Mysterious: The Innate Sacred Body of Destiny

Chapter 389 The Fool, Lorne's Advice

After visiting Maritch on Williams Street and confirming that the villa was otherwise undamaged except for one window, Lorne returned to 69 Rose Street.

Since he returned late at night, he inevitably received a few more scoldings from Mrs. Griffin, who was still half asleep, for seriously delaying the lady's precious beauty sleep time.

Fortunately, Laki stepped in at the crucial moment. She skillfully snuggled into Mrs. Griffin's arms, rubbed her fluffy head against the other woman's chin, and acted coquettishly, instantly dispelling most of the landlady's morning grumpiness.

"Phew—so many troubles—I suddenly don't want to come back."

Lying on his familiar bed, staring at the ceiling, and thinking about the pile of complicated tasks he was about to face, Lorne couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

"James Scott already has enough under his name—factories, foundations—should we put the next food processing plant and such under my own name?"

Lorne pondered whether he should add some assets to "Lorne Disenck".

But after thinking about it carefully, he shook his head: "Never mind—"

Let James Scott handle these public nuisances alone. Don't drag him into it.

Otherwise, there will be no way out.

"Those two inventors from Tingen will be here soon, and there's also the work arrangement for Benson Moretti. Oh well, one thing at a time."

"Get that villa completely renovated as soon as possible, otherwise we won't even have a decent place to stay."

The Guild of Truth.

After another long meeting, Charles slumped wearily into his chair, rubbing his throbbing temples.

The chain reaction triggered by this attack on the stronghold was more serious and troublesome than he had imagined. Launching an effective retaliatory operation against the Aurora Society while being constrained by the three major churches was an extremely technically demanding task.

"Bart, go and call all our men here—" After thinking for a moment, he gave his men the task.

Soon, all the members currently at the guild headquarters were summoned.

Klein followed a group of people to a spacious conference hall.

There were detectives like him, guild office workers, and shop owners near the guild.

There were even some guys who looked like homeless people.

"Everyone, to make a long story short, these are extraordinary times, so please be extra careful in your actions these days—"

Charles stood at the front and briefly explained to his subordinates the recent tense situation in Backlund and some of the guild's upcoming arrangements.

"Don't worry too much. The church is just conducting a routine investigation right now and won't do anything to us."

It seems to be just a simple pre-battle mobilization to reassure his men—Klein thought to himself in the crowd, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

However, Charles changed the subject, his tone becoming somewhat subtle: "In addition, our investigation has revealed that the Aurora Society seems to have been secretly investigating an unknown entity called 'The Fool' and searching for His followers."

A slight commotion arose in the conference room.

"The Fool"? A name I've never heard of? What would the Aurora Council want with His followers?

Klein, standing in the crowd, felt a buzzing in his head and became completely disoriented.

"You all need to pay close attention and see what's going on with this 'Fool.' It seems the higher-ups are taking this very seriously."

"There's no upper limit to the reward if a concrete clue is found."

While others were still pondering this unfamiliar title or whispering about the prize money, Klein was completely bewildered.

How does this have anything to do with him? He's always been very careful in Backlund, and apart from the Tarot Club, he doesn't seem to have had any direct entanglements with the Aurora Club.

After thinking it over and over, he suddenly remembered something.

At the Tarot gathering, to help the little "sun" in his predicament in a place forsaken by God, the little "sun" recited his own name and performed a ritual of supplication. At that time, the little "sun" was part of an exploration team corrupted by the "True Creator," and might even have been under the watchful eye of that evil god—

Could it be that at that time—was the "true creator" aware of it?

No way? The Aurora Society noticed me, and then the organization, while investigating the Aurora Society, also found out about me?

"Why is this another nested doll thing?" Klein thought to himself, cursing wildly.

I just want to quietly be a wicked person—cough, a secret presence helping others—why is that so difficult? I get caught up in trouble wherever I go!

Moreover, the bonus has no upper limit—

Alas—it's a pity I can't get it.

However, no one else could get it either, because "The Fool" doesn't have any real-world followers, only a Tarot club with a few members—thinking about this, Klein felt a little more at ease.

"Use your respective channels to search for clues carefully, and don't overlook any trace." Charles glanced around the scroll.

"Alright, that's all for today."

Just as everyone was getting up to leave, he suddenly spoke up again: "Oh, right, there's one more thing."

Everyone instinctively turned around and looked at him in unison.

"Hmph." Charles's lips curled into a slight smile. "Go to the finance department and collect your wages for this month."

Klein, who had been feeling somewhat awkward and tense, suddenly perked up.

Is today payday? I don't think it's payday yet.

