Chapter 8: This Is Not a Partnership

Although she had seen this man many times within Etheline’s memories—Charlie, the Troupe Leader who commanded the entirety of the Crimson Troupe—Luo Wei still had to admit upon seeing him in person: this “youth” possessed the most handsome appearance she had ever encountered.

Unlike Etheline’s beauty, which was a twisted, deliberate patchwork, Mr. Charlie was as elegant and refined as a true gentleman. There was no jarring sense of disharmony about him; he looked as if he were a masterpiece of nature.

But…

He was a Sequence 5 of The Imperfection pathway: Chimera. By its very definition, he was a monster stitched together from twisted parts.

“Please, take a seat, Mr. Charlie.”

Luo Wei raised her hand, gesturing toward the seat opposite her.

A sharp, cold glint flickered in the depths of Charlie’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a soft, warm glow. A sunshine-like smile formed on his handsome face.

“I haven’t had the pleasure of asking… what might be the esteemed name of this Lady Maid?”

“Rita, Head Maid of The Tea Party.”

Luo Wei spoke in the coldest tone possible, her face a mask of meticulous indifference. The persona established for Rita was cold and inhuman. This trait had already been hard-coded into Rita’s consciousness; once the repair ritual was complete, these settings would allow the puppet to become the “true” Rita. For now, Luo Wei simply played the part herself.

“…Don’t you intend to introduce yourself a bit further?” The smile on Charlie’s face began to crack.

He was the one invited to talk, yet such an attitude… even if she was a charming and beautiful woman, a spark of unaccountable resentment began to smolder in Charlie’s heart.

“We are here to discuss a partnership, Mr. Charlie,” Luo Wei replied, her tone remains flat. “The conditions of the cooperation, the objectives—these are the things we should be discussing.”

Charlie’s expression darkened instantly upon hearing this, but he quickly laughed again. The laughter was as brilliant as before, as if his expression had never changed. Once he realized he was facing an unusual opponent, he maintained excellent control over his anger.

Charlie pulled out the chair and sat down, saying, “You are right, Lady Rita. If we wish to cooperate… we need to be clear about what we require from one another.”

He crossed his hands on the table and leaned in slightly. His nose twitched imperceptibly, and he gave a light chuckle. “Just as I thought. It’s the scent of the Honey-Lure Potion. It seems our cooperation already has a foundation.”

The Honey-Lure Potion Charlie smelled was, in reality, the scent emanating from the flesh and blood that composed the Maid Puppets.

In the puppet recipes left behind by Lilith, the best Blood Refinement potion should have originated from the Honey King. However, because Lilith did not have the corresponding recipe, she had to settle for a slightly inferior alternative.

Yet, these Maid Puppets were likely crafted by the Honey King himself, and their flesh was condensed from the highest sequences controlled by that entity. In other words, these mass-produced puppets were essentially, terrifyingly powerful.

Luo Wei understood this. Thus, when she wrote the letter, she purposefully stained it with a hint of that biological aura. If Mr. Charlie couldn’t even detect that, it would prove the Crimson Troupe was nothing more than bottom-feeding refuse that would be useless in the coming storm over The Metropolis. If they were that incompetent, there would be no point in a partnership.

Clearly, Charlie recognized the Honey King’s potion. More importantly, he knew its value, which was why he continued to tolerate Luo Wei’s arrogant attitude.

In Etheline’s memories, the Troupe Leader was never a ‘Mr. Nice Guy’…

“We already know your desires; they are not an issue,” Luo Wei said faintly. “Although the Master we serve has fallen into silence, His grace remains within our bodies.”

“Oh?” Charlie finally showed genuine interest.

He stared into Luo Wei’s eyes, his deep gaze igniting with an eerie, flickering fire, as if trying to peer into her very soul. “And what is your objective?” he asked slowly.

“To seek a supporter,” Luo Wei said bluntly. “I imagine that since the person behind you can support an Evil God Cult, they won’t mind supporting an Apostate Faith as well.”

This sentence truly shocked Charlie.

Before coming here, he had considered this possibility. It was perfectly normal for a hidden religious organization to want to return to the secular world by seeking the support of an official entity.

Even the Church of Storms had once been an obscure faith. Because the God of Storms was associated with the mysterious oceans, and because the sea was a synonym for danger and death before the Age of Discovery, organized worship had been almost non-existent. It wasn’t until the materials and energy sources capable of sustaining long-range voyages were discovered that the Church seized the opportunity provided by the rise of the Kingdom of York. Only then did they step onto the world stage to become one of the top faiths in human civilization today.

What Charlie hadn’t expected was for Luo Wei to say it so directly—she didn’t even shy away from terms like “Evil God” or “Apostate.”

In an instant, Charlie felt a strange sense of relief. He had thought this Lady Maid had a bad attitude or looked down on him, but it turned out her mind just functioned with this level of bluntness. What else could he do? He could only follow her lead.

“That is indeed an intriguing proposal,” Charlie replied with a smile. “I only need to correct one thing: our ‘Crimson Troupe’ is not an Evil God Cult—”

“Elswick. The Night of the Crimson Procession. Death toll: seven hundred and eighty-nine.”

Before Charlie could finish, Luo Wei slowly spat out those stinging words.

The expression on Charlie’s face froze once more.

Following that, Luo Wei began to list several locations and dates Charlie knew intimately, along with the specific incidents and the number of people involved. Finally, under Charlie’s incredulous gaze, Luo Wei remained as calm as ever.

“Do I need to correct any errors, Mr. Charlie? Perhaps my understanding of your organization isn’t quite clear enough.”

These… how does she know all of this?

Charlie was genuinely shaken. These hidden facts were secrets known only to the high-ranking members of the Troupe. Even their backers behind the scenes weren’t entirely clear on the specific details.

Under the gaze of those indifferent eyes, Charlie felt for the first time as though every secret in his heart had been pierced through.

After a kaleidoscope of emotions crossed his face, Charlie took a deep breath. He finally retracted his hypocritical smile and said slowly, “What… do you actually want?”

The moment he spoke those words, Charlie knew he had completely lost this negotiation. The opponent knew everything about him—including his needs and his hungers—while he knew next to nothing about The Tea Party.

From the very beginning, this negotiation had been held in a death grip by this beautiful, cold woman.

No, this wasn’t a partnership.

This was blackmail.