Chloe wore a black nun’s habit and walked down the street without looking sideways.
In the end, she decided to attend this banquet alone.
The invitation sent to the church was both an olive branch and a threat.
Castel was an isolated island, and it was difficult for the Moths Chasing Fire to relocate everyone.
Ultimately, she just gave Isaac some instructions before heading to the banquet alone.
To be honest, she had been looking forward to working with Hughes. This lord had been establishing factories and even opened a school, seemingly leaning toward the faction of technological innovation.
Chloe originally wanted to trade some knowledge from the cult.
Unfortunately, the cult’s spies later reported that he had actually been hoarding a large amount of Pollution in the eastern caves.
—In the Storm Ocean, only one kind of person would hoard Pollution: the remnants of the Church of the Sea God.
Subsequent events confirmed her suspicions. The six-armed monster from the sea had become his subordinate, and just a few nights ago, there had been fluctuations of an evil god’s descent.
Unfortunately, that esteemed one was in a critical period and couldn’t move. Otherwise, they would have left this island long ago.
“Miss Chloe, you’ve arrived.”
A greeting made Chloe lift her head. Unknowingly, she had already reached the manor’s entrance.
The old butler, Connor, was looking at her with a polite smile.
“Did you come alone?”
“Yes, I came by myself. This is my sincerity.”
“I will inform the Count. Please come in.”
Chloe nodded, rubbed her face, forced a smile, and stepped into the manor.
Then, her smile froze.
The Extraordinary abilities of the Sirens leaned toward concealment and perception. At this moment, Chloe sensed countless cold gazes within the manor fixed upon her.
All of them were Extraordinary beings.
There was no need to think, these were definitely the six-armed snake monsters from last night.
She couldn’t even muster the thought of cursing. She simply felt that Hughes was a complete madman. The Sea God’s followers were perpetually in a state of intermittent madness, especially the Extraordinary ones.
Each of them was a ticking time bomb, and he had crammed an entire group of them into the manor?!
Since becoming an Extraordinary, Chloe had never felt so weak.
At this moment, she felt like a moth caught in a spider’s web, looking up only to realize there were more spiders than webs.
Great, she was probably going to die here today. No matter what that Lord Count was thinking, these monsters would likely tear her apart in a fit of rage.
She could only hope that the Count really had a way to control these half-crazed creatures.
Not far away, inside the banquet hall, Hughes had already entered.
『Lord, Chloe has arrived. She’s… uh… stunned at the entrance. Oh, she’s moving again.』
『Yes, the patrol team outside the manor has already reported, no one followed her.』
『What about the church?』
『No movement. They even shut their doors and windows.』
It seemed she had truly come for negotiations. That was good.
『She’s out as well. She seems a bit suspicious.』
『Hmm, as expected. So, the Investigator has her own means of detection. Just as Nora said. Has she made any moves?』
『Not yet, but she looks like she’s searching for an opportunity.』
『Create one for her. Let her search freely, or she won’t feel at ease. Have all teams ready to report Beatrice’s location in real time.』
Beatrice carefully lifted the hem of her dress and stepped out of her room.
Her outfit was impeccable, from makeup to clothing. It had taken her several hours to prepare. She even ate something in advance, once she put on the corset, even drinking water would be difficult.
More importantly, she had to constantly control her strength. She was an Extraordinary, after all.
The metal strips in her corset weren’t torture devices, but if she accidentally exerted too much force, they could easily break.
Hopefully, this meticulous preparation would make up for the terrible first impression she had given before.
Thinking this, Beatrice stopped just as she stepped out of the room, glancing around in confusion.
The Investigator was strong. Uncle Yule had once told her that this Extraordinary path was widely recognized as the strongest among peers, with no weaknesses.
But the Extraordinary was ultimately a curse. The cost was always greater than the power. Investigators had one minor flaw: bad luck.
Thus, the moment Beatrice sensed something was wrong, she became alert.
Some kind of unknown Extraordinary power had left traces in the space around her, and her investigative ability had detected it.
It seemed to be coming from the nearby room.
Beatrice glanced back but quickly turned her head forward again, realizing it would be bad to linger.
A maid was accompanying her. Going to investigate now would be too conspicuous.
What should she do? She needed a reason to go over. If cultists were causing trouble here, that would be bad.
There were so many people in the manor, including Lord Hughes himself. She couldn’t let them be in danger!
Beatrice’s heartbeat quickened. This was her first time encountering another Extraordinary power. Could she finally protect others, just like Uncle Yule?
She clenched her fists. Believe in yourself. The Investigator is the strongest Extraordinary path. You can do this!
Maybe it was just some relics. No problem.
In the distance, a servant suddenly knocked over a teapot and scalded his hand with hot water. He let out a low cry of pain.
The maid accompanying Beatrice panicked and ran over. After a few steps, she quickly turned back and called out, “Miss Beatrice, please wait here a moment! I’ll bandage him up and be right back!”
“I’m fine, go quickly!”
Beatrice felt a surge of joy. She glanced around. The hallway was now empty.
She reached under her dress, drawing a dagger from a hidden sheath on her thigh. Silently, she crept a few steps forward and pressed herself against the door, listening for any sound inside.
Beatrice tried the doorknob. The door wasn’t locked, it opened with a gentle push.
There were no candles lit inside, but that didn’t bother her. She scanned the room with her eyes, then closed them momentarily to sense her surroundings. Confirming all was normal, she slipped inside.
In the darkness, Beatrice’s eyes glowed with a ghostly blue light. Carefully tucking in her long skirt, she began searching the room in silence.
『Team Three reporting: Beatrice has entered the room. She should find what we left soon.』