Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

Angelita and Daisy were both startled by Vondar Banchiu. Only after they calmed down did they see clearly what was held in the hands under the big beard - putting aside those magical parts and decorations, Daisy was very familiar with the shape of the flintlock.

"A musket?!" The bard looked at Vondar in disbelief. "It's only been a few days? You... you can actually tinker with this thing?!"

"To be precise, it's a musket, the dwarven golden musket," Vondar corrected. "It's not difficult. Once I was convinced that the technology was indeed part of the dwarven's lost art, it was easy to reproduce it. Moreover, the materials are readily available. I have been collecting them all the time."

The others never knew exactly where the dwarves kept the materials, but it now seemed to be somewhere at least easily accessible.

"I used part of the flail snail shell to protect it and the smoke powder it contains from being ineffective due to magic," Vondar said, holding up his creation. "But it's just a hand cannon, so the smoke powder it can protect is only one round. It needs to be reloaded with smoke powder and bullets after use."

The dwarf skillfully pulled out a small waterproof leather pouch, unloaded some smoke powder, and began demonstrating. His homemade smoke powder had long since run out, so he'd purchased some since arriving in Zun City. While the dwarf claimed it was inferior to his own, it worked flawlessly.

"Stop! Get outside first!" Angrita hurriedly pushed the overly excited dwarf out. If she didn't stop him, Vondar might really let this thing shoot indoors! She still hadn't forgotten the assassination that was like a huge explosion!

"Don't worry, smoke powder is a bullet's propeller, it won't..." The dwarf said this, but his body still honestly followed Angrita out. After all, although he was 100% sure that this was the skill of the ancient dwarves, the extent to which he could imitate it and whether he could succeed was still unknown, so he was not completely unsure.

In the courtyard outside the residence, a dummy was quickly erected ten meters away from the dwarf, but Vondar held the pistol far away and pulled the trigger only after he was sure that even if it exploded, he would not be killed on the spot.

There was a loud bang, followed by a flash of fire and a large amount of smoke rushing into Vondar's palm. After a brief delay, the wooden dummy on the other side shook violently. A bullet had almost completely penetrated it, deeply embedded in its body, and it could not be extracted.

This power can't be said to be small, but considering its filling and firing efficiency...

"Not very powerful, right?" Vondar walked over cheerfully and handed the still-hot pistol to Angrita. "So it's just a small gadget. After this technology was lost, we hardly looked for anything like it anymore."

"It's said that the Dwarf Empire once had a special legion dedicated to these weapons. Each of them would carry two longer muskets on their backs, with four more strapped to their chests and waists, allowing them to fire six times in rapid succession. But now the dwarves can't afford such expensive equipment."

"But I think it's a decent gift. You can load one and carry it with you. Mine can't be accidentally triggered. It only fires when you want it to."

The dwarf thought for a moment, then quickly added, "But Annie, you must never use it as a bow or crossbow. While it requires neither magic nor much training, its effective range is very short. It's best to wait until you're close enough before pulling the trigger, and it's best to aim for a vital point."

"Well, what if it's still empty?"

Vondar shrugged. "Then you can throw it aside and use your elven sword. Actually, regardless of whether it hits or not, it's useless after one shot. I actually admire the assassin behind this. The construct can carry larger caliber firearms and more smoke powder. When it can retreat, it's a long-range musket launcher. If it can't retreat, it's just a moving, self-detonating smoke powder barrel."

"But precisely because of this, I suggest we leave Qingzun City as soon as possible after Anne's coming-of-age ceremony. Those smoke-powder assassins are definitely not cheap—even without factoring in the cost of hiring a craftsman familiar with ancient dwarven craftsmanship. Although Old Lei and the archon both concluded that there was a gang involved, it looks like a major disturbance is about to break out among the nobles of Qingzun City."

Chapter 243 Margaret

It was no secret that Qingzun City would be in chaos, but precisely because of this, the nobles in the upper city needed banquets and celebrations more and more, so much so that the standards of Angelita's coming-of-age ceremony were raised several levels.

