Same night, Beckland, Sodrak Palace.

Audrey, dressed in a flamboyant court dress, sat in the lounge, waiting for the evening to begin, a newspaper on her lap and a front page with the data on the death toll of the Great Smog, which had just been counted today.

"123,000 ......"

She muttered to herself, folding the newspaper and placing it on the coffee table beside her, unable to bear to read it again.

Thanks to the timely generosity of the nobles and the royal family, and the full assistance of the major churches, there were no more humanitarian disasters in the month after the great smog, and the victims lived in temporary resettlement houses, obtained barely enough food to eat, and did not starve to death or freeze to death on the streets, but there were still a large number of young children and elderly people who did not survive the plague and infectious diseases after the smog.

And the royal family is still holding a New Year's party......

She had no intention of accusing the royal family of extravagance, and after consulting with the church, they had temporarily canceled the fireworks display on the banks of the Tasok River and the parade of floats in Queens, and even added a charity section to the party, which was much more economical than before.

But......

Audrey closed her eyes and exhaled, adjusting to her negative emotions.

Later, she had more important tasks to do.

There was a knock at the door, and Lady Catherine, who was also dressed up, walked in, picked up Audrey, and hugged her gently:

"Baby, you're going to surprise everyone tonight."

She took her daughter's hand and walked out of the lounge to the second floor of the party hall.

Below are almost all the nobles above the viscount of Beckland, as well as a few wealthy merchants who are invited, either holding their wine glasses or standing quietly, waiting for today's protagonist to appear.

Audrey adjusted her mood, put on a mask called "Spectator", stepped forward, and handed her hand with white gauze gloves to the queen who was waiting beside her.

The latter led her up to the protruding platform on the second floor and looked at the guests below.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in the past half a month, Beckland has experienced the darkest period, but on such days, we still have the brightest gem that can illuminate this darkness, and her beauty and wisdom, etiquette and character are impeccable.

"I'm introducing her to you formally, Miss Audrey Hall."

With that, she stepped aside and gave up her seat to Audrey.

Taking a deep breath, Audrey walked over to the railing and faced the silent crowd below.

She suddenly noticed that at the front of the crowd, her father, Earl Hall, and her eldest brother, Hibbert, were all looking at her quietly, smiling encouragingly.

This gave her the last courage.

"Good evening, thank you all for today's New Year's party," she said with a perfect smile on her face, greeted a series of astonishing glances, "I originally prepared a draft of the speech for the coming-of-age ceremony, but just now, after seeing the statistics on the big smog in the newspaper, I threw it away. ”

"This city is carrying the suffering of countless people, and their expectations. In the streets of the East End, homeless people and orphans are left unclothed, half of the factories in the dock and factory areas are still open, and a large number of workers are unable to pay their rents and are displaced. It's a ...... natural disasters, but still relevant to each and every one of us.

"On behalf of my father, Earl Hall, I would like to appeal to all of us to work together to establish a relief fund to send a ray of hope to these suffering people, so that no one will be lost to cold and hunger in the winter after the disaster and in the days to come."

There was silence in the hall of the party.

Most people were not informed beforehand, and still thought it was just an ordinary New Year's party, drinking and chatting as usual, wishing the children of the nobility who were coming of age in the new year, and then returning to their warm mansion before the clock struck midnight.

At this moment, Audrey's sudden initiative surprised them.

"Bang Bang—"

The first to applaud was actually the queen next to her, which surprised Audrey a little, and when her father informed her of the process of this temporary party, she thought that the most likely opponent was the royal family, but she didn't expect it......

Earl Hall's smile remained unchanged, and he clapped his hands lightly to encourage him, and the eldest brother Hibbert raised the wine glass in his hand and greeted the little princess of the family, several counts of high status, and wealthy merchants who did not have a knighthood, but were invited because of their wealth, also took the lead in applauding or toasting, and Audrey noticed that these people were all believers in the goddess of the night like her father.

At the Queen's signal, Count Hall and the other nobles took the lead, and the other guests soon joined in, turning the evening hall from the silence of the moment to the bustle.

Audrey's smile still hung on her face, but she thought and analyzed quickly in her heart.

The father should have informed the royal family about this move, but most of the nobles were not notified...... However, the nobles who are the followers of the night are cooperating, is it the Church of the Night standing behind this initiative?

Thinking of the analysis of the situation after the Great Smog of Beckland by the hanged man in "Tarot Meeting", Audrey seemed to understand something.

But why did my father ask me to take the initiative at the bar mig...... Didn't he keep telling me not to get involved in these things? Is it because I know that I have become extraordinary, so that I can get as close as possible to the Church of the Night Goddess and be protected by them?

Alfred joined the army, Hibbert served on the Air Pollution Investigation Committee, and it was likely that he entered politics with that, and my father wanted to leave me a safe passage as well...... This is contrary to my thoughts, I originally hoped to increase my strength as soon as possible, so that I could protect my family in a disaster similar to the Great Smog, but how could I be protected by them again......

She tried to guess the truth behind her father's move by using Mr. Hangman's way of analyzing things, and soon came up with several plausible answers.

