I will make a bed of roses and make a thousand bouquets from the fragrant heads of my enemies.
-Marie Antoinette-
Ulrich had a Scotland Yard inspector bring a map of Serpentine Avenue, then began carefully drawing the range where the formation would be installed.
“The formation we’ll use this ti is the Red Cliff Kalpa Fra, which partially reproduces the Marquis of Stategy’s fire attack. It’s a formation that concentrates the Yang Qi in the air and twists its flow.”
“It doesn’t actually need to burn.”
“A formation’s efficacy can be adjusted in detail depending on what dium you use.”
“Oh.”
With Watson and watching, Ulrich began writing various notes onto the formation blueprint he’d drawn on the map.
“This ti, instead of placing dry firewood along the edge, it would be better to set wet arborvitae branches. As for how changing the dium alters the formation’s efficacy, that would get long, so I’ll skip it…”
“I know the dium around the periter determines the formation’s rough nature and the direction of manifestation. Arborvitae leaves emit smoke when they react with Fire Qi, so it’s a good choice.”
“…You know your stuff.”
“When I submitted a paper to the Feng Shui Geology Society, I studied formations a little as well. Not enough to dare compare myself to a mber of the Zuckerburg Family, of course.”
Watson looked this way with a fascinated expression, so I gave a small smile.
“It’s good that you have the basics. It makes it easier for to explain. The most important thing in the Red Cliff Kalpa Fra we’ll make is that Great Hero Hols must place the dium in the formation’s center, aning at Green Willow Manor, in the prescribed manner.”
“Then I must choose sothing that won’t look suspicious even if I bring it into the estate.”
“Exactly.”
For a core dium placed at a formation’s center, things long carried by Murim people were commonly used.
A close example would be the Heavenly Demon Cane my master left .
In fact, for the formation installed at my master’s estate, the efficacy only activated when the Heavenly Demon Cane was inside.
However, what we needed this ti was a natural formation that used no artificial objects.
“Normally, we’d place a big rock or sothing, but this ti we can’t. Considering the peculiarity of natural formations, a suitable dium would be—”
From Ulrich’s explanation, it seed that in the case of natural formations, they often ford on their own in unexpected places as a result of the energies of heaven and earth resonating.
The reason strange phenona occurred around bizarre rock formations or in certain seas without human interference was usually said to be the result of a natural formation being created by an astonishing coincidence.
Representative examples included forbidden zones like the Black Forest, considered the most ominous place in Germany, and the waters around the Bermuda Islands where ships vanished in strange phenona.
By contrast, in the case of Australia’s Ayers Rock, which held Blood Cultists, Ulrich explained that it had been heavily altered by human hands, so it was already difficult to call it a natural formation.
Natural formations, while making it so those trapped inside felt no dissonance at all, were said to be extrely difficult to create intentionally.
Even the formation installed at Elder Darwin’s house would have been impossible in the first place without the estate owner’s elixir knowledge.
“Bringing in a rock will likely be difficult. The area is wide, so the Qi it carries must be strong as well… Still, a few other candidates co to mind, so I’ll prepare sothing sohow.”
With an expert’s help, preparation was much easier.
It would still take him ti to prepare, so I should confirm just one or two last things and then send him off.
“I want to know whether the formation’s specific efficacy matches what I need.”
“Instead of fire breaking out, the air will be heated, and thick smoke will rise.”
“So there will be no visible flas.”
“You’ll see fire, but it won’t burn or damage anything. As I said, it’s a formation that partially reproduces Red Cliff’s fire attack. Unless you swap out the core dium placed at the center with another item.”
“Very good. Is there anything I should be careful about?”
“This formation must activate at noon.”
“…The ti when Yang Qi is strongest in the twenty-four hours.”
Ulrich nodded.
“Isn’t sunlight the purest Yang Qi? We can’t draw Essence from artificially made diums, so we have to borrow nature’s power.”
“Then I must place the dium before twelve, no matter what. I’ll get inside sohow by eleven fifty.”
“Must.”
According to the report from the Butler Agency agent monitoring the Mistress of Green Willow, she didn’t appear likely to go out tomorrow.
