Soul Trigger

Chapter 732 Baptismal Celebration
"He's probably referring to the recent baptism celebration," Veronica's voice came through the communicator.

The so-called baptismal celebration is one of the traditional life-cycle celebrations of the White Isle nobility, such as weddings, funerals, and knighting ceremonies, which would invite different guests to hold a grand banquet in the manor or castle.

This place was usually used to maintain social interactions among nobles, and also as a venue for the exchange of interests between secret societies.

Baptisms involving individual nobles fall under the category of personal celebrations. These events often concern the continuation of a family and the inheritance of territory, and are typically held for special succession ceremonies or to celebrate the birth of offspring.

According to Marin, the baptism of the Ludwig family this time was even more special because it was for the birth of a new artificial sigma.

They would gather powerful figures and allies from all sides, and behind the scenes of the celebration, they would conduct a more secretive birth ceremony.

"It's all for the artificial spirit core project... No wonder the Ludwig family was so slow to react to Birmingham, and even the royal family..."

Veronica's voice sounded somewhat dazed.

What happened to the royal family?

"Recently, the royal family's intention to get close to the clans has been very obvious, or rather, too obvious. They clearly want to take this opportunity to win over the clans. They have been coming to my office more often than the Ludwig family lately."

Clearly, they wanted to take advantage of the Ludwig family's preoccupation with other matters and the resulting chaos to strengthen their control over Saint-Germain-de-Sud.

"Then let's take this opportunity to get in touch with them."

Ji Li couldn't help but feel some interest in the royal family, after all, they possessed the remains of a god.

“If possible, let them participate, but don’t interfere too much with the Awakened ecosystem in Birmingham.”

“I’m working on it… but if you want to participate in the baptism celebration, I suggest you don’t use Marin or Bertrand’s connections.”

"Why?"

"If the story of the artificial cluster of spirit pillars is true, then the guests invited to this baptism must have been selected through a rigorous process."

From the list of accompanying persons to the on-site service personnel, everyone was carefully selected. They were either allies of the Ludwig family or representatives of forces that had already been won over.

If you try to infiltrate using your connections with Marin or Bertrand, you'll most likely be exposed, since neither Marin nor Bertrand are probably part of the invitation group.

"This is indeed crucial information," Ji Li pondered.
"What about the Blood Moon Clan?"

"Well, the Blood Moon Clan isn't among those invited either... I'll get the list of visitors from Marin and Berant, and then try to infiltrate their identities. I'll do everything I can to provide you with intelligence support..."

"They don't have a list."

A female voice suddenly appeared in Veronica's communication, interrupting their conversation.

Ji Li recognized the other person's voice: "Che Li?"

"Hi, I'm in Veronica's office. Have you been hiding these past few days?" the student council president said in a cheerful voice.

Ji Li fell silent for a moment, then said:
"She was listening the whole time?"

Veronica instantly sensed something unusual and quickly reacted, saying:
"I'm sorry, I didn't know she needed to avoid suspicion. I thought..."

"It's alright. Cherry, did you know about this?"

Where are you? I want to see you first.

……

Ji Li saw Che Li below her new residence.

She was wearing a beige trench coat, with one arm in a sling, clearly still recovering from an injury.

Compared to her student days, her appearance hasn't changed much; she's just lost some of her youthful innocence.

Her long, straight, jet-black hair had grown longer, and a single beauty mark stood out prominently at the corner of her eye.

Upon seeing Ji Li appear, a clear smile appeared on her face: "Good morning, busy man."

Compared to when she was in the vault, her voice was much lighter and more cheerful.

How badly are you injured?

"Fortunately, White Island's spiritual medical system is not inferior to that of the Keton Federation... Shall we go up and talk? This is the access card that Veronica asked me to bring you; it's my first time here too."

Che Li handed Ji Li a black card with gold foil stamping.

After the death of the local Flash Street leader, Ji Li naturally withdrew from Flash Street and moved to the residence arranged for him by Veronica, a large row of apartments controlled by the Blood Moon Clan.

Although it's called a room key, there are no outsiders inside yet. It's said that Rabbit Girl and others have also been arranged to stay here.

After taking the key card from the other party, Ji Li was about to speak when he felt his arm go limp. Che Li smoothly took his arm and entered the room with him in a natural manner.

"Long time no see, you look a bit different."

Chari smiled broadly and tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear:
"What's the difference?"

"I'm not as pitiful as I used to be."

"Of course, I am the Black Saintess."

The student council president seemed very confident. When he realized that Ji Li hadn't refused, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes, and he leaned a little closer to Ji Li.

She could hear her own heart pounding; clearly, Cherry wasn't as composed as she appeared.

Everything is different now. She got back what she wanted, and she is no longer the youngest daughter of a tycoon.

Of course, more importantly... she was no longer the ordinary person who would only hide in the shadows of Aries Academy and watch Jin Misha and Ji Li's figures gradually disappear into the distance.

How is Cha Chan-ho doing?

When her younger brother was suddenly mentioned, Chari paused for a moment, then replied:

"He's fine, he's just run into some trouble, but we can handle it ourselves."

"That's good. You seem to know the inside story about the baptism celebration?"

Che Li tightened her grip on her wrist, a hint of inexplicable tension flashing in her eyes:
"Don't tell me that this is the only reason you made a special trip to see me?"

That fleeting sense of melancholy inexplicably reminded Ji Li of her elusive, ghost-like appearances at Aries Academy, and she raised an eyebrow:
"Not entirely, but we can talk about catching up later. After all, I'm also very curious about your becoming a Holy Maiden of the Illuminati."

Che Li's slightly tense body finally relaxed again:
"The Illuminati sent me to White Island primarily for this baptism. However, some things went wrong along the way..."

Friction between the Illuminati and Stargate was escalating. They approached the White Island royal family, intending to ensure that Illuminati members could operate on White Island territory without being affected by Stargate's retaliatory actions, and even to further resolve the issue.

The royal family naturally agreed, but the Illuminati underestimated the royal family's influence over the counties of White Island, especially in the territories of the four dukes.

The royal family arranged an invitation for Cheryl to visit the Ludwig family, inviting the Grand Duke to cooperate with her.

Unexpectedly, the cooperation between Stargate and the Ludwig family had already been established before this.

"If it weren't for you, this trip would probably have really gone wrong."

"It's a case of running into each other. But since your relationship with the Ludwig family has completely deteriorated, that invitation is probably no longer useful."

"That's right, but..."

A light smile played on Che Li's lips as she magically produced a black USB drive:
“I have a guest list.”
-
P.S.: Sorry, I only slept for half an hour yesterday. I took a nap last night and got up, but I felt like I was about to ascend to heaven...

(End of this chapter)