10-1

76 Surveillance

Alice didn't say anything. She carefully recalled the news, TV dramas, novels, short videos and other random things she had seen, and finally said thoughtfully:

"Maybe I can go to an obstetrics and gynecology hospital to ask?"

"What do you want to ask?" Klein was visibly stunned.

Alice answered as a matter of course, "Of course, are there more premature babies or delayed babies?"

This question confused Clay for a moment. It took him some time to react. This should not be the question they were discussing. After hesitating for a moment, he did not point it out and asked again:

"So do I need to think of one last honorific name?"

"Not for the time being," Alice replied.

Klein showed visible surprise. Alice thought for a moment and explained,

"I always feel that if I really need it, I will think of it myself by then."

They chatted for a while longer and then both returned to the real world.

...

It cannot be said that Alan's recent exploration of the occult has been fruitless. At least in the matter of finding someone to learn the Hermetic language, he has a goal.

Whether it was the middle class and aristocrats who were interested in mysticism, or various strange clubs, Alan had heard of many such examples.

He made a list of these names, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately did not choose anyone from the circle he was familiar with. The reason was simple: most of those who were interested in mysticism were young people.

——Only children have so much free time.

When he thought of this, Alan couldn't help but sigh. He couldn't help but regret that his first two children were not very interested in mysticism, otherwise he wouldn't have to face such distress today.

However, the Hermetic language is not only used in mysticism. It is not uncommon in the research of many fields such as history. Alan thought about it and added a lot of names to it. This time, there are many people of Alan's age or older.

He had no intention of using that honorific name to directly go to people's homes to find an interpreter. Even though the people he finally found were not very interested in the occult, and some of them even did not believe in the existence of gods, they would still feel that they were attracted to an inexplicable cult and report themselves to the church.

——This is inevitable.

Allen's final decision was to hire a tutor to teach him Hermetic.

...

"Learn Hermetic?" Islant Osisleka put down the coffee in his hand in surprise. "This doesn't seem like something you would be interested in, Alan."

Islam Osisileka has a baby face that at first glance would make one think she is still attending public school or grammar school.

She has long black hair that reaches her waist and a pair of lake-blue eyes. She is neither tall nor short.

She is a psychiatrist, and her relationship with Allen is somewhere between colleagues and non-colleagues. They are a little bit similar, but they cannot be considered real colleagues.

Allen and Eslant had communicated before. Although they were not particularly familiar with each other, they could be considered friends. Allen knew that she was fluent in Hermes and often worked as a psychology teacher for aristocratic families. Last year, she had been a teacher to Earl Hall's daughter.

Alan smiled nervously. He felt that Eslant's eyes had a penetrating power, as if they could see him clearly from head to toe. He didn't know if all psychiatrists were like this or just Eslant, but he really didn't like talking to Eslant because of this - this was also the main reason why their relationship was not particularly good.

Eslante seemed to have noticed this, she gave Allen a soothing smile and said softly:

"Don't be nervous, I'm just surprised... I recently heard some... um, some things about you.

"Is that why you want to learn Hermetic?"

Perhaps it was because the atmosphere around him was too warm, Alan felt himself gradually calming down. He developed a slight trust in Eslant, but still had no intention of revealing his true purpose, so he just nodded randomly.

Eslant seemed to have noticed something, but she didn't ask any further questions. She just smiled tolerantly and said,

"Okay, Alan.

"It just so happens that I have some time recently. Um...how about one class a week? Which day of the week are you free?"

Alan paused for a moment. He was obviously not satisfied with the number of classes. Islantus could see it and asked softly,

"Well, do you want to take a few more classes?"

她的话语,她的衣著,她的言行举止似乎都带着让人信服的力量,艾伦不自觉地亲近起来,他忍不住想要说出自己的真实目的:

"Actually, I want someone to translate something for me, but I'm worried..."

At this point, Alan hesitated again. He was not sure whether he should say it. Eslant sighed, looked at him with a concerned look and said,

"It seems that you have encountered some troubles recently."

