After dinner, his father asked Aurelio to go to the study to talk alone, while his mother took Agnes to the piano room.
"Claude has approved your application to join the Heart of Nature team. You can go meet your future teammates tomorrow." Mother sat down on the chair under the oil painting and said to Agnes.
The oil painting above shows a woman wearing a white dress and a red shawl. She has black hair and brown eyes. She rests her chin on her hands and looks seriously outside. The cuffs of the woman's dress are not fastened, revealing a healthy and rosy face. skin. Behind the woman stood a man with brown curly hair. The man was wearing a brown-red Doric costume. His gray-blue eyes were staring at the woman closely. His figure seemed to be reflected by countless mirrors. Behind the woman Shadowy.
"I know, Mom." Agnes sat down on the chair on the other side and nodded.
Mother nodded. "You don't need to go to church tomorrow, just go directly to the Isaulia Institute of Biology on Itali Street."
"The Isaurian Institute of Biology on Itali Street. Okay, mom, I remember." Agnes repeated to make sure she remembered correctly.
Mother nodded.
"Mom, what is the Heart of Nature team like?" Agnes asked, holding her head.
Mother smiled and rubbed Agnes's head, thought for a moment, and then replied: "They are on the front line against danger. They are respectable guardians." Then, mother seemed to be thinking about something and did not continue. Going down, the room suddenly fell silent.
"What else?" Agnes asked.
The mother didn't answer. She sighed and murmured: "You can always trust your teammates."
Agnes grabbed her mother's arm with dissatisfaction. Her mother came back to her senses and patted Agnes's head with a smile and said: "This cannot be explained clearly through words alone. You should observe it yourself." Experience.”
"Okay." Agnes nodded with some disappointment.
"Agynes, I hope you can always maintain a humble character in the team. I know you seem to have always had some sense of superiority that I don't know where it comes from, but I hope you can let it go after you join the Heart of Nature team. Both the captain and the ordinary members of the Heart of Nature team are respectable, and I hope you can take the initiative to learn from them." Mother said with some seriousness.
Agnes nodded, "I understand, Mom."
"I hope you can understand." The mother sighed, and then continued: "For the sake of your relationship with your teammates after joining the team, your identity as the count's daughter will be concealed. In the Heart of Nature team, you are not Count Pagani. His daughter, Agnes Pagani, was Agnes Spinoza, Mr. Conti’s student.” Spinoza is the mother’s original surname.
"From now on, your music lessons will be reduced to one session a week on Thursdays."
"Okay, Mom." Agnes nodded to show that she understood.
"Well, Mr. Conti said that your piano skills have improved recently. Why don't you let me appreciate it?" Mother said with a smile.
…
The next day, Agnes took a carriage to Itali Street early.
The Institute of Biology of Isauria is not far from the Church of Santa Diana, but on a different street.
Agnes got off the carriage and saw a five-story building in front of her. The building has a symmetrical cross structure. The main building in the center is the shorter part of the "ten" character. It looks square and square. The tall door is wide open, and you can see the stairs with dark green painted handrails and the mysterious giant lizard placed in front of the stairs. Animal skeleton. There are several steps in front of the door. On the side of the steps is a marble with the words "Isaurian Institute of Biology" engraved in Fenebote language.
Agnes walked up the steps and entered the building. There is a small room that looks like a security room on the left. Through the glass, you can see a log-colored table in front of the window. A man in his fifties with a little silver in his hair is sitting in front of the window. He is wearing a dark blue thick coat. jacket.
He saw Agnes come in, stood up and opened the door to the small room.
"Miss, what can I do for you? General entry is not allowed here."
"I'm looking for Mr. Hicks." Agnes stood still in the hall and replied.
"Okay, please wait a moment."
The man went to the house and got a book with a kraft paper cover. He turned the book to a page at the back, took a look, and then asked: "Miss, what do I call you?"
"My last name is Spinoza."
"Well... Miss Spinoza, we found it. Ah, Agnes Spinoza? Mr. Hicks told me yesterday morning that you would be visiting today." Man It seems that he found Agnes's name on that page and said to Agnes enthusiastically.
"Go up the stairs. Turn right on the third floor and the first one on the left is Mr. Hicks's office. He has been here today and should be in the office now."
"Thank you, the, um...sir."
"You can just call me Old Hughes." Old Hughes said with a smile, not paying attention to Agnes' pause.
Agnes nodded and said again: "Thank you, Mr. Hughes."
Agnes followed Old Hughes's guidance and came to the first room on the left when she turned right on the third floor. The sign outside the room has the words "Business Office" written in Feneport language. The door was ajar, and it was quiet inside, except for the sound of turning pages.
Agnes knocked three times on the door frame.
"Please come in." A hoarse voice came from the door.
Agnes opened the door and walked in.
This room is well-lit, and the early morning sunlight slants through the window onto the log desk. Sitting behind the desk was a man who looked to be in his thirties, close to forty years old. He has deep features, black hair and gray eyes. He is wearing a black windbreaker, revealing the collar of the gray turtleneck sweater underneath.
He looked at Agnes and said with a smile: "Mariana's daughter? Agnes Pagani?"
Agnes nodded.
"Sit down." The man pointed to the chair opposite him.
"Your mother and Mr. Conti applied for you to join the Heart of Nature Team. In fact, I didn't agree with it at first. You are a bit too young, and the work of the team is not very suitable for you. Children of this age should study in school. , instead of fighting cultists or monsters." Mr. Hicks relaxed his body and leaned back in his chair.
"But mother said you approved my application to join the Heart of Nature team." Agnes smiled and said.
Mr. Hicks smiled and shook his head and said: "Olivia's words made me change my mind. She told me that you have taken the potion and will always walk with danger. Let you learn to identify danger. , it’s better to deal with madness than to be at a loss when danger comes one day.”
Agnes nodded.
Mr. Hicks looked at Agnes and laughed, jokingly: "According to Olivia's description of you and what I learned from Mr. Rossi about what you did last winter, you are not a well-behaved person. Child."
