Chapter 299

At noon, on Redwood Avenue, outside the Rose Estate of the Masani family.

"How beautiful…"

After stepping down from the carriage and gazing at the sea of blooming roses within the estate, the scholarly, refined middle-aged man could not help but exclaim from the depths of his heart:

"The Masani family may be no good, but their estate is truly top-tier.

Most roses bloom only between April and July; to see so many roses in full flower during winter, you must come to the Masani estate."

"Indeed."

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, a young man with a slightly lazy expression in his eyes nodded in agreement, also murmuring with quiet awe:

"I can't fathom how they do it—I built a greenhouse in my own garden just to see these flowers a little earlier, but though the blooms inside were equally beautiful, they paled beside this sea of roses blooming defiantly in the cold wind."

Hmm? This man built a greenhouse just for flowers?

Facing the lazy young man who had suddenly stepped beside him and interjected without ceremony, the refined middle-aged man first blinked in surprise, then warmly initiated conversation:

"Excuse me, may I ask how exactly you set up your greenhouse?"

After receiving a slightly surprised look from the lazy young man, the middle-aged man explained apologetically:

"To be honest, I once had the same idea, but the greenhouse craftsmen told me current technology isn't mature enough—ordinary greenhouses can grow off-season fruits fine,

but for flowers sensitive to temperature changes, especially roses, the chance of survival is slim, and even if they bloom, they won't look good. So I'd like to ask how you managed it."

"Oh, it's not difficult at all."

After fumbling in his pocket twice, the lazy young man smiled and said:

"The greenhouse rose technique was discovered by a botanist named Leon in the Kingdom of Kurock; it hasn't spread widely yet. If you're interested, I can introduce you to the craftsmen who built mine."

"Oh my, thank you so much!"

Hearing this, the middle-aged man, his wish fulfilled, excitedly rubbed his hands together, then pressed on eagerly:

"Forgive me, may I ask your name?"

"I'm Jerry, Jerry Baker—a fellow flower lover."

Smiling at the middle-aged man, the lazy young man gestured lightly toward the estate's main gate and kindly suggested:

"Sir, we're all guests here; it wouldn't be right to keep the hosts waiting too long… shall we go inside and talk?"

"Yes, yes, absolutely!"

The middle-aged man snapped back to himself, nodding rapidly, then walked shoulder-to-shoulder with his new rose-savvy friend, chatting enthusiastically as they entered the estate's gates; behind them, the male servant carrying the luggage followed closely.

…

Holy crap, they just walked right in?

Seeing no guards blocking their path behind him, and watching the two men ahead engaged in eager conversation, Li Ang, the bag-carrying servant, blinked in admiration—his confidence in this rescue mission rose significantly.

After tearfully pledging to help, Senior Tang Mu released Senior Jerry, asked Li Ang for proof of identity, then sent Senior Jerry to find Princess Veronika to report to the General Bureau through royal channels; afterward, he reached out and took an apple from a tray on the desk.

Now came the moment of miracle.

After the two of them left the Clearance Bureau and stepped onto the road outside to hail a carriage, the half-green, half-red sour apple had just been finished, its core tossed casually onto the street by Senior Tang Mu.

Immediately, a woman carrying soybeans stepped on the core, slipped, and fell, spilling half her beans across the street; the taxi carriage preparing to stop

in front of another passenger slipped on the scattered beans, sliding forward two body-lengths, stopping precisely before the two of them.

After greeting the startled driver and telling him to keep going, Senior Tang Mu boarded the carriage with Li Ang; as the carriage turned the corner, he reached out the window, grabbed a handful from a protruding clothesline, and directly took a servant's uniform.

After Li Ang shed his coat, changed into the uniform, and—confused but obedient—stepped down at Tang Mu's request, a man resembling a butler rushed over anxiously from the roadside.

After scolding Li Ang briefly for being late, the butler shoved a fresh formal outfit into his hands, demanding he deliver it quickly to "Master," even paying the carriage fare himself.

Finally, as the confused driver drove aimlessly for a while, turned around, and opened his mouth to ask where they were headed, Senior Tang Mu stepped out of the carriage, struck up a conversation with the refined middle-aged man at the estate gate, skipped the invitation check entirely, and effortlessly led Li Ang inside the Rose Estate…

"Let's go—we need to head underground. The Scale Gold Cult's *** is right there."

Amid Li Ang's admiring gaze, and after exchanging contact details with the refined middle-aged man,

"Eat?"

"…"

"Eat!"

Worried for Senior Emma's safety, Li Ang had no appetite for the apple.

But having just witnessed Senior Tang Mu use nothing but a single green apple to mysteriously complete the entire preparation and effortlessly infiltrate the Rose Estate,

fearing that refusal might disrupt the chain of "apple effects" to come, Li Ang reached out, took the apple, and bit into it as Tang Mu had done—yet…

"Pah! Unlucky!"

Watching Senior Tang Mu grimace after one bite and spit the apple out, Li Ang blinked in surprise, then mimicked him, spitting the flesh onto the staircase.

"Huh?"

Glancing at Li Ang with mild confusion, Tang Mu asked:

"Was your apple sour too?"

"Uh… it was sweet."

"Then why spit it out?"

"…"

I thought you spat it out because doing so would trigger a cascade of coincidences to get us into the ***… guess I overthought it…

"Oh!"

Just as Li Ang awkwardly grinned, trying to explain his misunderstanding, a startled scream came from behind him.

A finely dressed lady, trying to avoid the apple pulp Li Ang had spat onto the stairs, accidentally stepped on her own skirt, slipped, and tumbled onto the staircase, groaning in pain.

And the cat-claw badge pinned to her collar suddenly flew out, arcing gracefully through the air before landing perfectly in Li Ang's hand…

This… is the Cat Spirit's emblem?! This woman is a Scale Gold Cult follower?!

Seeing the emblem required to enter the ***, Senior Tang Mu paused, then stared at Li Ang with surprise, studying him thoughtfully as he asked:

Seeing the devotee insignia mixed into the ***, Senior Tang Mu couldn't help but pause slightly, then scrutinized Li Ang up and down in surprise, asking with a thoughtful expression:

"Li Ang, do you usually... have terrible luck?"