But this was what they needed, or rather, what the Dionysian Church of the City of the Falling Wine needed. Perhaps only by pleasing the god of feasting could this city, built on the miracle of Delnisos, safely weather the coming storm.

At the banquet, some important figures were busy with their socializing and transactions, while the rest of the people surrounded Angelita, listening carefully and yearningly as the girl, who had just turned sixteen, talked about the culture and etiquette of her hometown.

That was what they longed for, everything that Inassus might have once possessed, but now he could only hear about it from outsiders.

However, among these nobles, Angelita quickly noticed one person. She was sitting absent-mindedly at the outermost edge, with her long light golden hair casually braided into a long braid draped behind her head. She looked out of place with the other guests and even the surrounding environment.

Margaret glanced at the girl who moved closer to her after noticing her, then casually took a drink from the waiter next to her and drank it all in one gulp.

"Miss Lister, be mindful of your words and actions," a noble lady frowned and reminded her, "The host of this banquet has arrived, so be polite."

"I haven't reminded you yet about your peasant-like hairstyle and clothes and the banquet tonight..."

"What kind of master is she?" Margaret sneered. She raised her head and looked directly at Angelita who was getting closer and closer. "She is just a foreigner. We are the masters of Qingzun City."

"Many of Qingzun City's earliest nobles migrated from the Empire," Angelita said slowly, "and some of the Empire's nobles are remnants of Richard the Great's time. In that sense, perhaps I'm not a complete outsider."

"Ah, you understand very well," Margaret said, holding up her empty cup and looking Angarita up and down again. "You mean the group headed by the Matt family? You're right, much better than what you just said."

"Just now?" Angelita thought about what she had said. "Was there anything inappropriate?"

"No, it's standard Imperial etiquette, at least as far as I know." The woman opposite, who looked only two or three years older than her, smiled disdainfully, "But I don't like it."

"From what I understand about etiquette, the upper class creates the rules, the middle class conforms to them, and the lower class imitates them." She glanced at the guests who had begun to whisper among themselves. "It seems to me that there are too many people here trying to imitate them today."

"You're just making excuses for your rudeness!" someone in the crowd retorted indignantly. "The Lister family is only tenth in rank, and you're already thinking of 'creating rules'? If you were in the top three, would you claim all of Qingzun City as your private property?"

Margaret calmly changed her expression and drank another glass of wine, still tilting her head back. "If that day ever comes, ha, I will at least exchange your family for a lot of Valu!"

The crowd erupted in laughter. The Lister family's sudden rise seemed like a fluke to the upper city's nobles. No one truly believed they could advance further, or even considered themselves lucky to be able to maintain their status. Naturally, the words of the Lister family's eldest daughter were dismissed as ignorant and unfounded talk.

Bragging is not illegal, and she didn't think there was anything wrong with continuing to use the "Valu" gold coins created by the Luwalu family.

However, Angelita's heart moved, and the girl suddenly remembered some of her judgments on the status of the nobles in Qingzun City a few days ago.

"Miss Lister, if you're interested," she gestured, "could I have the honor of chatting with you about 'rules'?"

"She's so lucky." Seeing Angreta apologize to the other guests and leave the banquet center with Margaret, some people couldn't help but feel jealous of the person who seemed to them to be putting on airs. "She was able to attract Miss Antichi's attention with such a grandstanding tactic."

"I'm afraid it's a matter of mutual benefit," someone said, believing they had a more insightful view. "In Qingzun City, Miss Antichi has the backing of the Luwalu and Fengquan families. If they can establish a connection with them, the Lister family will have a firm foothold. And now that the empire is in chaos, the family behind that lady might also need the Lister family's access to jewels—as you all know, many gemstones can be used as ingredients for spells."

"And the Empire has very strict regulations in this regard... You mean, ah..."

Everyone at the table flashed with sudden realization, some even deducing further. Perhaps the absence of Patriarch Rody Lister and Consul Alfonso was also a clear indicator. The guests dispersed, intentionally or unintentionally leaving space for the two girls to converse, yet they happened to be able to overhear fragments of their conversation.

