Tonight's school anniversary dinner is a celebration-themed masquerade party, and students wearing all kinds of fancy costumes can be seen everywhere in the college.
Vampires, pirates, clowns, mummies, dragon-slaying warriors, slimes in all kinds of weird shapes.
Not long after, the three of them arrived at the college's banquet auditorium.
Sabina took out the gold-plated invitation.
The masquerade ball is a traditional banquet form of Luying's upper class. Even the mature and stable nobles and ladies do not like those weird and alternative costumes, so they have to dress up to some extent.
Suellen also wore Zorro's blindfold mask over his eyes.
Sabina put on a Gothic wide-brimmed hat decorated with black roses. The black gauze on the edge of the hat covered most of her pretty face, revealing her sexy red lips.
The banquet hall of the Royal Academy is magnificently decorated. It is a large banquet hall that can accommodate thousands of people.
As soon as he entered the door, Su Lun saw dozens of huge crystal lamps lighting up the entire banquet hall. The carved white stone pillars had golden bases above and below, and giant oil paintings of high artistic value were hung on the walls.
There are also colorful murals painted on it.
Every detail reflects royal luxury.
Su Lun and the other three walked in, and the venue was already very lively.
There were still ten minutes until the official opening, so the three of them found a rest area to wait.
Su Lun activated his perception as soon as he came in. There were many powerful people in the banquet hall. In terms of soul perception alone, there were more than ten suspected seventh-level professionals.
This is not surprising, after all, Linton is the holy land of alchemy. There are many strong people in the Royal Alchemy Academy. The recruitment standards for all major deans start at level six, and the dean, Winfred P. Crofts, is at level eight.
A top level professional.
As a professional intelligence officer, Sabina immediately observed her surroundings.
At this time, she seemed to have discovered something, and suddenly motioned Su Lun to look away, and said jokingly: "Here, sir, your fiancée is here too."
Su Lun looked over and was watching Ekaterina talking and laughing among a group of people.
Even wearing a shiny diamond mask, her purple hair is very eye-catching.
As an outstanding alumnus, she was naturally invited by the school.
Su Lun had no psychological fluctuations at all.
What is a fiancée and not a fiancée?
What does "Fick's" engagement have to do with Su Lun?
Not only Ekaterina, but also the eldest young master of the Raigadi family, William Raigadi, who had killed him once.
Seeing this person, Su Lun's eyes became a little strange.
No matter what the reason is, if an enemy has murderous intentions, he must not be allowed to stay if given the chance.
What's more, Su Lun felt that his marriage to Ekaterina was not all about benefits, but had to be paid.
For example, dealing with the revenge of some love rivals.
Sabina is Su Lun's exclusive intelligence officer, so she naturally knows everything. She obviously also understood something, and said jokingly: "Oh, sir, you have to be careful if you reveal your identity. Intelligence shows that the upper class in Linton are pursuing this man.
Miss Ekaterina has not only 10,000 but also 8,000 young talents, and many people have expressed their attitude in the newspapers. There are many rivals for your love who want to fight with 'Fick'."
Su Lun shook his head slightly as he listened.
He didn't want to get involved in these troublesome things.
Before he went to the palace to receive the Queen's blessing half a month later, he had no intention of using the identity of "Fick".
After using it, he planned to throw it away.
As for the status of a top noble, Su Lun had no interest in it.
This is just an exchange of interests for both parties.
Su Lun didn't think about those useless things.
He looked at Young William who seemed to be still pestering Ekaterina, but some questions flashed through his mind.
I once didn't understand why this guy wanted to chase me so far to kill me, but now I understand that one is for inheritance rights, and the other is for marriage.
No one would let their beloved girl marry someone else. Not to mention such a very conceited genius, Young Master William, who is already a sixth-level professional at a young age.
But the motivation doesn't matter anymore.
Anyway, it's already been done.
And Su Lun thought of another question, even if the wedding date has been set, will this guy still want to kill her?
Undoubtedly for sure.
But Su Lun is not the second-level rookie he once was. Even if he wants to take action now, he is not afraid.
But after thinking about it for a moment, his intuition told him that this guy was going to play dirty.
After all, the marriage has been confirmed, and neither the Raigadi family nor the Lance family will allow William to make such a move that harms the interests of both families.
