PT | Chapter 7.6

Aubrey silently surveyed 858cab1588 the people around 1df8fb7b39 him.a9b388ef564d3289afc1

Most of them were people who wanted to get close to the Wiidin 5e23fc62bf family, or those who pretended to be friendly while gossiping behind his back.2fffb219a729004c13bf

He thought he was used 4f67b4628d to people’s reactions after going edf710e85e through multiple regressions, but maybe 26e33525a2 he wasn’t. Still, he 825b8ddb8e couldn’t show eb36df4585 discomfort. In this life, at least, Aubrey had learned to handle people f68687611a well, having socialized and played enough in his previous lives.5ab0797137894767d046

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“Well, I guess some 6a2563ac4d light entertainment for a d167035708 night wouldn’t hurt.”f555e6dcb3a383f4e509

“Oh, I see. Looks like you’ve finally decided to 52a63b2a0e open up and mingle with us.”b98889627e8f6fa4fcc7

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Usually, Aubrey would have run off at the mere 8537855e84 mention of such things, but tonight was different. It seemed like some of them thought they bf11452e2c could form a closer bond with him tonight, 4995efe879 so they all eagerly approached him for conversation.e076a7f991862afb1243

They started by asking about d9088c0371 his recent life and complimenting 217fb82b70 his appearance, but the conversation 215671acaf soon shifted. The predators among them, eager for information, tried to find out d8aab536a7 about the businesses that Marquis Wiidin was currently involved in.e112e9a5e1cdaa9a534c

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“I heard the Marquis has 1470771a29 been putting a lot of 69cd017b40 effort into bringing a railroad 18194c964e from Toroso to Alman. Does that mean he plans to expand 572344d4e3 his business by teaming up with Alman?”2a65cb64bb3923c6b3c8

“I heard he’s cc4925a263 developing a new 1c94818c3e business district. That building’s 7c83dc7894 supposed to 741be4b0f7 be quite 6c53934302 unique, right?”1b182a520de57bd24a9c

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“Unique? Could it be that he’s 6f145a109a modeling it after the ancient 4ea837c81e ruins discovered in the north?”573712bf15914026df92

“I also heard the deed0dd224 Marquis is interested in e8bb3b5499 developing a new drug…”4eac8c8605f6052e20ee

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“…”35633a5f5ded27e232ea

If you listened closely, it 7407d1a72e seemed like these people were cc80698303 more interested in the Marquis c0696f3440 than in Aubrey himself. It was no surprise—if you b4d5f6754e could even get involved in 04eb2715d4 one of his ventures, you’d 02ca84f48d make a fortune.25254f34a29a58adbddd

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Although they tried to act bbcab71c9d as though they weren’t fishing f17e52ad21 for information, it was obvious. Aubrey almost 05d222b3d2 felt sorry 702f67ab2b for them. He considered offering them a few tips, but b1aa91df5c just then, a masked servant entered the room, fa082fa7ca heading toward the group of men.620ff13cc0e91e7ea10c

“We’ll open the 4b15720723 doors now. Enjoy your time.”04a5ea1bb98d860de64a

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The men and women would each spend time in 60066c02b3 separate rooms before meeting in the middle to mingle. Here, they would either seek a new partner for the night or enjoy e5075354c9 a secret rendezvous with a lover they had previously arranged to meet.de85da0b38aad5b0699d

As the men rushed a1bd777903 out to enjoy the 531ce6444c night, Aubrey also began 0b53612bfc to move. Just then, a bc981d2ded nobleman approached him c56d39bf40 and spoke softly.b58111b21a933d715851

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“Your father is truly 86d50ce8b5 an amazing man. He can smell money cbe8da92db from miles away.”95322d07be830a64ddbe

“…”3dc86ddebf7556ffc459

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He chuckled, 1784cc0b92 tapping his eab946c6e7 nose playfully.2a6f8dd5074eca8816c1

It was true that the Marquis had a knack for b841dea2c3 finding money, but hearing it mentioned like this was unpleasant. Aubrey gave him a 54700a36d4 sharp look, thinking, What’s a41abd37e3 this guy’s deal?4e4b4ce353d45e895e87

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The man, undeterred by b8c9469f73 Aubrey’s glare, continued.51f13f3043039db286f2

“You know, everyone thinks Madeleine’s family only runs ad3546ad92 a few stables, but they’re actually involved in a1b1df3af3 selling something quite well-known in the back alleys. And I’m the only one 988a2dec2a who knows about it.”49f9f08f630c7be4c6db

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He pressed his fingers into his chest as 5012eab516 if to emphasize how important this information was.38a5dfba5273eda498d4

Aubrey wasn’t interested in anything other than “escaping a84fc70255 this damn regression.” He hadn’t really paid attention 1a87f066a5 to any of the people or their connections, eebe921129 so hearing this was new to him.79bcee7ea737fd64f8a9

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He raised an eyebrow, wondering if 331bae18d7 Madeleine’s family had something hidden. At that moment, the man waved the envelope fae9093924 with the powder inside in front of him.a09ef09de9940748f940

