My esoteric uncle Jules

Chapter 158 Fragments of the Sixth History—The Count of Monte Cristo
"You're joking. It's just a wedding; how could it possibly relate to the fate of the empire?"

Jules smiled outwardly, but his eyes subtly became much more serious.

The other party's statement was not without reason.

Sir Dewell, with a mysterious air, said:

"It is said, just said! There have been a lot of rumors circulating in London lately, and I have heard some of them myself."

According to past royal practice, the person who receives the title of 'Prince of Wales' is basically the designated heir apparent, but this time it is different, as there seems to be another strong contender for the throne, Prince Dorr.

According to inside sources, the prince appears to be planning to gain leverage at this wedding to vie for the crown prince position.

Jules frowned:

“How come you see?”

"I'm not quite sure about that."

Sir Dewell smiled helplessly and said:

"Since you are an invited guest, you will definitely know more than I do when you get there."

"...Thank you."

Jules thanked him and then left with Ram.

As he was leaving, Sir Nadewell suddenly called out to him.

"May I ask your name? I'd like to keep a record of it."

Jules was silent for a moment, then said:
“You may call me Count Blancco.”

[Catching Fragments of the Sixth History: The Count of Monte Cristo]

Upon hearing this sudden notification, his expression changed slightly.

Why is there suddenly a fragment of the Sixth Histories? And why is it the Count of Monte Cristo?
So, all this talk about his count status is actually for this dish of vinegar-wrapped dumplings?

Sir Dewell, oblivious to Jules' unusual expression, simply smiled and offered a compliment:
"So you are the Earl. I've heard so much about you."

That being said, Jules could tell that the other party had never actually heard of it—it would be a miracle if they had.

After a brief farewell and departure, Jules couldn't help but recall their earlier conversation.

"Prince Dorr..."

At least now he knows what kind of person is going to marry Lolita.

Princes, male relatives of the monarch, in this era before the decline of the royal family, basically represented the most powerful group in the empire.

In the original world, there might be a council to check and balance things, but unfortunately, it doesn't play a significant role here; its symbolic significance outweighs its practical significance.

Even the Anti-Suppression Bureau is, in a sense, directly under the Royal Family. Even the previous operation to wipe out Rose Manor required prior approval from the Royal Family.

It seems I'm about to face off against another behemoth...

When you have a lot of lice, you don't feel the bites anymore; Jules didn't feel anything at the moment.

After all, if even a Sichen (a high-ranking official) holds a grudge and specifically wants to kill him, how could the royal family be stronger than a Sichen?

Moreover, based on the information he has received from the knight before, there is still considerable room for maneuver in this matter.

After all, there's no reason for the Prince of Wales to just stand by and watch the throne slip away from his grasp.

He could exploit the conflict between the two princes for his own benefit.

Jules then turned his attention to the sixth historical fragment he had recently captured.

Fragments of the Sixth History: The Count of Monte Cristo

All human wisdom is contained in these two words: wait and hope.

[Goal: To end the wait and bring hope]

[Reward: Ritual Card "Engraving Ritual"]

[Secret History Integration Degree: 0%]

[Hint: There are hidden elements in the fragments. When the secret history integration degree reaches 100%, it means the exploration is complete.]

[Every time history turns, the fragments will be lost further until they completely collapse]

[Current number of losses: 0/2]

"This time, they're actually giving the reward directly to the ceremony?"

Jules paused for a moment after clicking on the information on the ritual card.

There's no other reason than that this ritual card is the secret history's ascension ritual!
[Inscription Ceremony]

[Effect: Tier 4 Ritual Card, usable for Tier 4 advancement in the "Traveler" sequence]

[Introduction: History remembers all that is forgotten—and I am fortunate enough to be among them.]

[Promotion Process: Inscribe Your Name on an Important Piece of History]

It was like a pillow sent to someone who was sleepy... Jules' arms trembled slightly with excitement.

Since he was about to disrupt the wedding and interfere with the transfer of the imperial throne, wasn't this the perfect opportunity to inscribe the ceremony?

Suddenly, Ram spoke, breaking his train of thought:
"Um... sir, where do we go next?"

