Hearing the old man's vague and ambiguous words, Leonard originally wanted to press him with a few more questions, but at this moment, Cindy—who had long wine-red hair—walked in carrying a set of exquisitely made clothes and said with a hint of excitement:
"Leonard, we got an invitation to the 'Twilight Day Festival' through MI9's intelligence station in Feysac…
"The captain's idea is for the two of us to blend in. After locating the target, we'll use the Sealed Artifact '2-098' to mark him so it'll be easier to make a move at night…"
Leonard subconsciously accepted the formal attire, then asked in confusion, "Why the two of us?"
"Of course it's because our appearance doesn't easily arouse suspicion… if it were someone like Captain Soest, people would know there was a problem at first glance…" While Cindy was speaking, she failed to notice that a figure holding a black cane inlaid with gold had already appeared at the doorway.
That person was none other than Captain Soest himself. Seeing Cindy getting more and more outrageous, he couldn't help coughing and said, "Ahem… what problem do I have?"
Cindy froze on the spot. She turned her head to look at her captain, then looked at Leonard and accused him, "You didn't even remind me…"
You spoke too fast—I couldn't get a word in at all… Leonard muttered inwardly, but he didn't dare say it out loud.
"It seems you're both in pretty good condition, not nervous at all… that's good. Within Feysac territory, you need to maintain this kind of outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense mindset." Soest adjusted his flamboyant top hat and reminded them, "Pay attention to safety. If anything goes wrong, retreat immediately. I'll lead the other team members to provide support outside the hotel."
Cindy and Leonard both put away their smiles and replied solemnly, "Yes, Captain!"
…
Indo Harbor, inside a small inn in the dock district.
With dark-gold hair, deep blue eyes, a high nose bridge, and one blind eye, Ince Zangwill stood in front of the mirror, carefully applying makeup.
Speaking of which, he had learned this skill from "Despair Nightingale" Pannatia. Unfortunately, she had disappeared after the great smog incident.
As for why Ince Zangwill was putting on makeup, it was naturally to attend the "Twilight Day Festival," or rather, the "Twilight Celebration," being held at the Pitt Grand Hotel in Indo Harbor.
The angelic evil spirit within him wanted to obtain a sword from the Sauron family that was being exhibited in the hotel. He needed to scout the place in advance to make it easier to steal it at night.
However, just as Ince concealed his single eye and hair color through makeup, the evil spirit within him suddenly spoke:
"You're going to the celebration like this? That invitation 'Gluttony' Osmond gave you allows two people to attend together!
"You don't even have a female companion—surely that will attract attention."
Ince Zangwill's expression stiffened upon hearing this. He took a deep breath and ignored the evil spirit's "provocation." Given his current circumstances, how could he possibly find a trustworthy female companion?
"I'm just saying—you could directly use that pen to logically 'arrange' one. That's still better than having none at all.
"Don't tell me your brain is empty and you can't even write a logically coherent 'story'?" The "evil spirit" clearly had no intention of letting it go and continued chattering.
"Shut up!" Ince finally couldn't hold back and barked a reprimand. Then, with a gloomy expression, he thought it over and felt that the "evil spirit" wasn't entirely wrong. On top of that, he absolutely couldn't stand being told he was "incapable." Provoked into wanting to prove himself, he returned to the desk, picked up the "feather pen," and wrote in his notebook:
"When arriving at the Pitt Grand Hotel by carriage, Ince Zangwill will coincidentally encounter a low-key noble lady. The two will hit it off at first sight, and she will proactively invite him to be her male companion…"
Looking at what he had written, the "evil spirit" of the Sauron family sneered inwardly but said nothing more. Instead, through a concealed channel, it transmitted the information to "Gluttony" Osmond… without letting Ince notice.
—Back when it helped "Gluttony" rid himself of that kind of "contamination," this "evil spirit" of the Sauron family had secretly established contact with Osmond, serving as a hidden backup plan.
After receiving this message, Osmond also wore a mocking expression. He then conducted a ritual, summoned a "messenger," and handed over a freshly written letter.
"'0'-grade Sealed Artifacts aren't so easy to seize. Ince Zangwill must have backup preparations. Better follow the original plan and let 'Lust,' 'Greed,' and 'Sloth' help me block the danger first…
"Heh, when faced with the possibility of advancement, 'Sloth' might remain indifferent, but 'Greed' definitely won't be able to restrain the desire in her heart.
