I'm not a goblin Frankenstein's monster.

Chapter 129 The Widow (4k)

Xia Lin's expression was anything but pleasant.

Alice seemed to notice the emotion written all over his face, and unusually offered an explanation: "Your situation is rather special. Go directly to the Baron's mansion tomorrow; the old butler will take you in. Stay in the church's temporary quarters for the night."

Xia Lin was taken aback: "The Baron's mansion? Why are you taking me in there?"

Alice glanced at him, her eyes carrying a hint of "You're only just realizing this now?": "Undercover investigation."

Xia Lin fell silent.

Undercover.

Of course he knew what an undercover agent meant—he'd seen it too many times in movies and TV shows in his previous life. Those kinds of roles, infiltrating enemy territory and working from the inside, could indeed bring fame and fortune if they were lucky.

But once exposed—

Nine deaths!

Such traitors usually don't fare well.

"Honestly," Xia Lin said cautiously, "these kinds of missions—usually there are people inside providing backup, right?"

Alice raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by the level of expertise in Xia Lin's question.

"Besides the old butler who brought the news, are there any other people of ours in the Baron's mansion?"

"There has to be someone to provide backup or something, right?"

"no."

Alice's answer was chillingly straightforward.

She paused, then added, "We sent two spies disguised as servants before, but after they went in—they both disappeared."

So now, you have to rely on yourself from start to finish.

Xia Lin fell silent this time.

He silently redefined the nature of this mission in his mind—it wasn't just a matter of life and death, it was a matter of life and death with no chance of survival.

Alice seemed to sense his thoughts, and her tone softened slightly: "Of course, it's not entirely hopeless. The previous investigation did yield some results; the situation at the Baron's mansion is rather unique."

She began by providing background information: "The Baron himself passed away a few years ago. Now, his second wife, the Baroness, is in power."

There was also a son left by the Baron and his first wife.

She paused, a subtle glint in her eyes: "According to the intelligence we received earlier, the relationship between these two is not as harmonious as it appears on the surface."

As you know, the baron left behind a large estate, and the issue of succession naturally involves competition.

Xia Lin nodded; he understood.

Widows, only children, and wealthy families fighting over inheritance—it's a scripted story throughout history and across the world.

"And—" Alice drawled, her gaze sweeping over him, "the Baroness's reputation in the city—well, not too good."

Xia Lin suddenly became interested: "Tell me in detail, how exactly is it bad?"

On the one hand, since he was going to venture into the lion's den, he didn't intend to miss any information that would be of interest to him.

Of course, there's another aspect to consider: Xia Lin has to admit that this kind of gossip about color always manages to attract attention.

Even I am not immune to this.

After all, my current role is that of a responsible investigator, and I must carefully study and analyze such crucial and sensational gossip.

"It's just a rumor," Alice said casually, as if commenting on the nice weather. "She's keeping quite a few lovers on the side."

Xia Lin: "

""

That's it? Xia Lin was quite disappointed that she hadn't heard any juicy gossip.

I also took the opportunity to express my contempt for the two colleagues who died in the line of duty.

His work ability is so poor, no wonder he failed to complete the task.

Even if it cannot be expressed in the form of painting.

You could write a report of several thousand words, detailing the specific actions of the "Baroness and her lover."

Is this all there is to it in the form of gossip with "nothing of value"?

Whether it's helping to complete a task or satisfying one's own gossipy curiosity, it doesn't have any positive effect.

He didn't know what to say for a moment.

Alice took in his expression, a faint smile playing on her lips: "This kind of thing is normal in aristocratic circles."

The Baroness was very young when she married the old Baron; what genuine affection could there be between an older man and a younger woman?

She paused, gave Xia Lin a meaningful look, and carefully chose her words: "So, if necessary, you can also consider—well, making a breakthrough through this line."

Xia Lin was stunned for three seconds.

Then, when he realized what was happening, the expression on his face was priceless: "Wait, you don't mean you want me to betray you, do you?"

"No, I didn't, don't talk nonsense."

Alice interrupted him.

The church has very strict rules, and this kind of crime of inciting others to risk their lives is obviously not recognized within the church.

