Chapter 46: Miss Diamond of Backlund

While the ancient gods of the Second Epoch displayed their prowess, embodying the phrase "I may be mad, but I'm not entirely brainless," the Fifth Epoch was undoubtedly more peaceful and serene.

For instance, at 15 Minsk Street, Lynn and his two companions were engaged in their usual afternoon card game.

This time, however, they weren't fighting evil but playing Gwent—a card game invented by Emperor Roselle. Thanks to Roselle, although he made it tough for future transmigrators, he also allowed them to play familiar games openly.

"Ding-a-ling—"

Just as the three were deeply engrossed in their game, the doorbell rang. The three of them exchanged glances before Klein stood up to answer the door. To his surprise, it was Ian, whom they hadn't seen in days.

"Ian, what brings you here? Weren't you at the Evernight Church..." Lynn's expression was one of surprise as he quickly approached the door. Then, as if realizing something, he looked expectantly and joyfully at Ian, asking, "Is it over?"

"You could say that. Just yesterday, the Evernight Church completed their purge of the Intis spies. Although some remnants escaped, the main orchestrator, Intis Ambassador Bakerland, has been confirmed for deportation back to Intis," Ian replied, visibly more relaxed than the last time they met.

"We're safe now, Detective Sotos."

Hearing this, Klein and Leonard exchanged a glance, their expressions showing no surprise.

They had already received a notification about this in their dreams that morning.

Lynn, equally aware, put on a theatrical expression of relief and said with a smile, "It seems your choice was the right one..."

"Yes, your suggestion to report to the Evernight Church was the best decision I've made," Ian nodded. "From now on, I'll act as an informant for the Evernight Church to make up for my past mistakes. Detective, if you need my help in the future, I can assist you three times for free as a token of my gratitude."

"Congratulations..." Lynn smiled and exchanged a few more pleasantries with Ian before the latter took his leave.

Lynn then turned to Klein and Leonard, smiling, "Today is a good day, Sherlock, Watson. To celebrate my newfound safety and the successful completion of your commission, how about we go out for a nice meal?"

After the celebration, I can have Mr. Rosago make his appearance and perform the famous scene I've been waiting for.

Lynn added this thought in his mind.

He had been looking forward to this moment for a long time.

Moreover, once Rosago's matter was resolved, he could focus on dealing with the affairs of the Second Epoch.

…

While the detective trio went to the restaurant to celebrate, in the Viscount Glaint's villa in the Queen's District, Audrey Hall smiled at Fors and Xio in front of her.

—Allow me to formally introduce Miss Audrey Hall. She is Miss Justice of the Tarot Club, who single-handedly revitalized the club's economy, the most dazzling diamond of Backlund... Ah, no, the most dazzling diamond of Backlund, the daughter of Earl Hall, a Sequence 8 Telepathist on the Spectator pathway, as beautiful as a witch, and the owner of a dog on the same pathway, Audrey Hall.

Audrey Hall appeared here because Rear Admiral Hurricane Qilangos, the former owner of "Creeping Hunger," had secretly infiltrated Backlund to assassinate Duke Negan.

At that time, Audrey, who was still not fully aware of the dangers of the Beyonder world, had hired Fors and Xio to track down Qilangos. As a result, Fors and Xio encountered danger but fortunately were not harmed.

Although Qilangos was eventually dealt with by a high-sequence Beyonder under Mr. Fool, Audrey had been kept under protection at home since then and hadn't had the chance to meet Fors and Xio to give them their commission payment.

So, one reason Audrey was meeting Fors and Xio today was to give them the commission payment and compensation for the dangers they faced.

Another reason was that Audrey had just recommended Fors and Xio at the Tarot Club and had thought of a reasonable way to convey Mr. Fool's esteemed name to them, so Mr. Fool could assess them. She was eagerly awaiting this moment.

Lastly, Audrey had recently received a letter from Fors and Xio, briefly describing their encounter at Mr. A's gathering.

"Xio, Fors, this is your well-deserved payment." Audrey didn't engage in unnecessary pleasantries and handed the envelope containing their payment to Xio with a smile.

Xio, who had intended to politely decline, found herself unable to resist and accepted the payment before she could even speak, fully understanding the phrase "the offer was too good to refuse."

"Miss Audrey, thank you for your generosity. Your honesty makes you even more beautiful," Xio said sincerely, the glow of money adding an 18-layer filter and lighting to Audrey's image in her heart.

Even the usually lazy Fors couldn't maintain her nonchalant demeanor. She had sidled up to Xio and started counting the money in the envelope with her.

"A total of 800 pounds. You two can decide how to split it," Audrey said with a gentle smile. "I'm sorry for the danger you encountered due to that matter."

If Fors and Xio had any regrets about accepting the commission related to Qilangos before receiving their payment, those regrets vanished. They even wished Audrey would give them more such commissions.

Who could blame them? After all, money was incredibly appealing.

After patiently waiting for Fors and Xio to finish counting the money, Audrey spoke again, "Your letter mentioned a gentleman selling formulas for the Spectator pathway from Sequence 9 to Sequence 7 and claimed to have access to Sequence 5 and Sequence 6 formulas. Is that true?"

"It is," Xio nodded quickly, starting to describe their encounter at Mr. A's gathering with Fors interjecting occasionally, as some things couldn't be fully conveyed in a letter.

After hearing their description, Audrey fell into deep thought. After about half a minute, she looked at Fors and Xio and asked, "Do you think this gentleman is trustworthy?"

(End of the chapter)