By now, the two had strolled away from the harbor area and gradually entered the city of London.

Jules looked up, his pupils reflecting the gray sky.

"Let's visit a few old friends first."

Sherlock Holmes, Matilda, Lolita, "Iron" Rutos, and the centipede still imprisoned...

All the past events came into his view.

Ultimately, it all vanished into the mist.

……

221 Baker Street.

Holmes's gaze swept across the file, as if trying to pierce it through.

However, he no longer had the confident expression he usually had, as if he had everything under control; instead, he frowned, a rare sight.

Suddenly, Jules' calm voice rang out:

"Holmes, I never thought you'd be stumped by a case."

Holmes raised his head slightly, smiled faintly, and said:
"Long time no see, Mr. Jules."

Lahm was left downstairs by Jules to prevent him from overhearing things he shouldn't and causing unnecessary trouble.

Jules sat down quite naturally, looked around at his surroundings, and exclaimed:

"Looks like you've been doing well lately?"

“I suppose so,” Holmes said, his eyes lowered slightly. “A donkey that can still pull a millstone is not something that can be easily dealt with.”

Jules glanced at the file, but didn't rush to ask any questions. Instead, he exchanged pleasantries with Holmes as if they were old friends meeting again.

"Where are Lolita Lutos and the others?"

"They..."

Holmes rubbed the armrest:

"Did you rush back for that wedding?"

Jules did not deny it; he knew he couldn't hide it from Holmes.

The fatigue from the long journey, and the hint of urgency in his questioning, were enough for Holmes to connect two seemingly unrelated things.

"Rutos is still employed by the Anti-Suppression Bureau, but he has been sidelined and is essentially dismissed."

"Some time after Matilda brought Lolita back to London, the antique shop was shut down, and she herself was forced to cooperate with the royal family under pressure from the Blood Cup Master."

"As for the centipede, it is still in prison, and its condition is unknown, but it should not be in any danger to its life."

"...And Lolita?" Jules asked somberly.

Holmes took a sip of coffee and said in a relaxed tone:

"Clearly, she has become a 'bargaining chip' in this collaboration."

boom!
Jules slammed his fist on the table, causing a few drops of coffee to spill.

"Was it Matilda who made the decision?" he asked softly.

"You can rest assured about that."

Holmes stared at Jules and smiled:

“This was Lolita's own decision.” Jules frowned.
"She made the decision herself? Why?"

“I don’t know,” Holmes shook his head. “Since Prince Nadol came to us, I’ve only seen them from afar at royal parties.”

"If you want to see them again, you'll probably have to wait until the wedding, but the wedding requires..."

Jules remained silent, but simply photographed the letter from the Prince of Wales.

Holmes noticed the royal insignia on it and his expression turned to one of great interest.

"Interesting. Where did you get this? Is it a wedding invitation?"

Jules shook his head and said:
"It's about something else—but I was indeed 'invited' to the wedding."

Holmes closed his eyes and said:

"If you're planning to sabotage that wedding, I think you should take a look at this commission."

Jules raised an eyebrow, recalling Holmes's somewhat worried expression earlier, picked up the file, and smiled:

"What? Even the great detective needs to ask for help?"

Holmes simply smiled and watched quietly as Jules read the commissioned document.

After a while, Jules put down the dossier, his expression somewhat strange.

The case file contained very simple information; it was just an ordinary murder case.

But the difference is that the accused in this murder case is none other than Prince Dorr, who is currently the most prominent figure in London!

“For something like this, hiring a detective probably won’t be of much use,” Jules said, his eye twitching slightly.

Small cases depend on relationships, medium cases depend on influence, and major cases depend on politics.

In cases like this, which directly involve royal succession, the detective's opinion probably won't change anything.

"That's why I had that expression..."

Holmes leaned back in his chair, stretched comfortably, and said:

"But if you have an invitation from the royal family, this might be easier."

After pondering for a while, Jules said:
Who is the client in this case?

Holmes' eyes smiled:

"Prince of Wales".

……

After waiting outside for a while, shivering from the wind, Ram couldn't help but wrap her coat tighter.

For some reason, it's unusually cold today.

