442 Exploration Mission (2/2)
The Hanged Man chuckled.
”Aren't there other members? Isn't there a Chief?”
It really is Mr. Hanged Man's style… Audrey subconsciously wanted to cover her face with her hands, but the education and habits ingrained in her had told her that such actions weren't graceful, so she forcefully changed the way she moved, stroking her drooping hair and pushing it behind her ears.
”…” The Sun felt that such a method was quite unacceptable.
Upon noticing his reaction, Alger secretly cursed before saying, ”What I mean is to listen to your Chief's instructions. Only do what he allows you to do. At any other times, do not take matters into your own hands.”
”I understand. Thank you, Mr. Hanged Man.” The Sun instantly relaxed.
Phew. Alger exhaled and turned to the woman opposite him.
”Miss Justice, I wish to know the political changes in Backlund after Duke Negan's passing.”
Audrey recalled the information she had heard, both directly and indirectly in recent times.
”Duke Negan's death has divided the House of Lords. Although his eldest son is about to inherit the nobility title and become a member of the House of Lords, his prestige isn't enough to calm the dispute.
”Nearly ten members of the House of Lords have jointly proposed that the newly conferred nobility should also have a chance to obtain a fixed seat as a Member of Parliament.
”Simply put, let those who are conferred nobility through political donations, charity donations, and the purchase of land become members of the House of Lords.”
Hearing this, The Hanged Man Alger laughed.
”Aren't nobles with a certain amount of history in their family line the ones who despise such people who rely on unorthodox means to be conferred a nobility title the most? Wasn't the ultimate honor and their greatest pride the fact that a fixed seat in the House of Lords was hereditary?”
Ignoring the inadvertent mockery, Audrey calmly explained, ”When you have tens of thousands of pounds, hundreds of thousands of pounds, or even more debts, you will also make the same choice.”
Owing money wasn't a fatal threat to many nobles, but the debtor could apply to the court and use their lands as payment for the debts. Without the minimum amount of land needed for a noble title, their status as nobles would be on the verge of collapse.
”And then?” Alger didn't continue to harp over the previous question.
Audrey gave a rough description. ”This kind of dispute has put many bills on hold, including, but not limited to, the raising of worker salary, the improvement of working hours, and revising the Poor Law. It's gratifying to see that the Civil Servant Unified Examination is still progressing steadily and hasn't stopped, and the investigation into the air pollution in Backlund is also going in depth.”
”There will be no war for the time being….” The Hanged Man whispered, and he went on to talk to the other members.
Worried that staying too long in the bathroom would arouse suspicion, Klein announced the end of the Tarot Gathering after they were done.
…
After returning to her room, Audrey didn't rush to get up. She first quietly sorted out the things she needed to do after this.
Looking at the mirror in front of her, she played with the accessories on her earlobes. With a slight smile, she silently muttered to herself, There will be a psychology lesson tomorrow afternoon. I can tell Miss Escalante that I've met someone in a Beyonder circle who's looking to buy the Human-skinned Shadow characteristic and has promised an abnormally generous price for it. I wonder if the Psychology Alchemists will be interested in it or not…
Also, I mustn't forget Roselle's diary and the Wind-blessed formula…
Yes, I have to find the Psychiatrist ingredients as quickly as possible. Audrey, you can't be lazy! Susie is already a Sequence 8, so you can't let her overtake you!
…
After pacing back and forth in the room, Fors finally made up her mind and pulled out her chair.
She grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and, after mulling over it for nearly a minute, began to write to Dorian Gray.
She described how she learned of someone who requested the characteristic of a Human-skinned Shadow and the Wind-blessed potion formula, as well as her curiosity over the Roselle notebook.
…
The capital of the Rorsted Archipelago, the City of Generosity.
Alger Wilson walked out of the hotel and headed for a secret underground market.
His target was the hair of a Deep-sea Naga.
He had no intention of missing a Human-skinned Shadow if someone had it.
…
I'm short on money… Klein sat in the living room and sighed again.
He still needed quite a bit of cash to ensure that he could purchase the items directly when he received clues regarding the Human-skinned Shadow's characteristics.
Klein thought for a long time, wondering if he should find other channels to sell the Beyonder characteristic left by the Interrogator and stop waiting for Miss Xio to save up her money.
After an unknown period of time, the sound of the doorbell rang, breaking the afternoon silence.This is a meme in China. The gift can be quite a wide range of things, one of them being a gift from topping up a telephone SIM card.