20demayo Chapter 47 The Shadow of Innsmouth
Chapter 47 The Shadow of Innsmouth
The lively banquet continued until 7:30, when Viscount Rhodes clapped his hands, beaming with pride.
He announced to the guests present that the auction was about to begin.
The servants cleared away the food and drinks from the long table, cleared the space in the center of the hall, and then began to set up a makeshift auction platform.
During this time, the gentlemen, guided by the Viscount, would pass the time in the card room and cigar room at the end of the corridor.
The ladies then moved to a private reception room on the other side.
They talked quietly about the season's trendy fabrics, the summer ball next week in Elorne, and Lucius...
Meanwhile, in the lounge arranged by Viscount Rhodes, he was complaining to Professor Anthony about the social siege that had just occurred.
"Professor, your introduction was too blunt. The way those ladies looked at me... well, it was like a wolf seeing raw meat."
"Heh, Lucius, the professor is thinking about your future, isn't he?" Daisy sat on a single sofa in the lounge, laughing gleefully.
Since she's still a student, she doesn't need to enter formal social situations.
Professor Anthony, unusually, agreed with Daisy's point of view, a smile playing on his lips:
"A qualified person in the upper class needs not only a respectable profession and profound knowledge, but also a beautiful wife and a lovely little angel."
This is how others perceive you as having truly matured, which is the common definition of a "reliable gentleman" in social circles.
No matter how outstanding an unmarried young man is, he is always seen as an unstable factor by the wives who manage the family finances.
Lucius could only thank him with a wry smile, at which point he actually felt like he was being pressured to get married by his elders.
Just then, his pupils contracted slightly, and a sexual energy fluctuation came from the room next door.
"It's Charles."
Lucius experiences the domineering, repressive, and insubordinate qualities of the sexual aspect, which is one aspect of the blade aspect.
"Professor, I need to go to the restroom," Lucius said, offering a reason that wouldn't raise any questions.
Daisy's frozen smile left her alone to face Professor Anthony.
When Lucius came out, he saw that Charles's door was ajar.
After confirming that no one was in the corridor, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
"How does it feel to be surrounded by ladies?" Charles sat on a sofa with a teasing smile on his face.
Lucius walked over to the armchair opposite him, sat down, shook his head, and replied:
"I don't understand. Logically speaking, you should be the most attractive unmarried man at the entire dinner party, but all the ladies are focusing their attention on me instead?"
"The people in the Upper City all know that I, the opposing double-edged sword, already have a half-edged blade, so they naturally won't invite trouble," Charles explained simply, then said seriously:
"I casually steered the conversation to the topic of 'some new faces have recently appeared in the Upper East Side,' which drew some agreement from others."
"What did they say?" Lucius leaned forward slightly.
Charles held up one finger, giving the first message:
"A viscount who lives in the eastern part of Fania said that a cotton textile manufacturer moved into the villa next to his house, which had been empty for almost half a year, at the end of last month."
The businessman acquired the house by paying the entire year's rent upfront and also signed a contract with the viscount for temporary employment.
"Marcus can't do that," Lucius immediately rejected the information.
"The rise of a cotton textile manufacturer requires at least several years of industry experience, business connections, and capital accumulation."
Moreover, the temporary appointment contract meant that the viscount must have investigated his business background, and Marcus couldn't withstand such scrutiny.
"And what about the second piece of information?" Charles asked, testing him with the air of someone imparting analytical experience at the police station.
"The second nobleman invited a history scholar to be a family advisor last Saturday."
The scholar's eloquence regarding the royal history of the Fourth Age and the genealogies of families in the Western Continent greatly impressed the nobleman, who immediately signed a three-month advisory contract.
Lucius frowned. "That sounds very much in line with Marcus's identity..."
However, he shook his head and looked at Charles:
"Marcus specializes in the history of Third Age languages, and he did not reveal his research on royal and family history in his teaching of me."
"Not bad," Charles mentally added one point to Lucius's assessment, and then gave the final message:
"Then there's only a third one. Martinez, a big businessman living in North Carolina, noticed last Wednesday that someone had moved into the villa to his left that had been vacant for more than half a year."
What struck him as odd was that the man hadn't held a housewarming party or invited the neighbors over the first weekend.
"Last Wednesday?" Lucius grasped the key point.
This was the time when Ethan and Ava died, and Martinez's new neighbor did not socialize normally and did not announce his identity to those around him.
This makes it hard not to suspect that he is hiding something.
"I think this message is very likely," he concluded.
Charles nodded; that was exactly what he was thinking.
"I will arrange for someone to contact this suspicious neighbor, using my own resources, but I will notify Felix immediately if coercive measures are necessary."
Seeing that the main matters of the evening were settled, Lucius felt a little relieved and got up to say goodbye to Charles.
He returned to Professor Anthony's room, and when he pushed open the door, Daisy was looking at him with a "you're finally back" look.
The three of them didn't have to wait long before a maid knocked on the door to inform them that the auction was ready.
The banquet hall was transformed into an auction venue in a short period of time, with three rows of chairs on each side and a mahogany auction table in the middle.
Lucius was seated in the second row on the left, with Daisy to his left.
The first row was reserved for Professor Anthony and several linguists who accompanied him.
Charles sat in the first row on the right, with only Viscount Rhodes in the adjacent seat.
Without much waiting, a butler who looked somewhat old stepped onto the auction stage.
He first had the maids hand out bidding paddles to each guest, and then explained the auction rules:
"Each bid must be at least 1 gold pound higher, and the transaction will be completed in three hammer blows. Payment can be settled on the spot or made in full the next day."
Lucius picked up the bidding paddle next to him, which had the number 16 written on it, and glanced at the auction stage in front of him.
At that moment, the maid brought the first item to the auction table.
The old butler cleared his throat, his voice rising slightly compared to when he explained the rules:
"Lot 1, from Poiret's 'Beauty and the Beast,' a masterpiece from the Quaternary period, is in excellent condition. Starting bid: £5!"
As soon as the words were spoken, several businessmen sitting in the back row immediately raised their hands to signal that they were going to raise their prices.
Lucius wasn't interested in these ordinary ancient books... well, actually, he was just broke...
Over the next few minutes, the old butler auctioned off more than a dozen items.
Including a nautical painting from the late Quaternary period, a set of ivory tableware recovered from colonies...
"Lot number 12." The old butler's voice was a little louder than before.
He picked up the tray from the auction table, revealing an old book with a dark brown hardcover.
The cover of this book is not in very good condition compared to the previous items; there are several water stains on the edges.
"This is a treasured heirloom passed down through generations of the Viscount Rhodes family, which he is generously sharing with you today. Its name is..."
Shadow of Innsmouth