Perhaps it was due to the mental stress of recent days, Alan had an inexplicable urge to cry. He couldn't help but want to tell what had happened to him, but those experiences were too absurd and anyone who heard them would feel that they were unreal, so Alan just smiled miserably and stood behind the last psychological defense line.

Eslant took another sip of coffee, then chuckled and said,

"What do you want to translate? Maybe I can help.

"Does it have anything to do with what happened to you recently?"

This is something that can be said. Allen said in a daze:

"It's an honorific name..."

"Your honorable name?" Islant repeated.

She didn't look normal, but Alan's heart skipped a beat for unknown reason. He became alert and suddenly realized his strange trust in Eslant. He didn't want to continue.

Eslant stared at him for a few seconds, and seeing that he did not answer, he said:

"Okay... let's continue discussing the course. Are you in a hurry?"

Alan nodded.

Eslant showed a slightly embarrassed expression. She looked at Alan, frowned slightly, shook her head and said,

"Since we are half colleagues... two classes, no more.

"I'm free Wednesday afternoon and Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

"But it's probably too late to go to class this afternoon."

As he said this, Islam glanced at the time. Actually, it wasn't too late. If they wanted to go to class, they should still have some time before dinner, but Islam didn't want to be in a hurry.

Of course, this had no effect. Two classes could not directly change Alan's purpose. He was in a dilemma again, but Eslant was very firm this time:

"I really can't add any more... Besides, if your purpose is just to translate, why can't you show it to me?

"I think it's okay to help you translate a name, unless you're worried that I'll report you to the church?

" "Ha, you don't really believe in some evil god, do you?"

Eslant said this as if jokingly, but Allen frowned uncomfortably. He always felt that Eslant's eyes were shining on him like searchlights when he spoke. He shrank back a little uneasily and replied:

"No."

The voice was dry, as if squeezed out from the throat. Alan was not sure whether his difficulty in speaking was due to guilty conscience or something else - he didn't know whether he was on the path of believing in evil gods, but he certainly didn't want the church to know about this.

Eslante frowned at this answer. She glanced at Alan and said in a soft but serious tone:

"Alan, I know you are worried about your wife, but there is nothing we can do about it. Even the gods will not take care of every believer... Do you understand?"

Alan was slightly startled. This was already a relatively obvious reminder. He looked at Eslante, but Eslante put down the half-drunk coffee and did not even look at the unfinished snacks. He said to him softly,

"I'll come again on Saturday."

Alan nodded subconsciously, and Eslant picked up his bag, walked to the coat rack at the door and took off his coat, then turned his head and said,

"Alan... you are very perceptive, which is an advantage and also a disadvantage.

"Some people will like it very much…"

After a pause, she chuckled again and said,

"Since we are still friends...if you really need help, you can come to me, okay?"

Alan nodded subconsciously, so Eslant turned around and left without hesitation.

...

When Alice woke up from her dream, she realized that someone was trying to enter her dream.

Alice did not stop him. She realized that the person who came was someone she was familiar with, so she relaxed and watched the figure in the red and black bishop's robe appear in her dream.

"Archbishop Anthony?" she asked doubtfully.

Anthony nodded as a greeting, then said to her, "Remember Will Auceptin, whom you mentioned to us?"

Alice nodded, and the scene around her changed, finally stopping on a street.

Archbishop Anthony took her into a house, and she was surprised to see two acquaintances sitting inside.

"Alan?" she asked, looking at Archbishop Anthony in surprise.

Anthony nodded and motioned for her to continue reading.

Opposite to Alan sat a famous woman, she had long black hair that reached her waist and a pair of lake-like blue eyes, she was neither tall nor short, her face looked like she was still in school, but her clothes were very mature. Alice hesitated for a moment between Alan having a daughter of such a big age and supporting a female college student, and thought the latter was more reliable.

"...Does the church still care about believers' infidelity?" She looked at Archbishop Anthony with some hesitation and asked puzzledly.

In response, Archbishop Anthony just kept smiling and shook his head:

"We never interfere in the private lives of believers.

"Of course, if a believer comes to the church to confess, we will comfort him"

Alice stared at him for a few seconds, and then she felt that he might not want to pay attention to her, so she replied silently:

"OK."

