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

Chapter 31 Self-QuestioningTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3017 words Update time: 2025-05-02 11:13:21

Caroline couldn't help but sigh for this. The excitement and joy that had just risen up in her heart for finally finding a fellow time traveler also subsided quietly as if a bucket of cold water was poured on her.

The so-called mysterious text of Roselle is actually simplified Chinese, which is the best proof of her identity as a time traveler. At least from this perspective, Caroline is not alone, she is not the only unlucky person who traveled to this world.

But judging from Russell's life story, even though he spent his entire life and enjoyed countless glorious years, he ultimately did not find a way to go back, and even died here, being assassinated.

Even Roselle, who was famous and had brought many changes to the world and was so legendary, couldn't travel back in time. So, was there really any hope for her?

At the same time, Roselle's final death also brought great shock to Caroline.

"Why did you have to call yourself 'Caesar the Great' when there are so many other titles to choose from? Why not choose a title that is not betrayed and that ultimately succeeded in unifying the country?"

Death, travelers will also face death...

Caroline, whose thoughts had previously been blocked by the excitement of traveling to another world and the sorrow of leaving her hometown, could not help but begin to think about that terrible possibility when she saw that the senior time traveler - a senior time traveler who had accomplished so many great things - had ended up in such a miserable way.

Death, will she end up like Roselle, dying here before she can find a way to return?

Roselle was assassinated. How did she die?

Will he live a mediocre life, eventually die on his deathbed, or will he be murdered after making a career like Russell?

Death, the original body had already experienced death once... She was killed by someone!

Caroline's heart trembled, and an inexplicable fear rose from her heart again, accompanied by the fragmented memories of the night when her original body was murdered flashing in her mind. The dark shadow that blocked her original body in the alley and killed her in an extremely cruel way lingered in front of her eyes and could not be shaken off.

She took a few deep breaths and raised her hand to press on her chest, trying to slow down her rapid heartbeat.

Caroline cleared her mind and continued to feel the presence of reality. She looked at the peaceful and tranquil scene in the library, then at the books spread out in front of her and the old wooden table. The texture of life slowly calmed her mood and made her slowly calm down.

Here it comes again, the same feeling again, am I really afraid? Or is this just the instinct left in this body...

This is the legacy that my original body left me...

Caroline chuckled helplessly a few times, and after all the messy thoughts in her mind were put aside, she looked back at the Biography of Roselle in front of her.

She wanted to see what useful information Roselle, the senior time traveler, had left behind in Chinese.

"September 18th..."

Oh, did Russell write the date? So these so-called notes are actually his diary?

Really, who would write a diary...

Caroline complained silently, then looked down carefully.

"On September 18th, Zaratul came again. This guy didn't follow the usual path again."

"He keeps trying to convince me to launch a coup now. The situation in Intis is very bad now. The people's demonstrations in Trier are getting crazier day by day. It is said that our dear king has not been able to sleep well for three consecutive days...Haha, those masters of the Soran family are really a bunch of rubbish, but it's not their fault. Who could have thought that the people's resistance would come so quickly?"

"What Zaratul said is right. Now is indeed the best time for me to launch a coup under the pretext of "suppressing the rebellion". But I decided to wait and see for a while. The first reason is that this date is too unlucky! What a joke! I am the protagonist of this era, the one who will bring a new era of welfare to Intis and the whole world. How can I use the same time as that invader?"

"Another reason is that I want to wait until the people's demonstrations reach their climax. According to historical experience, when the people's movement is at its most intense, the possibility of accomplishing great things is higher. It is natural that Zaratul does not understand my actions. How can he have the same vision as me? Even if he lives longer, his vision is limited to this small world... I can completely say that he has lived in vain! "

Look at this arrogant tone, Your Majesty, you are worthy of being a senior time traveler...!

Although Russell's handwriting was not very beautiful, from the words he chose, it can be seen that his inner pride was almost unstoppable. Combined with the portrait of Russell at the beginning of this biography, Caroline could fully imagine how arrogant he was during that time.

After lamenting the first impression Russell gave her, Caroline began to think about the contents of the diary.

Simply speaking, this diary should record what happened on the eve of Roselle launching a coup and overthrowing the Soran family to become the archon.

After learning the approximate time, Caroline quickly turned to the table of contents and found the part of the biography about the Roselle coup by comparing the chapter contents.

According to the biography, on September 21, 1173, three days after Roselle wrote this diary, he took over the defense of Intis City, including the White Maple Palace and the surrounding area, under the pretext of suppressing a popular demonstration near the White Maple Palace. He then entered the palace and confronted the horrified king.

But strangely, Caroline noticed that in his diary, Roselle mentioned a person named "Zarattu". In his own records, it seemed that Mr. Zarattu had been encouraging the emperor to launch a coup. However, in the biography, Zarattu's name was not mentioned at all, and even the reason for the emperor's coup became "After careful consideration and long-term planning, Roselle believed that this would be the best time for him to take control of his own destiny."

From this, it can be seen that the outside world does not seem to know that there is such a person around Russell.

Caroline obviously believed more in Russell's own diary than in the exaggerated biography, which was undoubtedly closer to the real situation at that time.

But why is there no trace of Zaratul in the records of later generations?

"There are two possibilities. The first is that Mr. Zaratul did something later that made Roselle so angry that he simply deleted him from all records and wanted to remove his name from history... However, this cannot explain why there is no record of him in later generations. Even if Roselle ordered a ban, there would always be people with good intentions or unofficial historians who would record it, right?"

