Walk through the structure of the Ark and wander on the continent of Terra

……

Time soon came to the afternoon of the second day as agreed, and sure enough, a black high-end car appeared near her residence. Soon, the lord's guards knocked on the door of her guest room.

"Miss Selina, we are here to pick you up as agreed."

Alpha took his flute and followed the two guards out of the room.When walking to the door, the proprietress of the hotel happened to see this scene. She called Alpha and asked if he wanted to stay overnight. Alpha nodded in affirmation and left money for a few more days of stay. Before leaving, Alpha noticed that the landlady gave him a worried look. Apparently, in her opinion, being asked to leave by the lord's people was not a good thing.

Sitting in the back seat of the car, Alpha watched the vehicle pass through urban areas one after another, and finally left the townhouses on the edge of the city, passed through a forest that separated the urban areas, and a gorgeously decorated manor appeared in front of him.

"Miss Selina, we have arrived at the residence of Earl Rustin. Please be careful about your behavior here. There are many noble people visiting today's dinner." When he opened the car door for her, the guard said softly to her.

"I understand." Alpha raised his head and glanced at the count's mansion in front of him. From the appearance, the current ruler of Yansk on the Devon River likes to pursue some relatively exaggerated artistic styles. There are gems dotted above each column. Carvings, there are also exquisite reliefs at appropriate locations on the walls.I don’t know if it’s to show my strong financial resources, or if I want to create a persona that loves art.

There were still a few hours before the banquet started. When Alpha entered the count's mansion, a man who looked like a butler came up to her and said what she had heard more than a hundred times in this city, "This city has already It’s been a long time since a bard came here, and Miss Selina’s arrival really adds to the splendor of this place.”

Then the housekeeper asked if she needed makeup, clothing, and other items such as musical instruments, but Alpha declined. Selena didn't need those useless makeup, she was the most dazzling stage artist, a The flute is also good enough to play her music.

The butler understood what she meant and did not raise any objection. He just gave some instructions for participating in the noble banquet, such as paying attention to etiquette and not overstepping. The butler also said something ugly about her current status. She is a foreign bard. She was invited for some historical reasons. Don't expect to be a distinguished guest here.

Alpha didn't take it seriously. She had enough experience to appreciate both refined and popular tastes, and she also had enough knowledge to handle this kind of aristocratic banquet, which was not considered top-notch. Walking in the banquet hall being prepared, Alpha was going to have a simple meeting with the count's private band who was responsible for the main performance. exchange, the first piece she composed for the city was completed and ready to be given to them as a gift.

As a bard, she came here to support the earl. Naturally, she wanted to show off her abilities, but at the same time, there was no need to dominate. Her main purpose of coming here was, firstly, to take the opportunity to investigate the land in depth, and secondly, It’s about participating in networking and seeing if you can get in touch with valuable people.For example, the noble girl who has more than one month left to live.

57.The banks of Devon are quiet part.13

[The attack in Longmen is currently characterized as a hired and premeditated terrorist attack. On the surface, the related companies involved have been sealed by the Longmen Guards Bureau, but I can be sure that the few small businesses that were pushed out are just one. Scapegoat, on the cusp of the current crisis, it is very risky to continue to dig deeper.We have effectively responded to the other party's actions on the surface with no casualties. I hope to make plans for the next in-depth investigation after you come back. 】

Before the banquet started, Alpha received a communication from Kelsey. Alpha agreed with the results she gave. The fact that the other party chose to use dirty tricks to attack directly proved that they were already impatient.The attack method did not cause any substantial impact, and it even severely swollen the opponent's face.Don't pursue the criminals when they are poor. It is indeed a good choice to wait for a period of time after the other party feels that they will not pursue the case here, and then conduct an in-depth investigation in the dark.

"After all, I'm not someone who swallows my anger. If I didn't take revenge on the spot, I will definitely take revenge next time."

……

In the evening, the upper-class people who were invited to the banquet arrived at the Earl's official residence one after another. Alpha, who stayed in an inconspicuous corner, watched these well-dressed guys walk into the hall with arrogance. The Earl's band musicians A soothing tune was already playing, and the guests were already talking in small groups before the count appeared.This kind of dinner is just like that. It essentially provides a platform for the so-called upper class people to network and communicate common interests.

The butler arranged the music provided by Alpha to open the banquet. He and the musicians in the band seemed to be very satisfied with Alpha's music.

But it’s not time to start yet, so Alpha can continue to watch what happens in this luxurious hall with a cold eye.As the number of guests increased, the whispers between people became noisier. The communication within each small group was very low-key, but Alpha could hear it clearly.

