Chapter 1 The initial draft, wordless reading after twenty minutes.

Suren's eyes froze when he saw the black butterfly brooch on Princess Teresa's chest.

He immediately realized that things might be more complicated than he had anticipated.

The more he thought about it, the more his hair stood on end.

On his first day after transmigrating, he had encountered a ghost-type girl named "Pestoya" in this manor, in this very banquet hall.

That little girl had given him a butterfly brooch just like this one.

Suren had used his Eye of Omniscience to see "???" information in the brooch. For safety's sake, he had hidden it in a corner of the underground cave.

Looking back now, he still felt that hiding the brooch back then was very necessary.

This was a world with mysterious powers.

Several times when the Eye of Omniscience identified "???" information, it involved very high-end things.

Although Suren didn't know what it was specifically, it was likely some indescribable existence.

Moreover, the current Suren was no longer the ignorant newbie he was on his first day after transmigrating.

He now knew that the people in the cursed space, no matter how real, were just lingering thoughts or illusions.

Usually, even ghost-types were NPCs with not-so-high intelligence.

But Suren had experienced so many cursed spaces and encountered so many monsters, yet compared to the "Pestoya" he had met before, their intelligence was on completely different levels.

Emotions, dialogue, logical thinking ability...

"Pestoya" was exactly like a real person!

This made Suren even more certain that the level of this [Storm Manor] cursed space was unimaginably high.

Or, very special.

After all, Pestoya had another identity: she was Sir Isaac's own daughter!

Suren had thought this story was strange back then. Now that he understood some of Dawn City's background, he felt even more that it must involve some secrets from a thousand years ago.

So, the brooch appearing here...

Was even more bizarre!

.......

The moment he saw Princess Teresa, Suren averted his gaze and quietly shifted his position, trying to avoid being seen by her.

When he saw the brooch, two thoughts immediately popped into his head, like a conditioned reflex:

1. The brooch he buried had been found and dug out; it was just an ordinary cursed object.

2. This brooch had big problems.

Suren's way of thinking was always to assume the worst.

He chose option 2.

And now, it seemed very likely that the brooch was problematic.

He had been wondering what exactly was in these Dawn Ruins that would attract the Duke's family's princess to risk her life in person.

Now it seemed that either she had discovered some secret from the brooch, like a treasure map.

But even if it was a treasure map, there was no need for her to come in person.

After all, the entire underground world was her family's mine; she could just send someone.

Or she had some reason that she had to come.

And it was urgent.

Either way, Suren felt it was best not to get involved.

Looking at Teresa's aloof aura, he vaguely understood where that sense of familiarity came from.

......

As soon as Teresa appeared, everyone's attention focused on her.

In fact, even in the inner city, very few of the wealthy tycoons had ever seen this princess.

After all, which mine owner's daughter would bother drilling into her own mine?

Most of the people present would think that Teresa's aloofness was the proper demeanor for a high-ranking noble.

But who would have thought that the Duke's mansion in the inner city might just be a facade?

When she occasionally came down to the mine to inspect the situation, these people treated it as a blessing.

Teresa didn't say a word after entering the banquet hall.

But this attitude of indifference only excited the inner city crowd below.

Ah... this was a true noble.

Everyone lavishly praised her, whispering as if they didn't want to be overheard, but their voices betrayed their desire for the princess to hear their compliments.

"Oh, Princess Teresa is simply too beautiful, like an angel..."

"To be able to see the princess in person on this trip, I would not hesitate to go to my death, let alone come to these ruins..."

"Yes. If I were allowed to kiss her toes, it would be the honor of my life..."

"Ah! The Valen family will always be the Duke and Princess Teresa's most loyal servants..."

"..."

Suren listened, feeling strange in his heart.

This was his first time attending a high society party, and this atmosphere of praising the lord made him a little uncomfortable.

Fortunately, this Teresa didn't seem to have any intention of having dinner here. As soon as she arrived, she went straight to the theme of the banquet.

The female official behind her announced, "Her Highness the Princess has summoned you all to the Dawn Ruins for a reason you are already aware of. This mission requires you to explore the ruins and find something..."

She rattled off a bunch of things.

Listening to the female official's words, Suren quickly analyzed some key information in his mind.

Explore, find something.

Teresa wasn't sure where the "thing" was and needed to explore the entire ruin.

Then there were tasks and rewards.

According to the female official, whichever family could find what the princess wanted would definitely be appreciated by the Duke's mansion and become the number one family in the inner city.

......

"Each family must arrive at the core area of the ruins on time, following the designated route..."

Soon, the female official finished speaking.

She waved her hand and shouted softly, "Draw lots!"

As soon as the words fell, a group of servants walked up with trays.

The heads of each family went up to draw lots. Like cutting a cake, the ruins were divided into more than thirty routes. Whichever route you drew was the one you took.

By sheer luck, Lena drew the number sixteen.

