Chapter 544: Night Market Trip with Audrey
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Qonas Kilgor personally came to greet his new subordinate, Hobert, because he knew some inside information.
Firstly, as a top intelligence officer in Loen, he knew how intense the battle in Feynapotter was. According to some clues Qonas had obtained, Hobert played a crucial role in that battle.
Secondly, Qonas noticed that Georgina's attitude towards Hobert was intriguing. Georgina was a powerful figure in the royal family and a top Loen noble.
Therefore, noble children sent to Department Nine for training would invariably start as Level 1 clerks.
(In the Loen administrative departments, clerks are divided into five levels, with Level 5 being senior clerks, equivalent to team leader positions.)
However, Hobert directly became a deputy director upon arrival. This arrangement was not unprecedented, but Qonas had never encountered anything similar during his time in Department Nine.
As for the beautiful uniformed lady, she was a secretary personally arranged by Georgina.
Although there was an element of surveillance, it was enough to show that Georgina, and even the entire royal family, valued Hobert.
Hobert smiled and said, "Director Qonas, hello."
"Just call me Qonas," the other party said amiably, "My office is next to yours. Feel free to come to me if you need anything."
"Okay, I'll be relying on you in the future."
After a few polite words during their first meeting, they returned to their respective offices.
Hobert's office was large, a suite with a secretary's room and a small reception area outside, and a spacious and luxuriously decorated office inside.
The large solid wood desk and leather chairs, as well as the exquisite sofas and coffee table in the reception area, all revealed that Department Nine was a lucrative department.
Hobert sat in his chair and asked the uniformed lady, "What's your name?"
"My name is Sharlene, and I'm your personal secretary," she replied with a smile, "I've already picked up your uniform for you. It's in the lounge over there."
"A good name," Hobert complimented casually, "Please borrow the files on Longtail Island for me."
"What type of files?"
"All of them!"
"Okay, please wait a moment."
Hobert looked at the surrounding decor, "My study isn't even decorated this luxuriously."
He got up and went to the lounge next door, changing into the uniform Sharlene had picked up for him.
The Department Nine uniform was similar to a military uniform, but darker in color. The regular uniform used a double-breasted design, giving it a smart and capable feel when worn.
They also thoughtfully provided two sets of combat uniforms, which were distinctly different from the military's combat uniforms, resembling hooded sweatshirts in Hobert's memory.
They should allow for very flexible movement when worn, and the hood design could not only be used to shield from the rain, but also had a mask structure inside to cover the face.
Wearing the regular uniform hat, Hobert looked at the colonel rank on his epaulets, surprised that he was a colonel without ever having been a soldier.
Then he realized: This is the treatment of a demigod!
More than half an hour later, Sharlene borrowed more than a dozen folders from the records room, and also brought Hobert's documents.
There were two documents, one was a director-level document from Department Nine, and the other was a colonel rank document issued by the army.
This suddenly reminded Hobert of the Nighthawk official member certificate and the police station-issued certificate that he had left to gather dust in the "Nation of Disorder."
After thanking her, Hobert began to bury himself in the information.
Sharlene thoughtfully brought a cup of black tea, and then quietly returned to the secretary's room.
Department Nine had very detailed information on Longtail Island, including the information from the Ministry of Land and Resources that Hobert had seen before.
There was also information on when the island was colonized, and when ports and cities were built.
Of course, what Hobert was looking for was extraordinary information about Longtail Island.
Because of the existence of the "Mountain God," several decades ago, a royal demigod had landed on the island and conducted a series of investigations.
The final result was that "Mountain God" Megali should be a Sequence 3 in poor condition, but her hiding place was very secretive. After investigation and interrogation, they failed to find Megali's hiding place.
Because Megali's impact was limited, and official Beyonders completely controlled Longtail Island, the investigation ended after a period of time.
Later, cases of Beyonders disappearing frequently occurred on Longtail Island, but subsequent investigations did not find any clues, because everything was normal at the scene of the disappearance, as if those Beyonders had suddenly disappeared while walking.
It wasn't until the great uprising ten years ago that Longtail Island once again entered the royal family's field of vision.
Then Hobert was surprised to find that, in order to suppress that uprising, the royal family and the military had dispatched three demigods at the time.
