Secret: The years I served as a foreign aid for the Aurora Club

Chapter 459: Things are always like this

742
In the evening, Backlund.

Audrey returned home and saw her mother, Lady Catelyn, talking to her personal maid, Anne.

"Yes, the young lady has been reading and resting in her room all afternoon."

Anne bowed to the Countess and prepared to knock on the door to ask "Miss Audrey" to come out.

Thinking that it was actually Susie who occasionally spoke a few words and asked for some snacks in the room, Audrey couldn't help feeling guilty. She lifted her skirt, cast psychological invisibility on herself, tiptoed around her mother and Anne, pushed the door open a person's width, and slipped in.

As soon as she closed the door, Anne knocked twice on it and called out, "Miss, Madam, please come in."

"Okay, I'll change my clothes and go."

Susie, who was lying on the ground flipping through a book, raised her head. She used her front paws to move the book in front of her to Audrey's desk with difficulty, and a trace of human anxiety appeared on her face.

Seeing Susie like this, Audrey couldn't help but smile. She came back just in time this time, and she wanted to see if Susie would use the emergency plan - they had discussed the situation when their parents suddenly came to see them, or when their friends suddenly came to talk to them without an appointment - but since Audrey was back, there was no need for Susie to use emergency measures to hypnotize everyone.

She lifted her psychological invisibility and seemed to have suddenly grown out of the ground.

Susie's front paws trembled. After seeing who was coming, she breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at Audrey complainingly and straightened the book: "I was scared to death, Audrey, luckily you're back. The Countess was looking for you."

"Yes I heard that, thank you Susie."

Audrey took off the cloak that covered her body and hid in her secret compartment. Then she quickly changed into home clothes, changed her shoes, and used perfume to cover up her scent, pretending that she had never left.

Then, she gently opened her door with her usual dignified manner and showed a surprised expression to her mother standing outside the door:

"Mother?"

"Oh, Audrey." Lady Caitlin handed the feather fan to Anne and gently put her arm around her daughter's shoulders, looking at her lovingly. "Why did you read for so long? It's time for dinner, dear. Your father and brother are already waiting for us in the dining room."

Audrey blinked her eyes. The front view was clearer than the side view. Although her mother's makeup was still perfect and her face was still beautiful, Audrey keenly noticed the slight abnormality in her body language and emotions. Did her mother cry? Thinking of this, Audrey seemed to notice something. A chill ran up her back involuntarily, and a small patch of goose bumps appeared on her skin.

But she still pretended to be unaware of what was about to happen and her mother's crying. She smiled and took her mother's arm and took the initiative to walk forward: "Then let's go quickly, Mom, will there be my favorite cake tonight?"

Lady Caitlin seemed to be infected by her daughter's innocence and liveliness, and the corners of her mouth rose again: "Dear Audrey, if you want to eat that cake, you can ask the chef to make it for afternoon tea tomorrow. We have to control the amount of food at dinner to maintain your weight."

"Yeah...of course, I know!"

"So for dessert after dinner I'd like a muffin with some cream and strawberries, is that ok, Mom?"

Audrey tried her best to make her smile look full of energy and vitality. Although her own mood was gradually sinking to the bottom and she felt like an outsider, she still had to pull herself together to play the role of "Miss Hall" in the eyes of her family and give them some strength to be happy.

"My baby, when did you become so greedy?"

Lady Catelyn finally smiled and patted her daughter's hair gently. "Of course, I'll tell the cook."

Audrey showed the surprised smile of a young girl at the right time, and took her mother's hand affectionately and walked towards the restaurant downstairs.

When they entered the restaurant, Hibbert and Earl Hall were already waiting at their seats. Audrey greeted her father and brother with a smile. Watching the subtle changes in their facial expressions, Audrey's heart sank gradually.

You can't go wrong.

She sat down with a smile, but her mind was calmer than ever, as if she was an outsider watching from the sidelines, waiting for Earl Hall's verdict.