However, they were destined to be disappointed. Angelita and Margaret seemed to be particularly wary of them. From the few words they revealed, others could not find any opportunities to gain benefits. Even the useful information was pitifully scarce. It seemed that they were just chatting casually.

But the increasingly bright smiles on their faces made it hard not to wonder what kind of mutually beneficial deal was going on.

As for nothing? Could it be that the earl's daughter who had traveled thousands of miles from the Empire to Qingzun City and the heir of a rising local family would only chat about romantic gossip?

"You're right! Perhaps to the red dragon, the knight is the true 'passion fruit' (sweetheart), and the princess is just an earthworm (bait)!"

While the others sank deeper and deeper into a swamp of confusion and suspicion, Angrita's conversation shifted seamlessly from ritual history to fairy tales and legends. While some of the content might not be appropriate for such public discussion, the noble children of Magparese naturally had a set of "code words" to circumvent the strict elders. What delighted Angrita was that this freckled girl could actually understand her perfectly!

Little did she know that Margaret, sitting across from her, also felt a sense of regret for not meeting her earlier. When the clock tower outside rang at the appointed time, she finally made up her mind and stepped forward to hold Angarita's hand.

"Ms. Lister...?" Angelita was startled by this sudden action.

"Just call me Mary," Margaret eagerly awaited Angelita's response. She looked around but couldn't find any trace of the guard. "Could you please talk for a moment? I have something... I want to show you."

"On the rooftop outside the corridor."

Chapter 244 Open the door

"Uh, of course?" Angelita didn't have time to recover. After all, it was hard not to make some associations with their previous conversation. But fortunately, the girl's mind should not be on this.

"I started working for my family very early on. To be more precise, I started working for my father." Margaret pulled Anne through the crowd and hurried out of the banquet hall. Leslough stood in the shadows outside the door, watching everything but did not step forward to stop me. "I once thought that was what I had pursued and hoped for my whole life. I could give up everything for the rise of my family."

“But now, maybe that’s not all.”

The door to the rooftop was locked, but Margaret unabashedly pulled out a strand of her hair and pried it open with ease. The cold night wind outside immediately blew into the corridor, but did not alert any of the noble attendants.

It was done by two girls, one was the protagonist of the party, and the other was a guest. What was there to stop? As for whether it was the hair or the key that opened the lock, they didn't have the eyesight of Leslaufer, nor the distance of Angarita.

"At least I'm not willing to sacrifice a rare friend."

The door to the rooftop was closed again, and there seemed to be nothing unusual here. However, when Margaret let go of Angelita's hand and walked to a suit of armor lying in the corner, the latter's eyes widened in surprise as she followed her new friend's actions.

The girl with thick braids lifted the visor of her armor, and inside, an originally inconspicuous iron-gray sphere suddenly lit up with an ominous green light.

"This is……"

"A door," Margaret said, her expressionless face gazing at the door leading from the rooftop to the corridor. "Do you want to know why the Lister family celebration was scheduled after your coming-of-age ceremony? My father and I felt at the time that the Lister family's rise to prominence might not require any guests to witness it."

As the ball was taken out, the armor that was originally like a dead object suddenly came to life. The empty interior did not affect its standing and movement at all. It picked up a halberd from the weapon rack on the side, guarded Margaret while pointing the tip of the halberd at Angelita.

"Stop," its temporary master ordered it, "but I think you should at least stay."

"This is... a construct." Even now, after seeing this animated armor, Angelita still didn't understand anything. "The Wheat Harvest Society, Wood?!"

"That's him. My family is his biggest sponsor," Margaret nodded. "We previously arranged for him to attack Philip of the Maple Springs family, but unfortunately it didn't succeed. Fortunately, the Curry family filled that gap a while ago."

"It's you..." Angelita looked at her with a complicated expression, "Do you really want the entire Qingzun City? But these things alone are not enough."

"It's indeed not enough, so my father is not here tonight. Therefore, Master Rushall and the others will not intervene tonight."

