Lord of the Mysteries: The Path of Fire and the Fool

Chapter 153 Visitors from All Directions (Part 2)Title of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3053 words Update time: 2025-07-01 19:00:00

The carriage drove into Queens along the familiar route, then passed several avenues, finally turned into a gate, and stopped in a garden outside a mansion.

Caroline slowly stepped down from the carriage. It was already getting dark, but the lights in the mansion ahead were still bright, as if it was never night.

She turned her head and looked at a fountain in front of the mansion's gate. This fountain was even more exaggerated than the one in Tingen Town Hall Square. The statue that was spraying water seemed to be some kind of animal, but because it had inexplicable wings, she found it difficult to identify what kind of animal it was for a moment.

"This is the residence of Duke Negan. It is one of the largest aristocratic residences in Queens."

Then the old butler Henry walked out of the carriage, walked to Caroline and introduced her to him in a low voice.

Big house...

Caroline took a quick look at the mansion in front of her, which was beyond her field of vision, and compared it in her mind with the mansion in Williams Manor.

Hmm...it seems that the mansion in Williams Manor is a bit bigger...

It seems that when Williams had not yet lost his dukedom, he possessed more powerful power than the current Duke Negan.

However, although the area is larger than the Williams Manor Mansion, its level of prosperity is far from comparable.

Before she even entered the mansion, Caroline could already hear lively conversation and elegant music coming from all directions.

Outside the mansion, carriages arrived one after another and stopped in the garden of the mansion. Then, gentlemen and ladies in bright and gorgeous clothes and graceful postures stepped out from the carriages.

Caroline couldn't recognize too many people, but from the family emblems on the carriages, she could tell that those attending the banquet at Duke Negan's mansion were basically well-known figures in Backlund's upper class society.

Is this the power that Duke Negan has in the current kingdom?

"What should I do?" To be on the safe side, Caroline first asked the old butler about the code of conduct.

"As long as you remain decent and calm, Miss Caroline, you can do whatever you want here."

The old butler smiled and looked towards the gate of the mansion.

"I will go to the guest lounge first. You can go to the lobby to enjoy some food or watch some dancing and music."

"If you want to dance with someone, just walk to the center of the dance floor with the other person after being invited. I believe you should know this, miss?"

No, I don't know, and I can't dance either... Caroline complained in her heart, but she still got into the state and smiled gracefully to the old butler.

"Have a good night, Mr. Henry."

The old butler smiled and gave a return gesture, then left Caroline and walked to the back of the mansion.

If possible, I just want to find a remote corner to read my phone... No, there are no mobile phones in this world, but I would rather squat in a corner and read the "report" of the "Void Cube"...

Caroline puffed up her cheeks and exhaled, then slowly walked towards the gate of Duke Negan's mansion.

...

Backlund, Cherwood District.

A carriage with the holy emblem of the Lord of Storms stopped at the side door of the "Holy Wind Cathedral", and Alger Wilson, wearing the robe of a priest of the Church of Storms, walked down slowly.

He silently followed the church staff into the church through the side door. After passing through several hidden corridors, the view in front of them suddenly opened up and they arrived at the chapel of the Holy Wind Cathedral.

Below the holy emblem that symbolizes the Lord of Storms, the bishop on duty turned his back to them and looked at the holy emblem of Storms devoutly.

Alger looked around and found that he had arrived here with several church "brothers" whom he often saw at sea.

Like him, everyone was now wearing the priest uniform of the Storm Church. The arrogance they had at sea had completely disappeared, and all that was left was quietness and sincerity. They lowered their heads and waited for the bishop's speech.

Alger was naturally no exception, but beneath his quiet appearance, no one knew what he was thinking about.

After a brief silence in the chapel, the bishop on duty at the prayer table turned around.

"Thank you for your hard work. It must have been a long journey from Bayam to Backlund."

The bishop's deep but resonant voice began to speak, echoing in the empty chapel.

"I believe you have also received some information. The villain Qilingos has infiltrated Backlund."

"The church has reason to suspect that he came to Backlund with some evil purpose. Currently, the three major churches have reached a cooperation with the Loen government and asked us to find the whereabouts of Qilingos as soon as possible."

"You have extensive experience at sea and have sufficient knowledge of Qilingos."

"Search and find out where Qi Lingos is, cooperate with the church's personnel to arrest him, or just kill him! This is the mission the church has given you!"

Alger lowered his head and listened to the bishop's words. When the bishop finished speaking, he nodded slightly along with the "brothers" beside him and responded sincerely:

"Follow the will of the storm!"

...

Backlund Queen District, Duke Negan's mansion.

Caroline, who disguised herself as an ordinary aristocrat, stayed in the "dining room" at the end of the hall. In front of her was a row of long tables covered with white lace tablecloths. On the tables were exquisite porcelain or silver plates filled with many desserts and delicacies with interesting shapes and very mouth-watering tastes.

Although Caroline no longer needed to eat three meals a day on time after becoming a "hunter", after being tossed around for a while in the afternoon, she really needed delicious food to comfort herself.

At the other end of the corridor was the dance floor that the old housekeeper had just introduced to her. However, she had no interest in dancing or music, so as soon as she entered the mansion, she headed for the restaurant with a clear purpose.

Caroline put a few pieces of pastry on her plate and added some meat. She thought that was enough. She could always get more later. If she took too much at once, she would definitely stand out.

Her purpose for today's actions was to try not to attract anyone's attention, and then wait comfortably for the long banquet to end.

Caroline poured herself another glass of juice, found a high table in a secluded corner, put down the plate, and began to enjoy the food.

Although there was a dining room set up at the banquet, there were no chairs. There were only small round tables with high legs scattered around for gentlemen and ladies to place their belongings.

Caroline thought this design was weird, but it was understandable. If the tables and chairs were arranged in a normal way, wouldn't the restaurant be no different from a buffet?

Well... although her current behavior is like she is eating at a buffet.

Caroline picked up a piece of pastry between her index finger and thumb and put it into her mouth, feeling the beauty of the cream and bread melting in her mouth.

However, this comfort was soon broken.

"Forgive me for interrupting, beautiful lady."

Caroline had her head down to choose her next piece of cake when she heard a voice coming from in front of her. She quickly raised her head and saw a young gentleman dressed in a very stylish manner, approaching her with a faint scent of perfume.

"Uh, hello."

Caroline hesitated for a moment, but finally said hello first.

"You are such a passionate young lady."

The young gentleman smiled and shook hands with Caroline, then he asked curiously:

"Please forgive my ignorance. I don't think I have seen your beautiful figure at other banquets. Otherwise, I would not have no memory of you at all."

"Well...I don't usually like to go out. To be honest, this is my first time attending a party of this scale."

"Ah, then I am so lucky to be able to witness your beauty on your first visit."

As he spoke, the young gentleman bowed slightly to Caroline and said:

"Lawrence Delgado, the current Viscount Delgado is my father."

This combo is really smooth. Have you nobles systematically learned how to strike up a conversation?

Caroline twitched her lips slightly and nodded politely:

"Caroline..." She paused, then made her smile a little brighter, "Williams, Caroline Williams."

"Wei, Williams…!"

The proper smile on the young gentleman's face suddenly disappeared, and his eyes widened rapidly, as if he had seen something terrible.

"So you are Miss Williams... um, hahaha, it's a great honor to meet you."

He kept talking over and over again as he retreated to the other side of the restaurant.

Caroline looked at him with amusement, and suddenly an idea came to her mind. She walked towards him and asked provocatively:

"Do you want to ask me to dance?"

"No! Uh, I mean... ahem, my stomach is a little uncomfortable, so I may have to leave for a while. I'm so sorry!"

After saying this, the young gentleman quickly left the restaurant without even leaving Caroline's back.

Hey, this trick really works!

In the future, if you meet someone you don't want to deal with, you can use Williams' name to scare the other person away.

However, how bad is Williams' reputation? He refused to associate with me just after hearing my last name... Just because of that treason?

Maybe it's not just that, maybe it has something to do with the noble faction...

Forget it, as long as there is no mess to bother me.

Caroline thought about it, turned around and prepared to continue enjoying her dessert.

"Are you Uncle Albert's niece?"

Hmm? Who? Who's talking?

Caroline looked back in confusion, but after turning around, she didn't see anyone.

Then, Caroline looked down quietly, and finally saw a little girl in a beige cake skirt and brown curly hair standing next to her, with her hands on her hips, looking at her stubbornly.Chapter 154: The Eldest Son of Hanover (Part 3)Title of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3006 words Update time: 2025-07-01 21:12:19

Caroline was stunned for a moment when she saw the little person who had appeared beside her without her noticing. Then she leaned over and asked softly:

"Excuse me, who are you...?"

The young girl raised her head, looked at Caroline with her big, alert eyes, and answered:

"My name is Ariel Hanover! What's your name, please?"

