Goddess Kaleidoscope

“He’s not a member of the Black Hand Brotherhood, but he’s always cooperated with them. The Beggar King lives in the East District and is the leader of the city’s beggars.”

"Incredible! There's even a Beggars' Sect here!"

"They're just a bunch of scum who exploit beggars, giving themselves fancy names, but they're nobody in this city. Speaking of these guys, they recently took on a disgusting job, and the victim was one of our old acquaintances."

"Who?"

"The Rainbow Dance Troupe came to Yanmu City last month. They performed the Romeo and Juliet you gave them, and they became an instant sensation. As a result, some people have their eyes on them and have paid beggars to disrupt their performance. While our business here is important, I think it would be better to help them if we can."

Upon hearing Hume mention the Rainbow Dance Troupe, Lud only then realized that Servis and the others had also arrived in Flamewood City. For the past year or so, the Rainbow Dance Troupe, sponsored by Lud, had been touring the entire Kingdom of Duran, acting in a sense as missionaries, spreading the names of several goddesses from the Pantheon through their highly acclaimed plays.

Lude remembered that Servis had written that they originally planned to return to Pinetown next summer after completing their national tour, but they never expected to meet here.

After all, the Rainbow Dance Troupe had been sponsored by Lud, making them essentially subordinate units of his Pantheon. Naturally, Lud wouldn't completely ignore the trouble they encountered in Flamewood City.

What exactly is the situation?

"What else could it be? Their competitors are just jealous!"

As the most prosperous city in the Kingdom of Duran, Yanmu City is deeply influenced by the culture of the Southern Empire, where opera is extremely popular. The city has built the largest and most luxurious opera house in the country, the Heavenly Opera House, where many dance troupes consider performing a symbol of becoming top-tier artists.

But just like the awkward situation Servis and her colleagues once encountered, most song and dance troupes don't lack performers, but rather creators, especially outstanding creators who can write truly good works.

Therefore, in Servis's opinion, she values ​​Lud's talent more than his money!

Lude initially gave Servis four scripts, but during her tour, Servis discovered that just one "Romeo and Juliet" was enough for her to dominate the world, crushing all her competitors.

However, Yanmu City is a place of deep waters, and not all people are people who uphold martial ethics and abide by the rules. Therefore, all sorts of underhanded tricks came one after another shortly after they arrived in Yanmu City, leaving Servis overwhelmed.

It's worth mentioning that among these forces operating in the shadows, the Brotherhood of the Black Hands is also present, having set their sights on the Rainbow Dance Troupe and brewing some kind of conspiracy.

End of this chapter

According to Hume's investigation over the past few months, the Black Hand Brotherhood has grown to a level that has greatly surprised Hume after breaking free from her control and developing on its own.

Rather than calling them a gang or a cult, they are more like tycoons, with interests in various industries on both the legal and illegal sides of the empire. The six elders are like six department managers, each responsible for their own area of ​​business, controlling unimaginable human and financial resources, enough to dominate the entire city of Yanmu.

Hume felt a pang of unease at the thought that such a terrifying behemoth had only developed after he was gone.

After all that fuss, it turns out that you, as a god, are just superfluous?

However, such a huge organization is naturally rife with internal divisions. Hume, through his investigation, learned an important piece of information: the current president of the Brotherhood of the Black Hand has announced his intention to step down, and the new president will be selected from among the existing six elders. However, the final decision rests with the goddess they worship. The selection ceremony is scheduled to take place on the last day of the year, which is exactly three weeks from now.

This news caused quite a stir within the Brotherhood of the Black Hand. It should be noted that since the organization was founded (during the time of Hume), there have only been two chairmen. The first one (Hume himself) disappeared suddenly, while the second one has been in power for two hundred years. Suddenly, he announced that he would step down and hand over the reins to a more capable person. This immediately stirred up the thoughts of several elders.

"Speaking of which, you did something interesting up north."

"You mean the one that killed Vernon?"

“Exactly. The news has been back for two days now, and the remaining five elders all think that the other four were responsible. What was that word you used before... Oh right! Chain of suspicion! That's pretty much their situation now, they all think that everyone else has ill intentions.”

"And what about the counterfeit product? What was its reaction?"

"This is also the strangest thing to me. That guy didn't react at all. I suspect... He may have reached a critical stage of breakthrough, which may be an opportunity for us."

After recounting his recent discoveries and analyses, Hume turned to look at the group of Heroic Spirits, including Alvitt, behind Ludwig. She immediately recognized these unfamiliar faces as divine messengers, and moreover, high-ranking combat types.

