I'm not a goblin Frankenstein's monster.

Chapter 134 Horse Pee 4k

"Oh, you're so heartless, like a born viper."

The Baroness giggled and blew him a kiss. "Well then, I look forward to your performance at the party, my future Baron."

Dean didn't even glance at her, turned around, opened the door, and walked out, leaving only a cold sentence echoing in the bathroom: "Clean up those two useless pieces of trash, don't leave any trace of magic that the clergy can detect."

His footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor, eventually disappearing into the night.

The Baroness leaned lazily against the edge of the bathtub, her slender fingers gently tracing the surface of the water, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

She glanced at the two maids slumped on the edge of the bathtub, already unconscious, her eyes showing no pity, only the cold indifference of someone examining discarded tools.

"Someone come here."

She called out softly, her voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable authority.

As soon as he finished speaking, two figures dressed in black silently emerged from the shadows of the bathroom.

"Clean it up thoroughly." The Baroness waved her hand. "Remember to wipe away any traces of magic; those hounds have very keen noses."

The two women in black nodded silently, stepped forward, and lifted the unconscious maid, dragging her like two lifeless dolls, quickly disappearing into the shadows.

The bathroom returned to tranquility, with only rose petals floating gently on the water, as if the frenzied feast had never happened.

At the border between the slums and the commercial district in the east of the city, there is an extremely secluded tavern.

This tavern is located at the intersection of two narrow alleys. It looks dilapidated, with its signboard hanging crookedly and the words on it already faded and illegible.

But if you look closely, you can still barely recognize that very unique and down-to-earth name—"The Stuttering Green Troll".

Pushing open the greasy oak door, which looked like it hadn't been cleaned for decades, a pungent smell—a mixture of cheap beer, the grease from grilled sausages, sweat, and some other indescribable odor—was wafting out, so strong it almost brought tears to Xia Lin's eyes.

"Cough cough—" Xia Lin couldn't help but cough twice, cursing the church staff who arranged the location eight hundred times in her mind.

The church chooses this kind of place to meet, saying that "the more chaotic the place, the safer it is."

The lobby on the first floor was crowded with dockworkers who had just finished work, down-on-their-luck mercenaries, and a few bards singing vulgar tunes on their off-key lutes.

Near the bar, several drunken men were arguing loudly, occasionally bursting into rude laughter.

In the corner, another group of people were playing cards, the atmosphere so tense it seemed like they might draw their knives at any moment.

This place is a perfect melting pot of all sorts of people, so there's no need to worry about being followed or investigated by those with ulterior motives. It's also a natural breeding ground for intelligence trading.

Xia Lin didn't linger on the first floor. Instead, she skillfully tossed a silver coin to the bartender with the bulbous nose and went up the creaking wooden stairs that looked like they might collapse at any moment to the second floor.

Compared to the noise on the first floor, the second floor was cleverly divided into several small booths with a certain degree of privacy, partially covered by yellowish curtains, which slightly ensured the privacy of conversations.

Xia Lin sat down in a dimly lit corner at the very back, from where she could clearly see the stairwell.

"A dark beer," he said to the waiter who followed him.

Soon, a cracked ceramic cup was placed in front of Xia Lin, filled with a murky dark liquid with some unidentified foam floating on the surface.

Xia Lin picked up the cup and tentatively took a sip.

Then, his whole face scrunched up.

This stuff tastes like horse urine that's been soaking in stinky socks for three days—no, even horse urine might taste better than this.

The strange taste—bitter, astringent, and slightly rancid—made Xia Lin suspect that the tavern's brewer might have mistakenly poured in foot bath water instead of other ingredients.

"Damn, this beer tastes awful! City folks are so unlucky!"

Xia Lin cursed under his breath, looked around, and prepared to pour the potent poisonous liquid into the half-dead potted plant next to him.

Just as Xia Lin raised her cup, the rhythmic "clack-clack-clack" of high heels came from the stairwell leading to the second floor.