Ariel said this in a very aggressive manner, but Caroline could clearly tell that she was just putting on an act.

Hanover? Albert's relatives?

She just called Albert "uncle", which means she must be the daughter of a direct descendant of Hanover...

Oh, I remember now. That little brown figure I saw at the Hanover Mansion before was her, right?

After thinking for a while, Caroline smiled and nodded:

"Yes, Albert is my uncle and my name is Caroline Williams."

As she spoke, Caroline picked up a piece of pastry from the plate on the round table next to her and handed it to Ariel in front of her.

"Here, this dessert tastes delicious."

Ariel glanced at the pastry in Caroline's hand and couldn't help but roll her throat.

"No...well I don't want to eat."

Caroline didn't say anything, just pinched the pastry and looked at Ariel with a smile.

After a while of stalemate, Ariel, who was pretending, finally couldn't hold on any longer.

She still took the pastry from Caroline, looked at it briefly, and then took a small bite.

"tasty..."

Ariel said in a very low voice.

"If it's something that doesn't taste good, I won't give it to you."

Caroline rested her hands on her knees, carefully observing Ariel's expression.

After seeing the latter relax, she asked:

"So, little Ariel, what do you want from me?"

"Not little Ariel, just Ariel." Ariel said vaguely with her mouth full of pastries.

What? Isn't this just a child? He acted like a little adult just now...

Caroline complained in her heart, and then she heard Ariel say after eating the cake:

"I know Uncle Albert has a niece that he cares about very much. People in the family say that she is a sister who will bring bad luck to Uncle Albert. The housekeeper told me that sister will also come to today's banquet, so I want to come and see..."

No, it's ominous... Caroline's cheek twitched. This was the first time she heard how people from other noble families evaluated her.

After calming down, Caroline tilted her head and asked Ariel:

"So, after you've seen me in person, what kind of person do you think I am?"

Ariel raised her hand and pinched her chin, turning into a little adult again.

She thought for a moment, then, looking Caroline in the eye, she answered:

"Your hair and eyes are beautiful!"

"Uh... then what?"

"And then... and then..."

Ariel squeezed her eyes hard, like a student trying hard to think of words for her composition during a Chinese language test, but she still couldn't come up with any words in the end, so she just said very directly:

"I think you should be a good person..."

It's ok if you just send me a nice guy card...

Caroline forced a smile. She knew that in the eyes of children of this age, being a good person was already a very precious evaluation.

After thinking for a while, Caroline realized that the starting point of Ariel's words just now was Albert, so she asked:

"You seem to care about Albert a lot? Do you like him very much?"

Ariel's eyes lit up, and she nodded quickly and said:

"Yeah! Besides my father, the person I admire most is Uncle Albert!"

"He is so nice to me! Many people admire him, including many older sisters."

"It's just... I don't really like those sisters..."

Wow, that's so sinful, Albert, are you so charming?

Caroline seemed to have heard some incredible rumors about Albert, and her gossipy heart was immediately ignited.

Just as she wanted to continue digging out some magical knowledge about Albert, she suddenly realized that Ariel seemed too old to travel alone to attend the party.

Since such a young Ariel is also here, doesn't that mean she is from the Hanover family...

"Ariel!"

Sure enough, just as Caroline was thinking of this, a stern voice came from the other side of the restaurant.

Caroline looked up and saw a middle-aged man in a suit with a stand-up collar and unique patterns. He was holding a treasured cane in his hand and walking towards her with a serious expression.

"Father!"

Ariel responded happily, then quickly ran towards the approaching man.

The latter stretched out his left hand and grabbed Ariel who was running over, and with a serious expression he lowered his head and said something to Ariel.

Then he raised his head and looked at Caroline, who had just stood up.

"I am Bernhard, the eldest son of the Hanover family, and Ariel's father."

The eldest son of Hanover... Caroline glanced into Bernhard's eyes, and then looked at his brown hair, which was different from Albert's but similar to Ariel's.

"Good evening, Mr. Bernhard, I'm Caroline."

"I know who you are, so there's no need to introduce yourself."

Bernhard looked Caroline up and down with a stern face.

"Is that what Albert wasted his time on you?"

Caroline narrowed her eyes and replied with a smile:

"Yes, Uncle Albert would rather waste his time on me. Who knows why?"

Bernhard's eyes revealed a little anger, but only a little, and he controlled his emotions.

"Hope you have a great night."

After casually saying this, Bernhard patted Ariel on the shoulder and prepared to turn around and take her away.

"Oh, Bernhard, it's been a long time."

As a result, before he could walk away, the plump and tall Duke Negan came over accompanied by his personal servants.

After looking at Bernhard, he looked at Ariel who was beside the former's legs.

"Oh, Ariel is already this big? Looks like our social scene will soon be experiencing a new shock."

It was easy for Duke Negan to come up with greasy words of praise. It was unclear whether this was to stabilize his image among the aristocrats or because such words were the only ones he could say.

"Good evening, Duke Negan."

Bernhard's expression was still serious and rigid, even more expressionless than Albert's.

He didn't seem to want to say much to Duke Negan. After a brief greeting and communication, he left the restaurant with Ariel.

Duke Negan didn't care about Bernhard's attitude. He turned around and looked at Caroline at the round table.

"Look, look. I said that if Miss Caroline dressed up seriously, many young gentlemen would be crazy about you."

Duke Negan walked over with a smile. Caroline lifted her skirt and saluted him seriously.

"Good evening, Your Excellency the Duke. This is truly a grand banquet."

"Haha, if you like, I can hold such banquets every day."

Negan laughed, and the skin on his face trembled, making people worry about his future health.

"It's better not to do this. You know, there are still many people in Backlund who are suffering from hunger and cold." Caroline slightly put away her smile.

"Oh, I didn't expect Miss Caroline to be so concerned about people's livelihood."

Nigan shook the red wine glass in his hand and laughed:

"Trust the Royal Government. Our powerful Kingdom of Loen is such that even the poorest workers can hold their chests high with pride for the strength of the Kingdom and its vast colonies! This is great spiritual food."

A classic quote appeared. This is really England in another world...

Caroline smiled politely and responded:

"If that's the case, that's not bad."

Duke Negan narrowed his eyes and looked at Caroline for a while, and the latter suddenly felt a strong sense of oppression under his gaze.

Caroline's heartbeat quickened a little. She didn't do anything else, but just rubbed her arms, intentionally sending out a signal of uneasiness.

Seeing Caroline's actions, Duke Negan immediately smiled and raised his glass to her.

"Enjoy this party."

...

I watched Duke Negan leave the "restaurant" and walk towards the dance floor at the other end of the corridor.

Caroline breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the round table, frowning as she recalled the feeling she had just experienced.

That kind of strange gaze and pressure, as a "hunter" with the most acute senses, Caroline was sure that this was the aura that could only be released by extraordinary people.

Is Duke Negan also an Extraordinary?

Well...it's very likely that for a noble patriarch as powerful as him, it wouldn't be surprising even for an Extraordinary.

Judging from his conversation with Bernhard just now, it seems that the relationship between the Hanover family and Duke Negan is not very close.

Duke Negan is the main supporter of the Conservative Party, but Hanover is not a member of the New Party...

So where does their conflict come from?

Under such circumstances, what role does Albert, whose relationship with Duke Negan is obviously more relaxed, play in Loen's political house of cards?

Caroline took a sip of juice while thinking, and looked casually towards other places in the "restaurant".

Then she saw a rather handsome and familiar face walking towards her from the other side of the corridor.

She quickly put down the cup and walked towards the other person with a smile.

Before she was halfway there, Audrey, who entered the "restaurant" from the other side of the corridor, also saw her.

"Huh? Caroline, you're here too!"Chapter 155 ReportTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3315 words Update time: 2025-07-02 13:00:00

Backlund, Hillston District.

A slight clicking sound echoed in Baron Gramire's bedroom, and Qilingus, who had transformed into the other party, slowly stuffed the body of the unfortunate noble into the closet.

After changing into the baron's attire, Zilingos looked at himself in the mirror. After confirming that he looked no different from Baron Gramiel, he adjusted his cuffs and collar, applied a few drops of perfume, and then walked out of the room.

"Don't let anyone into my room. There are very valuable items in there."

Qi Lingos spoke calmly to the butler waiting on the side, receiving a respectful nod from the latter.

After giving his instructions, Qi Lingos walked down the stairs calmly and came to the carriage that had been prepared at the garden gate.

Accompanied by his butler, he got into the carriage.

A few greetings were heard outside the carriage, and soon the carriage began to move with a slight shake.

About half an hour later, the carriage stopped outside the final destination, Duke Negan's mansion.

Qi Lingos got off the carriage, half-raised his head and looked around, then disguised himself as a baron and walked slowly into the Duke's mansion.

Passing by the servant who bowed and saluted at the door, Qi Lingos walked into the hall at the front of the mansion.