Judging by the large amount of ingredients brought into the estate, it seed she was preparing a luncheon or dinner gathering.
However, one could not say with certainty that there was absolutely no chance she might suddenly change her mind tomorrow, cancel the gathering, or co outside.
Of course, I had prepared counterasures for this as well, so I wasn’t too worried.
“By tomorrow morning at seven at the latest, I’ll prepare the diums and send them here.”
“Excellent.”
“One last request. I’d prefer it not reach the Tsar’s ears that I cooperated. The one in charge of the Russia branch is a brother who supports .”
To worry about declining sales even at a ti like this.
A truly exemplary rchant.
“Of course. I’ll be careful so that the Butler Agency doesn’t later use this as a pretext to make unfair demands of you, even if things go wrong later.”
“Hearing you say so, I can be at ease. If it’s resolved well, I’ll return with the gift I promised.”
Ulrich left the boarding house with a smile.
After hearing through a Butler Agency agent that the Zuckerburg Family’s engineering Kung-Fuists had begun the formation construction, I refined the remaining details of the plan while waiting for Yan.
Before long, Mycroft would et the Dragon Head and hand over the scoop.
By tomorrow morning at the latest, news would spread through London like wildfire that the Tsar, without finishing his late father’s state funeral, had secretly co to London on a private excursion, stayed at a luxurious hotel, and even purchased an expensive bespoke suit.
Of course, we couldn’t cause damage to the hotel, so we couldn’t write exactly where he was staying in the article.
The Holess Clan was the faction that ruled London’s tabloid market.
From the newsboys selling papers in the streets to the reporters and editorial offices, the press had long been under the beggars’ grip.
If the Afternoon Tea Party was a ‘Closed Circle’ that provided information only to a handful of the wealthy and strong, the Holess Clan was the exact opposite.
Just as the Dragon Head Cup All-Britain Championship, ‘The Open’ they’d sponsored since the 1860s, accepted applicants regardless of pro or amateur, they did not discriminate among custors who sought access to their information.
The information the Holess Clan newspapers scattered mostly touched commoners’ lives closely, like lunch nu recomndations or advertisents.
However, to look only at that everyday fare and underestimate the Holess Clan information network was sothing only amateurs did.
Of course, it was true that the Holess Clan, to increase circulation, sotis spread falsehoods within a certain limit and socially buried people, usually those who had made enemies of Holess Clan mbers.
But the Holess Clan used its outstanding information-gathering to uncover the scandals of the upper class and assert its presence by pouring out scoops at unexpected tis.
In other words, whether in the light or the shadows, if you wanted to walk London with your face held high, the Holess Clan was an opponent you must never make enemies of.
The top beggars who led the Holess Clan, including the Dragon Head, Oliver Twist, loved this great city beyond asure, and whenever sothing big happened in London, they showed chivalry by willingly joining forces even with those they normally had poor relations with, to save commoners.
Then what would happen the mont the Holess Clan learned what the Tsar was plotting this ti?
The Holess Clan editor-in-chief would pour harsh criticism at the Tsar in tomorrow’s morning paper, and London’s far-right forces, who had long hated Russia, along with terrorists who had fled to Britain after failing to overthrow the Russian imperial family, would read the article and go hunting for Alexander III.
With only four guards, he wouldn’t be able to shake all of them off.
“Mycroft will have to move well so the city doesn’t take damage.”
Now all that remained was to seize the egg in Irene Adler’s hands and return it to its parents.
Thinking I might need helpers besides Ulrich and Yan, I had a Butler Agency agent send two more letters in advance.
Now, once I finished the final coordination with Yan, all preparations would be complete.
If things went well, I would return to the boarding house tomorrow evening and rest in comfort.
If I failed, I would rest forever.
-Knock knock-
Around the ti the clock pointed to eight, a knock sounded from downstairs.
When I opened the door, I saw Yan standing there holding a large box.
“…You look awful.”
“What’s the point of saying that to a living Dead Man.”
His face was filled with fatigue. He said he’d co after dinner, so I wondered if he’d attended so gathering, but it seed it had been sothing far more serious.
“Co inside first.”
“I should.”
After coming up to the second floor, Yan greeted Watson, set down the bag, and imdiately sighed.
