Two weeks ago, Siles and his companions followed Carol and the Revelators of the Second Corridor to the West City to investigate Anselm Norrison’s theft of museum artifacts.
At first, the incident seemed entirely unremarkable, appearing to be nothing more than the desperate act of an old man trying to pay for his granddaughter’s medical treatment. However, upon deeper investigation, it was revealed that behind it lay Revelators, underground gangs, crocuses symbolizing Personari, big shots from the East City, and more.
As a result, a case that should have been quickly closed after recovering the stolen items had dragged on until now to reach a conclusion.
And the conclusion was…
Eric said, “The Second Corridor has abandoned the investigation into this case.” He paused, then added, “I know this because someone got into an argument with Mr. Grace over this decision.”
Louis Grace, the head of the Second Corridor. Bellow was usually referred to as “Director,” but Grace seemingly disliked such a title; people always called him “Mr.”
He was a smiling, tall, thin, and cunning man. On the surface, his temper was excellent, but not so excellent that someone could throw a temper tantrum directly at him.
“Mr. Grace decided to abandon the investigation?” Angela blurted out.
Eric nodded.
Angela wore a subtle and complex expression, saying, “On the surface, the Council of Elders hasn’t discussed this.”
Mrs. Fuller and Darrell also shook their heads, indicating they hadn’t heard any related news.
Eric said, “No one knows why Mr. Grace made this decision. Perhaps it’s because the case dragged on too long, wasting too much time. We have a lot of things that need investigating.”
Mrs. Fuller sighed softly.
Angela said, “That’s true. But to just give up like this is too…” She paused, “Knowing that the underground gangs of the West City are behind it, yet…”
“Because of that big shot?” Darrell said bluntly.
“Perhaps he pressured the Second Corridor?” Eric guessed.
Angela fell into deep thought. After a moment, she said, “Well, actually, I’m also very curious about who that big shot really is, so I specifically went to investigate.”
The others immediately became curious, and Darrell asked directly, “Who is it?”
Angela coughed and said, “First of all, I couldn’t find a definitive suspect.”
Darrell sighed loudly in disappointment.
Angela stealthily rolled her eyes at the young boy before saying, “But I narrowed it down to three candidates.”
They all listened intently.
Angela looked a bit hesitant, then began to explain her investigation process: “Initially, I thought it might be a member of the Council of Elders, and indeed, within the Council, there are some… nobles or ministers of the Duchy whom I know.”
At this point, they were already somewhat surprised.
Eric said in surprise, “There are really nobles or ministers who are Revelators!”
“That’s not surprising,” Mrs. Fuller said. “I’ve long heard that some nobles possess magical powers, which guarantee the continuation and legacy of their families. The old, great noble families probably hold even more power.”
Siles said softly, “Like Brewer, his family has records related to the Old Gods.”
They all nodded.
Darrell muttered, “Come to think of it, it makes sense. Records related to the gods are actually everywhere. Ordinary people, of course, think nothing of it. But for Revelators like us…”
Siles thought to himself, Indeed. Ordinary people aren’t even troubled by the corruption of the Old Gods.
He suddenly realized, could this be the issue of… “Revelator aptitude”? Spirituality? Because their spirituality is too high, they possess the aptitude of a Revelator, and correspondingly, they suffer the corruption of the Old Gods?
Siles felt this hypothesis was highly probable.
However, regrettably, until now, Siles hadn’t been able to figure out what his spirituality attribute actually was. He hadn’t triggered a spirituality check. All he knew was that, so far, his spirituality had increased by five points.
…This didn’t seem like good news either.
The topic veered slightly, and then Angela steered it back to the three candidates: “Earlier, Carol said it was a big shot from the East City who might be a Revelator, so I thought the people in the Council of Elders were quite suspicious.
“…Then I found two suspicious candidates. They both fit Carol’s description—a big shot from the East City and a Revelator. Well, mostly the big shot part.”
Darrell said, “Stop keeping us in suspense. Who is it?”
“Jonathan Bryant. And Houston Constantine.” Angela spat out the names quickly, as if afraid she might hesitate. A second later, she let out a long sigh of relief.
But the others exchanged bewildered looks instead.
Darrell stuttered, “Jonathan… uh, Bryant. Isn’t that the Duchy’s Minister of Finance? My dad often mentions that name when reading the morning paper.”
Angela nodded briskly.
