418 Beatrice
Franca ended her concealment and quietly opened the door to Adaina’s apartment. The first thing she saw was Lumian, a tall, slender man with blond hair and blue eyes. He was crouched beside the unconscious Adaina, vigorously wiping her face with a wet towel.
Franca lowered her voice and asked in confusion, “W-what are you doing?”
Shouldn’t the target be the Bliss Society member posing as Theresa, the art dealer?
Lumian smirked and responded, “I’ve had a sudden thought.
“Actors can impersonate anyone. Once the imposter Theresa establishes an intimate relationship with Aldina, she can easily control this female companion and impersonate her to infiltrate the Red House Café’s female orgies.”
“Allowing Adaina, who everyone is familiar with, to convey the Bliss Society’s philosophy and hidden evil god faith will definitely be more persuasive and trustworthy than a new member.”
At this point, Lumian gazed toward the bedroom in a chilling tone and said, “Perhaps, the real Adaina is hidden in a corner here, in the form of a corpse.”
Franca couldn’t help but imagine such a grim scenario and took a deep breath.
She straightened her back and muttered to herself, “Not a bad story. I’ll share it with Jenna later.”
After her muttering, she silently closed the door and approached Lumian, refuting his suspicion.
“Browns Sauron is likely a Demoness of Pleasure. Surely, she can recognize the authenticity of her female companion? Furthermore, she interrogated Adaina and knows the approximate abilities of an Actor.”
Lumian, who had been “assisting” Adaina in removing her makeup, confirmed that despite her altered appearance, she was still the same person.
He chuckled and said, “Based on your description, I don’t fully trust Browns Sauron’s judgment. She clearly has less experience in the Beyonder domain than you. However, since she has the Demoness Sect backing her and confirmation has been made, the interrogation results are still credible.”
Lumian didn’t spare Adaina another glance. He gestured towards the fake Theresa, who had been hit with a triple dose of unconsciousness—the Harrumph Spell, a physical knockout, and a sedative from the Bliss Society. He turned to Franca and said, “Use Magic Mirror Divination to confirm if she’s a core member of the Bliss Society.”
While Lumian had already suspected the fake Theresa was a core member based on her performance at the concert, they hadn’t followed her closely the entire way. They had instead been waiting at their destination. What if she had sensed something amiss and had switched to a decoy during the journey?
Considering the fake Theresa possessed a unique concoction like the Bliss Society’s truth serum, she was undoubtedly connected to the Bliss Society. However, it remained uncertain if she was a core member.
This answer would guide Lumian’s subsequent actions.
…
Next door to Adaina’s apartment, Browns Sauron continued to monitor the commotion. She could hear faint and indistinct conversations but couldn’t detect much else.
Adaina and the fake Theresa plan to chat for a while and have some red wine? Though it isn’t overly passionate, it holds a romantic ambiance… Browns Sauron glanced at the building opposite, mentally urging Franca and her lover to begin, hoping they wouldn’t wait until the fake Theresa was completely engrossed in desire before launching a surprise attack.
…
In the living room of Adaina’s apartment, Franca raised her right palm and rapidly created a crystalline icicle. With precision, she pierced the fake Theresa’s hand, drawing a small amount of blood.
The fake Theresa instinctively pulled back her arm but hadn’t broken through the three-layered coma.
Franca then smeared the blood on a mirror, intending to use it as a medium and sacrifice to ask an entity from the Underworld, hoping to obtain a unique identification of spirits.
Once all preparations were complete, Franca picked up the mirror and recited in Hermes,
“The shadow that lingers in the Underworld, the friendly creature that can be communicated with, the unique eye that never dies…”
The surface of the blood-stained mirror suddenly emitted a dark green hue, and a pale-white aqueous light rippled.
After reciting the incantation, Franca asked respectfully, “Is the owner of the blood Theresa, the art dealer?”
“No,” came an indifferent voice from the mirror, as if enduring the corrosion of endless time.
Franca posed her second question.
“Is the owner of the blood a core member of Trier’s Bliss Society?”
The indifferent voice gradually faded.
“Yes.”
Franca refrained from asking further questions, as the entity only answered two at a time.
She watched as the pale-white aqueous light rapidly receded, and the blood on the mirror’s surface strangely seeped in and disappeared.
Turning to Lumian, Franca reported, “She’s a core member of the Bliss Society.”
Lumian let out a soft sigh and said, “Unfortunately, I don’t know how to perform a lobotomy. Anthony Reid isn’t a Hypnotist yet, so we can only channel the spirit directly.”
Using the truth serum didn’t guarantee that the fake Theresa wouldn’t resist when she woke up. Given her faith and abilities, a fierce battle was inevitable when the time came, and there was a high chance that she would be killed. In that case, he decided to proceed now.