At the height of his power, Hume had as many as forty such divine messengers under his command, but apart from Fallen Leaf, they all perished in the Sanctuary of the God of War.

For the gods, their messengers are both servants and friends, possessing near-absolute loyalty. Even though Hume's messengers knew they were no match for Phaegle, the god of war, they still charged forward relentlessly to protect their lord, Hume, and cover his escape.

Even three hundred years later, Hume still vividly remembered the horrific scene from that time, as if it were a nightmare he couldn't shake off.

"How old are these children?"

"Less than two months. Don't worry, I personally oversaw the training. I even practiced with the local gangs in Unos Town before, suppressing the Black Hand Brotherhood's regular combat power will be a piece of cake."

“Deities can easily deal with mortals, but the one we're going to face this time is a god. Even if it's a fake, its power is definitely real. Do you understand what I mean?”

"I understand that perfectly well; war isn't a dinner party. But don't worry, I'm not the kind of commander who would use his men as cannon fodder. You can completely trust me on that."

The group stayed overnight at Hume's tavern. Fallen Leaf didn't return until the next morning. Last night, she went to keep watch at the inland river dock in Flamewood City. When she returned, she found many unfamiliar faces at her hideout and almost got into a fight with two of the heroic spirit ladies on duty.

Thanks to the significant increase in numbers, Lud drew half of the Heroic Spirit Squad to work with Fallen Leaf to keep a close eye on several key targets: Juan, the business manager of the Navarro family; August, the regional bishop of the Holy Light Church in the city; and Duke Badan Krud, the lord of Flamewood City.

It is worth mentioning that the main mastermind behind the current harassment of the Rainbow Dance Troupe is likely the Flying Skies Dance Troupe, which is in the same industry, and the biggest sponsor behind the Flying Skies Dance Troupe is the Navarro family.

Rumors circulate that Kitty, the leading lady of the Flying Rainbow Dance Troupe, has had affairs with both the general manager Juan and Bishop August. Kitty also has some connection with Servis of the Rainbow Dance Troupe. There are many strange rumors, and Hume is still unsure which of these rumors are true because he has never verified them with Servis.

But one thing is certain: Katie and Servis have a deep-seated grudge. Ninety percent of the smear rumors circulating in the city about the Rainbow Dance Troupe originated from her.

In addition, the most popular play of the Feixia Dance Troupe is called "The Handsome Young Master Falls in Love with His Enemy's Daughter," which is obviously plagiarized from "Romeo and Juliet." However, because they deliberately performed before the Rainbow Dance Troupe arrived in Yanmu City, although the performance was also successful after Servis and her group arrived, the Feixia Dance Troupe accused the Rainbow Dance Troupe of plagiarism, misleading many uninformed locals.

Meanwhile, at the Rainbow Dance Troupe's base, Servis, who had been there for almost three weeks, was suffering from a severe headache caused by the constant stream of slanderous rumors circulating outside. Since leaving Pine Town, their year-long tour had been a resounding success, leading her to become somewhat complacent. Then, fate intervened, and she encountered her mortal enemy, whom she would never forgive, in Flamewood City!

Just as some rumors have circulated, Servis and Katie are indeed old acquaintances. Katie was once a member of the Rainbow Dance Troupe. She was originally an abandoned orphan who was adopted by Servis's parents and treated her like their own daughter. Servis once regarded her as her own sister and had no suspicion of her whatsoever.

But some people seem to be born ungrateful wretches, willing to betray anyone without hesitation in pursuit of wealth and status.

The Rainbow Dance Troupe was once so poor that it was on the verge of collapse. It was only by reorganizing into a circus that it barely survived. It was because of the actions of this vicious woman that Servis's parents were so heartbroken that they both died from overwork.

Betrayed by her loved ones, Servis vowed to make Katie pay. She wanted to defeat Katie fair and square, relying on her skills as a dancer. But Katie never intended to compete with Servis, resorting to underhanded tricks that left Servis exhausted and fueled her hatred for the woman.

End of this chapter

Rainbow Dance Troupe's performance in Yanmu City was undoubtedly a success. Although there had been a pirated version by Flying Cloud Dance Troupe before, they only copied the general plot outline and made some seemingly entertaining but actually low-class adaptations. In every aspect, it was far inferior to Servis's original version.

According to Servis's original plan, their trip to Yanmu City was specifically to take revenge on Katie and her Feixia Dance Troupe! She wanted to defeat this heartless and despicable woman with a fair and square performance at the Tianlai Opera House in the center of Yanmu City!

However, the Rainbow Dance Troupe has been rebuilt once before. Although it became popular all over the country in the past year with "Romeo and Juliet", it is still a rising star and is not yet qualified to be called a first-class dance troupe.

