Chapter 864: Actor and Spectator

When the ghostly gaze of the golden retriever pierced through the

curtains from the shadows, Klein's brows indiscernibly twitched as he

failed to hide his alarm.

He then naturally shifted his gaze away and looked towards Miss Justice

and company.

*How terrifying... Why is that dog sitting in the corner, hiding in the

shadows for no good reason?... It was silently looking at everyone in

the hall... Uh, Miss Justice seems to have fed a Spectator potion to an

animal and had once asked Mr. Hanged Man for advice... Don't tell me

it's that golden retriever? Two Spectators, one out in the open, and one

in the dark. Which actor can handle that!? In high society, Miss Justice

and the dog are unlikely to be the only Spectators. Her joining the

Psychology Alchemists was a result of other nobles as well. It seems

like it was done by Duchess Negan's sister?* As Klein lampooned

and analyzed, he walked to Macht's family and asked in a seemingly

casual manner, "The ones who just entered seemed to be very noble

people?"

Macht glanced Dwayne Dantès and chuckled.

"East Chester Earl's family. You can directly call him Earl Hall. You

should've heard of him.

"That's his wife, Ma'am Caitlyn. That's his eldest son, Lord Hibbert.

You should've already met him..."

Upon hearing Macht's introduction, Klein suddenly broke out into a cold

sweat. This was because he had indeed met Hibbert Hall at the ball Macht

had hosted; however, he had failed to notice the Lord, or he wouldn't

have raised the question.

I was shocked by Miss Justice's sudden appearance... Klein

maintained his smile and listening stance.

Macht continued, "That's his daughter, Miss Audrey Hall. In the social

scene over the past two years, she has the title of being the most

stunning gem in Backlund. It's very apt, isn't it?"

Without waiting for Dwayne Dantès's reply, he minced his words by

saying, "She is courted by princes, duke heirs, and many honorable

excellencies and gentlemen."

Macht's concealed meaning was clear. He was saying to this man, one who

liked all kinds of women, not to place his sights on the lady. She was a

target he had no thoughts of making contact with.

As for Klein, he was having other thoughts.

*So Miss Justice is Earl Hall's daughter. It's no wonder she's so rich.

It's no wonder she's never bargained...*

*Earl Hall is one of the top bankers in the kingdom. He's the most

influential Member of Parliament of the House of Lords, and one of the

hereditary peerage. His wealth is much more than Baron

Syndras...*

*Even if Miss Justice is unable to inherit the aristocratic title and

family estate, the wealth she will inherit will be at least a hundred

thousand pounds...*

*With her looks, birth, and character, she is indeed the best choice for

a marriage partner with the royal family or powerful nobles.*

*However, the way she has been repeatedly buying mystical items doesn't

look like she's someone with a wealth of only a few hundred thousand

pounds... She's able to claim it from her father? I also wish to have

one like that...*

Amidst his racing thoughts, Klein replied to Macht's warning with a

smile, "I've heard of the various rumors about Miss Audrey. It's only

today that I have realized that they aren't that exaggerated.

"Unfortunately, I'm not a prince or the heir to a duke, marquis,

viscount, or earl. Otherwise, I would also be one of her pursuers.

He was implying that he knew his status and standing.

Macht didn't continue the topic and began introducing the various guests

he knew to Dwayne Dantès. He had truly led him into high society. Of

course, the greatest supporter involved in this was the Church of

Evernight. Without the charity party they held for the foundation, Macht

wouldn't have the chance to bring Dwayne Dantès to meet so many

honorable people.

Marquis Locent, Earl Gross, Viscount Loveland... The aristocratic

believers of the Goddess separately exchanged pleasantries with Dwayne

Dantès with a rather genial attitude.

Before Macht was done with the introductions, an elder walked into the

hall.

He was wearing a black clergyman robe with red accents. By his chest

hung five Dark Sacred Emblems. He was clean-shaven, and his eyes were

deep, dark, and tranquil.

Including Earl Hall, everyone turned to face the elder and respectfully

bowed.

"Good evening, Your Grace."

This elder was none other than Saint Anthony Stevenson, one of the

thirteen archbishops of the Church of Evernight!

He was the person in charge of the Backlund diocese, and he was part of

the upper echelons of the Church in the true sense of the word.

When Klein saw the archbishop, his body and mind involuntarily trembled

as he found it difficult to hide it. It was as though he stumbled upon a

grave on an unlit village trail back when he was young.

He swept his gaze and saw that the other guests didn't have any strong

reactions. He immediately realized that the "horror" which Saint Anthony

carried with him was more clearly felt by people with stronger

spirituality. He hurriedly entered Cogitation in an attempt to calm

himself down.

When he managed to control his trembling, Saint Anthony had already

smiled. He surveyed the area and tapped his chest four times in a

clockwise fashion.

"Praise the Lady."

"Praise the Lady," the guests at the charity party replied one after

another.

With the archbishop's arrival, Macht stopped introducing Klein to the

other guests because the party had officially begun.

