"So, this is what the first Baron Ramd looked like?"
In a lounge on the second floor of the Cragg Club facing the street, Klein saw a portrait of a middle-aged man displayed by Valeela with the help of a mirror, and he doubtfully asked.
Because he looks nothing like Mr. Azik.
"certainly."
Valeela took back the small and exquisite portable mirror in her hand, nodded and said:
"This is what I gained after reading a lot of historical papers and aristocratic materials.
"I know that the so-called Baron portrait you saw in Ramde Town is almost exactly the same as Mr. Azik... But I have thought about it. It may have been left in the secret room by Mr. Azik who recovered his memory at that time. Self-portrait, real self-portrait.
"Otherwise, there is no way that painting could have been preserved intact in an empty castle for more than a thousand years."
Klein thought for a while and agreed with Valeera's statement.
"In that case, Mr. Azik at that time should have had a magical item that could change his appearance."
Yes, it's a mask, and it's in my hand now... Valeela smiled and nodded in agreement, without saying what she was thinking.
"so……"
Klein briefly summarized the notes excerpted by Valeela based on his own understanding and said:
"Mr. Azik of that life obtained a title at the end of the Fourth Era by virtue of his military exploits, got married and had children, established his own family, and finally enjoyed his old age.
"But his son, a young man who aspired to become a knight on his own, moved out of the fiefdom castle with his wife after middle age, squandered his property, sold his land, and finally lost his title, completely ruining the family that his father had worked so hard to build. ?」
At the end of the sentence, he couldn't help but frown.
Mr. Azik's son clearly died unjustly in the basement of the castle. He has been resentful for thousands of years, and finally his skull was stolen by the damn Ince Zangwill!
"Yes," Valeera nodded, "At least that's what those fragmentary records say,
"Most of those lands were sold to the then Baron Huoyin."
In fact, not all of the notes Valeera gave to Klein were excerpted from documents, and some of the details came from Mr. Azik’s subsequent dictation in the original text.
Of course, this is not necessary and cannot be said.
"Obviously, the person who later sold the land was not Mr. Azik's son at all," Klein said angrily. "He was killed in the basement of the castle, and he used ritual magic to prevent the corpse from transforming."
"Yeah, I know everything."
Valeela nodded and said with relief:
"It's been more than a thousand years since it happened, so we just need to tell Mr. Azik the whole story.
"Furthermore, judging from the current situation of the Huo Yin family, this matter may not have anything to do with them."
"I know that," Klein also nodded, "When the time is right, I will transfer it to Mr. Azik together with the portrait just now."
As he spoke, he carefully folded the pages of notes in his hand and put them into the inner pocket of his coat.
The room was quiet for a while——
After completing the business agreed upon yesterday, the two of them didn't know what to say for a while, and the atmosphere was slightly stiff.
"Uh... I'm going to practice my marksmanship at the underground shooting range. Do you want to go?" Klein couldn't sit still.
Valeera didn't stay either.
Although it was interesting to leave him in the room, have some ambiguity, and watch him restless... But after all, she was not the kind of witch who liked to play with others, and she didn't want to, nor could she do such a nasty thing. .
She did get a little close to Klein these days, but that was for other reasons and was a necessary contact.
She would not do anything unnecessary that would cause Klein to misunderstand.
"You go ahead. I'll go down later. I might go play squash, or I might go home directly."
Klein gave an awkward smile to Valeela who was sitting on the edge of the bed, got up from the only single sofa in the room, and came
When he got to the door, he took his hat and cane, opened the door and walked out.
call.
Outside the door, Klein breathed a sigh of relief, patted his cheek gently, and strode away.
…
After Klein left, not long after, Valeera left the club directly without saying goodbye to Klein.
It wasn't until the moment she walked out of the club that she felt as if she had paid off her debt and felt relaxed... Next, she would focus more on seeking promotion.
Although she was unable to fully digest the potion, after a simple test, Valeera believed that her mental state had met the general promotion requirements——
In a normal state, there is no mania, auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations, etc.; in a state of spiritual exhaustion, you will not hear crazy whispers or see strange things.
For Extraordinaries who do not have the "acting method", it usually takes more than three years to reach this state.
With a clear understanding of the "acting method", Valeera spent nearly five months through incomplete acting and basically reached the same level.
This was the solid foundation on which she planned to force her way up the ranks.
Coupled with the large amount of luck that the "Winner" pendant can temporarily provide, Valeela feels that her chances of being promoted are actually quite high, and even...maybe even greater than her chances of being promoted after she has completely digested it!
Valeela really couldn't imagine how her mental state would change if she really performed the full role.
Of course, if she wants to be promoted, her conditions are not yet complete——
The ingredients for the potion are still short of two relatively rare auxiliary materials, and the replacement promotion ceremony also requires some preparations.
In terms of materials... Valeela's main hope is in the "Pirate Conference" that "The Hanged Man" Alger is about to participate in. Although they are of a higher level, they are still spiritual materials after all, and they should not be even worthy of this. Even an extraordinary gathering of grand scale could not be assembled.
As for the ritual... Valeera has considered four or five theoretically feasible alternatives, the simplest of which is "The Fool's" "Angel's Embrace", but whether it can really be used as a ritual replacement depends on Crane's time. Valeera could only keep looking forward to the results of the divination.
…
Valeera and Klein met again the next afternoon at the "Tarot Club".
There are still several goals she needs to complete, but there is currently little room for maneuver. What is more needed is to wait patiently, so she can only maintain her patience and maintain the life of an ordinary noble lady.
Monday afternoon, just before three o'clock.
Valeela found an excuse in advance and stayed alone in the bedroom, lying on the soft velvet quilt, waiting for the call of "The Fool".
Not long after, a crimson tide emerged out of thin air, completely flooding her vision.
When she opened her eyes again, she was already above the gray mist, sitting on the second high-backed chair to the left of "The Fool".
She looked at "The Fool" first, then turned to look at the end of the long bronze table, where she saw the "World" dummy wearing a hooded black robe.
