NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 29: 29
Chapter 147 Qi Lingos AppearsTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3513 words Update time: 2025-06-28 18:30:00
"Don't get excited. Why are you worried about doing anything?"
"Qilingus has been in Backlund for several days. You haven't taken the initiative to hide your whereabouts during these days. If he really came for you, shouldn't he have come to you long ago?"
"But look, Ovis Wein, aren't you still alive and well? This means that Qilingos's main purpose for coming to Backlund is definitely not you. If you run away like a frightened rabbit, what if you attract Qilingos who is not paying attention to you?"
Caroline had never thought that Ovis and Qilingos had a bad relationship. This guy's interpersonal relationships were so extensive that they even extended to the ocean.
Although Ovis cheated Qi Lingos out of resistance and Caroline applauded, it must be said that Ovis brought this upon himself. No wonder he ran away like a frightened bird when he heard Qi Lingos' name.
She persuaded and comforted Ovis for a long time, and the latter slowly stopped preparing to run away and sat back on the small stool.
"I have to remind you that I am not a rabbit. At most, I am a lower-level predator that has seen a higher-level predator."
Ovis said this to save his dignity, raising his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
"Okay, okay, Mr. Lower Predator, are you calm now?" Caroline could understand Ovis's mentality of inexplicable self-esteem and childish competitive spirit. After all, she had gone through such a stage before.
"Well, thinking about it calmly, it is indeed as you said. I have not felt that I have been followed or followed in the past few days. Qi Lingges did not come for me."
As he spoke, Ovis smiled, and his expression returned to the smug look he had before, as if he had everything under control.
"Besides, if Qi Lingos had any intention of seeking revenge on me, my friends at sea would have warned me in advance... Hehe, I have a pretty good relationship with them."
Really? Then why did the relationship between Qilingos and you fall apart?
Caroline couldn't help but think so, but in order to appease Ovis, she had to go along with him.
After calming down completely, Ovis began to analyze Qilingos's purpose of infiltrating Backlund based on the information provided by Caroline.
However, since Caroline did not have much information, Ovis could only simply guess a few possible hiding places of Qilingos based on his impression of him.
Caroline memorized and found that these places were not far from the East District and were also close to the Tussock River. It was convenient for Qilingos to hunt homeless people to satisfy his "creeping hunger", and it also allowed him to quickly jump into the river and return to his home ground when encountering emergencies.
"Since you can determine where Qi Lingos is likely to hide, is there any way to further confirm it?" Caroline spread out her palms and asked Ovis.
"Miss, I am very bold not to leave Backlund. Do you still want me to take the initiative to find Qilingos?"
Ovis glanced at Caroline unhappily.
"That guy is at least a Sequence 6 warrior, and he has that strange Beyonder item in his hand. Even if he is an official Beyonder, he would need to send out at least three teams, or even Saint-level combat power, to suppress him."
Listening to Ovis's comments on Zilingos, Caroline murmured thoughtfully:
"Sequence 6... Yeah, I remember Mikhail was also Sequence 6..."
Ovis opened his eyes slightly, and he subconsciously said:
"I haven't told you about his sequence! If he asks about it later, you have to testify for me!"
Caroline looked at Ovis in confusion, and then she remembered that she learned Mikhail's true sequence through "reports".
This was indeed a flaw, but Mikhail had demonstrated his extraordinary abilities in front of her several times before, and she could definitely say that she had guessed it based on his performance.
"Don't worry, I'll keep my mouth shut."
Caroline curled the corners of her mouth and raised her hand to pat Ovis' shoulder.
"Hey, don't say that. I didn't tell you anything in the first place..."
Ovis's cheeks twitched a few times. He glanced at Caroline and finally sighed, then said:
"Mikhail won't put himself in danger. Maybe he can deal with Qilingos, but if you want to hire him for this kind of help, the amount you need to spend will probably be close to Rune's bounty on Qilingos."
"Miss, I advise you to give up the idea of looking for Qi Lingos. That guy is quite cunning and treacherous. You think you can investigate him, but maybe he is already secretly monitoring you."
"Although I won't leave Backlund, I have to stay out of the spotlight for a few days."
"Well, Mikhail will deliver the Beyonder Characteristics soon. I will have to hire him to protect me for a few days. He will reappear after making sure that Qilingos has left Backlund."
Ovis did give up the idea of running away because of Caroline's persuasion, but he was obviously not prepared to get involved in the mess.
Seeing that Ovis's attitude was more determined than when he ran away before, Caroline knew that this was Ovis' bottom line.
She couldn't let Ovis get into trouble or really run away. At least, she had to wait until he gave her the Beyonder Characteristics.
"Okay, see you later then."
Seeing Caroline sigh, Ovis picked up the bread again and smiled, saying:
"Are you interested in Zillingos's share of the bounty? Or do you have any other ideas about him?"
"Haha, although I don't plan to get involved, for the sake of this snack, I can give you a suggestion."
Ovis stuffed the bread into his mouth and said vaguely:
"Although Qilingos is cunning, he is also arrogant."
"No matter what his purpose is in coming to Backlund, as long as he is ready to take action, he will definitely reveal some flaws."
"He's not like Lanevus, a high-IQ criminal. He's a genuine pirate."
...
"A real pirate..."
Walking on the streets of the East District, Caroline recalled the last warning that Ovis had given her the day before, and kept thinking about what flaws she could find in it.
The advice he gave was indeed helpful to those who wanted to catch Qilingos, but the problem was that Caroline didn't want to catch him.
The commission that the Hanged Man put forward at the Tarot Club was only to find the whereabouts and traces of Qilingos, but Ovis had no intention of getting involved in these affairs, so Caroline could not use his connections.
After parting with Ovis the day before yesterday, Caroline went to the underground market to look for him again yesterday, but this guy actually disappeared and no one knew where he hid.
It seems that I can only see Ovis again after the Qilingos incident is over.
"This guy ran away so fast. I'm beginning to wonder how many of his 'friends' are the kind that would run away upon seeing him."
Caroline muttered softly and turned a corner at the intersection ahead.
In the past two days, she has been paying attention to possible news in the "Void Cube", but there are still no clues as before. Perhaps for this big city, the disappearance of one or two homeless people is really not likely to attract much attention.
Since the plan to use "reporting" to find out about Qilingos failed, Caroline had no choice but to return to offline.