In just such a short moment, Alpha heard something that interested her, a man wearing the uniform of a Lord Guard officer, and several men in suits discussing in a low voice some of the pronouns and slang they used. , it sounds like human trafficking is going on.Worth checking, Alpha thought, and cast her gaze on the officer. She blinked, her eyes filled with a brilliance that could not be detected by outsiders, and she gave the other person the gaze of a higher-dimensional creature.

Without stopping, she prepared to use a high-dimensional perspective to directly observe the entire block, but before she could expand her field of vision, a richly dressed nobleman came to her.

"This beautiful lady, on such a night worthy of celebration and fun, I, Alexey Ulriv Rustin, am really sorry to leave you alone in a deserted corner. I feel sorry for you. I heard that you, who is both beautiful and talented, are the first bard to visit our small town in more than 30 years. I wonder if I will be lucky enough to be the first to invite you to dance with me when the opening song ends? "

"It is a great honor, my dear Mr. Guardian, to call me Selena." Alexei means "guardian" in both Russian and Ursus. Alpha grasped this and made it etiquette. But he responded to the man in front of him without losing emotion, and at the same time analyzed him from beginning to end.

On such an occasion, being able to call himself by the count's surname is definitely an unusual identity, but he has not been seen in public information.

Judging from his behavior and changes in physical strain, he had military experience, and his genetic material was not related to the woman who went to Rhode Island for medical treatment.But judging from his attire and decorations, he now has a title. Considering that he came from the direction of the Earl's residence, the probability of being an insider of the Earl's residence is very high... Alpha felt that things were getting interesting.

Could he be the youngest son of the old marquis? Because of some collusion of interests, the joint count killed the old guy in his family and then took over the other party's name?

Alpha felt that this guess was possible, and she found some evidence.

First of all, this guy has kidney failure, and he is obviously immersed in Yingyan Shengge every day; secondly, he seems to be very well maintained, tall and strong, but he wears dentures and has symptoms of mild fatty liver.Based on his physical condition, he had had sex with people of different surnames at least three times in the past 24 hours, and had eaten desserts containing one kilogram of sugar, as well as a large amount of low-alcohol alcoholic beverages.Due to the limitation of the scale of stable agricultural production areas, Terra's sugar industry is not very developed. A large amount of sugar and high-end wines are definitely luxury consumption.

His body was not out of shape, partly because of the strong physical fitness of the Terran people, and partly because of the work and rest habits and physical training he had developed during his military career.

To be able to eat and drink so much, sing and dance, and still have time and experience to maintain training, he must be an idle person who does not need to participate in any labor, and has a lot of funds. Such a dandy, still in Yansk on the Devon River, surnamed Lars Ting - There was no one named Rustin on the guest list.

This young man acted very frivolously. He had just chatted with Alpha for a few words, and he began to close the distance in a physical sense. He kept looking for opportunities to touch Alpha with his hands, but Alpha calmly avoided them all. opened.Although Alpha doesn't mind teasing a man's feelings, and she doesn't mind taking action when she meets someone she likes (referring to Li Ge and Watanabe), there is something really wrong with the style of the noble man in front of her.

He has not experienced the toughness that a military career should have, and his clothes and makeup make him too feminine. As long as he is handsome, Alpha is not disgusted with either of them, but the sense of inconsistency when they are put together makes her uninterested. .

The other party seems to have noticed Alpha's desire to resist and welcome, so he decided to continue to get closer, trying to demonstrate his status through communication and shorten the distance.

"This banquet was held for my sister-in-law to return home safely. A few days ago, my sister-in-law suffered from a strange disease. She sought medical treatment in the empire to no avail. Fortunately, she was cured at Longmen. My younger sister likes music the most. She is sick. During this period, she always pestered me to play the harmonica for her. Now that she has found a good doctor to restore her health, Yansk on the Devon River has welcomed you, a talented bard. It is really a double happiness. She must be very happy. Here I I’d also like to thank Miss Selina first.”

"Young Master praises me so much. This little girl is very talented and has little knowledge. I am truly honored."

There is no blood relationship, but they are called brother and sister. Things are indeed interesting. However, Alpha always feels that the more he continues to investigate, the more street lamp poles in the city will be insufficient. It is better to learn from France, the old revolutionary area, and use a guillotine.

58.The banks of Devon are quiet part.14

There is nothing worth mentioning about a dinner party in the earldom. It will take time to determine the result of the buried gaze, but now some people are worried.

Alexey woke up from his sleep, or to be precise, he woke up with a start. He had never experienced such a sober state when he just woke up. He opened his eyes in fear and stared at the ceiling above.Even though the beauty was lying on his side not far away, even though the elegant and fresh body fragrance was lingering on his nose, as a dandy who indulged in women, he didn't dare to move at this time, and he didn't even dare to breathe.

