Chapter 393: Chapter 329: Endless Nonsense (Third Update)

The maid was taken aback, and Igula’s expression also became quite colorful.

“What do you mean?” the maid swallowed: “You and the Clan Leader…”

“Shh.” Ash’s face was expressionless: “Actually, it’s not as intimate as you think. For Qinna, I’m just a bed warmer. Her attitude towards me is to summon me when called and dismiss me when done… Do you know why I also have to wear a black robe right now? That’s because, although I’ve left Senheiser, unlike my colleague here, my appearance has not changed. Once you people see me, you’ll recognize me immediately–after all, I used to appear frequently near Qinna.”

“Originally, this undercover task was just for me alone, but Qinna ultimately didn’t trust me and also sent her best friend, disguised as a man, to monitor me.”

“Do you know what reward Qinna promised me for this important task? — The privilege to walk by her side openly! She really thinks that my fawning in bed is all genuine, that up until now, I’ve been wholeheartedly wanting to become her official partner… Hmph!”

Ash sneered: “I’m not doing this for her at all, but for Senheiser. That’s why I accepted this task, why I have to endure her daughter’s vile and detestable oppression. Neither mother nor daughter is any good!”

In just a few words, Ash had crafted an image of himself as an escort who bears humiliation for a greater cause, his tone filled with resentment from being harassed and oppressed by a superior. Although the emotions seemed very real, Igula was beating the drum in his heart–speaking disrespectfully of the Clan Leader was certainly a risky move. He had not yet ascertained Senheiser people’s general attitude towards the Clan Leader; if they all sincerely respected her, then Ash was practically blowing his own cover.

“The Clan Leader isn’t that bad, she’s just a bit forceful…” the maid meekly retorted.

Success!

Ash exchanged a glance with Igula, who had already completely accepted their identities and entered their line of thinking!

“We are not at liberty to contact the Clan Leader now, so we need to get some information from you.” Igula inquired, “What’s your name?”

“Lucy.” The maid quickly answered: “Why can’t you—-”

“Hanna has always been monitoring us with the Gospel Book, any slight irregularity on our part and all previous efforts will have been in vain. Direct contact with Qinna is an even bigger taboo. Do you know, just yesterday to make a clear distinction between us, Qinna deliberately shot at me a few times and injured my ear.” Ash snorted coldly: “I’ve noted this down. Once the Weaving Festival is over, I’ll make sure she licks my wounds to comfort me with her tongue.”

Lucy: “…”

“Lucy, I want to know where Hanna went today.” Igula said, “As staff, you should be able to check the historical entry and exit records of all areas, right?”

Lucy hesitated for a moment, then opened the Gospel Book and after checking it for a while, said, “Miss Hanna arrived at the Closed Layer at 10 a.m. to meet with Miss Nona; returned to her room to rest at 12 p.m.; and went to the Care Layer for a two-hour skincare session at 3 p.m.”

Ash’s eyes bulged: “We’ve been busy the whole day, and she has the nerve to nap and go for beauty treatments? I can’t swallow this indignity. Anyway, Qinna doesn’t love her daughter that much. After this is over, I’ll need to bully Hanna for a few days. Qinna surely won’t mind; she might even join in.”

Lucy: “…”

Igula: “We haven’t been back for a few years, how is Senheiser’s relationship with the other families?”

Lucy: “Relations? They’re alright… Actually, I’ve never met people from other families, so I’m not very sure.”

Igula: “How has Qinna’s relationship with Nona been these past few years?”

Lucy: “Pretty good, I guess? Miss Nona is Lady Qinna’s own sister, and also the deputy leader of the Red Hats. Even though Miss Nona has been placed under house arrest by Lady Qinna this time, she will surely be released soon. Ever since I can remember, Qinna has been our Clan Leader, and Nona the deputy leader.”

Ash, with arms folded, said: “Of course, their relationship is good, especially after that time when Nona accidentally barged in, they became not just sisters by blood but also sisters in pole and hole, with me merely serving as fuel for their relationship enhancement. Thankfully, I was sent out to go undercover; otherwise, I might have been squeezed dry by now.”

Lucy: “…”

Igula: “You’ve seen the Art Ranking of the Weaving Festival, haven’t you? Any thoughts on it?”

“Hmm? Not really any thoughts, just that Miss Hanna is amazing, managing to get first place.” Lucy said, “It would’ve been nice if her surname was Senheiser instead of Doran.”

After observing for a moment and confirming that this was indeed Lucy’s candid opinion without any concealment, Igula said, “Well, we have gotten all the information we needed. Thanks for your help, you should hurry back now. Remember not to tell anyone else, or Hanna will find out.”

“So, I should leave now?” Liss glanced at Ash, as if she feared this wild man of a Clan Leader might silence her forever.

Ash didn’t feel guilty in the slightest, “Why, do you also want to try the ultra-premium service only the Clan Leader can experience?”

Liss’s face turned red, and she hurriedly fled.

“Igula…”

The Cult Leader winked at the Swindler and gave a thumbs up, “You truly are a master at playing with people’s hearts.”

As if you’re one to talk, although Igula really wanted to retort, he knew that such praise would make Ash smug, so he held back.

“How did I do?”

“You overdid it. I can only give you a 30 out of 100,” Igula said, “But the people from Vatican Mura are exactly at that level. They’ve been overly protected by their families, so your performance was just right, capturing their attention and making them accept our claims without thinking about my intentions.”

“But why only investigate the maid now?” Ash was somewhat puzzled, “Did you only start rushing because Teacher Hanna is checking the assignment?”

It was already six o’clock, and there had been a whole day’s time before.

Could it be that Igula also wasted time playing games?

“Because no one else would pay me any attention,” the Swindler said with a helpless expression of a skilled woman unable to cook without rice, “People here are too insular. I spent the whole day without finding any useful information. I needed an opportunity to pry their mouths open–and Hanna was that opportunity. If the maid hadn’t just seen Hanna, she probably wouldn’t have listened to my spiel.”

“So what did you find out?”

“Hanna is confident,” Igula stated, “She wasn’t nervous at all, which shows she believes her plan will get us smoothly onto the second future list.”

“Qinna has also kept to the Contract and hasn’t leaked any of our information. Senheiser’s insiders only know that Hanna has arrived, but they do not know that Ash Heath is also in Vatican Mura. Additionally, Qinna and Nona seem…”

“What about them?”

“I just have some thoughts, I still need to investigate further.”

In the midst of their conversation, they had arrived at suite number 24, where Liss and Harvey were already there, waiting for both of them.

Ash wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but he felt Hanna looked much healthier than she did in the morning, showing no signs of being beaten by her mother; apparently, the beauty treatments here were indeed effective. But compared to skin health, Ash was more interested in another pair of features, although he couldn’t tell if they were worn or not.

“It seems everyone is already familiar with the Gospel Book. Now that we’re all here, I’ll go ahead and tell you the Task.”

It was only then that Ash realized–Hanna had intentionally not told them the meeting place, making them find the answer through the Gospel Book.

Hanna clapped her hands lightly, “Today is May 13th, we have 7 days until the second list.”

“I need you to engage in at least one romance within these 7 days.”

The setting sun outside the window shone through the mist, casting silence in the suite.

Ash broke the silence, “At least?”

“Yes, at least. If possible, you’d better engage in several romances,” Hanna said calmly, “If you can become lovers with the Clan Leader of Senheiser–even if just for one night–Qinna Senheiser, it would be enough to secure our victory.”

A thought occurred to both Igula and Ash: Could Hanna have overheard the nonsensical chatter between them and Liss?