Chapter 467
“Calm down, calm down, Aivina.” Charles reached out and wrapped his arms around Aivina, soothing her. “Exploring the Otherworld is my own choice... because my strength is lacking, some things can only rely on the Otherworld...”
Feeling Charles's warmth, Aivina's emotions began to settle. She took a deep breath and said, “They just let you, a ‘Saintess,’ go explore the Otherworld, even when you fainted and nearly died?”
“At the beginning, if it weren't for my support, you would have...”
Aivina bit her lip, realizing she was getting a bit too emotional. But this matter involved the safety of the one she loved, so it was understandable that she would react this way.
As for the organization behind Charles, Aivina had never had a good impression of them, and now she had placed them at the very bottom of her disdainful hierarchy—those who, once they had power, would inevitably face reckoning.
Treating Charles this way... no matter how strong the people in that organization were, they deserved to be condemned...
Sensing Aivina's slight tremor, Charles sighed inwardly.
She knew that her words about that mysterious organization were becoming increasingly exaggerated.
“After this is over, tell me more about the organization... For now, let’s get through this crisis together, okay?” Before Charles could respond, Aivina spoke directly to her.
Aivina understood that the main issue at hand was the threat posed by Qiangyin to Charles. The organizational problems could be dealt with later; they shouldn’t waste too much time on unnecessary matters right now.
She knew that even if they pressed Charles now, she would likely say something, but that wouldn’t help resolve the situation.
“Alright, I agree.” Charles nodded.
Aivina’s rationality relieved Charles; she had been worried that Aivina would cling to this issue and waste too much time.
“So now, our first task is to take control of Mond, right?” Aivina asked.
“Exactly, and then use her to get close to Lafayette.”
Charles thought for a moment and added, “However, Qiangyin has a hidden chamber in Lafayette’s underground hideout where she can spy. We must ensure that Qiangyin appears in a public setting before we approach Lafayette; that’s the safest way to avoid running into Qiangyin.”
They can even investigate the hidden chamber... It sounded as if they had turned over every stone regarding Qiangyin’s information, and she seemed completely unaware.
In the darkness, Aivina nodded slightly and asked, “So... how do you plan to approach Mond?”
“If, as you said, she doesn’t have a fixed residence and frequently visits the Stuart Art Trading Center to see Pikeman, then we’ll have to stake out at the Stuart Art Center?”
Aivina continued, “Sending ordinary people to tail her won’t work; those from the Joyful Society have strong counter-surveillance awareness.”
“And I don’t really have a good reason to go to the Stuart Art Center... I usually don’t visit art galleries, so if I suddenly show up, people will suspect I have ulterior motives.”
Charles shook her head. “No, there is a reason.”
Aivina asked, “What reason?”
“Isabella.” Charles replied, “She’s also in Ansu City and might have come to see you... You can ask the butler if Isabella has visited.”
Isabella was one of those who wanted to get closer to Aivina. With so many people queuing up to see Aivina, Isabella could very well be among them, only to be politely turned away by Aivina.
“Alright, I’ll ask.” Aivina inquired, “Do I need to do it as soon as possible?”
Charles thought for a moment. Among all the plans, controlling Mond was actually the simplest part, and simulations had confirmed that a tracked Mond was very easy to control.
Because a Level 3 “Source of Plague,” with her identity exposed, couldn’t possibly deal with a Level 3 “Subverter” lurking in the shadows.
Moreover, Charles now had a “Source of Plague” backup; most of the poisons from the other side wouldn’t affect her—Mond’s abilities were thoroughly suppressed by Charles, so there shouldn’t be any surprises.
In this case, the sooner they controlled Mond, the better, as she was preparing for a “small plague,” which could potentially kill thousands and create a butterfly effect that might disrupt Charles’s subsequent plans.
“Alright, let’s move now.” Aivina nodded, reaching out to open the door to the hidden chamber, letting the light from outside pour in.
Her eyes, adjusted to the darkness, were momentarily blinded by the soft light, and she pulled Charles out of the hidden chamber, arriving at the door, which she opened directly.
“Nia, ask the butler for a list of people who came to see me.” Aivina instructed Nia, who was waiting at the door.
“Yes, Miss.” Nia nodded slightly and left to carry out the order.
Aivina glanced at Tara, who was standing at the door, and gave her a gentle nod as a greeting before preparing to close the door.
“Wait... Tara, bring out that business card.” Charles suddenly remembered something and looked at Tara at the door.
“Yes, Lord Charles.”
After Tara retrieved the card and handed it to Charles, she helped Aivina and Charles close the study door.
While waiting, it was a good opportunity to discuss business matters with Aivina. Charles wasn’t very knowledgeable about these things and could only leave the judgment to Aivina.
“What’s this?” After sitting on the sofa, Aivina looked at the card in Charles’s hand and asked.
“A salesman who came to pitch a new technology.” Charles handed the card to Aivina and briefly explained the new technology described by the salesman.
However, as Aivina held the card and listened to Charles’s description, her brow furrowed deeper.
“What’s wrong?” Noticing the change in Aivina’s expression, Charles stopped and asked, “Is this a scam?”
“No... Did he leave any samples?” Aivina set the card down and looked at Charles.
“No, he just showed it to me... The surface was light blue, as clean as a mirror, those steel materials.” Charles described the round craft she had seen.
“He pulled out the Canal Daily and said the cost of replacing the steel wheels is more than double the maintenance cost of the Council Hall’s stonework?” Aivina confirmed again.
“Yes.” Charles was somewhat confident in her memory.
Upon hearing this, Aivina nodded slightly and then looked at Charles, saying, “You’ve seen rail cars in Bole City... but have you seen them in Ansu City?”
Aivina’s question made Charles realize the issue.
Currently, Charles wasn’t very familiar with Ansu City; she had only visited less than 10% of the vast city, having spent too little time there.
But in her memory, she indeed hadn’t seen any rail cars.
“Rail cars are only in experimental operation in certain industrial areas, and they’re generally used for freight. It’s not surprising in an industrial city like Bole.” Aivina pointed at the card and said, “He’s lying.”
Lying...
Charles looked at the card, narrowing her eyes slightly. She noticed the year 770 on the card and suddenly asked, “Is it possible that rail cars will be laid out in Ansu City in the future? I mean, decades from now...”
“It’s almost inevitable, as it speeds up freight and increases cargo capacity. Steel tracks and wheels last longer than wooden ones.” Aivina made her judgment.
Charles reached out and picked up the card.
Initially, she had thought of the person on the card as a schemer full of lies, but now everything seemed suspicious... The forward-looking statements and the advanced date on the card gave the time-sensitive Charles a bad premonition.
Hopefully, it’s just my overthinking...
Charles tucked the card away, her expression slightly grave.
“What’s wrong, Charles?” Aivina noticed the subtle change in Charles’s expression and asked.
“Maybe I’m just overthinking.” Charles shook her head; her focus shouldn’t be diverted by other matters—she didn’t have the energy to investigate this further.
“If you have any doubts about him, I can try to contact him...”
Knock, knock, knock—
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.” Aivina, interrupted mid-sentence, looked toward the door and said.
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