Because the native who claimed to be the king had demigod-level power after wearing that wooden crown!
Unfortunately, when the native was killed, the crown also self-destructed instantly, with no chance to study the crown.
However, the three demigods still made a major discovery based on limited clues.
Two of the demigods believed that "Mountain God" Megali might be an angel of the "Lawyer" pathway!
It's just that her state was very strange. Most of the time, she could only show demigod-level power, but that wooden crown, which was endowed with demigod power, was clearly a carrier for an angel to project power.
That is to say, the native wearing the crown was completely controlled by the "Mountain God," and his power came from Megali, who was somewhere on Longtail Island.
But this guess was not finalized in the end, because in the eyes of many people, even an angel of the "Lawyer" pathway did not have the ability to project their power onto another person for a long time.
Hobert felt that if "distortion + tampering" was used, this operation might be possible.
This pathway is "Shadow of Order," anything is possible, it just depends on how you use your abilities.
Although in the eyes of one of the demigods, the native's performance did not seem to be affected by an angel, the other two demigods who participated in the suppression and investigation insisted on this guess.
Because the initiation of that uprising was obviously one of the abilities that the "Duke of Entropy" was best at.
Through the information in his hand, Hobert learned that his "charm" ability at the Sequence 2 level is called "incitement"! People within a certain range will believe in the "Duke of Entropy" and will spontaneously follow the "Duke of Entropy."
It was because of this guess that the royal family ordered that all crowns appearing on Longtail Island should be destroyed immediately.
In theory, if the "Mountain God" was really an angel, she was constantly providing power to the target through the crown.
This made Hobert couldn't help but put down the information in his hand and sigh that promotion to angel would be a qualitative change!
Continuing to read, what disappointed Hobert was that the three demigods of the royal family and the military investigated Longtail Island for more than two months, and in addition to eliminating many core forces of the Mountain God Church, they still did not find Megali's hiding place.
This made them very strange. They even searched underground and in the sky, but still couldn't find it.
Hobert thought: There seems to be a place you missed, did you search the spirit world?
He flipped through the information, and there were records of using sealed items to enter the spirit world to search, but the spirit world in the Mad Sea was very chaotic.
Because Beyonders of the "Lawyer" pathway are not good at operating in the spirit world for a long time, the three demigods at the time unanimously believed that the probability of Megali hiding in the spirit world was not high, so they just searched it simply.
Hobert felt that the investigation of the spirit world was a bit hasty. Beyonders of the "Lawyer" pathway, at least to the demigod level, do not have the ability to enter the spirit world, but this is under normal circumstances. The state of this "Mountain God" Megali is obviously not normal, how can it be considered with common sense?
Although Megali was not found, the comprehensive investigation basically solved all the mysteries on Longtail Island.
For example, sometimes people get lost on Longtail Island, and they find that the sun keeps changing direction. In fact, the lost people are trapped in a chaotic space, and the direction of that space is also chaotic, not that the sun is changing.
This should be the ability that Megali inadvertently showed, which can cause a certain area of Longtail Island to fall into a state of "chaos" in a short period of time.
For example, the entrance to the Mountain God Church headquarters is a large space inside a mountain. The reason why there is no fixed entrance is because Megali twists the entrance every time there is a large event, so it is not in the original location.
As for the village where a child is the village chief, it is said to be the ability of a Sequence 3 "Frenzied Mage."
Closing the last piece of information, Hobert sighed: I now know more about Longtail Island than most of the residents of Longtail Island.
He stretched and looked at the clock on the wall: Because he was very targeted when looking at the information, he actually finished reading so much information in one morning.
At this time, it was lunchtime, and a special waiter pushed a dining car in, greeted Hobert, and started serving the dishes.
Hobert didn't expect that it was just a work meal, but there was an appetizer, a soup, and a main course, and they were all hot.
Hobert thought: This is more luxurious than what I eat at home!
After eating lunch and resting for a while, Hobert told Sharlene outside that he would not see guests this afternoon.
Then he locked the office door, used "Travel" to transfer through Byam once, and came to Longtail Island.
Hobert first came to the top of Mount Cabone on Longtail Island, which is another high mountain on the island besides Mount Megali.