Eric subconsciously swallowed, “Sir Constantine? That Constantine?”
Angela nodded again.
The Constantine family was one of the most prominent noble families in the Duchy of Konst. Their reputation stemmed from the very first Sir Constantine, who was a royal guard when Grand Duke Konst established the Duchy, and they remained an important faction within the Imperial Military to this day.
In other words, this was an undeniable, vital pillar of the Grand Duke’s faction. If Houston Constantine was truly backing the West City’s underground gangs, how much of this was the Grand Duke’s will?
The several Revelators looked at each other in dismay.
After a moment, Eric smiled bitterly and said, “I suddenly realize that this matter seems much more complicated than we thought.”
Siles asked, “You said there were three suspects. Who is the other one?”
“Uh, that one is not a member of the History Society, at least I haven’t seen her in the Council of Elders. However, I am a bit suspicious of her,” Angela said. “Eugenia Berd.”
For the first time, Mrs. Fuller’s expression changed: “The businesswoman?”
Angela nodded repeatedly.
Eric frowned and said uncertainly, “I think I… have heard her name. Is she from… the West City?”
“Yes,” Angela nodded. “She’s from Lamifa West City, later became a wealthy merchant, and then tried to break into the circle of East City nobles… That’s not the point. The point is, she has money and connections in the West City.
“Moreover, she made her initial fortune through the Ashless Lands. It’s very dangerous there, as you all know. So, she might also have channels related to Revelators.”
“That does sound suspicious,” Mrs. Fuller said thoughtfully. “But what made you suspect her?”
Angela awkwardly touched her cheek, then whispered, “She seems to want to become my stepmother.”
Room 666 instantly plunged into silence.
A moment later, Eric said casually, “Perhaps we should go back to discussing the two candidates from the Council of Elders.”
Angela said indignantly, “This is absolutely not my prejudice against her! She’s already connected to the Old City, is a wealthy merchant, and possibly wields the power of a Revelator!”
The others didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Siles said, “We need more evidence… to confirm exactly which one is the big shot we’re looking for.”
Angela was about to argue, but then she blinked, remembering that Siles controlled her elective course grades… Her attitude softened immediately, and she said gently, “Professor, you are absolutely right.”
Darrell unabashedly laughed out loud.
Angela discreetly flashed him a threatening gesture.
The three older individuals ignored the squabble between the two youngsters.
Eric said worriedly, “If it really is a big shot of such status, then I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do.”
Mrs. Fuller also nodded.
Siles, however, said, “Not necessarily. We don’t intend to confront these big shots directly; we just want to know… what the underground gangs in the West City are trying to do.
“Is it purely to plunder the Ashless Lands for profit? But their actions seem a bit too extreme.”
The others nodded in agreement.
They had been involved in this matter, but the case’s abrupt and unresolved end left them feeling somewhat unsatisfied. Brewer’s incident always made them feel that if they could understand more when something happened, they might be able to prevent many tragedies.
For example, even now, they didn’t know what had ultimately happened to the gatekeeper’s granddaughter.
“If that’s the case,” Angela said, “do we still need to start with the underground gangs?”
Eric volunteered, “Leave this to me. I’ll go investigate what the underground gangs have been up to lately.”
“Be careful,” Mrs. Fuller said softly.
Eric said, “I will.” He thought for a moment, then added, “For Revelators like me who joined the Second Corridor, we will face danger sooner or later.”
“Are you investigating anything recently, Eric?” Angela asked curiously.
Eric nodded, then shook his head, saying, “I can’t say it’s an active investigation. I’m categorizing and organizing some files relating to… Time Trace anomalies caused by psychological illnesses.”
Darrell was startled. “What do you mean by psychological illnesses?”
In this era, psychological illnesses and mental disorders were usually categorized as “cursed madness.” And for those with supernatural powers, these mental patients were somewhat difficult to classify.
Siles remained silent.
“I think I know,” Angela said thoughtfully. “I have a friend in medical school who told me some things… basically, some people go mad because their brain or body gets sick, not because of… madness in the occult sense.”
Darrell still seemed confused: “So what?”
Eric sighed, revealing a worried expression: “Some people who suffer mental death due to Time Trace anomalies are treated as mental patients, some mental patients are believed to have suffered mental death, and there are cases where both overlap…
“In short, there are more and more Time Trace anomalies involving mental or psychological illnesses. Furthermore, these mental patients are more prone to causing Time Trace anomalies.”