Then, she silently looked away and continued to watch the fun.

She listened quietly to the conversation between the two people, and soon discovered that Eslant was not Alan's new mistress, but the tutor that Alan was going to hire. She silently repented for a second for her previous thoughts.

…It's all Gehrman Sparrow's fault!

After passing the blame without any psychological burden, Alan happened to mention the honorific name he wanted to translate. When Alice found that Alan was about to say the honorific name without any ulterior motive, she frowned and looked at Archbishop Anthony, wanting to say something, but the other party just shook his head to indicate that she continued to listen.

Alice then realized that the point of the matter was not here. She continued to listen patiently and listened to Eslant's last words with doubt.

Alice was not a fool. She could hear the strangeness and hesitation in the words. She looked at Archbishop Anthony. The scenes playing around him stopped. Archbishop Anthony finally chose to speak:

"That's Islant Osisileka, a member of the Psychological Alchemist Society, currently a Psychologist."

Alice's eyes widened.

This is not good news. Alice does not have a very good impression of this organization full of "audiences", or rather, she actually does not have a very good impression of the "audience", mainly because of Adam.

She didn't really like the role of standing in the background and spying on her, even though Adam might not have arranged anything for her.

To be more precise, she didn't want to find herself being arranged one day.

Archbishop Anthony seemed to have said this much. After reminding her of this, he took the initiative to say:

"Do you have any questions?"

Alice realized that the subtext of this sentence was "I'll leave if you don't ask any questions", so she hurriedly said,

"Wait, do you have someone monitoring Alan and Will Auceptin? Aren't you worried about being discovered?"

"No," Archbishop Anthony shook his head, "We only monitored Alan, and we used a seal."

Alice breathed a sigh of relief.

Before she could relax, Archbishop Anthony suddenly reminded her:

"By the way, you don't intend to let Ouroboros and Will Auceptin fight in the city, right?"

Alice turned her head to look at Archbishop Anthony. His smile was actually very gentle, but his tone was not a question. Alice clearly heard that it was a statement.

"...Yes." She was forced to affirm, and then drew a scarlet moon symbol on her chest.

——Obviously, she thought this was a warning from the goddess.

Of course, even if it wasn't, Alice had no plans to do so after being reminded - she just didn't think about it before because she didn't care, she wasn't a murderer!

Alice firmly believed this.

Archbishop Anthony, who had received the promise, did not continue to speak. He glanced at Alice and asked politely again:

"Do you have any other questions?"

Alice stared at Archbishop Anthony for two seconds, then remembered that they were in a dream, and asked abruptly:

"Oh, by the way... I remember that Sequence 7 of the 'Insomniac' pathway is called 'Nightmare'. Can 'Nightmare' really eat dreams?" (End of this chapter)

77 Dream

"No," Anthony denied it without hesitation, "I thought you should know?"

Alice suddenly felt disappointed again.

Yes, she should know this. After all, she was once a member of the Nighthawks and should know the ability of "Nightmare".

"Even a high-sequence one won't work?" She tried again unwillingly.

Anthony shook his head, and Alice had to give up on this matter. She frowned and wanted to say goodbye, but Anthony reminded her thoughtfully:

"However, if you want to find abilities related to dreams...

"Maybe you can reach out to someone in the 'audience' pathway."

Alice paused for a moment, and Anthony was ready to leave the dream. She did not stop him and struggled to wake up.

Alice sat up from her bed in the darkness, looked around, and said to herself:

"'Audience'...

"…Adam?"

Her call received no response, and the "writer" still seemed to have no interest in having a direct contact with her. Alice sat there quietly for a while, then lay down again.

In the second half of the night, Alice was entangled in a chaotic dream.

She dreamed of a piece of solid and fertile black soil, with trees growing on the land and fruits swaying in the wind. She walked forward curiously, only to find that the swaying fruits were actually calves that were still making noises.

Alice took two steps back in horror, but the ground beneath her feet began to shake. She looked around in amazement, only to find that she had stepped on a ship without knowing when, and the trees were growing out of the deck.