"how much longer……"

Suddenly, he heard the sound of someone coming downstairs. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw Jules chatting and laughing with an elegant man who could be described as an aristocrat as they walked downstairs.

The elegant man spotted him immediately and casually asked:

"Who is this?"

"My servant."

Ram nodded repeatedly:

"Yes, yes, I am the master's servant."

Seeing this, Holmes revealed a subtle smile, leaned close to Jules' ear, and whispered:

“Your Excellency, your servant’s acting skills seem rather poor.”

He could tell at a glance that Ram was not Jules' servant.

Just now, Jules had already omitted some details of his plan and briefly informed Holmes of it.

Therefore, Holmes already knew about his plan to impersonate the Earl.

Jules could only smile helplessly at this.

"There's no other way, we'll just have to make up the numbers. As long as we can barely get away with it."

Holmes shook his head:
"His acting was so bad that it was hard to hide—as a servant, he didn't have that obsequious feeling."

Hearing this, Ram looked somewhat bewildered, but still forced himself to remain calm and asked:

"May I ask who this gentleman is?"

Jules turned his head and said with a faint smile:

"This is Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective of London."

Holmes waved his hand and said calmly:

"I only did some minor work; I'm not worthy of being called a detective."

He glanced at Ram a few times and said indifferently:

"Remember what I just said, it will be very helpful."

After saying that, he turned and went upstairs, leaving Jules with a bewildered Ram.

"Sir, where are we going next? Are we going to visit some old friends again?"

"Ah."

……

After a long time, Jules finally knocked on the door of the Rutos family again, and as usual, Ram was sent away in advance.

However, after knocking for a long time, no one answered, which made him frown.

“Rutos? Are you there?” he called softly.

After he finished speaking, a response finally came from inside:
“…So it’s you.”

The door opened, and Rutos's utterly exhausted face appeared before them.

Jules looked at the disheveled and exhausted Rutos, his brow furrowed:
"What's wrong with you? Why do you look so down?"

Looking at the unshaven middle-aged man before him, it would be difficult for anyone to connect the previously imposing "steel" with the current Rutos.

Upon hearing this, Rutos cautiously scanned his surroundings:
"Come in and talk."

After the door closed, he finally gave a wry smile and said:
"I thought it would be one of those damn detectives or police officers, but I didn't expect it to be you."

His eyes were filled with complex emotions, as if he couldn't believe that Jules had actually returned.

Jules gazed at Rutos and said:
"It seems you've been having a tough time lately."

"...It's not good."

Rutos rummaged through the bottles for a while, clearly wanting to drink a couple of sips to drown his sorrows, but in the end, not a single bottle was empty.

He could only sit back on the sofa, even more dejected, and sighed:
"Ever since Lord Centipede went to prison, my life has gotten worse day by day. Recently, I've even been worried about being inexplicably arrested and imprisoned."

Jules and Rutos sat facing each other, and he said:

What happened after I left?

"London is under lockdown, Lord Centipede is imprisoned, and the immortals belonging to our faction are dying."

That one short sentence left Jules speechless with astonishment.

The immortal one is dead?

He suddenly understood why the centipede had claimed they had an immortal backer, yet they were still captured.

He was puzzled at the time, but now he understands a little better.

If your backer falls, how can those below you possibly fare well?
Rutos continued to recount his experiences during this period in a low voice:
"...Because of my sensitive identity, Holmes only dared to provide me with financial support in private, which is why I haven't gone bankrupt yet."

"Without his help, I'm afraid I would have been forced to live on the streets—a third-tier Forging Transcendent being living on the streets? Ha! People would laugh themselves to death if I said that."

He was smiling as he said this, but it was an expression of profound bitterness.

Jules sighed, unsure how to comfort Rutos.

Judging from the current situation, the other party's misfortune seems to have been a bolt from the blue.

He decided to ask some key questions directly:

Do you know the current situation of the centipede?

Upon hearing this, the light in Rutos's eyes shone briefly, but quickly dimmed.

“I know, but you don’t need to think too much about it. That place can be said to be the most solid cage in the waking world. No one can rescue Lord Centipede from inside.”

(End of this chapter)