The mercenaries who were talking quietly on the second floor stopped talking at the same time, and their eyes were all drawn to the stairwell as if they were magnetically attracted.

Even the waiter who was pouring drinks for the guests froze on the spot, almost spilling the wine on the table.

The person who arrived was Alice, a senior investigator from the church's investigation department and Xia Lin's direct superior in this undercover mission.

If your impression of women in the church is still that of rigid old nuns wearing wide black robes, heavy headscarves, and chanting scriptures all day long, then Alice will definitely shatter all your preconceptions and completely overturn your understanding of the word "clergy".

Alice was never the kind of rigid woman.

Today she was wearing a strikingly bold, bright red, form-fitting leather outfit.

It hugged Alice's perfect figure tightly, with a waistline that perfectly accentuated her slender waist and full curves.

The neckline of her dress was cut just right, revealing her breathtakingly impressive figure. The tight leather jacket outlined her stunning curves, which trembled slightly with her steps, as if they might break free from the precarious buttons at any moment and jump out to breathe some fresh air.

Her wavy red hair cascaded wildly over her shoulders, with a few strands lazily falling across her forehead. Paired with her exquisite and somewhat unruly face, she looked more like a succubus emerging from flames than a priestess who preached asceticism and celibacy.

Alice ignored the stares around her that seemed to want to gouge their eyes out and stick them to her, and walked straight to Xia Lin, sitting down in the only empty chair.

She crossed her legs, and her long, beautiful legs, encased in black boots, gleamed alluringly.

"For the sake of the Holy Light, the Church is being far too frugal," Alice said bluntly, her voice languid. "Couldn't they have chosen a slightly more tasteful place to meet? The air here is barely better than the monastery's public latrine."

As she spoke, she took a silk handkerchief from her pocket and gently covered her mouth and nose.

"Did you discover something? Don't tell me you risked exposure to meet me just to get me to drink the horse piss from this wretched place."

Xia Lin cautiously looked around, and after confirming that there were no suspicious people around, she lowered her voice and reported in detail what she had seen and heard in the inner courtyard of the Baron's mansion last night.

Of course, as someone with professional ethics, he very "subtly" omitted the specific details of the three women entangled in the bathtub.

He only briefly touched on these points, emphasizing the clues he overheard from the maids' conversation about the secret gathering a few days later, the mysteriously disappeared young girls, and "—the Baroness used a strange statue of a half-goat."

"That thing was dark red all over, as if it had been cast in blood. After she poured magic into it, the statue opened its mouth and spewed out a pink mist."

Then, with two maids—"

Upon hearing Xia Lin's description, Alice's playful expression vanished instantly, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.

Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and her slender fingers tapped unconsciously on the wooden table, "tap, tap..."

The "click" sound was particularly clear on the quiet second floor.

"Half-goat statue—pink mist—life stealing," she muttered to herself, a cold glint in her eyes. "This is truly unexpected—"

Alice took a deep breath, leaned back in her chair, and gently rubbed her temples with her fingers: "We initially received intelligence that there were unusual magical fluctuations and missing persons in the Baron's mansion."

The archbishop initially thought it was some ignorant low-level necromancer messing around with corpses, trying to capture some living people for experiments.

As for that baroness—”

She curled her lip, her tone filled with undisguised disdain and self-mockery: "Our church has conducted a thorough investigation in secret."

The group of idiots in the intelligence department unanimously believed that she was nothing more than a typical big-breasted, brainless woman who rose to power by virtue of her looks, using her face to navigate the aristocratic circles, and having so many lovers that they could stretch from the top of the city wall to the bottom.

Who would have thought that this woman actually possessed such an eerie statue!

Upon hearing this self-criticism, Xia Lin's gaze naturally shifted downwards, landing on Alice's curves, which even the hard leather jacket could not conceal.

You're quite self-aware—but your figure is even more eye-catching than that baroness's.