Today was a clear day, and with Hobert's current eyesight, he could completely see the approximate terrain of the island.
The port and city on the eastern plain could also be seen from the top of the mountain. Hobert estimated that it was about the size of Jeffrey City, which he had transformed.
There were many rubber forests on the plain, as well as many flat cultivated lands.
Some villas, towns, and villages were scattered on it. Villas were generally the residences of manor owners, towns were generally the residences of colonists, and villages were the residences of local natives.
Then Hobert took a walk around the city. From the clothing, it could be seen that most of the people living here were Loen people.
There were also some local native chiefs, most of whom learned to dress like Loen people. Except for the darker skin, there was not much difference in clothing.
Only a few old people wore local native costumes. Regardless of men's or women's clothing, they were similar to skirts, and some would put on a layer of cloth on the outside. I don't know if this is a cloak or a coat.
This kind of clothing has no sleeves and no trouser legs. Hobert just glanced at it and felt that it should be very inconvenient.
It's no wonder that most natives would learn Loen people's clothing. A very simple reason is: it's convenient to move around.
The local people's hats are made of colorful feathers, or woven from local colorful plants, which are quite beautiful.
It's just that there is only a rough specification, and there is no uniform style, which looks messy.
The Loen people living here may be villains or criminals in the Loen Kingdom of the Northern Continent, but after coming here, they all held their heads high and chest out, more smug than the police patrolling the East Borough.
Locals have to give way when they see Loen people, and some low-status natives even have to bow.
Hobert sighed: Going out on the street is too waist-straining. For the sake of everyone's waist health, I will abolish this rule after I take over here.
Then he found a tavern, claimed to be an adventurer who had just come from Byam, and quickly learned more information by buying others a drink.
For example, the local garrison and the governor's office only recognize the property of Loen people as legal.
That is to say, killing, arson, and robbery on Longtail Island will not be punished by law as long as the target is not a Loen person.
This is the norm in most colonies. For Loen people, this is indeed freedom and democracy.
Hobert also went to the manor and the town. The Loen people here completely used the natives as slaves.
In the village, the natives" lives are more comfortable, but they are too poor, and many symptoms of malnutrition are manifested in the villagers.
The clothing of these natives is more like that of savages. Because they are in a subtropical region, they only hang a piece of cloth around their waists, and some simply weave grass shirts from dry grass and wrap them around their waists.
At the end of this journey, Hobert sat on a boulder by the sea and fell into deep thought. He realized that on Longtail Island, the local natives must also be civilized, and their clothing, housing, and other lifestyles must be regulated to bid farewell to the life of primitive people.
Around dusk, Hobert went back to attend the banquet.
On the second day of working in Department Nine, Hobert simply skipped work in the morning and used "Travel" to take a look at South Colson.
At this time, Conrad had already begun to organize manpower on the newly occupied West Bank to do some constructive work. He reported to Hobert: There are more lunatics here than before when they were ruled by the Blood Sanctify Sect.
And they are really crazy. Even if you hold a gun to force them to work, you can't scare them at all.
Conrad had no choice but to stipulate that they could only eat after completing the designated work.
Fortunately, their instinct as human beings is still there, and this method still has some effect.
Hobert once again lamented that the Aurora Order is harmful, and then he suddenly realized through the information he saw yesterday that if he becomes an angel in the future, he seems to have a way to make these lunatics more obedient and gradually more normal.
It's not feasible yet, not even with the "Nation of Disorder." It requires another qualitative change in him.
In any case, this generation on the West Coast can only live in madness; only their next generation will be able to live normal lives.
In other news, the first batch of immigrants from Backlund arrived yesterday, and their jobs have been arranged.
Hobert watched the energetic, ragged wanderers in the fields, and then thought of the natives of Longtail Island he had seen yesterday, who only wore a piece of cloth. He stood at the edge of the field, marveling at the complexity of human society.
Hobert's most important purpose here was to visit old Mr. Winston.
As soon as he entered the villa, a servant greeted him: "Your Lordship, Mr. Winston has gone fishing. He asked me to wait here and give you these three items."
The three items were a door, a teacup, and a salad bowl.
Hobert looked at the two pieces of tableware and smiled helplessly. The old man's creations were still so unique.