The lively atmosphere and exciting music immediately surrounded him, but he was not moved at all.

He quickly scanned the area but did not find Duke Negan.

Qi Lingos glanced at the noble gentlemen and ladies dancing on the dance floor in the hall, sneered in his heart with disdain, and then strode to the other side of the corridor.

As soon as he walked into the "restaurant", he saw two long rows of dining tables and countless delicacies placed on them.

"To satisfy the appetite while not letting go of those animal instincts... Haha, Rune is spending money to feed these pigs..."

Qi Lingos moved closer to the table and took a closer look at the food, which was so exquisite that it was a little disgusting. He had never seen it at sea.

He stood where he was, continuing to look for the figure he was looking for.

Suddenly, a faint golden light passed by the corner of Qi Lingos' eyes and accidentally touched him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice you."

If it were at sea, Qi Lingos would have lost his temper when he encountered this situation. He would have scolded the other person harshly, asking if he had eyes, and then consider whether to use this person to feed his "creeping hunger".

But because he had to pretend to be Baron Gramiel, and because the person who bumped into him was not one of those disgusting idiots on the sea, he kept a gentle tone and said to the pretty young lady in front of him:

"It doesn't matter."

Then he turned and left. Before leaving, he looked at the other person again and licked his lips secretly.

...

Caroline, carrying a plate and picking up some food, walked to the round table. Waiting for her at the table was Audrey, whom she had just met.

After learning from the old butler Henry that Earl Hall would also come to the party, Caroline expected to see Audrey here.

After a brief greeting, Caroline went to pick up some food and poured a glass of juice for Audrey.

Looking at Caroline who had returned, Audrey smiled and said:

"I envy you, Caroline. I can't eat too much. If I eat too much and gain weight, Anne will start nagging me."

"It turns out that eating can make you gain weight."

Caroline put down her plate and touched her belly.

Her appetite was no different from her previous life on Earth: three meals a day plus snacks from time to time, and an occasional midnight snack.

But even so, her weight has not changed much, which may be related to the high-intensity exercise when she plays the role of "Hunter".

"Maybe extraordinary strength can help me lose weight."

Caroline smiled as she raised her whimsical idea with Audrey.

Use extraordinary powers to lose weight... Audrey opened her mouth slightly, and when she entered the "audience" state, she added a label of "rich in ideas" to her impression of Caroline.

Unable to comment on this, Audrey had to talk about other topics.

She glanced at Baron Gramiel who had already left the "restaurant", and then whispered to Caroline:

"The person you just bumped into is Baron Gramiel, who is also a familiar face that often appears at various banquets."

Caroline looked back and asked:

"What kind of man is he?"

"Well... Baron Gramire's position is not high. He is a bit timid and not very confident. And there are rumors that Baron Gramire is in a debt crisis. If it is not handled properly, it may lead to the decline of his family property."

Although it was somewhat impolite to comment on others behind their backs, since it was something Caroline wanted to know, Audrey treated it as an exchange of information similar to that at a Tarot Club.

"I don't see him as if he's going through a debt crisis."

Caroline picked up a piece of pastry, chewed it for a few times and said.

"He seems quite confident. When I apologized to him just now, he behaved very calmly. He doesn't seem like a timid person."

Audrey frowned slightly as she listened to Caroline's words.

"Indeed, I also feel that Baron Gramiel is a little different today..."

As a "spectator", Audrey can see more than Caroline, but if she wants to make a deeper judgment, she still needs to contact Caroline directly to provide information.

"Did you notice anything about Baron Gramire?"

Caroline thought for a moment and replied:

"He has a strong perfume smell on him. How should I put it... He seems a bit ostentatious."

"Does it smell like perfume?"

Caroline's words were too straightforward. Audrey had to think for a moment before she realized that Caroline was actually talking about the "top notes" of Baron Gramiel's perfume that had not yet fully dissipated.

This is not right... Baron Gramiel's habit should be to let the perfume spread to the "bottom", so that people will think he is elegant and not ostentatious...

Moreover, his behavior today was different from before. Baron Gramir was a man who wanted to communicate with beautiful ladies, but because of his own timidity, he did not dare to look them directly in the eye.

If it were before, he would have said more to Caroline and at the same time would have looked away from Caroline and not looked directly at her.

But just now, Baron Gramiel was very frugal with his words, and his eyes were very calm as he looked directly at Caroline...

Suddenly, Audrey thought of a possibility, and her expression froze.

Caroline, who was standing in front of Audrey, immediately noticed the change in her expression. She immediately became serious and asked:

"What's wrong?"

Audrey rolled her throat, glanced in the direction of the corridor, then leaned forward and whispered to Caroline:

"Do you remember the pirate general I asked you to find in the letter?"

Audrey later wrote to Caroline again. After reporting Darkholme's murder through the secret sentry, Caroline planned to write back directly to inform her of the matter, but because she learned that Earl Hall would come to attend Duke Negan's banquet, she planned to wait until the banquet to communicate directly with Audrey.

Why did Audrey suddenly bring this up? What was she suspecting?

Wait a minute, Qi Lingos's description seems to include the ability to perfectly disguise himself as someone else...

No way, is Audrey suspecting that Baron Gramiel just now was Qilingos in disguise?

Caroline was not familiar with the true appearance of these nobles, but since Audrey had doubts, Caroline decided to trust herself who was familiar with these nobles and was also an "audience".

Pretending that she hadn't analyzed anything, Caroline nodded and said:

"Remember, I was just about to tell you that the murder case in the East District might have been the work of Qi Lingos."

Dear Caroline, your news is a little delayed...

Audrey thought about it, and then said:

"Qilingos has the ability to disguise himself as someone else. Today's Baron Gramiel is really different. I suspect that he might be Qilingos in disguise..."

Caroline's expression suddenly became serious. She thought for a moment and said to Audrey in a low voice:

"We can't rule out this possibility!"

"Should we tell anyone else about this?"

Audrey nodded and said:

"I'll talk to my father, Caroline, you..."

"I'll go over and take a look. Qi Lingos must have some purpose for sneaking into the party." Caroline said, turning away. "Don't worry, I will be careful."

Audrey wanted to call out to her, but Caroline moved quickly and walked to the other side of the corridor.

Clenching her fists, Audrey quickly left the spot and went to look for her father, Earl Hall.

…

Caroline was naturally not such an impulsive person. She made an excuse to leave in order to use the "Void Cube" to check the situation and inform Klein of the matter.

Caroline walked down the long corridor and turned into a small hallway, then entered the bathroom.

After locking the door, she quickly took out the "Silver Key" from her neck and expanded the "Void Cube" to a limited extent.

In the virtual and solid space, the role of the "map" is very limited. After all, there are many people here, and these people will not reveal their identities clearly.

Caroline skipped the "map" and looked directly at the stacked "reports", wanting to see if there was any information there.

The "Report" at the top only contains the simplest record.

"Banquet at the Duke's Palace"

"In order to gain political support for the proposals he wants to promote, Paras Nigan has held many banquets in succession."

"Amidst the clinking of cups and the singing of birds, the kingdom's next course of travel was determined by the intrigues of these people."

"There is no threshold to the banquet. Everyone is welcome here, regardless of whether you are actually invited or not."

——"Enjoy the night!"

There was no clear information in the "report", but Caroline saw a strange flavor in the text.

Sarcastic... Yes, it's sarcastic!

This "report" exudes a sense of ridicule from beginning to end, as if there were some unknown factors in Duke Negan's banquet.

Combined with Audrey's belief that Baron Gramiel might be a disguised Qilingos, Caroline now became more and more convinced that this was a fact.

Regardless of whether Baron Gramiel suddenly changed his gender or he was actually Zilingos in disguise, they had to act accordingly.

After putting away the Void Cube, Caroline immediately called out the honorific name of The Fool in Hermetic and sent an urgent text message to Klein.Chapter 156 ActionTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3169 words Update time: 2025-07-02 18:02:53

Tingen, 2 Daffodil Street.

Wednesday night was very leisurely and relaxing. With nothing to do all day, Klein stayed at home and discussed the details of the kingdom's civil service examination with his brother Benson and sister Melissa.

"I think Benson can definitely try to prepare for an exam." Klein said with a smile, holding the teacup in his hand. "It doesn't matter if he fails. The situation won't get worse. But if he succeeds, then our lives will surely get better."

"I agree with Klein."

Melissa nodded quickly, put down the gear parts in her hand, and looked at Benson.

"If you can become a civil servant, it will be a great advantage for you, Benson."

"Klein is still young, but Benson, you are already old enough to start a family and build a career. If you become a civil servant, it will definitely add a lot of points to your qualifications!"

"Compared to your idea, Melissa, I agree more with Klein's starting point." Benson smiled as he sat on the single sofa.

Then he put away his smile, touched his pitiful hairline, and began to think seriously.