It seems that he will find an opportunity to talk to Hibbert, or send a letter to Alfred...... She thought to herself, a little frustrated.

"Audrey."

The queen beside her handed her a delicate wine glass and gestured to her.

She collected her thoughts, took it with both hands, held up the glass that looked like a champagne color, but was actually non-alcoholic, and said to the guests below:

"Thank you again for being able to participate in this party, and I wish you all a happy new year."

Boom –

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, fireworks exploded into the air, reflecting the colorful light on the floor of the hall.

That night, Audrey officially became an adult socially, as well as in her own heart.

————

Inside a low-rise home in the Jowood district.

Furth carefully arranged the sacrificial rite, offering the radio receiver he had purchased from a citizen scientist to the mysterious Mr. Fool, and a moment later the proceeds of the transaction appeared on the altar: 15 pounds.

Seeing the transactions of hundreds or thousands of pounds at the Tarot meeting, I always feel that this money is a little out of the table......

Despite thinking so, she quickly took the money in her hand, counted it, and put it in her pocket.

After removing the candles and lifting the spiritual wall, Firth walked out of the bedroom and returned to the living room, to his surprise to find that Hugh had returned from the East End.

"What are you secretly doing in the bedroom?"

The "sheriff", who has been busy in the East District for the past half a month to help maintain order and punish criminals, looked up and asked, making Furth, who had just reached a deal through the channel of the Tarot Society, a little nervous, but when he saw that his friend just asked casually, he relaxed again.

"It's just a new idea, a study of the materials that I got at the University of Industry and Technology...... What about you? Still helping those friends on the East End, and that 'Sherman'? ”

"Of course, there's still a lot of chaos over there, and while the church and the police have been maintaining order and handing out handouts, there's always people in the streets who are trying to re-establish that set of underground rules, and it's useful to call the police, but the fists are more effective."

Hugh yawned and replied.

"Moreover, in the past half month, I can clearly feel that the ability of the 'sheriff' has become more and more handy in using it, maybe these things will help me master the power of potions."

She added.

This is because your actions are in line with the "playfulness method...... Foirth said in her heart that she didn't dare to leak the knowledge she had obtained from the "Tarot Society" at will, so she could only find a way to guide the other party secretly.

Therefore, she has not stopped Hugh from going to the East End to be a volunteer sheriff, but she is a little interested in the "Sherman" that she often talks about, and it sounds that the other party is also a low-order extraordinary, and he is an "assassin" in the same way as the Queen of the Tarot Society.

It's a pity that this powerful Tarot member has now left Beckland...... Hmm, Mr. "World", who asked me to buy the radio receiver for me, was originally in Beckland, but recently left as well, because the major churches have intensified their efforts to arrest the wild extraordinary? Shouldn't I also consider going out and hiding for a while......

She thought wildly, looked out the window, and there was a faint flash of light in the direction of Queens in the distance, which should be the nobles and rich people there setting off fireworks.

Leaving the "queen" and "world" of Beckland, where to spend the New Year now?

Furth couldn't help but wonder.

————

Monday, January 3 at noon, Beckland North District.

As Benson and Melissa pass by St. Samuel's Church in a hired carriage, they find a large number of people lining up to board the double-decker public carriage one by one, and the scene is very chaotic.

"What's going on?"

Benson, dressed in an old but modest coat, tapped the flap at the front of the carriage and asked.

"The East End is over, and these people who are temporarily living near the church are going back there, and after the New Year, many factories will reopen, and if you go slowly, you may not be able to grab the out-of-towners who are flocking to it...... Sorry, I didn't mean you. ”

The driver remembered that the two people he picked up at the train station were probably also "outsiders", and finally apologized in a frivolous manner.

Eastern District, the hardest hit area in the Great Smog...... Melissa remembered the information she had read in the newspaper, looked away at the church, looked forward, and soon saw the house they had rented in advance half a month ago.

After carrying the large and small bags out of the carriage with the help of the coachman, Benson said to his sister rather proudly:

"I heard that there are not many cheap houses to rent in Bakerland now, and as the effects of the big smog have passed, the rent is almost 50% higher than last month, and it is difficult to find a room."

"Okay, don't talk about your foresight every day, and it's hard to say how much money we've saved by paying half a month's rent."

Melissa sighed, picked up her suitcase, and walked towards 28 Claywood Street, the house where they were going to live for a long time.

Click-

Benson followed behind, and before he could take out the key, the door of the adjacent house opened from the inside, and a young round-faced woman with long pale blond hair stepped out of the door, feeling the sight of the brother and sister, she turned her head slightly, looked this way with purple eyes, nodded politely, and then hurried to the bus stop at the corner of the street.

"That's ......"

Melissa froze, staring at the other's back in a daze until the pale gold slipped into the carriage and out of sight.

Benson, who was beside him, sighed and gently hugged her shoulder.

"Just looks a little alike, she's gone, and ...... Klein the same. ”

Melissa blinked quickly, picked up her luggage again, and entered the house with Benson.

The short New Year's holiday is over, and they're going to be busy again.

(End of chapter)