Chapter 151: Aroth’s Game of Questions and Answers

Chapter 151: Aroth's Game of Questions and Answers

"Mirror, mirror, who is the fairest of them all?"

This is a classic segment from theempire Roselle fairy tales.

As this fairy tale became popular, owning a magical mirror that could answer any question became a dream for many.

Aroth is such a magical mirror.

Of course, it has some differences from the mirror in the fairy tales.

It adheres to the principle of equivalent exchange. You ask it a question, and it will ask you one in return. It upholds the principle of honesty, and lying incurs a certain punishment.

It sounds fair, well, only in theory.

When the members of the Mechanical Heart brought in an ancient silver mirror with a strange pattern and eyes adorned with black gems on both sides.

Maxwell Livermore, who had been uneasy, forced a bitter smile but eventually gritted his teeth and approached the mirror.

Aroth, a living sealed object 2-111.

It possesses great wisdom and can answer the holder's questions with revelations and information obtained from the spirit world. Likewise, it demands the holder answer a question in return.

"Respected Aroth, my question is, who sneaked into theempire Roselle Memorial Exhibition last night and stole a bookmark?"

Maxwell Livermore calmed himself and finally asked his first question.

The surface of the silver mirror rippled, and soon a picture emerged within the ripples: a sky full of twinkling stars.

Beyond that, no other useful information was provided.

What kind of answer is this? Maxwell Livermore was utterly baffled, and so were his teammates. Even the archbishop standing silently aside showed a look of surprise.

Before Maxwell Livermore could comprehend this response, several lines of ancient Buddhist Sack words appeared on the mirror: "According to the principle of equivalence, it's my turn to ask."

"If you answer incorrectly or lie, you will be punished."

The word 'punishment' was blood-red, even dripping with liquid.

Maxwell Livermore's facial expression twitched, then became extremely solemn.

Then, the mirror's surface rippled again, and new text appeared.

"Do you like women much older than yourself?"

Maxwell Livermore's face stiffened, and his teammates cast curious glances at him.

Eventually, with a numb scalp, he nodded: "Yes."

Just when he thought it was over, the archbishop called him away, gave him a few instructions, and he returned to the mirror with heavy steps.

He took a deep breath, showing a resigned expression, and touched the surface of the silver mirror three times.

After a two-second pause, he asked in a deep voice: "Respected Aroth, my question is, is the person who came last night still in Beckland?"

"Yes."

The brief answer twisted Maxwell Livermore's heart again.

Soon, new text appeared on the surface of the mirror.

"What part of your lover's body do you like the most?"

"…"

After a brief silence, Maxwell Livermore, with flushed cheeks, replied: "Toes."

This time his teammates turned away, probably not wanting him to see the uncontrollable laughter on their faces.

At this point, he simply gave up, asking his third question: "Who are the apostles of the stars?"

The mirror's surface shimmered, revealing a sea with only a small part of a ship visible before it was obscured by a starry sky.

No one noticed that the light from the mirror had dimmed considerably from the beginning.

"Where did you spend the night before last?"

Maxwell Livermore was stunned, and all the members of the Mechanical Heart turned their gaze to him.

Because their captain was already married.

…

The gray skies of Beckland, even with the dazzling sunlight, struggled to penetrate the layers of fog to reach the ground, only in some weaker spots could one enjoy the sunshine.

Hastur sat on the balcony, basking in the breeze, flipping through the documents in his hand.

These were investment project documents gathered by the butler Neil.

He planned to select suitable projects and industries for investment from these documents.

After reviewing them from start to finish, he circled the projects he favored.

To ensure the investments wouldn't fail, he planned to verify each project.

He would go to the Hall of Stars, using his ability to glimpse fate, to try and see the future prospects of these projects. Of course, even the best projects couldn't guarantee success.

Sometimes it might just be an issue with the project manager.

After marking them, Hastur casually placed the documents on the table, took a sip of the fruit drink beside him, and began to ponder how to bribe Earl Hall.

With Duke Negan, after the last Zillings incident, things were basically stable.

Next was Earl Hall, another powerful noble.

According to the information provided by Greleck, Earl Hall indeed had a good lifestyle and was upright, reportedly never accepting bribes.

He could be likened to a hexagonal bucket, with no weak points.

But no one is perfect, not even someone as outstanding as Earl Hall.

He enjoyed hunting, especially in the autumn, often going to the countryside estates, leading a group into the dense forest to hunt game.

He even spared no expense in buying top-quality hunting dogs, and Susie was given as a gift in this manner.

This was a hobby that could be exploited, a point of attack for bribery.

Some officials dislike vulgar things like money, and in such cases, one must target their hobbies.

If they like antiques, give antiques; if they like calligraphy and paintings, give those, under the guise of asking for their appraisal.

Besides this point, Greleck also provided another direction: pursuing Audrey to become Earl Hall's son-in-law.

In this way, with the promotion to nobility, Earl Hall, as the father-in-law, would also lend a hand.

Hastur dismissed this suggestion outright, preparing to break through by targeting Earl Hall's love for hunting.

"If I can find a hunting dog better than those Earl Hall has, it should catch his attention, and then giving him the dog should complete the bribe."

"But a good hunting dog is worth tens of thousands of pounds, which is really too expensive…"

After some thought, Hastur made up his mind. Without a good hunting dog, why not train one? It would also help Grellent digest the beast tamer's potion.

In the late afternoon, Hastur went to Grellent's house, inviting him to pick out a suitable pet together.

Grellent laughed heartily: "Hastur, even if you didn't come to me, I was planning to send someone for you. I just found a group selling pets, with excellent breeds and very cheap."

"Where can such good things be?"

"Hehe, those guys used some improper methods, and then a friend of mine detained them. We can just pick up a bargain."

…

Arriving at the destination, Hastur finally understood what Grellent meant by picking up a bargain.

It was just a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Those pet traders, using improper methods to steal high-quality pet cubs from other places and then secretly transporting them to Beckland to sell to the nobles here at high prices.

This time, they were unlucky and were targeted by a local gang in Beckland, who directly took all the pets, betting that the traders wouldn't dare call the police.

Even if they did, Grellent's friend could help bail them out and settle the matter.

"Grellent, is this the Baron Campbell you've always mentioned? He looks even younger and more handsome than you described."

Baron Bull, Grellent's friend, appeared to be in his early twenties, not tall and slightly overweight, dressed flamboyantly, with a flashy gold watch on his wrist, followed by two attendants, each holding a dog leash.

They were two fierce-looking dogs, with shiny black fur on their backs and a small patch of yellow fur only on their lower legs, with sharp and ferocious eyes. At the moment, they were baring their teeth, looking at the group of pet cubs locked in cages.

Occasionally letting out intimidating roars, scaring the pet cubs into curling up and trembling.

These were probably two Rottweilers.

"You're Grellent's friend, so you're my friend. Today, you can pick any of these cubs, and I'll give you a fair price."

"Then I won't be polite."

Grellent couldn't wait to start picking, and Hastur followed behind him, slowly examining the pet cubs.

Grellent was an expert in selecting pets; he just needed to choose from the pets Grellent picked out.

Hastur had high standards for the pet he wanted, and the task of selecting the right hunting dog was entirely entrusted to Grellent.

He followed Grellent for a while, then left the dog area and went to the cat area.

Here, the cages holding kittens were significantly fewer than the dog cages next to them.

Counting roughly, there were only about twenty.

With not many to choose from, Hastur took his time to observe each one.

He first looked at the cats' eyes and fur, then their overall shape, and finally observed their individual personalities.

In this regard, he was still an outsider, mostly relying on his own feelings.

(End of Chapter)