Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 771 Take the initiative
After a major disaster caused by a Beyonder occurred in Kukwa City in the northern state of West Balam, the relevant report was quickly transmitted to the northern continent via telegram, and was sorted and placed on the desk of Archbishop Anthony. The head of the diocese had already learned part of the circumstances of Ince Zangwill's death.

But Anthony still has too many questions about the cause of death of the rebellious archbishop and those who "retaliated" against him.

"The telegram only mentioned that several members of the Nighthawks took the lead in the revenge against Ince Zangwill, but it did not describe the specific process. Who did it?"

Anthony asked in a low voice while fiddling with the papers on the table.

"Two Night Watchmen who went to the southern continent to search for the whereabouts of the Spiritual Cult participated in the operation. They are Leonard Mitchell and Daly Simone. I think you should know them both," Cecima replied erratically. "The three main participants are Klein Moretti, Angel Granger, and Dunn Smith."

After hearing the last three names, Anthony's breathing paused for a moment, and the shadow between his brows became more obvious:

"The three victims of the Tingen Incident?"

His eyes swept across Cecima's face, and his tone turned to doubt:
"You don't seem surprised, Krestel."

"Because they didn't actually die in early September last year. Dunn Smith and Angel Granger were rescued by Ms. Arianna who arrived and joined a secret force responsible for tracking down Ince Zangwill and '0-08'." At this point, Krestel Cecima's face looked a little strange. "Only Klein Moretti, he was truly dead and fell asleep at the funeral attended by his teammates... The Holy See ordered that this be kept strictly confidential and not to be disclosed to anyone other than the archbishop and senior deacon, and not to investigate the matter at will."

Seeing that Anthony's expression had become as strange as his own, Cecima added two more sentences:
"What I can say is that Klein Moretti was involved in the break-in at the Chanis Gate of St. Samuel Church last month. Also, Angel Granger is the 'Shadow of the Goddess'."

Archbishop Anthony's eyes widened slightly, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Why did "German Sparrow" who broke into the Chanis Gate disappear for no reason, and then reappeared on the sea, accompanied by the "Death Archon" and the "Golden Queen"; why did the violent sea change afterwards, and "0-17" left the seal on its own; why did "Goddess Shadow" obtain the extraordinary characteristics of Pierce Turner who went to Para Island to complete the promotion ceremony...

"I see..." He let out a long sigh, his eyes flickering as he changed the subject, "What did Ince Zangwill 'say' after his death?"

"Ilia rushed to the scene afterwards and learned a lot of things from the remaining spirit of Ince Zangwill that we didn't know before, such as his mental state after failing to be promoted, being used by the Sealed Object and defecting, and the details of his cooperation with the Witch Cult, the Aurora Society, and the royal family." Sesima folded her hands on her raised thighs and answered in a calm tone.

"Any clues about the big smog?"

"There are only indirect clues. Ilia said that Zangwill's spirit body is already in tatters. This is partly because he entered the incomplete form of a mythical creature before his death, but more likely due to some kind of ability to keep secrets or contracts. He only remembered a ruin located on the outskirts of Backlund, which was guarded by members of the royal family. It seemed that some large-scale sacrificial preparations were being made, but he only entered it a few times under the guidance of the other party and did not know the specific location... This is why I came to Backlund."

Anthony frowned, and he recalled the ruins he found when he led his team to the eastern suburbs after the heavy smog, as well as the fruitless search. The feeling of only being able to smell the other party but not seeing any human figures made him very uncomfortable.

After a moment, he nodded slightly and said:

"I hope this search will yield some results. I will provide several teams of members, including the Soest team that is about to return to Backlund to rest, to help you. Mitchell and Simone are also among them. Is that okay?"

Cecima chuckled and replied:
"I just need to meet them. What they know is beyond their authority. Maybe they need to move to another place... By the way, Dunn Smith will also return with the team. He will temporarily belong to the Backlund Diocese as a resident senior deacon, codenamed 'Heart of the Goddess'."

Heart of the Goddess... Anthony repeated this nickname, as if he was thinking of a certain sealed object, and his eyes became somewhat deep.

Then he saw Cecima pick up the silver metal box beside her and remove the seal, allowing the deep darkness that could attract candlelight to fill the entire office, but a hint of chill gradually emerged from it, like the cold wind of late winter blowing into the warm room through the gaps in the doors and windows.