Taking the three items, Hobert went to Green Field Manor where no one was around.
Fors had gone to the auction house and was not at the manor.
So Hobert locked the door and sacrificed the two 'tableware" items to the "Nation of Disorder." As for the door, it was clearly the "Traveler's Door."
Then Hobert also entered the "Nation of Disorder," learning about the abilities and negative effects of the two mystical items.
Winston's craftsmanship was as good as ever; the negative effects were minor. The salad bowl was a magical item with some of the abilities of a "Faceless," and the exquisite teacup had some Beyonder abilities of a "Shepherd."
Fortunately, the salad bowl could change shape; otherwise, Audrey would have to carry a bowl around if she wanted to change her appearance for some actions.
The teacup's appearance couldn't be changed, but because it had a handle, Hobert thought he could tie it to himself by the handle and wear it as a pendant.
Although it would be embarrassing if others found out, it was better than holding a teacup in his hand during a fight.
Coming out of the "Nation of Disorder," Hobert used "Travel" to return to Backlund and sacrificed the salad bowl to "The Fool." Audrey quickly completed the transaction and paid Hobert 5,000 pounds through "The Fool."
At the evening ball, Audrey happily showed Hobert the bracelet on her wrist, which looked beautiful and inconspicuous.
The two danced another dance, and while chatting in a corner, Audrey whispered to Hobert: "After the ball, will you take me to the night market?"
She had heard that Backlund's night market was very lively, but she had never been there due to her status.
Now that Audrey could change her appearance to hide her identity, and she suddenly realized that she knew nothing about the night market, she immediately thought of Hobert.
In fact, she wanted a magical item that could change her appearance so that she could use extraordinary powers to experience different lives.
Even though she had received the elite education of a Loen noble since she was a child, she was still a young girl who had just turned eighteen and was full of curiosity about the outside world.
In the past, she could only think about it, but after becoming a Beyonder and coming into contact with many Beyonder abilities, she felt that her idea was quite feasible.
However, she could only go out at night to experience it.
Audrey would never make such a suggestion to friends like Glaint.
With her trust in Hobert and the friendship between them, based on shared secrets like the Tarot Club, there was no need to always adhere to the subtle and conservative aristocratic norms.
Audrey's suggestion also moved Hobert. Compared to this boring ball, he would rather go to the night market, so the two hit it off immediately: "Okay, to be honest, I haven't been to the night market either, but I know the approximate location."
"What precautions should I take when visiting the night market?" Audrey asked.
"Make your appearance and clothing ordinary," Hobert took Audrey straight to the outside of the ballroom to avoid being overheard.
He smiled and said, "If you go to the night market with your current appearance and clothes, I think I will be very busy."
Hobert then asked, "What level are the Beyonders protecting your parents?"
"I'm not very sure," Audrey said with a wry smile, "But I guess they should be able to call Archbishop Anthony for support in a short time."
Hobert nodded. He also felt that the Evernight Church couldn't send a demigod to protect Earl Hall's family, and Earl Hall himself couldn't hire a demigod to guard his house, even if there was a demigod to apply for the job, it is estimated that Earl Hall would not be assured to use.
As long as there was no demigod-level protection, Hobert was confident that he could sneak into Earl Hall's villa silently.
The two discussed for more than ten minutes before returning to the ballroom. Some people noticed that they had gone out together, but they didn't pay much attention.
After all, this wasn't the Intis Republic. In that country, a man and a woman going out together in the middle of a ball was to get a "deeper" understanding. In Loen, they might just be going out for some fresh air.
Back at the ball, the two chatted aimlessly, hoping that this boring ball would end soon.
At this time, a thin young lady in her twenties, as if she had made a great determination, walked towards the two of them: "Earl Hobert, may I have this dance?"
Hobert and Audrey were both stunned, because in the subtle and conservative Loen aristocratic circle, under normal circumstances, ladies and young ladies would rather not dance at all than take the initiative to ask a man to dance.
Then Audrey smiled and said, "This young and beautiful lady is the second daughter of Lord Bradley, Norma Bradley."
She interpreted that Norma had something to ask for, so she simply helped introduce her.
"Hello, Miss Norma," Hobert said with a smile, "I just drank two glasses of champagne. To avoid making a fool of myself, I won't dance."