His explanation made the others understand.
Indeed, for ordinary people, a madman is a madman. Who would want to categorize madmen? But now, such cases were appearing frequently, forcing them to pay attention to the related definitions.
Siles thought to himself, Could psychological illnesses or mental disorders also cause an increase in spirituality? Making these insane mental patients more susceptible to the corruption of the Old Gods?
He hypothesized this, but had no evidence to prove it. He couldn’t directly see the attribute panels of others, nor his own. This was a massive regret.
Since the daily work of the Second Corridor had been mentioned, they began chatting about the tasks of different departments.
Angela complained about the mountain of documents and meeting minutes in the Council of Elders, while Mrs. Fuller subtly mentioned the office politics of the First Corridor. Darrell talked about the recent training content in the Third Corridor.
He had gained access to rituals used for attack and defense, as well as… sealed artifacts, faster than anyone else.
He turned to Siles and said, “I heard they were invented by the Research Department?”
“They discovered them,” Siles said. “How does it feel to use them?”
Darrell said he had been given a gun, which for now could only be used and practiced with inside the History Society. His expression was a mix of fondness and repulsion, as if he were somewhat conflicted.
Finally, he said, “It’s like the weapon in your hand is alive… You can even communicate with it. It’s very strange.”
The others also wore subtle expressions.
Darrell was only conflicted for a moment before shifting gears: “But there aren’t many, so you can’t use them often. The reason I got to touch one is that most of the Revelators in the Third Corridor are busy with something else.”
“What?” Angela asked curiously.
“The Feast of the Divine Birth,” Darrell said smugly. “The Third Corridor of the History Society will be maintaining order that day to prevent troublemakers. They’re busy studying manpower deployment and positioning arrangements for the day.”
Angela paused, then suddenly remembered: “Right, it’s almost September. In a little over a month, it will be the Feast of the Divine Birth.”
Mentioning this livened up the atmosphere a bit.
For ordinary non-believers, the Feast of the Divine Birth meant holidays, rest, and shopping.
“I’m already looking forward to the October Market,” Mrs. Fuller said with a smile.
Angela said, “Last time at the underground trade fair in Ernestine, I just looked around a bit and didn’t feel satisfied. When the October Market comes, I need to buy more interesting things.”
“I heard there will be a circus and other performances from the Ashless Lands,” Eric said.
A circus. Siles suddenly thought of a character sheet from a tabletop role-playing game.
Angela nodded in anticipation, then suddenly said, “I’ll be on holiday by then too…” She paused, murmuring, “Before the holiday, there are exams and final assignments…”
Her aura suddenly grew gloomy.
Darrell looked at her, his gaze seemingly a bit curious. Finally, he couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you a noble young lady? Why are you going to university?”
Angela didn’t refute the title “noble young lady.” Her true identity had already revealed many details to her companions, and she couldn’t be bothered to hide it anyway.
She simply said, “My mother passed away when I was very young because she ate a poisonous plant. At the funeral, an unpleasant relative boasted about having gone to university and hearing about the toxicity of that plant in class.
“So, my father felt I should also go to university, learn something, and not be like my mother or those conservative nobles… However, I didn’t like botany or entomology, so I studied literature instead.”
Her story prompted Mrs. Fuller to lean over and hug her gently.
Angela looked a bit embarrassed. Finally, she said, “My mother’s passing was a long time ago. I think she would be proud of my situation now.”
They all nodded, comforting Angela.
After some conversation, over an hour had passed.
At this point, Darrell suddenly suggested, “By the way, I just heard Mrs. Fuller mention the Salon… Let’s go check out the Salon! I haven’t been there yet.”
Mrs. Fuller had brought up the Salon when discussing the office politics of the First Corridor, tactfully mentioning how senior members would make new Revelators handle trivial but troublesome chores.
The nature of the work in the First Corridor was unique; Mrs. Fuller needed to understand many situations and the organizational structure within the History Society. Revelators entering the First Corridor might interface with different departments within the Society, and Mrs. Fuller had been assigned to the Salon section.
She had been going to the Salon frequently recently, either arranging chairs, moving and organizing goods, or handling disputes—none of which were easy tasks.
The others hadn’t been to the Salon yet. First, because their respective lives were busy, and every visit to the History Society was hurried; second, because they wanted to understand their departmental duties first, they had postponed visiting the Salon.