Margaret let go of the iron ball, which immediately fell to the ground and transformed into a magical portal with green vortexes. "Someone has stood there for too long. Just like an empire, successors are needed. If they are unwilling, they must be torn down."

"As for you, you just need to stand here. If you want, you can call your companions over. It doesn't matter."

"Aren't you worried I'll go one step further and stop you?" Angelita cautiously avoided the armored soldier. "I don't like this, not at all."

"I don't like it either," Margaret shrugged. "But my father is happy with it, so I have to do it. By the way, it won't make any difference even if you defeat me, and it won't make any difference even if you close this door. It's just a more convenient way in and out. Come, let me show you."

Angelita didn't know what kind of mood she was in as she stood on the edge of the rooftop with her new friend. The latter was pointing at a huge building in the center of the upper city. "See that? That's the Archon's 'Palace', and it's also where the Dionysus's secret vault is located in the City of the Falling Wine."

"According to Wood, there's a book there that can summon creatures from Purgatory. Using it, you can..."

"Purgatory, are you serious?!" Angelita interrupted her, "You're planning to sign a contract with the devil. Even if you succeed, you'll definitely become a slave to those evil demons!"

"First, I said I don't like this. Second, my father and I don't need to sign anything except that Wood's contract. Finally," Margaret looked in that direction. The bell had just rung about the same time, and her father should have succeeded. "It would have been great if we had met earlier. Maybe you could have helped me persuade my father."

"But now, it's too late to say anything."

"Convince... your father?" Nothing could have struck Angelita as more absurd than this. Wasn't that the reason she'd fled Magpalez? Now someone actually thought she could help persuade someone else's father?

If she could do that she wouldn't be here!

Should she just sit there and watch this place being reshuffled? Angelita didn't know, but she immediately turned and left to find her companions. Just as Margaret chose to reveal all this to her, she should at least protect her companions first.

Margaret did not stop her from leaving. Just like she was standing here, no matter what Angelita did here, it could neither solve the symptoms nor the root cause. The real crisis came from the book in the secret collection of Dionysus, and these nobles here could do nothing.

At the same time, in a top-secret space unknown to the public, Alfonso Loiraud fell in a pool of blood, covering the wound on his abdomen. He looked in shock as the patriarch of the new family in front of him walked to a bookshelf with ease and pulled out a thick book with a black and red cover.

"Wait, stop it!" Alfonso was still trying to stop the other party, but it was obvious that he couldn't do it. "You don't know what you are doing!"

"Is that so, my dear Archon?" Rody opened the cover with a smug smile and turned to the designated chapter. There, he saw the exact same field as the prophecy. "I know exactly what's inside."

"Samroa, return! Montalave, supreme, Aktiwiper, dwelling in Avernus, Mosmoro, Tia, Paulusto, Matt!" The two enormous gems on Rody's fingers instantly turned to ash, replacing his life force, which flowed into the demonic book in his hands, allowing him to recite the complete spell fluently in his mortal body. However, after he finished reading according to Wood's instructions, he felt something was wrong.

"Did I just pronounce Tia..."

Before Rody could come to his senses, a portal leading to a rocky wasteland filled with rivers of blood and biting flies had already opened in front of him!

Chapter 245 Lucky Day

"Roar!"

The demonic book in Rody's hand instantly dropped. Before it could hit the ground, a scorching hot wind roared in from the other side of the portal, burning it to a charred mess. Following closely behind, a demonic creature shaped like a vicious dog, its body ablaze with flames, pounced out and pinned Rody to the ground in an instant.

The flames from purgatory burned the merchant so hard that he wailed in agony: "Stay away from me! Don't lick! Don't bite! Ah—this is too hot! I am your master, you should obey my orders!"

"Follow your orders?" A teasing laugh echoed from the other side of the gate. The voice belonged to someone Rody was all too familiar with. "Who gave you such courage?"

"Wood? You—save me first! I'm your—"

A small man who looked like a dwarf came out of the portal with two other hellhounds. Behind him, more evil demons were crowding at the entrance and exit of the teleportation array, trying to enter the material plane first.

