Soul Trigger

Chapter 701 The Countess

He looked at her with an innocent and bewildered expression:
"What?"

"Stop playing dumb, you dead apostle, reveal your true colors!"

A group of plainclothes officers exchanged bewildered glances, but ultimately trusted their superior and slowly approached.

"Get out of my way, all of you."

A soft shout came from above, and everyone gasped for breath, looking up in unison.

A lady dressed in a gorgeous black and red Rococo gown walked gracefully down the steps, her gaze sweeping across the entire room.

Angelica stood beside her, looking humble, two steps behind, and winked at the black-haired youth who had been captured, Ji Li, who was pretending to be stupid.

Jasmine looked at the newcomer, her grip tightening as she pursed her lips:

“Countess Veronica…”

Then, glancing at Ji Li, he reluctantly released his hand.

Ji Li then saw what the "teacher" Angelica had mentioned looked like. Surprisingly, he looked even younger than Angelica, and appeared to be the same age as Jasmine.

If it's just about appearance...

She had a beautiful face, with long black hair piled up behind her head, bloodshot eyes and red lips, like an evil girl. Her brows carried a hint of ancient charm, and her eyelashes were thick and long. She held a bottle of blood-red wine in her hand.

Jasmine took a deep breath and managed to perform a classical gesture of etiquette:

"Greetings, Your Excellency..."

"Dead Apostle?"

Veronica handed the red wine to Angelica and gave Jasmine a soft smile.

A powerful, crimson pressure instantly forced Jasmine to bend over, barely managing to stay upright.

"Interesting little girl..."

As Veronica spoke, the spiritual pressure vanished instantly, as if it had been just a small greeting.

Then, he looked Ji Li up and down, his eyes flashing with bloodlust. A strange, penetrating sensation suddenly struck Ji Li, triggering a trigger in his soul—

The Immortal, Echo Level.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the silent crowd around him; this was perhaps the status of nobles and immortals on White Island.

I've seen far too many immortals in Shulong before, and Little Old Man and Lonely Tomb King, among others, rarely appear in public. Perhaps this is what immortals look like in the eyes of ordinary people:
Noble, powerful, in short.

However, Ji Li's current persona is Kisame, so she can only sense Kisame. She walked forward with a smile and affectionately stroked Ji Li's face:
"Indeed, a promising newcomer..."

"That's wonderful, Miss Veronica..."

Miss?

Veronica was slightly taken aback, and the people around her shuddered, one of them almost slipping and falling to the ground.

Tsk...did I call it the wrong thing?
The main problem is that she looks too much like a teenage girl.

If Angelica is a classic example of a mature, sophisticated European woman, you would never associate her with the word "young girl," even though she is young.

This is a high school student with a good figure, dressed in her mother's clothes.

It's already a good thing that Ji Li didn't call her "sister".

The countess smiled and moved closer to Ji Li's face:

"That's quite a creative way to address someone, and it's very sweet. At least they didn't call me 'Madam' or 'Lady' or any other strange titles..."

As she spoke, she gave Ji Li a kiss on the cheek on both sides, seemingly quite pleased with how Ji Li addressed her, which made Angelica behind her tremble with fear.

Then, she turned to Jasmine and the others, as well as the guard who was being untied, but whose bonds had only been loosened halfway due to Veronica's arrival:

"Tell me, what's going on?"

Jasmine glanced at Ji Li, her eyes regaining their composure, but beneath that composure lingered a hint of disappointment and a touch of doubt:
"It's nothing... I mistook you for someone else."

"You've mistaken me for someone else? You've taken the new recruit my student was mentoring for a dead disciple... So you've mistaken me for someone else?"

Veronica smiled slightly, pursing her lips.

"I'm sorry, it was my fault. If this gentleman doesn't mind, I'd like to offer my sincere apologies. Would it be my pleasure to have lunch with you sometime today...?"

Jasmine doesn't seem to have given up yet, but Veronica's temper is quite strong:
"You're using the right to have dinner with me as an expression of apology?"

"I did not mean that……"

"Are all Watchers this arrogant nowadays, or have those guards been so attentive to you that you've forgotten your duty as a Watcher?"

"I'm sorry, but I assure you, I didn't mean that."

Jasmine seemed to have faced this kind of challenge quite often, and she handled it like a seasoned office worker, mainly taking the beating with a cotton candy, which Ji Li found very interesting.

You little rascal, you deserve a good scolding.

Ji Li did consider the possibility that his identity could not be confirmed by Jasmine, and that he would be treated as a dead apostle. This was also the reason why he went through a long and roundabout way to send that sycophantic guard to test him.

Now it seems that if he wants Jasmine to take him in, he needs to prepare strong enough evidence to convince her, or a suitable opportunity.

At this moment, Angelica crept up to Ji Li and said succinctly:

"The teacher is an aristocrat, so..."

"Is this how you discipline a servant?"

Angelica nodded silently.

The Watchmen sound nice, but they belong to the Ludwig family and are under the jurisdiction of Bertrand Ludwig.

Therefore, fundamentally speaking, the Watcher and Veronica, who is a noblewoman, are from completely different social classes, so naturally, the Watcher would not give them any face when attacking her.

This also gave Ji Li some understanding of the current situation on White Island:

Modern yet ancient.

