I have a long-lived pawn shop.

The Rose Theatre in Lendim was built between Dan Brown Boulevard and Pilsen Boulevard.

Anyone can see this brightly lit theater at a glance.

Outside the theater were posters for the evening's shows, and Queen's ardent fans had sent mountains of rose baskets. Above the foyer hung a huge Baroque chandelier, burning pure fuel day and night, its bright flames like molten gold.

Wei Xi passed through the crowd. Today was the opening of the carnival, and every street in the town was filled with dazzling parade floats.

Men and women wearing gorgeous and exaggerated masks shuttled through the streets and alleys of Lendem, and the major squares were filled with crowds of acrobats and onlookers.

The weather wasn't very good.

The town was immersed in the misty drizzle. The jubilant air waves broke through the rain and mist, and all the figures were stretched and blurred, like a piece of flowing light.

The lit fireworks shot up into the sky with a whistling sound, bursting into a metallic glare, like flowers blooming in the rain.

The murders have not dampened the town’s enthusiasm, which continues to sparkle like a Paraíba tourmaline.

Inside the steam car, Wei Xi supported her chin, her eyes lingering on the cellophane candies scattered from the floats. Only when they arrived near the Rose Theater did she retract her gaze and resume the dignified posture of a countess.

Alan Furston opened the door for her.

The girl in the green velvet dress moved her skirt slightly, and her black hair fluttered in the wind, spreading and tangled like night fog, but was suppressed by the jeweled butterflies at her temples so as not to cover her fair face.

- No other black-haired girl can be as beautiful as her, that kind of moist beauty.

The door of the Rose Theater was not locked. A servant opened the door from the inside. Under the empty high ceiling, a long staircase spiraled upward.

Mrs. Betty was standing under the Baroque-style chandelier. She was wearing a white taffeta dress that wrapped around her wrists and had dark gold patterns inlaid around her waist. Under the light, it shone like diamonds all over the city, and it matched her flaxen-gold hair color very well. She was leaning against a bunch of red roses, and her smile was charming yet strong.

This is a very lovely woman.

"Good day, Miss Abigail."

"Good day, Mrs. Betty."

"I hope you like our theater, Abigail." Betty led them into the reception room, served them tea, and sat next to Wei Xi very intimately. Seeing a strand of messy hair on her temples, she couldn't help but raise her hand to tuck it behind her ears.

The woman's fingers were as cold as ice.

Allen Furston looked around, not knowing what conclusion to come to.

Wei Xi took a sip of the steaming hot tea, looked around, and gradually admiration emerged in his eyes, "This place is beautiful, Betty."

The theater has deep red upholstered seats and dark green chairs, the walls are painted with gold powder, there are exquisite carvings and layered floral vines, and the carpet is embroidered with a silver moon. Compared to the dark world of steam and steel outside, the theater is as beautiful as a fairy tale.

"How is the Queen Orchestra preparing?" Wei Xi put down his teacup. "I am looking forward to tonight's performance. La Bohème is an excellent opera."

It was a completely declarative sentence. She didn't consider the impact of the case at all. She didn't realize how arrogant her tone sounded to others.

Unfortunately, the people present were either her butlers and guards or her partners, so everyone turned a blind eye to this arrogance.

"Want to see them rehearse, Abigail?"

"No, I want to talk to you for a while, Betty. It's better to save the surprise for the evening."

Wei Xi gently raised his wrist, held Betty's hand on his temple, and slowly brought it to his body, holding it like this, and stood up. The woman in the white dress trembled her eyelashes and smiled submissively. Another guard in black came in from outside the door and nodded to Wei Xi imperceptibly.

This means there is no danger after the investigation.

The countess and her confidant danced up the stairs and came to the box with the name "Monty".

Pushing the door open, you'll see cherry wood sofas clustered among pomegranate flowers and camellias, and the decoration above your head is like fire from heaven, as if someone had splashed paint into the air, with gorgeous butterflies everywhere.

Betty recalled the first time she met Abigail, it was at the Imperial Theatre.

As the most popular socialite at the time, she was accompanying a certain baron. She could no longer remember the baron's face, but she still remembered the girl in a red dress standing in the middle of the room on a gloomy summer afternoon, her long black hair setting off her slender profile, a pair of black eyes looking at her strangely, an unfamiliar face, a slightly restrained standing posture, and the way the light fell into her eyes.

The man pulled Betty's arm away and bowed respectfully.

But the girl didn't pay any attention to the man who saluted. She just nodded and glanced at Betty, elegant and noble.

As Abigail looked at her, Betty's heart was filled with a surge of absurdity, shame, and resentment.

Her thoughts were churning back and forth, but she was able to dig out a trace of joy that was beyond her control from this mess, which was extremely torturous.

But now she could hold Abigail's hand without having to worry about being thrown away again.

What else is she hoping for?

"Life in Yalai is so tiring. My time is always occupied by boring social activities. I can't remember how long it has been since I listened to a complete opera." Betty had just returned to Lendim from Yalai with the Queen Orchestra two days ago. She sat in a corner of the sofa with a distressed expression.

Wei Xi asked the brass steam man behind him to put down the box he was carrying, then tilted his head and stared at her intently.

The countess's eyes were too dark, with the tails of her eyes raised, and half of her face was in the light, like a butterfly gilded on white paper. "When you first arrived in Lentim, you complained to me that you had nothing to do and wanted to go to Troisi to sunbathe all the time."

Betty laughed. "Forgive me. People who don't appreciate what they have are always like that."

"No, Troisi is a good place indeed. I heard the harbor there is very beautiful. Betty, we can go there together later. What do you think?"