"What are you to me? Sponsor? Master?" Wood laughed heartily. "Make no mistake, you're a sacrifice! You're the first sacrifice of this feast!"

"Come on, ladies and gentlemen, come on in!" Wood made way for the teleportation array and watched Rody on the ground struggle in the infernal flames, suffering the same fate as the book. "Let's burn this place to ashes!"

"You are—" Alfonso, who was already dying, looked at the demons that he had heard of or had not heard of from another world one after another in horror. "Is all this your plan?"

Wood sneered and glanced at him. "Oh, it seems we still have a victim here. But it just so happens that the Archon of Qingzun City is very suitable to be a witness to the destruction of this city. Don't you agree, Intis?"

"I need you. Know your place, little one." Before Alfonso could react, a fiery red figure appeared above him. The horns and leather wings clearly revealed the identity of this uninvited guest: a devil.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here to save your life." The devil smiled maliciously and, with a flick of his hand, stabilized the injuries that had nearly killed Alfonso. "Go do what you need to do. The Archon and I will be watching closely from here. It's a pity you didn't open the door yourself, or you might have been able to summon the Dragon Queen's incarnation."

"That's what Fidel thought, isn't it?" Wood pointed toward the hidden door, and immediately most of the demons rushed out. "But I won't let him get his wish."

He chanted a complex spell, and another portal appeared before him, its color matching the one Margaret had opened. "We'll settle his score later. Now, let's hunt down those pigs and dogs who are still feasting!"

On the other side of the distant portal, the portal opened by Margaret was boiling like boiling water.

"Here it comes!" Margaret took a step back, avoiding Bella's gaze. "If you want to stop this, try it yourself, ma'am. I've told you a hundred times, I only know how to open this door!"

"Why don't you just stand here and wait for the result? I think I have done my best—"

Before Margaret finished her words, a strange little creature broke through the barrier of the portal and appeared on the rooftop with a cry of joy. However, it had no intention of continuing to attack inside. Instead, it suddenly turned its head to look at the people on the side and suddenly swung the axe in its hand!

"It seems that someone doesn't intend to let us stand by and watch." Leslaufer sneered as expected, and instantly raised the greatsword in his hand, splitting the ignorant little devil in half vertically. However, in the blink of an eye, a hellhound with flames burning all over its body had already jumped past the crowd and rushed straight towards the banquet hall.

"What is this?" Margaret was stunned when she saw the blood spilled from the evil demon. "Wood should be driving..."

A gust of wind suddenly blew from behind her. If Angelita had not been nearby and pushed her to the ground, the activated armor that attacked without warning would have almost beheaded her on the spot.

"Construct!" Shouzhi Changshi deflected the halberd's sharp blade. Angelita didn't dare let the other party gain distance. She immediately rushed forward, slashing the joints of the armor with her longsword. "It's obvious that you are also one of the 'wheat' in the eyes of the Wheat Harvesting Society, Miss Lister!"

"Then my father—"

"Hehe, are you talking about that pile of barbecue?" A burst of malicious laughter echoed from the portal. Thanks to its existence, the distance between the two sides was not as far as imagined. The little demons and Cambion who emerged from it did not mind passing on the news from the other side. "You will be reunited with him! Even with so many bodyguards, they can't save you!"

"Damn bodyguards!" Feng Daer dodged a flaming arrow and swung the axe in his hand, accurately shooting down a little devil. However, more enemies continued to emerge from the teleportation array. "Damn it, we have to move to another place. The pressure here is too great!"

Aside from the hellhounds that completely obeyed their orders and ignored them, the other demons would target everyone first once they emerged. On a rooftop like this, there was practically no place to hide.

"But if we leave here, the people inside will be--" "Don't worry about the people inside. Do you think they can survive the mouths of those hellhounds? It makes no difference!"

"You go first!" Leslaufer used the Broken Halberd to block a spear from Cambion, and raised his two-handed sword from below, instantly turning the evil demon into a corpse. "Daisy, can you lead them down from here? Outside..."