Free Web NovelChapter 551: Chapter 552 Stay Vigilant Against the Honey Trap_1
"Is it confirmed that the Phantom Thief Liv has obtained the intelligence regarding the ’Substitute’ Divine Word?" Aiden asked Sophie.
"It should be accurate, as it’s one of the pieces of information handed down to me when I became a receptionist. However, how she obtained the intelligence on the Divine Word is something beyond my clearance," Sophie answered.
Sophie was not of very high rank within the organization of Smiling Scales; she was a pawn whose value could be liquidated at any time. The amount of intelligence she possessed was limited, but the information she provided had been largely verified as truthful by Aiden.
"Then I have another question. Is there any way to make a person’s appearance impossible to copy with the ’Substitute’ Divine Word?" Aiden inquired.
"I’m not very clear on that. The organization doesn’t allow us to research the Divine Words we possess, and the punishments for doing so are quite severe," Sophie replied, then thought for a moment, "Are you suggesting... that Deborah Awen’s appearance cannot be replicated with a Divine Word?"
"When I ask questions, don’t always think about extracting intelligence from me. We agreed that you would be the one providing information unilaterally," Aiden couldn’t help but remind her.
"Ah, sorry about that, it’s a professional habit," Sophie smiled.
"Do you have any knowledge about where Deborah Awen came from?" Aiden asked.
"She seems to have come from a pioneer settlement in the Empire’s Northern Continent," Sophie replied.
An upcoming star of the Empire’s theater, officially from a pioneer land, very likely in possession of the "Substitute" Divine Word... Aiden imprinted these new pieces of intelligence in his mind.
Before making further contact with Deborah Awen, he wanted to gather as much relevant information as possible.
Based on the current intelligence, it seemed highly likely that Deborah was indeed connected to the Hound Duboman.
Although Deborah herself appeared very friendly and had even shown him an unusual degree of interest, it couldn’t yet be claimed that everything she displayed was genuine.
The inherent nature of the struggle for authority and power was a zero-sum game; divinity and unique authority both had to be seized from others.
He was currently in possession of the Wordless Code, making it highly probable that he was a target. Duboman was also a saint of "Order," not only having the potential to be promoted to a ruler but also able to directly sense the existence of the Wordless Code. It was very likely that he wanted to obtain the Wordless Code.
But due to its nature, the Wordless Code was difficult to take once possessed, otherwise, it wouldn’t have remained in the hands of those pirates for so long.
Without a unique authority or ruler-level power, it was difficult to break the rules written in the Wordless Code. If it couldn’t be taken by force, cunning was required, and seduction was a pretty good option.
It was rumored that the Hound Duboman was a very upright person, but since he now intended to lead the indigenous people of the Northern Continent in rebellion against the Empire, he needed more power.
If one were to differentiate between rulers and mortals, saints could essentially be considered the pinnacle of mortal power, yet it was still challenging for a sole saint to topple a country. Sister Neve, who wished to restore her kingdom, could only lead her religious order in performing terrorist activities against the Empire and the Kingdom of Gistas.
Aiden had already keenly experienced the terror of Mister Bloodcoat. If the Wordless Code were now stolen, only death awaited him. He had to remain cautious around Deborah, but to obtain the Divine Word, he could not easily let go of this lead.
...
Two days later, in the upper district of Silvertown, at the Crystal Knight Hotel.
"Sir, do you have a reservation?" a smartly uniformed waiter approached, bowing slightly to Aiden. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"This." Aiden took out a card from his jacket pocket and handed it to the waiter.
He had received this card from Deborah while he was working in the prison yesterday. Deborah had booked for him the most expensive high-end restaurant in Silvertown, where seats generally required reservations one week to a month in advance. Heaven knows how Deborah managed to secure a reservation card just two or three days before, as without the card distributed by the shop on the day of dining, one could not enter.
"Certainly, please come in. Someone will take you to your seat inside." The waiter, after checking the card, enthusiastically opened the door for Aiden.
Aiden walked into the restaurant and was led to the reserved seat, where Deborah was already waiting for him.
"Good evening, Mr. Aiden," her expression brightened upon seeing Aiden, and she waved at him.
Aiden nodded in response, "Good evening, Awen—"
"Call me Deborah, you’ve forgotten again." Deborah held up a finger and corrected him with a serious face.
"Alright, Miss Deborah, I apologize for making you wait." Aiden smiled helplessly and, with the assistance of a waiter, took off his coat and sat down at the table.
"There is still five minutes to the agreed time, you’re quite punctual. It’s me who arrived early," Deborah said with a laughing tone, holding her face with her hands, gazing unblinkingly at Aiden’s face, "I simply couldn’t wait to see you."
"Being so direct really makes one feel a little embarrassed," said Aiden as he took the menu handed by the waiter.
"You look quite composed!" Deborah giggled, "I’m starting to doubt whether my charm is enough."
"In terms of physical attraction, you certainly don’t need to doubt yourself," Aiden replied as he browsed through the menu. "You should have some idea by looking at the reactions around you."
Before sitting down, Aiden had noticed the reactions from others, whether it was the customers at other tables or the waiters wandering between tables, they couldn’t help but take several glances at this corner seat.
Deborah already possessed an extraordinarily beautiful appearance, and if she also commanded the divine words of "existence" authority, her presence would indeed be intense enough to make it impossible for the people around her to ignore.
"The main restaurant of this place is in the Empire, I’ve dined there twice, and it really was very delicious. I wonder how it is here? Ah, I recommend the original set menu..."
After looking over the menu, Crystal Jazz was one of the city’s well-known high-end restaurants; Aiden had only heard of it and had never even touched its doors.
After entering, he discovered that the set meal prices on the menu were not as expensive as he had imagined, although one meal would still cost about a week’s salary of an ordinary worker. But if one were to order high-end wines, the cost would multiply several times over.
The level of prestige for this date was indeed set high, and Aiden felt somewhat overwhelmed, the mere acceptance of this meal made him feel uncomfortably indebted.
"Miss Deborah, may I ask, you haven’t prepaid for the meal yet, have you?" Aiden asked.
"No, after all, you haven’t ordered yet," Deborah replied, blinking.
"Then let me make this clear..." Aiden closed the menu.
"This meal is on me, since it is I who invited you," Deborah said with a smile, thinking that the price here was beyond Aiden’s budget.
"No, first of all, we’ll each pay for our own meal, and secondly, I don’t like to drink, so I won’t be ordering any extra wine or drinks," Aiden replied calmly, and seeing Deborah was about to say something, he added, "If Miss Deborah doesn’t accept these terms, then I’ll have to take my leave."
