infodatos Chapter 352 Digital Weighing
Chapter 352 Digital Weighing
Chapter 352 Digital Weighing
In the western part of Backlund, at the Earl's Café, Evan picked up his coffee, took a sip, and listened to the report from the woman across from him while watching the passersby outside the window.
"In the past few days, the government has completed preliminary statistics. This Backlund riot, along with the witch's mischief, directly caused at least 70,000 deaths. The subsequent spread of the plague has also taken at least 100,000 lives, including many young children and young men and women."
In addition, Backlund's major factories suffered severe damage. Coupled with the defeat in the first half of the year in the struggle against the Fursac Empire in the southern continent, the government has basically determined that the kingdom's economy will fall into a severe recession this year!
With each number Fors uttered, her brow furrowed a little more, while Evan, sitting opposite her, showed no reaction whatsoever, even glancing at the snacks being sold by vendors outside the window.
It seems that all the deaths in Backlund are less noticeable to him than the snacks in the vendor's hands!
Seeing that Evan didn't react much to the data on the Backlund riots, Fors felt a bit bored and could only continue:
"A few days ago, Hugh was officially promoted to major and took command of three extraordinary squads. However, she didn't claim the Sequence 6 'Judge' potion. Partly because she hasn't fully digested the 'Interrogator' potion, and partly because she's worried that claiming it would raise suspicions about how quickly she was acting!"
Evan withdrew his gaze from the window and said with a smile:
"It was my carelessness. I will get this potion for her and deliver it to her later. I will make sure there is no trace of it."
Evan's rapid advancement was something he could at least give an account to the Augustus family, but it would be unacceptable for Hugh to also have such a dramatic increase in rank within just a few months.
This is also the trouble of working within official circles. Everyone, from top to bottom, is watching you. If you make even the slightest mistake, you'll be targeted!
Therefore, Hugh's sequence cannot be improved so quickly, at least not openly.
Seeing that Evan understood what she meant, Fors didn't say anything more. She picked up her coffee, took a sip, and then tentatively asked:
"Evan, did you have any information about the Witch Cult causing trouble? Or perhaps you had any information about Mr. Fool's followers?"
Fors made this guess because a few days ago, Evan did not meet with Lawrence Nord, the person in charge of Abraham, as originally planned, and asked Fors to tell him to leave Backlund immediately, or find a place to stay in Queens or near a few churches.
As it turned out, Evan's warning was very accurate; Lawrence Nord, who was staying at the Queens Grand Hotel, was completely unaffected by the storm.
If he continues to live in the Jowood District Hotel near the East End as before, given his frail and elderly physique, he is very likely to be affected by the subsequent spread of the plague.
Evan had anticipated Fors's suspicions, after all, he had let slip some information. If Fors hadn't even realized this, then she was far too lacking in vigilance, not to mention that she had Hugh, who was extremely perceptive about crime clues, by her side.
The reason this incident broke out was because Mr. Fool's followers set off the fire.
I can't go into details right now; let's discuss it again when the Tarot meeting resumes!
Having received training from MI9 and experienced Mr. Fool trying to recruit her into the Tarot Club, Fors understood that in this world, sometimes words alone can bring unpredictable dangers, so she nodded knowingly.
Just then, Fors glanced out the window and gave Evan a wink. Following her gaze, Evan saw a well-dressed old gentleman and realized that this was the person he was waiting for today!
Lawrence Nord entered the café, looked around, and spotted Fors standing up to greet him. He handed his cane to the waiter and then went over to him.
"This is Mr. Lawrence Nord."
"This is my friend from MI9, Mr. Evan Horn."
Lawrence Nord reached out and shook hands with Evan, while looking at the young man in front of him, once again marveling at his youth.
Since his last meeting with Fors, Lawrence Nord has been keeping busy, inquiring about news from the Earl of Ahova's mansion through various channels.
The more information he gathered, the more he felt that this contact might be another chance for the Abraham family to catch their breath.
The major riot that occurred a few days ago, in particular, further convinced him of the Horn family's power.
He was certain that what happened a few days ago was not as simple as the newspapers reported.
Although I don't know the details, the death toll doesn't lie. Such a massive disaster must have involved demigods or even angels.
The fact that the Horn family was able to receive the information in advance demonstrates their current power and influence from any perspective!
"I should thank Mr. Evan for his reminder; it was because of your reminder that I was able to escape this disaster!"
Lawrence Nord understood that the other person had reminded him and saved his life because they didn't want him to die unexpectedly in Backlund. The other person's target was still the Abraham family behind him, but this did not change the fact that the other person had saved his life.
"It's nothing. Since the Horn family wants to cooperate deeply with the Abraham family, ensuring your safety in Backlund is simply their duty!"
Evan had no intention of taking advantage of the favor. If he were to openly and casually assume the role of benefactor at this point, it would only make the other party look down on him. It would be better to be straightforward!
Sure enough, Lawrence Nord's expression softened slightly after hearing Evan's words. After all, the matter to be discussed concerned important matters between the two families, and he owed the other party a life, which put him at a psychological disadvantage.
It's a good thing that Evan has let this matter go so easily, which makes him feel even more favorably toward Evan.
Mr. Evan should be able to tell that my health is very poor, and I estimate that I only have a few months left to live, making it difficult for me to continue teaching apprentices. However, I am overjoyed to see Miss Fors's talent.
So, if you don't object, I'd like to introduce Miss Fors to a tutor.
This was something Lawrence Nord had planned before he came.
This was partly to repay Evan for saving his life, and partly to deepen the bond between Fors and the Abraham family, thus influencing Evan.
Evan was a shrewd old fox, and he immediately understood what he meant. He knew that the man had indeed been prepared, and he couldn't help but feel secretly relieved.