He had a dream, not a nightmare in the ordinary sense, but a nightmare that made him tremble from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He didn't even break out of the dream and woke up, but was killed by the constructor of the dream after losing its use value. released by the merciful.The initiator of all this was "Selena" lying on her side not far away with a smile on her face and a playful look on her face.

He only remembered that at the dinner, this beautiful lady accepted his invitation and danced with him for the first time. Then he became fascinated by her. He warmly invited her to visit the Earl's mansion. He took her to his bedroom, and then he fell asleep inexplicably. In a trance, he appeared in an endless corridor filled with bookshelves.

She was right in front of him, looking at him with a smile, so close but beyond his reach.She casually took a book from the bookshelf, flipped through the book, and explained her experiences unknown to outsiders with a smile.

Alexey felt like she was a god who came to judge him. In this dream, he could not hide anything.Under her guidance, Alexey thoroughly analyzed himself from beginning to end, from the last time he could remember wetting the bed to the big quarrel with his brother over inheritance.My own experience in the army, I heard the complicated emotions in my heart when my brother died on the front line in the army, and I felt anxious and helpless when I heard that my father was seriously ill.

"I am unable to compete with Rustin who has already taken control of the situation. After all, I am only the second in line to succeed the old guy who can only maintain superficial harmony with the Grand Duke."

"So you chose to accept a thief as your father?"

"I didn't want to die yet. The only person who was willing to follow me at that time was my childhood friend, my adjutant. I had to make a compromise, accept Rustin as my father, and promise to marry his daughter when she comes of age. He wanted to use this to consolidate his legitimacy, but I could only use this to save my own life, and even betrayed my brother who had followed me through life and death."

"Then, you won't just be a vase to ensure legitimacy for him, right?"

"Even if I want to do something, what can I do?" In the dream, Alexei could only scream and accuse feebly.

"The count's control over you is not strict. You can move freely in the mansion and many places..."

"That happened in the past few years. Because of my performance, the earl finally gave me some basic trust and allowed me to participate in some public affairs of the family. After all, I am about to become her husband..."

"I'm curious about one thing. Do you have any idea about your 'sister', or your future wife's sudden strange illness?"

"I don't know what you mean. My medical knowledge is limited to battlefield first aid..."

"I mean, what did she do and who did she meet before she got sick?"

Alexei thought for a while in the dream. He had already guessed the purpose of the mysterious existence in front of him. He knew that only if he explained this clearly, would he not be thrown away like trash. Fortunately, he I do know something inside.

"Not long before she became ill, she met some infected people privately. I don't know the specific situation, but during that time, an infected person organization calling itself the Integration Movement passed by Rustin's jurisdiction. Originally, the guards were supposed to go and intercept them, but Rustin personally ordered the release. Then a woman who looked like Vaifan came to her, and the two had a secret conversation, the specific content of which I don’t know.”

"As a noble lady, why would she go to meet with infected people?"

"Well, you should know that she accidentally became an infected person due to a fall in the wild more than two years ago. Rustin has always concealed this matter and has never announced it to the public. After becoming an infected person, the pain tormented her. For a long time, although it was later controlled, the crystallization has been aching. She once vowed that becoming a patient with ore disease made her realize the hardship of the people at the bottom, and she wanted to do something for them."

"What did she do?"

"Originally, the local factories did not distribute protective equipment to people, and the working hours were more than sixteen hours a day. She went to talk about these two things. Rustin doted on her very much, so he ordered to reduce the number of workers per day. daily working hours and require factories to distribute minimum protective equipment.”

"Doesn't this sound like a good thing?"

"But these mean costs..." Alexey recalled some things with a frightened expression on his face, "Soon after that, I discovered that Rustin's consultants frequently contacted some large foreign companies. Technology companies, many of which are well-known companies in Colombia. I have no right to observe their meetings, but I am not a fool. I don’t have to guess where the funds that appeared out of thin air to make up for the losses came from..."

"Are you trying to say that the trucks that drive away from the land of the Earl's mansion every week are to deliver goods to them?"

"Otherwise, who else can we give it to? Moreover, our place is only a small place. In addition to wheat and potatoes, we only have crudely refined Originium ingots and steel components. Which of these is something that companies famous for their research on biotechnology and Originium technology need thousands of miles away?" They bought it all the way from here, and they have never invested in any factory here with us.”

"So the only people they transport away are people, is that what you mean, right?"

Alexey nodded, "If you ask for news in the city, you will definitely hear rumors that people disappear every once in a while. Those are not legends, they are all true."

"Has the eldest lady done anything?"

"I don't know. No one has ever mentioned this to me. I found out all about it myself."