Seeing that Benson was already somewhat interested in this, Klein prepared to give him a little more motivation.

And at this moment, an illusory whisper suddenly sounded in Klein's ears.

Someone is praying to me...?

Klein's expression froze for a moment, and then he smiled again, put down the teacup in his hand, and walked towards the bathroom.

Benson and Melissa looked at Klein who had suddenly stood up, and when they saw him walking towards the bathroom, they looked away.

"Benson, this is really important. You are already 25 years old this year."

Melissa was still trying to persuade Benson with her understanding, but Benson just had a calm expression, picked up the newspaper, and said seriously:

"25 is still the age to strive for success."

Listening to the conversation in the living room behind him, Klein entered the bathroom and closed the door, isolating himself from his brother and sister's voices.

After locking the door, he quickly took four steps backwards, and as he recited the spell, he soon arrived above the gray fog.

In the magnificent and majestic palace, Klein's figure appeared at the top of the long bronze table, and before him was a crimson star that was constantly rising and falling.

Caroline's Star...

Klein tapped the armrest of the chair with his left hand. He raised his right hand and stretched it toward the star, spreading his spirituality over it.

The moment he touched the stars, his brain buzzed, and then he saw Caroline, wearing a long dress and with her hair carefully braided, sitting in the bathroom, with her hands clasped together, praying sincerely.

And that familiar voice, along with the prayer, echoed in Klein's ears:

"Old Zhou, I found someone who looked like Qi Lingos at the banquet hosted by Duke Negan."

"Miss Justice is here too. She discovered something."

"There is a guy named Baron Gramiel who is most likely Qilingos in disguise. His behavior is completely different from usual."

"It's time for your big hands to exert their strength!"

...…

What do you mean by my big hands? Do you think I can handle a Sequence 6?

Klein rubbed his forehead helplessly.

He already knew that Caroline had offline dealings with Miss Justice, but the former knew that the latter was also in the Tarot Club, but the latter did not know the former.

Since it was Miss Justice who discovered the anomaly, the credibility of this news is even higher, after all, it comes from the observation of the "audience".

However, I didn't expect Qi Lingos to take action so quickly. It's only been a few days...

Well, he sneaked into a noble party, and he definitely didn't go there just to attend the banquet.

The Hanged Man said that Qilingos came ashore to complete a mission, and perhaps his mission was at that banquet.

Tsk, this action is really too fast, I haven't even figured out how to help yet...

How about...telling this matter to The Hanged Man first, and then using the copper whistle to notify Mr. Azik?

His interest in the extraordinary item in Zillingos's possession should allow him to help.

Yes, do it!

...

In the bathroom of Duke Negan's mansion in Queens District, Backlund.

After sending the message, Caroline opened her eyes. She pretended to have just washed her hands and walked out of the bathroom while quietly waiting for Klein's reply.

It was night time now, and Klein was most likely free, so he should get a response soon.

Sure enough, when Caroline walked back to the corridor and headed towards the front hall, her eyes blurred and a faint mist appeared.

In the center of the fog, Klein sat on a high-back chair in the mysterious posture of The Fool, looking down at her.

"I see..."

The deep voice echoed in Caroline's ears. Her expression remained unchanged as she watched the fog dissipate before her eyes. The scene in the Duke's Mansion became clear again, and her heart suddenly felt lightened.

...

Backlund, Cherwood District, Holy Wind Cathedral.

In a small closed prayer room, Alger Wilson was sorting out the information and clues collected by the church, analyzing Qilingos's specific purpose in Backlund.

He had previously pressed several pirates at sea to reveal Qilingos' secrets, but had not gotten any clear results.

Now, even Alger, who had a history with Qi Lingos, found it difficult to draw any conclusions from these clues that were not very useful.

He sighed, leaned back in his chair, looked at the documents on the desk, and racked his brains to think.

Suddenly, his vision became blurry and a thick grey-white fog began to fill the corners of his vision.

Alger was startled and tried to react subconsciously, but then he saw the familiar high-backed chair appearing in the depths of the fog, as well as the vague and mysterious figure sitting on the chair.

Mr. Fool...!

Alger's pupils trembled slightly. This was the Holy Wind Cathedral, one of the holy places of the Church of Storms. How could Mr. Fool contact him like this? !

Before he could recover from his surprise, he saw a figure in a palace dress in a place similar to a washroom in the thick mist, lowering his head and narrating:

"...I found someone who looked like Qilingos at the banquet hosted by Duke Nigan..."

"...There is a guy named Baron Gramiel who is most likely disguised as Qilingos. His behavior is completely different from usual..."

After hearing these words, Alger, who had just recovered from his shock, immediately fell into deep joy.

Qi Lingos was discovered just like that!

He quickly raised his hand to his chest, bowed his head and silently said:

"Praise you, Mr. Fool!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everything in front of Alger disappeared without leaving any trace.

He waited for a while, making sure that there was no follow-up reaction and no one from the church rushed in to catch the heretic, then he raised his head again and breathed a sigh of relief.

I didn't expect that Qi Lingos would be found so quickly...

Duke Nigan, isn't this the big money sponsor of the Loen Conservative Party? Is Qi Lingges at the banquet he hosted?

Alger's joy grew stronger and stronger, and he decided to immediately inform the cardinal of the church, "Singer of God" Ace Snake, on the grounds of receiving urgent secret intelligence!

He quickly stood up and prepared to leave the small prayer room.

But suddenly, a strange idea came to his mind.

Why in the bathroom?

...

In the Duke Negan's mansion, the hall was filled with music and dancing figures.

Caroline, holding a glass of white wine, moved closer to the dance floor in a pretentious manner.

She felt the need to act like someone who was bored and free, so she took the glass of wine from a passing waiter.

She didn't drink a single sip, but just held it in her hand to make herself look stylish.

She walked slowly around the first floor of the hall, her eyes always observing the corridor on the second floor above the dance floor.

There were many guests scattered behind the railing on the second floor, both men and women, but all of them were holding wine glasses to some extent.

Caroline moved around and adjusted her vision, trying to find the figure of Baron Gramir.

"Beautiful lady, may I ask you to dance with me?"

Caroline's attention was entirely focused on the second floor, and she had no intention of rejecting the gentleman who approached her in an appropriate and decent manner.

"My name is Carolyn Williams, are you sure you want to dance with me?"

"Uh... sorry to bother you."

Caroline saw out of the corner of her eye that the person next to her finally walked away. She didn't even look at him, but pursed her lips and continued to look for the figure.

Just as she was about to complete a circle around the first floor and had almost seen everything on the second floor.

Finally, she saw Baron Gramiel appear behind the railing, on the corridor on the second floor.

She noticed that although Baron Gramire seemed to be chasing after a lady, he kept glancing to the side.

There it is... Caroline followed his point of view.

Right next to where Baron Gramire was heading, the obese Duke Negan was happily talking to the people around him.

Duke Negan... Could it be that Qilingos's purpose of sneaking into Backlund was to assassinate Duke Negan? !

Caroline's heart was horrified, and she subconsciously came to the most terrible guess.

She took a step forward and watched as Qilingos gradually approached Duke Negan.

Her brain was working rapidly, thinking about what she should do.

At this moment, she heard that childish voice coming from in front of her:

"Sister Caroline, why are you here?"

Caroline's pupils froze, she looked down and saw Ariel Hanover standing in front of her beside the dance floor.

"Ariel?"

She subconsciously called out the other person's name, and then, a strong sense of crisis suddenly spread from Caroline's limbs to her back.

Something is happening!

Is Qi Lingos going to take action?

She looked up immediately, but before she could see clearly what was happening on the second floor, suddenly, a teeth-grinding breaking sound was heard without warning.

The lights in front of Caroline's eyes dimmed, and then something flashed by quickly and fell.

Only then did she notice that the gorgeous crystal chandelier above the dance floor had actually fallen down.Chapter 157 The Hunter and the PreyTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3491 words Update time: 2025-07-03 13:00:54

The huge crystal chandelier fell straight down to the dance floor directly below, hitting the ground with a loud bang. Countless fragments flew around, piercing the people around them terribly and sharply.

Caroline's vision entered night vision mode the moment the light of the crystal chandelier went out. She saw the chandelier fall almost at the same time, and then "Baron Gramir" on the corridor on the second floor... no, it should be Qilingos who started to act.

She saw the chandelier fall in the middle of the dance floor, saw many people injured by this terrible accident, saw several pieces of debris flying in her direction, and in front of her... was Ariel who had not yet reacted!

Caroline gritted her teeth, stretched out her hand and grabbed Ariel's collar, not caring whether she would feel uncomfortable or hurt. She pulled her over forcefully, held her in her arms and rushed to the side with her.

"call out--"

The flying fragments passed through Caroline's shoulders and back. She could feel some of the fragments piercing into her back. Cold and hot sensations alternated, followed by periods of pain.

