Chapter 872: 65. Sudden Change
“Tell me.”
Lu Li shifted his dark eyes away from Yenada Mathews’ swinging left hand.
A waiter carrying a tray passed by, and Yenada Mathews casually took a glass of red wine: “Its ritual involves slipping into the victim’s shadow to impersonate the victim. If it’s exposed, the victim will die, right?”
That was Anna’s ritual.
“What happened to her when ‘The Time of Silence’ transformed into ‘Silent Moments’?”
“Her?”
Yenada Mathews was puzzled by Lu Li’s term: “No one’s heard of her since. She might have disappeared or been exterminated. You know, eerie entities can also be hostile to each other.”
As his voice fell, the atmosphere suddenly became cold and still.
“I’m stepping away for a moment,” Lu Li said, turning to walk towards a nearby waiter.
Yenada Mathews watched his back, squinting slightly, and took a sip from his wine glass.
“Where is Representative Sophie Shestren?” Lu Li inquired.
“Oh… please, please follow me, Exorcist Sir,” the waiter came to his senses, leading Lu Li to the edge of the hall.
An old man in a gray tailcoat was softly conversing with a graceful woman in a deep purple evening gown. The waiter approached and whispered to him.
The old man looked up and raised his wine glass to the approaching Lu Li: “Your visit is an honor to me.”
The stately woman measured Lu Li, her gaze mostly fixated on his face and chest.
“I wish to ask something,” Lu Li said.
The old man placed the wine glass back on the tray held by the waiter and nodded after he walked away: “Of course, please go ahead.”
“About the Shadow of the Maiden.”
“I know, you commissioned us this afternoon, right?” Representative Sophie Shestren recalled. “But not so fast… our people are still investigating, maybe tonight or tomorrow…”
He called over an assistant nearby to inquire about the progress. They did find out some information, such as the Shadow of the Maiden has never rampaged in the Barren Lands and the saying “In the Hillevig Mountain Range, no one can kill a cat.”
“It’s on the Main Affinity Continent; over there, we have to contact the Vena Ice-Free Port.”
“Will it take long?”
Despite the telegraph and telephone not being lost, and having other mysterious communication methods, the distance inevitably slowed down the progress.
“Not really.” Representative Sophie Shestren smiled: “You might not be aware, but you’re more popular there. I’ve heard that all the newspapers sold out on the day of your return, and even today, you’re still on the front page of local newspapers. The ambassador from Vena Ice-Free Port has applied several times to City Hall, wanting to meet you.”
Vena Ice-Free Port, yearning for the glory of the Old Era, cared more about Lu Li.
“Please help convey the search for the Shadow of the Maiden. If there’s news, I’ll meet with him.”
“Leave it to me.”
Representative Sophie Shestren agreed and curiously asked: “Is that evil spirit your enemy?”
Clap, clap—
Before Lu Li could answer, crisp applause erupted in the center of the hall.
Yenada Mathews lowered his hand, smiled as the scattered conversations faded away: “A regular party is just too dull, why don’t I tell you about the story before my slumber?”
“It would be wonderful to hear it,” a middle-aged man wearing a representative badge said with a smile.
The crowd gradually gathered around.
“Let’s join them too.”
Representative Sophie Shestren said, raising his arm, waiting for the woman to take it, and joined the crowd with Lu Li.
“I call it the Dream Eater, but it doesn’t devour dreams; it prevents you from sleeping—”
Yenada Mathews was well-suited for storytelling.
His infectious tone and expressions made the experience intriguing, even if the attendees were all powerful figures of Midnight City, they instinctively gasped or sighed along with the narrative.
“In the end, I woke from a deep sleep, pushed away its jellyfish-like body as thick as a wall, and crawled out from underground. Fortunately, a nearby old sewer was not far from me, where I met an aide of Representative Cyrus Lemon and asked him to take me away.”
“Certainly! I still remember that little rascal coming to me, saying he’d found Yenada Mathews. I almost threw him out of the manor, thinking he was insane,” shouted an official who resembled a bear, Representative Cyrus Lemon, from the crowd.
Yenada Mathews smiled, his gaze landing on Lu Li among the crowd: “Before attending the party, I met Navin Lynch. He’s so old he nearly forgot me, but he still remembers His Excellency Lulian and asked me to send his regards, thanking you for taking him to the mountain top.”
“Navin Lynch?”
Lu Li did not recall the name.
“He’s the poor guy who climbed the mountain top with you when the sea swelled in, but he later became the most respected dean of Midnight City.”
“I don’t recall such an incident,” Lu Li said calmly.
As his words fell, the hall became quiet, with many puzzled eyes on him.
“…Maybe he remembered wrong.” Yenada Mathews scratched his head like a young man.
The crowd gradually dispersed, and the party continued. However, curious eyes occasionally glanced at Lu Li.
Yenada Mathews did not come to him again after that.
Lu Li did not linger at the City Hall party for long. Near seven in the evening, he left City Hall and took a carriage back to Klein Manifested University.
The next day, Lu Li still had matters to attend to.
The Lange Family and several families sent invitations, hoping for Lu Li’s attendance at the gathering held tonight at the Lange Family manor.
Due to Dean Lawrence’s persuasion, Lu Li did not refuse.
In the afternoon, Lu Li took a carriage to the Lange Family’s luxurious manor, a sight rare even in the Old Era.
Compared to the City Hall party, which had a sense of distance, this gathering felt more like a social affair.
Apart from the heads of the families, many young men and women were brought along.
Amidst soothing music, young aristocrats embraced and danced in the ballroom.
A girl with a delicate, ethereal presence approached Lu Li, nervously blinking her eyelashes: “May I have a dance with you?”
“I don’t know how to dance.”
The girl’s cheeks flushed: “It doesn’t…it doesn’t matter, I can teach you.”
“I don’t want to dance.”
The disappointed girl left due to Lu Li’s refusal.
“She’s the daughter of a representative; Mr. Luli shouldn’t have refused her so bluntly,” said Thur Lange, the current head of the Lange Family, sitting beside Lu Li with a gentle smile.
At that moment, a commotion arose from outside the gathering.
Thur Lange turned his head, the gentle smile vanishing from his face.
A troop belonging to the Knights Order, led in, barged into his gathering.
“Mr. Yenada Mathews.”
Thur Lange looked at their leader.
“Should I say welcome?”
Thur Lange did not invite Yenada Mathews because he did not belong to this circle.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your gathering. I have something to announce.”
Yenada Mathews ignored Thur Lange in front of him and focused solely on Lu Li at the back, only scrutiny in his eyes.
“Regarding this person, the impostor pretending to be Lu Li.”