Chapter 116 - 116: Late Night, Beauty, and Study

9:00 PM. Audrey arrived, and Edward returned the suitcase containing Fire Dragon Annie to her. "Sorry, I went to a rather special ball this afternoon, so I didn't bring the case with me." "A special ball?" Audrey's eyes shimmered with both excitement and nerves. "That's right—it was hosted by Glaint. Guess who I ran into at the ball?" Edward thought for a moment. "Viscount Glaint?" "…..." She gave him a light punch and huffed, "I'm being serious." After a brief pause, she lowered her voice and said, "It was someone from the Psychology Alchemist!" Edward tensed immediately, his tone turning serious. "Tell me everything." "I received the invitation this morning. Glaint specifically said Princess Helena would be there, so I was actually considering finding an excuse to turn it down. But in the evening, Glaint showed up with Helena in tow. She told me, all mysteriously, that someone wanted to invite her into a secret organisation. She's always been curious about the mysticism world, but since she never really had any exposure to it, she asked me to go with her." "You agreed?" "She gave me a gem—probably worth five thousand pounds," Audrey stuck out her tongue playfully. "I've been a little tight on money lately." Edward quickly said, "You should've told me. I got that bounty from Qilangos last time, and sold a wallet with the Undetectable Extension Charm—ended up with quite a bit of extra cash." Not to mention the money he 'appropriated' last night. She smiled, amused. "If I run into anything urgent that needs spending, I won't hold back from asking you. But since the gem was offered to me outright, I couldn't exactly refuse." "That's fair." "Then we went to a salon spot specifically for the nobility. You know, ever since that incident at Glaint's place, he hasn't dared host any parties or salons at home for a while." Oh right, I did 'kidnap' Trissy from Viscount Glaint's home that one time. "The ball was just as boring as always," Audrey didn't forget to throw in her critique, before continuing, "Thankfully, Helena soon led me to a small sitting room, where I met someone I didn't expect—Madam Norma." Edward was puzzled. "Madam Norma? Who's that?" "She's Lady Della's sister—Della being the Duchess of Negan. I'd seen her a few times at previous balls. I always thought she was just a regular noblewoman. She rarely joined the social conversations, usually sat alone, and only spoke when someone approached her first." Audrey looked a bit regretful. "I should've guessed sooner. Her every gesture fit the profile of a Spectator." "This Madam Norma—is she from the Psychology Alchemist?" Edward recalled the original plotline. Now that he thought about it, it really was Madam Norma who had introduced Audrey to the Psychology Alchemist. "I think so. I observed her expressions, emotions, and the way her mental body projected externally. Plus, Helena mentioned that someone wanted to recruit her into a secret organisation." Audrey nodded emphatically. "But she seems to be a very peripheral member. Her original target tonight was definitely Helena. After I showed strong interest in mysticism, she said she could introduce me to some psychology experts." Then, cheerfully, she added, "You said before that the Spectator pathway formula is mainly in the hands of the Psychological Alchemist. So I should join, right?" "Well, yes," Edward said, but his brow furrowed deeply. "However…this organisation isn't exactly safe. Especially for someone like you, who's hiding secrets. Mid-to-high-level Spectators can easily dig into the depths of the human mind." "Ah?" Audrey froze, then frowned. "I was so focused on the formula at the time…Maybe I should just find an excuse to reject the offer." "No need to panic just yet. For now, try to minimise contact with that Madam. In a week or two, Mr. Fool should be able to help you resist the hypnosis and psychological suggestions of demigod-level Spectators." Her eyes lit up. "Is "His" power about to recover further?" No, he is about to get the Black Emperor card. Edward froze for a moment. Wait— Wasn't that scapegoat in the Great Smog Incident, Prince Edessak, targeted by the Psychology Alchemist? So why would they now be trying to recruit Princess Helena, someone very close to him? It didn't make sense. In the world of the mysteries, due to the existence of the Spectator pathway, there were two types of situations one should always pay close attention to: First: when something doesn't make sense. Second: when something makes too much sense. If it doesn't make sense, maybe you're the victim of some poorly written plot. If it makes too much sense, chances are you're in the hands of a truly skilled author. In any case—it's bad news either way! Screw this! Cursing silently, Edward said seriously, "From now on—no, always—stay away from Princess Helena and that prince. I have a hunch. Getting involved with them is dangerous." "Got it!" Audrey nodded solemnly. She knew that when Edward referred to something as a hunch, it was rarely just a gut feeling. And if he chose to describe it vaguely, that meant just knowing the details could be dangerous. "By the way, what made you suddenly come back to Backlund? Was there something urgent this afternoon?" Edward snapped his fingers as he remembered and pulled out the dark brown-covered Groselle's Travels. "Do you know Ancient Feysac? I borrowed this book from Vice