Number fifteen was the Oliver family, and number seventeen was the Clark family...

This meant that on the way to the wilds, they would be surrounded by enemies.

Compared to Lena's bitter face, Suren smiled dismissively at this scene, "These guys have some tricks up their sleeves. They can even tamper with the drawing of lots..."

But that was fine.

He still had his eye on the treasure in Danzer's hands.

Since they were going to the wilds, which would be full of dangers, that young master would most likely bring it with him.

After the drawing of lots was over, Princess Teresa left.

Suren also inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

The feeling that made his brow ache subtly disappeared.

Although he had only seen a familiar butterfly brooch, he still felt a faint sense of unease.

.......

After the princess left, he thought that the banquet would officially begin.

But unexpectedly, at this time, maids walked in carrying silver-covered plates and began to serve the "main course."

As soon as the main course was served, a strong bloody smell swept through the entire banquet hall.

Everyone looked at each other, wondering if it was some fresh "sashimi."

Princess Teresa had already left, and the people in the banquet were no longer so restrained.

Someone curiously opened a plate to take a look.

Everyone's attention focused on it.

They found that it was actually a simple, marinated, bloody head!

Not all the young masters and misses in the inner city had seen blood. At this sight, they all turned pale with fright and exclaimed in surprise. But because it was Miss Teresa's temporary residence, they all covered their mouths, and no one dared to shout loudly.

Someone recognized the origin of the head and said tremblingly, "This... isn't this the youngest son of Mr. Marino, the head of the Tessari family?"

Opening the other plates, they saw that the entire Tessari family was present.

From old to young, the heads of the family's twenty-plus direct descendants were all there.

A head banquet...

Everyone was stunned by this terrifying scene.

Looking at the table full of heads, these inner city young masters and misses immediately understood something.

This was to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.

But they didn't understand why the Tessari family had suddenly been wiped out.

"Why... why is this?"

"Yes, weren't the Tessari's actively responding to the exploration of the wilds? They sent a lot of people this time..."

"Could it be a mistake, or is there some other reason?"

"..."

There were no airtight walls in the upper-class society.

At this time, a woman stood up and told the truth.

"Alas... I roughly know what's going on. Mrs. Tessari had been unwilling to let her son come to explore the wilds, and then took a chance and temporarily replaced him with the son of a bodyguard as a substitute. She even advised me to do the same..."

As she spoke, the woman did not forget to express her attitude, "I warned them not to play petty tricks. Now they've gotten what they deserved. Just follow the Duke's orders properly; why did they have to make it like this?"

With this, everyone understood.

They thought they had done it perfectly, but it was all under the control of the Black Tower.

This also made the young masters and misses who had originally wanted to play tricks in the exploration of the wilds feel a chill down their necks.

Princess Teresa's tough attitude shattered any illusions they had.

For a time, the huge banquet was silent.

But...

They had worked hard, even if they had not made any achievements.

As subjects of Duke Raphael, those who could stand here were, after all, figures with some standing in the inner city.

To warn them in such a barbaric and brutal way?

It didn't seem to be a crime worthy of death. Why was the Duke's mansion not showing any mercy and eliminating an entire family as they pleased?

The crowd had complex expressions, with worry, anger, incomprehension, resentment...

But no one dared to say anything.

But the more top-tier families in the inner city were, the more they knew the terror of the Black Tower.

In particular, some people who had heard snippets of that "uprising" fifty years ago from their elders kept their mouths shut.

.......

Suren watched from afar, and his shock was no less than that of the others at this familiar scene.

However, it wasn't being shocked by the bloody head banquet, but the means, which made him feel strangely familiar!

The same banquet hall, the same bloody methods...

Suren seemed to recall the scene back then, and thought, "Why do Teresa's methods feel like Pestoya's... Is it just a coincidence?"

For a moment, the relevant clues in his mind were linked together.

He vaguely felt that he had guessed part of the truth.

But some places contradicted each other, and he always felt that something was wrong.

For example, the most critical question: why did Sir Isaac burn his daughter to death back then?

Suddenly, a guess that he found hard to believe popped up in his mind: "Or... was the Pestoya I met not Sir Isaac's daughter at all? If not, then who was she?"

The only thing that could be determined now was that the butterfly brooch was definitely problematic.

.......

Suren's thoughts were still swirling when Chitiao walked over from somewhere.

The only necessary part of the banquet was over, and there was no need for them to stay.

She waved to Suren and Lena, "Let's go, let's go back too."

As she said that, Chitiao naturally took Suren's arm.

The three of them left the manor, and Lena asked, "Auntie, where do you and Mr. Zoro live?"

Chitiao replied, "The Rose Inn."

Lena thought for a while, and seemed to realize that the conditions at the Rose Inn were not very good, and enthusiastically invited, "Oh, I happen to have a spare room there. Auntie, come and live with me~"

As she spoke, she said in a slightly coquettish tone, "It's been a long time since I had a good talk with Auntie..."

