Secrets: Priestess

Chapter 143 A Commission of Pounds
Claire watched as the Fool calmly discarded the six diaries in his hand. Unfortunately, she couldn't see the Fool's expression through the gray fog.

"But he must be shocked..."

Claire turned to observe the others.

After presenting the diary, The Hanged Man sat respectfully on his seat, as if waiting for the Fool's next instruction.

The "righteous" boy looked around curiously and awkwardly.

Tessa stared at the vacant seat of the "Priestess", wondering what she was thinking.

Audrey seemed eager to speak, as if she had something to say.

The Fool raised his head and announced to everyone, "You can trade or communicate freely now."

Audrey, who had waited for this moment, immediately said, "I have an assassination commission. The reward is 10,000 pounds!"

Audrey's words caused everyone in the Tarot Club to turn and look at her, even the Fool.

Ten thousand pounds was no small sum; it was enough to buy a small manor on the outskirts of Backlund. It could even buy a Sequence 5 potion formula, if one had the right channels!
And the word "assassination" is closely associated with the ten thousand pounds.

Who could have caused Miss Justice to reveal such obvious murderous intent?
This question arises in the minds of everyone present.

Claire was watching from the sidelines. She wasn't surprised that Audrey had issued this commission at the Tarot Club. Given Audrey's personality, she wouldn't tolerate an Intis intelligence chief planning various events while participating in lavish gatherings of Loen nobles.

Audrey paused and said to everyone, "I want to assassinate the Intis Republic's ambassador to the Kingdom of Loen, Bakeron Jean Martin."

The Hanged Man looked regretful. "Unfortunately, I'm already out to sea. However... I can contact some 'friends' to complete this commission."

"He's able to make a noble lady pay a large reward for his life. I've heard that Ambassador Bakerland is a playboy. Could it be that he has offended you?"

"What an offensive conjecture." Audrey glanced at the Hanged Man and frowned. "I just happened to discover that Baker is the intelligence chief sent by Intis, and that he has endangered the social order of the kingdom."

"I'm so sorry. I was inconsiderate and my words were rude."

The "Hanged Man" sitting sideways first apologized, and then sighed:

"I didn't expect Miss Justice to have grown to this point, to be able to discover Ambassador Bakerland's hidden identity... She's truly a Mind Reader."

The Hanged Man adjusted his sitting position and, to atone for his impolite behavior, solemnly shared his intelligence with Audrey. "Ms. Justice, as far as I know, Ambassador Backlund is the head of Intis's intelligence agency. He's surrounded by a large number of Beyonders, many of whom are probably Sequence 6 or even Sequence 5."

"Intis Intelligence is still influenced by the Sauron family, the former royal family of Intis. The vast majority of its intelligence personnel are Beyonders of the Hunter Path. This is a path that excels at using conspiracy."

Audrey listened to the information the Hanged Man had revealed, becoming increasingly alarmed. She couldn't help but ask, "How could Mr. Hanged Man know so much about Bakerlan Jean Martin?"

Audrey suspected that the "Hanged Man" was a clergyman in the Church of Storms. His status in the church was probably similar to that of Galadriel, or even lower.

But such a person, who is often out at sea and not in Backlund, can actually know the hidden identity of Backlund Jean Martin!
Are the intelligence agencies and nobles of the Loen Kingdom all good-for-nothings?!

The Hanged Man looked at Audrey who had fallen into silence and saw what she was thinking.

He chuckled and said suggestively, "Ambassador Backlund's identity is no secret to many people in Backlund."

A lot of people……

Hearing this, Audrey felt irritated and angry. From the words "Hanged Man", Audrey rationally thought that some big shots in the kingdom were planning something.

But no matter what these bigwigs were plotting, since Backlund Jean Martin arrived at Backlund, those who had been deceived, those who had been killed or wounded in the bloodshed, could they be considered nothing more than cold, cold numbers? Could they be considered the minority who were sacrificed? Could they simply be ignored?

What on earth was he planning, to allow a scourge like Backlund Jean Martin to operate in Backlund?!

"Why... don't those people in the kingdom get rid of these jackals that are endangering the kingdom?" Audrey, who only became an adult at the end of the year, could no longer contain her anger and confusion, and couldn't help but ask.

The Hanged Man sighed and said, "I don't know the details, but I know this must have involved considerations from the upper echelons of the kingdom."

Meanwhile, Tessa, who had been observing the situation from the sidelines, scoffed, "What are the higher-ups thinking? It's nothing more than a bunch of kingdom parasites vying for power and profit, leading to a ridiculous situation that shouldn't even exist."

