North-central Faloro, Flotz.
The weather was clear and sunny. The streets of Flotz were peaceful during the daytime, with some bustling sections crowded with people, as noisy as usual, and countless carriages traveling back and forth on the roads.
Inside one of the black carriages, Dorothy sat on the seat wearing casual clothes, leisurely admiring the street view outside the window. Sitting opposite her was Naifnis, dressed in a fitted trench coat, currently engrossed in reading a new newspaper she had just bought.
"Breaking News... A precious treasure of the Bourbons, Maria's Light, has reappeared. To demonstrate national glory, a collector is exhibiting his valuable collection.
"Recently, Mr. Roque Durand, director of the Benevolence Foundation and a renowned collector, announced to the media that he will hold a grand public exhibition of his family's collection accumulated over many years, inviting people from all walks of life to participate. It is reported that the Durand family has a long history of several hundred years in Labu'en, and successive family heads have had a fondness for collecting various ancient artifacts and treasures. The family collection contains a large number of rare and exotic items. The Durand family has a tradition of holding treasure exhibitions at the beginning of each year, but these were only for relatives and friends and were limited in scale. This is the first time such a large-scale public exhibition has been held.
"To promote his exhibition, Mr. Roque revealed several top-tier exhibits to the media, the most eye-catching of which is Maria's Light, the necklace once worn by Queen Maria, wife of the Splendid King Xia Er. This necklace is considered a top-grade treasure even within the Bourbons' luxurious palace. It was lost during the Cold Moon Revolution and remained unheard of for a hundred years, but in fact, it had long been protected by Mr. Roque's grandfather during the turmoil and has been preserved to this day.
"During the interview, Mr. Roque revealed that he originally did not want to make Maria's Light public in this manner, but when he recently saw that more and more people in our society do not take national glory seriously, mindlessly oppose the Bourbons, and in the name of anti-Bourbons, attempt to destroy Faloro's national foundation, he felt heartbroken and angry. This sparked the idea of wanting to do something about it.
"To reawaken contemporary people's pursuit and yearning for glory, Mr. Roque decided to hold this exhibition, publicly displaying the treasures collected by his family that embody Faloro's glory to the public. He hopes this action will reawaken the hearts of the Faloro people. This exhibition will be held later on the 14th at the Labu'en Municipal Hall. After the exhibition concludes, he will directly donate a batch of cultural relics.
"During the interview, a reporter asked Mr. Roque if the issues he mentioned about Faloro were due to dissatisfaction with recent parliamentary policies, but Mr. Roque refused to answer, insisting that his exhibition does not involve any political factors..."
Sitting in the carriage, Naifnis focused on the newspaper in her hands, reading it while occasionally reading out a small section. After finishing it completely, she slowly put down the newspaper and looked at Dorothy, speaking.
"Miss Dorothy... As expected, just a few days after we stirred things up, news of the exhibition appeared in the newspaper. And indeed, that thing, Maria's Light, is being exhibited!"
"That's expected. Even if they didn't arrange the exhibition for Maria's Light, I would have arranged for Thief K to act again later and release the information in advance to get them to stake out... Their arrangement like this proves they are quite eager for this base I have."
Dorothy said this while shifting her gaze back from outside the window, looking at Naifnis and speaking slowly again.
"I'm not surprised that the Dark Gold Society is organizing the Maria's Light exhibition. What truly interests me is what reason they will use to organize this exhibition so that Thief K won't become too suspicious. It seems... they are slightly leveraging some of Faloro's current political situation as a reason, which is quite good."
Dorothy commented like this, and after hearing her words, Neff, sitting opposite her, also spoke again.
"Now that what's-their-name, the Dark Gold Society, has announced the exhibition information, it's on the evening of the 14th in a city called Labu'en. So, is the trap they chose there? Are there Scarlet Extraordinary waiting there, ready to capture Thief K?"
"No, their Scarlet won't appear directly there. This exhibition should just be bait targeting Thief K, not a trap," Dorothy replied to Naifnis. After hearing this, Neff spoke with a slightly confused expression.
"It's bait but not a trap... What does that mean?"
"You'll know when the time comes. Now that they've issued a challenge, we need to hurry and meet it. Thief K's advance notice needs to be sent a day in advance, so we need to be precise with the timing."