According to convention, everyone would take their seats and piously

pray to the Goddess for three minutes. Following that, the cathedral

would begin singing and walk to the baldachin and use their ethereal,

uniform, and seemingly cathartic voices to praise the Goddess.

After the religious ritual ended, Elektra received Saint Anthony's

instructions to stand to the side of the choir. There was a podium there

with all kinds of books placed on it.

"Everyone, I'll like to thank you all for coming. Your character is a

resplendent star in the serene night..." Elektra first said a few words

of pleasantries before saying, "Our establishment of a bursary

foundation that targets the poor stems from Mr. Dwayne Dantès's

suggestion. He is truly an honorable gentleman. His piousness and

character are impeccable and a definite role model to others. Next, I'll

like to invite Mr. Dwayne Dantès to give everyone a brief speech."

Although Klein was already prepared, he drew a gasp inwardly when he

heard the last sentence.

This was different from usual. There were two or even more Spectators

around. It wasn't something that he could bullsh\*t through if he wanted

to. The content of his speech needed to be sufficiently realistic,

without them being able to see through his lies or fake examples!

Pressing down his clothes at his abdomen, he quickly stood up and walked

to the podium as he buttoned his suit.

Coming behind the podium and steadying himself, he surveyed the nobles,

Members of Parliament, clergymen, and high-ranking civil servants. He

said with a smile, "I'm a little nervous. This is my first time being

stared at by so many people of such honorable standing.

"I was once active in a region where the poor gathered. I was active in

the chaotic Southern Continent and, thus, saw many things. There was a

young lady who helped her mother make pasted matchboxes from the age of

six. If she didn't do that, they wouldn't even have the money to buy rye

bread after paying rent. The rye bread they eat is filled with millfeed,

and occasionally, they will bite into gravel or rocks. The hardness make

it usable as a rod to attack others...

"When this girl gradually grew up, although she led a laborious daily

life, and her family lacked any additional funds, she still looked

forward to the night schools run by the Church. She wished to study how

to read in order to grasp knowledge. This is because she knew that only

by doing so could she stop living the way she did. Only by doing so

would she not starve and be able to wear clothes that could really

protect her from the cold. She wouldn't need to work at factories with

harsh conditions and end up dying in her twenties..."

Klein had selected a portion of the experiences of the poor kids he had

met before, merging them together as he conveyed them with his true

feelings.

He could clearly see many ladies more or less reveal looks of empathy. A

number of girls even had their eyes flicker such as Audrey Hall.

*She really is an easily moved child... I've acted from the bottom of my

heart. I've even moved myself, much less a Spectator... However, most

gentlemen aren't moved. Some of them seem to already be aware of the

situations of the poor. Some do not mind those of the lower

class...*

Klein swept his gaze as he continued, "Our industry has been developing.

In the future, we will definitely need more literate workers... Our

election criteria has been relaxed. In the future, the ones who are

eligible to vote will definitely include most of the educated... With

the empathy towards these poor children and my expectations of the

kingdom's future, I've decided to donate all my Coim Company shares that

I have on hand to establish a bursary foundation that targets the poor.

It lets them have the opportunity to enter official institutes of higher

learning after attending the free night classes..."

Earl Hall, who had a beautiful mustache, nodded when he heard that. He

was the first to raise his hands to gently clap.

Amidst the vigorous applause, Klein returned to the seat belonging to

him. Bishop Elektra headed up and announced, "The shares that Mr. Dwayne

Dantès donated are valued at 15,000 pounds. We would use it to establish

a Loen Charity Bursary Foundation. Ladies and gentlemen, if you agree

with him and pity those children who thirst for knowledge, you can

contribute to this foundation."

As he spoke, he pointed at the donation box beside him.

Audrey retracted her gaze and pressed the corner of her eye and said to

her father, "Father, I plan on donating 1,000 pounds. What about you?"

As she spoke, her mind quickly summarized what she had observed.

*Dwayne Dantès has likely lived a lower-class life. His pity, empathy,

and speech were all very realistic... Those poor children are truly

pitiful...*

*Just now, when the bishop mentioned that the shares were valued at

15,000 pounds, the corners of his lips twitched unnaturally. From the

looks of it, he likely feels the pinch over donating the money. However,

the sincerity of him donating it doesn't seem fake... This means that

he's a gentleman who loves money, but he "loves" kindness even

more...*

Why was he shocked when he saw me, and what is he hiding?

*He has seen me somewhere before but doesn't know my identity? But

there's no need to hide that...*

*He identified my necklace as a mystical item, so he was shocked before

trying to attempt to hide this matter?*

*If that's the case, it means that he's definitely a Beyonder, one that

isn't a Low-Sequence Beyonder...*

*Hmm, I'll ask Susie later when I'm back. Perhaps, she noticed other

details. She was hiding in the darkness, so he wouldn't be on his guard

against her, allowing her to discover more.*

Amidst her thoughts, Audrey saw her father smile as he took out a

checkbook and fountain pen.

The value he wrote down was: 10,000 pounds!