Hearing Tessa's words, Audrey turned sharply to face the woman at the farthest table across from her and asked quickly, "Ms. Queen, do you know the inside story? Can you share some of the information with me?"

Tessa nodded slightly and said, "Let's settle the information fee together with the commission reward. Miss Justice, I accept your commission."

Claire, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but murmur in her heart when she heard Tessa's words. The woman who always acted so generous actually wanted to earn a high salary. Could it be that the woman was also short of money recently?

In the gray fog world, Tessa revealed to Audrey in detail what she knew about the incident:

"The conflicts and contradictions provoked by Ambassador Backlund's events are mainly concentrated in two areas. One is the conflict between factory owners and grassroots workers in Loen, and the other is the conflict between the prosperity of industrialized cities and the decline of traditional towns."

"The situation in the kingdom is very delicate right now. Based on the incident involving Ambassador Bakerland, we can broadly divide the situation into three main factions: the King, the New Party, and the Conservative Party."

"The interests targeted by Backlund's schemes were primarily those of the New Party, as they control a large number of factories and have closer ties with the emerging wealthy class."

"But the kingdom's intelligence agencies, which are responsible for handling this matter, are in the hands of the Conservative Party and the kingdom."

"The Conservative Party is delaying the investigation into Bakerlund, hoping to use Bakerlund to force the new party to compromise on some core interests, such as seats in Parliament and the authority to conduct financial audits..."

Hearing this, Audrey was in disbelief and screamed in disbelief, "How could this be! Where is their loyalty to the kingdom?"

Tessa chuckled at being interrupted and paused.

In the silent atmosphere, The Hanged Man sneered and sighed:

"Miss Justice, throughout human history, there have been cases of noble families who controlled the power to dispatch military supplies, and during wartime, they sold their military supplies to merchants in enemy countries."

"Since the end of the Age of Chivalry, although families that adhere to the code of chivalry still exist, they are no longer the majority. Today, they are more focused on their own interests."

"Unfortunately, human morality has nothing to do with the level of socio-political and economic development."

"But..." Audrey was speechless for a moment. As a young woman, she still couldn't believe that Ambassador Bakerland's image hid such an ugly reality. "But how could the New Party allow themselves to be bullied? Are all the New Party members curly-haired baboons?"

"Because they're concerned about the king's reaction." Tessa went on to explain, "Now, His Majesty the King of Loen has been wanting to start a war, a full-scale war that he would personally lead!" "This king is not only eager to fight against the Feysac Empire, which has invaded Balam's east coast, but he's also eyeing the neighboring Intis Republic."

Audrey had also heard about the king's bellicosity, and she had also heard many people privately discuss it at various gatherings. They said it was the control of the nobles and the church that made their king want to prove himself through war, or to bring power back to the royal family through war.

After the Kingdom's defeat in the war with the Feysac Empire on the east coast of Balam this year, it was said that His Majesty the King proposed to lead the war himself, but was fortunately stopped by the nobles and ministers.

Tessa looked at Audrey and chuckled:
"As for the New Party..."

"Compared to the 'few' incidents caused by Bakerlund, war is what the New Party truly fears. While war will bring more opportunities, it is also likely to destroy the wealth of the vast majority of them. At least at this moment, a war is not in their interests."

"How could the majority of the New Party want to get bogged down in a war when they can steadily earn huge wealth in the market to support a luxurious lifestyle?"

"They're afraid the Kingdom will learn of this and use it as an excuse to start a war."

"So the New Party only wanted to keep the matter of Ambassador Bakerland low-key, and instead joined forces with the Conservative Party to conceal this matter from the King."

"The king's attitude is also puzzling... It's as if he's been genuinely deceived and knows nothing about this matter. Perhaps there are problems within the intelligence agencies controlled by the royal family."

As Tessa spoke, she glanced sideways at the Hanged Man, who was standing at the farthest point on the same side of the bronze table. She sighed, "The Conservatives, led by the Duke Negan family, have joined forces with the Church of the Storm, which believes in the righteous God. This force makes the royal family seem somewhat weak and frail."

The three major churches of the Kingdom of Loen, such as the Nighthawks, the Mandated Punishers, and the Mechanical Heart, these Beyonder organizations only have jurisdictions when dealing with evil incidents, without any distinction between superiors and subordinates, which makes them appear more pure.

But the priests who dealt with secular affairs, the bishops of the Church of Storms, almost blatantly participated in the nobles' struggle for power.

