Mysterious: The Innate Sacred Body of Destiny

Chapter 367 The Negan Family's Plans

"Father—I've received the news."

Dela Negan suppressed his unease and forced himself to get through the party, which had become meaningless to him, before rushing to the Negan family mansion.

Here, he met his father, the current Prime Minister of the Kingdom, Aguhid Nigan.

The father before me seemed to have aged several years in just a few hours. His once upright back was now somewhat hunched, and he could barely stand, needing to hold onto the edge of the fireplace.

"Is my uncle—already—?"

Della mustered her courage and asked in a trembling voice.

"No." Agusid Negan slowly shook his head. "The church rescued him in time—"

"But—even in the best-case scenario, he probably won't be able to get out of bed for the rest of his life—"

Agoshid let out a heavy sigh. The bad news came far too suddenly. As one of the core leaders of the Conservative Party, the Duke of Negan's downfall meant that the entire Conservative Party's power would be significantly weakened.

Doesn't that mean I've become a useless person?

Upon hearing this, a hint of sadness flashed in De La Negan's eyes. But he quickly realized a more pressing issue.

"Father, Uncle is in such a state that he certainly can no longer lead the family. Do you think—is it possible for you to take over—" He clenched his fists, his eyes revealing an undisguised eagerness.

The Duke of Negan's children were rather ordinary in terms of both seniority and prestige. In maintaining the alliance of the conservative nobles, they were perhaps no match for their father.

"This is not something you should be thinking about right now!" Agushid turned around abruptly, shouting sharply, veins throbbing on his forehead. But after the shout, he did not continue to scold him. Instead, he slowly turned his face away and looked back at the deep night outside the window, making it impossible to see the expression on his face.

"I heard from the bodyguard that the one who saved my uncle this time was that East Side hero, James Scott?" After nearly a minute of silence, Dela Negan asked again.

"Um."

"I had complained about his lack of punctuality at the banquet earlier. I never expected it to turn out like this."

"If I hadn't invited him, maybe my uncle would have—"

"Father, what should we do next?" Dela Negan asked her father.

"Thanks and rewards are definitely welcome."

And it must be generous, it must be public, and everyone must see it.

"The fact that this has happened repeatedly shows that the Negan family, and indeed the entire Conservative Party, has been targeted by certain individuals. Therefore, we must now send a clear signal to the outside world that helping the Negan family will bring enormous, unimaginable rewards. This is both an expression of gratitude and a message to other potential allies and enemies."

"Capable of single-handedly exorcising a Sequence 5 demon," James Scott's strength is definitely extraordinary. It's probably more than just the "bravery" touted in the newspapers. For that reason alone, he's worth befriending."

"Besides material rewards, I intend to—make an investment in him." Agusid paused for a moment, then added, "In a private capacity."

"Investment?" Della was somewhat surprised.

"After this incident, I did a brief investigation into James Scott. I discovered that he owned several arms-related factories. Although none of them were very large, they still constituted a certain industrial base."

"I know all that; I've talked to him about it," Della Negan nodded.

"But as a factory owner, he should naturally lean towards the New Party. Even if it's just to repay his life-saving grace, would it be wrong for us to invest in him now—"

"Della," Agusid looked at his son, his eyes deep, "times are changing, you and I both understand that. Although we still have a profound foundation, the waning power of the conservative nobles is also an undeniable fact—"

"The kingdom has recently undergone a series of changes. But what comes after those changes?"

"Friction between the major powers is escalating. Fussac and Intis are both eyeing the kingdom with predatory intent—"

"We already have considerable influence within the military."

"Investing in the arms market at this time is a very worthwhile business opportunity."

"As for the other conservative nobles, as long as they know the Duke is still alive and the Negan family hasn't fallen, they can't cause any trouble. Investing in arms provides an excellent 'repayment of heroes' reason, preventing a complete breakdown in relations."

"I understand—" Dela Negan nodded solemnly.

"What should we do about the news of my uncle's assassination? Should we immediately suppress the news?"

"No." Agusid shook his head. "Related news has already started to spread in small circles. At this point, forcibly suppressing it would only make it seem like an attempt to cover up the truth—"

"We just need to let everyone know that the Duke is alive and out of danger, that's enough. As for other details, we can't reveal them for now—"

"By the way, you should also be careful lately."

"I will personally go and speak with Earl Hall tomorrow."

"Most of my luck has run out—"

Lorne sat in his office, carefully observing his current state.

This direct confrontation with the "Apostle of Desire" consumed a large amount of his "luck." Most of the good fortune he had accumulated since advancing to Sequence 5 was almost entirely wasted here.

This significantly reduced his sense of security.

"The news hasn't spread completely yet; who knows how much trouble will follow—"

"Fortunately, Sharon helped me record her abilities again—"

"Mr. Scott, someone is looking for you."

Old Kohler's voice came from outside the door.

"Someone? The news got out so quickly?" Lorne was somewhat surprised.

"Who is looking for me?"

"It's that detective Sherlock Moriarty who came before. There's also an unfamiliar gentleman who's supposedly his superior—"

manage."

"Boss?" Lorne frowned slightly.

After a brief meeting with Sherlock, Lorne quickly learned the purpose of his visit. It turned out that his boss wanted to discuss investment matters with him.

Why did he have to come now of all times? Although Lorne had some doubts, he still agreed to the meeting.

It's him!

Lorne's pupils contracted sharply the moment he saw Charles!

That figure—it's the mysterious person who killed the "demon"—there's no mistake!

He quickly composed himself, while his mind raced, searching for a solution.

So that's it! No wonder that person looked familiar; I'd already seen him once before at a charity gala—

He later attempted divination on the mysterious person he had seen. However, it seemed that the divination was unsuccessful, perhaps because the person possessed certain abilities or magical items.

-

In fact, he had already performed a simple divination shortly after the "demon" died. The conclusion he reached was that pretending not to have seen the mysterious figure would be more advantageous to him. Therefore, he concealed this fact during the "Punisher's" subsequent questioning.

However, he never expected that before he could even go to him, the other party would actually come to him in person.

To silence them? To test them? Or—something else entirely?

"I am Charles Horn, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Scott."

Charles bowed very politely and then extended his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Horn." Lorne also extended his hand and shook hands lightly with the other man.

"Sherlock—"

Charles glanced at Klein beside him. Klein immediately understood and made an excuse to leave the office temporarily.

The ensuing conversation went smoothly, much like a typical business meeting. Charles discussed investment funds in a very professional manner.

However, just when the atmosphere in the office was at its most harmonious, Charles suddenly changed the subject—

"Speaking of which, Mr. Scott, I have a feeling that something good is going to happen to you recently."

"Oh?" Lorne raised an eyebrow, leaning back slightly in a relaxed yet inquiring posture. "What do you mean?"

"Of course, it's a reward from the Negan family."

,, "6

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Charles didn't waste any more words and went straight to the point: "Mr. Scott, you should have seen everything that day, right?"

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