She was now heading to a townhouse somewhere in the East End, whose owner was one of the "people with connections" that Hugh Dilcha had shared with her a few days ago.
Darkholm, a gangster leader in the East End. From Hugh's description of him, Caroline no longer expected to meet a man like Io Bronson, but as long as the other party could be persuaded by money, there was still a chance for cooperation.
After all, professionals do professional work, and a gang leader like this is naturally the one who knows the situation of homeless people in the East District most clearly.
Following the address Xio told her, Caroline quickly found the narrow alley where the townhouse was located.
Caroline stood outside the alley, looking at the long and narrow corridor deep inside, and looking at the traces of dampness and dirt on the surrounding walls, feeling a little unhappy.
The other party is a gang leader. Since he is described as so ruthless, his subordinates will definitely not be as naive as the Agner gang's younger brothers.
Is it really appropriate for me to just break into the other party's lair like this?
Caroline obviously thought this was inappropriate.
So she looked around and used her "hunter" sense to find a place that was close enough to the townhouse and quite hidden.
She pressed herself against the wall, shrank her body, pinched the "Silver Spoon" around her neck, and summoned the "Void Cube" in a low voice.
Controlling the limited expansion of the cube, Caroline looked at the illusory "map".
On the map, the structure of Darkholm's houses was clearly visible, and any unique layout could not escape Caroline's eyes.
only...
"Darkholm doesn't seem to be at home. There's not a single dot representing anyone in his house."
Caroline frowned and scanned the "map", confirming again and again that there was no one in the house. The most she saw was a dot representing a person in the window of the house opposite the Darkholm family.
Hmm? Wait, it looks like there isn't anything missing from the floor plan of the house.
Caroline looked down carefully and finally saw a symbol she had never seen before between several lines stacked together.
It was a pattern of two horizontal lines intersecting diagonally, and it looked like...
A big black cross?
Caroline was shocked. For a heavy game player like her, it was impossible for her not to know what the crosses on the game map generally meant.
Either a treasure or a special marker...
Or, it could be the mark left behind by someone's death!
Is there a death in the Darkholme family?
No, maybe...
"The dead person is Darkholm..."
Caroline's eyes widened slightly. She quickly retracted the "Void Cube" and quickly left the vicinity of the townhouse, hiding herself among the pedestrians on the road.
Then she made a big detour and entered an alley off a street, and climbed up to a rooftop along the water pipe there.
Since she didn't carry a telescope, Caroline could only rely on the Hunter's enhanced extraordinary vision to see far away.
She tried hard to observe the situation near the Darkholm family in the distance, trying to see if she could discover something from this angle.
Then she noticed that there seemed to be a figure in the window of the house opposite the Darkholm family.
This was confirmable because she had just seen a person there on the map.
Thinking about it now, Caroline found it very strange. What was that person trying to do by staying at the window?
So she looked towards the window more hard, pushing away the blur and haziness created by the shadow and distance, and managed to catch a tiny detail.
The man in the window seemed to have brown hair, and that hair...
Her hair was tied into a bun like an ancient warrior's!
This image, this hairstyle is...
Caroline immediately remembered the portrait of "The Hanged Man" and her face turned pale.
This, this person is... Qi Lingos!Chapter 148: Changes in the SituationTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 2814 words Update time: 2025-06-29 13:00:00
The moment she confirmed that the figure was most likely Qi Lingos, Caroline immediately lay on the roof and hid her body.
She was not very far away from Qi Lingos. If even she, a Sequence 9, could see him with her ability, then Qi Lingos, a Sequence 6 warrior, would find it easier to discover that he was being watched.
I didn't expect that Qi Lingos, who had been silent all this time, would show up at this time... What was he doing in the house opposite the Darkholm family?
If the cross marks on the map represent dead people, then there is a dead body in Darkholm's house right now. This person is most likely not someone else but the owner of the house, Darkholm himself...
Did Zillingos kill him? Why?
Because... because Darkholm knows about the situation of the homeless in the East District, and Xiu introduced him to me, which means she must have asked Darkholm to help investigate.
Darkholm's investigation of the homeless in the East District was discovered by Zilingos. He realized that someone was investigating him who had secretly infiltrated Backlund, so he took the initiative to kill Darkholm, and prepared to wait and kill the next person who would contact Darkholm...!
Whoever took the initiative to enter Darkholme's house is the one who is investigating Qilingos!
"He is a cunning and treacherous pirate..."
The description of "The Hanged Man" to Zilingos, Ovis's evaluation of Zilingos, all kinds of words emerged in Caroline's mind one by one.
The person who could come up with the idea of squatting on corpses is indeed a notorious pirate general...
Caroline's heart was beating rapidly, and there was no change in the surrounding environment, which meant that Qilingos did not realize that he had seen him.
She had to leave here quickly. Just because Qi Lingos hadn't discovered her now didn't mean she could monitor him like she monitored Lanevus and Frensen.
He is a powerful Sequence 6 warrior who has been at sea for many years. His anti-tracking and anti-surveillance capabilities are definitely not something a hunter like me can contend with.
After assessing the situation, Caroline immediately prepared to leave.
But just before she was about to leave the roof, she suddenly thought, what should she do if someone really came to find Darkholm and was attacked and killed by Qilingos?
And that person is most likely Hugh Dilcha, who has also accepted the commission and is looking for Qi Lingos' whereabouts!
We can't let Qi Lingos continue to lie here like a corpse...!
Killing Darkholm was the first flaw he exposed. As long as this matter was exposed, others would also know about the situation of "Vice Admiral Hurricane" Qilingos infiltrating Backlund.
Call the police, yes, that's right, call the police!
We have to let the official personnel handle this matter! No matter how strong Qi Lingos is, he can't openly go against the official Beyonders in the capital of a country.
But the question now is, how should she report this matter to the authorities?
Should I call the police right away? No, that would leave traces of me. What if Qi Lingos finds out he's been exposed and finds me?
Do you find someone to call the police on your behalf? For example, find a passerby on the street, give him some money and ask him to call the police?
No, no, no, this won't work either. It will also expose my existence and implicate other innocent people.
We must use a more secretive method that will not risk Qilingos's revenge...
Caroline's thoughts were constantly churning, and as she was looking for a feasible solution in her mind, she suddenly thought of something.
After hesitating for a moment, she decided to do it.
