Stage Six Hundred Sixty-Two
In the central-northern region of Faraluo, Froz.
In the afternoon, the banquet within the Palace of the Goddess in Froz continued. The gathering, originating from the New Year audience banquet of the Bourbon Dynasty’s grand king, had now entered its second day, and the most significant moment was just around the corner.
At this moment in the Palace of the Goddess, countless nobles from various regions of Froz had gathered, dispersing in groups throughout the palace, engaging in conversation in the gardens, squares, and halls. The number of attendees was far greater than on the previous day, and the area designated for parking carriages was increasingly crowded.
The small gathering on the first day was merely a prelude and warm-up for the audience banquet; the real highlight was still set for the evening of this second day. The influx of more guests made the entire palace seem particularly noisy, and in every corner, gentlemen and ladies could be seen mingling—except for one specific area.
Standing inside the colorful dome hall of the Palace of the Goddess, Adele, adorned in an exquisite gown, looked up at the massive closed doors of the performance hall ahead, her eyes flashing with a hint of curiosity. At that moment, she was engaged in a mental dialogue with Doro, far away, through an information channel.
“It’s only been a little while, and they’ve already closed this place! The banquet’s focal point is approaching; what’s the purpose of closing the main hall at this time?” Adele wondered inwardly, curiosity evident in her thoughts, and Doro quickly responded.
“According to the servants in the Palace of the Goddess, they are making final decorations to the performance hall in preparation for the evening’s show. It is said to be the most important segment of the audience banquet tradition, unchanged since the time of Charles.”
“An important tradition… if that’s the case, they should have finished the decorations a bit earlier, right? Now it’s getting close to evening; will they be able to complete it?” Listening to Doro, Adele replied, to which Doro expressed her interest.
“Who knows… Perhaps last-minute decorations are also part of the audience banquet tradition. Or maybe they worry that if they finish too early, some things might be revealed too soon.”
“Oh… If you say that, it seems you might already know something.”
Intrigued by Doro’s words, Adele stated, but just as Doro was about to respond, the previously tightly shut grand doors suddenly rattled, then slowly opened with a rumble.
“Looks like they’re almost done with the decorations. Let’s hurry in and check the results.” From Adele’s perspective, seeing the doors slowly opening by mechanical means, Doro suggested. Following her words, Adele first curiously peeked through the now ajar doors, then, once the doors were fully open, she entered alongside other guests.
Stepping into the performance hall once again, Adele looked around curiously and noticed numerous festive decorations resembling colorful ribbons, banners, and tapestries. Multiple banquet tables were arranged near the stage and stands, laden with an abundance of delicacies and fine wines.
“Everything seems normal with these decorations, no issues appear.” Walking within the performance hall, Adele commented as she admired the surroundings, with Doro quickly responding within her mind.
“You might want to check the stands.”
“The stands…” Hearing Doro’s suggestion, Adele softly murmured and walked away from the scene, ascending a staircase at the edge of the performance hall to the stand’s level. From this vantage point, she could view much more, and as she looked, she immediately discovered the source of the problem.
“The stage here… This is… Seven-Petal Lotus!”
Gazing at the circular stage in the center of the performance hall, Adele was astonished. The previously chaotic patterns on the stage had vanished, replaced by a distinct and complete design.
On the circular stage of the performance hall, the patterns on the floor interlinked neatly, ultimately forming an entire picture, a gigantic lotus pattern with seven petals was reflected on the stage, which was unmistakably the Seven-Petal Lotus, an important symbol of the Path of Desire.
“Those floor tiles… the stage’s tiles have been reconfigured to create this Seven-Petal Lotus… So this is one of the hidden three lotus flowers?”
Adele thought in astonishment as she gazed at the newly revealed design on the circular stage, and Doro quickly responded.
“Yes… This first hidden lotus is essentially a puzzle. Didn’t you think the previous patterns on the stage were exceedingly disordered and fragmentary? This stage was constructed under the supervision of the artistically acclaimed King Charles; would he allow such an unsightly stage to exist?
“So, the answer is that the stage’s prior state wasn’t its original form but was modified. Observing the fragmented feeling on the tiles, we can roughly deduce that the original single design of the stage was disrupted into a puzzle.”
Doro explained to Adele, who, upon hearing her words, furrowed her brow in grave contemplation and continued to speak.
“Once the performance hall’s puzzle pieces are restored, the design is the Seven-Petal Lotus, meaning the first hidden stage is right here… However, now that this design has been restored, it indicates that someone else must have found it previously. Could it be… that group of puppeteers behind the scenes?!”
“Only they could be responsible; it’s evident they have conducted several rounds of exploration in the Palace of the Goddess and successfully located at least one stage. Assembling it here clearly indicates they intend to use it during the evening…”
Doro continued as Adele listened intently, her gaze scanning the performance hall’s other areas. Then, she noticed that numerous security personnel had cordoned off the newly completed stage, preventing anyone else from stepping onto it. Observing this scene, Adele pondered in her heart.
“What are these guys… trying to do? Do they plan to perform on stage at this time?”
“Regarding those individuals’ intentions… I actually have some clues.” Doro replied to Adele, whose expression showed a hint of surprise.
“You already guessed their intentions?”
“Well, you could head over to the entrance of the ceremonial square now to see what’s happening there.”
“The entrance…”
Doro responded to Adele, and after hearing her words, Adele’s expression briefly flashed with confusion. Suddenly, she noticed that the surrounding environment had grown noticeably noisier, as guests who had been gathered in the performance hall began to surge outside, seemingly reacting to some news.
Seeing this scene, Adele descended from the stands, exited the performance hall, and the colorful dome hall, making her way to the ceremonial square.