He also saw that Norma wanted to ask for his help, but as he said before, he didn't have spare money to invest now, and he didn't have the idea of patching up holes for other nobles.
Norma seemed to have made up her mind again and said, "I'm sorry, Earl, for asking for your help in such a hasty manner.
"I, I heard that you work for MI9, is that right?"
Hobert was slightly stunned: "Yes, but I haven't taken over any substantive work yet."
Norma almost pleaded: "Can you save my brother and father? I'll give you as much money as you want."
Hobert resisted his curiosity and didn't ask: "I'm sorry, I haven't taken over this case. I can only help you ask."
If these father and son are spies, unless a god descends... it's not that serious, unless the church intervenes or the king pardons them, no one can save them.
Norma's expression immediately darkened: "Thank you for listening to my request. If you find out anything, please send someone to notify us."
Hobert readily agreed and sent Miss Norma away.
Audrey asked curiously, "Hobert, what is your specific job content now?"
The specific job content is to slack off.
Hobert smiled slightly: "Confidential."
At more than ten o"clock in the evening, the ball finally ended.
In the carriage on the way home, Audrey's mother, Catherine, asked: "Audrey, I saw that you and Hobert left for more than ten minutes in the middle of the ball!"
"What did you go out to do?"
Audrey had already observed that her mother had noticed her actions at the time: "Hobert said he saw a dog that looked like Susie. I thought Susie had followed, so I immediately went out to check, but it turned out that Hobert was mistaken."
She silently recited in her heart: Sorry Hobert, and Susie, but this is the best way to solve the problem.
Catherine didn't say anything more: "Don't do this again in the future. This is a disrespect to the host of the ball!"
"Yes, mother, I remember it." Audrey changed the topic appropriately: "Father, has Lord Bradley encountered any trouble recently?"
"Your news is quite well-informed," Earl Hall smiled: "A few days ago, Bradley's son was found by the local customs to have contraband in a transaction with the Feysac people. According to the usual practice, the Bradley father and son will definitely be investigated."
Audrey asked: "Will they be in danger?"
Answering her was Hibbert on the side: "I don't know if they will be in danger. I only know that MI9 will have another "donation" in its account."
Audrey was stunned: "Why do you say that?"
Hibbert was about to explain, but Earl Hall said: "This is why MI9 has a heroic image and is notorious at the same time."
But the Earl didn't explain further, and Audrey certainly didn't ask any more questions.
Back at the Earl's luxurious villa, Audrey changed her clothes with the help of the maids, completed her washing, and returned to her bedroom to sleep peacefully.
As soon as the maids left Audrey's bedroom, Audrey, dressed in a nightgown, suddenly sat up, startling Susie, who was lying on the carpet: "Audrey, did you have a nightmare? Or did you forget something important?"
"That's not the case." Audrey smiled mysteriously: "Susie, I'm going out for a while. I'll bring you back a midnight snack later."
"Where are you going so late? I heard it's very unsafe outside."
Audrey had already gone to her cloakroom and looked around but couldn't find a suitable dress: "Don't worry, Susie, I have a companion."
She quietly came to her personal maid Annie's room, using "Placate" on Annie to keep her asleep, while finding a plain-looking long dress from her wardrobe.
After changing into the long dress, Audrey found that her hair was still loose, so she recalled the scene of the maid combing her hair and combed a hairstyle she liked.
Susie sat aside: "Listen to me, Audrey, I saw in a book that sometimes companions are not very reliable. You should bring another reliable partner."
"Such as?"
"Like me."
Audrey smiled: "Susie, I'll go explore the way first, and when I'm familiar with it, I'll take you with me."
She looked in the mirror again and found that her hairstyle was too different from the style of the dress.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the bedroom door.
Susie looked at the direction of the door and immediately put on a defensive posture.
Audrey touched its head: "Don't be nervous."
She cleared her throat and said, "Lawyer!"
Hobert's slightly magnetic voice sounded outside: "Spectator."
This was the code that the two had prepared in advance.
Audrey smiled: "Please come in, Mr. Lawyer."
The door opened, and it was Hobert, dressed in a windbreaker and without a cane.
He smiled and asked softly, "Are you ready? Beautiful lady."