As Lumian spoke, he crouched down, his right palm ablaze with crimson flames.
The flames intertwined and swiftly converged, turning white.
Gently pressing his right palm against the fake Theresa’s body, the blazing white fireball vanished into thin air.
Rumble!
A muffled explosion erupted from within the fake Theresa’s body. She trembled a few times before life left her completely.
Franca had been busy preparing the Magic Mirror Spirit Channeling Spell during this entire process.
While she could forcibly channel the spirit while the fake Theresa was unconscious, it wasn’t a safe option. It could lead to unnecessary trouble for her mind and spirit, and the fact that the target believed in an evil god meant there was a risk of corruption if she wasn’t careful.
…
Next door to Adaina’s apartment, hidden in the shadows, Browns Sauron sensed a subtle fluctuation.
Powers have been used. Has it begun? She wondered if the imposter Theresa had initiated the powers of the Mother Tree of Desire pathway to flirt or if Franca Roland and her lover had already infiltrated the target location and were preparing to attack.
Without hesitation, Browns Sauron, dressed in a black hunting suit, silently pushed open the window and crawled out through the shadows. She clung to the outer wall and slowly approached Adaina’s apartment.
…
Franca completed the Magic Mirror Spirit Channeling Spell, and the dark and deep mirror aqueous light flickered, “reflecting” a beautiful yet pale-white face.
“What’s your name?” Franca asked directly, using the simplest question to test the effect of the Magic Mirror Spirit Channeling Spell.
The fake Theresa’s illusory voice replied, “I’m Beatrice Incourt.”
“What’s your true identity?” Franca continued to ask.
Beatrice Incourt’s expression remained stoic as she replied, “I run a winery. It’s from my deceased husband.”
Franca then directed the question to the crucial point.
“Are you a core member of the Bliss Society?”
“Yes.” Beatrice Incourt’s nod was subtle.
Franca didn’t delve into the Bliss Society’s faith or any recent revelations. Although she wasn’t as fearful of the evil god, the Mother Tree of Desire, as she was of the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, to the point of not daring to channel spirits, she was aware of the risks involved. She knew what to ask and what not to ask, what was safe, and what could lead to corruption.
After a brief pause, she inquired, “Do you know Lumian Lee or Ciel Dubois?”
Beatrice replied in a daze, “I don’t know.”
I don’t know… Lumian, who was listening, raised his eyebrows.
None of the core members of the Bliss Society know about Susanna Mattise’s ultimate plan?
Franca was equally surprised. She frowned and asked, “Why did Susanna Mattise go to the market district before her death?”
Beatrice Incourt replied calmly, “She wanted to awaken the great divine tree and allow its roots to enter Fourth Epoch Trier, allowing its crown to reach into the kingdom of the false gods.”
“Did she say what the awakening process was?” Franca pressed.
Beatrice Incourt’s voice grew colder, and her expression became more wooden.
“She didn’t say.”
They really don’t know that Susanna Mattise wanted to capture me and sacrifice me to the Mother Tree of Desire? Lumian’s thoughts raced, and he whispered a name to Franca: “Maipú Meyer.”
Franca understood and asked the spirit in the mirror, “Where is Maipú Meyer?”
Maipú Meyer was the former manager of Théatre de l’Ancienne Cage à Pigeons, Susanna Mattise’s paramour, and her most trusted subordinate.
Beatrice replied in a voice increasingly resembling the dead, “I’m not sure. He’s a man, and we despise and keep a distance from him.”
Upon hearing this, Lumian was enlightened, roughly understanding the reason.
Regarding the Tree of Shadow, Susanna Mattise, who had become an evil spirit, was extremely extreme in her choices and actions. She didn’t inform the other core members of the Bliss Society about the detailed situation or progress. Only her direct subordinates, Maipú Meyer and Charlotte Calvino, knew the complete plan.
After Susanna Mattise and Charlotte Calvino’s deaths, Maipú Meyer, who had relied on the former to become a core member of the Bliss Society, was ostracized and suppressed. Consequently, he didn’t divulge the relevant issues to anyone else.
This made sense. A secret organization centered around “desire” would undoubtedly experience a multitude of desires, both open and covert. Maipú Meyer was a visible anomaly among the core group that advocated women and loved women.
Franca pondered for a few seconds and changed her question, “What are Maipú Meyer’s plans for the time being?”
Beatrice’s face turned pale-white and green, and even her stiff expression vanished.
“A few weeks ago, Maipú Meyer mentioned that he wanted to sneak back to the market district to do something. I haven’t seen him since.”
Sneak back to the market district to do something? Lumian and Franca were alarmed by this revelation.
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