Chapter 165
A train, packed with at least three or four hundred people, made even the thought of taking action send a wave of physiological discomfort through Aivina.
Helping Shaer cover up a few murders or deal with some scum didn’t weigh heavily on her conscience, but this was a bit too extreme.
The usually rational Shaer proposing such an unrealistic scenario left Aivina feeling somewhat disoriented.
“It’s just a hypothesis, Aivina.”
Shaer looked at her, his voice steady. “No matter how absurd the assumption, you can voice it. As long as it’s a possibility that could lead to the truth, even if it means venturing into another realm, it’s worth considering.”
Seeing the encouraging glint in Shaer’s eyes, Aivina felt her thoughts spiral.
Taking a deep breath, she leaned against the vanity, trying to steady herself.
Fine… Shaer must have his reasons for saying this. All she needed to do was follow his lead and provide information for these hypotheses…
After mulling it over in her mind, Aivina began to feel a sense of resignation.
She wasn’t good at making these illogical assumptions.
After a moment of silence, she turned to Shaer and said, “If we’re going to assume like this, I would choose to go back to the past, to a time before these disasters struck, to avoid the calamities…”
So there’s really nothing to hypothesize about.
She repeated this thought in her mind but didn’t voice it aloud.
“Exactly.”
Shaer nodded, smiling as he continued, “That’s what I was thinking too.”
“But going back to a time before the rules of misfortune locked in would make it harder to find the true culprit behind it all.”
“The key issue is, I still don’t know when I was targeted… But I think I can figure that out.”
Listening to Shaer speak so confidently left Aivina momentarily stunned.
He made it sound so real.
“So, Aivina, what do you think is the best way for me to find the mastermind behind this?”
Shaer looked at her, awaiting her response.
Having someone to discuss these matters with indeed broadened Shaer’s perspective. Even if it didn’t expand his thoughts, it helped him clarify his ideas, which was beneficial for her.
After hearing Shaer’s question, Aivina took another deep breath, deciding to abandon any notion of rational thinking, and said, “If it were up to me… I would gather everyone affected by the rules of misfortune together and see what happens.”
“Though this might double the misfortune, being together could help us find commonalities among them, or even lead us directly to the true culprit…”
As she spoke, Aivina suddenly fell silent.
Because she noticed Shaer’s eyes had lit up slightly.
She couldn’t possibly be serious…
“Great idea, Aivina.”
Shaer nodded, saying, “But how can we get them to gather together? After all, both are at the third tier.”
“Lucie is manageable; she’s still recovering from her injuries and can be taken directly.”
“But if we bring Lucie to the Bell Tower District to find Opode, it will definitely attract the attention of the Goddess of Salvation’s followers.”
Watching Shaer analyze the feasibility of this plan, Aivina began to feel a bit panicked.
He couldn’t be serious, could he?
Did he really want to gather everyone affected by the rules of misfortune?
Though she didn’t know what the consequences would be, just thinking about it filled Aivina with a sense of great danger.
This would definitely lead to death…
But she also knew that Shaer wasn’t the type to seek his own demise…
“I have a way to get Opode out.”
Aivina looked into Shaer’s eyes and said, “As for Lucie, you’ll have to handle that yourself.”
“But there’s one condition.”
“For your safety, Nia and I will go to the place you specify together—but we’ll only watch from a distance. If you’re in danger, I’ll have Nia intervene.”
At that moment, Nia, who had just finished giving instructions to the messenger on the first floor, inexplicably shivered, the iron framework of her body clinking together, producing a faint sound.
**Chapter 109: The Most Despairing Day.**
Boom—!
A flash of lightning split the night sky, producing a deafening roar that illuminated the stacked clouds over Beren City.
Lucie leaned back in the VIP lounge of the Dedton Manor, gazing toward Beren City, where the clouds churned and thunder rumbled, as if a hurricane were bearing down.
But Beren City was just an inland city; light rain was common, yet such a tempestuous downpour with thunder hadn’t been seen in decades.
Acid rain, however, was plentiful.
Lucie reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, exquisite rectangular snuff box, inlaid with delicate gems and enamel.
She gently tapped the side of the box, causing the mixed, finely ground tobacco powder, containing some extraordinary materials, to gather in the central half-dome of the box. Then, she opened it, pinched a bit of snuff with her right hand, and brought it to her nose.
In this era, snuff was one of the most fashionable social items among the upper class of Ansu. Not only were the snuff boxes increasingly exquisite and expensive, but even neighboring countries had issued decrees on how to properly consume snuff.
It was likely that the red-haired judge would die soon… At that point, the “Fortune Coin” would return to her in an extremely “coincidental” manner—getting rid of this cursed object was not so simple.
However, giving this to the other party could be seen as repaying their life-saving grace, Lucie felt no guilt. If she truly died, it would only mean her luck wasn’t great.
Let’s just end this day quickly…
Lucie still had two hours of rest left. At six in the morning, she had to be at the underground sanctuary for those unnecessary investigations; otherwise, disaster would strike again…
She still couldn’t understand why, despite following the rules, she had encountered such absurd misfortune just a few hours ago.
Sigh…
Lucie gently kneaded the snuff, half-reclining on the sofa, taking a deep breath. Just then, a sudden knock echoed at the door.
Knock, knock, knock—
“Open up, Tribunal.”
“Cough, cough, cough, cough—”
Lucie nearly choked, coughing violently until tears streamed down her face.
No! Sister!
Are you serious? Do you know how dangerous it is for you to come here now?!
Lucie hurriedly closed the snuff box, stood up, wiped her tears and nose with a handkerchief, and quickly walked to the door, opening it.
“Wait, Your Excellency, who… are you?”
When Lucie saw the shorter girl with white hair dressed in black standing at the door, she froze.
Whose child is this?
How did an even smaller one show up?
Is everyone in the Tribunal like this?
“Gus Aishwood.”
The girl looked up expressionlessly at the bewildered Lucie.
She opened her gloved hand, and a delicate black and silver pendant slipped from her palm, caught by a black chain wrapped around her fingers, gently swaying beneath her hand.
The moment Lucie saw the emblem, she straightened her back and quietly asked, “Are you here to…”
At that moment, Lucie noticed the serious expression on the girl’s face and sensed her true intentions.
She was different from the Tribunal member who had merely saved her by chance… This girl looked like she was genuinely here to cause trouble.
Moreover, she seemed more professional than the previous Tribunal girl.
“You should know about the cooperation agreement reached between the Dedton headquarters and my church.”
“Gus” spoke smoothly and swiftly:
“The cultists at the Dedton headquarters have been thoroughly purged, and now we’re beginning to investigate all employees in other branches… You are the manager here, right? Lucie Xilufa.”
“Please cooperate with the Tribunal’s investigation.”
As expected…
After this incident, the headquarters had been scrutinizing every employee, uncovering many members of the Holy Order—some from other secret cults as well.
This storm had finally reached her.
But the Tribunal officer in front of her… Lucie felt a persistent unease, as if her instincts were warning her of something bad… and her instincts were usually quite accurate.
“Yes, I am the manager here, Lucie Xilufa.”
Lucie spoke, deciding to keep the Tribunal officer calm for now. “You can investigate any of my employees… but I’m afraid I’m not in a position to accept an investigation at the moment.”
“Hmm?”
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