"So you're saying… you know the complete riddle now?"
From the stands of the Hall of Singing, Ed squinted slightly after hearing Mr. Fernan's words just now, then continued speaking. Mr. Fernan placed the empty wine cup he had just finished drinking onto the nearby table and continued to speak leisurely.
"Of course, but there's a tiny bit of Spirit Sight in this complete riddle. If you listen without preparation, you might suffer some harm."
"My preparations are complete, just say it." Ed directly responded to Mr. Fernan's words. Hearing Ed's words, Mr. Fernan paused slightly, then looked Ed up and down before speaking.
"Alright, then remember this well. The riddle I know is like this…"
"Within this palace, I have arranged a triple stage of the Seven-Petaled Lotus. Dance at the appointed time, and you shall receive the blessing of the flower's owner."
"Those who dance on the first stage, the blessing is the stem. Those who dance on the second stage, the blessing is the leaf. Those who dance on the third stage, the blessing is the flower."
Mr. Fernan slowly recounted the riddle he knew to Ed. Listening to his words, Ed couldn't help but stroke his chin thoughtfully, then replied.
"This riddle… was it really passed down by Xiaer King?"
"It should be. As far as I know, the rumor that the Temple of Beauty contains Xiaer King's treasure has long circulated in the Flotz hidden world, and the source of this rumor seems to be this riddle. The riddle began circulating about half a year ago. The specific source is unknown, but it likely originated from the official channels. There are various versions, but the general content is almost identical."
Mr. Fernan replied in this manner. After hearing his words, Ed nodded thoughtfully, then smiled and extended his hand towards Mr. Fernan.
"Thank you, Mr. Fernan, for your cooperation. Your information is very useful to us."
"Hey… who are we between us? Saying this is too formal. Come…"
As Mr. Fernan spoke, he reached out and moved away Ed's hand that was attempting a handshake. He then pulled out a cigar and handed it to Ed. Ed smiled upon seeing it, accepted it, took out a match, lit the cigar, and brought it to his mouth.
…
At night, in the Yizhang Square of the Temple of Beauty, Adele, who had just finished dinner, was strolling and admiring the night view of the surrounding Temple of Beauty, while also contacting Dorothy via an information channel to listen to the new intelligence she had obtained.
"Huh? That F actually works for the official government of Faloro?" Listening to Dorothy's words in her mind, Adele responded with surprise. Shortly after, she immediately heard Dorothy's voice again.
"That's right… To be precise, he should be the black hand of a very powerful figure in the current Faloro government. This treasure hunt of yours was planned by him. His main goal is to keep you in the Temple of Beauty until tomorrow evening."
"Keep us until tomorrow evening? Why would he have such a goal? Will something happen to us by then?" Listening to Dorothy's words, Adele spoke with a questioning tone, and Dorothy quickly responded.
"I don't know. Based on the information currently available, it's impossible to determine the purpose of that mastermind. The reason he lured you to the Temple of Beauty is unknown, but thinking about it, you can probably guess that he likely doesn't have good intentions. So Adele, do you still want to stay here and search for treasure?"
Dorothy asked Adele this. Her meaning was simple: although the mastermind's purpose was unclear now, if they left the Temple of Beauty immediately and didn't fulfill his wish, then his hidden malice wouldn't be able to harm anyone.
Listening to Dorothy's question, Adele fell silent for a moment. Her gaze slowly swept across the entire Yizhang Square, looking at the statue of Xiaer King and the fountain display that had changed its posture, then she quietly replied.
"No… I still want to stay in the Temple of Beauty. Although there are some conspiracies in this series of events, at least the riddle is real. There is indeed some secret of Xiaer King hidden in this Temple of Beauty, and it must be revealed at a specific time. I still want to stay here and solve that riddle…"
Adele responded seriously to Dorothy's words, and Dorothy, who seemed to have anticipated this, responded by speaking.
"So… you think the so-called appointed time is tomorrow evening?"
"That's right. According to the information we gathered before, Xiaer King held a banquet around this time every year when he was in power, and the highlight of the banquet was the performance the following evening. I think this is the so-called appointed time. If we miss it… I don't know how long we'll have to wait."