Admiral Iceberg. It's got some mystical properties. I'm thinking I could use [Silverfish] to draw out mystical powers from it—if I can read what's written inside." "Ancient Feysac?" Audrey took the book and flipped through it. Her green eyes widened slightly in surprise. "I...can only recognise a handful of words. After all, I rarely get the chance to interact with this language. Rituals and incantations don't really use it either." "Huh?" Edward was momentarily dumbfounded. Audrey didn't know Ancient Feysac? Then what on earth was that divination result about? "But we can learn it together." She beamed. "Before, it was always you studying your stuff and me studying mine. Now that we've finally come across something neither of us knows, it's the perfect chance to study together, don't you think so?" With that, she stood up with excitement. "Let's go to my place. I have a collection of Ancient Feysac textbooks." "Sure." Studying Ancient Feysac with the Most Dazzling Gem of Backlund? Edward had absolutely no complaints. He glanced at Lilith, who was sprawled out on the bed dozing, and asked, "Lilith, want to come along?" She opened her eyes and yawned. "Nope. Miss Lilith needs her beauty sleep. I'll go mouse hunting later." "Alright. Be careful out there." "Got it~" She flicked her tail, looking a little annoyed. A few minutes later, the two of them used the Vanishing Cabinet to travel to Audrey's suitcase. Suddenly, Lilith's eyes shot wide open. She sprang to her feet, leapt into the pouch, and—with both mouth and paws—dragged out a book. It was a beginner's picture book Edward had specially prepared for her last time. She placed it on the table, took a deep breath, and carefully flipped it to the first page with her paw. "Miss Lilith...is the smartest!" ——— As it turned out, when it came to studying—never mind doing it with a beautiful girl—even doing it with God wouldn't make it any more enjoyable. Unless, of course, you were pretending to study while secretly trying to do something else entirely. But Edward was genuinely eager to learn Ancient Feysac as quickly as possible. The problem was—it was just too damn hard! After three or four hours, the two of them were still stuck memorising those intricate, convoluted words. At this pace, how could they possibly learn it by tomorrow? If that's the case…then how was he supposed to master Ancient Feysac? Don't tell me the God of Wisdom is going to cram the knowledge into my head in the middle of the night? The unknown was truly the most terrifying thing. Next time…I'm never doing something this reckless again. By two or three in the morning, their brains were completely fried. Audrey gave up first and returned to her villa room to rest. Before going up, Audrey gave Edward a helpless glance and silently muttered to herself: This dummy actually spent most of the night studying Ancient Feysac with me... She suddenly remembered a joke she'd once heard from her second brother about Lenburg: A boy and a girl who got along extremely well were studying at Lenburg. One day, the boy mysteriously told the girl, "I have something to tell you tonight." The girl was stunned, thinking he was about to confess. She spent the whole day anxiously waiting. That night, the boy showed up with a thick notebook, and with great pride, showed her the solution he'd worked out to a famous math problem. Edward managed to push himself for another half hour before finally returning to the inn—at which point he couldn't even look at a single letter anymore. He washed up quickly and threw himself into bed. Right then, he just wanted Ancient Feysac to go die. And yet, right until the moment he fell asleep, his mind was still filled with those messy letters and words. Knock, knock, knock. He didn't know how long he'd been asleep when he suddenly heard a slow, rhythmic knock at the door. Startled, he sat up in bed. I just fell asleep and someone's knocking? No, something's off. Who would be knocking at this hour? Then it hit him—he was in a dream. Could it be that something had happened nearby, and a Nighthawks was entering people's dreams one by one to investigate? "Come in." The doorknob slowly turned. The door creaked open, and a familiar figure stepped inside. It was a beautiful woman with long chestnut hair parted in the middle, tied into a simple yet elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing the same beige coat and knee-length skirt as before, holding a thick book in her arms. It was Edwina. "Uh, Miss Edwina, is there something you need?" Edwina nodded. "I heard from Danitz that you're in a hurry to learn Ancient Feysac?" "Well…I mean, not that much in a hurry…" A bad feeling crept over him. "I can teach you." She walked forward and opened the thick book in her hands. "I've entered your dream using a special ritual. Time here flows much slower than in the real world. As long as you're not too dumb…well, you should be able to reach a basic level of proficiency." With a wave of her hand, a chalkboard appeared out of thin air. She picked up a piece of chalk and began writing the letters of the Ancient Feysac alphabet. "We'll start with the letters." NOO!!! That was Edward's truest, innermost reaction. In that moment, he finally realised exactly how he was going to learn Ancient Feysac. He forced a smile more pitiful than crying. "…Thank you for your trouble." You reap what you sow. ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.