So she quickly backed off the roof and returned to the alley below.
After looking around and making sure there was no one nearby, she took a deep breath and for the first time took the initiative to call out to those people hiding in the dark:
"Gentlemen, I know you are nearby. There is a very urgent situation now. I request you to come out immediately!"
Although Albert had already left Backlund, Caroline believed that the sentries he had deployed would not be withdrawn so easily.
After calling once, she received no response.
So she raised her voice and called again.
It was not until the third call that Caroline felt a slight change in the wind.
The "hunter" perception attracted her subconsciously to look at the alley behind her, and then she saw a man hiding his figure under a coat standing at the entrance of the alley.
"Miss Caroline, what can I do for you?"
A low and steady voice came from behind Caroline's head. She turned her head and saw without warning that another person in ordinary clothes had appeared in front of her at some point.
Caroline couldn't see anything special about his appearance. He looked like an ordinary passerby who could appear anywhere on the streets in any profession.
Is this the secret sentry that Albert arranged?
Caroline suppressed her nervousness, let out a breath, and looked up at the secret sentry who was staring at her.
"You should have been secretly monitoring me. Don't you know the current situation?"
Mr. Sentinel shook his head and said:
"The general's order to us is to record your movements and confirm your location, so we never get too close, nor do we look at what you are doing."
Hmm... From this point of view, the sentries probably didn't notice her deploying the "Void Cube".
She had already planned it out. If the sentry or Albert asked about it, she would use the excuse of the magical item.
Caroline nodded several times and said to the sentry with a serious expression:
"Then let me tell you what I'm doing."
"Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilingos secretly infiltrated Backlund. I received a commission to investigate his whereabouts. Now I found that Qilingos is in the house in front, and he just killed someone."
"I hope you can help me secretly report this matter to Silavis Field and make known Qi Lingges's affairs in Backlund to the public."
"Vice Admiral Hurricane, Qilingus..."
The sentry frowned, thought for a while, then nodded a few times and said:
"I see."
"Although the general asked us not to interfere with your behavior, young lady, since this matter involves the pirate general, we will obey your orders."
After saying that, Caroline saw the two secret sentries quickly disappear from her sight.
...
The peaceful neighborhood soon turned into chaos, especially when residents of the East District saw carriage after carriage approaching at high speed, with police officers stepping out one after another.
The first group of police officers to arrive were from the East District Police Station. There were some familiar faces among them, but the later group of police officers seemed more serious and a little more oppressive.
From the appearance of their uniforms, it can be inferred that the policemen who came later were police officers from the Sierra Vista Bureau who were not usually seen by residents of the East District.
What exactly happened here?
…
The first police officers to arrive broke into a townhouse, but after just a few seconds, they all retreated again, looking extremely ugly, and several police officers even vomited on the side of the road.
Yellow police tape was quickly put up and police forces cordoned off the area around the townhouse.
After the subsequent police reinforcements arrived, and even the people from the Backlund Police Headquarters arrived at the scene, the fully armed police officers once again entered Darkholm's home.
Outside the cordon, more and more curious people gathered, and everyone was wondering what was going on here.
Soon, the police officers who had entered the house began to come out.
In their hands, they held bloody objects one after another. They were in pieces, like leftover bones or some kind of model specimens...
No! That, that is...!
"Oh my God! Those are human bones!"
"Did someone get killed?"
"Not only was he killed, but someone was dismembered!"
"I remember that house. It was Darkholme's home, the gang leader!"
"Goddess, who on earth did such a cruel thing!"
The onlookers cried out in surprise. When the police saw this, they quickly dispersed them and further covered up the scene.
The policemen who came out with bones and limbs did not stay outside for too long. Soon, they returned to the house with a few bags.
"How many people died... Is Backlund going to change?!"
A bystander murmured with a pale face, not noticing that a man who was dressed like an ordinary worker but had an extremely cold look and aura walked past him.
Zillingos glanced at the large number of police officers outside the Darkholme family's house and clenched his black-gloved hands viciously.
"Has anyone spotted me?"
His sinister eyes swept across the rooftops of several houses around him, and then looked at those corners that were not easily noticed, but he found nothing.
"It doesn't matter. It will be over soon anyway..."
Qi Lingos shook his gloves, turned around and disappeared into the crowd that was still rushing here. After a while, he completely disappeared.Chapter 149 Hanover's ButlerTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3179 words Update time: 2025-06-29 18:00:00
Qi Lingos didn't know the real reason why he was exposed. Perhaps he had some guesses about it, thinking that some news at sea might have been passed to the shore.
But he certainly could not have imagined that the real reason for his exposure was actually the result of multiple factors.
…
Monday morning, Backlund Cherwood District.
Caroline, the "culprit" who caused Qilingos to be exposed, was brushing her teeth in the bathroom while leisurely unfolding the "Void Cube" and reading the latest "report".
"The Backlund Murder Case"
"On Sunday, a report on the case from the Sierravis Field shocked the entire Backlund."
"According to the police, yesterday afternoon, the police station received an anonymous report from an unknown person, claiming that a murder had occurred in a house on Lewook Street in the East District."
"The police quickly arrived at the scene. Based on the preliminary investigation, the police determined that this was a serious case of intentional homicide."
"The deceased died in a miserable state. The body was dismembered and dissected, and the flesh and bones were separated. It is impossible to identify the specific identity. The time of death is temporarily determined to be around 10 o'clock on Saturday morning."
"After visiting and investigating, the police confirmed that the deceased was the owner of the house where the crime occurred, and was a notorious gang leader in the East District. After urgently arresting the gang members to which the deceased belonged and interrogating them, the police initially ruled out the possibility of gang revenge and believed that this was a terrible homicide from outside. "
"At present, the police have not been able to identify the murderer, who is still at large. For this reason, the Sierra Vista Field has issued an appeal to all sectors of society, calling on citizens to actively report and submit all clues that are conducive to the investigation of the case."
"The Dominion Gang, a well-known gang in the East District, issued a statement, saying that this incident was not only a provocation to the Royal Government, but also a violation of the existing order in the East District. They expressed their willingness to cooperate with the police to jointly arrest the brutal murderer, but the police spokesman expressed reservations about this."
"As of Monday morning, there has been no progress in this brutal murder case, but its impact has begun to spread within Backlund City."
— "Oh my god, this is horrible!"
Yeah, that's pretty horrible.