In the past, if "Fick" was killed, he would be killed, but that is not the case now.
"So, if I were him, where would I start?"
Putting forward this hypothesis, the thoughts in Su Lun's mind suddenly became active.
Not long after, the celebration banquet began.
During the day, we had gone through all the complicated procedures of the school anniversary, and in the evening there were some festive performances.
The students at the school performed musical instruments, ballet, and fencing.
The Royal Alchemy Academy not only teaches alchemy knowledge, court etiquette, painting, musical instruments, dance, etc., but is also a required course for the small nobles of the upper class. Moreover, the teachers who teach are all top art masters in the empire.
These artistic influences that are difficult for the common people to access and appreciate are also the entry-level standard for the upper class.
Su Lun also found it interesting.
The last program of the banquet performance is the palace ballet, because this program will seamlessly connect to the subsequent dance.
Young female students in ballet costumes took the stage and danced gracefully to the music, which was a feast for the eyes.
Su Lun recognized the beautiful girl leading the dance at a glance.
Najik's classmate Phoebe.
Sabina next to her looked at her with a smile on her face and said teasingly: "Oh, Phoebe dances very well too."
Jike on the side couldn't take his eyes away, but his expression became slightly nervous.
After one dance, the performance is over.
The soothing music sounded again.
Next comes the formal part of the dance, where everyone in the banquet hall can invite their favorite partner to dance.
In Luying's upper class society, dancing is the best way for people of the opposite sex to socialize.
High-spirited young students will invite the girl they like to dance with them. If the girl does not refuse, then they can dance together and get to know each other. If they dance more than one dance, the courtship will usually not be rejected.
The dance not only enhances the relationship between young men and women, but also noble ladies and gentlemen like this part very much.
In the ancient aristocratic system like Lu Ying, the concept of gender is actually very open. Marriage is just an exchange of interests, and there is little love at all, so it is normal for the nobles to have romantic affairs.
The person you marry may not necessarily like you, but your lover must.
Therefore, in addition to socializing, upper class dances also have a hidden function, which is to find lovers.
Social dance with physical contact is the best platform. If you invite someone to dance, you will know if you are interested.
This is true for both men and women.
At this moment, the music became soothing and the gentlemen could not wait to go to their favorite dance partners and send out invitations.
If you hesitate at this stage, maybe the dance partner you like is someone else.
Because even if the woman doesn't like it, she will politely agree to someone's invitation after rejecting it many times.
Just as soon as the dance performance ended, the group of ballet girls immediately received enthusiastic invitations from the male students, and in the blink of an eye, they were matched up.
Phoebe, the lead dancer, has the best appearance and temperament in the dance troupe, so she naturally received the most enthusiastic invitation from the male classmates.
But she rejected many people and looked around as if expecting something more.
In the rest area in the corner, Su Lun had no interest in the dancing and was enjoying the delicious palace snacks by himself.
Next to her, Sabina looked at the nervous Jike and joked: "Little Jike, don't go now. Phoebe will be invited by someone else later, so you won't have such a good opportunity."
Hearing this, Jike also looked a little anxious.
He knew that if he missed it this time, he would really have no chance.
But what if you are rejected?
The conflicting mentality made him feel like his feet were filled with lead and he couldn't move forward. He could only turn his head and look at Sabina, and asked anxiously: "Madam, then... shall I go over now?"
Sabina gave her an encouraging smile and said, "Go ahead and be brave. Even if you fail, you at least tried, right?"
"Um!"
When Jike heard this, he mustered up the courage.
right!
Even if you are rejected,
At least I tried hard!
"Phoebe, can I invite you to dance?"
"Sorry, classmate Galen, I'm a little tired and want to take a rest."
"Sister Phoebe, am I honored to dance with you?"
"Sorry, Captain Jiawen, I seemed to have sprained my foot while dancing just now, and I feel a little uncomfortable."
"."
On the other side, Phoebe had already rejected several invitations from her male classmates and made excuses to retreat to the rest area.
She didn't wait for the person she wanted to wait for, so she was not in the mood to dance.
Especially since Tim kept pestering her, "Phoebe, are you feeling uncomfortable? Our two families had a dinner together the day before yesterday, and my mother had a very good impression of you. After returning home, she always praised you full of praise.
