Goddess Kaleidoscope

"Looks like we have no choice but to do it..."

As soon as Cai Side gritted his teeth and made up his mind, his informants, who were keeping a 24-hour watch on him, immediately relayed the news back.

Back at the temple, the group who had just finished their hotpot and were having tea together in the garden at 3 PM saw Hume from Lud's side and Pargamar from Serana's side appear at the same time. They each whispered a few words to their leader, and both Lud and Serana showed intriguing expressions.

After listening to their subordinates' reports, Lud and Serana exchanged a glance and then smiled at each other in perfect unison.

"It seems Master Lude is very well-informed!"

"Haha! After all, it's our own territory. The city is only so big. Any disturbances can't be kept secret."

What kind of riddle are you two playing?

"Well... I can only say that those who understand, understand; and those who don't, there's nothing I can explain to you. You understand what I mean, right?"

"..."

Seeing Lud and Serana simultaneously transform into riddle-makers, Ural was completely bewildered. He couldn't help but look at the dwarf beside him. He saw Winnig looking completely at ease and giving him a slight smile. He suddenly felt like he was the only one in the entire room who had been kept in the dark.

But in reality, Winnipeg was just like him, knowing nothing.

Upon learning that Cai Side had finally begun to take action, Lu De finally breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't afraid of Cai Side making underhanded moves; he was afraid that Cai Side would remain inactive.

After the tea party, Lud invited Ural and Winnig to stay in town for a few more days, as he had a "very good" movie that was almost finished and he wanted to invite everyone to watch it together.

Previously, Ludwig had conservatively estimated that filming for "Seven Samurai" might continue until before winter, with post-production taking another two to three months, and the final film not expected to be released until early next year. However, the actual filming process went much more smoothly than he had imagined.

After all, Ludwig was an imitator, not an innovator. He could directly copy the correct answers that Kurosawa had already written, thus saving a lot of time that would have been spent figuring things out. In addition, the actors were all "real people"—the farmers had actually been robbed by bandits, and the soldiers had actually fought and killed people on the battlefield. Therefore, once filming began, the actors got into character very quickly, and most scenes were filmed in one take, with near-perfect results!

So the filming, which was originally scheduled to be completed by the end of October, was actually wrapped up in mid-August.

Given the smooth progress of the filming process, Lu De plans to accelerate the process and strive to complete post-production by early September.

This has directly led to a surge in his workload recently. He has to rush to the training camp during the day and work overtime at night editing, working 24 hours a day without sleep, relying entirely on his own homemade miracle drug to stay awake. This relentless work ethic would put even the ghosts in his house to shame!

Even Lude himself couldn't help but complain about himself, calling himself the ultimate wage slave! More than 80% of his body tissue is liver, and the remaining less than 20% is kidney.

Thanks to Rudd's almost relentless overtime work, post-production on "Seven Samurai" was successfully completed yesterday. Rudd plans to hold a grand premiere at the Dragon and Dwarf Opera House in Pinetown next Wednesday, and has invited all the prominent figures he can from the surrounding area.

In other words, the City of the Sun is far away, and the relationship with the Holy Church of Light is not yet in place; otherwise, Rud would have even considered inviting the Pope as well.

Ural and Winnipeg readily accepted Lud's invitation. At such a grand event, where bigwigs from all sides would undoubtedly gather, absence would be a real loss.

Later that day, Parjama suddenly visited the temple, saying she wanted to see Master Rudd. Rudd had anticipated her arrival, so he invited her into his study for a talk.

Upon meeting, Parjama got straight to the point, stating that on behalf of Serana, she hoped to cooperate with the Pantheon to set a trap and help them capture a suspected "spy" infiltrating the mission.

After listening, Lu De pretended to be somewhat embarrassed and asked.

"Is it really appropriate for Lady Serana to team up with an outsider like me to catch a traitor?"

“Master, please stop pretending to be ignorant. Pine Town is your territory. The dark elf lady behind you is no ordinary person. Even Serana and I can't fathom her true strength. I can't even hide the actions of that idiot from her, so how could you possibly hide them from her?”