Caroline sighed in her heart, then holding a toothbrush in her mouth, she threw aside the "report" that she had read several times, and then finished unfolding the "Void Cube".
She had been reading the "report" for several days in a row, and only today did she finally see the figure of Qi Lingos in the "report"... This was even the result of her own efforts.
Although the "report" did not indicate whether the Backlund Police Department had learned about the murderer of Darkholm, "Vice Admiral Hurricane" Zillingos, Caroline believed that the secret sentinels must have left relevant information when they went to report the incident the day before yesterday.
The "report" was expounded from a news perspective. The fact that the police did not say anything about Qi Lingos did not mean that they really did not know.
However, as long as this matter has attracted widespread attention, it means that the fate of the official extraordinary people is only a matter of time.
"The deceased is indeed Darkholm. I didn't expect Qilingos to be so brutal... dismembering the body and removing the bones and flesh. Tsk, tsk, tsk, is this the style of the old-school pirates?"
Caroline rinsed her mouth and turned on the tap to wash her face.
Now, the news that Qilingos had sneaked into Backlund was no longer a secret, and he now had to face the grand scene of a city-wide hunt. Under such pressure, he would definitely be more likely to reveal flaws than before, and it would be much easier to find his whereabouts than before when there was no starting point.
I wonder if Mr. "The Hanged Man" is satisfied with this result...
Well, Lao Zhou mentioned that the "Hanged Man" might be a member of the Church of Storms. If Backlund's Orthodox Church was involved in the capture of Qilingos, then he should be able to confirm Qilingos' situation through information from within the church.
"I'll wait until the Tarot Club this afternoon to talk to The Hanged Man about this matter from a different perspective..."
After finishing washing up, Caroline walked out of the bathroom and prepared to make herself some breakfast.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Suddenly, Caroline, who was walking on the stairs, heard a series of knocks on the door.
The sound of knocking on the door was very standard, both the strength and the frequency of the sound were just right. It did not make people feel irritated, and one could even clearly feel that the person knocking on the door was holding back his strength politely.
Knocking on the door is a science. Caroline believed that if she hadn't gotten up yet, she wouldn't be upset when she heard such a knock on the door.
Albert has already left Backlund, who would come to me at this time?
Caroline thought for a moment and looked down to check her clothes.
After walking down the stairs, she did not open the door immediately, but first picked up the revolver and hid it behind her with her right hand.
Maintaining her "hunter" senses and intuition, Caroline responded and waited for a few seconds before reaching forward and grasping the door handle.
The door opened and an old man in a dark tuxedo stood outside.
Seeing Caroline opening the door, he bowed slightly, nodded, and said with a kind smile:
"Good morning, Miss Caroline."
The old man's choice of words was very sophisticated, classical and full of charm, which made Caroline, who had been hanging out in bars for a long time to play the role of "Hunter", unable to react for a moment.
"Morning, good morning."
She quickly returned the gift and took a quick look at the old man's appearance.
There were deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, but his skin did not look too old. His neatly combed hair made him look energetic, and the neat, wrinkle-free tuxedo he was wearing made his whole demeanor appear elegant and calm.
After a brief recollection, Caroline remembered that she had met this old man once before.
He was the old butler who had received him before. I didn't expect that the person Albert was talking about was him…
"Uncle Albert left me a letter saying that a butler would come to arrange my trip. I didn't expect it to be you."
Caroline smiled friendly. Although the other party was Hanover's butler, she had a good impression of the old butler before. In addition, the other party was someone Albert trusted, so she did not have much resistance.
"I am also very happy to see you again, Miss Caroline."
The old butler smiled kindly and formally introduced himself to Caroline:
"You can call me Henry. Master Albert has told me that I will be responsible for preparing the affairs for you at the upcoming banquet."
As he spoke, the old butler took out an invitation letter from his pocket and handed it to Caroline with both hands.
"This is the invitation letter from Duke Negan. The banquet will be held on Wednesday night at Duke Negan's mansion..."
"Master Albert told me about your preferences, so I will come with servants at three o'clock on Wednesday afternoon to prepare for the banquet for you..."
The old butler arranged everything in an orderly manner. From travel arrangements to clothing matching, he made professional arrangements for Caroline.
While secretly sighing in her heart that the professional butler is worthy of being a professional butler, Caroline looked at the invitation letter in her hand.
On the envelope, which looked extremely expensive and luxurious, was a large gold-stamped wax seal with the family emblem of Duke Negan.
From Caroline's remaining memories, she could sense that the level and scale of this banquet was definitely not small.
"Mr. Henry, I would like to ask, who will be attending Duke Negan's banquet?"
The old butler said slowly:
"Many nobles will attend the banquet, including great nobles like Earl Hall, and some officials from the royal government..."
"But you don't have to worry, Miss. There are no members of the royal family among the attendees."
Hmm? He even mentioned the royal family. Did he know that the Williams family had a history of conflicts with the royal family?
Caroline glanced at the old housekeeper, but couldn't tell anything from that calm face.
She looked down at the invitation letter in her hand again, staring at the wax and thinking:
"Earl Hall..."
...
Audrey handed the invitation letter to her personal maid Anne for safekeeping, then walked lightly back to the bedroom and closed the door.
As soon as the door was closed, Audrey dropped the polite posture she had maintained, bent slightly capriciously, and sighed.
This morning she also read the news about the horrific murder in the East District in the newspaper. Especially when Susie came back with the latest information about Xio and Fors, she didn't know whether she should be happy or worried.
Combining the information from Xio and Fors, Audrey confirmed that the person who was murdered the day before was one of the people they had commissioned to investigate Qi Lingos.
According to their accounts, the deceased, named Darkholm, accepted their commission on Thursday, but less than two days later, he was murdered.
They didn't know who killed Darkholm, but based on the existing situation, they gave Audrey a very likely candidate, and this person was exactly the one Audrey guessed.
"Such a brutal method of committing a crime is very consistent with Mr. 'The Hanged Man''s' description of Qilingos..."
Audrey frowned and paced back and forth on the carpet in the middle of the bedroom.
Qilingos was in too much danger. Fortunately, a caring citizen called the police. Otherwise, according to Xio and Fors's speculation, Qilingos might have deliberately killed Darkholm in order to lure out the person who was investigating him behind the scenes.
If they had gone to find Darkholm that day, they would have most likely run into Qilingos directly!
