Miss Witch's Forbidden Book Secret

Chapter 233 Tia's True Colors

Ibn Musa's Sculpture Workshop in the Observatory District.

The workshop's basement was originally Ibn Musa's workshop, but after the great sculptor left Iris, it was requisitioned by the Palace of Wisdom as a base for the assassins of the Assassin's Court.

Cameron picked up the ritual knife from the table and conducted another deep dive to examine the integrity of his soul and spirit.

Cameron believed that assassination was a piece of cake, but that didn't stop her from thinking that Jeremiah was right!

Miss Furnessa Bonaparte's performance at the banquet proved that she was no easy opponent, regardless of her own strength or the two transformed spirits under her command who almost brought her down.

—Even with her connections, Cameron would have to think twice before taking any action!

Furna previously lived with the Montellima family, who had at least three Sequence 5 superhumans. If she rashly plunged Furna into the Nightmare, it would certainly alert those superhumans to intercept her. However, it wasn't that she couldn't act.

Afterwards, Funina moved to the Grand Hotel on the banks of the Broken Gold River, which was a good opportunity to make her move.

But there was one problem: she was busy escaping for her life.

Now is not the best time. There are still many priests and Ansu's superhumans in the Broken Gold River Hotel, so she must act quickly, decisively, and resolutely.

"It's too risky to plunge the enemy into a nightmare from such a distance... I'll complete the ritual first and then add a delayed ritual, which will automatically trigger when I get close to Funina. I need to prepare two vials of poison to prevent priests and knights from coming to support me."

"Hmm... then put on the extraordinary bracelet we seized from the Twin Serpents, and drag Frinina's soul into the spider web immediately..."

Her spider web wasn't like the Twin Serpent Cult's "Nightmare Entanglement," which could pull people into a nightmare and make them sit side by side regardless of distance.

She must first pierce the enemy's skin with the cursed blade to inflict damage; this step is for the purpose of marking them.

After marking, you should use a ritual within three kilometers to pull the enemy into the Spider Nightmare, the closer the better.

Cameron suppressed his growing urge to get started and first took stock of the tools he had prepared.

Two vials of specially concocted alchemical poison, two cursed daggers. A complete set of extraordinary items to enhance his deep-diving limits and soul resilience, including: a pair of rings, a necklace, and two silver nipple rings.

In addition, there is the "Trial of Pain" ritual inscribed with the Plague Keep god "Twin Serpents," and a thorny vine bracelet specifically designed to amplify the effects of one's own rituals.

Absolutely foolproof...

Before dawn, Cameron had already infiltrated the Broken Gold River Hotel.

As luck would have it, she happened to run into a carriage approaching, and Princess Eleanor of Ansu, under Bernice's protection, boarded the carriage and left together.

This amazing discovery immediately thrilled Cameron.

Foreign Secretary Bernice also left!

This was the target she feared most throughout the entire assassination attempt. This Sequence 3 Unsheathed Blade was renowned, and Cameron had initially wanted to wait until Tia left the hotel before assassinating her—but this posed a fatal danger.

She reviewed the failure of the last assassination attempt, and the biggest problem was that her actions attracted too much attention, which led even the Silver Knight to arrive, severely restricting her room for maneuver.

But there's no need to rush now.

She could have easily stayed inside the Broken Gold River Hotel, lying in wait and waiting for the opportune moment.

If Fennina Bonaparte returns, he will be met with a fatal blow from this lurking viper.

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On the other side, Tia had just arrived at the hospital in the Observatory District when she immediately called out the two elves, Freya and Branna, to keep watch.

The crows were all in position, cawing all the way.

There's nothing we can do; there are bad people among the masses!

After watching for a while without finding anything, Tia had no choice but to let the crows go home first, leaving Freya and Brenna to guard outside the hospital.

In the hospital ward, Codd was seriously injured and unconscious.

Marn was in a better position; his leg wasn't injured at all, but he couldn't leave the hospital, or rather, he couldn't be in the public eye. Right now, everyone was focused on attacking the Empire, thanks to Tia's diversionary tactics and Brigitte's manipulation of public opinion.

