few breaths, the wooden door slowly opened, and Suren slipped into the room.
Inside the room, Etherine, dressed in black leather armor and with a white ponytail, looked at the sharp-eyed, hook-nosed man before her and tentatively asked, "Suren?"
Suren nodded and smiled, "Please call me Sherlock Holmes."
Etherine shook her head helplessly; she had gotten used to Suren's constantly changing appearance.
Sometimes she couldn't even tell which image was Su Lun's original appearance.
Suren glanced inside the room and saw a dozen or so people, also dressed in leather armor, huddled in a corner. They acted as if they hadn't seen Suren, preoccupied with fiddling with their weapons.
Among these people, Suren did not see Elisa, and she couldn't help but ask about her whereabouts.
Etherine explained, "Our teacher has already hidden near the exchange. She will naturally appear once you deactivate the protective magic circle."
Suren nodded and didn't ask any more questions. He casually found a corner to sit down and waited for the mission to begin.
Meanwhile, Suren mentally reviewed the plan that Etherine had mentioned earlier.
"As Aiselin said, once I destroy the protective array, they will enter the exchange."
"As for the members within the exchange, they are mostly observers and awakened individuals. One notable exception is Bishop Frederick Reginald, who is at the level of an agent."
Thinking of this bishop, Suren was also a little nervous. Although Elisa would deal with this agent, Suren had never liked to entrust his life to others.
However, with the Mirror World and the physical enhancement from "Crimson Fury," escaping shouldn't be a problem for Suren.
……
Time passed by, and soon it was time to take action.
Let's go!
As Etherine spoke, Suren stood up and followed her out of the hut.
However, what surprised Suren was that the other members of the cabin did not follow.
But Etherine didn't seem to have any intention of explaining, so Suren didn't tactlessly ask any questions.
It was already dusk outside. Using the shadows of the houses as cover, the two walked through the city and soon arrived near the Memory Exchange.
It was a single-story house, about the size of a basketball court, and the exterior walls looked old, probably quite a few years old.
The house looks unremarkable, but upon closer inspection, you can see a faint red light surrounding it, which is the protective magic circle that Aiselin mentioned.
According to Etherine's intelligence, this magic circle can seal off space, block ranged attacks, and continuously attack intruders under the control of the ritual master.
What Suren needs to do is destroy the core ritual area of the magic circle.
"Would you like to try the mirror world?"
Etherine looked at Suren and made a suggestion.
This was also Su Lun's idea. He nodded, then took out a hand mirror, and with a thought, entered the world within the mirror.
Suren's idea was simple: if he could directly access the exchange through the mirror world, he wouldn't need to go through all that trouble.
However, a moment later, Suren stepped out of the hand mirror and sighed, "No, the part of the mirror world that belongs to the Memory Exchange has been isolated. This magic array has the effect of isolating space."
This also means that the trick Suren used to sneak into Joseph's house last time is no longer effective.
"Fine, let's proceed according to the original plan then." Although disappointed, Etherine had no choice but to accept it.
Suren waved his hand, and then, under Etherin's astonished gaze, used Source Knowledge to create a miniature bird.
It's more like a mosquito than a bird, only it looks like one.
Suren flicked the little bird from her fingertip, sending it flying toward the exchange.
"Let it scout ahead first." Suren smiled at Eiselin, then closed his eyes.
Looking at Suren in front of her, Aiselin shook her head helplessly; this guy was still as cautious as ever.
Meanwhile, Suren, in her "bird" form, had already entered the exchange through the window.
Having gained experience from controlling the rats last time, Suren was much more adept at it this time.
Through the bird's perspective, Suren surveyed the interior of the exchange.
Perhaps because the celebration banquet was about to begin, there were indeed fewer people inside.
Nevertheless, a guard could be seen patrolling around every so often.
Suren followed the route on the map and soon arrived at the center of the magic circle marked on the map, the key area of the ritual.
Suren controlled the "bird" to slip through the crack in the door and entered a spacious room.
A blood-red magic circle was drawn in the center of the room, and four oddly shaped candles were placed at the four corners of the magic circle.
"I see. The principle behind this protective array is similar to the complex array that Verdu used back then; both rely on multiple arrays to complete a more powerful ritual."
Suren immediately understood many things; the room in front of him was the core of the entire magic array, like the eye of the array.
A priest was sitting in the room at the moment. According to Etherine's information, they would take turns every day to ensure the operation of the magic circle.
After that, Suren did not linger and controlled the bird to leave the room.
He didn't rush to leave, but continued to fly around the exchange, wanting to memorize the structure of the building, as this would make his subsequent actions easier.
Soon, Suren arrived at the easternmost room of the exchange, which was more luxuriously decorated. A silver-haired, golden-eyed man was sitting at a table writing something. This must be Bishop Frederick Reginald.
Suren did not disturb the bird, but continued to explore until all the rooms were explored. Only then did Suren release the bird from her control and reclaim her consciousness.
At this moment, Suren outside the house suddenly opened his eyes. He took out his pocket watch and saw that he had spent about 20 minutes exploring. There was still time.
Seeing that Suren had opened his eyes, Etherine urged, "Hurry up, Suren."
Knowing that the other party was getting impatient, Suren stopped dawdling and activated the enhanced version of [Identity Web] with a flash of blue light all over his body.
In Etherine's eyes, Suren's appearance had not changed at all; he still had that hooked nose.
But her subconscious told her that a priest from the Libra Church was standing in front of her, and this subconscious even gave her the urge to draw her dagger!