"If we continue investigating, the danger will only increase. It's a pity that Xio and Fors haven't made any progress in the investigation. But fortunately, Qi Lingos has been exposed to the official sight..."
"Mr. 'The Hanged Man' should be very satisfied with this clue. I will discuss it with him in detail at the Tarot meeting this afternoon!"
"Well, I wonder if Miss Tank will take any action on this matter..."
"And Mr. Fool, I wonder if he would be interested in Qilingos and whether he would be able to give us some valuable suggestions…"
Audrey thought about it and began to look forward to the arrival of three o'clock in the afternoon.Chapter 150 Bloodline CeremonyTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 2941 words Update time: 2025-06-30 13:00:00
Monday noon, Tingen, 2 Daffodil Street.
Klein, who was alone at home, sat at the desk in his bedroom, holding in his hand a letter he had just received from his mentor, Mr. Azik.
"I have arrived in Backlund as planned. Coming back here again, I can clearly feel a sense of familiarity that I had not noticed in the past. I believe I can find more things here."
"...I seem to have some impression of the magical item in the hand of the pirate general you mentioned. However, it is not about the specific item, but the ability of the item..."
"But I can't remember exactly when and under what circumstances I encountered that ability. I think it must be an unpleasant past..."
Klein tapped the table with his fingers. He had written to Mr. Azik a few days ago to inform him about Qilingos. At that time, he had not yet arrived in Backlund.
He didn't make any requests in the letter, just a mention, but it would be a good thing to leave an impression on Azik. If he wants to ask Mr. Azik for help in the future, he won't need to prepare in advance.
Thinking about this, Klein continued reading the letter.
"...The supernatural event you needed my help to create has been carried out on schedule. The specific location is located in the suburbs of Tingen..."
Mr. Azik is indeed reliable. Now there is a reason to call upon the Sealed Object "3-0782".
Klein was delighted, and then continued reading the letter.
"I seem to have some ideas about the ritual magic you asked me about."
"That should be a magic circle related to sealing. Overall, it is not harmful."
"This is an ancient magic from the Fourth Epoch. People in the past often used this type of ritual magic to seal things. The ritual magic you gave me is specialized on this basis, using blood as the key to open it."
"To put it simply, only by using the blood of the descendants of the bloodline recognized by this ritual and dripping it into the center of the ritual can the ritual be invoked and opened."
"I don't recommend you to use some additional methods to bypass the seal. This is a very difficult method. And I noticed that there are safety measures in this ritual. If it is opened forcibly, it may cause some violent side effects."
"You mentioned that this was found by your friend in her manor, so the bloodline that can open the ritual magic should be her blood... Of course, the premise is that she is indeed a direct descendant. Generally speaking, the closer the bloodline is to the bloodline specified by the ritual magic, the higher the chance of opening the seal..."
"...If you are unsure, you can first use a little blood to smear around the ritual magic. If the ritual produces a clear reaction, it means that the blood is effective..."
A seal based on bloodline... Klein put away the letter and turned his eyes slightly.
In other words, the underground wine cellar that Caroline discovered for ritual magic might very well contain some inheritance from the Williams family's ancestors...
If it is the legacy of the "Hunter" family, then the things left behind should also be closely related to the "Hunter" path.
Well, this news will definitely be helpful to Caroline.
After noting down Azik's description in the letter, Klein leaned back on his chair and patiently waited for time to pass.
...
At three o'clock in the afternoon, a sudden burst of crimson engulfed the world before Caroline's eyes.
After a series of illusory changes, Caroline saw the eternally rolling gray fog again, the magnificent temple that looked like the palace of the Giant King, the ancient bronze table in front of her, and the figure emerging beside the table.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool!"
Audrey, who was standing beside her, took the lead in greeting Klein, who was sitting at the top of the table. After receiving a nod from him, she happily greeted the other people in the Tarot Club.
"Good afternoon, Miss Justice."
Caroline responded to Audrey happily.
After a simple greeting, Audrey couldn't wait to ask "Sun" Derrick about the "Mind Reader" formula, and received a positive response from the latter.
The items required for the three-party transaction had been obtained, and under the witness of the Fool, they quickly completed the exchange of the transaction.
After waiting for the transaction to be completed and everyone quieted down, Caroline looked at the "Hanged Man" Alger on the other side of the long table and said:
"Mr. 'The Hanged Man', there have been some new developments in the matter of Qilingos."
Alger, who had not expected the Tarot Club to gain anything so quickly, immediately leaned forward and asked with difficulty concealing his joy:
"Where is he?"
Caroline shook her head first, then continued:
"The exact location is still unknown, but he took the initiative to expose his presence and brutally killed a gang leader on Saturday morning. This matter has been known to the Backlund police."
Caroline recounted the story of how Zilingos killed Darkholm from a third-person perspective. Audrey, who had memorized the potion formula, listened carefully and found that Caroline's description of the whole incident was a little clearer than what Hugh and Fors had told her.
Does this mean that Miss Tank was at the crime scene?
Looking at the blurry image of Caroline, Audrey couldn't help but start thinking about her connection to these things.
The fact that she knew about Darkholm meant that she must also be in that circle. Perhaps if we ask the "Arbitrator" Hugh to investigate, we can roughly identify the specific identity of "Chariot" in reality...
No, no, no, Audrey, what are you thinking about? Mr. Fool will not allow members to pry into each other's privacy. This is not what a lady should do!
Shaking her head, Audrey quickly dismissed this impolite thought, and then followed Caroline and said:
"The information I got here is the same. Unfortunately, before we could get the results of the investigation, Qi Lingos took action against the gang leader."
"At present, we can only make a rough judgment that Qi Lingos should live on both sides of the Tussock River. It is likely that the Backlund Bridge District, the West District, and the Cherwood District are close to the river."
After listening to Caroline and Audrey's stories, although he did not get a clear conclusion, Alger still nodded and said:
"Thanks for your help, I'll keep an eye on it."
After thinking for a while, Alger continued:
"I have also received further intelligence. The reason why Qilingos came ashore is to complete a difficult mission. He may stay in Backlund for a long time, or he may create some shocking incidents... Of course, the latter seems to have happened."
"According to reliable information, Qi Lingos will receive an unknown item after completing the mission. He believes that the item can help him quickly become a high-sequence strongman."