Fearing she would be implicated, Alice immediately distanced herself from the situation, issuing a triple denial.

But that expression clearly said, "That's exactly what I mean."

Xia Lin took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down: "If I were to—sacrifice my body, would the church offer any emotional support?"

"You've had your fun and now you want the church to pay for it?"

Alice refused outright.

"What do you mean I enjoyed it?" Xia Lin protested. "If something like this is going to be enjoyable, it's for both of us. I contributed, right?"

Having witnessed the psychological manipulation tactics employed by her superiors, Xia Lin was clearly not going to be easily led by the nose by Alice. She immediately argued her case, highlighting the importance of her "contributions."

Alice silently digested Xia Lin's point of view. You have to admit, it did make some sense.

This time, surprisingly, she didn't refute, but simply said, "I regret to inform you that the church certainly doesn't offer subsidies. However..."

She changed the subject, her faint smile deepening: "You can write about this experience in more detail in your mission report."

Maybe one of the higher-ups will be interested in your report, give it a high score, and reward you with a few extra coins.

""

Is this encouragement or a joke?

But it's still a pretty good suggestion.

Looking back, Xia Lin had already decided to go to Old John at the office to ask if there were similar unspoken rules within the church.

If so, he wouldn't mind spending more time describing the details of the task to the leaders.

For Xia Lin, this kind of report, which was similar to the daily or weekly reports of his previous life, was a piece of cake.

It doesn't matter what you did specifically; the important thing is to let your superiors know what you did!

Early the next morning.

In the church's reception room, Xia Lin met the old butler of the baron's mansion that she had mentioned.

Old Bourne was about fifty years old, with gray hair, a slender build but a straight back, and wore a well-tailored butler's uniform with an exquisite silver bow tie at the collar.

His face bore the expression characteristic of someone who had long served the nobility—respectful, gentle, yet neither servile nor arrogant.

But those eyes revealed obvious fatigue and anxiety.

"Bourne".

Alice stepped forward and introduced them, "This is Xia Lin, the person in charge of this investigation."

She then turned to Charlin: "Butler Bourne, the old baron's childhood playmate."

After the old baron's death, he took over the management of the baron's affairs, including caring for the old baron's only son.

Bourne bowed slightly, his gaze falling on Xia Lin.

The gaze was scrutinizing, not in a malicious way, but rather with a kind of suspicion.

Is this person capable?

That look in his eyes clearly said that.

Xia Lin could understand his feelings.

With two churches sending people in one after another disappearing without a trace, anyone would have to question this "third collaboration."

The fact that they haven't sought other talent yet is already quite polite.

Sure enough, Bourne turned to Alice, his tone respectful but tinged with obvious hesitation: "Miss Alice, — are you sure you can do it this time?"

He paused, seemingly realizing that his words were somewhat inappropriate, and changed his approach to a more tactful one: "Two investigators in charge of the investigation in succession—both have been murdered."

I am truly worried that if there is any further mishap, your church may lose another invaluable talent.

Old Bourne, as expected of an experienced butler, maintained his good habit of using appropriate language.

He didn't finish his sentence, but the implication was clear: your execution capabilities make me have to question them.

Alice's smile remained unchanged: "Don't worry, Mr. Bourne. We've known each other for a long time; would I ever cheat you?"

Hard to say!

Old Bern thought to himself that after the first two failures, he had serious doubts about the church's capabilities.

She patted Xia Lin on the shoulder with a sense of certainty that "don't worry, he's my man": "Don't underestimate Xia Lin just because he's young. He just completed a special mission for the church and was even specially commended by the higher-ups."

They have a wealth of experience in carrying out missions.

Xia Lin listened from the side, and her expression almost slipped off.

Alice is quite good at making things up.

Special mission? Commendation?

Of course he knew what Alice was referring to—wasn't it that incident in the forest? That was called a special mission?

And that so-called "reward" —

They didn't even give me a chance to refuse.

Can I even say this praise aloud?

But Alice's expression was so sincere, like she was promoting her own top-quality product: "You know, anyone who can survive and even make a name for themselves in a mission like that is no ordinary person. You can rest assured if you entrust the mission to him."

Bourne's gaze lingered on Xia Lin for a few more seconds.