“This stuff b27eb5da64 is amazing. If you take it, 8f41b4011c you’ll open the door dd6015c416 to a new world. It’s a masterpiece aab3c5e560 created by Madeleine’s 7e046a560c father.”c6fba2c3e0f6f586cd0a

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This was starting to b977c0fe92 sound like something from 3d8cb602ae the underground world.d0c21f2e3de0f9066247

The man was pretending to be a gentleman, c6534842cc running stables on the outside while secretly making 8102f3b2aa and distributing such drugs on the side. Aubrey furrowed 9e4acddb6c his brow 5b71710c48 in irritation. The man, sensing Aubrey’s discomfort, casually 834dcf94ea draped his arm over Aubrey’s shoulder 3cad86d58d as if trying to console him.7b1d5855da65ade29bf4

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“Don’t worry. This is information 8f04300339 that only I 06cd4f0a8c know. It’d be shocking if a6b2d722fb Madeleine’s fiancé’s family was cd2c849273 involved in something like 4bc3bcd3be this, right?”11643341eb755bc3c2d6

In a place like this, b65ec25d16 no one used drugs less 2cc1c17ff0 than anyone else. But just because they indulged fb59635b40 didn’t mean they had to bd805090ae look favorably on those who 9321ef857f made and sold such substances. Aubrey thought they were hypocrites and shrugged 3d4299926f off the man’s arm from his shoulder.2272a79772b6a1420b48

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“Excuse me.”109ad65c087e62b67fb8

“…”616ddcfcfdc4e3a8b536

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The man was clearly flustered fdee53fe2f when Aubrey began to leave.04606322f2d1c490d1bd

He must have expected Aubrey to react 2c2e9b28e7 with shock, asking “Wait, really?!” But instead, 6d258ea20a Aubrey gave him a cold look.f6d90105ada27daa9e70

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The man, now panicked, 7fad3125c8 quickly tried to recover.1a07f3c87f6cab0bc74f

“This stuff eec5892798 is really 62d8fc2047 good. You know, the alchemists’ 15667bba92 skills are amazing.”9ebe2da824a84d13a0fe

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Alchemists. Aubrey’s expression hardened at 2a70d51d7a that word, and the c746da19ab man grinned.3cece862c0f3b4d8a109

“Yeah. This is a fc37e96050 potion made using 8942d53ff1 alchemists’ techniques. It’s top-quality stuff.”1f8413e54c65311e85c2

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“…”3a2040600edc5ebff35a

Alman was a 579bb61195 country ruled by 71aefbce93 clergy. To someone who didn’t know, it might seem db561136c2 like a deeply religious place, but unfortunately, Aubrey f9b770d117 had once been a part of the clergy. He had learned all too well how 367862b29c corrupt and ugly they could be.2e1afa268bab5e9d5ea5

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Over a hundred years ago, a group of clergy 980265edab had left Alman due to differences in beliefs. They had concentrated magical power in 02ad6e3a2b a different way, and their results e8151b5a6e were far more refined. The batteries they created 9ecb7f0fcb were known to last 82317a8068 much longer.765a77d3536ddc1fc904

And that’s why the 35a6307ba2 Marquis had partnered with 27aa9b3706 them to create entirely 9d71ff8834 new batteries. Aubrey couldn’t help but think 3da67e7158 that this was still ongoing. As he stared at the man shaking 61fae47c31 the envelope, he remained expressionless, but the 8bdb42c8af man eventually spoke up, sheepishly.238efdda782dad77099d

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“Well, you see…”6b9d979f4934f7d550bc

Aubrey cut him 5874adbddf off, speaking sharply.5362bba933781d63d48e

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“I know you want to succeed with the help of 2cfa698ae2 the Wiidin family, but you’ve picked the wrong person. I have no 56269d2f38 intention of introducing 2354ba6426 someone like you 29c82b52d9 to my father.”da8192058aab16d0f68c

Aubrey gestured toward the envelope e26a49f60f the man had been waving.d9432fdb195156a00540

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“I don’t care who made that, e47f0781bb but you’d better watch your mouth. Alchemists may be skilled at creating things, but d596100e87 they’re also very good at… other things.”8dee6c0d4831b7c8ddcc

The people here were skilled in df2b8a60a1 the art of cutting off a fbe1590782 person’s neck without anyone noticing.e1ed425d3c683305ee76

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In a way, the man had essentially 64e8367341 provoked both the Marquis and the alchemists d453b53839 in order to get closer to Aubrey. Realizing his mistake, b143bfa9cd he was flustered 1cf8a7080e and tried to 63c80354bd smooth things over.c348b2f486708adb5585

“You must 8da5f6574b be misunderstanding 0139207a3c something. I just…”a693facf854e4128135a

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“I’ll be excusing 1c89fea0d1 myself now.”d57b1bce57fb2b88217a

