Chapter 327
"You can also buy it back, but the price is a bit steep—of course, after we submit it to the group, the price might experience a slight 'fluctuation.'"
Lucy, standing nearby, didn’t quite understand what Xia Er was talking about, but she chimed in at the right moment, directly backing him up.
After all, she hadn’t mentioned a specific price; as long as she proposed an amount that was impossible to pay, the other side would naturally back down.
Once Xia Er finished speaking, he began to wait for Professor Ashford's reaction. However, the anger he had imagined didn’t materialize; instead, Ashford’s furrowed brow relaxed.
"Will the items be going to the auction in Dedun?" Ashford asked.
"Not necessarily," Lucy replied.
"We were just preparing to discuss that."
"The items are already in your possession, so you will abide by the rules, right?" Ashford looked at Lucy and said, "Regarding the confidentiality of the owner's information."
"Of course, we always keep the seller anonymous," Lucy smiled.
At this moment, Ashford realized he wouldn’t be seeing Adele today, so he turned to Xia Er and said, "Could you please pass a message to Adele for me, Your Excellency Xia Er?"
"Sure," Xia Er nodded slightly.
"I'm returning to Ansu City tomorrow. Please tell her that I will definitely submit the leaves, but I won’t put her name on it."
Ashford paused for a second before continuing, "If she still wishes to be my student, she can come find me in Ansu City. If she doesn’t want to, I will exchange the reward for the paper for materials for the 'Newborn' potion and give them to Priestess Yulis. If she lacks promotion materials, she can ask Priestess Yulis for them."
Professor Ashford stood up, took off his brown top hat, and slightly bowed his head to Xia Er. After putting the hat back on, he said, "Thank you very much, and sorry for the disturbance."
With that, Ashford nodded to Lucy and headed toward the door, seemingly preparing to leave.
It seemed Ashford… had no issues after all.
Unfortunately, Tara wasn’t present to determine if he was lying.
Knock, knock, knock—
Just as Ashford reached the door, a series of urgent knocks echoed, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
"Come in," Xia Er said.
The knocking sounded hurried, unlike that of a butler or maid.
Soon, the door swung open, and Tara’s petite figure appeared in the doorway. Ashford stepped aside slightly, and in the flesh of this little maid, he sensed the aura of a potion.
An extraordinary being? Working as a maid?
Was it the Russell family or the Dedun Group? How extravagant! Even an extraordinary being is willing to do this?
Tara quickly walked to Xia Er’s side and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "My lord Xia Er, one is missing, the other two are fine..."
One is missing, the other two are fine… what does that mean?
Ashford, who had just lifted his leg to step out of the parlor, paused, curious, and turned back, only to meet the cold gaze of the red-haired girl.
"Professor Ashford, please hold on," Xia Er said slowly, addressing Ashford, who was about to leave.
In an instant, Ashford understood what the maid meant by "one missing, the other two fine."
That referred to the "doctor" who had reviewed the paper with him, a member of the Redemption Society.
They were actually investigating the members of the Redemption Society on their own?
And… one of them was missing? He had just confirmed that everyone was present and that no information had leaked, and now, just as he stepped out to find Adele, one had gone missing?
Ashford took a deep breath, stopped in his tracks, closed the door, and returned to his previous seat, looking at Xia Er and saying, "Are you investigating the members of the Redemption Society?"
As a professor of the Redemption Society, Ashford couldn’t just leave without addressing this matter.
"Please hold on, Professor Ashford. Before that, I need you to answer a few questions," Xia Er said, beckoning Tara with a finger. He then looked at Professor Ashford and asked, "Are you planning to protect Adele?"
Is he suspecting me?
Was that extraordinary maid a "Listener" or a "Penance Seeker"?
Glancing at Lucy, who had her hands tucked into the pockets of her uniform, Ashford took a deep breath.