Moreover, the Heavenly Opera House is located in the very center of Yanmu City, and it has always been regarded as the highest hall of arts and culture in the kingdom. To perform here, money alone is not enough to rent the venue; they need recommendation letters from truly important figures, and there must be at least three of them.

Therefore, after arriving in Yanmu City, the Rainbow Dance Troupe could only perform at the second-tier Sky Opera House at first, to build up popularity locally in hopes of winning the favor of important figures, and then try to advance to the Heavenly Music Hall.

However, Servis's plan did not go smoothly. Her arch-enemy would not sit idly by and watch her succeed. After the initial success, the Rainbow Dance Troupe's performances were soon met with malicious suppression from hostile forces.

First, someone spread rumors in the city, smearing the Rainbow Dance Troupe and Servis herself. Then, they deliberately brought a group of smelly beggars, made them take money from who-knows-who, and insisted on buying tickets to enter the theater. If they were not allowed in, they would cause trouble at the gate, clearly there to sabotage the event.

Although the locals could see through the scheme and knew that someone was targeting their Rainbow Dance Troupe, they also knew how murky the waters were in Yanmu City. Therefore, they all chose to protect themselves and no one dared to stand up and speak up for Servis and the others.

What angered and frustrated Servis even more was that some local forces wanted to take advantage of her vulnerability, approaching her under the guise of offering protection, with the aim of recruiting the Rainbow Dance Troupe and even Servis herself for their own use.

Thanks to these demons and monsters, Servis's time in Flamewood City was exhausting. During the day, she had to deal with these troublesome things, and at night she had to perform on stage in a glamorous way. It was simply unbearable!

Sometimes Servis couldn't help but wonder why she had to come to Flamewood City. Her revenge was only to prove that she was stronger than Katie. She couldn't tear that little bitch to shreds, nor could she ruin her reputation. What she could get back seemed to be nothing more than her former honor.

Thinking of these troubling matters, Servis sighed painfully, then took out a piece of paper, as usual preparing to write a letter to Master Lud, who had given her a second chance, to report on her recent situation.

Sometimes Servis herself realized that she had unknowingly come to regard Master Ludwig as an elder, like a parent, and would confide in him in her letters, seeking his comfort and advice. She would treasure every reply he wrote and keep it carefully, taking it out to look at it from time to time.

However, for the sake of confidentiality, Servis did not call Ludd by his real name in these correspondences, but instead used the pseudonym "Shakespeare" as a form of secrecy, which can be considered a kind of confidentiality measure.

"Master, if only you were in Yanmu City!"

On the other side, Lude, who had already arrived in Yanmu City, spent the first three days on preliminary preparations. First, he temporarily summoned his third sister, Lachesis, who was skilled in earthworks, from his hometown to build an "operation base" in the basement of the Rattail Tavern. Then, he sorted out and analyzed the intelligence that Hume had previously obtained, and constructed a complex network of relationships covering all relevant figures.

Through this network of connections, Lude discovered that although all the forces in Yanmu City had some connection with the Black Hand Brotherhood, not everyone was on the Brotherhood's side. Some were just using each other, while others remained distant, with both sides simply keeping to themselves.

Among the religious factions, the three major local cults have different attitudes toward the Brotherhood of the Mafia.

Bishop August of the Church of Light undoubtedly received "tribute" from the Navarro family for a long time, acting as their protector to some extent. The Church of the Four Seasons and the Church of War, on the other hand, maintained neutrality, knowing of the Black Hand Brotherhood's existence but not opposing them, always turning a blind eye.

If the local Big Three are in such a state, it goes without saying that other small and medium-sized sects are even worse off. Some even have to be subservient to the Brotherhood, sharing their meager income with them, like beggars on their knees.

Of course! Not all religious figures are spineless. Nomen, the local priest (assistant to the bishop) of the Cult of War, is an exception. He is known for his hatred of evil, is a priest with a strong sense of justice, and is also a highly skilled knight-errant.

In a place like Yanmu City, teeming with villains, such a person shouldn't have lived long. But this guy is the son of the new Archbishop of the War God Cult in the Duran Kingdom, a warrior who has been to the City of Aegis and received the blessing of the War God. No matter how much the various forces in Yanmu City hate him, they don't dare to lay a hand on him.

Besides religious figures, there were also some local nobles and bureaucrats who remained untainted by the corruption, but without exception, they were all marginalized, though at least they were potential allies.