Then, he turned to Klein, who was sitting at the head of the long table, and glanced at the dazed Derrick the Sun, and said:
"Dear Mr. Fool, if I figure out the real purpose of going ashore in Qilingos and what the magical item he wants to obtain is, please allow me to recite your name and tell you through the ritual."
Is this even possible?
Audrey opened her mouth slightly. Provoked by Alger's words, she also wanted to obtain the right to report from Mr. Fool.
You still need to ask for permission to send text messages... Lao Zhou, Lao Zhou, your image is becoming more and more solid...
Caroline suppressed her smile, lowered her head and didn't look at Klein, and began to think about what the item was that could help Qi Lingos become a high-sequence strongman.
Klein remained calm. After a moment of deliberation, he nodded and responded:
"Can."
"Allow me to praise you in advance for listening."
Alger bowed his head slightly, expressing his admiration for the mysterious and powerful Mr. Fool.
"Mr. 'The Hanged Man', if Qi Lingos came ashore to complete a mission, then can we stop Qi Lingos and catch him while thwarting his plot?" Audrey suddenly said, "You should understand that it means using official power to make Qi Lingos a wanted man in the city. After all, he is now exposed to the police's sight."
Alger looked at Audrey and thought about the method she proposed.
"It may be possible, but the prerequisite is that the information about Qilingos's infiltration into Backlund must be secretly passed on to the authorities."
Alger said, shaking his head slowly.
"This is very dangerous. Let's not talk about how the authorities will investigate and confirm the person who provided this information. If Qi Lingges knows that someone has leaked his existence, he will definitely find a way to track him down. This is very dangerous for you."
"Well, that's true..."
Audrey closed her eyes slightly and bit her lip.
"No, Qi Lingos' existence has been revealed to the authorities." At this moment, Caroline, who was sitting next to him, spoke quietly.
The others looked at her immediately. She smiled mysteriously and waved her finger.
"On the day he killed Darkholm, the authorities were secretly informed of his existence. Although the news has not yet been revealed in Backlund's newspapers, I believe the police and official Beyonders will take action soon."
"Don't worry, the message was passed very secretly. Qi Lingos has no way of knowing who leaked his existence, so there is no need to worry about his revenge."
"In other words, even if he knew a little bit about who it was, it would be difficult for him to take revenge on a specific person."Chapter 151 Before the BanquetTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3475 words Update time: 2025-06-30 18:07:01
Even if we know who it is, it is difficult to carry out specific revenge...
Alger frowned. The information revealed in Caroline's words was really too much.
Her description of the crime scene just now was quite detailed, which means that even if she was not the first person to discover the scene, she must have been there when the police arrived...but judging from her subsequent words, the former is more likely.
She was the one who discovered the crime scene, and it was most likely she who notified the Backlund police...
But she said that she didn't have to worry about Qilingos's pursuit, which meant that she was very confident in the secrecy of her actions.
She didn't pass the message through normal channels...
Could it be possible that "Chariot" was someone from the official inside? No, rather than saying she was someone from the official inside, it would be better to say that she used official connections.
This makes sense; she must have passed the information through internal channels.
And she also said that Qi Lingos was unable to identify the target of revenge. One possibility was that her channels were very secretive, and another possibility was that her channels involved forces that Qi Lingos could not directly contend with.
For example, the Kingdom Police Department, or the Loen Military...
Alger quickly analyzed the possible identity of "Tank" in reality. He originally thought that "Justice" was already very powerful in Backlund, but now it seems that "Tank" is even more powerful than her...
Miss Chariot was very confident... well, very confident. She was almost completely sure that Qilingos could not find out... Audrey, who had entered the "audience" state, observed Caroline, but due to the obstruction of the gray fog, she could not see more.
What kind of person is she... Audrey couldn't help but think about it.
Hmm...what on earth are they talking about?
"The Sun" Derrick, who had not been able to get a word in since the beginning, sat upright in his seat. He looked at Caroline, who was in a comfortable posture, and then at Audrey and Alger, who were both silent. Finally, he decided to cast his gaze on the table, looking at the long bronze table without thinking about anything.
Did you deliberately leak some information to build up your image... Caroline, you...
Klein, who was sitting at the head of the long table, glanced at Caroline and remained a bystander.
After a moment of silence, Alger finished his analysis, raised his head, and said:
"If that's the case, then Backlund's official forces should have already begun searching for Qilingos in secret."
"Please keep an eye out for the next few days. I think Qilingos will take action soon."
And I will arrive in Backlund soon, together with the people of the church... Alger kept this sentence to prevent someone from using this clue to determine his real identity.
...
After the discussion about Qi Lingos was over, the Tarot Club continued its work as usual.
The diary was handed in, and Mr. Fool read it, and then a random discussion began.
It was unknown how much time had passed, but the crowd, who had just finished discussing the characteristics of some extraordinary creatures, heard a knock on the edge of the long table.
"That's all for today." Klein propped his chin with his left hand and tapped the table lightly with his right hand.
"We will obey your will." The four members of the Tarot Club stood up and bowed slightly to Mr. Fool.
Then, balls of crimson burst out again, blurring and distorting the figures of the Tarot Club members, and gradually disappeared like a fountain with a switch turned off.
After everyone else left, Caroline, who was still standing there, looked around and confirmed that she and Klein were the only ones left. She stopped pretending, stood up, stretched, and sat back in her chair.
"I didn't expect so many things to happen in such a simple weekend. I thought it would take a few more days to find any trace of Qilingos."
Caroline leaned back in her chair and complained to Klein helplessly.
"Isn't this great? Discover Qilingos as soon as possible and disclose his whereabouts to the authorities. This way you don't have to risk your life investigating him."
Klein chuckled and waved his hand to disperse the gray mist that enveloped his face.
"You just said that Qi Lingos would not track down the informant. Are you sure?"
"Of course. I asked the secret sentry left by my cheap uncle to report it. Qi Lingos can only find them if he wants to investigate...Haha, if he wants to compete with the Loen Army, I would also like to see it."
Caroline smiled and gave Klein a thumbs up.
"You really know how to make use of existing resources…"
Klein nodded. He knew that Caroline had been monitored by her uncle. Since meeting Caroline offline, he had performed divination more than once to confirm whether those who were monitoring Caroline were monitoring him.
After receiving a clear denial, he no longer cared about these things.