"You've all worked hard lately, so this month's salary will be paid in advance. In addition, each of you will receive an extra bonus."

Charles said with a smile, "To keep your subordinates motivated and loyal during dangerous times, material rewards are absolutely essential. They're always very generous to those who actually do the work."

8 Williams Street.

"The villa is almost finished —"

Lorne stood in the garden, looking at the villa in front of him, whose renovation was almost complete, and sighed for a while.

He still looks the same as before. To avoid being bothered by those annoying reporters and nobles trying to curry favor, he chooses to be "himself" for two more days, take a little more time to relax and enjoy this rare moment of leisure.

"By the way, like I asked before, would you be interested in being my butler?" Lorne turned to look at Marich, who stood to the side with a blank expression.

Although he prefers quiet and being alone, he is now a celebrity in Backlund, and will inevitably have to attend some basic social gatherings and dinners in the future.

It would seem inappropriate and unbecoming of my current status to have such a large villa without a butler or servants.

"You want to use my zombies as servants? That way you won't have to hire any servants?" Maric glanced at him and asked back.

"Uh—" Lorne forced a smile, somewhat embarrassed.

"I do not deny that we have considered this aspect."

But I think this house could be our common base. You and Sharon can move in too.

"I have plenty of rooms here, and the decor is quite nice."

"We can communicate anytime, no need to go to bars to meet anymore."

"And it's very safe here. Neither the authorities nor other gangsters will really bother us here."

"At least with my current relationship with the church, the night watchmen and those in charge of punishment will definitely not be idly checking the water meters and gas meters here."

Should he and Sharon live here? It would certainly be convenient and more discreet—Marich fell into deep thought.

But after a moment, he shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I don't really like being in the public eye. Even if I could pretend, I still—"

"Furthermore, using zombies as servants is not a good idea."

"There are still many differences between them and living people. Even if they are specially treated and there is no smell of decay, the details of a person's body temperature, breathing, and micro-expressions are difficult to completely conceal."

"Among your guests, there will inevitably be extraordinary individuals, or those with extraordinary bodyguards. It's quite easy for them to spot anything unusual."

"When the time comes, it will probably be big news if the hero of the East District has a house full of zombies."

"That's true." Lorne said with some regret, but didn't say anything more.

Two more days passed.

"Those two inventors should arrive in about a week—"

Lorne sat at his desk, sketching and writing on blueprints while pondering the matter of building a factory.

"The selection and construction of the factory will definitely take some time; we can't rush it."

"First, find them a decent hotel to settle in, then have them go to the gun factory to help out and familiarize themselves with Backlund. They can also help me improve the existing production line—"

"Once everything is arranged, then—"

Just then, his spiritual intuition was slightly triggered.

That familiar feeling—Lorne put down his pencil and looked up at the closed window.

"Ms. Sharon?"

"it's me."

-

The air distorted slightly, and Sharon, dressed in a black gothic court dress and wearing an exquisite little soft hat, emerged from the shadows.

"I've gathered some information about the 'Aurora Festival' —"

As she spoke, she handed over a sealed brown paper bag.

"Thank you." Lorne took the bag, unsealed it, and carefully read it by the light of the gas lamp.

"I see----"

As he read on, his brows gradually furrowed.

"On the day Duke Negan was assassinated, another serious and extraordinary incident occurred in Backlund, and it was the work of the Aurora Society—"

"No wonder the 'Singer of God' couldn't arrive at the scene to provide immediate assistance."

"Also, the Aurora Society was recently looking for followers of the Fool —"

"Fool—" Lorne tapped his fingers lightly on the table, lost in thought.

"A fool who doesn't belong to this era —"

He remembered clearly that it was because he recited this name that he attracted the attention of the "evil god," who then came to him to "exorcise" the evil.

At that moment, the gaze directed at him gave him a strange sense of familiarity and made his heart pound.

Is the "Fool" that the "Aurora Society" is looking for the one mentioned in the name?

Also, the mysterious ghost we saw at the Capin villa deliberately left behind a few tarot cards as a marker before leaving—

After a moment's thought, Lorne looked up at Sharon, who was waiting quietly. "This information is very useful to me. Is there any other information besides this?"

"That's all for now. Ian is still gathering more in-depth intelligence through his channels, which will take time," Sharon replied truthfully.

"Have him also keep an eye out for this so-called Fool," to see if he can find His followers or anything related to Him.

"You're very interested in this hidden entity?" A hint of curiosity flashed in Sharon's eyes.

"Hmm, it might be related to some of my doubts." Lorne nodded, but didn't elaborate.

"Understood."