It seemed that if he didn’t answer the questions, it wouldn’t be easy for him to leave safely…
But fortunately, the other party was from the Dedun Group; they sought wealth, not blood.
He looked back at Xia Er and said, "Yes."
Xia Er continued, "Regarding the three 'doctors,' have you placed any restrictions or warnings on them?"
Professor Ashford was aware of the dangers posed by that plant and wanted to take Adele to Ansu City to avoid trouble, so he certainly knew he had to keep those three "doctors" in check.
"Two of them are my students, and one is a 'doctor' from the branch in Bole City. I’ve already instructed them to keep quiet about this matter," Ashford replied.
Xia Er turned to Tara, who shook her head slightly, confirming that Ashford was not lying.
"Who is missing?" Xia Er asked Tara.
"Fred Hopkins… the others are still searching. If he’s still in Bole City, we can find him today, my lord Xia Er," Tara replied respectfully, slightly bowing.
"It’s him…?" Ashford’s expression changed slightly.
Xia Er caught this change and looked at Ashford, asking, "Professor, can you explain? Who exactly is this Fred?"
"He… is a student of my student, a graduate student named Fred. After I arrived in Bole City, I promoted him to teaching assistant," Ashford explained.
A student of Ashford’s student?
Ashford’s student… was Xie Lun, the second-tier "Plague Doctor" who almost triggered the "Dehydration Syndrome," and Xie Lun’s student was in the same batch as Adele, making them classmates.
And now, at this critical moment, Xie Lun’s student had gone missing…
Xia Er’s mind raced.
Xie Lun had contact with Jidi, who secretly instructed him to use a sealing object to trigger the "Dehydration Syndrome" in front of the Bell Tower Church, attempting to kill most of the followers of the Savior Goddess Church in Bole City to undermine its authority.
This was clearly recorded in Jidi’s spiritual notes, and Xia Er had followed the clues to Dedun Manor, triggering a series of subsequent events.
But there was indeed a point of doubt in between.
How did Jidi come into contact with Xie Lun and know so clearly about his stagnation in academics and his impatience for quick results, even to the point of wanting to change his potion approach?
Jidi hadn’t even brainwashed Xie Lun to make him a believer; did she really have that much confidence that Xie Lun would help her? What was her basis?
But if we assume that one of Xie Lun’s students is from the Pleasure Society…
The Pleasure Society does have individuals who follow the "Poison Master" path, and those on the "Poison Master" path would certainly have individuals on the "Doctor" path, who would choose easier paths to transition.
Even the creator of the famine in North Ansu could be a fourth-tier "Poison Master" from the Pleasure Society.
Under this assumption, all previous doubts would be resolved…
"One last question," Xia Er looked at Ashford and said slowly, "Are you a member of the Pleasure Society?"
Upon hearing this, Lucy tightened her grip on the revolver hidden in her pocket, and Tara stepped forward half a step, subtly positioning herself in front of Xia Er.
"I am not a member of the Pleasure Society…" Ashford’s brow twitched, and he felt a bad premonition rising in his heart.
"It’s not a lie, my lord Xia Er," Tara confirmed.
"If you’re not, then it must be that teaching assistant Hopkins," Xia Er said, looking at Ashford and speaking slowly.
"He is a member of the Pleasure Society, inciting your student Xie Lun to assist the followers of the Holy Church in killing the believers of the Savior Goddess Church, spreading the plague to turn it into the 'Source of Cholera.'"
"This indirectly led to the sacrificial incident at Dedun Manor… Professor Ashford, the source of all this chaos stems from the Redemption Society’s internal oversight failure."
"Commissioner Lucy, I think you can start drafting the closing statement for this investigation now."
Lucy shot Xia Er a surprised glance, secretly impressed.
As expected of a mysterious organization…
They seemed to know more information than I’ve uncovered in all this time; I had only just followed the clues to Xie Lun, but this matter involved the secrets between that young lady of the Russell family and the Bell Tower Church, causing the investigation to hit a dead end.
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