Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 200 Development is the only way forward

January 11, afternoon, North Backlund.

On the bustling streets of Pesfield, a young girl dressed in traditional knight's attire stood in front of a church, hesitating for a long time.

The girl appeared to be only a little over 1.5 meters tall, with unusually neatly combed shoulder-length blond hair. Before her stood a pure black church, with a bell tower on each side, presenting a symmetrical beauty. This was the headquarters of the Church of the Goddess of Night in the Backlund Diocese, the Church of St. Samuel.

She had visited St. Samuel's Church before, but this time was somewhat different.

The girl stood at the church entrance, hesitating for a long time, unable to make up her mind.

Beside the girl, a brown-haired girl in a beige high-necked dress, exuding a languid air, softly offered encouragement:

"Go inside quickly, isn't this what you've always wanted?"

Encouraged by her friend, the girl finally gritted her teeth, made up her mind, and stepped into the church. They walked through the quiet corridors, and under the sunlight shining through the stained glass windows high above, they arrived at the main prayer hall.

The dim lighting here naturally brings a sense of peace to one's mood.

There weren't many people in the Great Prayer Hall in the afternoon, so the two women spotted the figure sitting on the left-hand bench in the first row of the Great Prayer Hall almost immediately.

He was a young man with a tall and straight back. He was wearing a custom-made suit that looked expensive and had a head of brilliant golden hair, which was completely different from the girl's slightly frizzy blonde hair due to neglect.

The girl silently clenched her fist, took a deep breath, walked to the first row, and sat on the bench on the right.

Her friend didn't follow, but sat far away on the bench in the middle, giving the girl a thumbs-up.

The handsome young man with brilliant blond hair turned to look at the girl, suddenly took out a gold coin, tossed it into the air, and muttered:

"Her name is Hugh Deercha."

Snapped!

The gold coin lands in the palm of the hand, head up, which signifies approval.

Hugh Deercha looked at this scene with some surprise, and the handsome young man noticed it as well, taking the initiative to greet him, half-jokingly saying:

"Don't worry about it, Miss Deercha, it's just one of my little habits."

"Although this is our first meeting, I think Ash has mentioned me to you before, so I won't introduce myself."

Hugh Deercha responded somewhat reservedly:

"Good afternoon, Lord Hippel."

Hilbert Hall noticed the girl's shyness and said with a smile:

"Miss Dill, I've heard about your situation from Ash. The Hall family is willing to provide some assistance to clear your father's name and restore the Dill family's reputation and title."

After a long silence, Hugh asked:

"How do you plan to provide assistance?"

Hilbert was not surprised by her question and explained:

"The basic outline of this matter has been investigated. Former Master of the Royal Guard, Mason Dill, was framed by Viscount Stratford, who was jealous of his deputy, and colluded with the Witch Cult. His Majesty George IV is happy to exonerate the Dill family, but the relevant evidence still needs some time to be collected."

Hugh remained silent; she knew very well that George III was the one who started all of this.

Her father discovered George III's secret and attempted to inform the three major churches, which led to his execution by the king. As for Viscount Stratford, according to Emperor Roselle, he was at best a sycophantic lackey.

But in Hibbert’s words, it was clear that he wanted to portray Viscount Stratford as the mastermind and thereby exonerate George III.

This was unavoidable; George III could not afford to have any stain on his record, as neither the royal family nor the nobility would allow it. Therefore, any "crimes" committed during George III's reign would be attributed to his subordinates' "cover-up," but George III, as the instigator, would never be implicated!

At one point, when Hugh learned that the culprit was George III, she was lost and even somewhat despondent. Because whether it was restoring her father's honor or seeking revenge, the hope seemed incredibly slim when facing a king.

Now that Viscount Stefford is dead, and George III is dead, even her father's injustice can be cleared.

Even if she couldn't bring down the culprit, George III, Hugh knew this was the best outcome she could achieve. Without Ember's help, she wouldn't have been able to accomplish even this on her own.

Hilbert didn't urge her; he turned back to look at the altar ahead, giving the girl ample time to think.

A short while later, Hilbert heard a response in his ear:

"Thank you for your help, Lord Hippel."

The girl's voice was brighter and clearer than ever before, a sound of relief and ease after finally letting go of all burdens.

