Mystery: When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Chapter 363 Klein Refuses to Start Side Quests

Congressman Macht clearly noticed this, and he said with a hint of guilt, "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Dantes. I didn't check the setup of the venue properly."

But then, partly changing the subject and partly praising him, he said, "Your skills are truly impressive. I bet you are a gentleman with a wealth of adventurous experience."

In the upper circles of Ruen, it is a basic skill to know the preferences of each guest in advance when hosting a banquet, which makes everyone feel "special attention".

Congressman Macht was not surprised; he knew that Mr. "Dantès" had experience adventuring at sea, so he praised him from that angle.

“You are a very observant gentleman,” Klein replied politely.

Member of Parliament Macht's daughter, Hazel, had long since looked away, continuing to haughtily observe the other attendees.

After exchanging pleasantries for a few minutes, Congressman Macht apologized and, with his wife Liana, headed towards the staircase. They went up to the second floor and, at the railing directly opposite the entrance, prepared to begin the ball.

He raised his glass of red wine and said:
"Thank you all for attending this ball. First of all, let us praise God, the source of all goodness."

He and Lady Liana immediately tapped their chests four times and whispered praises to the goddess, while the guests also praised their respective deities in their own ways.

Klein touched his left chest with his right hand and praised himself.

He noticed that there seemed to be only one or two followers of the Lord of Fools present.

However, this is not very obvious, because the "Church of Pleasure" has two gestures for bowing.

The first thing is to gently touch your left chest with your right hand; that's nothing.

But the second one is outrageous.

"On the surface, they piously praise other true gods with their own gestures, but in their hearts they praise the Lord of foolishness."

Yes, Serres directly incorporated this gesture into the doctrine.

This drew protests from members of other churches, but Serres paid no attention and had no intention of making any changes.

“If any church is unhappy, let their god come and challenge me to a duel,” Serres replied to the archbishops. “Or all seven of them at once.”

Later, the protests gradually subsided.

Even the Lord of Storms knows that he cannot offend a church that possesses both an "Outer God" and a "Lord of Mysteries".

Congressman Maht, still holding his glass, continued speaking with a smile:
"Secondly, praise the kingdom, for it is the cornerstone of stability."

“Praise be to the kingdom,” Klein said, raising his glass of champagne and joining the other guests.

Ok?
The mourner's sensitivity to emotion made Klein realize that something unusual was amiss.

He looked back towards the source of that emotion and saw two familiar faces.

They are Triss and Edsack in disguise.

They came too? Why?
Klein had a lot of questions in his mind, but he quickly put them aside and looked away.

Forget it, it's none of my business.

Klein refused to unlock the side story.

Then, Representative Macht looked around and asked humorously, "Finally, what should we praise?"

Klein, who had recently received tutoring from Arrodes on "The Art of Language," had an idea and laughed loudly, "Praise be to the improved air quality in Backlund."

Congressman Maht paused for a moment, then responded with an uncontrollable smile:

"Excellent, that's a great suggestion." "Let's toast to the improved air quality in Backlund, a symbol of our better lives! Cheers!"

Combating air pollution has always been a core political principle for this Member of the House of Commons, and he has consistently pushed for the enactment of relevant legislation on various occasions, playing a significant role in improving the environment.

Therefore, praising the improved air quality in Backlund is equivalent to praising him, and it is more subtle and aboveboard.

The guests responded enthusiastically and drank their drinks.

Immediately afterwards, Congressman Macht took Mrs. Liana's hand and led her down to the lobby on the first floor, where they danced the opening dance to a soft melody.

The men present began searching for their first dance partner, while Klein leisurely took another glass of champagne and surveyed the guests.

There were actually quite a few clergy members present. While the Orthodox Church does not support clergy members attending the ball, it does not prohibit them either. Therefore, some pastors and nuns were invited, but they generally did not wear clerical robes.

Oh, Mrs. Mary is here too... He glanced around and spotted a familiar face: Mrs. Mary, a major shareholder of Coyme Company, worth tens of thousands of pounds, who had once commissioned Sherlock Moriarty to catch her husband in adultery.

But he didn't know the other person, so Klein had no intention of striking up a conversation.

He looked away and gazed elsewhere.

Edsack and Triss were seen to have undoubtedly become a couple and entered the dance floor.

Edsack was a total simp a few months ago. Klein thought, "He actually managed to get him..."

No, it should be Triss who won over Edsack, after all, he's a prince.

As he glanced at a middle-aged gentleman, Klein instinctively felt something was off.

But he didn't intend to cause any trouble and didn't pay much attention to it, eventually turning his attention to Hazel.

Heyrmacht, holding a glass of white wine, stood on the edge of the room with a slightly aloof smile, watching the men each lock onto their targets and prepare to invite them to dance.

This young lady was actually quite beautiful, with a graceful and elegant appearance. She should have been the star of the ball, with everyone vying to invite her to dance. However, her haughty attitude, which carried a sense of superiority, caused the men who had their eyes on her to shift their attention elsewhere.

She seemed completely indifferent to the ball, but Klein could sense that she wasn't.

Arrogant people always prefer to be fawned over by ordinary people, and then it's their turn to reject others, rather than being ignored altogether.

It's a bit like the protagonist in an early urban soldier king series who looks down on ordinary people because he has cheat codes.

As the melody changed, the men walked toward the chosen ladies or wives, and Klein noticed that no one went near Hazel Macht.

As one of the hosts of the banquet, she was neglected, which made her both proud and somewhat embarrassed.

Klein pondered for a moment, then, with a gentle smile, walked slowly toward the haughty young woman.

"Miss Hazel, may I have this dance?"

Dawn Dantes, whose temples were graying, bowed with perfect form.

This was because he himself did not have a dance partner, and at the same time, he was helping her out of a difficult situation.

However, he wasn't the type to fawn over someone who wouldn't listen. If she refused, Klein wouldn't say anything more.

Hazel glanced at him, paused for a few seconds, and said, "It is my honor."

She then extended her palm.

Klein politely took her hand and led her onto the dance floor.

(End of this chapter)