Lud smiled noncommittally at Pargamar's words, then turned to look at Hume, who was half-hidden in the shadows, thinking to himself, "It's normal that you can't fathom her depths, but I can!"

To be honest, Serana's decision to send a horse directly to seek cooperation was somewhat unexpected for Lud, because he originally thought that Serana would handle Caiside as discreetly as possible and not let him, an outsider, get involved in their Church of Light's internal scandals.

In fact, Serana initially thought so too, but when Hume and Parjama came in at the same time during the daytime tea drinking, she clearly realized that this was Pine Town, and Lud, as the local bigwig, had far more informants than she, a powerful outsider. It was impossible to completely hide it from him.

So after careful consideration, Serana felt that if this matter were to be carried out in Pinetree Town, she should at least inform Rudd, otherwise it would seem that her side was too domineering and disrespectful to the Pantheon.

After spending these past few days together, Serana had gotten a general idea of ​​Lud's temperament. On the surface, this man didn't seem arrogant at all, always polite to them, and always had a kind, smiling face. But deep down, he had a strong sense of pride and wouldn't back down on important issues.

In addition, Serana had another consideration: to use this alliance to get Ludwig and the Pantheon to completely side with her, thus preventing any possibility of them leaning towards the Cardinals' faction in future collaborations.

The so-called "catching the traitor" was actually a scheme to trap Cai Side. If the impact was significant enough, it could also serve as a warning to the Cardinal College behind Cai Side, keeping these old-fashioned people who instinctively resist any change in line for a while and preventing them from disrupting the cooperation.

In addition, Serana also hopes to use this alliance to completely bring Ludwig to her side, so as to prevent him from being recruited by the College of Cardinals in the future.

Lude knew perfectly well that the so-called "catching the traitor" was just a smokescreen; it was essentially a sting operation. But to ensure the smooth progress of this cooperation, Lude did indeed need to help Serana this time.

"Hmm... I understand the situation. Our sect's doctrine has always advocated harmony and we don't easily fight with others. But I hate traitors the most in this life. Since it's about catching an internal spy, I, Lu, will definitely lend a hand!"

After Lud agreed to join forces, Parjama left satisfied. She needed to go back and tell Serana that, if possible, they should find a suitable time in the next day or two to secretly meet and finalize the detailed action plan.

After Pargamar left, Lud once again fell into deep thought. In his heart, he was unwilling to confront the College of Cardinals, a force not to be underestimated within the Holy Church of Light. From its inception, its function was to assist the Pope while also supervising and checking him.

In theory, given a suitable reason, or rather, a charge, and with all fourteen cardinals voting in favor, they could even impeach the Pope directly! Therefore, actively provoking these powerful old men is not a wise move.

The problem now is that these people hold conservative views and have clearly shown hostility towards Lud. Their desire to sabotage this cooperation is not because Serana is deliberately exaggerating, but because it is an almost instinctive resistance to change by conservative forces. The intelligence that Lud has at this stage is enough to prove that this is true, leaving him with no other choice.

So in reality, Ludd really had no other choice.

A few days later, some of the invited guests began to arrive in Pinetree. Thanks to the continuous investment in roads by Ludwig and the surrounding fiefdom lords over the years, a road network with Pinetree as its core had been established in the North. The roads were becoming increasingly easier to travel, and commercial activities were flourishing.

The arrival of the surrounding lords, along with the saintess and her entourage who had been staying in the area for over two months, made the town as lively as if it were celebrating a festival.

Faced with such a prosperous scene, the old lady of the Baron's family was delighted but also had some headaches. The influx of a large population brought in revenue, but also created considerable pressure on public security. The guards patrolled the streets every day, and they were practically overwhelmed with arrests.

Leaving aside the fighting, swindling, and cheating, what left the guards speechless the most were those "country bumpkins" who urinated and defecated anywhere.

The locals of Songshu Town, known as "Laozheng Heiqi," didn't have the right to laugh at outsiders a few years ago. It was thanks to Lu De's years of persistent efforts in promoting hygiene and civility that some of the locals' bad habits were corrected.