Others were having trouble finding a room, but this silly girl from the landlord's family had spare ones.

"Okay."

Chitiao naturally agreed happily when she heard this.

The three of them walked down the road.

"We drew the number fifteen route and will be leaving at the latest the day after tomorrow. But we haven't recruited a team of hunters or mercenaries yet..."

"No problem. The people from the Cross Society will also be at your disposal. And Mr. Zoro will be going with you. He's very powerful. If you have any problems, just ask him..."

"..."

Suren listened to the conversation between the two women and couldn't get a word in edgewise.

As they walked, he was a little curious as to why this gambling addict seemed to have gotten used to this lady's dress and hadn't heard her complaining about it?

Before long, they arrived at the "Unicorn Inn."

Suren had originally wanted to go back to the Rose Inn to rest, but Lena had invited him along as well.

He couldn't refuse, so he followed them upstairs.

This was a luxury hotel, and the decoration was very elaborate.

There were two suites on the top floor, which were not arranged for other guests because Miss Lena lived there.

The suites were several times larger than the hotel room Suren had stayed in before, and there was also a bathtub.

Chitiao seemed very happy, and the two women occupied one room.

Suren went to the other room.

.......

The bed in the room was very comfortable and soft to sit on.

Thinking that he was going to explore the wilds, and probably wouldn't be able to take a shower for a long time, Suren also went to the bathroom to rinse off.

Facts have proven that people's inspiration and thinking are most active when they are taking a shower.

Suren rubbed bubbles on his head, and when the hot water washed over his head, it was like a weak electric current stimulating his thoughts, and his senses became clearer.

On the way back, he had been thinking about the "butterfly brooch."

He still couldn't figure it out, so he didn't think about it anymore.

Instead, he thought of Lena next door.

"Lena's situation is really bad right now. Listening to her, several branch families and the Oliver family in the inner city seem to be planning to completely ruin the head family this time. But her old man has such a big base in the inner city, he should have more than just these tricks up his sleeve..."

Suren pondered in his heart.

Could it be that the Black Tower wanted to deal with the Reis head family?

He knew that Chitiao was a member of the "Mirror Organization" and guessed that the Reis family was probably related to the "Mirror."

But if that was the case, it should be the Umbrella Organization that was taking action.

Or was it simply because the Duke's mansion didn't want to see too large a conglomerate appear, so they took action?

Therefore, the noise from the Oliver family was tolerated?

Suren's thoughts flew.

.......

The room had good soundproofing, and he couldn't hear the sounds from next door.

But listening to the slight sound of water flowing in the walls, Suren guessed that someone was taking a shower next door.

Probably Chitiao.

Suren thought.

With a bathtub, that gambling addict who liked to soak in the bath would probably take a good soak.

But suddenly, a flash of lightning flashed through his mind.

"Eh! That's not right. Sister Chitiao has been acting a little strange ever since she left the manor..."

Suren suddenly thought of something, and his brows furrowed.

If it was before, when he was in Old Lingdun, he might not have noticed anything.

But recently, he had spent so much time with Chitiao, and he was already very familiar with the personality of that boss.

Before leaving the manor, although she looked like she was holding hands and was still very affectionate.

But Suren clearly noticed some subtle differences.

At this moment, in a flash of inspiration, he finally discovered why he had always felt like something was missing along the way.

He was missing that soft touch!

The two were already very familiar, and Chitiao didn't have any reservations about Suren at all. If it was a normal day, her carefree personality would definitely be clinging to him.

But just now, she had been maintaining a very rational distance.

"That 'Chitiao' from just now, wasn't Sister Chitiao?"

Suren thought of a possibility that made him feel terrified.

But at the same time, he was also very puzzled.

"That's not right! The aura and body shape are exactly the same. Disguise could never reach this level."

He was very confident that his current perception would never allow him to hold a fake Chitiao without being discovered.

Moreover, he felt that the gambling addict's strength had already reached the fourth rank, and she would never be replaced silently.

But suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

Suddenly thinking of the bizarre appearance of that "butterfly brooch,"

Or some special ability banning object...

It might not be impossible to create a fake that could be mistaken for the real thing!

"A special talent, or some professional who is good at disguise?"

Thinking of this, Suren couldn't calm down any longer.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the previous "Chitiao" was very suspicious.

These were details that others couldn't detect!

........

As soon as this idea came up, it became unstoppable.

If things were as he expected, then the problem would be huge!

Who would pretend to be Chitiao?

Then it was likely that the Black Tower had discovered some clues and confirmed her identity.

That's why they came to fish!

It wasn't just aimed at one person, but at the "Mirror Organization"!

But as soon as this thought came up, Suren thought of too many strange things...

What if he was overthinking it?

In order to clarify his guess, Suren decided to personally confirm the situation.