My esoteric uncle Jules

Chapter 169 The Canvas Ceremony: The Count of Monte Cristo

Nothing much happened in the days that followed, and Jules quietly waited for the time he had agreed upon with Uriel to arrive.

The Royal House of Loren belongs to the Prince of Wales, who has absolute control over it, so it is quite safe for the group to stay there temporarily.

During this time, Jules's investiture as a "count" was also completed, with astonishing speed.

He had to admit that when he opened the door in the morning and saw the Prince of Wales shoving the investiture document into his hands, he was completely stunned.

However, it was just a title and had no real use for him.

In the ordinary world, a title of earl in the Victorian era would be enough for most people to fight tooth and nail for. But in a world where the extraordinary are visible, the reason why nobles are nobles is simply because they possess greater extraordinary power, nothing more.

He quickly put that matter out of his mind and turned to studying something else.

That's my promotion!

Jules casually cleared out an empty storage room, sat on a small wooden stool, and looked solemnly at the three items in his hands.

A rusty pair of scissors.

【Rusty Scissors】

[Quality: Third-level rare item]

[Effect: Can be used as a ritual base point for the third-level promotion ceremony of the "Traveler" sequence, or the third-level promotion ceremony of the "Barber" sequence.]

[Introduction: It was once used to cut off unnecessary things. Now, covered with rust, it has become unnecessary.]

A box of black and white paint, shimmering with a powdery sheen and faintly emitting a fishy stench.

【Black and white pigment】

[Quality: Third-level rare item]

[Effect: Can be used as a ritual base point for the third-level promotion ceremony of the "Traveler" sequence, or the third-level promotion ceremony of the "Barber" sequence.]

[Introduction: Made from the wings of rare Lepidoptera insects hatched from the corpses of Transcendents, crushed and ground. "Whether you want black or white, this pigment will do."]

And, most importantly, the glass jar containing the corpse of the worm.

[Residues of degraded worms]

[Quality: Tier 4 Rare Item]

【Effect:???】

[Introduction: The departed spirits have never truly perished—or perhaps, they simply continue to exist in the world in another form.]

"call……"

Jules took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

Along with the stale air in my chest, my chaotic thoughts were also expelled.

Promotion is just around the corner.

Without hesitation, he activated the three items with a thought.

[Should we synthesize the canvas ritual?]

【whether】

"Yes!"

As the thought crossed their minds, the three items began to tremble and fly up.

Suddenly, the glass bottle shattered violently, but the shards did not scatter and fly everywhere. Instead, as if drawn by an invisible force, they slowly drifted down and quietly piled up on the ground.

The worm remnants inside the bottle were exposed, their shriveled and curled bodies twitching slightly, as if a trace of life still lingered.

The rusty scissors hovered forward, their blades precisely slicing through the shell of the worm remnant.

With a snap, the dry skin cracked open like a cocoon, revealing a medium-sized gray-white "canvas".

However, the worm's truly evil nature seems to have withered away completely, leaving not a trace behind.

Jules held his breath, his gaze focused.

He felt a mysterious connection, as if an invisible hand was guiding his movements.

He picked up the black and white paint box, opened the lid, and a pungent, fishy smell wafted out.

Sensing the smell, he frowned but did not hesitate. He dipped his brush in paint and bent down to begin painting on one side of the "cloth".

His movements were incredibly fluid. He used to only draw stick figures, but now he seemed like a completely different person, his technique was exceptionally skillful.

Black and white paint intertwined on the fabric, outlining the silhouette of a moth.

The moth's wings are spread out, with delicate patterns, as if it might take flight at any moment.

The shape of the moth drawn with paint shimmered with a faint light, and the entire canvas seemed to come alive, trembling slightly.

Then, it slowly flew down into Jules' palm.

[Canvas Ceremony: The Count of Monte Cristo]

[Effect: Tier 3 Ritual Card, usable for Tier 3 advancement in the "Traveler" sequence]

[Introduction: Legends don't write their own stories, just as a blank sheet of paper will eventually be covered with ink.]

[Promotion Process: Complete the Sixth History Fragment - The Count of Monte Cristo once; different abilities will be granted depending on the completion level]

"Huh?" Jules was stunned for a moment upon seeing the ceremony.