But the father was much calmer than the young psychiatrist. The servants brought appetizers, soup, and appetizers. Only when the family started to eat the main course did Earl Hall gesture for the servants who had served the dishes to temporarily leave and start the family meeting.

"Audrey." The Count called softly.

Audrey, who had been waiting for this moment since entering the restaurant, still seemed unaware. She smiled and raised her head to look at her father: "What is it, Dad?"

"How is your work and life lately?" Earl Hall's love and care for his daughter came from the bottom of his heart. "Since the situation became turbulent, you rarely went to tea parties and salons with your friends. You always stayed at home alone."

How can I go to work in the South Continent on time every afternoon if I don’t stay at home alone? These two days, I even took a special leave for food... Audrey sighed in her heart. The charity fund and the daily life in the South Continent gradually began to correct her aristocratic view of money. She still missed her friends and wanted to be with them, but it was difficult to ignore the huge amount of money wasted while chatting and laughing.

"The Foundation still has a lot of things to do, and there are still a lot of people who need help..." Audrey gave a standard answer to her father's question, "As a director, I deal with a lot of things every day, reading materials and arranging lists. I think this is great."

Seeing his sister\daughter's innocent and kind look, Hibbert hesitated to speak, Lady Catelyn sighed quietly, and Earl Hall did not show any change in his expression, still speaking in the same gentle tone as usual:

"Audrey, I have something I need to discuss with you."

"What is it, Dad?"

"Perhaps you still remember that I once said this to you and to Hibbert."

Earl Hall put down the cutlery in his hands, and everyone involuntarily straightened their backs: "Everyone has different weights in their hearts, and in my heart, the importance of the Hall family is greater than mine, greater than your mother, and greater than yours."

Audrey then revealed an expression as if she had noticed something, and her eyelashes trembled slightly.

Seeing that his daughter did not speak, Earl Hall continued, "I once tried to get Hibbert to leave his hometown and become a viscount in Intis to keep part of the family's property. But the current political situation has changed. The followers of the God of Thunder are not friendly to us, the followers of the Goddess. Hibbert cannot leave Loen at all..."

He said nothing more and looked at his daughter, believing that she, who was simple but not stupid, must have been able to guess what he was thinking.

At the same time, Earl Hall felt uneasy about the enthusiasm in the reply letter from that distant relative - the language style of the Intis nobles was rather straightforward and not restrained enough, so the letter could be considered "enthusiastic". Earl Hall didn't know why the other party suddenly changed his previous cold and even arrogant attitude, and he almost wrote in the letter "We welcome Miss Audrey Hall to visit the Marquis of Montemar's Palace."

The only reason he could think of was that the eldest son of the Marquis had seen a photograph or portrait of his daughter.

This way, the other party's behavior would be consistent with his impression of the Intis nobles.

More importantly, the other party's enthusiastic attitude put Earl Hall in a dilemma. He had already welcomed Miss Audrey so much, so would it be appropriate to send his eldest son there? If the other party got angry, things would probably get even more troublesome.

Everything has been decided, but he still pretends to ask my attitude first... Yes, after that, I never seemed to refuse my father's proposal, because I knew that refusing would not have any effect, and I couldn't say it...

Audrey lowered her eyes slightly. This time, she withdrew from the state of "audience" and said slowly and calmly:
"I know, Dad."

After a pause, she looked up and looked her father in the eyes.

"In my heart, my father, mother and brother are more important than myself and my work..."

"Thank you for your understanding, dear Audrey."

Earl Hall closed his eyes and opened them again after a few seconds. His eye sockets were slightly red. "I have transferred all the real estate and shares worth about 15 pounds that have been transferred to Intis to your name. Our distant relative has a daughter who is a few years older than you. Your mother has been communicating with her... Don't worry too much, Audrey. She will welcome you. Someone will go to greet you."

...Ms. D from the Aurora Society? Audrey's originally sad mood suddenly became complicated, and she even wanted to smile bitterly.

