Lord of Mysteries: The Color of the Stars

Upon hearing this, Julian's heart stirred slightly:

"Could it be that you suspect it's your son...?"

"It's not impossible."

"In fact, although I didn't think about it as a curse, I did suspect that someone around me had poisoned me. After the doctor denied the suspicion, I didn't investigate further."

Oakley looked somber, slumped in his chair, and appeared to have aged ten years.

"Jennings has always been close to the emerging capital that is setting up factories, and he has argued with me at home several times about the Enclosure Act."

"Now that I think about it, if I died, he could have inherited my title, and then he could have spoken up for the factory owners in Parliament... That might have been the outcome he wanted."

There was a sense of desolation in his words, and Julian heard the loss and sorrow of a father in them.

Upon hearing this, Julian frowned slightly, because Oakley's words gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

Upon closer reflection, it seems that the time is very close to the first assassination attempt on the Duke of Negan, a core member of the Conservative Party, and that Viscount Oakley's claim that his eldest son wanted to murder him to inherit the title is also inextricably linked to this.

The former was not a random incident, but the result of a careful plan by the "Twilight Hermits," so it cannot be ruled out that Viscount Oakley's incident was also related to this organization.

While the principle of "capturing the leader first" is obvious, using extraordinary means to secretly promote personnel changes in Parliament and create more opposition and resistance for the Conservative Party is also in line with the style of that "ideal angel".

On the other hand, Viscount Oakley also seems to know Haynes Vancent, who is backed by the Aurora Society, so there must be more to this than meets the eye.

"Wait... Julian, calm down."

Realizing this, Julian suppressed his urge to follow Viscount Oakley's lead and instead fell into thought.

Things involving the "Twilight Hermits" are not so fun, and he cannot be 100% sure that Jennings Oakley is the one with the problem, since the information he currently has is only Viscount Oakley's side of the story.

If Julian were to push Viscount Oakley to go home and break with his son now, it might play right into the hands of some people—especially since Julian is certain that Ince Zangwill, who owns 0-08, has his eye on him. He must handle this matter with even greater caution, or he might suffer a terrible fate.

After all, Julian's information about the "Twilight Hermits" did not come from the Mysterious World itself, so it should be an unpredictable variable for Ince Zangwill. Therefore, he needs to make good use of this information gap, while restraining his human instinct to enjoy the excitement and to use this matter to elevate his own status.

After a moment's thought, Julian said:

"I can't say more about this, but now that you know, it shouldn't be a problem for you to keep yourself safe for the time being."

"As for what you just heard about your son Jennings, I can only say that this is a test of fate for you. You need to take this opportunity to see the people around you clearly and distinguish between true loyalty and treachery."

"Remember, don't be blinded by illusions and your own subjective desires. This is a crisis, but it is also an opportunity."

"...A test of fate?"

Oakley was taken aback:

"When you said you wanted to ensure my safety, you meant...?"

"Temporarily moving away from your usual residence to a different environment will help stabilize your condition."

"But being stable doesn't mean you can recover, right?"

Viscount Oakley, still somewhat uneasy, continued to press for answers.

Julian nodded, and then said:

"You can come see me again on Friday afternoon, and I will show you the right path to health."

"Okay, thank you so much, Mr. Albrecht."

Oakley's tone was very agitated.

Although he still didn't know how Julian had figured out so much from a brief conversation, every word the latter said undoubtedly resonated with him.

Oakley stood up and grasped Julian's hand tightly:

"Forgive my previous dismissive attitude; you are indeed a highly talented diviner."

After saying this, he pulled out a five-pound note from his pocket and handed it to Julian, who shook his head and refused:

"I only charge 4 soles for each reading; that's the rule."

Seeing that Julian was determined to do so, Oakley had no choice but to give up and instead had his attendant bring him 4 soules in cash.

"Well then, Mr. Albrecht, I await your good news."

After saying goodbye to Julian, Oakley seemed to be in better spirits, and the serious expression on his face had faded considerably.

He left the "Fortune Telling Club" with his entourage, praising Julian's character and abilities to Angelica before leaving.

"It seems Mr. Oakley is quite pleased with you."

After Julian left the divination room, Angelica quickly handed him a cup of sweet iced tea.

In any case, it would be a good thing to satisfy that senator about the "fortune-telling club," and previously only Haynes Vancent had been able to do something similar.

"It seems that way."

Julian smiled and nodded, savoring the slight feeling of digesting the potion that had occurred within him earlier, before accepting the sweet iced tea and taking a sip.

"This stuff tastes so good, no wonder Klein likes it."

He remarked with some surprise.

"Angelica, I heard that Congressman Oakley came looking for me just now. Where is he?"

Just then, Haynes Vancent finally finished his class and hurriedly walked out from the end of the corridor, asking...

"Mr. Albrecht has already performed a divination for Congressman Oakley, and the gentleman is very satisfied."

"……I see."

Heinas Vancent paused for a moment upon hearing this, then turned to look at Julian and smiled:

"Julian, if I may ask, what trouble has Congressman Oakley encountered, and what advice did you give him?"

"It's just some health issues. I told him to move to a different place and go out more often."

Julian did not reveal the truth directly. In fact, regardless of whether Viscount Oakley would have private conversations with Haynes Vancent afterward, he had to demonstrate his respect for his client's privacy.

"I see, that's good."

Upon hearing this, Hainas finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

After a brief pause, he asked again:

"Julian, it's almost 4 o'clock now. Shall we have afternoon tea together? There are complimentary refreshments at the club."

"I would be delighted."

Julian did not refuse. He and Haynes went to the side hall for afternoon tea, where they exchanged some insights on divination and their views on creation myths.

During this process, Julian did not show any resistance to some of the alternative interpretations of such myths that Hynas tentatively proposed, which led the latter to open up and unconsciously say more.

However, whenever the topic approached the core of the Aurora Society's doctrine, he would carefully steer clear to avoid it, ensuring that he would not arouse Julian's suspicion.

"Thank you for sharing, Hainas. These novel perspectives are truly impressive."

"I have some things to take care of at home right now, so I'll have to excuse myself. I hope you have a good day."

When it was 5 o'clock, Julian and Hynas shook hands amicably, and then left in a horse-drawn carriage.

However, he did not go straight home, but instead took a carriage to number 18 Vlad Street in the eastern district of Tingen.

"Rosen's traditional herbal medicine shop...this is it."

Julian looked up at the unremarkable sign and muttered to himself.

If he remembered correctly, this was a pharmacy run by a pharmacist belonging to the "School of Life".

A true "pharmacist"!