That was not all. The calf fell to the ground like a ripe fruit that day, startling Alice so much that she fell to the ground, only to find that she was sitting on something bulging.

She looked down and saw a pair of white and tender hands prying open the deck, which scared her so much that she jumped up again.

She watched a familiar baby crawling out from the deck. Then, the deck that had just given birth was filled with milk, and the calves that had fallen off rushed over to drink the milk, scaring her so much that she woke up with a scream.

It was not yet fully light. Alice glanced at the hazy sky and climbed out of bed without hesitation - this was the most active time she had ever gotten up.

After splashing cold water on her face to calm herself down, Alice began to think again about her dream.

All highly spiritual extraordinary people know that dreams are sometimes omens of the future, and even if there is a possibility that they are fake, they cannot be ignored.

Of course, Alice usually simply ignores the possibility that dreams are faked, because if someone can fake a dream for her without her noticing, she feels that the other person wants to do something and she can't actually resist.

If that's the case, why think so much?

If you ask who Alice first thought of in this bizarre scene, it must be Frank Lee.

If it weren't for the familiar baby at the end of the dream, Alice would definitely write to Frank Lee to ask if there was any new progress in his experiment - she felt that this was a revelation that some terrible changes had occurred in Frank Lee's experiment.

But the baby made Alice change her mind, because the baby's facial features were not wrinkled like a real baby's, making it impossible to tell who it was. On the contrary, Alice recognized it.

That was Heath Doyle.

Alice was deeply impressed by this "Rose Bishop". She had not forgotten the nonsense he talked about at the Sea of ​​Ruins at night. The adventure in the dream made her wonder if it was related to her, but unfortunately it ended up in nothing.

There were still several days until next Monday. Alice thought about it and gave up contacting Cattleya at the Tarot Club. Instead, she did a divination first.

After silently repeating "Frank Lee's research has made new progress" seven times, Alice looked at the yellow crystal pendant turning slightly clockwise and breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, there is progress, but it is not a groundbreaking new development, so it should be fine...

Next, the highlight is Heath Doyle.

The "Future" was now abandoned on the sea, but it seemed that because of the weather, most of the crew members did not get up. Only those on night duty were awake, and even Cattleya was asleep.

After walking around the ship as if she was back home, Alice successfully found Heath Doyle. He was sleeping in a shadow. Alice thought about it and entered his dream.

Heath Doyle woke up from his dream and looked at Alice in shock and confusion. Alice ignored the strange look and asked Heath Doyle:

"Have you encountered anything recently?"

Heath Doyle looked confused, but answered truthfully:

"I have been following the captain and have rarely left the Future. Although I have stopped at the shore to rest, I haven't encountered anything special..."

Alice frowned, thought for a moment, and asked, "Have you heard of any clues to the treasure?"

Heath Doyle looked even more confused, and he answered truthfully:

"No new clues."

Alice realized that this was probably not the right way to open the revelation. She frowned and left Heath Doyle's dream, looking at the "Future" thoughtfully.

...Could this be the key to revelation?

After staring at the "Future" and thinking for a few seconds, Alice realized that she had a more reliable method. Since she had set foot on the "Future" because of an inexplicable dream, she might as well try divination again.

——What if there is a harvest?

This was too simple for Alice. She was too lazy to even leave the "Future" and stubbornly tried to find more clues through the dream. She flipped through the pages and a black monastery flashed by in the hazy fog, waking Alice up.

——Yes, the Sea of ​​Ruins!

That sea area obviously holds many secrets, especially in the dreamland of that sea area, where Heath Doyle's abnormality occurred.

But, is she just going to leave like this?

Alice frowned, thought for a moment, and sent a message to Klein:

"Have you been doing anything recently that might put you in danger?"

——Going to the Sea of ​​Ruins would definitely take a lot of time. It would be embarrassing if she came back and found that Klein was gone.

Oh no, is there a way for Klein to call her...

Alice shook her head, remembering that Klein should still have six "Good Luck" charms on him. Those were the ones she gave to Klein when he came back from the Sea of ​​Ruins last time. There were originally seven charms, and one had already been used.