Adele continued to respond to Dorothy. Her purpose in coming to Faloro was to find the legacy of the Bourbons, the secret of Xiaer King. Although this operation was now shrouded in a sense of conspiracy, this was something she had mentally prepared for beforehand. As long as the possibility of finding Xiaer King's secret still existed, Adele would not give up easily.
"Your guess is reasonable. Judging by the current signs, tomorrow might indeed be the key moment mentioned in this riddle. Since the mastermind wants to do something tomorrow, his purpose might also be related to this riddle. From the perspective of simply solving Xiaer King's purpose… now is indeed not the time to leave."
Dorothy replied to Adele in this manner. Hearing Dorothy's words, Adele smiled slightly and continued to speak.
"Listening to you, you're planning to stay and keep me company too, aren't you, little Detective?"
"Heh… what kind of talk is that? The person actually staying in the Temple of Beauty is you, and you are the only one truly taking risks. Since you yourself aren't afraid, why should I say anything more?" Dorothy replied to Adele in this way, and the other party also chuckled in response.
"Anyway, thank you for your help this time. We still have one day left. Regardless of the risks we may face later, let's rest first and then work harder."
"Whatever you say…"
In a suburban hotel far from the Temple of Beauty, Dorothy ended her communication with Adele. She found a spot near the fire source in the warm room, sat down again, and began to ponder while gazing at the dancing flames in the fireplace.
'Based on the current situation… we don't have much time. It will probably be difficult to follow the clues and find out who the mastermind behind Mr. Fernan is. Therefore, the focus of the investigation should be on solving the riddle of the Temple of Beauty. As long as we know the secret hidden in the Temple of Beauty, we can roughly guess the motives of those behind the scenes…
'But… what is the truth of this riddle? Where are the so-called three stages hidden?'
With many thoughts, Dorothy fell into deep contemplation for a moment. At this point, she had begun to seriously consider how to find the three hidden stages.
…
The moon set and the sun rose, time flew by. Soon, a night passed, and when the darkness dispersed, daylight once again dawned upon Flotz.
The morning sunlight shone on the gilded roof of the Temple of Beauty, reflecting dazzling light. Dignitaries from various parts of Flotz gathered again in different areas of the Temple of Beauty, continuing yesterday's banquet. The Bourbons remnants who had infiltrated the Temple of Beauty were still scattered throughout the Temple of Beauty, nervously and diligently searching for clues of the so-called treasure.
Meanwhile, in some inconspicuous corners of the Temple of Beauty, another group of people was in action. They were dressed seemingly no different from the other dignitaries, but they were not busy socializing in the Temple of Beauty. Instead, in some inconspicuous corners, they were communicating with the servants who had long served in the Temple of Beauty and were usually unnoticed.
"What? You're asking if there's usually anything unusual in this palace?" At the entrance of a secluded utility room in the Temple of Beauty, a woman dressed as a maid looked curiously at a handsome young man in front of her, and the young man also nodded and spoke.
"Yes, like strange noises… strange sights… or even hauntings? Or are there any peculiar legends here?" The young man seriously asked the maid of the Temple of Beauty in front of him. His words carried an invisible affinity, causing the maid to naturally blurt out what she knew.
"Oh, that… Let me think. Strange noises and sights… I don't think I've ever encountered any. I haven't heard of hauntings either… As for rumors… there are tons of rumors about the Temple of Beauty, like treasures, Ghosts, secret bases of the Royalists… there are all sorts of rumors, but they only circulate outside. After working in the Temple of Beauty for a few years, everyone knows that these rumors are basically false. It's not that mysterious."
The maid said this, waving her hand. Listening to her words, the young man couldn't help but frown slightly, then continued to ask.
"Then have there been any strange occurrences here? Especially recently."
"Strange occurrences, huh…" Listening to the young man's question, the maid couldn't help but recall. After a while, she seemed to remember something and spoke.
"If you're talking about strange occurrences, there really were some a while ago, about a month ago. A group of strange people with passes came here, flipping things everywhere and observing, as if they were researching something. They stayed here for over a week."
