Chapter 616: Covert Operations

Delilah Le Roy is the daughter of a gem merchant, married with one son and one daughter, fond of opera, theater, and literature; after the last incident, she remained active in the opera district, so my informant found her within a week… She has no habit of carrying bodyguards; when she goes out, only her personal maid and a male servant who does odd jobs accompany her…

Jenna, seated in a window-side booth at a street-side café, recalled the consolidated intelligence as she watched the elegantly dressed, refined lady step down from her carriage and enter Bonny Department Store, famed along Trier's long-standing shaded boulevard.

Jenna withdrew her gaze and nodded to Anthony Reed across the aisle.

"That's her."

"The question now is…" Franca, seated beside Jenna, mused, "is she fishing… or just fishing? If she's merely startled by her own sensation and understands nothing, then we may gain no valuable leads from her. But if she knows full well she's resonated with a 'Mirror World Fragment' and still boldly attends opera and theater, it's reasonable to assume she—or someone behind her—is trying to lure out the holder of the 'Mirror World Fragment.'"

After analyzing all this, Franca concluded:

"Acting rashly against Delilah, or even contacting her, is extremely dangerous."

"But the 'Magic Mirror Divination' said our operation today is safe," Jenna objected.

Franca smiled faintly.

"Don't rely on divination. Besides, the danger may not be direct harm—it could be that reckless contact with Delilah will break the trail."

"So we just watch? Wait one or two months until she lets her guard down?" Jenna's thoughts shifted; she straightened her back slightly. "I've got an idea!"

"What idea?" Franca was curious.

Jenna smiled slightly.

"Use a magical item—the 'Dark Box of the Powerful.' Ask it to grant us a brief, unseen, unobserved chance to make contact with Delilah."

"If the problem lies with someone behind Delilah, he'll never know contact occurred, and the trail won't break. But if the problem lies with Delilah herself, we can instantly shift from contact to control."

Franca considered for several seconds.

"It's not impossible…"

"I've actually been eager to try out the 'Dark Box of the Powerful.' Don't argue with me—I'm higher in sequence than you, better at survival, and if any devil or evil entity seeks a bargain, I can summon Lady 'Judgment,' that mighty 'Arbiter,' as witness!"

The "Pleasure Witch" looked eager to try.

Jenna fell silent for a few seconds.

"Fine."

Anthony immediately said:

"Let me handle the brief contact. To avoid leaving traces the person behind Delilah might detect, the 'Hypnotist' is the best choice."

"No problem." Franca didn't hesitate, then turned to Jenna, waiting for her to produce the 'Dark Box of the Powerful.'

Jenna, like many female mercenaries, wore gray-white clothing with key areas reinforced by brown leather armor, and carried a brown leather backpack.

She took from her backpack a small wooden box painted dark, with leather-curtain panels on both sides, and placed it on the café booth's table.

Franca carefully chose her wording and the bribe amount for the 'Powerful One,' rolled up her blouse sleeve, and reached into one of the box's leather-curtain panels with her right hand, holding a small cloth sack containing one hundred gold Louis. Though the 'Instructions' didn't forbid banknotes, Franca, drawing on rich occult experience, chose gold coins—more universally acceptable.

The next instant, she felt wrinkled, damp skin, and sensed five fingers closing around the coin sack.

Suppressing the sudden surge of nausea, Franca spoke her request in Hermesian:

"I wish for my friend across from me, Anthony Reed, and Delilah Le Roy, the gem merchant's daughter inside Bonny Department Store, to have a brief, uninterrupted, unobserved, highly concealed face-to-face encounter lasting more than three minutes."

Franca added many qualifiers, ensuring the meeting's participants and method were precise, untainted by distortion.

The wrinkled, damp, palm-like thing lifted the coin sack and withdrew.

This meant the 'Dark Box of the Powerful' had accepted.

Franca pulled her hand back, pulled out a white handkerchief, and wiped the touched area, spitting repeatedly.

"Where do we wait for the meeting opportunity?" Anthony asked.

Franca tucked away the handkerchief and smiled.

"The request named only two people: you and Delilah Le Roy. So you can only wait for the opportunity by following her."

"Hmm…"

Here, Franca took from her 'Traveler's Satchel' the dazzling 'Seven-Stone Bracelet' and handed it to Anthony.

"If anything goes wrong, immediately 'Teleport' away."

