PS: Thank you to my book friend "The Peak of the Mountain" for the 50,000 RMB reward.
Laing squinted his eyes. His half-smile was chilling and intimidating. "You know Goth?"
"Yes, and I know how to disguise myself. Mr. Laing, I'm willing to follow you to repay your kindness," Emilia said softly, and her face blushed.
"Hahahaha!" Veronica suddenly laughed out loud. She took out 25 gold denars from her pouch and handed it to the captain. "Alright, alright. You don't have to give me any more money. I'll pay for this. Miss Amelia will be the guarantor. In exchange, she'll be one of my people from now on."
"No, Emilia!" Walther couldn't believe it. The vice-captain quickly walked up to the girl. "You don't have to do this for us …"
"This is my choice, vice-captain. Let me call you vice-captain for the last time." Emilia stood where she was and bowed to the vice-captain. "Thank you for taking me in for so many years. Thank you very much."
"Ah, don't think too much about it. This money is just the cost of hiring Emilia. When the employment period is over, it's up to her to decide if she wants to return to your mercenary group." Veronica patted Emilia's shoulder. "Let's go, my little mercenary … no, my little maid."
The captain took the money and didn't say anything else. Seeing that the dispute was over, the Sea God Priest said, "Then you can discuss the rest in private."
After leaving the Sea God Church, Wizard Garland asked Emilia to pack her luggage before meeting up with the other two.
Seeing that Veronica was still laughing along the way, Laing scolded her. "Veronica!"
"Hahaha! Laing, Laing, what should I say to you?" Gallan Witch was laughing so hard that she fell over. Leon was also helpless. "How was I supposed to know that she could speak Goth?"
"Hahaha! Who asked a random female mercenary to see through you? Hahahaha! Ouch!" Veronica was about to laugh when the man pinched her indescribable part. "Alright, tell me why you're paying for this?"
"Isn't there a shortage of maids at home? I think this girl is very suitable. "Veronica clutched her chest, looking very wronged and teary.
"Speak the truth!"
"Alright, Disguise." Veronica finally spoke the truth. "This little girl's disguise skills are very strong. She made her beautiful face look so ordinary. We really need this kind of disguise skills. I can see that she is very insecure, especially in a place like Marlin Castle. She seems to be very, very careful. She is afraid of everything around her. Don't think that she was forced to follow you."
"Is this all part of her plan?" Laing perked up.
"She craves a sense of security. I can tell that from the moment she saw you, she knew that you were the only one who could give her a sense of security. Even if this didn't happen, she would have found a way to follow you." Veronica became serious. She crossed her arms. "So, using this as an excuse to leave the mercenary group was part of her plan."
Laing heard this and nodded. He always felt that there was something fishy about this incident. Emilia's behavior was a little … too natural. From the incident to Laing's intervention to Emilia's initiative to leave the mercenary group to repay the debt, the girl's behavior was too natural. "Why do you think she lacks a sense of security?"
"I don't know. Maybe … she's very beautiful?" At this point, even Veronica was a little uncertain. However, the witch said in an indifferent tone, "But that's not important. What we need is her disguise skills. As for whether you want to keep her by your side after this matter is done, that's your decision. It just so happens that we need a maid at home. And according to what you said about your journey in Nord, this girl named Emilia is very brave and smart. She shouldn't be a bad person."
"What's the situation? She can feel safe in a remote place like Nord where all kinds of magical creatures roam, but she can't feel safe in Marlin Castle, the Old World's largest harbor and surrounded by so many guards?" Leon stroked his chin. He felt that it was very strange.
"Before this … What did the girl say to you?" The more Veronica thought about it, the more interesting it became.
"She said my real name! My … surname that I have never made public. "
… …
The reason why they did not visit the Aesthetic Society in the morning was that Laing and Veronica knew that the president of the Aesthetic Society, Anneda, had something to do in the afternoon. After some discussion, the two felt that they should take advantage of the time when Anneda was not in the Aesthetic Society to pay a visit.
Visiting the Aesthetic Society was an important step in investigating the organization because no matter how much information they gathered, seeing was better than hearing a hundred times.
However, plans could not keep up with changes. After being followed, Laing knew that he could not blatantly investigate the Aesthetic Society.
