Chapter 674
“Alright... alright, Director Lucy Shilufa.”
He had worked tirelessly in the New Territories, contributing countless achievements to the Dedton Group, helping the branch establish a firm foothold here.
But to his surprise, instead of a promotion back to headquarters, he was met with a third-tier director swooping in to take the credit... it was truly hard to swallow.
However, he quickly composed himself. The director before him was merely a "Destined One," yet she occupied a position even higher than his own; she must be someone with extraordinary luck.
Following her might just bring him some benefits... and it seemed that this Director Lucy Shilufa had some rather impressive people with her...
“What’s your name?” Lucy glanced at the silver mask before her and asked.
“You can call me John,” he replied, slightly bowing his head.
“Arrange for us to stay at the best hotel, as quickly as possible.”
“Understood.”
Thanks to John's efforts, the hotel arrangements were swiftly taken care of. However, the weary Charles showed no signs of wanting to rest.
As soon as they dropped off their belongings at the hotel, Charles immediately assigned tasks to everyone else.
Lucy was to head to the Dedton Group branch to gather information about the manuscript, while the members of the Goddess Church were to establish contact with the Savior Goddess Church in Xinxiang City to collect information.
Charles, on the other hand, took Percie and Eleanor along with Aivina and Amy, preparing to set out together, while Adele stayed behind at the hotel to rest—the only team doctor had been incapacitated by seasickness.
The manuscript they had was originally retrieved from the New Territories through connections with the Russell family, and now Charles intended to trace its origins, starting from the place where it was first received.
This location was in the metropolitan area, a private residence.
Following the contact address left by a family member of the Russell family, Charles and the others found themselves in the Upper East Side of the metropolis.
This was a marshy wasteland in need of development, dotted with a few scattered villages. Yet amidst this desolation stood a particularly eye-catching country villa.
That was the destination of Charles's journey.
The carriage struggled over the untamed land before coming to a halt in front of the villa. Charles opened the door and stepped out, her boots sinking into the muddy ground.
Ding ding ding
Tara stepped forward and rang the hand bell.
After a long wait, there was still no sign of the door opening. Just as Tara was about to reach out to ring the bell again—
Buzz
A faint spiritual alarm rang in Charles's mind. She lifted her gaze to the windows of the house.
Behind the curtain, a dark barrel of a revolver was aimed directly at her position. [Keen Sense] provided Charles with the precise location of this malicious gaze.
It seemed the person behind the window hadn’t expected Charles to look directly at them; the gun barrel quickly withdrew.
“What’s wrong?” Aivina, noticing Charles's unusual demeanor, turned to her and asked.
“Nothing,” Charles shook her head.
She sensed that the person inside was an extraordinary being... but judging by the reaction of the spiritual alarm, their tier was likely not very high, probably around tier two.
It was quite normal for a few high-tier extraordinary beings to block the door of someone else's home, after all.
“Bang”
At that moment, the door of the house was roughly pushed open.
A young woman with golden hair, her skin tanned darker than wheat, stepped out of the villa.
She wore an oversized men's work shirt, binding her chest with cloth, revealing her toned waist and abdominal muscles. She removed her curled, misshapen wide-brimmed hat, looking at the group at the door with a mix of wariness and confusion.
The woman held the brim of her hat in front of her abdomen, the wide brim concealing a revolver tucked at her waist, seemingly ready to draw at any moment. She directed her attention toward Charles and asked in broken Ansuan, “Who are you? What do you want?”
“We mean no harm,” Charles replied with a gentle smile. “I came to ask about a book you sold at the Dedton auction house... where did you get it?”
“Found it,” the woman frowned slightly and replied, “If there’s nothing else, please leave.”
“May I ask where you found it?” Charles maintained her friendly smile.
Perhaps influenced by Charles's demeanor, the woman hesitated for a moment before saying, “Someone gave it to me.”
“Who gave it to you?” Tara interjected, unable to tolerate the woman's arrogance toward Charles.
“I’m not from the New Territories,” the woman shook her head. “The item was given to me by a friend from my hometown, the Republic of Lone Star.”
The Republic of Lone Star? Isn’t that outside the New Territories?
Charles had never read about this place; it might have only recently gained independence.
This meant that the connections of the church and the Dedton Group here might not be of much use...
After a brief moment of contemplation, Charles made up her mind.
She needed to find the person who sent this manuscript...
“Could you lead us to the person who gave you the book?” Charles looked at the woman and asked directly.
“Huh?” The woman furrowed her brow, seemingly unwilling to betray her friend. Just as her right hand slowly moved toward her gun, her expression paused for a moment.
“Alright, I’ll agree,” the woman said, looking at Charles. “But you must promise me one thing: do not harm my friend.”
Whether it was due to the influence of [Art of Conversation] or the aura of Eleanor and Percie, both at tier four, the woman, who had initially intended to resist, suddenly abandoned her defiance.
“Of course, I’m only interested in historical research; I have no intention of harming anyone,” Charles nodded slightly, smiling as she asked, “Pleasure to cooperate... what’s your name?”
“Sarah.”
.....
March 19, 742.
Border of the New Territories, Western Wilderness, Border of the Republic of Lone Star.
Clip-clop—clip-clop—
The fierce wind whipped up clouds of yellow sand, tumbleweeds rolling along with the gusts. A large group of riders, their faces wrapped in cloth to shield against the wind and sand, galloped through the wilderness.
Yet, strangely, it was as if an invisible barrier separated them from the swirling sand; not a single grain managed to infiltrate their ranks.
This was a team of nearly forty extraordinary beings, heading toward the Republic of Lone Star against the wind and sand.
If an outsider were to see this formation, they might think they were on a mission to conquer a nation. However, with a population of only ten thousand, the Republic of Lone Star hardly needed such a formidable force to be easily overthrown.
“Charles, how much longer do we need to go?”
On the back of one horse, a silver-haired girl who couldn’t ride was tightly clutching a red-haired girl, shouting.
“We should be close,” Charles estimated their speed, realizing they must have already entered the territory of the Republic of Lone Star...
Crack
A loud whip crack echoed as a horse broke away from the group, charging ahead of everyone else.
Sarah?
Back in her familiar homeland, Sarah seemed to have become exhilarated. She rode her steed across the barren land, quickly leaving everyone behind.
Just as Charles was about to call for her to slow down, Sarah pulled on the reins, slowing down until she finally stopped in front of a low cliff.
Below, a herd of cattle kicked up clouds of dust, and in the distance, the outlines of a village could be seen.
“We’ve arrived,” Sarah turned back to Charles and said.
.
.
.
PS:
Finally back to posting!!!
I haven’t slept since I woke up last night, so I’m going to sleep now! I’ll add more tomorrow!
Good night!!!
Chapter 344: The Way to Kill the Henchmen
“(Castilian) Sarah, why are you back?”
“(Castilian) A gentleman wants to ask you some questions...”
Outside a wooden house, Sarah was conversing with a middle-aged woman. After exchanging a few words with the woman inside the house, the middle-aged woman turned her gaze toward Charles, who stood behind Sarah.
Sarah also turned back, slightly bowing her head as she said, “Sir, I can translate for you.”
Charles nodded slightly, then turned to Tara, signaling her to bring out the items.
Tara was prepared; as soon as Charles's gaze fell on her, she took out a small cloth bag containing the manuscript they had previously acquired.
“Do you remember this?” Charles held out the manuscript to the woman and asked.
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