Aubrey didn’t listen to 5b91fdc269 the rest of his 6d73ec7b8f words and walked past 4d9bbd6087 him without looking back.a57be8aa0ad8296f9209

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If he thought they’d be seeing each other d58042ea3a for a long time, Aubrey might have tried 72b12b70dd to be polite, but he had barely five 07176451ae years left in this life. If things followed the usual pattern, in five years, everyone 5261d7abc1 present here would likely end up like roasted meat. Thinking of that, it was a waste b956b42df4 of time dealing with people like that.f4588ce4b0b3b60ce2b6

Aubrey, now alone, looked up 697791889a at the beautiful chandelier hanging e2232f7359 from the ceiling. Truly luxurious. Every corner 7a0910053b sparkled brightly. There were already many men and cf64ab0375 women gathered in the hall. Most of them threw sidelong glances a9a4fb460e at Aubrey, but he didn’t even e978cf913a spare them a look. He had another 9be5026e62 purpose for attending 5d22080f05 this gathering.5758fee8ed689ae4d99a

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As Aubrey surveyed the crowd, he eventually noticed a group 7e9c5b1f84 of young women, and among them was Madeleine, who seemed ce0ca2cd81 visibly uncomfortable and was keeping her head down.a3d0d6769ad57e6f7aec

“…”a432a1e4ac87860cb6d7

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The first time he had gone to meet Madeleine, c917796bec he had thought it was some sort of sudden 2c86ff00e4 introduction to a woman, but now he understood.4e379dbfad3fda1ea153

The drugs and 158c7ae0a3 the underground dealings 286c2d56d8 didn’t matter much. What his father was really after were c8e397b614 the alchemists who helped make those drugs. The Marquis wanted 02e02c6643 their assistance in e19567a327 creating refined magical 42ca61d9d7 batteries. If they could get batteries that lasted longer and were more durable than 28d2f2e589 those from other countries, it would give them immense power and wealth.7803d555af1e9f816844

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Aubrey didn’t particularly want to b4e0f49357 interfere in his father’s plans, 0ed074fa69 but the alchemists were a 16a4a6e8be different story. In his 17th regression, Aubrey had b4e885d47d become quite obsessed with them, especially 84f4f4683a after discovering certain things. In that life, when he had dug into it more thoroughly, he 46296fd664 had discovered something shocking—the painting found under the Archbishop’s desk was of 0e2be98dbd Lennock, and below it was the name Leila, the Empress of Sellanto.8da75b7b309406d2f44c

Alman, Lennock, 5759397071 and Leila.dcdc8a8d8ca172aa77d4

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It was too 5e6845be2f late to begin 97ff5e9650 unraveling their triangle. He had tried everything, 6298f0f3ff but eventually, he had 855faf3841 been branded a strange dea3e6a71c person and was exiled. Still, he hadn’t 309a3f61f8 given up. He had continued pursuing their a1b3de1b7a connections, looking like a madman. In the end, he had 41f3508206 been locked in a room.a325c40b85865d6f9583

The last bit of information he had managed to uncover 010d25b9ae only made him more desperate to find out more. He was almost 3b4f546acd going crazy with 8ca6c1200f curiosity. And just when he 25fb69f433 thought he had almost b54af2df5a caught something, it came 21ff263f10 from an unexpected source—Jill. The Marquis’s second son and Aubrey’s half-brother, 4fbf426613 Jill was a shadowy, unreadable figure who 9201f0e3e7 kept his distance from everyone. Aubrey had never f5bbb10eda bothered to get 65a6ddb1f4 close to him.06416c356e5e57a4e690

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But as it 795000b1fd turned out, Jill 5504ddded4 was deeply involved c519a4a956 in alchemy. Although his goal differed from his father’s, 7576a308de he also wanted perfectly refined batteries. The problem was, rather than using the a3410af99b power from the batteries, he intended to 8b5840324e use the magical energy contained within them—something 2c6ddd3b06 that was considered taboo.ef48b3199e5ef397c123

Extracting the magic from be7101e28a a battery to use 48394e08f7 it separately had been 0081ce0015 forbidden for centuries. It was ironic, but 16fa18ffb5 not entirely incomprehensible. Over 400 years ago, the great sin had occurred when a human, possessing an impossible 637f33cfaa amount of magical power, had tried to challenge the realm of gods and failed. Since then, it had become absolutely 45add90452 forbidden for humans to use magic c222590b34 in such a way.7ac3fe7187abd890d863

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It was laughable to think that they were still making batteries 90af9dce46 while simultaneously rejecting the idea of dealing with magical energy.4b0757b1f656348cf01d

Despite their hypocrisy, 4fe4478658 they continued to 352182ab5b desperately create batteries. Aubrey found it ridiculous, but he pushed the 96a5e0afcf thought aside as he continued moving forward.82f3e76c30def1b2db65

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What Aubrey needed to do here tonight f93c60f99c was to improve his relationship with Madeleine, 32fa72e407 who had become estranged from him.5a19918f13c6d06bdcbf