Without caring about the minor injury, Caroline put down the frightened Ariel, pulled out the revolver she was carrying from the belt under her skirt, and aimed the gun at the corridor on the second floor.

But before Caroline could see the situation on the second floor clearly, an extremely violent gust of wind broke out from the second floor.

The strong wind attacked everything around, blowing up the fragments of the chandelier on the ground and blurring Caroline's vision.

She raised her hands to block the wind and tried to peek at the second floor through the gap between her palms.

At this moment, she heard a powerful and majestic announcement, a shout in the ancient Hermetic language:

"captivity!"

The strong wind suddenly stopped and the chaos around calmed down a little.

Caroline's vision returned, and she quickly lowered her arms. Then she saw behind the railing on the second floor, Qilingos had taken off his disguise and was standing there motionless as if he was bound.

In front of him, Duke Nigan puffed out his chest and shouted proudly without flinching:

"Whip!"

A silent impact exploded in front of Qi Lingos. His clothes were instantly torn and flipped back. His flesh and blood were completely cut away, leaving only his bones.

Qilingos was hit! It was done by Duke Negan!

Caroline was delighted. She didn't expect that Duke Negan was such a powerful Extraordinary!

But suddenly, Caroline felt that the shot Qilingos looked a little strange.

To be more specific, there was something wrong with his expression.

In a daze, Caroline noticed that the surrounding environment became a little strange and blurry, as if revealing a sense of unreality.

This is... the ability of "Nightmare"!

Caroline had experienced "nightmare" dreams before, which allowed her to quickly understand the current situation.

That means that the severely injured Qi Lingos is...

"die!"

Just when Caroline realized that the people around her had entered a dream, Duke Negan in the corridor on the second floor swung his fist and accurately hit Qilingos' head with a powerful and unavoidable posture.

With this blow, Qilingos's head shattered, and everything around him shattered. The shattered reality fell like fallen glass. Qilingos and Duke Negan were both standing in their original positions, as if nothing had happened just now.

No, that's not right!

Qilingos did not stop there!

Caroline's eyes were dazed for a moment, and she saw Qilingos figure suddenly disappear, and then suddenly appear behind Duke Negan.

"You're still the Scarlet King!"

Caroline cursed, but the screams around her were so chaotic that no one could hear her rude and vulgar words.

She raised her revolver, aimed at Qilingus behind Duke Negan, and pulled the trigger repeatedly without thinking.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three gunshots were fired, and three bullets flew straight towards Qilingos.

Zilingos, who was about to pierce Duke Negan's body from behind with his fist clenched, realized that someone was shooting at him from below. He reacted quickly, his body turned into a hurricane, and moved to Duke Negan's left side almost at the moment the gun was fired.

For an extraordinary person of his level, it is difficult to hit him with normal gunfire.

Qi Lingos looked towards the first floor viciously, his cold and vicious eyes fixed directly on Caroline and her revolver that was still emitting smoke.

Without saying anything, Caroline raised her middle finger at him.

Qi Lingos's expression suddenly became extremely terrifying, but he had not yet lost his mind because of this incident.

He moved his lips slightly, cursing something, then he clenched his fists again, wrapped his fists with strong winds, and hit Duke Negan's head.

Qilingos's fist went straight through Duke Negan's brain, but that was all it went through.

He looked in amazement at the figure in front of him, Duke Negan, who was slowly becoming transparent and almost spirit-like. He watched the figure collapse and scatter like a water-filled balloon that had exploded. He watched the real figure of Duke Negan appear in front of a door in the distance.

Even though he didn't want to admit it, Qilingos realized that he had fallen into Duke Negan's trap.

His assassination attempt had failed and he couldn't continue like this.

Qi Lingos did not hesitate, he immediately pulled away and tried to run back.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Caroline seized the opportunity and pulled the trigger again, blocking Qilingos's retreat.

After all six bullets were used up, Caroline quickly unloaded and loaded the only other six bullets she brought with her.

Feeling the gaze, Caroline looked up and saw Duke Negan looking at her. She saw the smile on his face that was no longer so offensive and had some normal meaning.

With his retreat route blocked, Qi Lingos would not be stupid enough to just run from this side. After Caroline's first bullet flew over, he stopped and rushed to a lounge next to him. With a click, he broke open the window and flew out of the mansion.

"This guy can really run!"

Caroline muttered after loading the bullets. She looked at the chaos around her that had calmed down a little, and then said to Ariel, who was not injured but just frightened:

"Stay here and don't move! Wait for your father to come find you!"

After saying that, Caroline grabbed the pistol and rushed out of the mansion after Qi Lingos.

Of course, she would not be so reckless as to chase and kill him. She just wanted to confirm the direction in which Qi Lingos fled to facilitate subsequent discussion and analysis.

Walking out of the mansion's gate, Caroline was still trying to confirm which direction Qi Lingos was running in.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew from a distance.

Thinking it was Qi Lingos, she looked up at the sky, but saw a middle-aged man wearing the uniform of the Archbishop of the Storm Church flying over with several people dressed as priests.

He is an official Beyonder!

Did they receive news from the scene? They came pretty fast!

...

Alger Wilson, who was "carried" by the Cardinal and "Singer of God" Ace Snake, was not in a good mood.

Because he saw the nobles fleeing in chaos from Duke Negan's mansion below, and saw his colleagues chasing out of a broken window.

Qilingos escaped!

Damn it! If the Cardinal hadn't been idle and inexplicably went for a walk along the Tussock River, wasting a lot of my time looking for him, they would definitely have captured him alive by now, and I might have killed him in the chaos.

But it's too late to say anything now.

Under Ace Snake's command, the "Manufactured Punishers" quickly dispersed and ran in different directions, trying to encircle Zilingos.

Alger saw the direction his colleagues who had chased out of the house were heading. Without giving it any more thought, he chased in the direction that Qi Lingos was most likely to escape.

He rushed across the municipal park opposite the mansion and ran towards the Hillston area.

He was very familiar with Qi Lingos's character. This guy would never escape into the Tussock River so easily. He would definitely hide in a crowded place first, and then wait for an opportunity to escape.

But before Alger could run far, he heard Ace Snake's deep and majestic voice carried by the wind:

"No need to chase."

Alger stopped in his tracks and turned to look in confusion.

He saw His Excellency "Singer of God" suspended in mid-air, flying high above the woods and artificial lakes.

Without having time to think too much, Alger turned around and ran towards where Ace Snake was.

Soon, Alger rushed out of the woods and arrived in front of the artificial lake.

The red moon was reflected on the cold lake surface, and before Alger's eyes appeared a tall figure that he had been dreaming about day and night.

It's Qilingos!

He didn't run away!

Alger was not happy yet, but suddenly, he saw a terrifying change in Qi Lingos' body.

Without any warning, his body began to rot rapidly. Pieces of rotten flesh fell off his body, first the skin, then the hair, then the flesh and blood, and then the internal organs.

In the end, only a skeleton was left, which fell apart in a terrible noise and spread on the ground with his clothes.

What on earth is this...

Alger looked at the nightmare-like scene in astonishment and confusion, but there were people at the scene who were even more astonished than he was.

Caroline quietly followed the footsteps of the Beyonders and arrived nearby, hiding behind a tree. She also witnessed the strange death of Qi Lingos almost at the same time.

Qi Lingos was dead? He just died inexplicably and without any warning?

Caroline stared with wide eyes at the pool of Qilingos on the ground in the distance. She couldn't believe that this was the pirate general who had been so powerful in Duke Negan's mansion and tried to assassinate the Duke not long ago.

Qilingos, who had just appeared as a hunter, had now turned into a prey and was hunted by other more powerful hunters.

Caroline couldn't even connect the two events. From her perspective, Qilingos died for no reason. He might have simply encountered a being far more powerful than him and lost his life.

Perhaps, perhaps this was the reason for Qi Lingos' death. There were no other complicated factors. It was just because he became someone else's prey.

Just like the gang leader Darkholm who was causing chaos in the East District was killed by Qilingos, and just like the Soren family who came to hunt Caroline were hunted by her and Mikhail in turn.

Their deaths all had one thing in common, that is, in the process of being hunters, they unknowingly became the prey of others.

Ah... that's the reason, it's such a simple reason.

The identities of hunter and prey can be switched at any time.

No matter how powerful a hunter is, he may become someone else's prey without realizing it. And no matter how weak a prey is, it may suddenly become a hunter who kills others.

There is no other reason, things are always moving and changing, this is the connection between hunter and prey!

In the shock of witnessing Qi Lingos' death, Caroline suddenly felt that some confusion in her mind was resolved.

At the same time, she heard an illusory sound of something breaking beside her ears, and clearly felt that something in her body was dissolving and completely merging with her spirit.

It was a feeling that was hard to describe, but also a feeling that only she knew.