Besides sheer power, the social status gap between nobles and commoners was also a significant obstacle. Veronica's temperament was typical of a long-time Union Jack supporter.

Seeing that it was almost done, Ji Li stepped forward and said:
“Um…Ms. Veronica, thank you for standing up for me. I’m so sorry for causing you trouble. Ms. Li, is that right? I accept your apology. Let’s have a simple lunch together.”

Veronica glanced at Ji Li, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes:
"I did not accept it."

...Little sister, what else are you going to do?

Then she changed the subject:
"But since the parties involved have said so, let's do it this way." Perhaps she was pleased with the scolding, or perhaps she was pleased with Ji Li's address, Veronica didn't delve too deeply into the matter, and turned to walk away gracefully.
“Angelica, let’s go. And you too, dear Mr. Pulitzer.”

Those who remained looked at each other in bewilderment as Angelica took back the phone from Ji Li, the one with the number written on it.

"Stop looking, let's pack up."

"Yes……"

"I'll write the report. You should all go back to your posts."

"understand!"

……

In silence, Veronica led the two back to the reception room and ordered that black tea be poured.
"Pulitzer, right?"

"Yes, thank you for helping me out just now."

Although Ji Li only dared to directly approach the junior adjutant, who was in a sensitive situation, after receiving prior notification from Angelica, he still had to say the polite words.

"It's a small matter. You were brought in by Angelica, so you're one of my people. You should have less contact with the Watchers."

As for your situation, I've already heard from Angelica. You have a friend who was taken into the Duke's vault, which is not a good situation.

I can arrange for you to work inside the building, but not in the vault. And if you're trying to rescue someone, that won't be easy for me either.

"Is it alright if we just meet once?"

Veronica took a sip of her black tea:
"Things aren't that simple. Even for me, I have to apply directly to the owner of the vault to get in."

Why would someone be arrested and taken to the vault?

"The Duke's mansion always uses various excuses to lure some wandering awakened individuals into the vault to provide necessary experiments for the restorative objects. Of course, more often it is through contracts that some desperate people voluntarily go in, so your friend is very unlucky."

This is certainly not humane, but we still don't understand the purpose of the large number of Grade A mortises in the vault, many of which were obtained at the cost of human lives.

To oppose this behavior is to oppose the prevailing trend on White Island. Some things have to be done, and I regret your friend's experience.

"So even meeting once isn't allowed?"

"Is it really just a meeting?" Veronica narrowed her eyes, smiling but saying nothing.

Of course not... He just wants an excuse to get in and cause trouble. As long as he can get in, he doesn't care what the excuse is.

"It would be even better if we could bring the person out..."

“Going through the proper channels is almost impossible. But going through unofficial channels is quite simple,” Veronica said with a smile.

"Were you arrested by the Duke's mansion?" Ji Li asked tentatively.

"That's right, getting arrested is actually the easiest way out. What's your friend's name?"

"She may have used a pseudonym, but her abilities are related to shadows."

"Her? Her shadow?"

In an instant, Veronica, who was sipping her tea with her head down, looked up sharply, her spiritual energy surging.

His blood-red gaze sharpened to an extreme, and a faint spiritual energy surged from his red lips.

Before Ji Li could speak again, the demonic sound reverberated out—

Angelica stood up instantly:

“Teacher, you…”

But the spiritual pressure abruptly forced her back onto the sofa:
"Is she carrying a white rabbit? Does her spirit possess spatial properties and is extremely skilled in sealing and restraining spells?"

Ji Li's gaze was already vacant; he opened his mouth, then said:

"Not her."

"You're not lying, are you?"

"Yes, I'm telling the truth."

"What's your name?"

Pulitzer.

"from where?"

"Red Maple Town".

What was your purpose in seeing her?

"To confirm her safety, it would be best to sneak her out."

The demonic sound ended.

Ji Li shook his head as if waking from a dream:

"What just happened?"

The sound of the ceramic cup touching the bottom of the saucer reached her ears, and Veronica gave an apologetic smile.

"Please forgive me... Angelica, don't be impulsive, I won't do anything to him."

Angelica swallowed slightly and loosened her clenched fist.

Teacher, I'm not afraid of what you might do to him, I'm afraid of what he might do to you...

Ji Li concealed the fleeting suspicion in his eyes, maintaining a blank expression:

"That was just now..."

"It's nothing, just a necessary measure to ensure everything is running smoothly."

Veronica clearly didn't want to talk about that topic and quickly returned to the main point:
"There is a place in the vault where the dead are housed... Death is a category, specifically referring to those who were arrested or voluntarily signed contracts to provide consumables for the test subjects of the mortises. Your friend should be in that place as well."

“I will arrange for you to enter the vault. It will take some time to prepare. You will go to the place where the dead are buried as a member of the Ludwig family, but I will ask for payment.”

"Thank you very much... but I don't think I have anything to give you?"

"Really?"

Veronica smiled brightly:
“My lovely student went to Red Maple Town and skipped two grades, taking a step closer to the threshold of the peak ruler. I am also very curious about what kind of magic your blood has.”

She parted her red lips, revealing her sharp, hooked teeth that slowly spread out:
"Don't worry, I only need one bite..."

(End of this chapter)