Cecima fiddled in the box for a while and took out a palm-sized wooden box. The surface of the box was pure black, almost blending in with the current environment, but it inexplicably attracted Anthony's attention, making him want to keep it for himself.

This is not right... Anthony, as a saint, quickly discovered the problem, collected his thoughts, and moved his gaze to Cecima with difficulty, and asked thoughtfully:

"After disassembling '1-63', what extraordinary properties will be given to 'Shadow of the Goddess'?"

"Yes. Before that, I'd like to trouble you to keep it behind the Chanis Gate. It cannot be stored with activated seals, as this will arouse their violent desires. Two or more members are required to inspect it together, otherwise someone will secretly take it out of the Chanis Gate and take it for themselves. Well, the same applies to women."

After handing the wooden box containing the extraordinary characteristics of the "Immortal" Witch to the other party, Cecima looked at it reluctantly.

————On Sunday afternoon, Angel took a carriage to Earl Hall's house in Queens.

Since today's event was just a small salon for psychology enthusiasts, she didn't dress too formally. She only wore a popular summer dress and shawl, revealing half of her white calves.

Even though she didn't deliberately spread the charm of a "witch", this bright color attracted the attention of almost everyone present, including more than half of the women. Even the organizer of the salon, Audrey Hall, came over with shining eyes and gave her an intimate hug.

"You're almost overshadowing me..."

She said softly, blinking her eyes slightly to indicate that it was just a good joke, and gently squeezed Angel's palm with her right hand.

This was a secret signal between the two of them, indicating that there were members of the "Psychological Alchemy Society" present.

While Audrey introduced her to the other people present, Angel also carefully observed these guests, some of whom were truly interested in psychology, some just came to kill time, or some wanted to get close to Earl Hall's daughter, and soon found the hidden "audience" among them.

Stephen Hampres, a furniture merchant, had an encounter with the Baron during the hypnosis of Sindras. He was a Beyonder of the Audience Path, and behind him was the Manipulator Hvin Rambis... Angel recalled this information in his mind, took the initiative to step forward without changing his expression, and accepted his gentleman's greeting.

"You must be Miss Christine Theresa, who has been fascinated by the entire Backlund recently. Now I understand why even Baron Sinderas can't forget the short time he spent with you."

Hampres has a neatly trimmed mustache and elegant and charming dark brown eyes. He looks more like a university professor than a furniture businessman, and his tone is soothing and layered.

Angel chuckled as he spoke, his eyes revealing his interest in this gentleman who had just turned thirty, but he politely kept his distance, making himself consistent with the recent rumors while not being too distant and arousing the suspicion of this "audience".

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Angel joined several aristocratic ladies she had known before and entered the salon for a pleasant gossip session. She noticed from the corner of her eye that Audrey and Hampres had left the hall through the side door one after another and were not sure where they were going.

I hope that the previous arrangements are perfect and everything will go smoothly... Angel thought secretly, and heard a lady next to him who was nearly 30 years old and still unmarried asked teasingly:
"Christine, I heard that you are very interested in the businessman who recently came to Backlund from Disi?"

"I heard he is over 40 years old." The other lady's eyes were a little dull, obviously she couldn't believe that the beautiful Miss Theresa would fall in love with a middle-aged man who was more than twice her age.

"Not only that, the last time he attended my father's dinner, he went to the bathroom four times in a row. Maybe his body..." A young girl covered her mouth, her face flushed, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Why are the rumors getting more and more outrageous? At least I can confirm that there is nothing wrong with his health. Well, for now... Angel reluctantly withdrew his gaze, ready to correct the image of Dwayne Dantès in everyone's mind.

----

A reception room in the side hall.

Audrey, feeling a little nervous, sat upright on the sofa. Next to her lay Susie, a big golden retriever who seemed a little bored and kept shaking her head.

A moment later, Stephen Hampres entered the room under the guidance of the maid. The door was not locked and there was a small gap, which prevented ordinary conversations from being heard and prevented something harmful to Audrey from happening in the room.

Hampres, who was wearing a gray tuxedo, sat down casually opposite Audrey, looking at the door, then at Susie at his feet, and finally stopped at her emerald eyes like gemstones.

"Audrey, report your findings."

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and his tone was as normal as if he was discussing academic issues, but what he said were cold orders.

coming!

Audrey's expression became a little stiff, and her eyes looked straight at Hampres, but she was shouting with joy in her heart.

This is exactly consistent with her inference!
(End of this chapter)