This was a clandestine exhibition.
Whispers drifted through the vast hall like restless ghosts, threaded with the occasional gasp of astonishment. For the nobility, the so-called "mysterious Far East" had always been a distant myth, and now that myth stood half-revealed before them, feeding their curiosity like dry wood to flame.
Lloyd moved slowly through the crowd until he stood before a colossal object of bronze.
It was long—elegantly so, once, perhaps—but time and violence had ravaged it. Whole sections were missing, edges twisted and split, its original form impossible to discern. And yet, even in ruin, something savage lingered in its lines. A brutality of purpose. A presence that pressed against the mind and made the heart uneasy.
"They're saying it might be a weapon."
Celi stepped to his side. Ever perceptive, she had caught fragments of nearby conversations. Not all of the voices belonged to aristocrats—scholarly tones wove through the murmurs as well. Researchers, by the sound of them. Specialists.
"A weapon?" Lloyd echoed.
The thing was enormous. Far too large for any ordinary person to wield. Yet he didn't dismiss the idea. Some beings could have used such a thing.
For example… the Divine Armors of the Old Era.
Yes. That was it.
This was a weapon meant for a Divine Armor. Though Lloyd could no longer identify its original shape, he felt certain of its origin: the Far East—those strange, otherworldly armaments used by the Eastern Divine Armors.
His gaze swept the exhibition hall again. Most artifacts here were easily understood—tools, devices, relics with obvious functions. Only this one radiated that same unsettling wrongness.
Then someone appeared at his side.
Lloyd glanced over, mildly surprised.
"You're hosting this one?"
"Who else would?" came the quiet reply beneath a silver-white mask. "You could call this the Far East's first exchange with us. Even if these items seem insignificant, it still warrants my presence, doesn't it?"
It was Shrike.
"I thought you'd never come back to the Lower District, Lloyd."
"I lived here long enough," Lloyd said lightly. "Can't I come back for a bit of nostalgia?"
His eyes returned to the ruined Divine Armor weapon.
"This isn't just an exhibition, is it? Something this ordinary shouldn't need to be held in secret down here."
If they'd announced it publicly, the mere name of Jiuxia from the Far East would've earned a fortune in ticket sales. Instead, it was hidden in filth and shadow, like some shameful transaction.
"The upper circles are still hesitating," Shrike said. "This is a collision between two civilizations. East and West. No one knows what reckless contact might bring. This exhibition is only a signal—a way of telling the nobles up there that guests from the Far East will arrive sooner or later."
"A precautionary shot?"
"Something like that."
Lloyd raised a hand, intending to touch the weapon, but stopped halfway. His eyes shifted to Shrike, sharp with scrutiny.
"You know what this is, don't you?"
"More or less."
Shrike offered nothing more, but that was answer enough.
"How interesting," Lloyd murmured. "So you've acquired a Divine Armor from the Far East?"
The weapon was already here. There was no reason they wouldn't have the armor itself.
"Only a wreck," Shrike admitted this time. "A single set of remains."
He didn't bother hiding it anymore.
"You must've met those monks. They crossed the ocean hoping to trade those remains for a place to live."
"That sounds like a conspiracy waiting to happen."
"Of course it does. But it's too tempting, isn't it?" Shrike's voice carried a faint smile. "So we accepted. For now, they're settled here."
"Do you even know who they are?"
"Just monks. From a vassal state of Jiuxia. Came here for some so-called spiritual practice."
Lloyd fell silent, then fixed Shrike with a long look. After a while, he sighed.
"So what do you want me to do, Shrike?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. I'm not part of the Purge Agency, yet you're telling me all this. Just like you couldn't resist the temptation and took them in… you think I can resist going to see a Divine Armor from the Far East?"
Shrike's smile deepened beneath the mask.
"I like working with smart people. Especially you. If you hadn't come today, it would've been shipped to the Perpetual Pump tonight. You'd have missed it. As for the price…" He waved a hand dismissively. "We'll discuss that later."
He started walking, leading the way.
As Lloyd followed, his eyes still lingered on the machines displayed throughout the hall. Something about this didn't add up. A handful of monks couldn't possibly have transported something that heavy across the sea on their own.
Then Shrike suddenly stopped and pointed behind Lloyd.
Lloyd turned.
There stood a smaller "Lloyd."
To be honest, he hadn't even noticed she was still right behind him.
"A friend of yours?" Shrike asked.
Lloyd thought for a moment. Better not complicate things.
"My assistant," he said. "Yeah. Assistant."
As he spoke, he tugged Celi's cap lower, burying her face fully in shadow.
Shrike's gaze sharpened. He had never heard of Lloyd having an assistant—especially not in a situation like this.
"I can only take one of you inside."
Lloyd hesitated.
He wanted to see the Divine Armor remains from Jiuxia… but he couldn't risk Celi's presence here being exposed. If her identity came to light, the trouble would be far worse.
"Then forget it."
He waved a hand, declining.
"You don't want to see it anymore?"
"I can't leave her here. And something like that…" Lloyd shrugged. "As long as demons still walk this world, I'll get another chance sooner or later."
It was an oddly confident statement. Not the kind of confidence anyone should be proud of.
Shrike eyed them suspiciously. For Lloyd to give up so easily, this "mini Lloyd" clearly wasn't who she appeared to be.
"Wait… Lloyd, you wouldn't—!"
Realization flashed across Shrike's mind. He lunged, lightning-fast, grabbing for the smaller figure. Lloyd didn't even manage to stop him in time.
"You've completely lost your mind?!" Shrike barked. "Do you need Arthur to crack your skull open before you learn your lesson?!"
He yanked off the deerstalker cap. A girl's face flashed into view.
Shrike's suspicions were instantly confirmed.
"Send Eve back right now! If Arthur finds out, we're all dead!"
He howled in panic, unable to understand why this lunatic detective would take an interest in his superior's daughter of all people.
"Wait—what the hell are you doing?!"
Lloyd seized Shrike by the throat, locking his arm. The two of them grappled like enraged bears. In the struggle, the cap fell completely away.
Shrike finally saw her face clearly.
And froze.
That wasn't Eve.
The cold little face overlapped with someone from his memories. Shrike slowly turned to stare at Lloyd, who was trying very hard to look uninvolved.
Yeah. As if anyone would believe that.
A storm of emotions surged through Shrike—shock, admiration, a bizarre sense of awe at Lloyd's "high standards," apparently setting his sights only on dukes' daughters…
"Miss Stuart?"
Celi gave a small, indifferent nod. Years ago, it had been Shrike who assigned Lloyd the mission to bring her back. Though much time had passed, he still recognized her.
"L-Lloyd…"
Shrike shakily drew the silver revolver from his waist.
"She's a minor! That's a crime!"
"What the hell is wrong with your brain?!"
The two lunatics roared at each other, wrestling like idiots in the middle of the hall.
Celi simply watched their disgraceful scuffle.
She had no intention of stopping them.
She was busy thinking.
Thinking about one thing only.
Just who, exactly… was this "Eve" supposed to be?