"Okay, next question, ore disease is a disease that requires long-term treatment. Who is responsible for her treatment?"

"At first, she relied on the medicine and treatment provided by the local office of the company called Rhode Island. Later, a Colombian doctor came here and served as her personal doctor. After that, her health condition has been maintained by Dr. Jackson is in charge, and I heard that the count hired him with a high salary from a company in Colombia."

……

"Thank you for the valuable information." Alpha stretched out, stretching her graceful figure wantonly in the morning light, but her movements frightened Alexei to tremble. He didn't know that this man with huge power What exactly does the mysterious woman plan to do with herself?

"Don't be afraid, young man, you won't die yet, you are still valuable. After all, this city still needs a count."

Hearing this, Alexey didn't know whether he should be afraid or relax.The actions of Rustin and others clearly touched her insurmountable bottom line, prompting the boss to take action personally...

"Don't be too happy too early. When you suppressed the bandits, you persecuted the infected people, and there are many more people who lost their lives because of your inaction. You still owe a debt, and you will pay it back one day."

"I see……"

"Okay, you're too nervous. Just get some sleep. No one will know what we talked about, and you won't remember it."

59.The banks of Devon are quiet-end

The days after the party were always dull, at least for the Miss Rustin family.She cured the disease and returned to her hometown. Her father's body is strong and she can still enjoy her youth, money and power. Even the ore disease will not change her aloof status.

Moreover, she has given too many benefits to those poor people, and gathered those infected into the mines in the nearby mountains so that they can support themselves through labor without affecting normal people's lives.

The afternoon after the dinner was always so leisurely. Sitting in front of the window sill of her room, after drinking black tea with five sugar cubes added, the young lady of the Rustin family closed her eyes in the comfortable sunshine and prepared to take a nap.

At this moment, footsteps came from behind her, and it sounded like someone stepping barefoot on her favorite solid wood floor.

"Is it Mary?" The little maid responsible for taking care of her is unruly again?She asked nonchalantly.

"Miss, do you still recognize me?" A strange voice appeared behind her.

"Huh? Mary! Who did you let in?" The lady of the Rustin family put away her lazy posture, but she didn't want to look back at the person who came, and just called her servant loudly. , expressing his dissatisfaction.

The footsteps came up lightly but firmly, but no one responded to his call.

"It seems that Miss really doesn't remember me..." The visitor stood behind her and sighed softly, "Even if part of my body is still in your body, am I not worthy of your memory?"

As soon as these words came out, the young lady of the Rustin family seemed to remember something. Her whole body tensed up, and her expensive clothes were wet with cold sweat in an instant.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible, I'm dreaming!" She remembered that voice. She had heard the last miserable cry of this voice that night a few weeks ago in the underground laboratory of the mobile module.

"If you're dead, just die! I don't care if you're a witch from Letania or with Sakaz. If you're dead, just die!" The young lady of the Rustin family roared angrily. , she picked up the elegant aristocratic thin sword placed on the table, turned around, poured out all her knowledge, and thrust out a sword, the brilliance of the Origin Stone skills shining on her blade.

Poof, the rapier penetrated the visitor's chest without any hindrance. In an instant, bright red blood spurted along the wound and splashed on her hands and face.

The visitor lowered his head and glanced at the weapon that pierced his chest. He didn't make any comment. He just raised his head again and looked at the frightened young lady. She slowly raised her hand and covered it with blood that was gushing from her chest. He stroked the eldest lady's face with his hand, "So you hate me so much, no wonder you want to watch me die in front of you."

"Isn't this what you should do!" The eldest lady suddenly broke away from her touch, pulled out the rapier from her chest, and repositioned herself, "Fuck me!" The rapier cut across the neck, but was stuck by the bone. Still, more blood spurted out, but she still refused to dodge and looked at the eldest lady in front of her with a smile.

"I became an infected person. My experience makes me sympathize with you. How many discounts did I get for you dirty things!" She tried to pull out her rapier, but in panic, the sword was wet with blood. The handle was too slippery, and her weapon just slipped out of her hands. It lost its point of focus, and the eldest lady fell to the ground in a panic.

"You don't want to be grateful to me, don't want to repay me, and you still think you are a nobody?"

Suffering two serious injuries that were fatal on the spot, the Ursus girl in front of her still had a warm smile on her face. Her lips opened slightly, and she slowly and firmly spit out a paragraph that would be engraved in the eldest lady's remaining memory. I am asked every moment of my life, "What do you think of life?"

"Bang!" The blood-stained silver-plated rapier was pulled out of the Ursus girl's body and thrown to the ground. The hilt rolled down to the eldest lady's hand, but she failed to muster the courage. Pick it up.