"It seems everything is fine."
Returning to the office, Lorne saw the gemstone sitting on the desk at a glance.
"Whew—" He let out a long sigh, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He slumped into the wide high-backed chair and closed his eyes.
After a while, as if suddenly remembering something, he called out toward the seemingly empty room in a voice that wasn't loud but was clear enough: "Teacher Sharon, are you there?"
About two or three seconds later, a slightly ethereal voice came from behind him.
"I am here."
Lorne opened his eyes and turned his head. A figure outlined itself in the air; Miss Sharon, wearing a complex Gothic court dress and an exquisite small soft hat, floated noiselessly in mid-air, her ice-blue eyes quietly watching him.
Looking at this familiar attire, Lorne felt an inexplicable sense of comfort.
"I'm more used to this—" he mumbled under his breath.
Sharon's cold expression and aloof temperament, paired with Hazel's slightly immature and bratty face, was simply too jarring.
"It seems you didn't run into any trouble." Lorne activated his Spirit Vision and scanned Sharon. Her spirituality reaction was relatively peaceful, with no signs of injury.
"I didn't encounter anyone on the way back," Sharon's tone was as cold as ever.
"Didn't run into the royal bodyguards?"
"There were a few around the perimeter of the ball, but they didn't notice me," Sharon recalled for a moment before adding.
"However, on the way back, I discovered some people suspected to be from MI9—"
"Are they searching for someone?" Lorne asked.
"From their movement patterns, yes," Sharon confirmed. "What happened?"
Lorne gave a brief account of what had happened later that night.
"I hope no more trouble burns its way to me," he rubbed his brow. "My spiritual intuition didn't have much of a reaction, but it seems it hasn't been as sensitive lately."
"Right." Sharon stared at Lorne's face, looked closely for a few moments, and suddenly spoke, "Do you have time now?"
"Time? I should. The ball is over, and I have no other urgent matters for the time being," Lorne replied.
"Good then," Sharon's tone seemed to rise imperceptibly by a fraction, "It's teaching time now."
"Teaching time—?" Lorne didn't react for a moment.
"Yes, teaching time." As she spoke, Sharon produced a very old-looking book bound in thick parchment from behind her.
"This is the 'Book of Secrets,' and it is our teaching material for today."
"Wait—" Lorne waved his hand, "How did we suddenly get onto this?"
"I feel that, as a teacher, it is necessary to fulfill the corresponding obligations," Sharon said solemnly, her pale face showing not a hint of a joke. "Your lessons have been delayed for too long."
Meeting Sharon's exceptionally serious ice-blue eyes, Lorne suddenly felt a bit strange. This sudden, non-negotiable teaching enthusiasm—
Why did it suddenly feel like a déjà vu of the Captain!
Sigh—fine—He sighed somewhat helplessly. It seemed that by calling her 'Teacher Sharon' every day, he had truly given her some strange sense of responsibility.
However, this was indeed a rare moment of free time.
"Then I'll trouble you, Teacher Sharon~"
Wait—why did he suddenly get a strange feeling—Lorne suddenly realized some awkward points.
Nighttime, a young teacher, midnight lessons—
And Sharon was the cold, aloof type. —Hiss—
Adding these elements together, he felt an ominous déjà vu that things were developing in a strange direction.
"What we worship is the Moon, not the Evernight Goddess—"
Lorne moved the heavy 'Book of Secrets' away from his eyes and looked at Sharon floating in mid-air. Being stared at by a teacher with such a scrutinizing gaze made him feel his learning efficiency had actually dropped quite a bit.
"By the way, Teacher Sharon," he looked up curiously, "what exactly did you do before? The Rose School of Thought—surely they don't teach dance and noble etiquette?"
Sharon was not only powerful in combat, but she could also perfectly blend into high-society balls when necessary. Both her dance moves and etiquette were impeccable, which was clearly not a quality an ordinary Beyonder would possess.
"I—" Hearing this, Sharon showed a rare moment of hesitation. Her lips parted slightly as if she were lost in some memory or internal struggle, but in the end, she said nothing.
After a few seconds of silence, she looked at Lorne, her ethereal voice carrying an indescribable meaning: "When you tell me about your past, I will tell you about mine."
"My past—" Lorne met her gaze. Eventually, he pulled the corners of his mouth into a slightly bitter smile.
Transmigration—
Watching Lorne's expression instantly turn dejected, Sharon spoke again, her voice still cold, but she threw out a question that caught Lorne off guard: "For example—who exactly is 'the Captain'?"
The Captain?! Lorne snapped back to his senses in surprise.
You want to know about Edwina that much? Is it because her character archetype overlaps with yours!?