"Then maybe the second possibility is that Zaratul himself doesn't want others to know of his existence."

Judging from the beginning of the diary, Roselle's meeting with Zaratul seemed to be very secretive. The emperor did not inform others of Zaratul's existence, but secretly recorded it in his diary in the safest Chinese language.

If we think about it this way, Zaratul's situation becomes very intriguing.

What was his purpose in persuading the emperor to launch a coup? Why didn't he leave any information?

And although the emperor laughed at Zaratul's short-sightedness at the end of the diary, Caroline could still feel that the emperor was somewhat afraid of Zaratul.

What on earth was Roselle afraid of? Who exactly was Zaratul? Caroline, who had wanted to use the diary left by the emperor to solve some of her confusions, found that her confusions seemed to be increasing.

Great Emperor, Great Emperor, can't you leave some valuable property or something like that to your descendants who travel through time? You have a poor younger generation who has no relatives and may be forced to marry in the near future!

Caroline really wanted to scream now, but who could blame Russell for traveling through time being different from hers?

God knows what year he traveled through and how he did so.

I performed a luck-changing ritual and prayed to the Silver Key, but Emperor Roselle...

Hmm? Wait a minute...!

At this moment, Caroline suddenly thought that she seemed to have forgotten one thing since she traveled through time.

The luck-changing ritual… It seemed like I wasn't the only one who knew about the luck-changing ritual.

The new friend he met at the roadside stall on the day of the time travel, Zhou Mingrui, Mr. Zhou, also knew about the luck-changing ritual! And the "Records of the Secret Alchemy of the Qin and Han Dynasties" itself was his!

Is it possible that he also performed a luck-changing ritual at some point? Would he also have traveled to this world?

Caroline's depressed mood due to the loss of a fellow time traveler rose again, but this time she controlled her emotions well and did not let it affect herself too much, allowing her to think calmly first.

Phew, calm down, just relying on the luck-changing ritual may not lead to time travel. Lao Zhou is different from me. I have the "Silver Key" in my hand. Maybe it takes the combined effect of these two to travel through time.

And even if the luck-changing ritual can really lead to time travel, Lao Zhou may not necessarily be in the same era as me. Emperor Roselle traveled through time more than a hundred years earlier!

It is possible that Lao Zhou traveled through time a long time ago. It is also possible that Lao Zhou traveled through time after me. It is even more possible that he did not travel through time at all...

So for now, I still have to rely on myself for everything. I can't think too much, because thinking too much will affect my actions and thoughts. It's good to have a fellow traverser, but even if I don't, I can still survive here on my own...

Caroline thought so, but it still left a silent impression in her heart, and she was prepared to be more careful when she heard some strange anecdotes about historical figures in the future.Chapter 32 Historical DoubtsTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3017 words Update time: 2025-05-02 20:31:42

The brief worry was fleeting, and Caroline turned her attention back to the book, as if the less she cared about these things, the answers to them would come to her impatiently one day in the future.

Now, for Caroline, the fastest way to obtain information is the diary left by the emperor, but the illustration she just looked at ended with just one page. Caroline flipped to the back, hoping to find a few more diaries to read, but found nothing.

"Since you want to study the emperor's experience, you should at least prepare more illustrations... Who can read just the text..."

There was no more information worth looking for, so Caroline rubbed her eyes, stood up, and prepared to put the biography back where it came from.

Her original purpose of coming to the library was to confirm whether Emperor Roselle was a time traveler. Now that she had solid evidence, and discovered that the diary left by the emperor himself had far higher credibility and information content than the biographies written by his descendants, there was no need for her to continue reading these books that contained some kind of legendary stories.

"Emperor Roselle did so many things and accomplished so many things, but in the end he was assassinated? This is simply unbelievable…"

Caroline pondered to herself as she stuffed the biography back onto the bookshelf. She then slowly walked down the stairs to the second floor of the library and headed towards the door.

As for the emperor's ending, the official explanation given in the biography is that the emperor became dictatorial and autocratic in his later years, and did perverse things, which aroused the dissatisfaction of those around him and the resistance of the people. Eventually he was deserted by his friends and relatives, and was assassinated by the Church of the Eternal Sun, the old aristocracy of Intis and other "people with lofty ideals" in unity.

From this explanation, it seems that Roselle got what he deserved after doing something he shouldn't have done. Just like many stories, the dictator was a great man in his lifetime, but ended up going crazy in his old age, and the Gustav dynasty established on a coup was also overthrown by the coup.

But Caroline didn't believe this explanation at all. You have to know that Russell was not just a hero who seized the opportunity of the times, he was also a time traveler, and a time traveler from China. The long river of thousands of years of history had countless experiences and precedents. From Russell's ability to manufacture steam engines, start the industrial revolution and promulgate a series of effective policies, Caroline felt that his cultural level should not be bad, and it was impossible for him not to know the reason to be careful.

He has the nerve to call himself "Caesar the Great", doesn't he know that Gaius Julius Caesar's final fate was to be turned into a human-shaped lotus pod?

Therefore, Caroline believed that there must be other hidden reasons behind the assassination of Emperor Roselle. Even if his brain really degenerated in his later years and he became a minion of Emperor Wu of Han, it is impossible for him to be completely unprepared and give others the opportunity to assassinate him.

