Chapter 11: Before the Family Banquet

Luo Wei’s logic followed a clear path.

An unknown existence had used some means to temporarily—or perhaps permanently—sever communication between The Metropolis and the deities.

As for how they achieved this, or what their ultimate goal was, both remained a mystery.

One thing, however, was certain: Eliana had nothing to do with it.

Having eliminated an obviously wrong answer, the remaining culprits had to be the other interested parties. This only served to reinforce Luo Wei’s prior strategy: to participate in the coming storm from various angles using multiple identities. This was her unique advantage.

The only issue so far was that Luo Wei’s understanding of the factions within The Metropolis remained hazy. She only knew that the mastermind behind the Crimson Troupe was Princess Cassandra.

Coincidentally, Luo Wei had forgotten to ask for Cassandra’s phone number. She figured Hathaway—who seemed quite close to one of the princesses, Eliana—should surely know the other.

Luo Wei omitted her entire train of thought when speaking to Hathaway, making the transition feel somewhat abrupt.

………..

Hathaway was, as always, caught off guard by Luo Wei’s erratic leaps in logic, but she was gradually growing accustomed to it.

After a moment of careful consideration, Hathaway shook her head.

“Her grades were too poor. I really don’t have much of an impression of her.”

Luo Wei: “…”

“Do you want me to comb through your memory? Perhaps she’s buried in your subconscious?” Luo Wei asked.

“You would actually ask for my permission before doing something like that?” Hathaway looked at her with an expression of bizarre surprise.

“I’m not some ill-mannered savage!” Luo Wei glared at Hathaway, emphasizing her point once more.

She was, after all, a product of the 22nd Century—an honor student who had survived twelve years of compulsory education and six years of higher learning!

Luo Wei was connected to Hathaway’s soul and could flip through her Information Streams at will. While such a method was fine for dealing with cultists, it felt like an overstep when dealing with a friend. Everyone had their own privacy and secrets; even those closest to each other didn’t necessarily want to be understood completely. Luo Wei understood this basic level of respect.

“Go ahead and look, then. I’m certain there’s nothing,” Hathaway said seriously. “Anyone whose rank in core subjects falls outside the top ten isn’t worth remembering, let alone maintaining contact with.”

“Let me see… Hiss, you’re right, there really is nothing.” Luo Wei rubbed her chin.

Hathaway truly didn’t have Cassandra’s contact information, though a few vague impressions remained.

After all, while Cassandra’s grades were mediocre—meaning she was consistently ranked around twentieth in a university that gathered the most elite youths in the Kingdom of York—she possessed an exceptionally noble status. She was the eldest daughter of the previous Queen’s younger brother. During her university years, she had already inherited her late father’s title of Prince. She had been a prominent figure on campus.

Even if Hathaway hadn’t actively tried to learn about her, occasional snippets of hearsay were recorded deep in her subconscious.

Judging by the current family tree, Cassandra was undoubtedly one of the strongest contenders for the throne.

Unfortunately, Hathaway truly held zero interest in low achievers. Her memories of Princess Cassandra stopped there.

Luo Wei withdrew from the Information Stream after scanning the relevant data and sighed, “What a pity, Miss Hathaway. No matter how good your grades are, they aren’t as useful as having a better father than everyone else.”

Cassandra ranked twentieth and still became a Prince with ease. Hathaway was consistently first in her year, yet she had ended up as a Priest in the middle of nowhere like Kolun County.

Hathaway’s face flushed at the remark, and she struggled to defend herself. “Knowledge is the bridge to the soul! Worldly status and identity are merely vulgar things that one cannot take with them in death…”

“Then what about Eliana, who has both good grades and a good father?”

“She copied all of my homework!”

“Sigh.“

Luo Wei merely let out a long sigh, looking at Hathaway with pitying eyes.

Hathaway opened her mouth to argue further, but after realizing something, she simply glared at Luo Wei in a huff. She finally saw it: Miss Luo Wei just enjoyed making people angry on purpose!

After enjoying the rare treat of making the flustered Hathaway “overheat,” Luo Wei’s expression turned serious. She looked at the slightly bewildered old nun and said, “Grandma Geruna, please do not open the prayer room for the time being. It would be best if you also suspended the routine worship rites.”

Although this “blackout” power hadn’t caused any backlash against believers yet, it was best to take precautions.

The other large religious organizations had likely already noticed this. Any entity capable of truly connecting with the deities would find that the gods they were calling were currently “outside the service area.”

“Ah? I see…”

Grandma Geruna nodded, her face still carrying a hint of confusion. Since Luo Wei and Hathaway communicated mentally, the old nun had simply watched the two of them stare at each other for a while as their expressions shifted wildly. It was quite baffling.

“It’s fine. Very few believers come by normally anyway. I’ll just tell the children not to pray for a while.”

As Grandma Geruna spoke, she patted the heads of the little sisters. Several young girls huddled around her legs, looking at Luo Wei with a mixture of curiosity and fear.

Luo Wei’s appearance was, to be honest, a bit… startling for children. She was pale and translucent, much like a ghost.

“Boo!”

Noticing their stares, Luo Wei suddenly made a face at them. The little sisters squealed and scrambled to hide behind the two older nuns.

“Don’t always mess around, Miss Luo Wei,” Hathaway frowned. “You need to show some restraint when we go to Eliana’s house tonight.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. I know my boundaries.”

Luo Wei flashed a bright, enchanting smile, leaving Hathaway to sigh inwardly. How could such a beautiful shell house such a mischievous soul?

“Right, weren’t you looking for Cassandra’s contact information? She will be attending the dinner at Eliana’s house tomorrow night,” Hathaway suddenly remembered.

“Wasn’t that a family banquet?” Luo Wei asked, surprised.

“Exactly. A royal family banquet. Cassandra is a princess, after all,” Hathaway clarified with a nod. “Besides, the Queen’s funeral is only a few days away. The princes and dukes need a place to meet up and discuss the arrangements. Such things are usually handled through these types of dinner parties.”

The Queen’s funeral was a solemn and momentous affair. Regardless of how the storm brewed in the shadows, and despite the fact that most of the nobility harbored unspoken resentment toward the late Queen, the event concerned the very foundations of the Kingdom of York. There was no room for error.

Most importantly, various nations would be sending envoys to pay their respects… This was a prime opportunity for the princesses to make an appearance.

Because the Queen had died instantly during the assassination, she hadn’t even had time to leave a last testament. Therefore, theoretically, every princess had a shot at the throne—provided they could gather enough supporting forces. Foreign powers were certainly not excluded from that equation.

“I see…”

Luo Wei narrowed her eyes. Suddenly, she had an idea.