Oh, my father also said that our two families can have more cooperation in the shipping business in the future, and the two families should move around frequently."
Phoebe was sitting on the sofa resting, listening to her upset.
Tim's feigned intimacy made her very uncomfortable.
But the dance had just started, and we couldn't leave early.
This made her feel very embarrassed.
At this moment, she suddenly heard someone ask again: "Phoebe, can I invite you to dance?"
"sorry, I."
Phoebe thought that one of her classmates was coming again, and instinctively wanted to refuse.
But when she looked up, she swallowed half of her words.
She saw a familiar yet slightly unfamiliar face, and said in surprise: "Classmate Jike?"
Jike nodded, raising the corners of his mouth slightly.
The courage he summoned allowed him to show confidence that he had never had before.
After saying that, he repeated it again, bowed and extended his hand in a gentlemanly manner, "Can I invite you to dance?"
Phoebe's crystal eyes suddenly sparkled with stars, and she stood up happily and agreed happily: "Okay!"
She had scanned the guests in the banquet hall before, and had a vague impression of seeing this magician costume, but she simply ignored it.
Because the person she was expecting had burn scars on his face, he wouldn't stand there so confidently.
Now looking at Jike who has regained his appearance, Phoebe is also extremely happy for this friend.
Looking at his intact left hand and his unprecedented confidence, she had 10,000 doubts in her heart: Oh my god, what happened to make Jike change so much?
But Phoebe's response made Tim, who was attentive to the side, stunned.
My legs don’t hurt anymore, and I’m not tired anymore?
this.
Seeing Phoebe reaching out her hand to accept the invitation of the person in front of her, Tim couldn't sit still and his face darkened, "Hey, who are you?"
He also recognized that the guy who looked like a different person was Jike.
But just because I recognized him, I was not rude at all.
The last time he was scared away by a woman, Tim even hired a private detective to investigate Jike's family background.
Facts have proved that this son of a fur merchant family is just bluffing and has no aristocratic relatives at all!
I originally thought I would make things difficult for him again, but he didn't think so.
What made him even more jealous was that Phoebe refused his invitation and actually agreed to this guy?
But as soon as these obviously provocative words came out, Jike didn't pay any attention to them.
Hearing Phoebe agree, the only trace of anxiety in his heart dissipated. The incomparable gentleman kissed the back of Phoebe's hand and said, "This is my honor."
He had a calm and confident smile on his lips, completely ignoring the provocative Tim.
right,
Just ignore it!
In just half a month after meeting his teacher, Jike's vision and state of mind were completely different from before.
The nobles who used to feel unattainable now realize that the inferiority complex stemming from their class is meaningless and is simply a waste of life.
Jike once thought that the best way out for him in the future was to work as a technician for an aristocratic ammunition company after graduation. But now he met his teacher and saw the scenery from high places, and he realized that the end of his road is "dream"
”.
It was the teacher who gave me the conditions and confidence to pursue my dreams.
Phoebe looked at Jike, who had a completely different temperament. Her crystal eyes were full of disbelief, but she was also happy from the bottom of her heart.
The two stepped onto the dance floor with brisk dance steps, high-fived, twirled in the crowd, and embraced each other to dance to the beautiful music.
The two also started chatting.
It was the first time for him to have such close contact. Jike looked calm, but felt a little nervous in his heart.
Phoebe also felt that the palms of his hands holding hers were sweating, and she chuckled, "Classmate Jike, you are sweating."
Just with this generous chuckle, Jike gained the courage and said truthfully: "This is my first time dancing with classmate Phoebe, so I am very nervous."
With a smile on her face, Phoebe responded playfully: "This is also the first time I have received an invitation from classmate Jike."
As she spoke, her eyes flashed brightly, and she added: "If you invited me before, I would agree. But you have never done so."
Jike suddenly felt relieved after hearing this. It turned out that she would not refuse.
But he didn't know how to respond to this, "Ah, I didn't know that at that time either."
Phoebe was guided by Jike to spin around, then looked at the embarrassment on his face, and the corners of his eyes smiled like crescent moons.