After all, the participants happened to be the Church of the Eternal Sun, and Caroline felt that it was an attempt to cover up something.

Moreover, after Roselle's death, the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, which had once admired him and regarded him as the "Son of Steam" because he invented the steam engine, did not say anything about it, and even joined forces with others to wipe out the remnants of the Gustav Dynasty.

Just now in the biography, Caroline saw a lot of stories between Roselle and the Steam Church, including the matter of the Steam Church changing its name.

In the past, the name of the God of Steam and Machinery was "God of Craftsmen". It was only after Roselle started the Industrial Revolution that the name was changed, and it was also changed in an exaggerated form of sending down an oracle.

Caroline was originally wondering why the god of steam and machinery, who represented technology, had so few followers. Now it seemed that the Industrial Revolution had nothing to do with the god of steam and machinery, and their entire church was even suspected of riding on Roselle's popularity!

"The steam engine I made was ultimately attributed to the revelation from the gods. The god of steam and machinery should just be called the god of picking peaches. Russell is truly a god for being able to hold on..."

"No, maybe he didn't hold back at all, which is why the Steam Church didn't offer any help when he was assassinated..."

Caroline was walking on the Backlund University campus while muttering such blasphemous remarks. If she were to say the same thing at the Backlund Institute of Technology not far away, someone would definitely call it blasphemy if they heard it!

But to be honest, it has been the third day since Caroline came here. Although she has realized that there are indeed gods in this world, she still does not have a clear feeling about it.

Although there are gods, she did not see any information about the image of gods in her memory or any related materials. Is it because idolatry is prohibited here? But she has not heard of such propaganda.

To her, the appearance of these gods was like lines of text floating in the air, abstract and mysterious, difficult to understand. For example, the Goddess of Night, who had the most followers in the Kingdom of Loen, was the word "Goddess of Night" in Caroline's cognition. Then this word flew up from the book, soaring up, whirring and twisting in the sky, and she couldn't imagine its specific appearance at all.

Compared with the orthodox seven gods of the northern continent, "Yog-Sothoth" and "Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun", who are the biggest culprits that may have caused Caroline to travel through time, are more substantial in her impression.

"Yuge Bubble has no reaction at the moment, and I don't know who Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun is. This feeling is really..."

It's as desperate as being kidnapped into a car and then dropped off in the wilderness!

Caroline looked up at the sky after she walked out of the gate of Backlund University. It was a rare day of good weather in Backlund today. It was close to noon, and the sun behind the clouds in the sky still had a barely visible outline. But Caroline was not in a good mood at all when she saw this scene.

She took out her pocket watch to check the time. It was almost the same as Caroline had predicted. It was already eleven and three minutes, which was exactly lunch time. However, she was not in the mood to enjoy the food.

"It's not surprising that there are real gods in a world with extraordinary power, but what role do gods play in the real world?"

Caroline thought, what she really wanted to know is what role the gods played in Roselle's death.

She turned and walked south along Hirsis Street, analyzing as she walked.

Could it be that the emperor's identity as a time traveler was eventually discovered, so the gods sent people to assassinate him in order to eliminate outsiders?

But if this is true, wouldn't the emperor bring more benefits to the world? Promoting the progress of civilization and promoting social development. Since gods exist, they should not worry that the development of science and technology will lead to people not believing in gods. This is not in line with the basic laws of materialism.

Or was it because some of Roselle's actions in his later years violated the taboos of the gods, causing the gods to have to kill him...but what kind of behavior could that be?

Hiss... Could it be that he is researching how to travel back to Earth...

But this is not right. It took more than 20 years from the time the emperor came to power to the time he was assassinated. During this period of time, the emperor had already stood at the pinnacle of power. He must have been studying ways to travel back to Earth. If this was a taboo, the gods should have taken action against him long ago.

Could it be that the emperor had made a breakthrough in his research in his later years? And that breakthrough was a taboo?

Caroline's thoughts became more and more wild and chaotic, so much so that in the end even she felt guilty about her own ideas.

In short, the truth behind Emperor Roselle's death could not be determined through official historical records. Caroline felt that if she wanted to get a glimpse of the truth, she would have to start with the emperor's own diary.

"The emperor's diaries have been scattered around since his death. The biography says that a large part of them is missing, probably taken away by someone. The rest are either displayed in museums as cultural relics or scattered among the people, becoming 'treasures' sought after by major antique markets or occult enthusiasts..."

"Well, just like Mr. Ovis, quite a few people think that the emperor's diary must contain some extraordinary content. I wonder what those people would think if they knew that those words were actually the emperor's daily complaints..."

However, the things left behind by Emperor Roselle were not all the products of wonderful misunderstandings caused by information asymmetry. There was another thing that was said to hide the secret of the extraordinary world. This was even recorded in the official biography "The Biography of Roselle".

It is said that it is a complete set of cards containing mysterious powers, a total of twenty-two cards, just like the twenty-two Major Arcana cards of Tarot, which contain secrets about extraordinary powers and the way to God.

"There are twenty-two cards. Does that mean there are twenty-two paths to God?"

"Which card will the Hunter path correspond to?"

As a senior time traveler, Roselle's research on the extraordinary road is definitely profound enough. Caroline firmly believes in this.

Since he has already moved forward towards the Extraordinary Road, and the "Silver Key" and "Lucky Change Ceremony" that had little response on Earth have shown different effects here, it means that if he wants to return to Earth, he can only explore deeper into the Extraordinary Road.