After thinking for a while, Klein said to Caroline:
"I have some results on the ritual magic you asked about before."
"Oh my god, is this true?"
Caroline sat up straight with excitement when she heard this.
Clearing his throat, Klein relayed the contents of Azik's letter to Caroline, along with Azik's speculation about the bloodline required to open the ritual seal.
Listening to Klein's story, Caroline suddenly realized and clapped her hands and said:
"I see. In other words, the ritual is just a lock, and my blood should be its key. Only by opening the seal can we know what the secret buried in Williams Manor is, right?"
"It looks like this." Klein changed his posture and switched his legs up and down. "However, I suggest you test it first to see if the seal corresponds to your bloodline."
Caroline glanced at Klein and said with a smile:
"Come on, this isn't some cheesy storyline."
"The ritual magic hidden under my manor has a history of more than a hundred years. Whose bloodline could it correspond to other than Williams?"
"However, if the ritual seal is really not Williams' bloodline, then things will be complicated. At least I can't think of any other bloodline it could be."
Thinking about it, Caroline then suggested to Klein:
"Your mentor knows something about ritual magic from so long ago, so would he also know something about the Williams family's past?"
"Can you ask him for me? If you need a reward, I'm totally willing to accept it."
Klein thought about it. Although he didn't think Azik would ask for any compensation, attitude was still very important. After all, he and Azik were just partners, and he couldn't ask him to do everything for free.
Mr. Azik had previously given Klein a magical copper whistle, through which he could summon an exaggerated messenger belonging to Azik himself, making it very easy for Klein to contact him if he had anything to do.
Klein nodded and replied:
"Okay, I'll ask for you."
"Thank you very much."
Caroline clasped her hands together and gestured to Klein in thanks.
The latter glanced at her speechlessly, and then started to talk to her about Tingen's recent events.
Caroline also exchanged some information she had obtained in Backlund with Klein, but the two of them currently knew similar things, so it was called an information exchange, but it was actually more of a chat.
"How is the strike going in Tingen? From what I read in the newspaper, it seems that the Tingen City Government has not made any statement yet?"
"That's true. We even received a mission to investigate and see if there are any extraordinary forces involved in this strike." Klein said with a pout.
"The captain was very perfunctory about this. The result of our investigation was naturally that there was no extraordinary factor involved."
"It seems that someone is finally getting impatient... Well, I hope the strike doesn't affect the lives of other people in Tingen."
"It's actually not that bad. For most Tingen people, they still support the strike."
As he spoke, Klein looked at Caroline, organized his words, and said in a deep voice:
"However, apart from the strike, there has been no other movement in Tingen recently."
"The mastermind behind this hasn't taken any action for a long time. At least I don't feel anything strange."
"As for the investigation into the Aurora Society and Lanevus, it has also reached a bottleneck."
"We have some clues on the former, but we have made no progress on the latter so far. We found several houses where Lanevus should have lived, but we found that they have been idle for a while. This means that Lanevus did not live there before he left Tingen, at least before he was ready to flee."
"Is that so…" Caroline pursed her lips, thinking about Klein's words.
"It feels like everything is stuck together. There's the Aurora Society in Tingen, there's a strike in Lanevus, and there's Qilingos in Backlund."
"Well... one of them will always come to an end first. Maybe as long as one link is solved, the other problems will be solved quickly as well?"
"Are you trying to use the clogged sewer pipe as an analogy?" Klein thought about it and felt that Caroline's idea was a little unrealistic.
Reality is not a story, nor is it a tightly structured machine. How can everything else be solved if one thing is solved?
Besides, only Aurora would have some connection with Lanevus, the other two had nothing to do with these things, and one of them was caused by Caroline herself.
"Well, wait until I finish my business here, I'll go back to Tingen to take a look. Maybe when we get together again, the mastermind will take action again."
"Didn't you notice that all kinds of things happened particularly frequently when we were in Tingen?" Caroline waved her hand and said to Klein.
"Okay, then, when will you be back? Do you want me to pick you up?"
"You're already an adult, there's no need to pick up a car." Caroline glanced at Klein. Although she said this, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
"Well, I have a party to attend here, so I have to wait until Friday to leave."
"You have a party to attend?"
Klein raised his eyebrows and looked at Caroline with a strange look.
"It's just the troubles among the nobles... It's also interesting. There's a strike going on over there, and these nobles still have the mind to hold a banquet..."
"Didn't you scold yourself?"
"I'm different. I can do holy cutting."
"Then you are very good at cutting."
Klein smiled and leaned his head back against the back of his chair.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and murmured:
"A noble banquet... how much would that cost..."
"I don't know, but it's definitely not cheap."
Caroline said something nonsense, and at the same time, she followed Klein's words and began to imagine what the noble banquet would look like.
As she thought about it, her gaze gradually became distracted and blurred.
When she came to her senses again, she refocused her gaze and looked at herself in the makeup mirror in front of her.
At the same time, she also looked at the servants who were styling her hair and preparing her dress behind her.Chapter 152 Albert (First Update)Title of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 2833 words Update time: 2025-07-01 13:29:53
Wednesday, 3pm.
Butler Henry led a group of servants to Caroline's door on time and began to prepare for the banquet for her.
A group of professional servants went up to the cloakroom and selected a dress for Caroline.
A group of professional servants surrounded Caroline and took her to the bedroom. They pushed her in front of the makeup mirror, but did not use her cosmetics. Instead, they took out another set of cosmetics that they brought with them, which had a wide variety and looked dazzling.
There was also a group of professional servants who even started cleaning Caroline's room under the command of Butler Henry.
Looking at the reflection outside the bedroom in the dressing mirror, Caroline's cheek twitched slightly.
Fortunately, she had hidden away things such as the revolver and the notes in the attic that were not convenient for people to see, otherwise she would have to think carefully about whether this group of people could leave today.
Well... just kidding.
"Miss Caroline, what kind of hairstyle do you like?"
A maid who was combing Caroline's hair turned her head and asked, interrupting Caroline's wandering thoughts.
Hair style? How do I know what hair style I like...
Caroline reluctantly turned her head and smiled at her.
"casual."
"Then Miss Caroline, what kind of makeup do you prefer?" asked a servant who was arranging cosmetics nearby.
"casual..."
"Miss Caroline, what color would you like today?"
"Random... uh, light green and blue... Yeah, these two colors are nice."