So, he should actually be quite safe... I'm just worried that I won't be able to get back in time.

Alice frowned, but finally decided to wait for Klein's reply. She didn't have the confidence to move freely in that sea, mainly because she was not familiar with the situation.

If only there was a tour guide... Alice sighed and thought of Bernadette. Then she shook her head and realized that Bernadette was far from qualified to be her tour guide.

Amon must be able to do it... Well, speaking of which, what has Amon been doing recently? Alice scratched her head, thinking of Amon who had disappeared from her life for a long time, and suddenly felt a little uneasy.

This is not a reminder of spiritual intuition, but just a guess based on experience. After all, everyone knows that when a person who often causes trouble suddenly becomes silent for a long time, it usually means that he has something big to hold back.

For example, Amon.

When Alice thought of this possibility, she became uneasy and decided to eat something delicious to calm her nerves.

Alice did not have her breakfast in Backlund. She returned to the Rorsted Archipelago after a long absence and chose a suitable island to have her meal on.

It's convenient to travel with the ability to teleport... Alice thought to herself as she swallowed a mouthful of whale meat that she couldn't eat inland.

Klein replied in the middle of the morning, mentioning the agreement he and Alger had made without a specific time - about the exploration plan for the island.

Alice remembered that this was indeed the case. This should be a deal between Klein and Alger. She asked Klein politely,

"Do you need my help?"

A moment later, Alice received Klein's response: "I don't think Alger can afford your commission."

This made Alice regretfully give up the idea of ​​going out for fun. She knew that this was a rejection, and the reason was very simple - if she was included, it would not be a cooperative exploration, but a request for her to be a bodyguard.

Well, I can actually go and play secretly without telling them... But what's fun?

Alice frowned.

After a long sea voyage, Alice gradually realized one thing - some stories sound much more interesting than experiencing them in person.

In the end, she just asked Klein to let her know after he set the time, and they could talk about the rest later.

So on Friday afternoon, when Klein told Alice that he and Alger had agreed to explore the island at night, Alice had to force Klein to tell her what happened on the way when he came back.

It wasn't that she didn't want to go, it was just that the next day was Saturday, and she didn't forget that Alan and Islam had agreed to go on Saturday.

Alice is ready to go spying.

...

On Saturday afternoon, Eslant arrived as promised. Alan was at home at the time. The servant led Eslant into the study. After a few pleasantries, they actually started the class.

Alice forced herself to listen for a few minutes, but finally couldn't help but fall asleep. Before she fell asleep, she regretted not going to find Klein.

——No matter what I do, it will definitely be more interesting than learning Hermes here.

It would be fine if she really had never learned it, but the problem was that Eslant started from the most basic syllables, which was obviously the most basic content. Even though Alice didn't listen to the class carefully, she had learned this stuff before.

Eslant didn't know that she had a hidden audience, but she did deliberately make the class boring and basic. Alan kept losing patience in the process, and coupled with his growing trust in Eslant, at the end of the class, he finally couldn't help but speak to Eslant:

"Islant, remember what I told you, I wanted someone to help me translate a honorific name?"

"Of course I remember," Islam nodded. "Why, have you changed your mind?"

Allen sighed and told his story half-truthfully:

"I have to start from the beginning. You should know that I have been seeking help from the occult recently because of Velma's matter."

Islam nodded and said:

"Yes, I did hear about it.

"You know what? When I first heard about this, I was actually very surprised, because you really don't look like someone who would be interested in the occult. Even if you were... you shouldn't have thought of seeking help from the occult."

"That's because of something that happened to me last year," Allen sighed. "Last year, I met a little boy who broke his leg accidentally. After I helped him with the surgery, I became very unlucky. I thought about it and finally, with the reminder of my friend, I remembered that he had once done a divination for me."

"Divination?" Eslant asked patiently.

Alan nodded and said,

"Yes, divination.

"I walked into the room and he was playing with a deck of tarot cards and I drew a card from the middle and it was the Wheel of Fortune upside down, and after that, I became unlucky.