The person that Lude cared about most was Duke Badan Krud, the nominal supreme ruler of Yanmu City. He was the largest lord in the southern part of the Duran Kingdom and had an army of 8,000 men under his command, which was the main force against the Southern Empire.

The Grand Duke's relationship with the Black Hand Brotherhood is also quite ambiguous. On the one hand, he accepts benefits from the Varro family and provides them with protection, while on the other hand, he also restrains the Black Hand Brotherhood. He is the one who created the current delicate order in Flamewood City.

As for the Brotherhood of the Black Hand, the atmosphere within the organization has become increasingly tense due to the death of Vernon, the old skinner, and the remaining five elders vying for the position of chairman.

The one with the greatest advantage is naturally Hu En, the current patriarch of the Navarro family, who is also Trin's biological father.

Vernon, the most senior member, was more qualified than him, but he was killed in the north in a muddled way. This naturally made the other four elders suspicious of Huen, who always felt that he was behind it. For a time, everyone was on edge, and there was a sense that a storm was brewing.

End of this chapter

To defeat the false god of thieves and prevent her from replacing Hume, the Black Hand Brotherhood, who worships her, must undoubtedly be destroyed. Only by completely severing the source of a god's faith can he truly be killed.

However, it is not easy to completely destroy such a large organization, so Lud's plan is to first disintegrate it from within, and then launch a general offensive once it has been weakened to a certain extent.

Therefore, Lud set his sights on the other four Brotherhood elders besides Huon.

They are Sherry, the "Snake Woman" of the Elven race; Massi, the "Tear Demon" with half-orc blood; Jade, the severely disfigured "Faceless Man"; and Leopold, the "Evil Lawbringer." These individuals have different public identities in Flamewood City and are responsible for different areas.

"Snake Granny" Shirley is the madam of the brothel Silver House, in charge of intelligence gathering and assassination. She is the weakest among all the elders and has made it clear that she will not participate in the struggle for the position of chairman, mainly because she wants to protect herself.

"Tear Demon" Massi is the leader of the mercenary group "Beasts," with nearly a thousand mercenaries under his command. He is treacherous and bloodthirsty, currently employed by the city lord Duke Krud, and frequently fights against the Imperial Army on the border.

The origins of "Faceless" Jade are shrouded in mystery. It is said that he is the descendant of a noble family who fled from the Empire. He is a low-key and mysterious person. He joined the group twenty years ago with his own capital and is the only one among the six elders who can rival the Navarro family in terms of wealth. He controls almost all the casinos in the city and also has an unknown number of assassins who are extremely loyal to him.

The "evil magician" Leopold is quite interesting. He was a powerful great magician and one of the chiefs of the Three-Person Tower. However, he became obsessed with human experimentation and was eventually expelled from the Three-Person Tower. He then went to Yanmu City and established his own magic tower.

This man is also an ally of Faceless Man Jade, and his research receives substantial funding from him. Only by combining their forces can they barely contend with the Navarro family.

The faction that originally followed "The Skinner" Vernon was quickly dismantled after Vernon's death, and its members were scattered and divided among the other elders.

In addition to the elders mentioned above, Hume noted that there was another person who deserved special attention: Juan, the steward of the Navarro family. Juan was the cousin of the patriarch, Huen. Because he did not have the right to inherit the family business and had been devoted to his cousin since childhood, he was highly valued by Huen and was now the prominent second-in-command of the Navarro family.

However, Juan has a weakness: he's a womanizer. Hume had previously mentioned to Lude that the Flying Clouds Dance Troupe, which is currently competing with the Rainbow Dance Troupe, has a leader and starlet named Katie who tried to seduce Juan but failed. So, she settled for Juan and, as a result, received funding from the Navarro family, quickly becoming the most popular dance troupe in Flamewood City.

According to the pattern observed by Hume, Juan would go to the Opera House of the Heavenly Music every Wednesday to see Katie's performance, and would most likely stay overnight.

As the number two, this guy must know many secrets of the Navarro family, and Hume thinks he would be a good breakthrough point.

In order to investigate their target, Ludwig disguised himself as a wealthy young man from out of town, while Hume disguised himself as a maid. The two of them specially bought tickets for the Flying Les Choir's performance at the Heavenly Opera House on Wednesday night.

On the way to the opera house, Lude also stopped by the Sky Opera Company, where the Rainbow Dance Troupe was located. As soon as he arrived at the gate, he saw a lot of ragged beggars gathered at the entrance of the opera house causing trouble.

The beggars waved their tickets and shouted that they wanted to go in and watch the show. The gatekeepers wanted to stop them, but they didn't want to have any contact with these dirty and smelly guys. They all looked conflicted, as if they were being forced to touch dog poop.