However, this hygiene practice was limited to Pine Tree Town; in other places, there were far fewer restrictions. Even in the capital, the political center, the nobles and aristocrats freely expressed their natural instincts.

What frustrated the guards even more was that there were actually many public toilets in the area, at least one or two on every street, but outsiders didn't recognize them. Sometimes the guards would catch criminals in the act, and the criminals would be standing right in front of the public toilets, less than three steps away from "civilization."

Fortunately, these troublesome matters were minor, and both the lord and the people could benefit from this prosperity, so there wasn't much dissatisfaction among them.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the climax of this grand event should be at the movie premiere two days from now. After all, many of the invited dignitaries were invited by Lu De to watch the show, and the old lady's family all had tickets, and the best seats at that.

When Luther came to deliver the tickets, he even brought a seating chart, which clearly described the names, identities, statuses, and even personal preferences of all the important figures sitting around her. With such a cheat sheet in hand, the old lady had no worries about making any mistakes in her interactions with others, and could even help the Baron's family expand their network of connections.

The old lady was filled with gratitude when she thought of the many ways Lud had taken care of the Cork family, a widow and her children, after they had moved to their fiefdom.

Just then, the old lady's daughter, Sasha, returned home from school. Before entering the house, the little girl wiped her mouth vigorously outside the door to make sure her mother wouldn't find out that she was eating street food with her classmates.

"You shouldn't be able to tell, right?"

After wiping her mouth, Sasha asked the knight Bordos, who was leading her home.

"It's all red! If you keep rubbing it, the old lady will think you've been fighting with someone at school again."

Bordos looked at Sasha with a helpless yet indulgent expression. He and his comrades had practically watched this girl grow up. Although she was a cute little girl, she liked to play with knives and guns like a boy, which gave her mother a lot of headaches, but her father and three older brothers doted on her.

Now that those people are gone, Porthos and his two other comrades who were lucky enough to survive swore to God that they would use the rest of their lives to do everything they could to protect their captain's family.

The two people, one big and one small, entered the house and saw the old lady directing the maids to make arrangements in the hall, clearly indicating that there would be a banquet that evening.

Sasha wanted to sneak back to her room by hugging the wall while her mother wasn't looking, but unfortunately, she was followed by Bordeaux, who was nearly two meters tall and as strong as a bear, so she was discovered after only a few steps.

"Sasha! You come here right now!"

Upon hearing her mother's call, Sasha's body trembled, and she obediently walked to her mother's side.

"Mother, what do you need me for?"

"What? Can't I call you over if there's nothing wrong? Or are you hiding something from me? Hmm~!?"

"No, no way!"

Seeing Sasha avoid eye contact, the old lady, who knew her daughter well, immediately understood that this little girl must have been naughty again!

Sometimes the old lady would sigh to herself that the Kirk family's bloodline was too full of martial spirit. Not only were her husband and sons good fighters, but even their only daughter was like a tomboy, with a love for swords and spears far surpassing for dresses and dolls.

Of course! The old lady wasn't feudal in her thinking. She didn't actually object to her daughter learning martial arts, but learning martial arts didn't mean turning herself into a rough tomboy who didn't have any of the mannerisms a child should have.

Look at that Holy Maiden of the Holy Light Church, she's quite something. Her martial arts skills are so high, yet she still exudes femininity in every gesture.

Like many older mothers, once Mrs. Srina entered lecturing mode, she couldn't stop. Bordos immediately made an excuse to slip away, leaving Sasha alone to listen to the "deathly chants."

Fortunately, the banquet was still being set up, and the old lady only spoke for less than twenty minutes before she spared her daughter. Sasha, still shaken, was about to run away, but then remembered that she had "important business" to discuss with her mother, so she braced herself and whispered to the old lady.

"Mother, I'm going to the theater the day after tomorrow. Can I sit with my classmates?"

"classmate?"

"Yes! It's Mochi and Hima from Viscount Map's family. We agreed to sit together. Is that alright? Is that alright? Is that alright?"

Sasha asked the old lady three times in a row, using a gesture that could only be described as "maliciously cute." His own mother got goosebumps watching this, and suddenly realized that the child was much more pleasing to the eye when he was always carefree and easygoing.