Susie opened her mouth, but only made a "woo woo" sound.
Audrey sat in front of the dressing table and sighed: "Does my hairstyle look strange?"
Hobert saw Audrey wearing a plain long dress, her beauty and dignity made the dress look different.
However, her hairstyle did look too noble and didn't match the dress very well.
He suggested: "Why don't you just comb a simple ponytail?"
"Okay." Audrey picked up the comb and was stunned for a few seconds: "But, I can't."
She had never combed her hair herself since she was a child. It was already good enough to comb a common hairstyle.
Hobert said: "I'll comb it for you."
Although Fors didn't like combing ponytails either, Hobert remembered that this hairstyle didn't seem difficult.
Audrey untied her long hair and handed the comb to Hobert.
Until Hobert held Audrey's silky golden hair in his hand, the two felt at the same time that this action seemed too ambiguous.
Hobert cleared his throat: "I always thought combing hair was a simple thing. I didn't expect it to be so difficult."
Audrey watched Hobert clumsily combing her hair, then smoothed it together, and clumsily tied it with a hair tie, and finally tied a very ugly bow.
Susie on the side turned her head to the side, her mouth grinning back, her eyes full of smiles.
Hobert looked at Audrey's hairstyle in the mirror, somewhat unsure: "Probably, this is it."
Audrey commented: "It's so ugly."
Maybe she didn't even notice that when she was with Hobert, she would show her truest side, and those aristocratic rhetoric would be temporarily put aside by her.
Hobert sighed: "People look beautiful, any hairstyle looks good."
Audrey didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I'll comb it again."
She untied her hair and tried to comb a ponytail, which looked much better.
Next was the process of changing her appearance. The first change was immediately rejected by Hobert: "Too beautiful."
Audrey changed again.
"Still too beautiful," Hobert suggested: "If it doesn't work, you can change into the appearance of an ordinary maid around you."
This reminded Audrey, and she immediately changed into an appearance similar to that of her personal maid Annie.
Hobert nodded and looked at her chest and waist. The ordinary long dress was completely supported by her perfect figure.
Fortunately, the clothing of the Loen Kingdom was relatively conservative, but it just made people feel that the clothes were much rounder.
After preparing, Hobert reached out as if inviting Audrey to dance. Audrey took Hobert's palm, and the space in front of the two immediately became illusory. Hobert took Audrey's hand and stepped into the void.
Only Susie remained in the room: "I hope Audrey doesn't forget to bring me a midnight snack."
Meanwhile, Hobert and Audrey quickly emerged from the spirit world, spotting the night market along the Tussock River from afar.
A wisp of mist clung to the somewhat dim gas lamps, their light reflected in the river, creating an ethereal scene.
The night market bustled with people, appearing quite lively.
Smiles crept onto both of their faces.
This night market hadn't been around for long, but it had quickly grown to a considerable size.
It was located in the Hillston Borough, where the middle class was concentrated. They said there was one in the Cherwood Borough too, but it wasn't as big.
The area around the night market was mostly filled with financial companies, and many office workers who finished overtime were accustomed to grabbing a late-night snack before returning to their rented apartments.
Residents from nearby and tourists who had heard about it were the other two large consumer groups.
Aside from a few famous tourist cities, only Backlund in the entire Loen had a night market.
This required excellent public safety and a very stable environment.
But currently, in most cities of Loen, there were still many thieves and robbers active on the streets at night, lacking the basic conditions for opening a night market.
Hobert and Audrey chatted as they entered the crowded night market, the aroma of food filling the air, making them both want to eat a little more.
Deep-fried and then pan-fried fish, only 6 pence a piece. Hobert thought it looked good and ordered one.
Audrey swallowed her saliva: "I want one too."
"When wandering through a night market, you should eat little and buy often," Hobert said with a smile, dividing the fish in the paper bag in half. "That way, you can taste more delicacies."
He hadn't been to a night market since coming to this era, but he had visited many before. In his memory, it seemed like every city had one.
Hobert asked the vendor for another paper bag and handed half of the fish to Audrey.
Audrey took a small bite. It wasn't as delicious as the fish she ate at home, but this way of eating was novel, so she followed Hobert's example, eating as she searched for the next delicacy.