"After going around in circles, there is still no other way to go back... The secret seems to still be hidden in Feifan."

Thinking of this, Caroline couldn't help but sigh deeply.Chapter 33 Hanover ResidenceTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 2723 words Update time: 2025-05-03 13:00:00

The matter of Emperor Roselle has come to an end for the time being. The most important thing now is Caroline's own problem.

The assassination of the emperor is not a very good fable, but it once again reminds Caroline that time travelers are not invincible. They are as vulnerable as anyone in this world.

It is easy for time travelers to have one thing in common, that is, they inevitably feel proud of their own uniqueness. This mentality may not be obvious, but there is always a little bit. And Caroline did develop a little bit of this mentality during these three days. In the words of the emperor in his diary, she also began to think of herself as the protagonist of this era.

And when she saw the final outcome of the emperor, she once again recalled how she looked when she had just traveled through time.

Don't forget, the original body was murdered! And it was an execution-style murder!

After observing for a few days, Caroline can temporarily judge that the other party is not chasing her continuously, at least not yet.

"The original body was killed while investigating the truth of her parents' death, so it is obvious that someone did not want her to know the truth... But isn't the other party too bold? Although the original body's family is in decline, at least she still has an uncle who is a major general in the army, and her own noble status has not disappeared. The person behind the scenes dared to kill her directly. Isn't he afraid of Albert's revenge, or the hatred of the entire Loen aristocracy?"

Caroline slowly walked around a street corner, and the number of pedestrians on the street gradually increased.

"Did he happen to see something he shouldn't have seen? Or was it someone's sudden impulse? Judging from the murderer's method of killing, the latter may not be impossible..."

"In the final analysis, I need to know why the other party killed the original body. Was it because of her identity as 'Caroline Williams' or because of what she did."

"More importantly, will I be attacked suddenly when I walk outside?"

Suddenly, Caroline stopped moving forward, wondering what she was thinking.

Then a moment later, she turned around suddenly and looked behind her as if she was a frightened bird.

On the street behind, the breeze was blowing gently, and several carriages were passing by in a hurry. There were also a few gentlemen holding walking sticks on the roadside, walking slowly with high steps.

Caroline just stood there and glanced around for a few seconds, then turned back and continued walking forward.

Well, I can't see anything...

This is not a good thing, but I can use it to create some topics...

Caroline's feint just now was not completely casual. She thought, since she had no way of confirming whether someone was following her secretly, why not let others confirm it for her?

So, she changed her pace from originally planning to continue walking south and headed in another direction.

After about ten minutes of walking, Caroline walked into an area where the environment had obviously become better. There was almost no trace of dirt on the street, and the road was quite flat and wide. The houses on both sides were very sparsely distributed. Each house was a villa with at least two floors, and they were all equipped with quite large lawns and courtyards, which were divided and enclosed by iron fences of different forms to distinguish the boundaries between houses.

This is the most central and upper-class area of ​​Backlund, the Queens District, where all kinds of high-ranking officials and nobles live.

The kingdom deliberately placed people of this class in the same place, perhaps with the intention of "keeping them in captivity for surveillance", as King Louis XIV of France did in the past. But it is undeniable that these prominent residences have indeed made the Queens District a landscape that is different from other districts in Backlund.

The borough of Queens has special control regulations. No unreported foreign carriages are allowed to enter, and no people dressed in indecent clothing are allowed to enter. Military police will patrol the streets at regular intervals, and there will even be special inspectors at certain intersections.

Caroline didn't come here to experience the living environment of the upper class. She did have a paper to write, but there was no point in exploring Queens.

Following a route she remembered having walked once or twice before, Caroline finally stopped outside a luxurious mansion.

Caroline glanced at the gilded words engraved on the sign next to the cast iron gate. The dazzling "Hannover" confirmed that she was not in the wrong place.

Just as she stood in front of the door, a servant who was pruning garden flowers in the inner courtyard of the mansion saw her.

The waiter in the brown vest looked at her strangely for a few times, then put down the gardening shears as if he couldn't make up his mind, and walked quickly to the other end of the mansion.

Not long after, the waiter came over with a messenger wearing a striped vest and a black tuxedo.

The waiter looked young, but he was wearing a very obvious white wig, which made him look very strange. The next second after he saw Caroline, the expression on his face became even stranger.

The two came and went, and soon they came and went again, bringing a third person with them.

The person who arrived this time was an old gentleman dressed in a black tuxedo, walking with a calm gait and holding his head high.

Following the instructions of the servant beside him, the old gentleman looked precisely at Caroline at the door. His expression froze for a moment, but then immediately returned to normal without showing any sign of losing composure. He turned around and asked the servant and the waiter beside him to do their own things, and then walked to the door.

"Good afternoon, Miss Caroline Williams. I am the housekeeper at Hanover House. Is there anything I can do for you?"

The old butler nodded to Caroline politely, without any laziness in his tone or expression, and did not show any arrogance because Caroline was an uninvited "outsider".

For socializing among nobles, calling someone by their first name is indeed a way of showing intimacy, but for a butler, calling someone by their first name is an overstep. Therefore, the old butler specifically called out Caroline's last name, which was straightforward and there was nothing to complain about.

Caroline also politely gave the old butler a very routine greeting, and then spoke softly:

"Thank you for your hospitality. I would like to look for your dear Major General Albert."