As Dorothy said this, she controlled the carriage to speed up. They now needed to leave Flotz and head to the fishing spot the Dark Gold Society had carefully set up for them.
...
Labu'en is located northwest of Flotz and is a relatively important large city in the northwest region of Faloro. It has a large population and rich resources. Due to its long history, it has produced countless artists and celebrities, and having experienced many important historical events, it has also become an important cultural capital of Faloro.
Labu'en is a historical and cultural city of Faloro. In its ancient district built along the water, every building has a history of over a hundred years. Among these ancient historical buildings, the most famous is the Municipal Hall.
At night in Labu'en, the weather was clear, with a bright moon hanging in the sky. Under the moonlight, the city area presented a magnificent scene of lights. Among the countless specks of light spread across the darkened land, there was one point that shone exceptionally brighter than other locations – this was the location of the Labu'en Municipal Hall.
In the center of Labu'en's old district, a palace-like building supported by countless tall columns stood here, bathed in the moonlight and city lights. This was once built by the extravagant Lord of Labu'en for himself, a mansion displaying his authority. Now, it is a public space for the citizens of Labu'en, used for various major events. And currently, it has been entirely booked to host a focal exhibition.
Under the night sky, in the square in front of the Municipal Hall, countless citizens were gathered here despite the early spring chill, waiting for something together.
These citizens were whispering and talking among themselves. Almost everyone's face showed a hint of curiosity, and some even displayed expressions of anticipation or even excitement. A large number of people across the square were discussing something, expecting something, and what they were expecting was not just Maria's Light. Perhaps only a small portion of the many people were truly looking forward to seeing Maria's Light.
"What time is it now... Is it almost the announced time?"
"Will Thief K actually come? Don't disappoint me..."
"Ah... I really hope to meet Lord K in person..."
...
Words like these were spreading subtly among the crowd in the square. At the boundary between the square and the Municipal Hall, a line of security guards stood, their hands behind their backs, forming a human wall and gazing sternly at the crowd before them, preventing them from advancing and being vigilant of their every move.
Behind this line of security guards, at the top of a high staircase, at the entrance of the Municipal Hall's gate, a group of people were standing at this moment. Looking closely, one could see that it was a group of reporters surrounding one person for an interview. The person being interviewed was a slightly overweight middle-aged man wearing a light grey overcoat and a short top hat.
"Mr. Roque... May I ask what reason you have chosen to publicly exhibit these treasures to the world again?"
"I have already stated in the newspaper that the people of Faloro today need something to look back on the past glory of our nation. These treasures are what I have carefully selected, and I believe they can reignite the fighting spirit of the public, especially the youth."
"Mr. Roque, is making such a move at this time due to some dissatisfaction with certain parliamentary resolutions?"
"Excuse me, I don't discuss politics."
"Apologies, Mr. Roque. Let's change the question. I heard that you received an advance notice from Thief K earlier, stating that he intends to steal Maria's Light at the exhibition. Is this true?"
"Advance notice? Let me think... Ah, it seems there was something similar, just a prank by a clown trying to attract attention. I didn't pay it any mind; I only remembered it when you brought it up."
"Trying to attract attention? Mr. Roque, that Thief K has successfully committed many crimes recently and has made fools of countless police officers. He cannot simply be called a clown."
"This Thief K is a clown, and those police officers who let such a clown succeed are even bigger clowns than him. They are them, and I am me. My private security measures are a hundred times stronger than those incompetent police officers; I will not give the clown any opportunity.
"However, I should also slightly thank this clown. It is precisely because of his efforts that this exhibition has so many attendees. I'm thinking that after catching him, I won't rush to hand him over to the police; I'll let him perform a few more shows for the audience first."
At the entrance of the Municipal Hall, the man named Roque was calmly accepting live interviews from numerous media outlets, answering the reporters' various questions with a composed expression. Countless flashbulbs illuminated his face, and the air was filled with the scent of burning powder.
"Alright, esteemed reporters who have come from afar, our interview concludes here. Please come in with me to witness the official opening of this exhibition and the reappearance of the most precious treasure of this exhibition, Maria's Light."
