I have a Tantric panel

Footsteps came from not far away.

Xia En immediately stood up, extinguished the flame, and gripped the crowbar tightly in his hand.

Freya also drew her pistol and stood beside him.

A moment later, a pair of dark golden vertical pupils emerged from the darkness.

Until its figure got close.

Xia Encai then realized that it was a black cat.

The brass bell around his neck made a soft sound.

"Watson?"

Xia En was stunned.

The black cat responded with a soft meow.

Immediately afterwards, a flashlight beam shone from behind.

"Shane, I've finally found you."

It was Lucius's voice.

The detective, wearing a camel-colored trench coat and carrying a flashlight, walked over and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Xia En and the other person were safe and sound.

"Luckily, I made it in time."

Shane was somewhat surprised: "Mr. Lucius, how did you find us?"

"The news about the Royal Grand Theatre has already spread throughout the capital."

"I happened to be nearby and ran into your friend Ronan on the side. When I heard that you hadn't come out of the theater, I guessed that you had probably been caught up in it."

Upon hearing that Ronan was alright, Shane relaxed a bit, and then he saw Lucius smile mysteriously.

"As for how I found you, you'll have to ask Watson."

"Enough with the small talk."

Suddenly, a strange middle-aged man's voice rang out.

"This little girl is not going to make it; we need to get her to the hospital right away."

Who is speaking?

Xia En raised an eyebrow, his gaze suddenly falling on the black cat at his feet.

"Yes, that's me."

Watson said irritably, "I went to great lengths to find you, kid, and even used my secret stash to bribe the rat king in the sewers."

The cat... spoke?

Also, what is the Sewer Rat King?

Xia En's lips twitched slightly.

These words revealed a great deal of information, but compared to the previous danger of being caught up in an assassination attempt, it was nothing.

the other side.

Freya's condition is indeed very bad.

The bullet is still inside her body!

The three people and the cat stopped chatting and quickly headed towards the sewer exit.

Freya fell into a coma before she could even be taken to the hospital.

Upon entering the hospital, he was immediately taken to the emergency room.

Xia En, on the other hand, was in a much better situation.

The wounds on his body had already healed on the way here.

At most, it's just that I feel a little tired after being under a lot of mental stress and then relaxing for a while.

But Lucius still kept him in the hospital to avoid any potential problems.

have to say.

Xia En was indeed exhausted tonight. As soon as her head hit the pillow on the hospital bed, she fell into a deep sleep.

……

……

Monday morning.

Anthony George, the principal of the Royal Society of Arts, awoke naturally from his sleep.

With the help of a maid, she got dressed and washed up.

We walked to the restaurant.

On the dark walnut wood dining table were two slices of buttered toast, a fried egg, a cup of hot black tea with only a spoonful of honey, and a copy of the "Beijing Morning Post".

This is his favorite morning combination, used to awaken his taste buds and spirit for the whole day.

However, when I saw the headline news in the newspaper...

The silver-haired old man put down his toast, his eyes slightly narrowed, like an aging lion.

Aged, yet still exuding authority.

[The Royal Theatre narrowly escaped a fire last night!]

[—Famous actress Freya was shot during a performance of "Farewell Elegy," the extent of her injuries is unknown.]

His gaze swept quickly across the sections below.

Soon, the headline "The murderer is suspected of being a secret society" appeared in the newspaper.

"Those remnants of the old era are becoming increasingly restless."

Anthony muttered something.

"Things that should have been swept into the trash heap long ago, you think you can rekindle them? Dream on!"

Despite the criticism, he had to admit it.

In the past two years, Beijing seems to have become increasingly unsafe, with such incidents gradually increasing.

Perhaps it's because...

What behind the curtain is starting to come alive?

"I hope that little girl is alright."

Anthony sighed softly.

He had met Freya a few times and had a certain fondness for this talented and determined girl.

After seeing this, Anthony lost all interest in enjoying his breakfast.

He quickly ate the bread and eggs, then downed the cooled black tea in one gulp before heading out to the Royal Academy of Arts.

Today is the day for reviewing submissions for the White Canvas Award.

Walk into the hall of the academic society.

The dome is soaring, and the mural on the wall is "The Seven Sages Discussing Art".

Seven sages, dressed in different clothes and with different appearances, sat together to discuss the revival of art, each with eyes that shone with extraordinary brilliance.

And under the watchful eyes of the Seven Sages.

Several academicians dressed in dark blue suits were already waiting here.

"Hello, President!"

"Your Excellency, good day."

The academicians all looked rather serious, their faces devoid of their usual smiles.

They had also learned about the changes at the Royal Theatre from the newspapers, and had already discussed it privately just now.

The Royal Theatre and the Academy of Arts already have a close relationship.

Some outstanding playwrights and actors come from arts societies.

This unexpected turn of events naturally drew their attention.

Last night's events have resulted in numerous deaths and injuries; the exact number of casualties is still being tallied.

The main character in the incident, Freya Adler, appears to still be in critical condition, and her fate remains unknown.

Many of her fans are rallying around demanding an explanation from the Royal Theatre and officials.

Fortunately in misfortune.

The fire in the theater did not catch fire.

Otherwise, not only would the Royal Theatre, which has been passed down for nearly a century, be destroyed, but the number of dead and injured would also increase exponentially.

Nevertheless.

This incident still provoked the wrath of Her Majesty the Queen and high-ranking members of Parliament.

They ordered Scotland Yard to apprehend the murderer and mastermind within a month.

In the words of the current Minister of Scotland Yard—

"To dare commit such a serious crime in the capital, this is no ordinary criminal; we must crack down hard!"

However, for these senior academicians...

What's more important right now is...

The White Canvas Award will still be selected.

After confirming that all the judges had arrived, Anthony nodded and looked up at the highest statue.

It was a uniquely shaped Holy Grail, with fragments resembling both jade and diamonds inlaid along its rim.

The cup seemed to be able to swallow up everything in the world.

He is the pillar god of the Path of Beauty (the Standard of the Cup), and his name is:

[A false sense of security!]

It means the cup of fate that can never be filled.

He is not the creator of beauty, but beauty itself—accepting all forms, yet transcending all forms.

Looking up at the Holy Grail high above, Anthony spoke solemnly.

"I swear to the great [Vanity] that we will do our utmost in this selection process, and all evaluations will come from the heart."

The crowd behind him followed him in taking the oath.

As the oath was completed, a mysterious and solemn atmosphere enveloped everyone around them.

"Let's go."

Anthony nodded.

Immediately afterwards, the academicians followed him, like a pride of lions following the lion king, and entered the exhibition hall containing hundreds of paintings.

The review process has officially begun.