The old butler shook his head slightly and replied with some regret:

"I'm sorry, Master Albert is not at home today. He may return in the afternoon. If you don't mind, you can wait in the living room for a while. I will arrange afternoon tea for you."

Oh? That's really strange. I remember that if there is no banquet or the host invites you, they usually won't keep anyone...

Caroline thought about it, but she was not ready to accept the invitation, so she said regretfully:

"Thank you for your kindness, but I have to finish some work this afternoon, so I may not be able to accept your enthusiasm."

The old butler responded naturally:

"You are such a friendly lady. Is there anything you need from Master Albert? If you agree, I can tell him for you."

Caroline nodded and said:

"That's great. Please tell him that I feel like someone is following me. Can you please ask him to see if he can think of a solution?"

After saying that, Caroline seemed to remember something and added:

"Oh, by the way, I'm going to Tingen next week to conduct a community survey for my thesis. I should have mentioned it to him. I hope he can understand."

The old butler's expression did not change at all, as if the words just now were only temporarily stored in his mind without any analysis or thinking.

"I understand. When Master Albert comes back, I will convey everything to you."

"Thank you very much. You are such a conscientious butler."

Caroline insisted on having the last word come out of her own mouth and praised the old butler heavily for a while, thus ending the conversation between the two.

After explaining the situation, Caroline didn't stay long and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, she casually glanced at the Hanover family's mansion. After all, such a magnificent house was rare in Backlund. Even on Earth in the past, he had only seen a few video introductions on the Internet.

Caroline looked up at the mansion and accidentally saw a small brown head peering out from behind the curtains in the window of a room on the second floor.

When he saw Caroline looking at him, his little head immediately shrank back, pretending that nothing happened.

Child? Brown hair? I remember the Hanover family had brown hair, so that's a child of the Hanover family?

If you want to watch, just watch. Am I scary? Why do you hide when you see me?

Caroline tilted her head, turned and left the Hanover family mansion.Chapter 34 Preparations before departureTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3017 words Update time: 2025-05-03 18:00:00

Caroline came to Albert for a simple reason, because he had more resources, more experience and ability, and more importantly, he had sent people to track the original body's every move a long time ago. Although there were mistakes on the night of the original body's accident, in short, Albert was still the best helper behind the scenes to help Caroline clear up the problem now.

She didn't need to say too much, just raise the question, and Albert would naturally think about the next thing himself.

He might wonder if his people were discovered by Caroline, or he might speculate if there were indeed other people following Caroline, but as long as Albert was busy, that was the result Caroline most wanted to see.

And in this way, the commission that Caroline accepted to go to Tingen also had an additional purpose.

Her original body was murdered in Backlund, and if she wanted to find out whether she was really being followed, whether the murderer had discovered that he was not dead, and if he had discovered it, would he continue to hunt her down... If she wanted to answer these questions at once, leaving Backlund and heading to another city to see what was going on would be a very good choice.

After she passed this information to Albert today, the latter's investigation would begin soon. By then, if the murderer really discovered that Caroline, who was supposed to be dead, had been "resurrected" for some reason, and wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible to prevent future troubles, he would most likely not do it in Backlund.

At this time, Caroline took the initiative to leave Backlund, which provided an opportunity for these possible murderers.

At the same time, it also provides an opportunity for Albert.

What's more, it provides her with a chance.

"It's a rough plan, but it's best if it works..."

She admitted that there was an element of gambling in her plan, part of which was about Albert's reaction, but she was still willing to believe that Albert would not ignore her words. Even if the blood was thicker than water, he must at least guarantee Caroline's personal safety before Albert's marriage plan was realized.

No matter how you look at it, Albert won't sit idly by.

"I'm sorry, my dear uncle. As compensation, I won't have my head shaved during the first month of this year."

Caroline gave a faint smile and her walking posture became less restrained.

She strolled along the streets of Queens that looked like a natural scenic spot, with shady trees, vines and leaves. It had the best greenery in Backlund. She even saw a few fountains installed on the roadside, with clean water flowing out of the pipes as if it were free.

It is really an unimaginable gap. If the maintenance fee of these gardens could be invested in the construction and poverty alleviation work in the eastern district, how many lives would be saved...

Caroline couldn't help but sigh, and the reason why she suddenly thought of this at this moment was because her next place to go was the East District.

But to be precise, it is actually the Backlund Bridge area near the East District.

...

3:25 pm, Bridge District, Tiemen Street, "The Brave Bar".

A carriage stopped at the north intersection. Caroline got out of the carriage and handed the driver a 5 pence tip.

Ignoring the driver's joyful expression after receiving the coins, Caroline habitually tidied up her hunter's clothes that she had changed into at home, combed her hair, and walked towards the "Brave Bar" which had been open for a while.

The guard at the door was still the burly man from yesterday. He looked around and immediately spotted Caroline approaching, then quickly looked away as if everything was normal.

Here it comes again, why is it like this again...

Logically speaking, it should be a good thing that no one paid special attention to her, but Caroline felt that her self-esteem was a little bit hurt for no reason, and she even felt like there was something wrong with her.

Quickly getting rid of this strange feeling, Caroline came to the heavy black door and pushed it open. The warm malt and tobacco aroma in the tavern immediately rushed into her nostrils.

