I! Cleaner!

Noon, Redwood Avenue, in front of the Rose Manor of the Masani family.

"It's so beautiful..."

After stepping down from the carriage, a gentlemanly middle-aged man, exuding an aura of intellectual charm, gazed at the sea of blooming roses within the manor and couldn't help but sincerely sigh,

"The people of the Masani family may not be very agreeable folks, but this manor of theirs is indeed an excellent treasure.

Most roses bloom between April and July, and if you wish to see so many blooms in winter, the Masani family manor is the place to be."

"Indeed."

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, a young man with a slightly lazy demeanor nodded in agreement, his voice carrying a tinge of emotion,

"I have no idea how their family accomplished this. I built a greenhouse in my own garden just to see these beautiful flowers a little earlier. Although the flowers in my greenhouse are equally beautiful, compared to this ocean of blooms thriving in the cold wind, they fall somewhat short."

Hmm? This person has a greenhouse dedicated to flowers at home?

Faced with the casually interrupting lazy young man who had suddenly walked to his side, the gentlemanly middle-aged man was initially taken aback, then interested enough to initiate conversation,

"Pardon me, but how exactly did you set up your greenhouse?"

Receiving a surprised look from the lazy young man, the gentlemanly middle-aged man explained a bit bashfully,

"To be honest, I have had similar thoughts before, but the greenhouse craftsmen told me that the current technology isn't very mature. For ordinary greenhouses, growing some out-of-season fruits is no problem.

But for flowers sensitive to temperature changes, especially roses, the success rate isn't high, and even if they bloom, they won't look good. So I was curious about how you managed it."

"Oh, it's not that difficult."

After rummaging a bit in his pocket, the lazy young man smiled,

"The technique of growing roses in greenhouses was discovered by a botanist named Leon from Crolock Kingdom. It's not yet widely spread. If you're interested, I could introduce you to the craftsmen who worked on my family's project."

"Oh, that would be wonderful!"

Hearing the young man's response, the gentlemanly middle-aged man rubbed his hands in excitement and eagerly continued the conversation,

"May I ask your name?"

"I'm Jerry, Jerry Baker, a fellow flower enthusiast."

Giving the gentlemanly middle-aged man a smile, the lazy young man gestured toward the entrance of Rose Manor and kindly reminded,

"Sir, we are all here as guests after all, it's not right to let our hosts wait too long... Shall we go inside?"

"Yes, yes, that's right!"

Prompted by this reminder, the middle-aged man came to his senses, nodding repeatedly. He continued to chat excitedly with this friend knowledgeable about roses, as they walked side by side through the gates of Rose Manor. Behind them, a servant carrying the luggage followed suit.

...

Whoa, just like that we're in?

Glancing back at the unbothered guards and then forward at the two engaged in lively conversation, Leon, now disguised as a luggage-carrying servant, blinked admiringly, gaining a new level of confidence in the mission.

After tearfully expressing his willingness to help, Senior Tom released Jerry, asked for something to confirm his identity, and instructed Jerry to find Princess Veronica and report to the Central Bureau through royal channels. Then, he casually picked an apple from a dish on his desk.

What followed was nothing short of miraculous.

Once we left the Purification Bureau and reached the main road to hail a carriage, Tom casually tossed the apple core, which landed on the street.

A woman carrying peas stepped on the core and stumbled, spilling peas all over the street. A carriage, which was meant to stop in front of someone else, slipped on the scattered peas and slid forward a couple of spots, stopping right in front of us.

After greeting the startled coachman and instructing him to drive ahead, Senior Tom led me into the carriage. As the carriage turned a corner, he extended his hand out of the window, snatched a servant uniform hanging on a clothesline, and retrieved a full set.

Once I changed into the servant uniform at Senior Tom's request and got off the carriage confused, a butler-like figure ran over to us with urgency, demanding I deliver a set of clothes swiftly to the "master" after scolding me for being late. The butler even paid for the carriage fare.

Finally, perplexed, the coachman drove around aimlessly before turning back to ask where we wished to go, only to find Senior Tom hopping off the carriage and chatting with the gentlemanly middle-aged man at the manor entrance. Skipping entirely the part where invitations are checked, he easily led us into the Rose Manor...

"Let's go, we should head underground where the Scales Gold Sect meeting is held."

Under Leon's admiring gaze and after exchanging contact addresses with the gentlemanly middle-aged man, Tom approached with his lazy expression, calling out to Leon and taking two apples from a fruit tray in the guest room, offering one,

"Care for one?"

"..."

"Sure!"

Concerned for Senior Emma's safety, Leon wasn't exactly in the mood for an apple. However, having witnessed Senior Tom inexplicably use a single apple to complete preparations and infiltrate Rose Manor without a hitch, Leon worried that declining might disrupt a series of upcoming "apple effects." Hence, he accepted the apple and started eating just like Senior Tom...

"Ugh, what bad luck!"

Seeing Senior Tom grimace after one bite and spit out the apple, Leon blinked in surprise and mimicked him, spitting the apple flesh onto the staircase.

"Hm?"

With a puzzled glance at Leon, Tom asked in bewilderment,

"Is your apple sour too?"

"Uh... It's actually quite sweet."

"If it's sweet, why are you spitting it out?"

"..."

*I thought if I spit out the apple, just like you did, a chain of coincidences would help us sneak into the meeting... Seems like I was overthinking it...*

"Oh no!"

Just as Leon awkwardly grinned, ready to explain his misunderstanding, they heard a startled cry from behind.

A lavishly dressed woman, trying to avoid Leon's apple spit on the stairs, accidentally stepped on her skirt, slipped, and sat down painfully on the stairs, groaning in agony.

Her feline insignia, pinned to her collar, strangely flew off, tracing a beautiful arc in mid-air, and conveniently landed in Leon's hand...

*Is this... the Cat Spirit's insignia?! This woman is a disciple of the Scales Gold Sect?!*

Staring at the badge necessary for entry into the assembly, Senior Tom momentarily froze. Then, with a curious look, he examined Leon from head to toe and thoughtfully asked,

"Leon, are you usually... quite unlucky?"