"And once 'Greed' moves, 'Lust,' who covets her, will very likely intervene as well…
"Two or even three demigods should be enough to exhaust all of Ince Zangwill's preparations!
"When that time comes, I'll step in to clean up. Not only can I obtain that Sealed Artifact, I might even gain some unexpected rewards… according to my sensing, the bloodline sources of both 'Greed' and 'Sloth' are extremely powerful, extremely ancient…"
As "Gluttony" Osmond pondered, saliva unconsciously dripped from the corner of his mouth.
…
Indo Harbor, inside a private club in the southern district.
Anderson disdainfully sized up Danitz and raised an eyebrow.
"With an outfit like that, you want to sneak into the Pitt Grand Hotel?
"No one would even believe you're a janitor!"
Before Danitz could respond, he ran his fingers through his short hair and continued to himself:
"Your appearance is passable. With a bit of grooming, you could look decent… but your behavior is far too crude. Those service staff would spot the difference between you and the others at a glance. There's no way you could blend in!"
Hearing this, Danitz was extremely unconvinced, but he also knew the other party was right. In the end, he deflated and said, "Then what should I do?"
Anderson immediately curled his lips into a bright smile.
"Tell me—why exactly do you insist on sneaking into the Pitt Grand Hotel today? I guarantee I won't tell anyone.
"Besides, it's already too late for you to train your manners. Why don't I go in on your behalf instead…"
At this, Danitz couldn't help mocking him, "You? You're not any better than me!"
"You're absolutely right," Anderson replied with a smile completely free of gloom. "You know, your captain and I were classmates, and her grades in etiquette were even worse than mine!"
That means the captain's etiquette is worse than mine? Danitz froze for a moment, then realized he had been led around in circles by Anderson. Annoyed, he said, "I'm not in the mood for jokes right now!"
"I'm not joking… I really put in a lot of effort in etiquette class," Anderson said seriously. "Because I believe that elegant and understated 'mockery' is the highest realm of mockery."
"Really?" Considering Anderson's talent for infuriating people, Danitz actually started to believe him.
"Of course it's real. If you don't believe me, go ask your captain!" Anderson smiled, then suddenly changed the topic and asked again, "So, can you tell me what you want to do now?"
"It's… an heirloom of the Edwards family that was lost when the Gustav Dynasty collapsed and later fell into the hands of the Feysac royal family…
"That item isn't worth much, but it should be very important to the captain… and I heard it'll be exhibited during the 'Twilight Celebration,' so…"
Before Danitz could finish, Anderson already understood and smiled as he took over:
"So you want to steal it to please your captain?"
"Yes!" After voicing his true thoughts, Danitz let out a breath of relief, but then immediately became dejected again. "But saying all this is useless… just like you said, there's no way I can get in."
"Then don't sneak in—walk in openly!" Anderson raised his eyebrows and said.
Danitz stared at him blankly, his face filled with a are you crazy expression.
Even if Anderson was fairly strong, forcibly barging into the Twilight Day Celebration would likely draw the intervention of demigods.
"Take a look at this." Anderson smiled and produced a finely made invitation.
"This… where did you get an invitation?" Danitz asked in disbelief.
"That's none of your concern…" Anderson chuckled a few times, then once again sized Danitz up from top to bottom.
Danitz felt his skin crawl under that gaze and couldn't help asking, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"The invitation's accompanying guest can only be a female companion… if you want to get in… you know what I mean, right?" Anderson said maliciously. "Mm, I just happen to have a one-time item that can change appearances."
Danitz instantly understood and raised his voice, "Bullshit! Absolutely impossible!"
"Are you sure?" Anderson shook the invitation in his hand. "If you miss this chance, it'll be very hard to get another opportunity to please your captain, you know?
"And didn't I hear you say before that your captain is always waiting for someone's letters? That's not a good sign!"
Hearing this, Danitz opened his mouth, then closed it again without saying anything.
His gaze drifted for a few seconds before finally settling back on Anderson's infuriating face. Gritting his teeth, he said:
"I… I agree! Let's do it!"
"Bullshit!" he immediately cursed himself in a low voice.
"No rush… there's still some time… first we need to buy you a suitable outfit…"
…
(End of the chapter)