Even though she had been here once yesterday, Caroline still wasn't used to this feeling. She coughed a few times to let her nose get used to it, then walked past the people holding wine glasses and playing finger-guessing games beside the two high tables, bypassed the messy chairs, and came to the bar.

Today, the bartender behind the bar was replaced by a younger man who looked like he was from the Southern Continent. He had a healthy wheat-colored skin and looked quite energetic. But Caroline still preferred the older bartender she met yesterday. She felt that the latter had broad knowledge in the entire East District, and she could get along with him better.

But this is not a big problem. After all, she didn't come here to find the bartender.

"Want something to drink?"

The bartender who was wiping the wine glasses didn't look up at her. He just got straight to the point when he noticed someone coming to the bar. His words were simpler and clearer than those of the bartender yesterday.

Caroline didn't waste any words and answered directly:

"Is Caspers here?"

The bartender paused while wiping the glasses, then he looked up and glanced at Caroline.

Then, he immediately revealed a look of realization, winked at the corridor next to him, and said to Caroline:

"Billiard Room No. 3. He just came today."

"grateful."

Caroline smiled at the bartender, then turned and walked towards the inner corridor. She soon found the door handle of billiard room No. 3 and turned it gently. Before she used any force, the door quietly slid inward, making a creaking sound that silenced all the sounds in the billiard room.

This, this door should be replaced...

Caroline raised her head with great embarrassment and looked outside the half-open door at the three men standing by the pool table with strange looks on their faces.

"Ahem…"

She coughed twice, politely did not move forward, but stood outside the door and said:

"I'm looking for Caspers."

Not surprisingly, the men standing on the left and right sides of the pool table turned around and looked at the old man with a red rosacea standing at the innermost part holding a pool cue.

The man curled his lips helplessly and muttered quietly, "I never have a moment of leisure." He freed one hand and waved at Caroline, saying:

"Come in."

After getting permission, Caroline did not stay and walked into the billiard room.

When she came in, the men standing on both sides of the pool table put down their objects, left the pool room without saying a word, and closed the door behind them.

The wooden door closed tightly, and only Caroline and Caspers were left in the room.

Caspers put down the pool cue, supported his hands on the pool table, leaned forward, and asked in a deep voice:

"What can I do for you?"

"A self-defense weapon, a dagger or short knife, and a small revolver that is easy to hide and not easily discovered, plus 64 rounds of ammunition."

Caroline slowly stated the request she had thought of long ago.

Kaspers nodded first, then asked doubtfully:

"Why sixty-four rounds?"

Caroline answered frankly:

"Because sixty-four rounds make up a group."

In the end, Caspers still didn't understand, but he didn't ask any more questions and immediately quoted a price for Caroline.

"Four pounds and eight soli, sixty rounds of ammunition will only be counted as sixty for you. However, the price of a small revolver is more expensive than a standard-sized one. You should understand that sometimes the smaller the item, the more troublesome it is to make."

After hearing the offer, Caroline was not prepared to bargain with Caspers. This was what Mr. Ovis taught her yesterday: some things could not be bargained for.

Then she smiled and nodded to Caspers:

"It's a reasonable price."

At the same time, she took out five one-pound notes from the inner pocket of her hunter's suit and handed them to the other party.

"Even among regular customers, you are one of those who are quite forthright."

Kaspers simply praised Caroline, limped around from behind the pool table, and took the money. It was only then that Caroline saw the long scar on Kaspers' face from a close distance and realized that the man who could do this kind of business was indeed not a small figure.

After collecting the money, Caspers asked Caroline to wait for a moment, then walked to the door, opened it and walked out of the billiard room.

Left alone in the billiard room, Caroline had nothing to do, so she started playing with the billiard balls out of boredom.

Seeing the single-color and double-color designs of the billiard balls, as well as the numbers printed on the surface and the black eight ball, Caroline realized that this game, like the tarot cards, was created by Emperor Roselle. She still had to thank the emperor, because at least he had successfully made the entertainment life in this world no longer so boring.

Picking up a pool cue, Caroline observed for a long time before finding a perfect angle. She rubbed the cue ball for a while and was about to make a shot.

The door of the billiard room creaked open again, and Caroline's well-prepared movement was too powerful, and the pool cue poked the cue ball hard.

The cue ball rolled out and hit a double-color ball, and then hit the black eight ball. The three balls rolled together for a while, and finally made three dull sounds in succession, and each fell into a different pocket.

Caspers opened the door and looked at the pool table in shock. Caroline put the cue aside in embarrassment and said casually, "What's the matter?"

"I played it occasionally when I was a kid."

After saying that, Caroline walked quickly to the door and took the "goods" wrapped in brown kraft paper and two 5-sol and two 1-sol bills from Kaspers.

"Thank you for your help."

After saying thank you, Caroline quickly left the tavern, leaving Caspers, who had just witnessed the magical scene, frowning and studying the trajectory of the billiard ball.Chapter 35 Butter FingersTitle of the Book: Mystery: Fire and the Fool's Path Author's name: December's Stranding Chapter word count: 3938 words Update time: 2025-05-04 13:00:00

After buying the necessary supplies, Caroline put the "thing" wrapped in brown paper into her arms, took a carriage to buy the ingredients for the evening, transferred the "thing" into the brown paper bag containing the ingredients, and then slowly walked back home.

7 Blythe Street, Cherwood.

Caroline sat at the square table in the dining room. She had put the paper bag in the kitchen and had a large piece of opened brown paper next to her.