After generally dealing with all the reporters, Roque ended the press conference segment, then led a group of guests into the main hall of the Civic Mansion. Beneath the Light cast by the huge ceiling chandelier in the mansion hall, Roque walked along the carpet laid out on the marble floor. On both sides of the carpet were countless glass display cases, showcasing various rare and precious treasures.
At the end of this carpet was a large display case surrounded by two rings of bodyguards. A smooth silk cloth covered the display case, concealing the exhibit inside.
Seeing Roque's arrival, the guards surrounding the display case parted to create a path. Roque and the guests walked all the way to the side of the display case, gave a brief two-sentence speech, and then, under the gaze of countless reporters, grasped the silk cloth covering the case.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, please bear witness now to one of Queen Maria's most cherished jewels, the treasure of Faloro, the reappearance of Maria's Light!"
With the final declaration, Roque lifted the silk cloth covering the tall display case. Immediately, everyone's eyes were fixed on what was revealed beneath. However, upon seeing it clearly, they couldn't help but be stunned, and then they spoke up one after another.
"What, what's going on?"
"Empty? It's empty?!"
Hearing the guests' exclamations, Roque, who had just lifted the silk cloth, couldn't help but be stunned. He then turned his head to look at the display case himself. He saw that on the exquisite stand inside the multi-layered glass display case he had specially made, the beautiful jewelry that should have been there was now gone. Roque, with a look of astonishment, couldn't help but speak directly.
"What's going on!? Where did the item go? This case wasn't opened at all, how did it disappear? What are you looking at?"
Roque loudly scolded the surrounding bodyguards. Just as these bodyguards were also looking bewildered, a burst of incredibly enthusiastic cheering suddenly erupted from the square outside the hall.
Hearing this burst of cheering, the few people in front of the display case exchanged glances, then rushed towards the entrance. Soon after, they all ran out of the hall to the outside, where they saw the countless people gathered in the outer square all looking upwards.
Roque and the others continued running to an open space in the square circled by bodyguards, following the gaze of the onlookers upwards towards the top of the Civic Mansion. What they saw was a graceful figure standing on the edge of the roof at the front of the mansion.
Wearing a black top hat and a somewhat flamboyant gentleman's suit, a half-mask covered their face, revealing a fair and well-defined lower face. A cape, black on the outside with a red lining, fluttered in the wind behind them. What appeared before everyone at this moment was a figure that seemed to belong only in a masquerade ball. The slender figure, without any obvious distinguishing features, stood in the wind. In their right hand, gloved in white, they held a sparkling, exquisite crystal necklace. Four large crystals on the necklace were extremely eye-catching.
The mysterious guest on the mansion roof, holding the Bourbons' royal treasure, faced the bright moon in the night sky. Using the moon's Light, they made the beautiful crystal necklace sparkle. They themselves seemed intoxicated by the Light emanating from the treasure, and couldn't help but murmur.
"Maria's Light? Such Light... it must be the work of the most exquisite craftsman... What a pity..."
The mysterious guest seemed to be sighing about something. Their voice was extremely neutral, very enchanting, and difficult to distinguish as male or female. Just as they were admiring the treasure they had obtained, a roaring figure came from below.
"You clown thief up there! Quickly put down what's in your hand! That belongs to me... it belongs to Faloro's treasure!"
"Faloro's treasure? No... this Light comes from the distant past, belonging to history buried beneath the yellow sand. Compared to foreign luxurious nobility... it has a more legitimate Lord..." Looking down from beneath the mask, the mysterious guest replied. When Roque heard these words, he couldn't help but become anxious and immediately shouted loudly.
"Take him down!"
Following Roque's command, the door on the mansion roof was burst open, and countless bodyguards poured out. They had rushed up immediately after realizing something was wrong.
Facing the pincer attack from these bodyguards from all directions, the mysterious guest on the roof was unhurried. He moved his feet lightly, dodging the bodyguards' attacks from all sides with the slightest movements. Each of his dodges was extremely calm and composed, like strolling casually on the street. Under the mysterious guest's precise footwork, the bodyguards surrounding him missed their targets one after another, some even falling to the ground from using too much force accidentally.
In the eyes of the countless spectators in the square, the mysterious guest at this moment was like a dancer on a stage, or a bullfighter in an arena. With various extremely subtle movements, he easily dodged and brought down those who charged at him, not even having his clothes touched in the slightest. This kind of performance-like scene caused the spectators below to erupt in cheers. The seemingly clumsy bodyguards, colliding with each other and falling to the ground in repeated mistakes, caused a wave of laughter from the audience below.