Xia Lin silently complained to herself.

But as an undercover agent with a strong will to survive, he wisely swallowed those words along with the awful beer he hadn't yet poured out.

Some things are okay to think about, but saying them out loud is just asking for trouble.

"So, what should we do next?" Xia Lin asked seriously. "Isn't destroying their hideout under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court? Can't we just send a paladin over to kick down the baron's mansion? Anyway, the evidence is conclusive now, and that statue is irrefutable proof."

"If it were that simple, I wouldn't be sitting here today!"

Alice rubbed her temples in frustration, so hard it was as if she wanted to rub something out. "Xia Lin, this is much more complicated than you think."

She lowered her voice and leaned closer, and a wonderful fragrance wafted over her.

"The church has also recently uncovered some clues through other channels."

Alice's voice was so low that only the two of them could hear it: "Last month, three middle-ranking nobles in the city suddenly died, all due to excessive indulgence in sex."

At the time, nobody cared; they thought it was just a few lecherous old men who had only themselves to blame.

She bit her lip and pondered for a moment: "If I'm not mistaken, those nobles were drained of their life force at that party."

Moreover, according to your intelligence, another party is about to take place. The root of it all lies in this secret gathering at the Baron's mansion!

"But," Alice's tone turned gritted, "these noble gentlemen are as tight-lipped as the church treasurer's wallet!"

The party was kept incredibly secret. We planted several informants, but they couldn't even find out the location, let alone sneak in.

She leaned back, her full breasts heaving violently with anger.

"You don't know, in this damned city, the power of the nobles is far more effective than you imagine."

Alice's voice carried a deep sense of helplessness, "If the church rashly sends a paladin to disrupt a private banquet attended by many powerful figures before obtaining conclusive physical evidence..."

Oh God, those old foxes who doze off in Parliament will immediately jump up and take the Church to the Supreme Court, accusing us of interfering with secular power, abusing our authority, and illegally trespassing on private property!

"At that time, we, the scapegoats, will definitely be thrown into the sea pit by the archbishop himself to be fed to the fish. He's absolutely capable of doing such a thing!"

Xia Lin understood what she meant.

In the Upper City, where divine and royal powers are constantly in check and balance, and where open and covert struggles are ongoing, any party that wants to take action against the other must have irrefutable evidence.

Arresting nobles without evidence is tantamount to political suicide and would provide the church's political enemies with an excellent pretext for attack.

"So," Alice said, placing her hands on the table, leaning forward, and staring intently at Xia Lin, "we need someone to sneak into that party unnoticed, and preferably record the statue or the evil ritual they're performing using a memory crystal."

With irrefutable evidence, the paladin could openly break down the gates of the baron's mansion, and those bastards in the noble council would have no choice but to shut up.

She slammed her hand on the table and gave a summary.

After saying that, she stared intently at Xia Lin, her eyes conveying a clear "you know what I mean" message.

"Don't look at me like that, like I'm looking for cheap labor. I'd like to sneak in, but I need the opportunity."

Xia Lin shrank back warily, pressing her back tightly against the booth backrest, as if that would keep her away from that dangerous gaze. "You just said it yourself, that's a private banquet for the powerful and wealthy, and all the guests are prominent figures in the aristocratic circle."

"What am I now? A groom for the Baron's manor! You want me to infiltrate that kind of place? Are you kidding me?"

Alice let out a long sigh.

"Oh, forget it, forget what you just said." Alice waved her hand, leaning back in her chair with a look of disgust, as if all her strength had left her. "This damn tavern must have rotted my brain, coming up with such a stupid idea."

"Forget it, it would be too much of a burden for you to dress up as an aristocrat, and it would be too much of a burden for myself as well."

""

Alice sighed. "I'll go back to the church and think of a way to get in through another route."

Amidst the sounds of a group of patrons swallowing hard, Alice gracefully swayed her slender waist and left downstairs.