When the old lady heard that her daughter's classmates were the two children of Viscount Maup of Oyster Harbor, she thought it was good. She had a good impression of the brother and sister, especially the younger brother, Mochi. Although he was only the youngest son of the viscount and had little hope of inheriting the title, he was shy and kind, and good-looking. He would be an ideal "son-in-law candidate" in the future.

However, the old lady did not know that the two siblings were just a smokescreen thrown out by her daughter Sasha to gain her consent. The person Sasha really wanted to watch the show with was a girl named Fran.

After getting her mother's permission, Sasha jumped up and kissed her on the cheek, then ran happily back to her room, secretly cursing under her teeth.

"Just you wait, Hima! I will absolutely not let you have the chance to monopolize Fran!"

By noon on the day of the premiere, almost all the invited guests had arrived. They were all prominent figures in the northern region of the kingdom, demonstrating the Pantheon's influence and appeal in the North.

It's worth mentioning that, in addition to these invited guests, there were also many uninvited guests in the town who came after hearing the news. Some of them were simply there to watch the excitement, while others hoped to use this grand event to get closer to some big shots and build relationships.

However, these uninvited guests were not all nobody; one of them had a rather special identity!

The other party's name was Albert Lane, a nobleman from the capital. Although he did not have a fief, his title was not low. He was a first-class hereditary marquis and a nobleman related to the royal family. He was currently appointed by the king to inspect various parts of the kingdom as a royal censor.

When Albert passed through the Duchy of Gamelin, he heard that Pine Town was very lively, so he followed the duke to join in the fun and also to meet the famous Saint Rudd.

The arrival of this "official from the capital" caught Lu De off guard. He had not had any contact with the capital before, and had been hiding in the north, far from the emperor's reach, focusing on development. Although he knew that the capital would definitely send someone, he did not expect it to be a surprise attack.

The two met through the introduction of the handsome Duke Gamelin. Albert looked at Lud's youthful face, which looked no more than twenty years old, and thought to himself that it was fortunate that he had heard a lot about this man's glorious deeds and that several lords in the North could attest to it, otherwise he would most likely have thought that this man was a fraud.

“Master Lude, I have long admired your name.”

"Welcome, Your Excellency Marquis."

After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, Abbott suddenly recalled some "amusing incidents" from his time in the capital, and only his exceptional self-control prevented him from openly laughing out loud.

Speaking of Pine Tree Town, it was granted to a newly appointed baron a year ago, or rather, the baron's orphan.

Because the capital city was thousands of miles away from the North, news traveled very slowly between the two places. So, at that time, King Durand thought that Pinetown was just a small border town inhabited by settlers, with maybe a thousand or eight hundred townspeople and a thousand or two acres of newly cultivated farmland, just right for bestowing a new baron title.

The king at the time was aware of a small sect that had emerged in the north calling itself the Pantheon, and he had also heard of the great name of Saint Rudd.

At the time, the rumors only said that Rudd saved Oyster Harbor, so the king and many ministers assumed that the Pantheon's headquarters must be in Oyster Harbor, the most prosperous port city in the North, and had no idea that Rudd's base was in Pinetown.

By the time the king learned about the actual situation in Pine Town, it was already May of this year.

This matter once troubled the king greatly. He originally thought that Pine Town was located on the edge of the Void Forest, and the development level of the surrounding land must be very low. In addition, the Kirk family was left with only an orphan and a widow, so he took pity on them and expanded the territory from the original thirty miles around to fifty miles. Although there might not be much usable land, at least it looked like a large area.

Half a year later, the king realized he had made a huge blunder, granting a baron a fiefdom that was far beyond what was expected. The situation became quite awkward. He wanted to take back some of the fiefdom, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. After all, without a sufficiently legitimate reason, arbitrarily reducing a noble's fiefdom was a major taboo, and it couldn't be easily dismissed with a simple "I made a mistake."

So during that period, the king was very wary of hearing words like "Pine Town" and "Baron Cork," and the courtiers tacitly pretended nothing had happened to avoid being retaliated against because of such a thing.