Chapter 701: The Chapter Without Public Morality

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

"How beautiful…"

After stepping down from the carriage, the refined middle-aged man, steeped in scholarly air, gazed at the sea of blooming roses within the estate and sighed sincerely:

"The Masai family may not be good people, 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 Masai estate."

"Indeed."

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, a young man with a 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 earlier. The blooms inside may be just as beautiful, but compared to this sea of roses blooming in the cold wind, they're utterly insignificant."

Hmm? This man built a greenhouse just for flowers?

Facing the lazy young man who had abruptly stepped beside him and interjected, 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 startled 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 chances of survival are 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 Liang in the Kingdom of Kelo. It hasn't spread widely yet—if you're interested, I can introduce you to the craftsmen who built mine."

"Oh, thank you so much!"

Hearing this, the middle-aged man, thrilled to have gotten what he wanted, eagerly rubbed his hands together and pressed on with enthusiasm:

"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—let's not 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-expert friend, chatting eagerly as they entered the Rose Estate, while the male servant behind the lazy young man, carrying the luggage, followed closely behind.

…

Holy hell, they just walked right in?

Looking at the gate guards offering no resistance behind him, then at the two men ahead engrossed in conversation, Li Ang, the bag-carrying servant, blinked in admiration—his confidence in this rescue mission rose significantly.

After tearfully promising to help, Senior Tang released Senior Jerry, asked me for proof of identity, then sent Senior Jerry to find Princess Wei to report to the Bureau via royal channels, and then reached over and took an apple from the tray on the desk.

Now came the moment of miracle.

After the two of us 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, and Senior Tang casually tossed the core onto the street.

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 nearby skidded on the scattered beans, sliding forward two body-lengths—right in front of us. After greeting the startled driver and telling him to keep going, Senior Tang boarded with me, then reached out the window as the carriage turned the corner, plucking a servant's uniform directly off a hanging rack beside the alley.

After I shed my coat, changed into the servant's uniform, and, bewildered, stepped down at Senior Tang's request, a man in the guise of a butler rushed over, face anxious.

He scolded me briefly for being late, then shoved a fresh formal outfit into my hands, ordering me to deliver it quickly to "Master," even paying the carriage fare himself.

Finally, as the confused coachman drove aimlessly for a while, turned around, and opened his mouth to ask where we were headed, Senior Tang opened the carriage door, stepped out, and began chatting with the refined middle-aged man at the estate gate—skipping the invitation check entirely—and effortlessly slipped us into the Rose Estate…

"Come on, we need to go underground—the Silver Scale Cult's gathering is held there."

After exchanging contact addresses with the refined middle-aged man, under Li Ang's admiring gaze, Senior Tang, looking as lazy as ever, approached and called out to Li Ang, then took two apples from the guest tray and handed one over.

"Eat?"

"..."

"Eat!"

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

But having just witnessed Senior Tang use a single green apple to mysteriously complete the entire preparation and slip into the Rose Estate with uncanny ease,

fearing that refusing might disrupt the chain of "apple effects" to come, Li Ang took the apple and bit into it, mimicking Senior Tang's manner—yet…

"Pah! Unlucky!"

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

"Huh?"

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

"Was your apple sour too?"

"Uh… it was sweet."

"Then why spit it out?"

"..."

I thought you spat it out because that would trigger a cascade of coincidences to get us into the gathering. Guess I overthought it…

"Oh no!"

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

A finely dressed lady, dodging the apple core Li Ang spat onto the stairs, tripped on her own skirt and tumbled onto the staircase, groaning in pain.

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

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

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

"Li Ang, are you… always this unlucky?"

(End of Chapter)