If he had directly used this condition to demand a repayment, Lawrence Nord could have used it to settle the score, and neither of them would owe the other anything.
But by then, the warm and affectionate relationship between the two sides will be gone, leaving only a pure exchange of interests.
This was something Evan, who wanted to deeply bind himself to the Abraham family, did not want.
Fors, who didn't have so many ulterior motives, genuinely believed that Mr. Lawrence Nord wanted to introduce her to a teacher because he saw that she had a high talent for acting through the 'apprentice' route. So at this moment, she could hardly hide the smile on her face!
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Fors, ever the astute man, made an excuse to leave on his own.
Lawrence Nord looked at Evan, who was staring at his coffee cup, seemingly in no hurry to speak, and gave a wry smile. He could only speak first:
"You asked Miss Fors to pass on a message saying that the Horn family wants to restore its former glory and overthrow the Forsac Empire. Is that true?"
"Of course it's true, no member of the Horn family would joke about this!"
I can even tell Mr. Lawrence that we have already begun preparations and have already started taking action!
Evan looked directly into the old man's eyes without flinching and said bluntly:
"This is also an opportunity for the Abraham family, not just a chance for the family to catch its breath, but a chance to completely break the curse and return to normalcy!"
Lawrence Nord stared into Evan's eyes for a long time, using his decades of life experience to find no falsehood in them, and the lie detector he carried with him did not react to Evan's words.
This gave the old man, who desperately wanted to free his family, a glimmer of hope, and even a sudden impulse.
But his impulse was quickly suppressed by reality. Even if the Horn family was serious, overthrowing the number one military power in the Northern Continent was still a risky thing. It was not something that could be done with words. He needed to know what cards the other party had up their sleeve to assess the situation.
"If the information I have gathered is correct, Count Robert Horn should be an extraordinary person who acts as arbitrator."
I don't believe the Augustus family would raise an Einhorn to become an angel, even if they also want to use the Horn family bloodline against the Fursac Empire!
Lawrence Nord has been learning about the Earl of Ahova's House and the contemporary Earl Robert Horn through various channels.
He acknowledged that Robert Horn was an amazing talent, but also acknowledged that the ceiling above him was clearly visible.
How much he can achieve depends on how big a circle the Augustus family draws for him!
Evan couldn't help but admire the old man in front of him. He was truly a master. In just a few days of investigation, he could see through things that many people couldn't, and he also found Robert's biggest weakness, even though there were many things that Robert didn't know!
At the same time, his meaning was also very clear: if the Horn family didn't even have a single angel, why should the Abraham family follow them to do such dangerous things?
"We have angels supporting us, and more than one!"
Evan put down his coffee cup and began to reveal his own hand.
Lawrence was stunned upon hearing this, then feigned composure and said:
"I know the Church of the Night will definitely support those targeting the Fursac Empire, but they're more likely to support the Horn family, who are backed by the Augustus family, right?"
The implication is that the Church of the Night is willing to help anyone targeting the Fussac Empire, and Evan cannot force a relationship in such a crude way. He also reiterated that the Horn family is controlled by the Augustus family.
"The angels I'm referring to are not the angels of the true church!"
In response to Lawrence's questioning, Evan once again used only one sentence.
This really stunned Lawrence, but he still couldn't quite believe it, so he could only ask cautiously in a low voice:
"When you speak of angels, do you mean real angels or 'Level 0' sealed artifacts possessing angelic power?"
Lawrence believed that the Horn family, like the Abraham family, had retained the extraordinary characteristics inherited from their ancestors.
"Of course it's the former. I can name one who has won your trust: the queen of the four seas, the owner of the 'Dawn,' the founder of the Dawn of Elements, and the eldest daughter of Emperor Roselle—Bernarde Gustave."
"Your Abraham Raj family should be familiar with this princess, shouldn't you?"
Although Bernadette collaborated with Robert and Irwin because of the "Black Emperor" incident, it doesn't stop Irwin from bringing her up now to endorse the "restoration" plan.
Lawrence was naturally familiar with the Mysterious Queen, after all, the Abraham family had once served Emperor Roselle.
Moreover, before Benjamin Abraham's death, some members of the Abraham family wanted to explore the secret of the curse again, and someone suggested going to the princess to seek her protection and advance to the rank of 'Mystic'.
However, this proposal was personally rejected by Benjamin Abraham, who warned that only angels were qualified to protect their people and help them ascend to demigod status.
Bernadette at that time was clearly not an angel, and she could not help the Abraham family give birth to their own demigods again.
"The mysterious queen has ascended to the rank of angel? Why is she willing to support the Horn family? Shouldn't she be more concerned about the Republic of Intis?"
Lawrence felt somewhat dazed. Those were angels on earth! And one he knew very well had been elevated to the status of an angel.
If the Abraham family had an angel, they wouldn't be in this state now.
"Mr. Lawrence, don't you think I've already given you too much information?"
As the great Emperor Roselle once famously said, "One should not speak deeply with those one does not know well, and one need not tell others one's own story!"
We both certainly have the desire to cooperate, but we've only just met, and this is our first meeting. Surely you don't expect me to reveal all my cards to you?
Evan decisively rejected Lawrence's further questions and instead gave a long explanation.
While this was partly to avoid revealing more information, it was also to maintain control of the conversation!
Lawrence paused for a moment, then asked again:
"You just revealed that the Horn family has angels supporting them. Although this still needs to be verified, I can take it as fact for now."
To demonstrate your willingness to cooperate, you can also ask me a question that I can answer!
Without mincing words, Evan asked directly and solemnly:
"How many 0-level sealed artifacts does your Abraham family possess?"
Since you just wanted to weigh our strength, I've told you.
"So now, shouldn't you reveal some of your strength to us so we can assess your capabilities?"