Compared with the moment in the reception room, Wei Xi's expression at this moment was much more vivid.

Betty looked at her, and suddenly, for the first time, she had the illusion that some things should be said as soon as possible, otherwise it would be too late.

Betty didn't know how to face Abigail. She was always confused at this time. She treated her sincerely, so she didn't know how to respond to this sincerity. She could only change the subject and say, "What's in the box?"

Lendim is too far from the imperial capital of Yalai, and the Rose Theater is too high. There is no trace of the old blood of the count in the wind. Wei Xi walked lightly among the boxes on the floor and sat down next to Betty. "These are new jewels. You can pick out the ones you like."

“What if I like them all?”

"Then it's all for you."

Betty's beautiful flaxen blond hair flowed in Wei Xi's hands. She sat on the carpet in front of the sofa, with a beautiful white neck.

Wei Xi nonchalantly picked up a jewelry box at random from the pile of jewelry boxes on the floor and opened it. The wooden box was covered with dark purple velvet, and the entire set of jewelry, which was dominated by rubies, was shining brightly.

They began to talk aimlessly. Betty had a wide network of contacts in the imperial capital. She had contacts with other socialites and many noble ladies. After a few salons, she would know all the major events and trivial gossips in the imperial capital.

Betty was only responsible for telling what she had seen and heard, while Wei Xi was responsible for extracting information. The Monti family did have other channels to gather intelligence, but those pawns were only interested in important secrets, such as the "Saint Selection". The rest of the mainstream information updates were Betty's credit. Thanks to her, even though the Monti family members could not return to the imperial capital freely, Wei Xi was still familiar with Yalai.

Yes, except for the year when the Monti family members were allowed to enter the palace to meet the emperor, they were not allowed to enter the imperial capital. This punishment, equivalent to exile, came from the conflict between the previous Count Monti and His Holiness the Pope, and His Majesty the Emperor was unwilling to offend the Pope for the sake of a count.

As compensation, the Monti family has the right to freely dispose of all the fields and minerals in the earldom.

Wei Xi became so rich by being kicked out of the center of power.

"Take a look, how about this set?" Wei Xi looked around. The room was fully furnished, with a dressing table with an egg-shaped mirror, an egg-shaped hand mirror and a black wooden comb inlaid with pearls and gemstones. She took the hand mirror and let Betty admire it herself.

Emerald gemstones are cut in brilliant style, with a gold frame and diamonds and colored gemstones inlaid around them. The whole is in the shape of a snowflake, which is luxurious and elegant. Betty liked it very much. She took out the matching earrings, rings, armlets, bracelets, etc. from the box and tried them on. She said, "The previous saint seemed to like jewelry made of emeralds. Abi, do you know that the ladies of Yalai said that the saint was not the biological daughter of Count Babolion, but an adopted daughter. Many people speculated whether she was related to His Holiness the Pope."

"Well, she is the Pope's illegitimate daughter." Wei Xi fiddled with a Lugia-style gold bracelet and casually spit out the secret of the Vatican.

Betty was stunned for a moment. "No wonder. The reputation of this deceased saint is not very good now."

Wei Xi threw the bracelet away and motioned for her to continue.

"In fact, there were bad rumors before, but His Holiness the Pope and His Majesty the Emperor did not allow it to be discussed. Now that the Saint has died in a very disgraceful way, His Majesty the Emperor seems to be ignoring this matter."

"Of course he will ignore it. Young people are often the most troublesome. They are as noisy as babies and more likely to get out of control than babies. This is even more so for a young girl who has not received sufficient political education and has suddenly ascended to a high position."

Betty remained silent. She had also seen the procession of the Saint from afar. The girl with light blonde hair was not allowed to speak in public after she made some "special" remarks. The entourage behind her was guarding her like a prisoner. So even though the Saint still had a bright smile on her face, Betty, who was good at observing people's expressions, could still tell that she was in a depressed mood.

Wei Xi knew more than she did. For example, the Saint had a relationship with a handsome envoy from the Korba Federation, the Saint had the lowest degree of compatibility with the Talakmirava divine relic in history, and the Saint's extraordinary brain circuits...

Regardless of whether the Saint had developed feelings for the Korba Federation envoy, His Majesty the Emperor, who was about to face a war, would not allow the Pope's illegitimate daughter to sit on the Saint's seat. Now is not the time of the old century when divine authority was above everything else. If it cannot bring practical benefits, even the Pope will have to leave his position.

The only two uses of the Kafa Empire, the Korba Federation Church, and the Son and Daughter of God are the psychic baptism of the psychic matrix, and the power amplification of the steam individual mechanical core by the relics of the gods.

"May the saint be free and happy in her next life." The flaxen-blond woman leaned on Wei Xi's knees, making her unable to help but raise her hand to touch her face. Her fingertips and palms touched her fair and tight skin, and when she reached down, she found her fragile throat.

Betty tilted her head back and let her touch her, a posture that was at the mercy of others.

They hadn't spoken so quietly for more than a month. Now, looking up at the black-haired girl, the butterfly wings on her temples fluttered gently on her cheeks, casting a shadow.

Betty's heart moved. For some reason, she felt that no matter how the Kafa Empire changed, Abigail would always be the most unique and beautiful scenery in Lundim.

There is no other man or woman like her.

……

There is a small independent restaurant on the third floor of the theater.

Wei Xi sat alone at the table by the window, drinking a glass of pre-dinner wine. Betty had just fallen asleep in the box. She had been running around outside for a long time, and her eyes were a little dark and her lips were a little pale. It seemed that she could sleep for a whole day and night. Wei Xi did not disturb her, locked all the boxes into a jewelry box, and put the key in the palm of the sleeping woman's hand.