She carefully examined the dagger in her hand. The handle was slightly longer than her hand and tightly wrapped with some kind of animal skin. It felt very good to hold. The thickness of the guard was not too thick, almost the same as the handle. When the blade was sheathed, there would be no bumps or depressions, and it would not feel uncomfortable when worn around the waist.

Then, she pulled the dagger halfway out of the scabbard, and the cold light of the blade immediately reflected in her eyes.

"I thought the cold light of the sword was just an exaggerated description..."

Caroline pursed her lips and pulled the entire dagger out of the scabbard. The blade was smooth from the guard to the tip, and the curves on both sides were extremely smooth, and the tip was very sharp. Just looking at that sharp point could make people subconsciously nervous.

Her fingers gently stroked the dagger, first touching the concave surface of the bloodletting groove from the blade, then carefully wiping one of the sharp ends on both sides, and finally placing her fingers on the tip of the blade, feeling the touch of the sharpness on her fingers and the coldness on her skin. With just a little force, she could feel the obvious pain.

Her fingertips slowly left the tip of the knife, Caroline's expression became stern, she gripped the handle tightly, and without warning swung the dagger forward, stopping it in mid-air, silently.

"I thought I could pull out the knife light... Hehe, maybe I can do it in the future."

Caroline smiled with satisfaction, turned the dagger around, and put it back into the scabbard.

"So what's next..."

Caroline put the dagger down steadily and turned her attention to the protagonist of this purchase.

Caroline had already taken the small revolver out of the gun bag and placed it beside the dining table, along with the sixty-four rounds of ammunition. Caroline grasped the oiled walnut handle and held the entire revolver in her hand.

The barrel of the revolver was not long, about the distance between the thumb and the index finger, just as Kaspers said, very delicate and brand new. The silver-gray gun body was shiny as if it had been polished, from the grip to the cylinder, from the gun body to the barrel, all the parts had no redundant parts, and no additional complex decorations, it was quite clean and neat.

Caroline took it in her hand and felt it, and found that it fit her hand very well. Although it was a little heavy, Caroline knew that this was the "weight" that represented safety.

After admiring the "Truth" in her hand for a while, Caroline turned the revolver sideways and opened the cylinder to the left. There were a total of six empty magazines, allowing Caroline to see directly through them to the dining table.

"It can hold up to six bullets, a total of sixty-four bullets. There is no way to divide it, but sixty-four is our ancestral precept and cannot be violated."

Caroline told herself a joke, turned the wheel with a touch of her left hand, and at the same time swung her right hand hard, trying to close the wheel directly with a little trick.

But I don't know if it was because she didn't have enough strength, or the current revolver design did not allow the technique of closing the chamber with one hand. In any case, the revolver collided with the gun body and then bounced back.

"Uh, well, it looks like I still need to practice some more."

So Caroline obediently pressed the dial back with her hand. After a click confirming that the transfer card was on, she tried to raise the gun and aim, aligning the sight, crosshairs and target, and repeatedly tested her aiming speed.

But the main purpose of her buying the revolver was for emergency self-defense. When encountering close danger, the killer would not give her time to aim.

Caroline put the revolver into the gun bag, then put it on the left side of her waist, hiding the revolver with her hunting clothes.

"When standing, the gun is placed on the same side as the shooter; when sitting, the gun is placed on the opposite side of the shooter..."

Silently reciting what she had learned from movies and TV shows, Caroline tried her best to relax her body, adjusted her sitting position to a more comfortable angle, concentrated her attention, and thought about the trajectory of her next actions. Then she suddenly reached for her waist, quickly drew her gun, and aimed forward.

"Click, click, click—"

Caroline pulled the trigger several times in succession, simulating the emergency drawing and shooting, and was a little dissatisfied.

"It's still too slow. It needs to be faster."

She tucked the revolver back into her waistband, got into a sitting position, and then drew her gun and fired again.

Looking at the direction of the gun muzzle which was completely different from the expected direction, Caroline wondered if she was not suitable for sitting and shooting.

So she stood up, moved the gun bag to her right waist, and imitated the classic pose in western movies, with her legs bent, her hips pushed back, her center of gravity lowered, and her right hand hanging on the edge of the revolver handle, ready at any time.

After holding her breath and stretching her fingers, Caroline felt the right moment and quickly drew her gun while leaning back.

"Bang!"

But the result was not satisfactory. Caroline was sure that her hands had not touched butter, but the revolver fell out of her hands and flew out under the force and fell on the floor of the restaurant behind her.

"this..."

Caroline stared blankly at the revolver on the ground. She was silent for a long time before she came to her senses and awkwardly went over to pick up the gun while comforting herself:

"It's just a small matter... Fortunately, this didn't happen during a battle. If such a mistake had occurred during a battle, it would have been a disaster. Now that we can eliminate the error during testing, it means that such low-level mistakes will not occur at critical moments in the future!"

After adjusting her mindset, Caroline continued to practice shooting a few times. Although there didn't seem to be any obvious improvement, Caroline felt that she had made some progress.

They practiced until it was getting dark. When Caroline's arms felt a little sore, she stopped and put away the revolver and dagger, ready to put them together in the bedside table when the time came.

Seeing that it was getting late, Caroline went to the kitchen and started preparing dinner for herself.

While washing potatoes, Caroline reflected on some of the mistakes she made during practice, but in summary, she felt that this was due to her lack of actual shooting experience.