Darrell curiously asked about the specific situation in the Salon.
“The Salon is a very wonderful place. Have you ever been to a theater?” Mrs. Fuller thought for a moment, asking tentatively, then said, “The Salon is like a giant theater stage, surrounded by many curtains. Behind different curtains are doors leading to different faculties.
“There are also some open public spaces, like the audience seats in a theater. There, you’ll find areas for free trade and conversation, just like a real salon.”
Angela asked, “Then how do we join a faculty?”
“The ‘stage’… that is, the open space in the center of the Salon. Faculties looking to recruit will wait there for newcomers,” Mrs. Fuller said. “However, different faculties have different requirements.”
Angela understood.
Darrell said impatiently, “Then let’s go.”
So, the five of them headed to the Salon together.
They walked along the corridor for a while, about five minutes, passing countless rooms. Then, at the very end, they saw a closed door.
Before this door, Mrs. Fuller paused and said, “By the way, the biggest feature of the Salon is—” Her gaze swept over everyone present, then she smiled slightly, “Just like a theater, everyone’s identity is kept secret. I think you’ll like this format.”
With that, she pushed the door open and walked in.
Siles saw a faint blue halo surrounding the doorframe. They filed in, Siles being the last. He thought nothing of it as he crossed that layer of light, but when the dim light ahead suddenly brightened, he heard someone nearby exclaim in surprise.
…It was an unfamiliar voice.
Siles looked slightly surprised at his side, only to find that the four companions who had entered this door together had unexpectedly transformed into four people with completely different appearances.
There was a noble lady in an exquisite gown, a painter with watercolor smudges on his face, a musician holding a violin, and a young dandy dressed in riding gear.
In order, these four should be Mrs. Fuller, Darrell, Angela, and Eric.
They were each standing in front of mirrors, examining their new attire.
Siles looked around and realized this space was like a dressing room, filled with different costumes, accessories, and many mirrors.
“This is the entrance hall of the Salon,” Mrs. Fuller said. “You can check your new image in the mirror. If you’re not satisfied, you can redress or revert to your original appearance.”
Darrell seemed not to understand. He touched the watercolor marks on his face and said, “But is this necessary?”
It was clearly an internal Salon of the History Society, so why the need to hide identities?
“Because some people do shady things or conduct business here. Over time, it became an unspoken convention,” Mrs. Fuller said meaningfully. “People always need to hide their identities sometimes.”
Darrell nodded, seemingly understanding but also not.
Siles walked up to a mirror and gazed at his new image.
These images seemed random, but also appeared somewhat connected to their real-life identities and appearances. Siles saw a slightly familiar face—it looked a bit like He Jiayin from Earth, quite unlike the deep-set eyes and high noses typical of the residents of the Duchy of Konst.
He still had black hair and black eyes, still wearing a black suit. His face looked a bit more mature, like an older man in his thirties. From his clothing, he couldn’t discern his “identity.”
But he pulled a die out of his pocket.
…Siles pondered what kind of identity this was.
Angela, holding the violin, glanced at Siles and said, “Gambler? Croupier?”
Siles: “…”
He actually thought that made a lot of sense.
“Then Croupier it is,” Siles put the die back into his pocket, then looked at the others. “Consider this my codename.”
His companions followed his train of thought perfectly.
“Then I am…” Mrs. Fuller considered for a moment, “Maid.”
Even though she appeared as a noble lady in an exquisite gown, she chose the title “Maid.”
“Painter.” Darrell seemed dissatisfied with this identity but couldn’t be bothered to change it.
“Musician.” Angela, on the other hand, was enthusiastic.
Eric, similarly dissatisfied as he looked at the young dandy in the mirror, finally mimicked Mrs. Fuller’s approach and said, “Groom.”
The five individuals established their codenames. At this moment, someone else entered the entrance hall, so they hurried under Mrs. Fuller’s lead, passing through the hall and merging into the vast space of the Salon.
Darrell couldn’t help but let out a gasp of amazement.
Just as Mrs. Fuller had described, it was like a theater, with high ceilings, slightly dim lighting, and stuffy air. Nearby were round tables with many people seated at them.
They were conversing, or perhaps exchanging goods and tricks. The faces hidden by novel costumes still vividly portrayed their inner thoughts.
