Jingle Bell!
Pushing the door and ringing the bell
"Welcome!" A rich and high-pitched female voice sounded, and orange-haired Wendy came out.
"My name is Wendy...
"Just take a look and I'll introduce it to you!"
Sean smiled and nodded - outside the town of Levin, he was wearing the mask of the "Unknown Man" and his voice was also concealed, so Wendy would definitely not recognize him.
Sean's eyes scanned the surroundings without any lag.
The young woman wearing glasses was dusting the shelves with a feather duster. She adjusted her glasses impatiently and sighed.
A woman with short black hair and red lips was sitting by the window, drinking coffee and looking at the scenery outside the window, rubbing her fingers gently, as if she was thinking about something.
A gray-haired man wearing a workshop apron was busy working on something on the workbench. A gray and black cat jumped from the workbench to the ground.
Sean didn't look at the marine clock models and sophisticated music boxes on the shelves, but walked straight towards the cat.
He knelt down next to the cat and picked it up gently.
After such careful observation, Sean determined that the cat's left front leg was a delicate mechanical structure that could make the same movements as its natural limbs.
Exquisite craftsmanship.
The look and feel of the brass prosthesis reminded Sean of Olivia.
"Oh," Wendy followed, "her name is Black Tea."
"I was seriously injured...
"So we made her a prosthetic leg."
Sean nodded: "Good craftsmanship."
Realizing that the new customer was a bit different, the gray-haired man busy at the workbench and the girl with glasses cleaning the shelves both looked at Sean.
Sean pondered for a while, put the cat down, and walked directly towards the rebellious girl wearing glasses.
The other person frowned in surprise.
Before anyone could react, Sean took off his hat and nodded: "I was invited by the detective to assist the Queen."
The air in the store suddenly solidified.
With a click, the shop shutters were closed.
Sean heard the sound of the pistol's safety being released behind him.
The impatience and surprise in the young woman's eyes disappeared, and her gaze was as cold as the sharp arrowhead that suddenly appeared between her fingers.
Across the street, Olivia is about to launch, but Sean stops it via the Crimson Bond.
Sean raised his hands, exhaled, and a pen with gold patterns on a black background floated in front of the Queen.
The young woman took off her thick eyes, revealing a pair of eyes as cold as a cat's eyes: "Arthur sent an interesting guy over.
"Tell me, how did you figure it out?"
The pistol and arrows were no longer pointed at him, and the reporter eloquently said: "Arthur told me that the people accompanying the Queen included 'assistants', 'make-up artists' and 'gardeners'.
“For some reason, I know people in the industry liken precision alchemy to floristry.”
The "golden rose under the moon" in the poem refers to Olivia.
"So, Ms. Wendy should be the 'Gardener'."
Sean looked at the slightly nervous woman with black hair and red lips. "The lady sitting by the window..."
"Her makeup was exquisite, with traces of foundation and eyebrow pencil remaining on her fingers...
“She should be the ‘makeup artist’.
"Two people with matching identities appeared in the same space, so I can be sure that the queen is nearby."
The Queen exchanged glances with Wendy behind her, and then continued to stare at Sean.
Sean continued: "Then it's a bold assumption."
"What hypothesis?"
"I learned from multiple sources that Ocean City officials and people from Daedalus have searched Ocean City all over since yesterday, but have been unable to find any trace of the Queen...
"Then it is almost certain that the Queen is not hiding in a corner...
"It's like a blindfold in magic - he is clearly standing in front of the investigators but cannot be recognized."
There was a dead silence in the store - even though they knew that Sean had no ill intentions, his reasoning and assumptions made the Queen's team, who had a far-reaching plan, break out in a cold sweat.
"How can we do this?" Sean held his chin and began to describe a series of thoughts that had just flashed through his mind.
“First of all, the position of the gardener and makeup artist in the queen’s team should have never been known to Daedalus’ senior management.
“So, Wendy’s store was not suspected and was an ideal hiding place.
“Then it occurred to me that if I were the queen and had teammates who were makeup artists, I would have set up an inconspicuous day-to-day identity a long time ago.
"He looks very ordinary, just a person who works part-time in his spare time.
“Working here every day – the key is to be known to the neighbors, even the Sheriff…
“Knowing that such a lazy and rebellious female clerk exists.
"Then, after the theft plan is completed, there is no need to hide deliberately, you just need to continue to act like an 'ordinary person'.
"Coupled with some acting skills, supplemented by the function of a makeup artist, and the evidence of neighbors, even if Daedalus personnel came to your door, stared at your face and asked questions, they would never guess that this lazy female shop assistant is Her Majesty the Queen. .”
"She can hide as long as she wants."
Alicia took off the triangular headscarf on her head, and her crisp and bright golden short hair was spread out, which turned out to be quite stylish: "Fortunately, you are not my enemy..."
A hint of admiration flashed in the "Queen's" eyes.
"However, I must correct you - you don't have to hide for as long as you want. It's only a matter of time before your identity is exposed."
"Sean Dickinson." It had been a long time since Sean had said his real name, and Sean was a little uncomfortable with it.
"The Queen" stretched out her thin little hand: "Alicia Pompeii."
While shaking hands, Sean's face froze slightly for a moment.
When Hoffman said the name Alicia, Sean felt vaguely suspicious.
After hearing Alicia's last name at this time, he was able to confirm——
Standing in front of me was the half-mad sage from the underground, the granddaughter of Edgar Pompeii.
It is also the only advice given by the sages of the Reading Club when they are awake...
However, there were other people present at this time, so to avoid leaking the secret, Sean did not expand on this topic.
After Alicia revealed her true appearance, she put on her glasses and headscarf again, and her temperament changed again.
"Arthur told me that although your explorer level is not high, you are a 'chess player' type of character...
"The current situation is not only dangerous, but also very complicated. I think I will need your power."
In order to work better together in the future, Alicia introduced her team members to Sean one by one.
"Gardener" Wendy, "Makeup Artist" Jennifer...
and Wendy's husband, a man named Robert.
Robert has gray hair and a gentle smile on his face. At first glance, he looks like an honest man with a humble personality.
He sat on the swivel chair next to the workbench with his hands hanging down, and pointed at Sean with a smile: "Rookie, I remember - we have met before."
"Have we met before?" Sean frowned, without any impression, "Where?"
Robert hugged his chest and smiled mysteriously: "Outside the town of Levin. At that time, you were wearing the mask of the unknown man, and you were so frightened by the one-winged angel that you hid behind the tree on the roadside and did not dare to come out...
"Oh, and the trouble you caused during the last incident at Barton Manor almost killed me."
who is he?
Sean frowned, thinking about it for a long time, but he couldn't remember such a person.
"I don't remember us..."
Before he finished speaking, Sean's face froze.
"You..." Thinking of the interaction between that man and Wendy, and the battle in Barton Manor...
Although they cannot be connected at all, there is no other possibility.
"Are you Carlos the Thug?!" Sean, who prides himself on his first-class observation skills, still opened his eyes wide at this time.
Robert nodded kindly with an indifferent smile.