They also sampled grilled shrimp, pulled pork, and other snacks, and bought some cakes with cream or fresh fruit, finally ending with a refreshing walnut and vegetable salad to cleanse their palates. As far as eating was concerned, that was it.
Hobert sighed, the snacks of this era were still a bit lacking, and due to limited material living conditions, they tended to be greasy.
Next, they looked at the dazzling array of ornaments and clothes. Audrey wasn't interested in the clothes here, but she liked the trinkets on the stalls.
She looked at one stall after another, tirelessly.
Finally, they sat in an open-air bar, enjoying the cool breeze blowing from the Tussock River, and chatted while drinking cheap wine.
Audrey looked at the people around her, talking and laughing freely, and said with some envy, "If I laughed out loud, my mother and etiquette teacher would be very unhappy, thinking it wasn't ladylike enough."
Hobert looked at the young colleagues laughing and talking, and said, "They must also envy you, being of noble birth and having been free from worries about food and clothing since childhood.
"The aristocracy is like a walled city, those inside want to get out, and those outside want to get in."
Audrey glanced at Hobert: "That sentence is very poetic."
Hobert was slightly taken aback: Didn't Roselle say that?
He smiled: "But there are still more people who want to get in."
Then he asked, "Did you have fun tonight?"
"I don't know what kind of feeling this is," Audrey said. "In short, I feel that many repressed emotions have been released."
Hobert took a sip of wine: "Then congratulations, you have felt the warmth of this world.
"Yes, there is so much madness and distortion in our world, and so much deceit and betrayal, but it is undeniable that it also has a good side, doesn't it?"
Audrey nodded slowly: "That makes sense."
"Audrey," Hobert said suddenly.
"What is it?" Audrey sensed from Hobert's expression and tone that he was going to say something very important.
"If, I mean if," Hobert said with a smile, "if one day I become very cold and lose my humanity, I hope you don't give up on me.
"Maybe a few more trips to the night market will help me find my former warmth."
Audrey didn't quite understand what Hobert meant, but she solemnly promised, "How could I give up on you?"
Hobert smiled: "Maybe we should come to places like this more often in the future, it will be good for both of us."
Then he seemed to be talking to himself, "Why didn't I think of this before?"
He suddenly realized that this kind of worldly atmosphere might help to maintain his humanity.
Just as Audrey was about to ask a question, a voice suddenly said, "Annie! Is that really you? Annie?"
At first, Hobert and Audrey didn't react, but the young man, holding a wine glass and somewhat drunk, approached and said, "It really is Annie! Good heavens! Didn't you go to be a personal maid for a noble lady?"
Audrey then remembered that she was using the face of her personal maid, Annie.
She had never encountered such a thing and didn't know how to deal with it.
"You've mistaken someone!" Hobert said calmly, while subtly giving Audrey a hand gesture.
Audrey blinked, indicating that she understood, and slightly changed her appearance.
"Impossible!" The young man laughed. "My family and Annie's family are neighbors, how could I mistake her…"
As he spoke, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief, because when he looked again, he found that the lady didn't look like Annie anymore.
Hobert said, "It's okay, it's normal to mistake someone when you've had too much to drink."
Then he asked, "It seems you have a heartwarming story with that Miss Annie!"
After apologizing, the young man, fueled by alcohol, began to tell his story.
Audrey picked up her wine glass, listening intently to the gossip, occasionally taking a sip of wine and sighing along.
The young man's story wasn't particularly earth-shattering, just a childhood sweetheart from next door who always felt that he wasn't good enough for Annie, so he came to Backlund to work hard, but things hadn't gone very smoothly.
Hobert sympathized with the young man's lament about life, comforted him a few times, and then finished his wine with Audrey before leaving.
After walking away, Audrey said, "Before, I always thought that Annie was just Annie, but now I suddenly feel that she also has her own family, and there are people who like her.
"Hobert, this world is so wonderful, everyone has their own life, and everyone has their own world."
Hobert nodded: "That's how fate sparks.
"Boss, give me an order of pulled pork!"
Audrey rubbed her stomach: "I really can't eat anymore."
"This is for Susie," Hobert said. "Let's buy her something to eat, lest she makes a racket next time I pick you up."
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