"You still have to go to the shooting range to practice. It's useless to practice drawing a gun without actually firing it..."

Lamenting that there was one more thing to do, Caroline shook her head and skillfully washed and cut the ingredients. Then she put them into the pot one by one and began to stir-fry and cook.

About thirty minutes later, Caroline brought a plate of spicy and sour potatoes and a plate of stir-fried pork with celery to the table.

Looking at the steaming and fragrant dishes, Caroline held the sliced ​​bread and shook her head with a wry smile:

"I'm still better at cooking than shooting."

Caroline scooped a spoonful of beef and celery covered in salty and fresh soup, and before it came close to her nose, she could smell the aroma of meat and spices that constantly stimulated her taste buds. She stuffed it into her mouth without hesitation, and then immediately took a bite of bread to make up for the lack of staple food.

The food was savored carefully in her mouth. Although she couldn't find all the seasonings and spices she wanted in the market, the taste was basically the same as she remembered. Caroline was still very satisfied with it.

only...

Caroline put down the bread and sighed deeply:

"I have to buy rice tomorrow..."

...

As night fell, tranquility slowly enveloped everything in the world, but the door of the Hanover family was pushed open forcefully. The light from inside the house leaked out from behind the door, illuminating a small area of ​​the inner courtyard of the Hanover mansion, breaking the tranquility attached to the door.

Albert Hanover, wearing a cold-weather cloak, strode into the house, followed closely by his adjutant, Colonel Luca.

Seeing Albert return, the old butler who had been waiting in the hallway held his head high and came forward to greet him with a group of servants.

"Welcome home, Master Albert."

The old butler walked up to Albert, put his hands at his sides, bent down slightly, and spoke very respectfully.

Albert nodded in response, and then took Colonel Luca to his study.

"There is one thing I need to report to you."

When Albert walked past the old butler, the latter spoke softly:

"Miss Caroline came to visit you this afternoon."

Albert stopped in his tracks and looked back at the old butler with an indifferent expression.

The old butler's gray goatee trembled slowly, and he added:

"Since you were not in the mansion, she went back. However, she asked me to tell you a few words, young master."

Hearing this, Albert's expression finally changed. He turned back to look at Colonel Luca, who subconsciously lowered his head and said:

"I'll wait for you at the door of the study."

"No, you come with me."

Colonel Luca was confused for a moment, but still followed Albert's instructions.

The old butler withdrew the servants, leaving only him, Albert and Colonel Luca in the entire hall area. Then, they walked into the front hall one after another.

The old butler quickly relayed to Albert everything Caroline had said, from the suspicion of being followed to the upcoming trip to Tingen, without missing a word.

After listening to the old butler's retelling, Albert frowned and remained silent. Colonel Luca beside him looked at his appearance and whispered in his ear:

"The sentry didn't find anyone following Miss Caroline. Could it be that she discovered our people?"

Albert then spoke in a deep voice:

"We don't rule out this possibility, but it doesn't mean anything."

"Then I will send more people to investigate?"

"Well, be careful not to let her find out."

"clear."

Colonel Luca nodded, glanced at the old butler standing in front, looking away as if he hadn't heard anything, and then continued to ask:

"Then General, regarding Miss Caroline's request for Tingen next week..."

"If she wants to go, let her go."

Albert turned to Colonel Luca and was about to say something when he was interrupted by the sound of rapid and hurried footsteps.

The three people in the front hall looked in the direction of the footsteps at the same time, and soon saw a little girl with brown curly hair, wearing a beige cake skirt, about eight or nine years old, jogging out.

"Uncle Albert!"

The little girl happily threw herself into Albert's arms, put her arms around his waist, tilted her head back and looked at Albert's face with a smile.

"Ms. Ariel, you should stay in your room now."

The old butler tried to persuade him, but Albert raised his hand to stop him.

"fine."

Albert raised his hand and rubbed Ariel's head, speaking softly.

Ariel looked at Albert, squeezed his waist with a little complaint, and said:

"Hey, Uncle Albert, why do you always come back so late? Ariel can hardly wait any longer."

Albert remained unmoved and simply said:

"There are things to deal with in the military, and this is my job."

"What kind of work is so troublesome?"

"Some more urgent work."

The two of them chatted back and forth, and although Albert didn't say anything in response, the smile on Ariel's face became brighter and brighter.

"By the way, Uncle Albert, I saw a very beautiful sister coming to see you today. Who is she?"

Suddenly, Ariel blinked and asked Albert.

"She's a relative of mine who has had some bad things happen to her recently and I'm trying to help her."

Albert hesitated, but answered.

"Relatives? But Uncle Albert, aren't we your relatives? How can there be other relatives?"

Ariel blinked in confusion.

Albert's expression changed slightly, and he explained:

"You are my family and my relatives, and that sister is my relative outside of my family."

Albert's theory was difficult for a little girl to understand, but she was still curious, so she continued to ask:

"I don't understand, Uncle Albert. If family is relatives, then how can there be relatives outside of family? How can there be relatives closer than family?"

Albert was silent and he no longer answered Ariel's words.

But the sensible Ariel noticed Albert's silence at once, and she quickly hugged Albert's waist and added with a smile:

"Anyway, as long as we are still family, we will still be relatives, right!"

Albert looked down at Ariel. An answer seemed easy to come by, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

After a long silence, he could only say in a voice that he could hardly hear:

"right..."