Is this ceremony another attempt to enter the Sixth History Fragment?
But thinking about it, it makes sense. Apart from special places like Stonehenge, only places like the fragments of the Sixth History can unleash the power of the Secret History.

“The Count of Monte Cristo… will I see centipedes inside?” He raised an eyebrow, unable to suppress a hint of anticipation.

After all, the other party is the real "Edmond Dantès," the Count of Monte Cristo of this timeline.

He was somewhat looking forward to seeing how the fragments of the Sixth History would be presented.

After all, the goal of "ending the wait and bringing hope" is still too abstract.

The original Count of Monte Cristo is considered one of the longer works among classic novels. He felt that, given the usual pattern of the Sixth History Fragment, it would likely only extract a section of the story for further development.

"We have to see Prince Dorr tomorrow, so there's no rush to go in." Jules' eyes flickered slightly.

Another matter that he was about to take seriously was a meeting with Prince Dorr.

He wanted to see just who this man was who was going to marry Lolita.

……

It was another ordinary morning, but a tense atmosphere permeated the air.

As everyone watched Jules and the Prince of Wales talk, they couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"Brother, what if Mr. Jules doesn't come back?" Lina asked Ram worriedly.

She knew nothing of the power struggles between the princes; all she knew was that Jules had rescued her from those beasts and given her and her brother a new life.

Now, this gentleman is about to embark on a dangerous mission.

Ram comforted her:
"Don't worry, Mr. Jules is no ordinary person, he'll be fine."

Although that's what he said, he wasn't really sure himself.

Holmes didn't say anything, but simply stroked the human skull specimen in his hands and stared at Jules.

At this moment, Jules and the Prince of Wales are having their final conversation before departure.

"...Don't worry, your identity shouldn't have been exposed yet. These people are all my men."

Even if your identity were exposed, he wouldn't dare kill you outright, since you're already one of my people.

After receiving assurances from the Prince of Wales, Jules nodded:

"Then thank you very much, Your Highness."

The Prince of Wales indeed had high hopes for him and provided him with a great deal of assistance.

However, he also understood that the other party must have their own ulterior motives and would not help him without reservation.

The two sides seem to be very close at the moment, but the transformation from friends to enemies may not even take a night.

He remained silent as he left Royal Estate Loren. Royal Estate Windsor and Royal Estate Loren were some distance apart, which was the reason for the two princes' choice—neither of them wanted to see the other, and both chose the furthest estate as their property.

Sitting on the hard wooden seat of the public carriage, Jules frowned slightly as the wheels churned over the cobblestones.

Through the car window, he could see the outline of Windsor Royal Estate in the distance—surrounded by towering stone walls, with spires piercing the morning mist, exuding an aura of majesty.

Even within the royal estate, there is a clock tower that belongs exclusively to Prince Dorr and is currently chiming.

Jules gazed at the clock tower, and for a moment he vaguely recalled what the Prince of Wales had said to him during a casual conversation.

The steam church monopolized the clock towers of London, believing that the clocks anchored the changes in the world and were their sacred objects, and therefore did not allow anyone else to build clock towers in London.

There were only a few exceptions—Prince Dorr being one of them.

Before long, the carriage stopped outside the manor.

As is customary, commoners are not allowed to get too close to Windsor Royal Estate; this is an unwritten rule in the area.

Anyone who violated this rule would be dragged away by Prince Dorr's guards and severely beaten.

Seeing Jules alight and walk in that direction, the coachman nervously reminded him:
"Don't just swagger over there like that! Those... people won't listen to your explanations!"

Jules shook the dust off his clothes and walked away without looking back, leaving behind only a casual remark that reached his ears:

"I won't listen to their explanations."

……

At the entrance of the manor, two guards in dark blue uniforms, holding spears, swept their scrutinizing gazes over Yu Le, finally settling on his rather simple coat.

One of them had a hint of disdain in his eyes.

"What brings you here?" the guard asked curtly, looking Jules up and down with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, as if mocking him.

Jules was very polite and said:

"I have come at the invitation of His Excellency Uriel and His Highness the Prince, and wish to see..."

Before Jules could finish speaking, the guard rudely interrupted him:

"An invitation? Do you have an invitation letter?"

He sized up Jules, his eyes full of distrust.