After a morning of shopping, he confirmed that Anneda had left the Aesthetic Society due to some personal matters. Under the circumstances of being followed, the two of them walked around the entire Shield Coin Street. It was natural for them to go to the Aesthetic Society. This was nothing strange.
Laing and Veronica arrived at the entrance of the Aesthetic Society.
A bright red carpet was laid out from the inside to the outside. When the well-dressed attendants saw Laing, they immediately greeted him with the warmest smile. "Hello! Mr. Laing! Welcome to the Aesthetic Society! "
"Hello! I've long heard of the art of the Aesthetic Society. I'm here today to take a look. " Ryan raised his head. Huge white stone pillars supported the four-story building. The entire building was almost completely transparent under the decoration of the glass windows. Silk curtains that were more than ten meters high hung down from the top of the building.
After being greeted by the waiter, they walked into the Aesthetical Club. A huge fountain sculpture appeared in front of them. A huge man was carrying a deer on his shoulder, and the deer was constantly spraying water from its mouth. A five-meter-long, three-meter-wide giant crystal chandelier hung straight from the high ceiling to the middle of the room. All the famous paintings were made by famous artists. Many nobles lingered here. They wore luxurious silk clothes and all kinds of gold and silver jewelry. The merchants were busy bargaining with the artists wearing berets and vests, emphasizing which precious works of art they wanted to take away, and how much money they had to pay for it.
"Mr. Laing, do you need me to introduce you?" An attendant asked warmly. Laing nodded. "Sorry to trouble you."
"Our Aesthetic Society strives to let people find, discover, and love beauty. In the past thirty years, with the efforts of President Annette Klausner, we have collected more than four thousand precious items. The headquarters of the Aesthetic Society has been expanded nine times. Currently, the main hall is divided into six areas. They are the Human Art Hall, the Elven Art Hall, the Dwarven Art Hall, the Drawing Hall, the Sculpture Hall, and the Decorative Art Hall." The attendant introduced with great familiarity.
"The three most precious treasures in the Human Art Hall are the 'Blessing of the Holy Grail', 'The Battle of Rick River', and the first edition of Charlemagne's Codex." The attendant led Laing to the Human Art Hall and showed Laing the collection of the Aesthetic Society.
The 'Blessing of the Holy Grail' painting was once Brittany's national treasure. Unfortunately, the Knight King's Kingdom was unable to collect enough funds to recover it from the Aesthetic Society. The painting depicted the founding Knight King Arthur leading the twelve earliest Knight King of the Holy Grail to kneel in front of the Fairy of the Lake and swear allegiance to her. The young first-generation Knight King with a head of dazzling blond hair and green eyes took the crown from the Fairy of the Lake and crowned himself.
Laing remembered that the first-generation Knight King Arthur did not live long. Arthur, whose strength was close to that of a demigod, only ruled Brittany for less than twenty years before he passed away due to illness. His body was placed on a small boat and sailed into the depths of the Fairy of the Lake and disappeared forever in the mist of the Fairy of the Lake. Some legends said that he would reappear when the Knight King's Kingdom was at its most dangerous, while others said that he had been protecting his kingdom in another way.
The Fairy of the Lake must be very interested in recovering this national treasure of the Knight King's Kingdom.
The 'Final Battle at Lake River' was an earth-shattering battle between the Lord of the Dead, Nagash, and the Human Emperor Charlemagne. In the picture, the human army bravely fought against the undead army of the Lord of the Dead, Nagash. Laing remembered that the outcome of the battle was a narrow victory for Charlemagne. Nagash had since lost his physical body and became neither dead nor alive. Charlemagne also took several years to recover from the poison and curse of the Lord of the Dead.
The other treasure was not on display today.
After visiting several exhibition halls one after another, Laing was surprised by the wealth displayed by the Aesthetic Society. There were many treasures and out-of-print collections. Agneda had spent countless money and connections to buy them.
Where did she get so much money? She wasn't the widow of a great noble, nor did she have any great merchant who was constantly supporting her, Ryan thought.
The answer in his heart became more and more accurate.