Caroline didn't need any reminders to realize that her "Hunter" potion had been completely digested.Chapter 158 After the CalmdownTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3131 words Update time: 2025-07-03 18:00:00

The news of Qilingos' death was not widely spread. Before the "Manufactured Punishers" took the initiative to discover her, Caroline had already left the woods and returned to Duke Negan's mansion.

Outside the Duke's Mansion, the chaotic scene had just calmed down, and the noble gentlemen and ladies who had fled in all directions were staying in the garden outside to calm down.

As the lights were completely dark, they had no idea what had happened. They could only guess from the scene and the accounts of the people around them that the Duke might have been assassinated.

However, when the nobles saw Duke Negan talking to someone who seemed to be a policeman, they realized that the assassination attempt had failed. The Duke was safe and sound, but the assassin did not seem to have been caught.

Caroline quietly walked into Duke Negan's mansion from the woods nearby and mixed in with the group of nobles, as if she had just escaped from a fright.

Arriving in front of the mansion, Caroline glanced at Duke Negan, who was talking to the disguised official Beyonder with his chest puffed out and his head half tilted back, looking very comfortable. She intentionally moved a little closer and listened to what they were saying.

"Your Excellency, did you know in advance that someone was going to assassinate you?"

"No, that's impossible. This is totally beyond my expectation. I just like to bring more guards with me on weekdays. Look, they came in handy today, didn't they?"

Duke Negan had that smile on his face, filled with a kind of pride that came from the bottom of his heart.

The Mandated Punisher standing in front of Duke Negan frowned and asked:

"Some people said that they heard gunshots when the assassins were attacking. Were there other assassins present at the time?"

"Well..."

Duke Negan's gaze turned away slightly and instantly caught sight of Caroline standing beside him.

When Caroline saw him looking at her, she lowered her head and walked away.

Duke Negan smiled, shook his head and said:

"There were no other assassins. Those gunshots came from my bodyguards."

Duke Negan saw me shooting, but he didn't choose to expose me...

This should be considered a gesture of good will. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that my bullets are flying towards Qilingos, not to mention Duke Negan...

Well, Duke Negan is indeed a Beyonder, just as imagined, and he is powerful enough to fight even with Qilingos who possesses the magical item "Creeping Hunger".

Are all the great nobles in the kingdom Beyonders?

Not necessarily. For example, Audrey's father doesn't look like an extraordinary person, but they should all have some understanding of extraordinary people.

Thinking of this, Caroline walked towards the interior of the mansion.

Before she had walked far, Caroline saw Audrey walking towards her in a hurry.

As soon as she saw Caroline, her face immediately showed joy.

"What's going on?"

She came up to Caroline and asked quietly.

"Duke Negan is fine, but Qi Lingos is dead." Caroline thought for a moment and added, "He was killed by a strong man who appeared out of nowhere. The official Beyonders don't seem to know who killed Qi Lingos."

"Qilingus is dead?!"

Audrey covered her mouth and exclaimed, but suddenly, she seemed to understand something, and immediately closed her mouth and nodded slightly.

Hmm? Did Audrey make a guess? Who did she think of?

Wait a minute, Lao Zhou mentioned before that if the "Hanged Man" needs help, he can ask his "Followers" for help.

The "follower" that Lao Zhou mentioned is actually his mentor with a mysterious origin.

Hiss... In other words, the person who killed Qi Lingos might be the mentor?

It turns out that the mysterious and powerful warrior is one of us!

After figuring this out, Caroline pretended not to notice Audrey's expression and smiled and said comfortingly:

"At least we don't have to worry about Qilingos's revenge in the future. I even shot him a few times."

"A pirate like him must be very vengeful. I don't want to be attacked when I walk on the road later."

"So those gunshots were caused by you, Caroline." Audrey said in surprise. She looked at Caroline carefully and saw the blood spots seeping out of her back.

"You're hurt!"

Caroline waved her hand and pointed to the messy floor and the shattered crystal chandelier in the hall.

"It's just an accident. It's not a serious injury. I will recover soon."

"You should go see a doctor! What if the wound gets infected?"

"It's a minor problem. I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

"Sleep, take a nap?"

Audrey stared blankly at Caroline, who didn't care about her injuries at all, as if the wounds didn't even exist on her.

But what Audrey didn't know was that this minor injury was indeed a minor injury compared to the one Caroline was shot by Leonique before.

Facing Audrey's worried gaze, Caroline looked behind her and saw Earl Hall walking over from the other end of the corridor.

"Your father is here to see you."

Audrey turned around and saw Lord Hall waving at her.

"Then I'll be leaving first... Well, if you need anything, be sure to write to me!"

After giving Caroline a few instructions, Audrey went to her father.

"I have so many needs..." Caroline whispered with a smile.

She stayed there for a while, and only after she saw Audrey walking away with Earl Hall did she continue walking towards the other end of the corridor.

After passing the "restaurant", she came to the guest lounge behind the Duke's Mansion. She looked around here but didn't find the person she was looking for.

Then she walked out from the back door leading to the lounge and came to the back garden of the Duke's Mansion.

When the assassination happened in the hall just now, some nobles left through the back door and evacuated to the back garden in an emergency.

Walking through the porch, Caroline's eyes swept over the nobles who were talking to each other, and soon locked onto the old butler Henry standing in the corner.

At this time, next to the old butler stood a tall and straight man dressed in waiter's clothes.

Caroline walked closer and took a closer look, and recognized that the man was one of the two secret sentries who tipped off her that day.

He was talking to the old butler with his head down. When he saw Caroline coming, he nodded to the old butler, then disappeared into the crowd and disappeared in a short while.

The old butler looked at Caroline who was walking over. Although there was still a smile on his face, the feeling he gave was a little different from before.

"Master Albert's men told me that you just went out to chase the assassin."

Hearing the old housekeeper's words, Caroline paused for a moment, then spread her hands helplessly and said:

"I chased after him subconsciously. You know I hate assassins."

The old butler nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, yes. No one wants to encounter such a vicious assassin, not to mention twice..."

Then he raised his head, and his eyes changed slightly, but Caroline couldn't read what it meant. She only heard the old housekeeper say to her:

"Master Bernhard, tell me that you just protected Miss Ariel?"

"That can't be considered protection. I just took her away from danger."

The old butler's brows drooped slightly, he walked a few steps to the side and looked at Caroline's back.

"You are injured. Do you need my help to find medical assistance?"

"No, you can just find someone to help me pull out these glass fragments."

Caroline turned her head to look at the old housekeeper, and after a moment of deliberation, she said:

"Besides, I hope to leave here as soon as possible."

...

Kingdom of Loen, northern border.

Inside the camp where the border defense troops were stationed, in the tall tent that symbolized the command of the troops, Major General Albert Hanover was leaning over a desk, frowning as he stared at a border map spread out in front of him.

The map was filled with various symbols, some representing border defense forces, some representing the army of the Feysac Empire, and some representing forces outside of these two countries.

Albert was silently calculating something until hurried footsteps were heard outside the tent. Colonel Luca entered the tent with news, interrupting Albert's thoughts.

"General, the messenger has come to report urgent information from Backlund!"

Albert did not raise his eyes and said in a deep voice:

"read."

Colonel Luca put down his saluting hand, spread out the letter in his hand, and read aloud:

"Vice Admiral Hurricane Zillingos infiltrated Backlund with the intention of assassinating Duke Negan at the dinner on Wednesday."

"Miss Caroline was at the scene, fired several shots at Chillingas, and then chased after the Mandated Punisher."

"Qilingus was attacked and killed by a powerful person from the 'Death God' path who came from an unknown source. Backlund is currently trying to investigate."

"Miss Caroline was protected by Duke Negan, and the official Beyonder did not notice her."

Colonel Luca narrated calmly, his voice echoing in the tent, as if it would be bounced back if it touched the boundary of the tent and would not leak out.

"besides..."

"Well, Miss Caroline protected Miss Ariel who was also at the scene when Qilingos was assassinating her, and she was scratched by the fragments of the falling chandelier."

Albert, who was looking down at the map, suddenly widened his eyes. He finally raised his head and looked at Colonel Luca.

"That's all the messenger said?"

Colonel Luca nodded and handed the letter to Albert.

The latter took the parchment and quickly scanned the paper with an indifferent gaze.

After a long moment, he nodded slightly and threw the parchment aside.

"I understand. Go ahead and rest."

"Uh, are you going to take a break?"

Albert turned his head and glanced at Colonel Luca.

"What's wrong? Do you want me to give you something to do?"

"Well, then don't bother the general. I'll go and rest now!"

Colonel Luca stood firm, saluted again, then turned and left the tent.

After Colonel Luca left, Albert withdrew his gaze and glanced dimly at the parchment he had thrown aside.

"Qilingus assassinated Pallas Nigan..."

"The upper echelons of the kingdom don't seem to be what I thought before..."

"We have to think of a new way out..."