She thought for a moment and asked softly:
"Dad, I am an adult now and I am going to Intis alone. Who is my engagement partner in Intis?"

As a Loen lady, her question was bold.

But no one at the table stopped it, because everyone knew that this was an exchange of interests, a sacrifice to preserve the family property.

Earl Hall's expression became even uglier:
"There is no engagement, Audrey. Our relative invited you. The young lady wanted to add a friend to herself."

He himself did not believe this - he did not expect to be engaged to the eldest son of the Marquis, but if the eldest son of the Marquis had clearly arranged an engagement for Audrey, even if it was casual enough to be broken at any time, Earl Hall would not be as worried as he is now. The phrases "a young noble lady who has just come of age", "traveling abroad alone", "beautiful appearance" and "Intis" were superimposed together, and the answer was obvious.

This would only cause the father to feel deeply uneasy, an uneasy feeling that could not be erased no matter how much property was transferred. Hibbert's expression turned angry for a moment, but he suppressed it, and Lady Catelyn had already begun to wipe away her tears quietly.

No engagement?

Audrey herself was stunned. After all, in today's era, an engagement was one of the safety guarantees for a lady traveling abroad alone, and she didn't have one... This, the lady or gentleman who invited her over was really too frivolous!

But then, she suddenly reacted.

"Ms. D of the Aurora Society is the daughter of an Intis noble family. I have corresponded with her several times. She knows that I am a mid-sequence of the Audience Path. From her hints, I basically guess that I am already Sequence Five."

"The Aurora Society now believes in the Sun God, the Creator, and in the Creator's church, there are five paths..."

"One of them is 'audience'!"

Ms. D, Miss Irena is trying to show me good will, inviting me over... She might offer me a place to stay, but the price might be that I have to join the Creator's Church, or work for her family? I can pretend the former, but it's not that I can't accept it...

In the eerily quiet atmosphere, Audrey quickly calmed down.

"I understand, Dad. Please don't worry too much about me." She said, "I will protect myself. I am also a Beyonder."

Audrey's smile seemed forced to the others, so they also smiled reluctantly.

……

The worst thing Klein had anticipated—Amon parasitizing everyone within two days and attacking him at the same time—did not happen.

This gave him some relief.

He quickly memorized the dozens of people whose expressions were abnormal when the light appeared. To a person who was used to seeing humans without abnormalities, the appearance of almost everyone in Yuecheng was very special, not to mention the added bonus of the "Faceless Man" in identification.

"Taking out the cross is also a bad idea... According to that person, God is here and He can notice my actions. If I use God to intimidate Amon here, I may also be in danger of getting myself involved."

"However, compared to being parasitized by Amon, believing in God has become a good choice."

But it still doesn't make sense no matter how I think about it, as if the people of the East Continent never had their own right to choose, or rather, their right to choose is nothing more than "which god to believe in", and even this right to choose is forced to change by gratitude or fear. The current people either choose to convert with a grateful heart and expectations, or they can't let go of the ancient sun god but still choose to look forward.

When the real Creator gave them to me, did he experience more complicated emotions than I do now?

At that time, there should be no believers of the Fool in the Forsaken Land of God. They are all devout believers of the Creator, but He insisted on making the people of the Forsaken Land of God become my anchor in the future... Alas, I am not taking advantage of the situation, but an equal exchange - the Fool gives them help, and they pay me for their faith. This should be a win-win situation. Why do I always feel weird? Sure enough, is it because no one asked them if they were willing to convert at the beginning, and they just did it directly...

Although he knew it very well in his heart, when Klein thought it through, he still felt helpless and powerless.

He was once unwilling to accept this fate, but now he has accepted it; he was once unwilling to do anything other than help, but now he has come here.

It seems that fate is like this, using different ways to make you move forward.

No matter how much you resist, you will eventually find a reason to move forward.