"I was troubled by this bad luck for a long time, until I went to the church to pray and told the bishop about it, and then the situation got better.

"After that, I have always been in awe of this aspect..."

Eslant smiled and nodded in response.

Alan continued with the unwarranted encouragement:

"This year, because Wilma's condition has not been very good, I thought of seeking help from the occult...

"I found a girl who told me that I could seek help from the great being through divination with a magic mirror. She also gave me a name and a complete set of procedures. However, I don't know Hermetic..."

At this point, what happened next should have been obvious, but the look that Eslant cast on Alan made him feel uneasy, as if he was being seen through, and he couldn't help but look back and review his own lies.

Eslant looked at his flustered and nervous appearance and paused for a moment before chuckling as if he didn't care:

"So that's how it is... Hey, I thought it was something else?

"What honorific name did she leave for you that makes you feel so ashamed?"

Alan opened his mouth and closed it again. After repeating this several times, he finally uttered the honorific name:

"The lingering heroic spirit; the followers of the true creator; the eyes that stare at fate."

Eslante frowned. It was the first time that Alan saw her show obvious emotional fluctuations. Just as he was about to say something, he saw her smile fade away and said to him gently:

"Well... I will help you translate this honorific name. By the way, Alan.

"You said you heard about the magic mirror divination method from someone else? How is it? Is that person reliable?

"I heard that if there is any problem with the process of this kind of thing, it will be a big trouble..." (End of this chapter)

78 Premature Birth

Alice couldn't bear it any longer.

Although she didn't know Islant and wasn't very familiar with the 'Psychological Alchemy Society', in her opinion, it wasn't strange that Islant was wary of this honorable name - after all, it was quite normal for him to be the "True Creator".

Alice believed that any normal person who knew something about the "True Creator" and the "Aurora Society" would be wary of hearing this name.

But this is something that cannot be delved into. Alice can see that Alan is about to tell the truth - facing a "psychologist", even if Eslant's methods are gentle, Alan will not be able to resist for long.

Maybe I should help him...

Alice's mind moved, and Alan immediately woke up and recalled the abnormalities that he had ignored.

What did she want to find out? She sounded like she knew something... For a moment, Alan couldn't think of much. He just became alert and said as happily as possible:

"Can you help translate the content of that honorific name? That's great! Is it difficult? How long will it take? I am willing to pay you a reward, and the tuition will also be paid as usual..."

Eslant gradually frowned.

Of course she could see the change in Alan. In fact, she had found it a little strange before - the degree of Alan's determination was seriously inconsistent with his appearance.

Of course, this wasn't too strange. Islant was a little concerned, but there were too many possibilities. Her final decision was to continue testing. On the one hand, it was out of concern for her friend, and on the other hand...

If she finds anything, she will report it to the organization and get a reward.

Now it seemed that she didn't need to test it any further, because Alan had obviously changed his attitude, but she had no idea why.

Eslant was not a rookie, nor was she lucky enough to find the potion needed for advancement in her home treasury. The current situation was obviously beyond her ability, and the key information was also revealed. As a test, this was enough.

"No, it's nothing," said Eslant with a smile, "but I seem to have seen this honorific name somewhere... I wanted to go back and look it up."

Alan nodded in understanding, and asked again: "So, how do you say it in Hermetic?"

Eslant's expression did not change. She checked the time and said with a smile:

"Well, it seems it's still early...

"This is not difficult. The grammar of Hermes is not much different from that of Loen. Let's list the corresponding words first..."

Alan began to listen attentively.

Eslant did not read out the honorific name directly in Hermetic. Instead, she wrote each word to Allen as if she was teaching him, and taught him the pronunciation of these words one by one. Then she told Allen the combination order of these words and led Allen to read them again. Of course, she inserted many meaningless words in between.

After teaching Alan the pronunciation of this honorific name, Escalante stood up to say goodbye. However, Alice did not look away, but rather offensively shifted the direction of her "gaze" - she went to see Wilma.

Could Will Auceptin sense Alice's gaze? Of course he could, at least Alice thought so, but Will might not be in the mood to care about Alice's provocation at this moment.