"I think light green would suit you better!"
Caroline looked at the servant reflected in the mirror as she walked briskly back to the cloakroom. In her memory, there were indeed several light green dresses there, and some of them were quite formal suits, but she never wore them.
This is really hard to get used to... No wonder the original body didn't hire a housekeeper or servants after his parents passed away. People who are used to doing things by themselves don't like the feeling of being served by others...
Caroline was feeling a little uneasy now, a mixture of insecurity and embarrassment at having lost some of her privacy.
It wasn't a pleasant feeling to have other people fiddling with her hair and applying all sorts of things to her face. Caroline could only hypnotize herself into thinking that this was no different from going to a barber shop.
"Miss, what do you think of this dress?"
Caroline turned around when she heard that and saw the servant who had come to ask her about her color preference holding a light green dress.
She had some memories of that dress, at least in the memories she inherited, the original owner had never worn it.
"Hmm... not bad."
"Your vision is so pertinent."
Caroline, who was inexplicably flattered, looked away embarrassedly. She turned around, stood up from the chair, and stepped forward to take the skirt.
Turning around, she saw the servants in the bedroom looking at her expectantly.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Caroline asked tentatively:
"Uh, sorry, could you guys step out for a second?"
The servants were stunned for a moment, then they all started laughing.
Hmm...it seems that it won't work.
...
Caroline gritted her teeth and let several servants help her change her clothes. She felt that her personal privacy had been destroyed.
Sitting in front of the makeup mirror, she felt like a doll being manipulated for a long time.
About an hour later, the servant beside him finally stopped.
"Miss, look."
The servant stood beside Caroline holding a round mirror, showing her the profile of her face.
I have to say that these people are indeed professional maids. For them, this is also a job, and they have indeed demonstrated their professional qualities very well.
Caroline looked at her hair in the mirror. It was a complicated hairstyle that she could never braid. With her properly matched dress and powdered face, she saw a beautiful girl in the mirror who was completely different from her usual self.
Somehow, Caroline suddenly wanted Klein to see what she looked like now, and a sentence that she often commented on the Internet in the past suddenly appeared in her mind.
"Little guy, this will fascinate you to death."
…
After tidying up her clothes and appearance, Caroline walked down to the second floor surrounded by servants.
Outside the lobby on the first floor, the old butler Henry, still in a black tuxedo and standing straight, was giving instructions to the servants who were cleaning the room.
Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, he turned around and saw Caroline coming towards him, holding her skirt.
"Please forgive my surprise, but Miss Caroline, you never attend banquets of nobles. This is definitely the biggest loss for the young gentlemen of Backlund."
The old butler bowed slightly to Caroline and spoke to her.
Does the housekeeper's professional training also include how to flatter decently?
Caroline felt unwell now. On the one hand, she was indeed happy about the old housekeeper's praise, but on the other hand, she was also extremely panicked by this happiness.
What's going on? I just learned to adapt to and play my own identity, but I didn't really accept my identity as a woman. Why should I be happy?
Well, matter determines consciousness, and women's bodies will have a certain influence on my thoughts, which is very consistent with materialism.
Fuck, what is this, female abduction? I have read so many strange stories before, and now this kind of thing has happened to me, is this karma?
If I tell this to Lao Zhou, he will definitely laugh at me...
No, no, I have to find a way to turn myself back into a male before things become irreversible!
Having given herself another reason to continue on her extraordinary path, Caroline threw aside the distracting thoughts in her mind and politely replied to the old butler:
"Not having a steward like you is the greatest loss."
The old butler opened his eyes slightly. He had never heard any lady praise him like this before, especially when he was the first to praise the other person.
Master Albert...your niece is really different...
He nodded slightly and bowed to Caroline again.
"Now that we are ready, shall we set off? The carriage is ready outside."
"Yeah." Caroline nodded, but suddenly said, "Wait a minute, I need to go back to the bedroom to get something... um, I can go by myself."
As she spoke, Caroline lifted her skirt and quickly went up to the second floor.
Then very quickly, not even a minute later, Caroline came down again, with her hands raised behind her neck, as if she was adjusting the pendant around her neck.
"Excuse me, Mr. Henry."
Caroline smiled gently at the old housekeeper.
...
After leaving her house, Caroline got into a carriage parked on the road outside.
Caroline didn't know much about horse breeds, but from the use of expensive wood in the carriage, it was clear that the luxury of this carriage was incomparable to those private carriages on the road.
The same thing happened after getting on the carriage. When the horses started moving, Caroline was surprised to find that there was almost no shaking in the carriage - the shock absorption effect of this carriage was also unexpectedly excellent.
After taking a quick look at the decoration inside the carriage, Caroline hadn't said anything yet when the old butler sitting opposite her spoke as if to ease her concerns:
"This is Master Albert's car, but he always likes to use the carriage assigned to him by the army, so this car has never been used much."
"This time, it was also at the request of Master Albert that I used it to come and pick you up."
"Is that so..." Caroline leaned against the wall of the carriage, turned her eyes slightly, and asked, "Uncle Albert, does he have a high status in the Hanover family?"
"Miss Caroline is joking. Master Albert is highly praised by His Excellency the Count. He has outstanding qualifications among the younger generation of Hanover and is a master who is fully capable of becoming the heir."
The old butler said with a smile.
"The young master's achievements in the army are equally amazing. As the youngest major general in the kingdom, he guards the northern border with Feysac for the kingdom. Eight years ago, he thwarted a border conspiracy of the Feysac Empire and was promoted to major general. After accumulating experience in the past few years, as long as he makes some more achievements in the future, he will soon be promoted to lieutenant general, and it is not impossible for him to even become the youngest general in the kingdom."
"The future is bright, isn't it?"
Caroline looked at the old housekeeper and asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Emperor Roselle's words are quite accurate...Yes, Master Albert has a bright future."
The old butler smiled and looked at the street scene flying backwards outside the carriage.
"Of course, this also depends on Master Albert's own ideas. If he is willing and can avoid interference from the outside world, then he will be the next Earl of Hanover and bring greater glory to the family."
External interference… ?
Caroline felt that there was something behind the old housekeeper's words and frowned slightly. She looked into the old housekeeper's eyes, but the old housekeeper did not look at her.
After a moment of silence, Caroline nodded faintly and said:
"Yeah, I hope everything goes well for Uncle Albert in the future..."