Albert whispered, reaching out to touch a marker on the map.Chapter 159 The ProvocateurTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3194 words Update time: 2025-07-04 13:30:00

"Death of a Pirate"

"Recently, the famous pirate general, "Vice Admiral Hurricane" Qilingos, has set off a series of incidents in Backlund. The Backlund Police Department and the official Beyonders can do almost nothing about him, because this cunning pirate is very good at disguising and hiding himself, and they can't find him easily. "

"However, no matter how powerful an existence is, it will always reveal flaws, and all changes always start from within."

"Qilingos's purpose for coming ashore was very pure. He came here to assassinate Duke Nigan, a great noble of the Loen Conservative Party. If he succeeds, he will be able to complete the commission and get what he wants."

"But unfortunately, Qilingos did not expect that Duke Negan had already prepared for his assassination. He launched an attack at the banquet, but failed to kill Duke Negan, which eventually led to his own death."

"Qilingos is dead, like a poor animal run over by a cart."

"His extraordinary properties fell on the spot and have been recovered by the Punishers, but the "Creeping Hunger" was taken away by Azik Eggers. This extraordinary item with the "Shepherd" property can help this descendant of the God of Death evoke more memories of his past life."

"The death of Qilingos will bring new fluctuations to the ocean situation, and the pirates will start a new round of strife."

"The turmoil in Backlund has come to an end for the time being. Can we really wait for the peace we expected?"

——"The pirates who come ashore are doomed to die!"

Caroline turned her eyes slightly and glanced at the words on the "report", then put away the "Void Cube" and looked at the sink in front of her.

…

Early morning, Thursday, August 30th.

After finishing washing, Caroline slowly turned around and twisted her head to check the wound on her back.

Yesterday, the old butler Henry sent her back to 7 Blaise Street and arranged for several private medical staff to help her clean her wounds.

Of course, these so-called private medical staff were actually no different from the professionals who had dressed her up before; they were all servants from the Hanover family.

After taking a look at the wound that had scabbed and begun to heal, Caroline knew that her recovery ability was strong enough. Fortunately, she had only asked the medical staff to help her remove the glass fragments yesterday and then sent them away.

After getting dressed, Caroline slowly walked down the stairs and went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of milk.

Qi Lingos' death has been confirmed, and Backlund's affairs can be said to have come to a temporary end.

The "report" didn't say much, but it did point out the person who killed Qi Lingos yesterday.

Azik Eggers, this seems to be the reliable mentor that Lao Zhou always talks about.

Caroline didn't know the other person, but as long as Klein could trust him, Caroline wouldn't think too much about it.

only...

"Qilingos's Beyonder characteristics were directly recovered, and his Beyonder items were taken away as spoils of war. This guy really didn't leave any surplus value behind..."

I heard that a reward of 10,000 gold pounds was offered for Qi Lingos, but I don't know how this reward will be dealt with in the end.

Well, it probably won't have much to do with Caroline anyway.

Alas, that's 10,000 pounds… half a year's income from my estate…

To ease her mood, Caroline drank some milk and walked to the front hall with the cup.

As soon as she entered the front hall, she saw a strange-looking creature cautiously poking its head out from behind the coffee table.

It was the messenger who had delivered the letter to her before!

To be precise, it was Ovis Wein's messenger.

The strange, almost transparent creature raised its hand tremblingly, trying to quietly place the letter in its hand on the coffee table.

It was so focused that it didn't even notice Caroline's arrival, even though her footsteps made no sound because she was not wearing shoes.

Caroline looked at it quietly, drank some milk, and then coughed lightly.

"Ahem."

The messenger creature shuddered, its entire body elongated oddly, but its lower half remained on the ground.

When it saw Caroline, it hurriedly threw the letter away, and then, like last time, it dived into the air somewhere and disappeared there.

The messengers seemed to be spirit creatures that had been contracted. Was it so easy for them to enter and exit the spirit world?

I haven't seen what the spirit world looks like yet…

Caroline, who was no longer surprised, walked over slowly, bent down to pick up the letter, then turned around and sat on the sofa and began to open the letter.

As soon as the letter paper was spread out, Ovis Wein's elegant handwriting appeared on it.

"Dear Miss Williams, this is very gratifying."

"I think you have heard it too. Yes, Qilingos is dead. He fell last night."

"Although I don't know what exactly happened, the good news is that the shadow that shrouded the sky of Backlund can finally be dispelled - of course, this is just a metaphor, and the weather in Backlund is still as bad as ever."

"I think we can finally meet again, and I have another good news to tell you. Mikhail has already sent me the Beyonder characteristic, but because Qilingos was still in Backlund a few days ago, I temporarily suppressed the news."

"Haha, I always like continuous good news, so I never spread anything related to bad news."

"If you are ready to complete the transaction, please come to the underground trading market at 1 pm today!"

Good news really comes one after another.

Caroline smiled happily, put down the letter, clinked her glasses in the air, and drank the milk in the glass.

...

One o'clock in the afternoon, in the underground trading market in the East District of Backlund.

Caroline, who had changed her clothes, knocked on the secret door of the underground trading market skillfully.

The guard behind the door opened the secret door, looked inside, and then led Caroline inside.

After walking a few steps inside, Caroline saw Ovis setting up his stall again in the familiar corner.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

Seeing Caroline arrive as scheduled, Ovis greeted her with a smile. The death of Qilingos seemed to really make him happy. It seemed that the pirate general did leave him with a bad memory.

Arriving at the stall, Caroline exchanged a few words with Ovis, who then took out a small, well-sealed metal box from behind him.

"As agreed, this is your extraordinary characteristic."

Ovis smiled and pushed the box towards Caroline.

Caroline took the box and looked at it carefully, but couldn't see anything mysterious in it.

"Is there any taboo about this box?" She looked at Ovis and asked.

"There is no taboo. You just need to open it and take out the Beyonder characteristics."

Ovis adjusted his sitting position and leaned forward to speak.

"Of course, if you open the box, its sealing effect will be invalid. You'd better use it immediately, otherwise it may undergo some unpleasant changes."

Caroline nodded, put the box in her arms, then took out a note and handed it to Ovis.

"This is the remaining money. It's also in an unregistered account, and it's also in Backlund Bank."

"I like doing business with straightforward customers like you."

Ovis' smile became brighter. He took the note and did not read the contents immediately. Instead, he stretched out his hand and shook hands with Caroline warmly.

...

3pm, 7 Blaise Street.

In the attic with the lights on, Caroline packed up the tools she had used before.

After digesting the potion, Caroline was ready to start advancing to the next level immediately. After all, she was not like Klein, who had to pass the church's review for promotion.

As long as she is sure that the potion is completely digested, she can wait for the opportunity to start the next stage of promotion.

With the experience of mixing the potion for the first time, Caroline was no longer as nervous as before, but she was still a little excited about the upcoming promotion.

Sequence 8... I can finally have an active skill...

Taking a deep breath, Caroline counted the auxiliary materials needed for the potion formula. These were the items she had bought a few days ago and stored in the attic.

50 ml of distilled spirit, 10 drops of honeysuckle hydrosol, 5 grams of grapevine powder, 10 grams of water fern powder, and...

Caroline reached out and stroked the small metal box, which contained the most important main ingredient of the entire potion formula, the extraordinary characteristics of a provocateur she had hunted down with her own hands.

"We're almost ready, let's start early and finish early."

With that in mind, Caroline stood up and walked four steps backwards before informing Klein of her upcoming promotion.

Caroline had to pay more attention to the changes that occurred when she took the potion for the first time. Although she and Klein later concluded that it might be because her original body had already taken the potion and there were still extraordinary residues in her body, she still wanted to add an extra insurance.

If something goes wrong again after drinking the potion, Klein would just pull her up into the gray fog like he did before.

After sending the message with the help of the luck-changing ritual, Caroline sat back in her chair, looked at her pocket watch, and waited quietly for a reply.

After a while, a hazy gray mist appeared in front of Caroline's eyes.

Deep in the gray fog, on a high-backed chair hanging somewhere, a blurry and distorted figure slowly said:

"I'm ready..."

Lao Zhou, it turns out you are still SpongeBob.

Caroline lowered her head and smiled, then stopped waiting and began to prepare the potion.

When the small metal box was opened, a strange, slight wave slowly dissipated, and Caroline took out the dark black stone that still emitted a foul smell.

Then, she poured the materials into the crucible in order, and finally threw the Beyonder Characteristics into it.

After a violent but restrained shaking, the wonderful changes in the crucible gradually subsided, and a pot of constantly rolling, black, viscous, strange liquid was obtained.

The appearance of the liquid was really not very good, and Caroline even suspected that she had mixed the potion incorrectly.

So she waited for a while, and soon, a magnificent voice echoed in her ears.

"The potion is correct..."

Divination is really useful...