If he, as the host of the banquet, were to enter the public eye, it would be easy for the fact that the banquet had brought together a large group of resentful nobles to stir up controversy.

Things will become very delicate at that point.

Fortunately, he did a good job.

Although the specifics of what happened are unknown, Furnessa Bonaparte has become a star on the high platform.

As for what the Imperials think? Forget about whether I, Marn, contributed or not, just tell me whether I found a leader for the Royalists!

It wasn't even forcibly pushed onto the throne; the Iris Flower people chose it themselves. What do you call that? It means the Iris Flower belongs to the Iris Flower people, and Funina's legitimacy is guaranteed.

Therefore, Marne chose to feign injury, decline guests, and become comrades-in-arms with Codd in the hospital.

"Miss Furnessa Bonaparte?"

When Tia arrived, wrapped up like a rice dumpling, Marn, lying on the hospital bed, was stunned for a moment, not recognizing her at first. Only after Tia took off her hat did Marn's expression turn complicated, but he still thanked her, saying, "Thank you so much for your help these past few days. If it weren't for you, things would have really gotten into big trouble."

Tia placed the fruit basket on the bedside table and said sarcastically, "I think you should get a new wheelchair."

"Then forget it. I'd better stay in the hospital for a few more days." Marn couldn't help but complain, "You'd better be careful too, there might be an assassin waiting for you."

"You guessed right. In fact, I encountered an assassin as soon as I stepped out today."

Tia shrugged and said, "It's a pity she's unwilling to come out on her own."

"However, that's not relevant to today's topic. I'm here to ask you about something else."

"Oh? Is there anything else?"

Tia put down her cane, sat down in a chair, and said, "Sir Roman of the Silver Fortress Police Department, the Anti-Suppression Bureau, and the Silver Fortress Foreign Affairs Department has given me a task. He wants me to discuss with you the debt you owe in Ansu."

"If I remember correctly, the amount you owe is... it should be this much, right?"

Tia held up four fingers and smiled.

Marn's heart skipped a beat, realizing something was terribly wrong. He'd completely forgotten that Funina was an Ansuese. Since she was from Ansu, she must have had a purpose in coming to the Iris Flower Garden.

However, his previous purpose in being Frynn was probably to protect Eleanor or assist Bernice, or something similar.

But to my surprise, they were there to collect a debt!

Marn simply feigned ignorance and asked, "Four thousand gold pounds?"

"No, think about it again?"

"It can't be forty thousand gold pounds!"

"No, no, we're still one person short."

"How is that possible! Are you kidding me, Bonaparte!?" Marn's eyes widened instantly as he retorted, "That's absolutely impossible! I didn't even lose 200,000 gold pounds at the financial exchange, how could I have borrowed 400,000 gold pounds from you!"

Tia said, “Of course you don’t owe 400,000. In fact, you only borrowed 100,000 gold pounds to leverage your debt. That amount has not yet been repaid, and with interest, it totals 250,000 gold pounds. In addition, you raised over 10,000 gold pounds through crowdfunding in New London, but the promised reward has not yet arrived. According to Ansu law, you have already compensated five times that amount, which is 50,000 gold pounds. And in order to rescue you from the Iris Flower, nearly 100,000 gold pounds were used. The total is 400,000 gold pounds.”

Marn felt a strange sense of familiarity with the tone and expression of the narrator, but in his current state of rage, he didn't have time to judge and retorted:

"That's not right! Absolutely not right! I sold the patent for the switching telephone to the Royal Society of Silver Castle, and they promised to waive my 50,000 gold pounds, the debt, and all subsequent interest!"

"As for the crowdfunding compensation you mentioned... the compensation is settled annually, and it hasn't even been a year yet. Besides, I've already prepared the money to pay the compensation!"

"As for the rescue funds you mentioned, I have absolutely no idea about them. You're just making things up, Miss Bonaparte!"

Tia tilted her head slightly, feigning ignorance and acting cute with a "I don't understand" look on her face.

She counted on her fingers and said, "If you feel it's not right, you can pay first, and we'll refund any overpayment or make up any underpayment."

"Where would I get 400,000!"

Marn was so angry she was practically smoking.

He tried to swindle and cheat his way out of the funds, but he couldn't even get 40,000...