The priests of the Church of Evernight behaved relatively subduedly, secretly exerting influence in various aspects.

The Mechanicus basically does not interfere in the kingdom, but only cheers for the Church of Storms and the Church of Night in some major events.

"Will assassinating Bakerland trigger a war between the two countries?" Although Audrey was angry at the coldness and cruelty of the adult world, she still had some sense and believed that the harm caused by war to the current king and the people of the kingdom would far outweigh the benefits.

Although her starting point is different, her choice is consistent with the New Party.

"It's hard to say whether war will break out if Ambassador Bakeran is killed by members of the New Party," Tessa asserted. "But if it's proven that someone other than the New Party killed Ambassador Bakeran, the combined power of the New Party will be enough to prevent the kingdom's upper echelons from provoking war."

"As for Intis, where their ambassador died, their desire for war is much smaller than that of the Loen royal family."

Claire listened to Tessa's confident words and wondered how this woman, who had left her noble status, knew this information.

Is it because of the witch sect? Or...Beth, who has close ties with the nobles?
Tessa assured Audrey:
"I am absolutely certain that after assassinating Ambassador Bakerland, I will not link the assassination to the New Party. But the reward..."

"Gotta double it!"

Tessa's request caused several hisses to echo throughout the magnificent palace.

Even the "Sun" boy in Silver City now understands what a fortune of 10,000 pounds means.

Even the wealthy Audrey would have to live frugally for a while to recover from the ten thousand pounds, and if the reward doubled...

Twenty thousand gold pounds!
Audrey felt a little uncomfortable for a moment.

Mainly because she was not yet an adult, Audrey could not freely control the assets allocated to her by her father, Earl Hall, resulting in a lack of cash in her hands.

"I'll be an adult after the New Year...it's only 20,000 pounds." Audrey sighed inwardly with a headache. She never thought that one day she would feel so hesitant about money.

But thinking about Ambassador Bakerland's evil deeds and the fact that his organization's actions did threaten her family's safety, Audrey finally nodded in agreement.

Miss Justice actually agreed to this?!
Audrey's nod shocked the Tarot Club members more than the "Queen" who shouted double.

Twenty thousand pounds... Claire, who was listening in, also took a deep breath. Even if she successfully established a new Beyonder gathering and trading platform with Xio, it would take a long time to accumulate such a large amount of wealth.

If Claire hadn't been wary of the protective forces surrounding Ambassador Bakerland, she would have wanted to get involved and accept Audrey's commission.

All I can say is that she is worthy of being the daughter of a great banker in the Kingdom of Loen. Running a bank is so willful!
However, Audrey also made an additional request: "But in order to avoid causing trouble, this payment needs to be given to you in batches and in a secret manner."

"No problem," Tessa agreed.

The Hanged Man, who had originally intended to participate, sighed and withdrew from the competition for this commission. Although the huge sum of money made him very tempted, after hearing the deeper inside story of the kingdom, he was not sure he could escape the subsequent investigation of the Church of Storms.

At the same time, Audrey was thinking about going back to Galadilla after the meeting to cancel the previous commission. She was angry at Galadilla's indifference before, and now that she knew the inside story, she was afraid that Galadilla would take active action.

……

Klein, sitting at the head of the table, felt mixed emotions as he listened to the Tarot Club members' discussions and dealings with Ambassador Bakerland.

After arriving in Backlund, Klein worked as a private detective to earn a living, but recently, due to a commission, he was accidentally involved in a conflict between MI9 and the Beyonders around Ambassador Backlund.

He was even targeted by the powerful Beyonders around Bakerland.

Klein had originally been thinking about how to issue the mission to assassinate Ambassador Bakerland at this gathering without revealing his identity.

Unexpectedly, Miss Justice helped him solve this problem.

"Well done, Miss Justice. I'll compensate you when I get the chance!"

……

Meanwhile, Audrey, who had issued a massive commission of 20,000 pounds, was also apologizing to the Fool in her heart:
"I'm sorry, Mr. Fool. The bounty on Qilingos, who was killed by your followers last time, went unclaimed, so it was secretly transferred by Duke Nigan and my father to me, who discovered Qilingos's whereabouts."

"This is a cash sum of thirty thousand pounds..."

"I originally wanted to discuss this at this gathering... but I'm in urgent need of this cash. Once this is over and I have enough cash on hand, I'll offer compensation to your followers!"

……

Meanwhile, Claire was wondering how Tessa would assassinate Ambassador Bakerland, and whether she could take this opportunity to catch this slippery guy!
(End of this chapter)