When Alice found Will's ward, Velma was curled up in bed in pain. Selina got up anxiously and rang the bell beside the bed.

——Hospitals during this period did not have the convenient paging system that Alice remembered. They called nurses and caregivers via bells hung next to the bed, which meant that if the soundproofing was too good or the corridor was too noisy, the bells might not be heard.

For example, now.

Selina's legs couldn't move freely yet, at least she couldn't get out of bed, so she could only shake the bell vigorously, hoping someone would hear it. As for Velma...

She appeared to be incapacitated.

Will Auceptin should have noticed her mistake. Alice felt that he glared at her - it was probably a warning, not a serious one, and then he didn't have time to pay attention to Alice.

Alice wasn't sure what Will was doing. She looked at Wilma and had a vague premonition. She sent a message to Alan with two minds:

"It looks like your wife is about to give birth."

The sudden sound startled Alan, but he quickly calmed down, then became panicked again. Alice saw him rushing to the hospital.

Things progressed more slowly than Alice had imagined. Even in the evening, when Klein asked Alice if she wanted to go to the party for ice cream, Will Auceptin was still not born successfully.

Velma, on the other hand, did look like she was in pain.

Alice felt that things would take a long time to get going, so she stopped reading. She took an invitation from Klein and then went into Klein's house around seven in the evening.

The wealthy Dwayne Dantes was welcoming guests in the foyer with his butler Walter and valet Richardson. When Alice walked in, she clearly saw the confusion on Walter and Richardson's faces.

Their mental quality was very good. When Alice looked over, the doubts she had had disappeared. Klein smiled and greeted her,

"Good evening, Alice."

"Good evening." Alice stepped over the threshold, waved to Klein, and then walked in naturally.

Walter frowned, but he said nothing. He just looked at his master. Klein didn't think there was anything wrong and said to Walter:

"Take this lady to the dessert area."

This time Walter showed visibly surprised. Alice thought he would ask something, but he said nothing. He just bowed and gestured for Alice to follow him.

Alice followed him and exclaimed in amazement: "No wonder he praised you like that."

This was not just a polite remark. When they were chatting, Alice asked a few questions about the servants in Klein's family. Butler Walter was one of the few people mentioned by Klein. Klein's evaluation of him was "a butler who would make the master worry-free."

Klein had also seriously recommended Walter to Alice if she ever needed a butler in the future. After all, Klein was worried that Dwayne Dantès would become a wanted criminal one day, thus making the butler unemployed.

Being a butler for a wanted criminal was not an honorable experience. Klein thought for a moment and thought it might be a good career to recommend to Alice.

He also seriously considered Walter's mental health issues, but after careful consideration, Klein felt that Alice should not play with the butler as she played with others, because the butler was a reliable tool, not a toy.

Obviously, tools are more convenient to use if you are used to them.

Walter frowned again, as if he was recalling some communication they had that he had not been there, but he kept his doubts in his heart and just said:

"It's my pleasure."

Alice paused, realizing that this was an answer that left no room for response. She opened her mouth but couldn't find a new topic, so she could only follow Walter in silence.

Walter took her to the dessert area and then returned to the foyer. Alice sat depressedly in her seat, looking around for ice cream.

She suddenly heard a sharp sound of breaking. She turned her head in confusion and saw Winfred Gregory waving a maid over. He pushed out a plate and said,

"I broke it accidentally. Sorry."

Alice looked at the knife on the plate, then at the plate that was broken in two, and for some reason she felt a chill down her spine.

She stopped reading and looked towards the hallway. Guests came in one after another. Most of them were people Alice had no impression of, but a few of them looked familiar to Alice, such as Bishop Elektra.

"Mr. Bishop!" She lifted her butt slightly off the seat and raised her hands high.

For a moment, many guests in the hall looked over here. Bishop Elektra paused and also looked over here.

Alice saw him nod with a smile, and then walked over with another young woman next to him.

This is a girl with some baby fat still on her face. She looks to be in her early twenties. She is looking around with curiosity. She seems to be full of energy, but she has a unique charm.