Tia said, "In that case, we can pay in installments. The interest each period won't be much. How about three percent?"

"Father of all things!" Marn prayed with his eyes closed, his face filled with despair.

What else could he say? He simply kept quiet.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade her, Tia didn't press the issue further. The matter couldn't be hidden forever. Since Marn couldn't leave the hospital, she had plenty of time to ask about it.

She said, "In that case, let's talk again tomorrow. Well then, Marne, I have another question I'd like to ask you."

Marn closed his eyes and remained silent.

Tia asked, "After I sent Holly to escort you out of the Empire, what did you experience in Solomon City that allowed you to return to Iris?"

Marn's eyelids twitched, and he opened his eyes to look at Tia, his pupils dilating in shock.

Send Holly to escort him out of the Empire...

The word "dispatch" carries a lot of information.

The familiar tone and sense of déjà vu from before now make sense.

The great inventor suddenly felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He looked at Tia in disbelief and said, "You are Tia Surf?"

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There's still something like the third or fourth watch.

Chapter 234 The Wolf Feigns Sleep

Tia had no intention of hiding anything, and politely took off her hat, saying, "Good day, Mr. Marn."

"Good day... Acting Director Sulph."

Marn emphasized the words "acting director" heavily, as if he were struggling with a sense of helplessness.

Tia said, "I am now the official director."

"..."

How can such a despicable, vicious, heinous, cruel, and shameless witch be promoted to a legitimate position?

Have the people of Ansu lost their minds?

Although she harbored some resentment towards Tia, Marn understood perfectly why Tia was so confident in revealing her identity—neither Furnessa Bonaparte nor Tia Surf was her true self, or rather, not entirely.

He had witnessed the terrifying truth connected to the depths of this girl's soul when he was chasing the two transformed spirits. He even suspected that the Twin Serpent Cult's so-called plan was just a smokescreen.

—The true purpose of those heretics was probably not to give birth to twin snakes, but to give birth to this witch.

Because the Twin Cult had disappeared, he could not confirm these speculations. However, based on his observations at the police station over the past few days, the vessel of this false god was not like other spiritual beings, who were so clumsy, dull, persistent, and fanatical after their birth.

On the contrary, she is like a real human being. No matter how you look at it, you will be convinced that "Tia Sulph" is a real human being.

This is the truly terrifying place.

No spirit had ever possessed her characteristics. Therefore, after boarding Holly's ship and leaving the Empire, he tried every means to break away from her. Even after arriving in Solomon City, he did not follow Holly's instructions to contact Ansu's spies.

He suspected that these people were all cultists, a den of snakes and rats.

He thought he could say goodbye to Tia Sulph, the despicable, vicious, wicked, cruel, and shameless head of the Great Harbor District, and her lackeys forever. But it turned out that the despicable, vicious, wicked, cruel, and shameless witch was actually deceiving and swindling people in disguise!

It's impossible to guard against!

Marn replied helplessly, "No comment."

"Can't you say?" Tia raised an eyebrow slightly, not particularly surprised by the answer, and pressed further, "Are you afraid to say or unable to say? Who instructed you? Is it a foreign force?"

"You're behaving just like a judge from the Imperial Inquisition! Can't you be a little more normal?"

"Are you implying that you're still colluding with the Inquisition? Then let me ask you, whose side are you on? Who is greater, Jeremiah or Rexsha?"

"I'm not on either side! They're all my seniors!"

"Oh, so there are two-faced people too..."

Tia took out paper and pen from her pocket and wrote everything down.

Marn felt a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat and stared blankly, saying, "I signed a contract with others. The King of Holy Number 5 witnessed it. There will be big problems if the contract is broken. But one thing can be made clear: my purpose in coming here is to organize a royalist party to prepare for political participation."

"You should have said that earlier..."

The girl pursed her lips, then asked with some doubt, "But are those nobles really useful? Besides, can you really control them?"

Tia felt that these nobles were not like the historical Iris, who were full of martial spirit; on the contrary, they were utterly pathetic.

Marn glanced at the door to make sure there were no eavesdroppers, and said seriously, "Nobles should think of the country!"

Tia gave a thumbs up.