But she didn't say much more on this topic, and instead asked: "Oh my god, Jike, your burn is healed and your hand is healed. What happened during this time?"
Jike said: "I met my teacher, well, it's a long story. Then. Then I mean, I want to invite you to dinner. Mrs. Demakula said yes. Well, she is my teacher's good friend, you
The last time I saw her she said "
"Ah? Classmate Jike, do you want to invite me to dinner?"
Listening to these incoherent words, Phoebe blinked, probably understanding.
She was delighted and surprised, and immediately responded, "Okay!"
A few days ago, the beautiful lady said that they would have dinner together. She was still a little worried as to why she hadn't heard any news for so long.
Now that she has received a definite invitation, she is naturally very happy.
Jike: "Oh, then tomorrow?"
Phoebe: "Yeah!"
Before Jike came, he had prepared a lot of things to say, but Phoebe seemed to understand them all, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.
He thought about it and said the most important thing, "Phoebe, there is one more thing I want to tell you. Well, I have to leave and leave the academy."
"ah?"
When she heard this, she was doing a cheerful dance step, but Phoebe was stunned for a moment. She almost stepped on her own foot because of her superb dancing skills.
Jike continued: "I plan to go to Marfa to study ammunition engineering. I may leave Luying soon."
"Oh. Marfa Empire, that's a very far away place."
Phoebe's expression suddenly darkened.
She didn't know why, but she felt inexplicably depressed, "So, are you here to say goodbye to me?"
Looking at Jike again, Phoebe forced a smile on her pretty face and sent her blessing: "It's okay to go to Marfa, I know your future will not be ordinary. I will bless you, work hard.
Yo. You will become a very, very powerful 'ammunition master' in the future! But don't forget, Lu Ying also has a friend who cares about you~"
Jike nodded, no matter how slow he was, he could still see the trembling light in Phoebe's eyes, and he felt inexplicably sour in his heart.
At this moment, the music suddenly became lyrical and the dance slowed down.
Looking at the girl whose eyes were full of tears and almost unable to hold back, he quickly said: "I want to say that if you are willing, my teacher and Mrs. Demacula will go to your home and hand over a greeting card to us later."
When Phoebe heard this, her dim eyes suddenly lit up.
Although she didn't hear the middle part clearly, maybe even Jike himself couldn't say it clearly, but she seemed to fully understand what he wanted to express.
At this moment, Phoebe felt as if a beam of light suddenly shone in her heart that was shrouded in clouds. Her smile was like a sunflower facing the sun, and she said happily: "I do!"
Looking at each other, the two young men and women nodded slightly, as if they had made a lifelong promise.
Suddenly, the dance steps became brisk.
In the rest area in the corner, Su Lun watched the dance steps of Jike and Phoebe suddenly become more lively, and a happy smile appeared in the corner of his eyes.
He had no interest in dancing, and he had no intention of flirting with girls. He took a sip of royal wine and a sip of palace snacks, and he was considered to have participated in the dance.
Outside, Sabine didn't show too closeness to Suellen. She was already carrying a glass of wine and chatting with the ladies of London's upper class. These women were very talkative, and they were talking about whose lover they were.
Men who are more handsome and know how to chat about their families have a good job, but they usually also reveal some top-secret information through gossip.
This is a very important information channel for Sabine.
The dance party has just started now, and it is still early before the scheduled action. Su Lun observed the nobles in the banquet hall, recognized their faces, and noted down the soul fluctuations of those masters.
But after watching for a long time, he didn't see August wearing a vampire ring, and he became suspicious: "It's strange, both Ekaterina and William are here, as the 'first genius' of that session
, August shouldn’t not come.”
Su Lun was a little confused. Logically speaking, in the world of Linton, nothing is more important than the Royal Academy's anniversary, right?
But before he could figure it out, Su Lun's eyes suddenly flashed as his soul perception swept across the crowd.
Because he found another acquaintance.
"Hey, why is this woman here?"
Su Lun was slightly surprised.
Looking over, I saw that the woman was wearing a long palace dress and a veil covering her face. Since it was a masquerade party, it didn't matter.
Although she couldn't see her appearance clearly, Su Lun still recognized her soul.
Isn't this the short-haired girl from the detective team we met before?
Su Lun felt that she remembered it correctly, it should be called "Amelia".