Alice's eyes fell on her curiously, so she smiled at Alice kindly. Alice blinked and looked back at Bishop Elektra, remembering what Arrodes said.

"Is this your wife?" she asked Bishop Elektra, who had come closer.

"Yes," Bishop Elektra nodded and introduced the two of them, "This is my wife, Shawna Johnson, and this is the child of one of my superiors, Miss Alice Kingsley."

Shawna Johnson seemed to have remembered something immediately and smiled at Alice:

"It's you... You probably don't know that Al has mentioned you to me." Note ①

As she said this, Shawna Johnson sat down next to her, and Bishop Elektra also sat down here, looking like she had no choice.

Alice was a little surprised by this sentence. She looked at Xiaona curiously and asked her,

"How did you mention it?"

Xiaona glanced at Elektra as if teasing, and said to Alice with a smile:

"He hopes our children won't be like you in the future."

Alice turned and looked at Bishop Elektra expressionlessly.

The bishop seemed to be in a complicated mood. He laughed and replied awkwardly:

"I hope our child won't be as lively as you, because then I'll have to take care of two children at the same time."

Alice suddenly felt a greasy sweet taste in her throat. She glanced at the desserts around her, stood up and said,

"I'll go get some ice cream."

Shawna and Bishop Elektra said goodbye to her, and then Alice went a little further to get some ice cream, took a bite, and spit it out.

She looked around and saw Walter leading Congressman Macht and his family of three in, so she immediately walked forward, ignoring Hazel who was suddenly uneasy, and handed the cup of ice cream to Walter.

Walter looked confused. He paused for a moment, then took it over subconsciously and asked hesitantly,

"...What are you doing?"

"Too sweet." She said to Walter with a frown.

Walter looked puzzled and hesitant to speak. Hazel didn't feel anything about it, but Senator Macht and Liana were really surprised. Finally, Senator Macht said to Walter:

"It looks like you have some things to take care of, go ahead."

Walter looked at Congressman Macht with gratitude and wanted to say something, but Hazel suddenly remembered something and pulled Congressman Macht to leave.

So Congressman Macht smiled apologetically and was dragged away, leaving Walter and Alice standing there.

Walter began to hesitate whether he should say goodbye or just leave. After they looked at each other for a few seconds, Alice pointed to a position slightly in the middle and said:

"If you want to block the road, it might be more appropriate to stand there."

This sincere suggestion made Walter really at a loss for words. He looked down at the cup of ice cream in his hand, and suddenly felt very fortunate. He raised his head and said:

"Thanks, but I think I should take care of the ice cream first."

Alice nodded.

So Walter took the cup of ice cream and left. When he returned to the hallway, Klein also saw the cup of ice cream and looked at it with confusion.

So, while Richardson was leading the next guest in, Walter took two steps forward and whispered to Klein,

"Miss Kingsley thought the ice cream was too sweet and gave it to me."

It took Klein a while to realize that Miss Kingsley was referring to Alice. The corners of his mouth twitched twice, and he looked at the ice cream that was slightly melted but still had a clear shape. Under Walter's stunned look, he picked up a spoon and tasted it.

That's not right. The sweetness she had before was also about the same. It shouldn't be much different... After a few seconds, he frowned and shook his head at Walter.

"Never mind the matter."

She probably didn't really think it was too sweet, otherwise she would have come to tell me herself… Oh wait, that's not necessarily the case, but anyway it shouldn't be like this…

Klein glanced at Walter, who seemed to be in very good physical and mental health.

Walter wanted to say something, but at this moment, a lady with blond hair in a bun and quite charming came over, so he could only shut up and watch Klein exchange a few words with others. Then the lady looked at Walter and smiled,

"It seems that your housekeeper's benefits are quite good."

This lady's name was Aulori. She was a widow and also a famous socialite in the upper class. She had a very good relationship with several upper class people in Backlund. On the contrary, she was not well-liked by women. Anyone with a little status looked down on her.

This is the person Walter chose for Dwayne Dantes' first dance.

Walter glanced at the ice cream in his hand and explained silently:

"No, this was given to me by a customer just now..." (End of this chapter)