After a tour, Laing and Veronica walked up a giant spiral staircase to the third floor. The third floor was a huge luxurious reception hall, a social place open to most people. In this place, as long as one was well-dressed, anyone could come in and enjoy drinks and snacks. The reception hall faced the sea, and all the people sitting in the reception hall were the upper echelons of society.
Most people noticed Laing's appearance. Among them, the artists did not have a good impression of Laing, who was a "warrior". When they saw him come in, they just nodded. The nobles and merchants were much more enthusiastic. One of them, an earl, immediately came up to him and said, "Hello! Mr. Laing, I'm Edmund Huron. You can call me Edmund. "
"Hello, Mr. Edmund!" Sir Edmund! "Ryan shook hands with Edmund in a friendly manner. He noticed that the count was a little depressed.
"Hello, Your Excellency. I'm Veronica Benadotte, from the Garland Council." Veronica also greeted the earl, but the earl obviously did not take her seriously. He just glanced at her casually and looked away. This made Garland a little unhappy, but there was nothing she could do.
"Why didn't Mr. Laing come to the Aesthetical Fair when Anida invited him? Why did you come uninvited at this time?" Edmund smiled and patted Laing's shoulder. There was not much hostility in his voice, because Laing had shown a firm rejection of Anida. He also had a girlfriend, so Edmund took it for granted that Laing did not have any feelings for Anida, so he did not treat him as an enemy. "Unfortunately, Anida had something to do today."
"That's a pity." Laing shrugged and said in a frivolous tone, "Actually, I didn't come here today. Veronica said she wanted to have a look, so I brought her here. But we can only visit the exhibition halls downstairs. It seems that the upstairs will have to be rescheduled."
"No, there's no need to rescheduled. I can take you and your girl there now." Edmund thought that since Anida was not here, he could satisfy this kid's curiosity and save him the trouble of appearing around Anida again.
So Edmund took Laing for a tour of the ballrooms and small exhibition rooms upstairs. As long as Laing expressed his curiosity, Edmund signaled the waiter to open the door for him to see to his heart's content. Only the fourth floor was occupied by Anida, which Edmund said he could not help. Laing kindly said that it was not a place he was interested in anyway.
And so, the Count and the White Wolf Knight, each with their own thoughts, chatted happily for about an hour before Laing asked to leave. Edmund did not stay for long. He only said, "Three days later, the Aesthetical Fair will organize an art salon at eight o 'clock in the evening. All artists from the continent are invited to participate. Of course, only artists. Would Mr. Laing be interested in participating?"
"I don't think I'll come." Laing shrugged and spread his hands, indicating that he might not come. He understood Edmund's meaning. A knight like Laing would not be welcome in an art salon unless he was also very accomplished in the field of art.
"Oh! That's a pity. " Edmund said it as if it was a pity, but there was not much pity in his tone. "There are many interesting places in Marlinburg. Laing, you can show Miss Veronica around to your heart's content."
"I will, Edmund. Goodbye."
"Goodbye!"
After leaving the Aesthetical Fair, Laing and Veronica did not stop to rest and returned to Amber Avenue. The figures following them did not disappear until they were close to Amber Avenue.
"Did you find anything?" Veronica shook her head bitterly. "It's too clean. I didn't even sense a trace of strange energy in the Aesthetical Fair."
"Me too, and I'm sure that even if we can enter the fourth floor to search, we won't be able to find anything. We'll even offend a lot of people because of this." Ryan was also very depressed. "Is this where the clues end?"
"We can only think of new ways to find new clues." Laing thought for a moment. "How about this? I'll go see the Duke."
"See the Duke?"
"Yes, ask him to make me a new identity, a new one." Laing smiled sinisterly. "With Emilia's disguise, I know what to do."
Marlinburg City, White Wool Inn.
The members of the Blood Axe Mercenaries were packing their things. After being attacked repeatedly, the mercenaries' morale was low.
At this moment, the great alchemist of the Empire, Bayershazer Gelt, walked into the inn wearing a golden mask, a golden staff, and a golden cloak. He said to the mercenaries, "Get ready, mercenaries. You will follow me into the mines."
"It's you?!" Wayde's eyes turned red when he saw Gert. He walked straight towards Gert. Everyone could see his agitated emotions.
"Mr. Gelt, I need an explanation."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