Further away was an open, slightly elevated area where some people were waiting. Surrounding it were draped curtains.
Siles merely glanced around, and when he turned back, he found that his companions had already disappeared into the crowd. He was momentarily stunned, then decided to stroll around the Salon himself.
Overall, the Salon wasn’t too noisy. As Mrs. Fuller had said, people did shady things here, like backroom deals and private conversations. Faculties were another matter entirely.
Siles walked past some round tables, occasionally catching fragments of conversations.
They were buying Time Traces, potions, exchanging information and intelligence, or posting bounty tasks. Regardless, this place didn’t look like a formal… officially recognized academic society.
No wonder entering here required a change of identity.
Siles suddenly thought of the Dawn Revelation Society. That mysterious faculty organization Carol had mentioned intentionally or otherwise. Joining that faculty seemed to require hiding one’s true identity.
Unknowingly, Siles arrived at the raised platform at the end of the Salon. From what others had said, this seemed to be the “stage.”
Many people stood on the stage, gathered in groups of twos and threes. Some had signs in front of them introducing their faculty; others merely stood there lazily, as if that alone was enough for others to know what their faculty was.
Siles noticed that his companions had also arrived here.
People were approaching the stage from the sides to interact with these recruiting faculties. Siles thought for a moment, then went along with the crowd. He observed some of the faculties with interest.
For instance, the Domestic Chore Ritual Sharing Faculty.
Honestly, for a split second, Siles was genuinely tempted.
But he held back, wanting to look further. According to Director Bellow, he needed to join a few faculties to build up his credentials. Siles wanted to choose some that seemed very relaxed and leisurely, with nothing to do, or ones whose academic focus interested him immensely.
As he was observing the faculty descriptions, the curtain behind the stage lifted silently, and a man dressed as a knight in metal armor walked out quietly and stood on the stage.
His face was completely hidden by the helmet.
Siles didn’t notice him, continuing to browse methodically, one by one. He was completely unaware that a new faculty had appeared. It wasn’t until he stood in front of the armored knight that he suddenly noticed this man, who was as quiet as a shadow.
He paused, then asked, “Excuse me, which faculty are you from?”
The armored knight was very tall, his voice deep with a hollow, echoing resonance. He said, “Please follow me, Croupier.”
With that, he turned and left, lifting the curtain and waiting quietly behind it.
Siles frowned.
Why did this armored knight know he was the Croupier?
The surroundings seemed to quiet down, as if everyone was waiting for Siles’s choice. But Siles only felt it was inexplicable.
He stood his ground, looking calmly and coldly at the armored knight. He didn’t understand where this invitation came from, nor did he understand why the armored knight was so certain he would follow.
He looked up and asked again, “Excuse me, which faculty are you from?”
The armored knight, behind his cold metal helmet, silently observed Siles. After a moment, he said, “The Dawn Revelation Society.”
Those five words made Siles narrow his eyes instantly. He felt a certain… like Alfonso Carte had said, the power of fate.
He only came to the Salon today because of Darrell’s sudden whim, no, perhaps also due to Director Bellow’s suggestion. Were it not for that, he might never have remembered the existence of the Salon and the faculties.
Yet, as luck would have it, he unintentionally ended up in the Salon. And the person from the Dawn Revelation Society seemed to have been waiting specifically for him.
…Why?
Confusion and unease arose in Siles’s heart.
After a moment, he nodded, then stepped forward to follow the armored knight. He didn’t look back, but he heard a faint murmur of discussion behind him.
He figured his companions would help divert attention, so the news of a newcomer joining the Dawn Revelation Society wouldn’t spread throughout the entire History Society by the end of the day.
More likely, many people probably didn’t even know what the Dawn Revelation Society was.
Actually, Siles wasn’t that clear on it either. He had only heard fragments from Carol.
It was a mysterious organization, established to await the revelation of the dawn. But no one knew who the founder was, or who the members were. It was a faculty that hadn’t recruited new members in ten years, and had once done something major—neither good nor bad.
That was all Siles knew.
The curtain lifted and fell, and Siles’s vision immediately darkened. They walked forward along a dark corridor.
Siles followed in silence for a long time, then asked, “Why did the Dawn Revelation Society invite me?”
“Because you proposed the Three Elements of the Divine,” the armored knight said.
Siles understood, but at the same time, he felt even more cautious. He asked, “So, the Dawn Revelation Society can discern the identities of disguised Revelators?”