"Strange people? What did they look like?"
"I've long forgotten what they looked like. I only know they were a group of men and women dressed in uniform clothing, and some of the black people among them spoke a language that wasn't Faloroan. I couldn't understand a thing." The maid continued to tell the young man. The young man nodded thoughtfully after hearing her words, then continued to ask.
"Then… did they end up researching anything?"
"Whether they researched anything or not, I don't know. I think they must have discovered something, because in the last few days they stayed in the Temple of Beauty, they once ordered us to evacuate the Hall of Singing with a high-level paper order. Then they kept doing something in the Hall of Singing for more than two days before coming out, and we were able to go back in."
The maid continued to speak while recalling. After hearing her words, the young man thoughtfully stroked his chin, then thanked the maid.
"Alright, thank you for your cooperation. Here's a tip." As he spoke, the young man handed the maid a banknote. The maid took it and immediately bowed in thanks.
"Thank you, Mr."
After the maid took the banknote, the young man gazed at the maid and continued to speak.
"Finally, please forget our conversation just now. You haven't seen me at all today, understood?"
"Understood… Mr…"
After a somewhat dull murmur, the maid turned around and silently left the scene. The young man, Brandon, adjusted his collar and left from another direction.
Shortly after, Brandon walked through the Caiqiong Hall, which reflected colorful light and Shadow, and arrived at the Hall of Singing. Looking at the circular stage in the Hall of Singing, Dorothy couldn't help but think to herself.
'It seems… those guys have at least grasped the location of one stage…' Thinking this, Dorothy controlled Brandon to look up at the stands of the Hall of Singing, where several guests were wandering. Although everything seemed normal at the moment, there seemed to be an unusual feeling pervading the air.
'No… I can't easily move this stage. If this stage has been confirmed to be in their grasp, then it's very likely they've left some security measures. I can't act rashly…'
Gazing at the Hall of Singing before her, this thought emerged in Dorothy's mind. After abandoning the idea of acting immediately, she continued to ponder.
'The stage here cannot be moved for now… Then the key now is to find the other two stages. So where are those two stages hidden?'
For a moment, Dorothy compiled and analyzed all the information she had gathered in her mind. The map of the vast Temple of Beauty, stretching east to west, appeared in Dorothy's mind, and various thoughts arose in her heart.
'The gathering that can only be held at a specific time of the year… the evening hour… the pattern of the seven-petaled lotus… the triple stage…'
After various thoughts quickly passed through her mind, Dorothy suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and finally had the answer in her heart.
…
At the main entrance of the Temple of Beauty, before the large gilded iron gate, several gatekeepers were standing guard attentively. Suddenly, a scattered sound came from afar. Several gatekeepers followed the sound and looked in that direction. What they saw was a slow-approaching carriage procession.
Compared to the carriages of ordinary Faloro dignitaries, this procession was clearly grander in scale and spectacle. In the center of the procession was an exquisite carriage in motion. Before and after the carriage were two rows of cavalry guards. These cavalrymen were wearing the uniforms of the Faloro army and were vigilantly guarding the surroundings with focused expressions.
A cavalryman riding at the front, upon seeing the Temple of Beauty in the distance, immediately steered his horse to the side and slowed down. After a short while, he arrived beside the carriage.
"Captain Sansone, we are almost there." The cavalryman reminded the carriage compartment, and within the compartment, a steady male voice slowly responded.
"Understood… I know."
And on a hill far away on this road, several figures were gathered at this moment. The leader was a woman with pale skin, a slender build, a handsome but somewhat sickly face. She was wearing a loose suit, a top hat, and held a cane, standing silently in place. The gem at the head of her cane was exceptionally large, and a beautiful silk ribbon was wrapped around it.
Gazing far away at the carriage procession approaching the Temple of Beauty on the road, a slight smile couldn't help but appear at the corner of the woman's mouth. Then she turned around and looked at the figures behind her, speaking in a slightly hoarse voice.
"The stage is almost set, and the audience is in place. Now we just wait for the curtain to rise…
"Are you looking forward to it now, the Honorable Governor…"