Chapter 478

Chapter 367: Assassination

South Tivyán, Bishop Square.

Not long after the countdown to the New Year ended, the audience in the square was immersed in joy. These hardworking commoners, who had toiled for an entire year, celebrated this rare festive moment under the guidance of the host.

The fireworks that had been bursting in the night sky gradually ceased, and the cheers for the New Year from the audience below began to calm down. Just when everyone was eagerly awaiting the exciting programs and activities to follow, the host unexpectedly announced that the event was drawing to a close, catching everyone off guard.

According to the promotional materials for the event, there were supposed to be additional programs afterward, as well as a fundraising activity led by the princess aimed at other distinguished guests. However, now all of that was gone. Under the host’s apologetic remarks, the gala ended hastily.

In response to the host’s words, the reluctant audience expressed their discontent, murmuring and speculating about why the event ended prematurely. Many looked toward the royal balcony, but there was already no one present. The disappearance of the princess and the duke intensified discussions among the crowd.

Though the abrupt conclusion disappointed many, it was still a free event that did not charge for entry, so while they were disappointed, there were no major complaints. After all, the quality performances they had enjoyed earlier, including a dance by the most famous ballet star in all of Tivyán, made the evening worthwhile for those at the bottom of society who rarely got to enter a theater throughout the year.

As the stage lights dimmed, the tightly packed crowd in the square began to disperse after a brief period of disappointed chatter. Above Bishop Square, Dorothy’s bird zombie puppet still soared, while Dorothy herself sat on the street, curled up, watching the situation below with her puppet’s perspective.

‘Is this really how it ends? Well… continuing the gala after sensing danger would have been an unwise choice…’

Dorothy thought to herself, her brows furrowed as she seriously observed the scene captured by her puppet’s vision.

‘This is bad. I had originally arranged for zombie puppet spectators, planning to make a big donation during the final fundraising segment to attract the royal family’s attention and make contact with that duke… But with the gala now ending early for safety reasons, that pathway to connect is gone…’

Dorothy pondered internally, feeling conflicted. Her primary purpose for attending the gala was to make contact with Duke Barret and obtain intelligence about the Mirror Moon Goddess. However, the unexpected interference by the Eight Pinnacle Nest had led to the early end of the gala, making her planned large donation futile.

Despite saving the royal family, countless audience members, and the indigenous compatriots of Kapak, whilst also preventing the intensification of conflicts between the native people of the New World and Prit, Dorothy felt frustrated that she had not achieved her main objective of connecting with Barret.

‘Sigh… There’s nothing I can do. The audience had to be saved. If the duke had died, making contact would have been even more impossible. But with this whole situation, it seems I won’t have a chance to reach out to him tonight.

‘Now I can only think of other ways to approach the duke. Currently, the only person who could help me connect with him is Adele. Adele has been well established in Prit’s high society and was specifically invited to this gala by the princess, indicating she has a stable communication channel with the royal family. I can ask her to assist in reaching out to the duke.

‘But the problem is that the questions I want to ask the duke are of a sensitive nature. If I ask Adele to help bridge the gap, she will inevitably attract the royal family’s suspicion regarding my inquiries, which could impact her status as a prominent star in Tivyán. The Tivyán government wouldn’t be comfortable with such a powerful figure being linked to a secret society.’

Resting her chin on her hand, Dorothy thought this through. Few people knew about Adele’s involvement in occult matters—aside from Adele’s own Scarlet Heart subordinates, it was only Dorothy, the Church, and the Wolf bl**d Association. From the perspective of the Tivyán government, Adele remained just an ordinary celebrity.

Adele herself wished to keep her secretive connections from the Tivyán government. According to her, there was a time when the Wolf bl**d Association frequently reported her to the An Yin Bureau for her secretive involvement. Thankfully, Adele had concealed her affiliations well and had the support of the Holy Mother from the Church, which prevented any substantial results from the bureau’s investigations. Since Adele was trying to hide her secrets for the sake of her public performances, Dorothy felt reluctant to risk exposure by going through her for connections, especially after Adele had helped her significantly not long ago.

“Sigh… For now, I can only wait and see if I can find other opportunities to connect. Now that they are both safe, there will be chances to reach them later.”

As she continued monitoring the building at 1 Blue Weave Street with her bird zombie puppet, Dorothy sighed to herself. Due to security reasons, several Radiance Lamps had been installed in the building, and considering the consumption of “Shadow” spirituality and to avoid misunderstandings, she did not arrange for a small zombie puppet to investigate the royal movements directly.

However, since both royals were persuaded to leave by bodyguards and the Eight Pinnacle member masquerading as a royal guard had also disappeared, it proved that the royal security system was now operational. The assassin was either expelled or controlled, and they should currently be under comprehensive protection.

‘Gregor is currently removing his makeup. Neve and Kapak are still assisting the indigenous people, and Vania has already left the scene. I should meet up with Gregor and then leave too. Ugh… the wind by the roadside is freezing…’

Dorothy thought to herself, preparing to retract the surveillance of the zombie puppets around Bishop Square. The audience in the square was slowly leaving, and the gala had truly come to an end.

At that moment, a sudden disturbance occurred.

“Boom!!!”

A loud bang shattered the recently calm night sky as the windows of 1 Blue Weave Street suddenly exploded simultaneously. The powerful gust sent various shards flying out through the shattered doors and windows, ejecting small debris alongside the broken glass from inside the building.

As if some tremendous force had erupted from within, all the doors and windows of 1 Blue Weave Street were blown apart by the strong airflow from within, hurling various objects out of the building. The thunderous sound shook the night, causing the remaining crowd in the square to scream in panic as they began to flee in terror.

‘What is happening?!’

Dorothy, who was about to finish up, was startled by this unexpected turn of events. Utilizing her zombie puppet’s perspective, she curiously observed the strange scene of 1 Blue Weave Street, where a wild wind was fiercely blowing outward. After several seconds of fluctuating strength, the wind finally subsided. Immediately afterward, Dorothy received a message from Adele.