“No.” The armored knight stopped and then removed his helmet. “It’s because I know you, Professor Noel.”
Under the armor, Carol noticed Siles’s expression instantly tense up and then relax, and he burst into laughter.
Siles: “…”
He was momentarily speechless.
Carol coughed twice from laughing, then said, “Just joking, Siles. I came in right after you guys; it was a coincidence. So I noticed your costumes.”
Siles nodded thoughtfully.
“So usually, Revelators will change their disguises again at the entrance hall. But it’s no big deal. After all, overall, it’s still safe inside the History Society.”
Siles said, “I understand.”
Carol put his helmet back on.
Siles asked, “So you specifically invited me to join the Dawn Revelation Society. Why?”
“If I said this is just the style of the Dawn Revelation Society, would you believe me?” Carol asked in return.
Siles was baffled: “What?”
“The Revelation of Dawn—very inexplicable, isn’t it?” Carol said. “I joined the Dawn Revelation Society ten years ago. Back then, I had just become a Revelator. Over these ten years, the Dawn Revelation Society has remained dormant.
“Just as you imagine, a mysterious underground organization that no one knows what it’s waiting for.”
They walked down the long, dim corridor, which seemed endless.
“So, no one knows what the Dawn Revelation Society’s recruitment criteria are. I think this organization is invitation-only, not application-based,” Carol said simply. “But no one knows the criteria for the invitation either.”
Confusion stirred within Siles.
If it was an invitation-only mysterious organization, then why had Carol mentioned its existence so long ago? Had Siles already been noticed by the Dawn Revelation Society back then?
Ultimately, Siles still didn’t understand why he had been favored by the Dawn Revelation Society.
He thought for a moment and suddenly realized a problem: “So, it wasn’t because of the Three Elements of the Divine I proposed.”
“Indeed not. Me discovering your identity was just a coincidence.” Carol shook his head. “I just received a message telling me to invite the ‘Croupier’ to join the Dawn Revelation Society today. That’s all.”
Siles frowned deeply: “But, the Croupier…”
“First, you probably think ‘Croupier’ is a term you came up with, right?” Carol asked. “Actually, that’s not the case. In the Salon, if you stay long enough, you’ll find that everyone’s initially assigned identity is actually fixed and unique.
“So, there will only be one Croupier, and you happen to be that Croupier.”
Siles felt it was somewhat unbelievable. He said, “A prophet?”
“Prophecy?” Carol thought for a moment. “No, I think this is just some mysterious… action. For example, when I joined the Dawn Revelation Society, the person who received me said that on that day, he was tasked with inviting an ‘Armored Knight’ to join.
“But who could have known that I would appear in the Salon disguised as an armored knight that day? I don’t think anyone could be certain. The Salon is a much older and more mysterious place than the space behind the doors of the History Society.
“Believe me, absolutely no one can know a person’s true identity under the Salon’s disguise in advance.
“And in the ten years since I joined the Dawn Revelation Society, things like this have happened occasionally. According to that senior, he had been asked many times to go to the Salon at a specific time and invite a ‘so-and-so’ to join the Dawn Revelation Society.
“Sometimes he succeeded, sometimes he didn’t. So I think it’s just a random wide-net mechanism.”
Siles thought to himself, Everything depends on fate?
But he remained skeptical. After all, this was a mysterious world with supernatural powers; he wasn’t sure if some strange force was truly at work behind this invitation system.
But Carol didn’t seem to know much either.
He reminded Siles, “After entering the Dawn Revelation Society, we two have to pretend to be strangers. I will call you Croupier, and you will call me Knight. Outside, we also cannot expose that we are members of the Dawn Revelation Society.
“Generally speaking, the Dawn Revelation Society is like a… uh, a place to chat.”
“…Chat?” Siles looked at him in confusion.
“The Dawn Revelation Society appeared the year the History Society was founded, which means it was the first faculty within the History Society, with a very long history. Members have come and gone, generation after generation.
“…Anyway, in fact, many members, including myself, don’t understand what the ‘dawn revelation’ we are waiting for actually is. We all treat this place as a club where identities cannot be revealed, and everyone just chats about life’s troubles.”
Siles somewhat understood—a small, anonymous lifestyle group chat.
His mindset leveled out almost instantly.
