Chapter 634: Conspiracy

Late at night, Trier.

Sitting in front of a small analysis machine and a wireless telegraph transmitter, Angoulême de François listened to the *da-da-da* sounds and watched a telegram "translated" by the mechanical typewriter.

The signature at the top was "Sleeve Sword."

Having chatted for a while, Angoulême was quite calm. He picked up the telegram and scanned it quickly:

"Say, when you guys are protecting high-ranking government officials or members of parliament on a daily basis, if the person goes to have an affair or goes to the restroom, do you follow them in and watch?"

Angoulême couldn't help but chuckle, a smile appearing on his face. He wanted to reply to "Sleeve Sword" with, "What kind of things are you thinking about all day?" but after a moment's thought, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his fingers tapped on the mechanical typewriter:

"Tell me, what illegal thing are you planning to do? Which high-ranking government official or member of parliament are you trying to assassinate?"

*Damn it! * Inside her bedroom in her apartment, Franca twisted uncomfortably.

Why did this feel like being interrogated by the police?

She chuckled dryly to herself and tapped away at the mechanical typewriter:

"I'm just curious. If you follow, it's awkward. If you don't, it's easy for people to exploit security loopholes."

She refused to admit she was plotting against the current Minister of Industry.

After a long while, "007" sent a new telegram:

"I rarely carry out similar missions. Early on, I mainly handled supernatural incidents and fought against cultists. Later, I got promoted and didn't need to participate in daily protection operations.

"According to the procedures I know and my limited experience, no matter where the protectee is, we must follow. If they want to have an affair, we at least have one person standing quietly by the coat rack watching. If time permits, we scout ahead and confirm the identity and background of the affair partner. If the protectee enters a restroom, we wait at their side, guarding against attacks from sewers, ventilation ducts, and shadows.

"But there is one exception: if the protectee strongly requests it and signs a waiver, we can respect their privacy. After all, we aren't their father; we just need to protect them well. If they really die, we just replace them. It's hard to find a toad with three legs, but humans who want to be high-ranking government officials and members of parliament can line the boulevards. Furthermore, in most cases, such officials and members of parliament themselves don't possess much value, nor do they have outstanding vision or wisdom. What matters is the position they occupy, not the person themselves.

"Few officials and members of parliament choose to sign waivers for privacy, but they often do so when discussing confidential matters with their own teams."

*"007," are you working so much overtime that you've developed resentment? * Franca thought with a suppressed laugh.

She felt "007" still wasn't open enough. If it were those two "group members" from Loen, they would definitely say, "Most high-ranking government officials who don't handle practical affairs and members of parliament who only know how to give speeches can just die. Replacing them with a baboon would be better than their performance. At least a baboon wouldn't make policies by tapping its head or seek personal gain. They wouldn't think they have enough wisdom and want to show off; they only know how to quietly enjoy bananas and play happily, which is the least harmful thing for the whole country."

Franca read "007's" telegram again, turned her body, and said to Jenna, who was sitting on the edge of the bed:

"The protection measures are very tight. We don't have any loopholes to exploit.

"Well, the 'Purifiers' side is like this. The 'Heart of Machines' and the Eighth Bureau should be about the same."

Franca, Jenna, and Anthony had been gathering intelligence for a period of time and had plotted several plans, but they always felt they weren't safe enough or even had no confidence. Thus, they consulted "007," hoping to figure out the security situation around Mo Lan Avigny.

This was a Minister of Industry of a country; it wasn't as if one could assassinate him just by saying so!

Moreover, Franca and her team's goal wasn't assassination. Even if they chose assassination, they had to leave time for spirit channeling, which made it even more troublesome.

After hearing Franca describe "007's" reply, Jenna thought for a while and said:

"If it were another Witch, she might choose to sacrifice a legitimate identity she had cultivated for years, seduce Mo Lan Avigny, and pretend to be shy, letting that Minister and his protectors sign a waiver. But I don't think that will work. Mo Lan Avigny can almost certainly be confirmed as a 'Mirror Person,' and the 'Mirror Person' is closely related to the 'Witch' pathway. What they are most wary of might be a Witch approaching them."

For this operation against Mo Lan Avigny, Franca originally didn't want Jenna to participate because the "Black Witch" Clarice would be watching in the shadows, providing help at critical moments. If she discovered Jenna using the "Witch" pathway's abilities, it would be dangerous.

But Jenna insisted on participating. Her reason was:

After Franca admitted to Clarice that she hadn't had pleasure for a long time, that "Black Witch" would definitely suspect the relationship between herself and Franca. After all, Franca had initially used the excuse of attending a female party to contact Blanche Solon.