The doubt was still there in his eyes, but there was also a hint of helplessness—perhaps a "desperate measures" mentality.

"Then—I'll leave it to Mr. Xia Lin." He bowed slightly.

Xia Lin quickly returned the greeting, but inwardly she was thinking:

Why does this sound like I've been sold to human traffickers? And the seller is even bragging that "this product is absolutely top quality, and we'll compensate you tenfold if it's fake"?

Alice was completely unaware of his inner thoughts.

She turned to Xia Lin, lowered her voice, and said in a tone only the two of them could hear, "Be careful once you're inside. If you find anything, send a message back. If all else fails—"

She paused, a playful smirk returning to her lips: "Let's do as we discussed yesterday, and try the Baroness's route. It might actually work."

The black carriage drove out of the church's side gate and slowly moved forward along the wide stone-paved road.

The carriage was quiet, with only the rhythmic creaking of the wheels as they rolled over the road.

Xia Lin leaned against the carriage wall, her gaze passing by through the gap in the curtains as she watched the street scene rushing past outside.

The streets of Deepwater City were more bustling than he had imagined.

Shops lined the streets, and pedestrians came in an endless stream. Occasionally, one could see knights on tall horses or nobles in magnificent carriages passing by.

The city is like a giant, never-ending machine, with everyone operating on their own track.

The old butler, Byrne, sat opposite him, his hands folded on his knees, silently gazing out the window.

That figure exuded an indescribable weariness.

Xia Lin understands.

The disappearance of two investigators sent in one after another would be exhausting for anyone.

Moreover, he had to protect not only himself, but also that "young master," the old baron's only son.

The carriage turned into a relatively quiet street, where the buildings on both sides gradually became sparser, replaced by tall walls and dense trees.

"We're almost there," Byrne finally spoke, his voice hoarse and low.

He turned to Xia Lin, a complex emotion flashing in his cloudy old eyes—a mixture of expectation and worry.

"Mr. Xia Lin," he said carefully, "I'll need to trouble you a little to facilitate the investigation."

"How so?"

“We need to arrange an identity for you.” Byrne paused. “Perfect timing. Old Gene, who used to take care of the horses, is getting old and just retired a few days ago. You can enter the manor as a new groom; that way, no one will suspect anything.”

groom?

Byrne seemed to sense his concerns and added, "Don't worry, the job of a stable boy isn't strenuous. And most of the time you'll be in the stables, so you have a lot of freedom of movement, making it easy for you to observe secretly."

Xia Lin thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay. A coachman it is."

Byrne breathed a sigh of relief and continued to introduce the situation of the Baron's mansion: "There are currently two main masters in the mansion. One is young master Dean—the son of the old Baron and his first wife."

The young master is in his early twenties. After the baron's death, he has been managing most of the manor's businesses.

He manages several shops in the city and several estates in the suburbs.

He paused, his tone slightly hesitant, as if carefully choosing his words: "The other one is—the Baroness. The old Baron's second wife."

Xia Lin keenly caught the subtle change in his tone.

“The Baroness also manages some properties,” Byrne continued, “but she—well, doesn’t really concern herself with household affairs. She’s often away, sometimes for days at a time.”

He didn't say anything more, but the meaning in his tone was already very clear.

Xia Lin knew what was going on.

This old butler is clearly biased towards young master Dean.

The carriage stopped in front of a tall gate.

Bourne opened the car door, and Charlene followed him out.

Before me stood a typical aristocratic mansion—a three-story main building with gray-white stone walls and arched windows.

Two rows of side rooms extend from both sides of the main building, forming a wide front yard.

The courtyard is paved with neat stone slabs, and in the middle is a fountain that is quietly spouting water.

Just as they stepped into the courtyard.

A richly decorated carriage drove out of the courtyard.

The carriage was painted a deep purple, with gilded decorations inlaid on the carriage body. The two white horses pulling the carriage had glossy coats and were clearly carefully selected fine horses.

The curtain in the carriage was lifted slightly, revealing a woman's face.

The woman was in her early thirties, very well-maintained, with fair skin and a languid charm in her eyes.

She wore a dark green long dress with a low neckline, but her charm was undeniable.