Audrey's eyes shifted slightly as her thoughts drifted, and she quickly analyzed many things at once:
"Mr. Hanged Man" had described Zilingos as a lone wolf who trusted no one—his plans were known only to himself. Aside from me discovering his intentions in advance, no one should have known he would carry out an assassination tonight...
I only told Father and "Mr. Fool" about Baron Gramil potentially being "Storm Admiral" Zilingos in disguise...
Although there were telegraph lines within Duke Negan's mansion that could relay the intelligence in time to call for reinforcements, there was no need to hide this... Father's confusion indicated that the powerhouse who killed Zilingos was not what they had expected...
In summary, the person who killed Zilingos was almost certainly "Mr. Fool's" servant!
Moreover, only our
Zilingos was a Sequence 6 "Wind-blessed One" who also possessed the magical artifact "
Either possibility was enough to demonstrate that "Mr. Fool's" servant was extraordinarily powerful...
As expected of "Mr. Fool"!
Regardless, I did provide the clues. "Mr. Hanged Man" will have to honor his promise afterward and give me the pituitary gland of a seven-colored lizard dragon!
This should count as our Tarot Club's first official action, right?
Zilingos, one of the seven pirate admirals, died because of it!
Seeing his daughter lost in thought with a hint of excitement, the young and once handsome
"Audrey, I know you're very interested in matters of the mystical domain, and I've generally indulged you, but you absolutely cannot get involved in this matter. Don't even inquire about it. At the end of the year, the Queen will formally introduce you to society. As an adult, you should understand and remember—a terrifying Beyonder, or a secret, powerful organization, is often equivalent to danger. Understood?"
"I understand, Father," Audrey replied in her sweet voice. "I was just a little curious."
"Curiosity isn't acceptable either!" After emphasizing this, Earl Hall couldn't help but reveal a helpless smile.
"Mm-hmm!" Audrey nodded hastily and obediently.
*Anyway, I understand the whole situation better than you do...* She made a face in her mind.
Earl Hall thought for a moment, then smiled gently:
"Regardless, you are tonight's hero. You are Duke Negan's savior. At least half of Zilingos's death is thanks to you, and the bounty should reflect that. Of course, if no one claims to have killed Zilingos, publicly takes responsibility, and comes forward to collect the bounty, then the remaining half will also belong to you. Altogether, that amounts to ten thousand gold pounds."
"Mm. The bounties set by the Intis Republic, the
"Duke Negan just promised to give you his vacation estate on the Disea Gulf coast. It includes a large rubber tree plantation. I haven't looked into the exact annual income, but it certainly won't be low. He originally paid eight thousand gold pounds for it, and subsequent improvements included constructing buildings and purchasing quality stock."
With assets of three hundred thousand pounds, Audrey could already be considered wealthy. But a reward approaching or even exceeding forty thousand gold pounds was still an enormous sum—many noble ladies' dowries didn't reach that amount.
In an aristocratic-merchant marriage that August, Miss Mary Oldbury, the daughter of a millionaire, had a dowry of only eighty thousand gold pounds.
"I never even considered the bounty..." Audrey murmured from the bottom of her heart.
Suddenly, she thought of something. If she went to collect the bounty and word got out, "The Hanged Man" would easily be able to determine who "Justice" was.
*That won't do! As a member of the Tarot Club, I need to maintain my mystery!* Audrey looked at her father, organized her words, and said:
"Father, I'm rather frightened..."
"Why? What happened?" Earl Hall asked with concern.
"If it becomes known that I was the one who discovered Zilingos impersonating Baron Gramil, I'm afraid his subordinates might retaliate against me. I'm afraid the person behind the assassination of Duke Negan might target me..." Audrey tried her best to appear pitiful, weak, and helpless.
"I'll arrange for someone to protect you," Earl Hall responded first, then nodded gently. "But there's truly no need for you to bear this risk. And the person who killed Zilingos took 'Creeping Hunger.' Of course, for a high-Sequence powerhouse, that isn't exactly a sufficiently convincing motive. Hmm... I'll relay this to Duke Negan and have him keep this matter quiet. He can arrange for someone else to collect the bounty and then compensate you privately."
At this point, Earl Hall said with a beaming smile:
"As expected of my daughter—earning forty thousand gold pounds so effortlessly. That's more than a tenth of your current wealth."
That three hundred thousand pounds was property he had pre-emptively allocated to his daughter. When she married, he would supplement it further.
"Am I more impressive than you were, Father?" Audrey asked with delight.
Earl Hall shook his head with a laugh:
"Far more impressive than I was. The first income I ever earned from business was only sixty pounds."
Audrey immediately became exceptionally happy. The forty-thousand-pound bounty, her father's praise, the sense of accomplishment from contributing to the death of "Storm Admiral" Zilingos and accomplishing something remarkable, the pride of being a Tarot Club member, and the pituitary gland of a seven-colored lizard dragon she would receive from "The Hanged Man" afterward—together, these gave her not just double the joy, but threefold, even fourfold or fivefold!
*I want to report to "Mr. Fool" right away and receive his confirmation...* No, I can't. A mysterious powerhouse with unknown motives killed Zilingos. There must be people observing me in the shadows right now, searching for clues. I can't show any abnormality whatsoever... Psh! I'm not abnormal at all. As long as I don't attempt to recite "Mr. Fool's" Sacred Name...