After sensing it for a while, I didn't see the old cowboy again.
Su Lun looked a little strange when he recognized the person. He remembered that he had given you 100,000 yuan to the old cowboy and entrusted them to investigate the source of the Red Death.
Unexpectedly, these days have passed without any news.
Su Lun would not suspect that the other party was taking money instead of doing anything, but he didn't expect to meet Amelia here.
After observing for a while, Su Lun became more and more certain that this woman was not an invited guest, but was here to investigate something.
Although she disguised herself well, if you look closely, you can still see that her eyes are furtive, as if she is looking for someone else.
But this made Su Lun even more confused.
According to the character of the old cowboy, such a "big case" involving aristocrats would definitely not be touched. Now this woman has sneaked into a school anniversary party full of aristocrats?
"You didn't hide it from the old man and came here secretly, did you?"
Thinking of this, Su Lun's eyes looked a little strange.
Although she hides it very well, there are many masters here!
It's not that there's any danger in discovering it, but if it's exposed, it might affect her investigation.
After thinking about it, Su Lun walked over anyway.
Emilia was stealing dessert in the rest area.
At first she was just covering up, but after tasting a few bites, she felt that these palace snacks that could not be bought outside were indeed very appetizing.
Duo greedily ate two pieces and was observing the dancing crowd, but at this moment, someone suddenly asked from behind her: "Miss, can I invite you to dance?"
Emilia responded calmly: "No, I'm waiting for my friend."
But as soon as the words left her mouth, she saw clearly the person she was chatting with.
Although the other person's face was covered, as a professional private detective, she recognized this person from some details.
Isn't he that hateful guy?
Emilia was surprised: "Why are you here?"
Su Lun said in a strange tone: "I still want to ask, why are you here?"
Emilia muttered: "How come I can meet you anywhere."
As she said that, she rolled her eyes and said truthfully: "Isn't this just taking your money, sir, to help you complete your commission?"
This tone obviously sounded a bit resentful.
Su Lun felt a little surprised.
I entrust you to investigate the source of the Red Death. If you don't go to Nancheng District to find it, why are you coming to the Royal Academy ball?
But in an instant, he realized that there might be progress in the investigation.
Su Lun then asked: "Have you found any information through your investigation?"
Emilia said angrily: "Yeah."
"Then why haven't I heard your feedback?"
Su Lun said something and immediately realized something.
Now that this woman has appeared here, she has obviously investigated something very sensitive, and said again: "Your teacher doesn't want to cause trouble?"
"."
Emilia pursed her lips and said nothing, which was regarded as acquiescence.
But seeing her employer here, she only said: "You said this matter wouldn't cause trouble, but now that the investigation comes out, the trouble will be huge!"
After hearing this, Su Lun realized where this woman's resentment came from.
After investigating this point, it is obvious that the matter is more troublesome than expected.
But on the other hand, even though she knew there was trouble, this woman still came, and Su Lun was more concerned.
Just like when she was at the "Music House Club" and she came back to save people for the second time.
Although his personality is a bit reckless, he is still a good person.
Su Lun asked: "You came here without telling your teacher?"
Emilia responded weakly, "Yes."
But she immediately choked out, "It's not because of your entrustment, sir! The teacher investigated and found out some truth. After knowing that it would cause big trouble, he didn't let me participate."
When Su Lun heard this, it was indeed similar to what he guessed.
He didn't rush to ask what the investigation revealed. Instead, he asked: "Since your teacher said there is danger, why are you still here? Aren't you afraid of being in danger?"
Seeing this greasy man, Emilia felt an inexplicable anger in her heart for some reason, and she never gave up on her face: "I'm already here, what do you think?"
After choking, she seemed to be in a much better mood, and complained again: "If I had known that your commission would be so involved, we shouldn't have accepted the deposit in the first place. But now that we have taken the money, we still have to have this professional ethics.
Yes. The old man doesn’t want to investigate, so I’ll just come and take a look.”
Although they had only met twice, Su Lun could not see that although this woman was a slanderous woman, she was a rare person with a full sense of justice.
Su Lun didn't say much and asked, "Can you dance?"
Emilia obviously knew how to do it, but she looked wary and said, "What do you want to do?"