Just now, he saw Jules get off the public carriage in the distance.

Would a true nobleman ride in a public carriage? He didn't believe it.

He wasn't afraid of offending minor nobles.

Having served under Prince Dorr for a long time, he also felt superior to others.

Jules raised an eyebrow, somewhat annoyed by the other party's attitude, but considering that the other party was following the procedure, he took out the wedding invitation.

To everyone's surprise, the guard frowned after looking him over for a while.

Why is there no name on this invitation?

Jules was taken aback; he hadn't expected that.

"No name? Perhaps they forgot to write it down. Uriel gave it to me on the spot, so it's possible that it was written that way in a hurry."

The guard frowned, sized up Jules for a moment, and shook his head, saying:

"Please leave, sir. This is a wedding invitation, but the wedding has not even started yet. You're too early."

Jules tried his best to be polite and authentic:

"I do have urgent business to discuss with His Highness Prince Dor, and I hope you will make an exception."

"What nonsense!"

To everyone's surprise, the guard waved his hand impatiently and said:

"There have been at least a thousand, if not eight hundred, thieves who have come here to swindle and deceive people recently, and we've seen countless nobles as well. Rules are rules! No entry is permitted!"

He didn't even give Jules a chance to explain, and directly reached out and roughly shoved Jules.

Jules narrowed his eyes and deftly dodged.

Completely unprepared for Jules's dodge, the guard lost his balance and was pulled to the ground by the weight of his armor, letting out a muffled groan.

"What?!"

The atmosphere on the scene immediately became tense. Not only the guards on the side, but even the guards further away noticed the commotion and pointed their spears at each other, gradually closing in.

"Honestly, how come I keep running into this kind of situation everywhere..."

Jules shook his head, somewhat helplessly.

I seem to have a knack for attracting trouble. No matter where I go, troubles always seem to swirl around me, like dog poop that I can't shake off.

The guard scrambled to his feet, shouting angrily:
"You're finished! Offending the royal family is a serious crime!"

He glared at Jules, almost as if he wanted to devour him.

A lazy voice suddenly came from inside the manor:

Who's making a racket at the door?

The guards' expressions changed, and they immediately stood at attention, bowed in the direction of the voice, and said in unison:
"Welcome, Your Highness!"

Jules, on the other hand, remained calm and composed. Instead of bowing, he looked calmly toward the door.

A group of people walked out from among them. He didn't recognize most of them, but there was one he knew well—it was Uriel.

At this moment, he was following behind the surrounded Prince Dor, bowing and scraping, extremely humble, a stark contrast to his former arrogance.

Prince Dorr, dressed in a deep red velvet tuxedo, walked with composure, his gaze sweeping over the commotion at the doorway before settling on the disheveled guards and the calm Jules.

His eyes held a hint of coldness that was barely perceptible:

"How is this going?"

His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

The fallen guard quickly got up and bowed his head to report:

"Your Highness, this man is impersonating an invitee and attempting to break into the manor. He even shoved me, and I am about to apprehend him!"

Jules raised an eyebrow and said calmly:

“Your Highness, I am here at the invitation of Lord Uriel. This is the wedding invitation he gave me.”

He held up the invitation in his hand, his tone neither humble nor arrogant:

"The guards pushed me without checking properly; I just dodged them."

Prince Dor took the invitation, glanced at it, frowned slightly, and then handed it to Uriel behind him.

Uriel nodded and whispered:
“It was indeed my doing, Your Highness. This person is the one I mentioned—yes, the one you specifically requested to see.”

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of interest appeared in Prince Dor's eyes.

His gaze lingered between Uriel and Jules for a moment, with a hint of inquiry.

He waved his hand and said to the guards:
"Step down. You've failed in your duties. Go and receive your punishment later."

The guard turned pale, lowered his head and stepped back. The surrounding soldiers also put away their spears and dispersed to stand guard.

Jules remained impassive, taking in Prince Dorr's attitude—it seemed like he was trying to defuse the situation, but it was more like he was testing the waters.

"I don't know what to call it?"

“You may call me Jules,” Jules said casually.

His real name can't be hidden, so he might as well be honest from the start.

Prince Dorr nodded, a hint of amusement in his voice:
"Since you're here, come inside with me. There are some things we need to discuss."

(End of this chapter)