Hilbert smiled and nodded:

"You're welcome, Miss Dill."

After a pause, Hippel continued:

"Miss Deer, what Sequence Level are you now?"

Hugh wasn't surprised by Hilbert's question. After all, he was the Earl's son and had a close relationship with Ember; it wasn't surprising that he knew she was an Extraordinary. Having successfully fulfilled her wish, she was incredibly relaxed and didn't hide anything, answering directly:

"Sequence 7 'The Interrogator'".

"Is the arbitration process an option?"

Hilbert looked thoughtful, then suddenly asked:

"Miss Deercha, would you be interested in joining MI9 and serving the Kingdom?"

"MI9?" Hugh paused for a moment.

Hilbert nodded slightly:

"Yes, the Hall family also has some friends in MI9, and they can arrange a good position for you."

Hugh immediately realized that this was undoubtedly a good thing for her!

Even if she could restore her father's reputation and the family's title and fiefdom, that would be all. She could neither restore her ancestor's status as a "court count" nor serve as the commander of the royal guard or the chief of the court guards.

This means that Hugh's only two options in the future are to join MI9 or the military. The military requires combat achievements for rapid promotion, while MI9's goal is to capture threatening Wild Extraordinaries and members of secret organizations.

Joining the military would inevitably mean leaving Backlund, and even the North, for the colonies in the South. But for Hugh, who was determined to restore his father's honor and the family's status, this was clearly not a good option.

In comparison, joining MI9 would undoubtedly be a better choice. This way, she wouldn't have to leave Backlund, and she could also leverage the intelligence network she established in the East District to gain greater advantages and make it easier to earn merit compared to her colleagues.

Hugh asked somewhat warily:

"Was this also Yu...Aish's suggestion?"

If it were Yu Jin's suggestion, she certainly wouldn't refuse, even if she herself didn't want to join MI9, because she believed that Yu Jin wouldn't harm her.

Ember only mentioned contacting the Hall family to try and clear her father's name, never mentioning MI9. If it were Ember's suggestion, he would have told her beforehand, not had Hilbert propose it to her. This made Hugh suspicious of the other party's motives…

Hilbert shook his head and said frankly:

"No, this is just my personal suggestion. Miss Dill can think about it carefully; it won't do you any harm, will it?"

Hugh frowned slightly. She couldn't see any harm in this to her, but the question was, what benefit would it bring to the Hall family? She didn't think such a noble family would do something so thankless, forcing a wild extraordinary individual like her into the ranks of official extraordinary individuals. It would definitely deplete the Hall family's connections within MI9...

Hilbert didn't mince words at all, stating frankly:

"You can think of this as an investment; the Hall family needs a staunch ally within MI9."

Fors, who was sitting behind the two, had been eavesdropping on their conversation and almost immediately caught the key point in his words: 'firm' allies!

Hugh didn't know much about the Hall family, but he was aware of their prestigious position in the business world. Logically, it's rare for a family to hold such a prominent position in multiple fields simultaneously.

The Hall family's position in the business world precisely illustrates their weak influence within the military and MI9. They could certainly cultivate a group of "friends" close to the Hall family through bribery and gifts.

However, the relationship between these "friends" and the Hall family is not stable. They are brought together by interests and may betray the family at any time for the sake of profit.

The Hall family had always operated this way, indicating that they hadn't previously cared much about the steadfastness of their allies. However, with George IV's recent ascension to the throne, the Hall family is bound to reap substantial benefits.

In order to adapt to the new situation, the Hall family also needs to restructure its strategy. Audrey's large-scale acquisition of extraordinary materials at the Tarot Conference is itself a manifestation of this restructuring, which means that the Hall family is cultivating its own extraordinary individuals on a large scale.

Meanwhile, the Hall family also needed to develop new "allies." Their old, superficial friends were clearly unreliable; the Hall family needed to cultivate a group of "steadfast" allies who stood by them, or at least shared common interests. And people like Hugh, stripped of their titles due to the injustice done to their fathers, were undoubtedly the best investment targets!

Foll understood this, but Hugh was clearly still somewhat confused.

She almost instinctively turned to look at her friend, and Fors, meeting Hugh's gaze, immediately nodded imperceptibly.