Seeing the 'Pleasure Witch' serious and solemn, Anthony swallowed his polite words and reached out to take the 'Seven-Stone Bracelet.'

Franca added thoughtfully:

"If you trust me, I can make you a 'Mirror Double' using your blood and hair."

Anthony was silent for several seconds.

"Alright."

………

Inside Bonny Department Store.

As a skilled observer, the 'Hypnotist' Anthony found Delilah Le Roy quickly.

The lady stood with her maid and male servant on the first-floor center, watching the magician hired to enliven the atmosphere.

At that moment, the magician's assistant wheeled forward a rough-hewn wooden box large enough to hold three or four people. The magician removed his top hat and raised it high.

"Next, I need two lucky audience members to assist me."

"Madam, would you be willing to come up on stage?"

He pointed directly at Delilah Le Roy.

Delilah was reluctant, showing clear hesitation, yet couldn't refuse, and finally stepped onto the wooden stage built for the magic act.

Weak-willed, poor at saying no… or perhaps influenced by the 'Dark Box of the Powerful'… Anthony vaguely guessed the nature of the opportunity, assessed Delilah's personality, and took a step forward.

The magician noticed him.

"Sir, please come up too."

Anthony feigned reluctance, shuffling awkwardly onto the stage.

The magician pointed to the wooden box.

"Get inside."

Delilah bit her lip, exhaled, and, urged by the cheering crowd, climbed into the box.

Anthony sat as far from her as possible. While light still remained, he smiled and said:

"I'm actually quite embarrassed too."

His plain, warm tone instantly relaxed Delilah's tense nerves.

Anthony continued:

"Don't believe me? Look into my eyes."

He gestured to his own.

Delilah glanced involuntarily—and saw those deep brown eyes reflecting her own image.

My reflection… Delilah suddenly froze; her gaze seemed sucked into spiraling whirlpools.

At that moment, the magician closed the box—darkness swallowed them.

Anthony seized the chance.

"A week ago, did you have a special sensation in the opera district?"

"Yes," Delilah answered truthfully, feeling the man utterly trustworthy.

"What kind of sensation?" Anthony asked, listening to the magician's rehearsed lines outside.

"My heartbeat quickened. My blood boiled." Delilah described her feelings.

"Do you know what it means?" Anthony pressed further.

Delilah shook her head in the dark.

"I don't know. But my real father told me, if I ever feel something similar, I must report it to him immediately."

"Real father?" Anthony suspected.

Delilah gave a self-deprecating smile.

"My biological father. He's my mother's lover—the current government's Minister of Industry, Moran Avigny."

Moran Avigny… Anthony felt the magician begin manipulating the box. He hurriedly asked his final question:

"After he learned of your sensation, what did he say?"

"Told me not to worry, to live as usual." Delilah still felt uneasy.

Anthony hummed.

"Beautiful lady, it was a pleasure sharing this magic act with you. Could I have something of lasting value? For example… a few strands of your hair."

His voice was low, magnetic—Delilah found it perfectly normal.

So she plucked several hairs and handed them to Anthony.

As his fingers touched the hair follicles, Anthony exhaled in relief, still speaking in that low, magnetic tone:

"I don't want this to harm your family. When you leave this box and hear my fingers snap, you'll forget our time together…"

As the magnetic voice echoed, Delilah's thoughts grew hazy again.

With a magnetic voice echoing, Delila's thoughts grew hazy once more.

The box opened—only Anthony remained inside. Delilah was pulled from behind the stage curtain by the magician.

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.

As the applause began to fade, the magician bowed with hand over chest, thanking the crowd—Anthony, without glancing at Delilah, snapped his fingers softly.

Delilah, who had intended to chat with the man who made her feel close, flinched at the snap. Her eyes flickered with confusion, then cleared.

She turned, descended the stage, and rejoined her maid and male servant.

Anthony left at a steady pace, vanishing into the crowd.

Anthony left at a steady pace, vanishing into the crowd.

…………

In Apartment 702, 9 Oluosaijie, Memorial District.

Franca smeared the ash of Delila's hair, burned by black flame, onto the surface of the vanity mirror and recited the most commonly used descriptive phrase for the "Magic Mirror Divination" target.

Amid the rustling sound of water, beneath the dim glow, Franca asked:

"Is the owner of these hairs the 'Mirror Person'?"

A hoarse voice answered:

"No."

(End of Chapter)