It was this feeling that made people feel frustrated, irritated, and even angry, while the angels of fate were either silent or pretending to be innocent and unpredictable. Whenever Klein thought of these things, he always felt the same as when he realized the true meaning of the "Joker" potion when he had no choice.

"Ah... Fortunately, I still feel that this matter is not done well. This is a reflection of me still being me... Alas..."

Klein sighed in his heart, and then sighed again:

"It's hard to imagine. If I have to use this method to confirm myself, I will probably start to lose myself in a few years. How did the gods maintain this state for thousands of years?"

"Or does it mean that after they become immortal, the concept of time disappears?"

It was difficult for him to describe this feeling of "I am still me". It was as if there was a block placed in his heart. When he encountered or did something that went against his heart, the block began to rotate, and the edges and corners caused some sharp pain in his heart. But as time passed, the edges and corners would be smoothed by his own flesh and blood, and then he would not feel anything - he could only play himself based on his own impressions.

——Although he is already a Sequence 3 Saint, he is too young in the mysterious world. Not only is he younger than anyone of the same sequence, but he was also a baby when he entered the mysterious world.

This also led to his inability to imagine the influence of the "anchor" on himself, and it was difficult for him to accept the existence of divinity.

Klein considered himself to be a great and benevolent being. At least he did not drive out or even execute pagans like the outside world did. Therefore, the people in the God-Forsaken Land still had the freedom to believe in the ancient sun god, but there would be fewer and fewer such people.

He put aside these messy thoughts and focused on the present.

The warm purifying power fell upon the people of Silver City, cleansing the toxins in their bodies.

In the sunrise-like brightness, people saw illusory black air rising from themselves and the people around them, and then dissipating in the light. At the same time, they also felt that their physical condition was rapidly improving, better than ever before.

"Praise my Lord, praise the Fool."

Looking around, Klein felt that he was gradually immersed in the identity of a "missionary". When the believers below responded, this young man who was both a "fool" and a "god's messenger" said in a solemn voice that was loud enough for everyone to hear:

"I came here following God's guidance and was invited to participate in your celebration."

"It is said that this was originally a sun festival dedicated to the sun god, but my lord will also respond because this is what the gods want."

The crowd fell silent.

"They have never forgotten you, never forgotten every person who survived in the darkness, never forgotten every brave warrior, and never forgotten the suffering and sorrow you have experienced."

Gehrman Sparrow's words echoed in the air above the square and were carried by the wind to every corner of the city. The Moon City residents who participated in the ceremony were moved, sad, warm, and lost.

On the platform, Klein felt a vague sense of guilt. The cube in his heart was spinning slightly because he knew that 90% of what he said was false. The true creator was crazy. Not to mention protecting his believers, he couldn't even select his own believers. The Fool was born. He just learned a year ago that there was a group of suffering people here, and just made up his mind to come here a month ago.

Are lies and falsehood the foundation for the development of faith? The young god thought.

The gods who were preaching in person, the people who were quiet and expectant, he didn't know that all this was the same as a scene that happened countless years ago.

It was also in such darkness that someone, also a god, raised a sun, illuminating the dark sky that had always had only a red moon.

From then on, there was nothing new under the sun.

When you gain something, you also lose something. If you want to move towards a new future, you must abandon the old things.

The missionary's voice is steady and contains real emotion:
"At the same time, they promised that this would all end, and happiness and peace would come, just as the sun would rise again."

TBC
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"The sun will rise again..." someone in the crowd whispered in an imperceptible voice, then he lowered his head and looked at his toes.

“If every sun that rises after this is not the one I want to see;”

"What do all the suns after that have to do with me, including the entire world illuminated by them?"

"Sure enough, I still can't figure it out. My father wanted to teach me these things, but He never thought that I was willing to learn because of Him. Or maybe He knew, but never thought that there would be a day when he would fall behind."

"This is meaningless..."

"So-called humanity, the world, love, courage and sacrifice... these are things I will probably never, ever understand."