Reaching the entrance of the square, Adele witnessed a lively scene—countless guests from the Palace of the Goddess had gathered, and the gilded gates were now open. The palace’s guards stood in two columns behind the doors, standing tall in formation.
The two straight rows of guards created a pathway, segregating other guests outside. Almost more than half of the attendees from the palace had gathered here, nearly filling the ceremonial square, many looking up at the distant golden gates, seemingly awaiting something.
“What is everyone waiting for? Is someone coming?” After seeing this scene, Adele curiously asked a nearby guest, who promptly responded.
“Miss, don’t you know? The carriage of the Governor Legoff. Sander is about to arrive; he is the principal host of this year’s audience banquet.” A gentlemanly guest informed Adele, whose face showed a hint of surprise upon hearing this.
“Governor Sander… Isn’t he the one who has always opposed the remnants of the Bourbon Dynasty? How could he be present at such an event?” Adele wondered aloud. The audience banquet was a tradition inherited from the Bourbon Dynasty; how could Sander, who had a contentious history with the Bourbon remnants, be there?
“Oh, you don’t know? According to tradition, every year’s audience banquet has a governor to host it, rotating among four assistant governors. This year, it just happens to be Sander’s turn; it’s actually his first audience banquet since taking office. Given his previous statements, many thought he would refuse to participate this year, but it seems he’s decided to come after all—perhaps he can’t maintain a hard stance indefinitely.”
Continuing to respond to Adele, the gentleman had her frowning thoughtfully as she gazed towards the open gilded gates. At that moment, a black carriage had come to a firm stop before the gates. Once the door was opened by a servant, a figure stepped down.
It was a middle-aged man dressed in a simple and neat black suit, sporting a meticulously groomed beard and short yellow hair, his expression stern, with a scar across his face. After descending from the carriage, several guests of higher status approached him for greetings. After exchanging a few words, he began to walk down the pathway cleared by the guards, crossing the ceremonial square towards the recently opened doors of the colorful dome hall, flanked closely by several bodyguards.
“Is that… Governor Sander?”
Watching the man walking towards the Palace of the Goddess amidst the throng, Adele mused thoughtfully. At that moment, her perceptive abilities sensed a hint of abnormality.
A glimmer of murderous desire, a faint killing intent, was detected by her desire radar, targeted squarely at Sander, now in the public eye.
Realizing this fraction of desire, Adele quickly turned toward the source, only to see a familiar figure—Martin, who had come alongside her!
“Hmph… Sander… What kind of governor demolishing Faraluo’s traditions, d*mn him…”
Among the crowd, Martin, an elderly remnant of the Bourbon lineage, fixated on Sander as he walked by, murmuring under his breath just loud enough for himself to hear. His eyes radiated a distinct animosity.
Seeing the disdain and the barely detectable killing intent in Martin’s eyes, Adele paused slightly, as if recalling something. She immediately contacted Doro through the information channel in her mind.
“Little detective… it seems the Bourbon remnants accompanying me have shown clear disdain and even a sliver of murderous intent towards Sander… Could it be that the purpose of the puppeteers behind the scenes bringing us here to seek treasure isn’t directed at us, but at Sander!”
“Yes… Based on the current situation, that’s highly probable…” Doro, at a distance, observed Sander’s entrance from a different perspective and plainly shared her conjecture with Adele.
“Legoff. Sander is very likely about to face an assassination in the Palace of the Goddess, driven by the legacy of the grand king Charles, and you who remain in the palace will be the scapegoats for this assassination— the apparent culprits…
“After all… he has always been committed to the hardline governance against the ‘remnants of the Bourbon Dynasty,’ and you, as remnants, are his natural enemies…”
Just as Sander was welcomed into the Palace of the Goddess, at a distant hill within a nearby grove, several figures had gathered to observe the events transpiring in the palace.
“Sander has already entered; I suppose it’s time for me to set out. Are you ready, dear Governor?” A stunningly pale woman, gripping a cane, spoke as she turned. Before her sat a pitch-black carriage, in which a male voice responded.
“I have begun to gradually suppress Sander’s power as Governor. When the action begins, there’s no need to be overly concerned about Sander himself; just stick to the prepared script…”
“Of course, that’s my duty. I have long anticipated performing grandly in the temple left by the Lord of Flowers… especially in front of that star, Adele… I am so looking forward to our face-to-face moment…” The woman spoke, her words laced with a dangerous tone. At that instant, another voice emitted from within the carriage.
“Adele Briouze is still inside the Palace of the Goddess?”
“Yes, she is. Although she harbors suspicions, she hasn’t yet discerned the full picture and remains in the palace.” The reply came from a servant standing by the carriage, and the one in the carriage seemed quite satisfied with the response.
“Good… as long as she’s still there… then the other side can be accounted for…” The voice from the carriage remarked, the pale woman revealing a mocking smile upon hearing this.
“The other side, huh… Who would have thought that we, the cultists who worship the so-called wicked deity, would have an indirect opportunity to collaborate with those self-proclaimed luminaries… such irony.
“Tell me, Governor, how does it feel to conspire with our kind of cultists as you uphold righteousness? Does it feel particularly blasphemous? Do you feel guilty about your so-called justice and conscience?” The woman’s exaggerated smile broke across her face as she looked at the black carriage, only to immediately be rebuked sternly by the voice from within.
“Mind your attitude, Sanderlina! Recognize your current position clearly, bl**d Cup’s sorceress; you are merely a hired hand!”
Hearing the severe voice from the carriage, Sanderlina paused slightly, yet her smile remained unchanged as she lightly bowed towards the carriage and responded.
“Okay… I apologize, Lord Shevali…”