Su Lun smiled and stretched out his hand, and invited him very gentlemanly: "Let's go and dance. The two people at seven o'clock are from the Luying Military Intelligence Agency. They have already looked at you a lot."
This is also the reason why he came here before.
The observation skills of professional intelligence officers are not false.
Although Emilia disguised herself well, she sneaked in after all.
People who don’t know anyone at the dance, and have no acquaintances to say hello to, are the most exposed.
Emilia didn't look, and she realized something after being reminded.
Then she reluctantly extended her hand and accepted Su Lun's invitation.
The two came to the crowd on the dance floor and started dancing to the beat of the music. This was a classical "minuet" popular among the upper class, with a cheerful rhythm.
The dancing men are full of passion and the women are smiling happily.
Although Emilia was very reluctant, she still pretended to have a professional smile, just like she did in the club that night.
Su Lun knew that this woman's resentment was probably revenge for giving her a "long memory", so she stopped teasing her.
The two danced and communicated quietly.
Su Lun asked: "As your employer, I think you can tell me what you have investigated. If there is any trouble, I may be able to help."
Emilia rolled her eyes at him, but also said: "Because of your commission, we searched and investigated for several days, and then discovered the slums near Fox Gem Avenue in Queens, the area where the earliest cases of the Red Death appeared."
Su Lun was not surprised when he heard this.
Because this is where he first discovered the spread of the potion.
Emilia added: "But after some investigation, we found that many clues contained traces of human intervention. Originally, the investigation clues were at a standstill, but the newspaper a few days ago happened to report the announcement of 'Bakchi Biopharmaceutical Company'
A new drug [Scarlet Potion] was released. Coincidentally, this is a specific medicine for the Red Death. With such a coincidence of the potion appearing, my teacher suspected that the spread of the Red Death was man-made. So we followed this line of investigation and found out
Go down. Then, my teacher used some special investigation methods to find the source."
At this point, her tone suddenly became angry, "You nobles, you haven't even looked at the miserable situation in the civilian areas! This time the disease spreads widely, I'm afraid many, many people will die! You are still thinking about it
Do you know how many people will be killed by holding the potion in your hands to make huge profits?"
"Haha, of course you don't care. You have special medicine, so you are not afraid of this disease. And because in your eyes, the lives of civilians are no different from livestock, right?! No matter how many people die, it has nothing to do with you. Even if it is
When they are finally released, those at the bottom who can’t afford what they want will all die?!”
"asshole!"
If it weren't for a misunderstanding, Emilia might have roared with these words.
She suppressed her anger and finished her story without forgetting to curse: "The nobles are all complete bastards!"
"."
Su Lun also fell into silence after hearing this. No wonder she was so resentful. She probably thought she was a noble.
After all, 80% of those who can attend this dance are nobles.
Looking at the woman with burning anger in her eyes, Su Lun suddenly understood her and explained lightly: "I am investigating this because I want to prevent the tragedy from happening."
Emilia snorted coldly. Although her anger was still there, she seemed unable to deny it.
Because the old man said so too.
Otherwise she wouldn't have said it!
Su Lun felt that the old cowboy's investigation was probably close to the truth, which was probably the reason why he met this woman here. He asked calmly: "Then what? Why are you here?"
Hearing this question, Emilia hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Because. My teacher investigated and found some clues, and the source of the Red Death pointed to a certain big shot in the Royal Academy!"
Hearing this, Su Lun frowned slightly.
The professional intelligence officers didn't investigate, but the old cowboy did, obviously using some special methods.
But that's not important anymore.
Emilia added: "To be honest, the people involved behind this are very difficult, so I don't want to continue exploring."
Su Lun then understood that it was no wonder that no investigation progress was reported. It turned out that he did not dare to report it.
He thought for a moment and said directly: "Who do you think it could be?"
Emilia's tone also became solemn, and she whispered: "I'm not sure yet. But he was a person who knew black magic. The teacher said that he used a necromancy spell to control a corpse-like puppet.
All clues point to this guy spreading the Red Death!"
When Su Lun heard this, his pupils shrank suddenly, and a figure immediately appeared in his mind: "Director!"
He never expected that the "curator" of the underworld was actually someone from the Royal Academy!