Therefore, Jenna wanted to show off her "Vampire" abilities and combat style in front of the "Black Witch." The magical item she currently possessed allowed her to make a very good disguise and maintain sufficient combat ability—provided she pre-inserted the "Bloodthirsty Arrow" and hid it under her clothes. As for the "Mirror Substitute," it could be attributed to Franca, as Anthony would also have one.

Franca had muttered, "Witches can also have pure love," but as soon as she finished speaking, she awkwardly changed the subject and tacitly allowed Jenna to participate.

"Yeah." Franca, sitting cross-legged, nodded slightly. "Mo Lan Avigny's strength is unknown; he might be very strong. If I try to seduce him while he's on guard, I'll only become his prey and lose my life. *Sigh*, I'd better write a letter to ask that guy Lu Mian. Let's see what ideas he has."

Having said that, Franca smiled self-deprecatingly:

"Ever since he left Trier, my brain has run away from home."

She was mocking herself for being too lazy before, often pushing the main responsibility of thinking onto Lu Mian, while she only acted as an assistant.

Jenna laughed:

"You really are a person who is good at self-deprecation. That's also the point I admire most about you: open-minded and cheerful."

Franca chuckled:

"Teasing helps to liven up the atmosphere and bring people closer, but sometimes, if you don't grasp the other person's acceptance level, teasing can easily turn into mockery. It's better to mock oneself."

While the two Witches were chatting, a telegram came in with a *da-da-da* sound. The signature was still "007."

Franca pulled it up and looked, her eyes suddenly lighting up.

The content of the telegram was:

"'Sleeve Sword,' if you tell me your target and give a sufficient reason, I might be able to help you and secretly coordinate with your operation."

*Wow, what a bro! * Franca praised silently. Her fingers danced as she tapped the mechanical typewriter:

"It's like this: I currently have sufficient evidence to believe that Minister of Industry Mo Lan Avigny is a 'Mirror Person' who has infiltrated Trier and replaced the original owner for decades. Haha, I didn't tell you before because I needed to obtain some important intelligence from Mo Lan Avigny. If he were caught by you, I wouldn't dare to bet that you would definitely be able to access the relevant data, so I planned to do it myself first."

"Phew... there's hope!" Franca turned her body and happily held up her right index and middle fingers to Jenna.

Not long after, "007" gave a reply:

"You organize the harvest from your previous investigations and the data on Mo Lan Avigny as quickly as possible and put them at the contact point. I'll confirm it first and look for an opportunity. You wait patiently for my notification."

Franca was first overjoyed, then bit her lip and sent a short telegram:

"There's a high possibility that a demigod from the Witch Sect will participate in this operation. You need to be careful."

Jenna finished reading quietly and asked thoughtfully:

"Are you still going to ask for Lu Mian's opinion?"

"Yes." Franca answered without hesitation. "As the saying goes, three cobblers are better than one Roselle. If more people think, there will be more ideas. Maybe there's a better way."

"What kind of saying is that? I've never heard of it..." Jenna suspected Franca was making it up on the spot.

A night without a crimson moon, only the stars providing a faint glow.

Lu Mian, sitting in the first-class suite of the *Berry*, was flipping through a Dutan language textbook when his messenger, the "Penitent" Bainfell, suddenly appeared before him.

Dressed in a black clerical robe and resembling a charred corpse, Bainfell handed over the letter.

Lu Mian reached out to take it and smelled the faint fragrance lingering on the paper.

*Franca's letter, huh... and Jenna even held it in her hands... * Lu Mian made a casual judgment while curiously looking at his messenger.

He always felt that the "Penitent" Bainfell had many stories, but every time he wanted to chat, the other party chose silence.

After Bainfell entered the Spirit World, Lu Mian unfolded the letter, leaned back in his chair, and read it leisurely.

"With '007's' help, this shouldn't be difficult." Suddenly, Lu Mian smiled and whispered silently, "If it really doesn't work, I'll just hard-fish. I'll aim at the fact that he's a 'Mirror Person,' will be wary of Witches, and might possess great strength to fish him. When Mo Lan Avigny thinks the target is a lure sent by the Witch Sect, hiding a demigod behind it, and intends to forcibly swallow the sugar-coated bullet, he will find that he and the forces behind him are facing one to two Angels and three to five demigods... But in that case, Franca's Witch Sect mission will also be over..."

Lu Mian's thoughts raced as he designed one plan after another, only to discard them one by one.

By tomorrow, the *Berry* would leave the Berserk Sea and sail into the coastal waters of the Southern Continent.

At that time, the ship wouldn't need to take the tortuous routes back and forth to avoid moving storms, whirlpools, and occult phenomena; it could head straight to the destination port in West Balam.

Suddenly, Lu Mian felt something and stood up.

He walked to the window and looked outside, seeing an ancient-looking three-masted sailing ship sailing quietly through the darkness not too far away.

There were no lights on the ship, and no one was walking on the deck.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 635 =====