"Ahhh... Help!"
Just then, a bodyguard, due to using too much force, accidentally rushed to the edge of the roof after missing his target and was about to fall off, losing his balance. Just as he was about to plummet from the tall building, with many spectators screaming and covering their eyes, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm, saving him from the edge of the precipice. The still-shaken bodyguard looked closely and realized the owner of that hand was none other than the mysterious guest he had just been pursuing.
"Be careful, vigorous activity in a place like this is quite dangerous..."
Looking at the bewildered bodyguard, the mysterious guest said with a smile, then gently pulled him back with a slight effort. When the still-shaken bodyguard sat back down on the solid ground, the spectators below erupted in a burst of incredibly enthusiastic thunderous applause. Amidst this applause, the other bodyguards who had been trying to capture the mysterious guest seemed to be momentarily stunned and didn't continue their actions for a while.
"Use your weapons! Don't try to capture him! Shoot him!"
Just then, Roque, who seemed somewhat agitated below, shouted at the bodyguard beside him. His personal bodyguard paused slightly, then immediately took out a rifle from behind him. After aiming at the mysterious guest who was practically standing still above, he fired.
"Bang!"
A fierce gunshot interrupted the enthusiastic applause on the scene. Under the astonished gaze of everyone present, the elegant figure who had been standing on the edge of the roof suddenly clutched their chest. After staggering two steps, they spun around, then quickly bent down and squatted on the ground.
Seeing this scene, the startled spectators and the bodyguards on the roof all fell silent for a moment, frozen in place. Looking at the mysterious guest who was bent over and almost completely covered by their cape, the bodyguard who had just been rescued couldn't help but take two steps forward and said with a slightly trembling voice.
"Hey... are you, are you okay! Did you get shot?"
Hearing the words beside them, the mysterious guest who was bent over didn't respond immediately. In silence, they extended the hand that was clutching their chest and brought it in front of them. The originally white glove was now stained with bright red blood.
"Ah... the red of blood, a familiar color... I... seem to have seen it somewhere before, let me think... Right..."
Amidst the low murmuring, the mysterious guest who had been bent over slowly stood up. Then, under everyone's concerned gaze, they put their hand back inside the chest area covered by the cape. After that, they quickly spun around again, lifted the cape, and extended their hand. The blood that should have been on the glove was now gone without a trace, replaced by a bouquet of bright red roses held in their hand.
"Yes... this is the color of roses, truly enchanting."
Witnessing this magic-like performance, the people in the square couldn't help but erupt in thunderous cheers and applause, like a mountain roaring. Accompanied by countless screams, the entire square instantly became completely stirred up, with cheers echoing endlessly. Many people were calling out the same name, K, Thief K!
Seeing this scene, the mysterious guest on the roof couldn't help but smile slightly. Then, under the astonished gaze of the bodyguards beside them, they continued to whisper.
"Thank you for your patronage, it's time for the curtain call."
Saying this, the mysterious guest tossed the roses in their hand upwards. The bouquet suddenly burst open in mid-air, unnaturally spraying out a large number of rose petals. These bright red rose petals drifted down like snow, instantly concealing the mysterious guest's figure. The mysterious guest ultimately disappeared completely within the flower-snow in a curtain call pose.
After these petals were scattered by the evening breeze, the mysterious guest's figure had vanished from the spot. Countless rose petals drifted down from the roof of the Civic Mansion with the wind. The spectators below, especially the female spectators, screamed as they scrambled to catch the falling petals.
At this moment, on a parked carriage at the edge of the Civic Mansion square, a handsome young man was sitting inside. After looking out the window at the distant curtain call scene, he couldn't help but let out a cold snort.
"Heh... quite the show-off clown. What does he think he is? A street performer doing magic tricks? Flaunting himself like this in front of mortals truly brings shame upon the Extraordinary..."
Angri commented thus. He then lit a cigarette for himself and put it in his mouth. After taking a puff of smoke, he slowly spoke again.
"Go... go... take your 'Maria's Light', go to your hiding place... go restore those crystals to completeness, and then..."