Caroline curled the corners of her mouth, without hesitation, picked up the crucible, pinched her nose and drank it.Chapter 160: Visiting to Thank YouTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3306 words Update time: 2025-07-04 18:30:00

Caroline was young and frivolous. To have fun, she bought a lot of so-called "most unpalatable drinks" online and tried their flavors with her good friends.

Among them, the two that impressed Caroline the most and were also the most difficult to drink were the Laoshan White Snake Grass Water and the Red Scream.

She had thought that it would be unlikely for her to encounter anything more unpalatable than this.

But now, Caroline had the opportunity to witness it.

The moment the black potion entered her mouth, it brought an extreme terror attack to her taste buds. She felt as if she had eaten a mixture of snake grass water and red scream that was ten times concentrated.

The taste was even more disgusting. One of Caroline's most hated creatures was slugs, and now she felt like she had swallowed a slug in her mouth.

More importantly, Caroline couldn't drink it bit by bit. The moment the liquid in the crucible entered her mouth, it seemed to have a soul and slid into her throat on its own.

She could clearly feel this strange substance going down her esophagus into her stomach. Everything it touched seemed to be dehydrated, forcing Caroline to feel nauseous again and again.

She felt that this feeling might have caused her to lose control after drinking the potion.

Caroline closed her eyes and carefully felt the changes of the potion in her body.

The first and most intuitive thing was that after the potion entered her stomach, she felt that all her internal organs seemed to become extremely heavy, as if they were about to move out of place and fall uncontrollably.

However, the feeling she had this time was much better than the first time she took the "Hunter" potion, when her whole body was boiling.

Her breathing began to become a little anxious and hot, as if every breath was a struggle in the desert.

At the same time, her emotions began to become unstable, just like Bohemian Rhapsody, sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes happy, sometimes pessimistic.

Caroline suddenly had an idea. She felt like she was a little mentally ill, but how could she scold herself?

So she adjusted her breathing, raised her hand and pressed the edge of the desk, trying to control her body's condition.

Then slowly, the heaviness in her body, the burning sensation in her breathing, the distorted emotions, and various unstable factors gradually disappeared, and her mind and spirit gradually calmed down.

When Caroline opened her eyes again, she fully understood the new changes that had taken place in her body. She also knew clearly that she had become a Sequence 8 "Provocateur".

She raised her hand and looked at it, then tried to clench her fist and could feel a slightly stronger force than before.

"It's really different…"

Then she felt a slight itching sensation on her back.

She reached her hand behind her collar and immediately found the specific source of the itchy feeling.

It was her wounds that had already scabbed over.

At this time, Caroline just scratched them lightly, and the scabs covering the wounds fell off directly, as if they had been formed for a long time.

The wound underneath has also recovered to the point where it is indistinguishable from other skin, and there is no trace of injury.

Just one night... no, strictly speaking, the wounds healed directly shortly after she drank the "Provocateur" potion.

"My recovery ability has become stronger..."

Caroline checked the changes in her body. After she felt that her body had become stronger and more durable than before, and that her spirituality and spirit had also improved to a certain extent, she couldn't help but feel an excitement and excitement that was difficult to suppress.

"I didn't expect it to be so smooth this time..."

Caroline clenched her right hand, exploded in an instant, and punched hard to the right.

"Bang!"

A sharp sound of breaking through the air suddenly exploded in the attic, and Caroline's punch even lifted up the stacked papers on the desk, making them fly everywhere.

"Oh no, oh no, I accidentally messed up."

Caroline grinned, ran over to collect the papers that were flying everywhere, and put them neatly back on the table.

Caroline breathed a sigh of relief and then took four steps backwards to inform Klein of her success and requested a meeting with him.

After a moment, Caroline's eyes were covered with deep red.

…

In the eternally rolling gray fog, in the majestic palace, beside the quaint bronze table, Caroline's figure quickly emerged.

Klein, who was sitting at the head of the long table, did not look very happy. Before Caroline turned around, he asked:

"What's the matter?"

"It's nothing. I just came to tell you the good news that I got promoted successfully."

Caroline said to Klein with a smile, and successfully received an eye roll from him.

"I'll hang up if nothing else happens. You don't know, but something big happened in Tingen."

Klein rubbed his forehead with a headache and said.

"Big deal? What happened?"

Caroline's smile instantly disappeared and she asked quickly.

"Congressman Maynard, the one you know, died suddenly last night."

"Ah? How could this happen?"

Caroline frowned in confusion. Although Councillor Maynard's personal problems were somewhat complicated, he had a good reputation in Tingen. Many workers and poor people respected him very much.

Now, this congressman has died suddenly and inexplicably?

What was going on? Was it related to the strike organized by Io Bronson?

If Congressman Maynard died, how would that affect their strike?

"We don't know what's going on, and we're preparing to investigate." Klein spoke and sighed tiredly.

"Okay, I won't bother you anymore... Oh, by the way, Qi Lingos is dead. You should have known about this, right? I was so tired yesterday that I forgot to tell you about it."

"I know. The newspapers were all over it this morning... How can I explain this? I, a behind-the-scenes boss, actually had to read the newspaper to find out about this..."

"Doesn't this show that you are very busy and have a lot of things to do?"

After saying a few humorous words to make Klein feel a little more relaxed, Caroline said no more and let Klein send her back to reality.

...

When Caroline opened her eyes again in the attic, her mood had changed drastically.

Congressman Maynard is actually dead. This is really... completely unexpected.

Caroline originally thought that after the Qilingos incident was over, everything might be relatively stable for a while, but she didn't expect Tingen to explode again.

"What a tragedy, Congressman, rest in peace."

Shaking her head and sighing, Caroline packed up the tools for mixing potions on the desk and prepared to go downstairs.

She was halfway there when suddenly, there was a harsh knock on the door.

Caroline immediately became alert. Who would be knocking on her door at this time?

Judging from the noise at the door, it definitely wasn't the old butler Henry. He would never make such a noise.

Could it be Albert's people? No, although Albert was an icy face, his people still respected him very much, and it was impossible for them to knock on her door like this.

Could it be... that this person was related to Qi Lingos' death yesterday?

Hiss... Caroline thought to herself that it was not good. After all, she had shot Qilingos at the banquet yesterday, and she also chased after him and witnessed the scene of Qilingos' strange death.

If the Mandated Punisher at the scene was interested, he could have locked onto me with just a little investigation, and Duke Negan also knew what I had done...

Did Lord Negan sell himself out? But this shouldn't be the case.

Caroline was brainstorming and quickly went to the first floor. Instead of opening the door rashly, she found a suitable shelter and deployed the "Void Cube".

The condensed space fell, and Caroline looked at the emerging "map" without hesitation.

After her promotion, the "Void Cube" seemed to have changed a little, but now she couldn't care less to see too many other things.

She stared at the map, at the bird's-eye view that revealed everything, at the clear lines that showed the structure of her home, and at the small dot at the door.

Phew, there is only one person, so he should not be an official Beyonder.

Caroline heaved a sigh of relief and looked at the dot carefully. Suddenly she discovered that the character dots that had originally appeared in white were now in different colors.

Inside the house, the dot that belongs to me is green, while the dot of the person at the door and the dots passing by outside are all yellow.

Do different colors represent different characters?

Green is friendly, yellow is neutral, that should be the division, right?

What about the enemy? Is it red?

Caroline thought it was very likely, but she didn't have time to find an "enemy" to verify her guess.

After taking back the "Void Cube", Caroline straightened her clothes, then answered the door, walked over and opened it.

The dimmed sunlight poured into the house. Outside the door, Bernhard Hanover, who was wearing a black suit with intricate embroidery, deliberately moved away from the door, frowned, and looked at Caroline seriously and dissatisfied.

Why is it him?

Caroline was wondering, when suddenly, she heard Bernhard speak in a deep voice:

"Making visitors wait so long, is this what you Williams teach us?"

If Bernhard had come just after Caroline was promoted, she might not have minded his sarcasm since she was in a good mood at the time.

But now Caroline is no longer in such a happy mood after learning that Congressman Maynard died suddenly.

So she simply said to Bernhard bluntly:

"Mr. Hanover, you knocked on the door of a girl who lives alone and were so picky. It seems that your education is not very good...tsk tsk tsk."

Caroline put on a regretful expression, and her tone intentionally took on a strange change.

This made the words, which were already full of sarcasm, sound even more sarcastic and provocative to Bernhard.

Bernhard's frown deepened, and he glared at Caroline, as if he was about to get angry.

But after taking a few deep breaths, he finally suppressed his emotions and snorted coldly:

"Since you lacked aristocratic education since childhood, I won't bother with you."

"You are very generous."

Caroline followed up with another sentence.

Bernhard clenched his fists subconsciously, and the anger that had finally subsided began to rekindle again.

So he simply didn't look into Caroline's eyes, and focused his gaze on the bridge of her nose, so that from Caroline's perspective he was still looking at her.

"I won't argue with you. I came here this time to thank you for protecting Ariel."