Free Web NovelChapter 318: Chapter 318: The Celebrity Mansion Burglary Case_1
"Sophie Carter?" Aiden’s gaze lingered on the newspaper.
He remembered the name well, recalling it belonged to a singer who had recently held a solo concert at the Royal Opera House.
Aiden remembered it so distinctly because, on the day of her concert, the news of her performance had overshadowed his own headline for capturing Navi Drake, the Empire’s Pirate King, stealing the newspaper’s front page. Additionally, the papers had been buzzing with various reports about her for several days. Only yesterday had he overheard other prison guards discussing this singer during their break.
Grabbing the newspaper casually, Aiden glanced over it and found the report detailing a rather mundane incident.
State-born singer Sophie Carter was currently on a tour of several cities within the state, and the Royal Opera House in Silvertown was set to be her tour’s final destination.
After arriving in Silvertown, the singing sensation purchased a mansion in the upper city area, seemingly planning to stay for a while. However, during her time there, something was stolen from her mansion—a piece of expensive jewelry she hadn’t secured had vanished, and all signs pointed to someone inside the residence.
The investigation process was hardly noteworthy; in fact, the police had only just begun questioning when the thieving maid crumbled under pressure, confessed truthfully, and handed over the stolen jewelry that she had not yet managed to sell.
Although the maid had turned herself in and returned the stolen goods, the jewelry was so valuable that the case eventually made its way to the tribunal—the world’s punishment for theft was a bit harsher than in Aiden’s past life, and it seemed that in due time, the maid would be heading to prison for a stint behind bars.
"Can’t beat the star power," Aiden shook his head.
Theft was far from uncommon; his prison housed many who were incarcerated for such crimes, and the police held even more in custody. To be featured like this on the front page of a daily newspaper was rare for a theft case; usually, managing to squeeze into a tiny corner of the report would be considered unusual, unless it involved a method or narrative interesting enough to catch the public’s eye.
Theft by a servant in a mansion would not usually make it to the pages of the Silvertown Daily, but when the mansion’s owner is a popular singer, it immediately becomes front-page news.
But upon further contemplation, it wasn’t so abnormal. In Aiden’s former world, the goal of newspaper information was to chase reading traffic, and celebrities were the benchmarks around which traffic revolved.
Even Aiden himself was influenced; if the headline hadn’t displayed a name he recognized, he wouldn’t have thought to pick up the paper and give it a glance.
No wonder Qiqimora, whose presence had been forcibly rendered obscure by the "Void" authority, felt envious of the newspaper’s featured singer.
Setting down the newspaper, Aiden returned to his office chair and proceeded to process some documents in order. Then he stopped his work and quietly contemplated future matters.
He already knew enough about the events related to Melifilia, and there were now more things to consider.
He could now confirm that the targets he had to contend with were not just Mr. Blood, but also the "Desire" dominator, Melissa.
Melissa had been trying to pass on the power of authority to him to ensure he could later fight Mr. Blood on more equal terms, and this he could use to his advantage, although he assumed it would only be helpful in dealing with Mr. Blood.
As for the "hidden task" of freeing himself from goddess control, that was something he would have to figure out on his own.
This wasn’t an easy task. The "Goddess of Conspiracy" had allowed him to reach this stage knowing most of the truth, which pretty much meant she was playing an open hand against him because neither of them cared.
It seemed that Melifilia and Melissa didn’t mind if their pet rebelled a bit; on the contrary, they saw it as a form of amusement. This playful contempt was both his opportunity and a sign of the nearly insurmountable challenge he faced.
Aiden quickly picked up his previous train of thought—bringing in another ruler or a power that could be of help.
As for rulers, he only knew of Melifilia and Melissa, apart from the Grim Reaper of the old Blood Moon Cult.
Regarding the powers, the only ones he could think of were the Witch Council and the Ancestral Bloodline that Kael belonged to.
Firstly, it would probably be very difficult to consider the Ancestral Bloodline, although due to Kael’s relationship, he had a reasonably good reputation with the Primogenitor Faction of the Bloodline. However, it seemed that Melissa had directly contacted the Primogenitors and even used them for tasks, indicating that she had already established a relationship with them.
To use the Primogenitors against Melissa would be very difficult unless he could offer them more benefits than Melissa could, such as helping them reclaim the power of "Death" from the Grim Reaper—an almost impossible feat. If he could do such a thing, he wouldn’t have to worry about Melissa in the first place.
By comparison, the Witch Council seemed much more reliable. The Great Witch of the Witch Council now almost all possessed a part of the authority, and the organizer, Abigail, was a Saint who held a unique authority.
Although in terms of strength, Aiden felt that even together, they would probably have a hard time directly confronting a ruler, but as an aid, there was not much to criticize. These Great Witches were all desperate for the power of authority, and due to their mutual business, Aiden’s relationship with the Witch Council had entered a honeymoon phase.
Aiden estimated that as long as he found the right moment to propose it, the Witch Council would most likely be willing to help him... at least, certain adventurous Great Witches would.
Moreover, to a certain extent, Abigail also had a bit of a personal grudge against the ruler who held the "Desire" authority. freēwebnovel.com
At that moment, an idea surfaced in Aiden’s mind: If he could help Abigail become the ruler of either the "Life" or "Reproduction" authority, and if she were willing to take action against Melissa, his chances of winning would increase significantly.
But he was also well aware that Abigail was no philanthropist; she was a witch. There was still a certain degree of rift and opposition between their fundamental stances, and he couldn’t be completely sure that Abigail wouldn’t act against him once she ascended to godhood. frёewebnoѵēl.com
After minutes of contemplation, he decided to observe for a while longer.
He could afford to gamble on this matter, but he couldn’t afford to lose; so even if it was a bet, it had to be a well-considered one.
After seizing the unique authority from the hands of Red Shark Pirates, powers with a keen sense of smell would take notice of him, and if there were a Saint of the "Order" authority in the world, they could directly sense the authority’s presence here.
More powers related to authority would become aware of him. The previous stalkers may have come from one of them.
Among them, there might be some who could help him... Of course, it was also possible that new enemies could emerge, exemplifying the coexistence of risk and opportunity.
He just hoped that the next "stalker" would be willing to have a proper chat with him.