Sharon didn't press the matter, but simply noted down the request, saying, "I'll have Ian keep that in mind."

"Thanks."

A brief silence fell over the room. Lorne flipped through the documents in his hands, his mind racing with various ideas.

"By the way," Sharon suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence, "you mentioned to Marich a couple of days ago that you wanted him to be your butler."

"Yes, actually—I mainly valued his ability to control zombies." Lorne smiled somewhat sheepishly, but didn't seem embarrassed at all.

"As you know, I'm not used to having too many strangers around me. Butlers, maids, gardeners—just thinking about it is a hassle."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious: "Of course, this isn't entirely a joke. With so many incidents happening in Backlund lately, the Church's searches have become increasingly frequent—"

"It's hard to guarantee that there aren't any spies planted by the church on Iron Gate Street." He paused for two seconds, then continued, "But given the delicate 'friendly' relationship between me and the church, they probably won't bother searching my private villa for no reason."

So, I think we've worked together for so long and trust each other a lot, so you and Maric can move in. It's beneficial for both of us; it's safe and convenient.

I have plenty of empty rooms here.

Move in and live together.

Upon hearing this, Sharon's eyes flickered slightly, seemingly showing some interest in the suggestion.

After all, living together would make many things much more convenient.

But the next second, Lorne changed the subject: "But since Marich isn't willing, then forget it—"

"After all, he has a point. Having a bunch of zombies as servants is indeed somewhat—creepy."

"What do you think, Ms. Sharon?"

"Um--"

Sharon responded with a soft "yes," her eyes lowered slightly, lost in thought. Then, she said, slowly and deliberately, "What Marich said—makes sense—"

The next morning.

"Knock knock knock!"

A series of urgent knocks broke the morning's tranquility.

"Who is it?!" Xiu yawned and opened the door sleepily.

She stayed up until midnight yesterday to complete a certain task, and she's still incredibly sleepy.

"If it's a newspaper delivery service, we won't subscribe—"

She had barely opened the door a crack when she saw a figure in a black trench coat standing outside.

"Scott?! You're back?" Hugh instantly snapped back to reality, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Hmm, long time no see, Hugh." Lorne gave a gentle smile, then leaned down slightly and glanced curiously at Hugh, who was wearing loose pajamas and had messy hair.

"I never imagined that not only Fors, but Hugh also has this side to her at home—"

"ah--"

Hugh's cheeks flushed red instantly, and his mind went completely blank.

She stood frozen in place, at a loss, unsure whether to cover her face or close the door first, uttering meaningless syllables: "I—am not—this—."

Several seconds passed before she reacted, peeked out and warily glanced at the street outside, then quickly pulled Lorne inside and slammed the door shut.

"Thank goodness, no one saw it, and no one followed me—" She leaned against the door and breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, she raised her head and looked at Lorne, who had been pulled in and was looking at her with some amusement, her cheeks still flushed.

"Scott, you—wait a moment."

After saying that, she ran quickly towards her room.

Lorne shook his head, propped his arm up in the living room, and didn't move.

About ten minutes later, Hugh, having finished washing up and changed into his signature beige knight's uniform, reappeared before Lorne. Although his hair was still a little wet, he had regained his usual sharp and capable appearance.

"This is a gift for you and Fors, some fine Earl Grey tea, and some local specialties I bought out of town." Lorne handed the other person a delicate paper bag he was carrying.

"I think Fors is still asleep, isn't he?"

"Thank you." Hugh took the bag and nodded. "She—she probably won't wake up until noon."

She also expressed some helplessness when talking about her friend's schedule.

"Are all writers this fond of staying up all night? — That must be tough," Lorne remarked.

"By the way, Scott, why did you come to see me so early?" Hugh asked curiously.

"Weren't you the one who was in a hurry to find me?" Lorne retorted. "I heard from old Kohler that you told me to come find you as soon as I got back."

Early this morning, he had just returned to the factory as "James Scott" when he was stopped by old Kohler, who was guarding the gate.

He thought something serious had happened, such as Hugh being harassed by some evil god again, so he rushed over.

"Ah, yes, it is indeed urgent." Hugh took a deep breath, his expression turning serious.

"That's right, Scott. Recently—someone has been secretly investigating you, not just any business rival or tabloid reporter—"

Hugh didn't hide anything and told the whole story about how he accepted the masked man's commission to investigate him.

"That's it, Scott, what do you think we should do now—"

"Hiss—someone with a suspected military background is investigating me—" Upon hearing this, Lorne's expression also became somewhat serious.

This reminded him of the incident a few days ago when a mysterious witch broke into his villa.

Is there any connection between these two things?

Witch and the military—

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