He withdrew his gaze somewhat awkwardly and refocused his attention on the book. Inadvertently, he glimpsed a certain honorific name on the page that made him feel a bit apprehensive.
"The unique Red Moon, the symbol of life and beauty, the Mother of all spiritual power—"
Minsk Street.
"The harvest this time is quite substantial. After handing over the required portion, I can still intercept a lot for myself."
Irin returned here, bathed in the night. She was in a quite good mood today; she had easily skimmed quite a bit of profit from a minor noble who was her mission target.
—
"There's also the reward from above and a Mystical Item."
"The Society is much more straightforward than the Church; they don't force me to parade around in front of those fat old councilors either."
Thinking of this, she suddenly sighed again.
"When will this damn infiltration mission ever end?"
C
"Sigh—"
"The most critical thing now is to accumulate merit."
Through her investigations, she heard that The Society had a special Talisman only provided to members with outstanding merit. It was said to be able to remove all abnormal statuses from oneself, including curses. If she could obtain it, she might be able to escape her current destiny and gain true freedom.
"Fortunately, the Church hasn't assigned me any other tasks yet—"
She sighed softly again, pushing these untimely thoughts to the back of her mind.
"I wonder if that Great Detective is back yet."
"Said he was going to a ball, but didn't take me along."
"What an uninteresting man~" She spoke in a coquettish tone, as if she really were just an ordinary woman waiting for her companion's return.
But after taking only a few steps, her pace suddenly halted. Her spiritual intuition had been slightly triggered.
"Someone is nearby?"
"And it's a—kindred spirit—"
A bad premonition suddenly surged in Irin's heart. She suddenly felt that her currently peaceful life was about to be shattered.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Carter. I am quite satisfied with this house."
Wearing a decent suit and a silk top hat, Lorne greeted a distinguished-looking old Gentleman with a smile.
"I am also pleased to meet you, Mr. Scott. I didn't expect that it would be you, the 'hero of the east district,' who wanted to buy my house." Miller Carter also gave a polite smile.
"It's just an empty title," Lorne said modestly.
After two days of calm, Lorne received word from Lawyer Jurgen that a meeting could be arranged between him and the Gentleman selling the house.
Considering that owning a decent property was indeed relevant to his future social life and business, and since nothing had happened in the past two days, Lorne accepted the arrangement. He met with the owner of the house, Mr. Miller Carter from Jianhai County, and toured the property currently listed for sale on Williams Street.
"Two thousand pounds. Mr. Scott, for just two thousand pounds, this house is yours," Mr. Carter said in a businesslike tone. "This is an absolute steal! I spent nearly five thousand pounds when I first bought it. Moreover, I can include all these construction materials I prepared for the house's renovation as part of the deal."
"Two thousand pounds—" Lorne calculated the figure in his mind.
The house had two floors and a fairly large garden. As it was previously the property of a Viscount, it was quite old. However, because it was a noble's house, the overall layout was very sophisticated, and the materials used were high-grade. Even after all these years, the main structure remained very solid.
However, to live comfortably, some modern renovations were essential. At the very least, gas and water pipes would need to be re-laid.
"If the main purpose is to receive guests and maintain appearances—perhaps a full renovation isn't necessary. Just a high-end finish for the foyer, living room, banquet hall, and study on the first floor will do. Oh, and the bathroom must be decorated luxuriously, that's important—" Lorne didn't have many requirements for his own living quarters, so his own room and such could just have a simple renovation.
"It's mainly the reserved guest rooms and those idle bedrooms that need investment—with these free materials included, I estimate the initial renovation can be done with another thousand pounds or so."
"I still have some cash, and if worse comes to worst, I can ask Sharon to help sell off some unneeded Beyonder materials—"
All things considered, two thousand pounds was indeed a very reasonable price. Although Mr. Carter acted as if he didn't care on the surface, Lorne could still sense his reluctance and pain from the slight twitching of his eyes when he mentioned the figure.
For a successful businessman to make such an obviously losing deal just to recoup some cash, one could imagine how severe this financial crisis actually was.
After asking a few more casual questions about the house's structure, title, and neighbors, and receiving satisfactory answers, Lorne pondered for less than a minute before nodding.
"I am quite satisfied with this house. I believe we have a deal." Lorne extended his hand to the other party.
"A wise choice!" Miller Carter shook Lorne's hand firmly, appearing to breathe a sigh of relief, yet also seeming even more dejected.
"Then please, Lawyer Jurgen, help us draft the contract."
After signing the transfer contract, Lorne stood once again before the residence that now belonged to him. Although it was still in a semi-constructed state, one could still see its former glory, possessing a special kind of beauty.
Furthermore, he had a premonition that this house might bring him some—unique surprises.