While the Hall family certainly wanted to cultivate a group of allies, this was clearly not bad for Hugh.

As Hilbert said, this is an investment.

Such an investment, without any demanding requirements, is entirely beneficial to the investee!

Hugh, who was in the front row, received the signal from Fors and trusted his friend's judgment without hesitation, agreeing to Hilbert's suggestion.

"A wise choice."

A smile appeared on Hilbert's face. He then rose and walked toward the altar, bowed to the bishop with short black hair, and went to the offering box next to it. He took out ten 10-pound notes and put them in one by one.

Seeing Hippo turn to leave, Hugh hesitated for a moment and then took out a huge sum of one pound and put it into the offering box.

Fors, who was sitting in the back, hesitated for a long time before standing up and walking to the offering box.

Everyone else had donated money, and she couldn't very well not donate, but donating was even more problematic, because she was a member of the Steam Church. It was one thing to enter the Church of the Night's chapel, but now she was being asked to donate money to the offering box...

Fors reluctantly pulled a pound note from her purse and dropped it into the offering box, then suddenly felt a pang of guilt. She had prayed so many times at the Steam Church, each time only donating a few pence. Plus, she was rather lazy, often not even going once a week, so all the donations she'd made to the Steam Church over the years didn't add up to this one…

Fors couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"Maybe I should just convert to the faith of the Goddess of Night?"

As Fors stepped out of the church, she immediately spotted Hilbert and Hugh standing next to a luxurious carriage. She immediately tried to pretend she didn't know them and walk away.

Hilbert, with his sharp eyes, spotted Fors, who was also leaving the church, and greeted him with a smile:

"Good afternoon, Miss Fors."

Fors, who had been discovered, was inevitably a little embarrassed and changed the subject by asking:

"Lord Hippobert, do you know me?"

Hippel smiled and said:

"Of course, Audrey often mentions you to me, saying that you are an excellent writer."

"I see."

Fors looked enlightened, but inwardly muttered, "Yeah, right." Even if Audrey had mentioned her, Hippel had never met her, so how would he know who she was? He must have investigated Hugh beforehand and knew about their relationship.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Fors and Hugh watched as Hilbert slowly drove away in the luxurious carriage bearing the Hall family crest.

"Fors..."

Hugh called out softly, but was quickly interrupted by Fors, "We'll talk about it when we get back."

"it is good."

Hugh nodded silently. The two checked the direction briefly and turned into a deserted alleyway by the roadside.

Hugh gently grasped Fors's hand, and in a flash of ethereal blue light, their figures vanished in the blink of an eye.

-

At 117 Burningham Street in Hillston, the two people who had just disappeared on Pesfield Street quietly reappeared in the living room of the house.

"Ugh, I'm so tired..."

Fors suddenly pounced on the sofa, hugging the petite little girl who was sitting obediently on the sofa in her arms, and rubbing her cheek against hers vigorously:

"Kurara, did you miss me?"

Xiu put one hand to his forehead and sighed helplessly:

"Fors, be normal."

Fors retorted confidently:

Am I not normal?

Hugh was somewhat speechless, but she didn't pursue the issue further, because she knew she couldn't win an argument with Fors.

Although he was a salted fish, Fors, as a novelist, was much more eloquent than Hugh.

"Let's get down to business."

Xiu's expression turned serious, and he asked with some doubt:

"Why did you make me agree to Lord Hippo's proposal?"

Fors waved his hand and said:

"Don't worry, this is a good thing for you. As for the Hall family, you don't need to worry about them having ulterior motives. For them, this is just one of many investments, and the reason they chose you is probably because of Ember. Moreover, joining MI9 will make you less transparent. From any perspective, it's beneficial to you."

Hugh immediately realized that Fors's "transparency" referred to the Tarot Society. Among all the members of the Tarot Society, she was the only one without any powerful backing. Therefore, she had always been a little "invisible," having neither any needs nor the ability to offer any help.

This wasn't a good thing; it could easily make others feel that her presence in the Tarot Club was somewhat superfluous. If things continued this way, she might even be kicked out of the Tarot Club by Mr. Fool. Joining MI9, however, slightly increased her value.

(End of this chapter)