He thought for a moment and asked, “So, earlier you mentioned that the Dawn Revelation Society once did a major thing that was neither good nor bad… What was that?”
Carol hesitated, “Uh,” and said somewhat awkwardly, “You have a really good memory, Mr. Croupier.”
“Indeed I do, Mr. Knight.”
Carol was silent for a moment, then finally said, “It has to do with the Duchy of Konst.”
Siles said with mild surprise, “What?”
“The current Grand Duke Konst is actually the youngest son of the previous Grand Duke. He had an older brother,” Carol said softly. “However, the person who inherited the Grand Duke’s seat was not that eldest son. In fact, his whereabouts are still unknown.”
Siles thought to himself that this was quite different from the “major thing, neither good nor bad” he had imagined.
“There are some rumors that the Dawn Revelation Society orchestrated the succession of the current Grand Duke behind the scenes.” As Carol said this, his previously lowered voice returned to normal. “However, no one can truly prove this.
“When I joined the Dawn Revelation Society, the handover of the Grand Duke’s position had already passed by several years. It was indeed a turbulent time; it’s said that the upper echelons of the Duchy were entirely replaced, both inside and outside the royal palace.
“But no matter what, secular matters belong to the secular, and Revelator matters belong to Revelators. We don’t really need to care too much about it.”
Siles thought, Which means, this is a rumor from over a decade ago.
But since the Dawn Revelation Society was founded centuries ago, had this mysterious underground organization done absolutely nothing in all those hundreds of years? If so, why was it able to survive until today?
Or… had someone covered up what the Dawn Revelation Society had done?
Deep in thought, Siles followed Carol—the Knight—as he lifted the final curtain before them, and they entered a room together.
It looked like a living room, its overall architectural style leaning towards an ancient, heavy wooden structure, featuring a large fireplace. The sofas were soft and plush, snacks and drinks rested on the coffee table, and two people sat beside it, seemingly conversing.
When Siles and the Knight appeared, the two conversing individuals cast their gazes over.
One was a young girl, dressed like a paperboy, her gaze appearing very innocent, making Siles feel she probably wasn’t very old. But remembering that the Dawn Revelation Society hadn’t recruited for ten years, he figured her age might not be that young after all.
The other was an old woman in a wheelchair, dressed like an elderly, sickly noblewoman, still retaining her innate opulence and etiquette, though her body no longer permitted her to speak much.
The young and the old looked over simultaneously.
The Knight’s voice still carried that muffled echo. He said, “Allow me to introduce. This is the Croupier.” He then introduced the other two members to Siles, “This is the Paperboy and the Noblewoman.”
He paused, then nodded under Siles’s inquiring gaze, saying, “Yes, these are all the current members of the Dawn Revelation Society.”
Siles was silent for a moment, then said, “Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon, Croupier.” The Paperboy’s voice was very childlike. She asked, “Finally, a newcomer. I was getting sick of these identical gatherings for the past ten years.”
That sentence shattered the Paperboy’s innocent facade.
“Indeed, quite a few people have withdrawn,” the Noblewoman said. “Of course, I still quite like this place. At least it allows me to speak without any reservations. That is extremely rare.”
The Noblewoman’s voice was as elegant and luxurious as her appearance, carrying a trace of aged hoarseness, but it didn’t diminish its pleasant tone.
Siles saw the Knight toss a slip of paper into the fireplace, then light it to burn it to ashes.
The Knight noticed Siles’s gaze and explained, “This is why I went to greet you today. A slip of paper will inexplicably appear on the fireplace mantel, instructing us to invite a newcomer. Just as I explained to you earlier.
“By the way, the three of us were all recruited during that period ten years ago. Everyone with more seniority than us has withdrawn. But…”
The Knight seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he just shook his head and said nothing.
Siles was full of suspicion, but he knew the few people present probably didn’t understand the truth behind it either.
The Knight turned to ask the Paperboy and the Noblewoman, “What were you chatting about?”
The Paperboy pointed at the Noblewoman: “Chatting about her relationship crisis.”
Siles was momentarily taken aback, looking at the Noblewoman.
The Noblewoman’s emotions seemed to ignite instantly. Her tone was very dissatisfied as she said, “I really don’t understand! I’m rich and beautiful, so why does my future stepdaughter hate me so much?! Isn’t she a university student? Can she really not accept the fact that her father is remarrying?”
Siles: “…”
Wait, could this be…?!