“You look terrible. What happened?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Looks like I’ll be holding a wedding soon.”
“…What?”
Watson was about to say sothing like, “Congratulations,” but after reading Yan’s expression, she quickly shut her mouth.
It felt like he was facing an extrely awkward situation.
Should I comfort him? No. This wasn’t my specialty. Not possible.
“You look unwilling. Was it forced by your family?”
“That’s right. I just went to et the second young lady of the Liverpool Tang Clan. We each brought elders from our families.”
“Even if it’s a collateral line, it should be richer than your house. Is there sothing you don’t like?”
“Of course. Damn it, this isn’t a proper marriage. The Tang Clan is trying to control the Yan Clan through this marriage. They’ve already sucked us down to the marrow, and they’re still greedy. They want to watch and bind .”
“…”
It looked complicated enough that I couldn’t say much.
I had once thought that if a man who lived on poison t a young lady of the Tang Clan, it might be happily ever after, but seeing him actually complain of suffering made it hard to speak.
It seed already decided by agreent between the two families, and for to offer advice now would be like an afterlife drug party.
“Well, we’ll have to finish this talk later over a drink. For now, I brought what you asked for, so check it.”
Yan carefully took out a glass vial no bigger than a fingernail from his bag.
Inside was an extrely small amount of a suspicious liquid with a dark red hue.
“I stole exactly one drop while the main house elder was asleep. If we’re found out, both you and I die. Handle it with extre care.”
“I’ve received sothing precious…”
“I’ll put it on your tab, so keep that in mind.”
As Yan was about to stand, I spoke again.
“One more thing. May I ask just one more?”
“Hm?”
“I’m curious whether this combination of fourteen fast-acting poisons I wrote down looks familiar to you.”
When I held out the paper I had prepared, the living Dead Man’s narrow eyes widened as he looked it over.
The next day.
11:40 a.m., Serpentine Avenue, Green Willow Manor.
Irene Adler leisurely fanned herself as she looked down at the Afternoon Tea Party executives gathered on the first floor of the estate.
“…I was going to have lunch and go shopping later, but what a sha.”
“I’m sorry, miss. It’s my fault for failing to grasp it in advance.”
Butler Wilson bowed his head beside her.
The morning paper carried an article saying the Tsar had secretly visited London.
Alexander III had realized who stole the egg craftwork and followed.
No matter where the information leaked from, it was Wilson’s job to not allow anything that could threaten the Party leader to happen.
Worse, this ti the Holess Clan, whom they’d disliked since the previous Party Leader’s days, had obtained the information before the Afternoon Tea Party.
No matter that the Afternoon Tea Party had recently committed large manpower to ‘another important matter,’ it was a situation with no excuse.
“It’s fine. He can’t stay in London long anyway, so he’ll go back soon. We just have to lie low for a few days.”
Fortunately, Adler didn’t take it as a major grievance, so Wilson was secretly relieved.
However, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the Party Leader’s insistence that she would eat for lunch the spirit-beast egg that had been hidden inside the work of Russia’s greatest jeweled craftsman, Fabergé.
That was an item they had planned to sell off to the Church Of Asteroid’s leader.
Since the leader broke the deal promise first, no one could complain no matter how Irene disposed of the egg, but the fact the Tsar secretly ca to London ant the egg was a highly aningful object to the emperor.
He even worried that an assassin sent by Alexander III might co for the Party Leader’s neck.
Of course, she was not soone who would be easily taken, but it was undeniably true that the Afternoon Tea Party’s force fell on the weaker side compared to other underworld powers.
On top of that, an unpleasant incident at the royal ballroom had made their position in the light shaky, if only slightly.
Today’s lunch gathering, too, was ant to foster internal unity of the faction against this crisis.
Wilson prayed that this precarious ti would pass without incident.
“Ah, getting worked up made hungry. Let’s eat.”
“I will prepare the al at once.”
With an utterly innocent face, Irene smiled, folded her fan, and began descending the stairs.
Just then.
“Party Leader, a report. A man calling himself the Little Heavenly Demon has co, holding a handkerchief.”
“…That man? Why now—”
“We tried to send him away, but he’s causing a disturbance, claiming you said he could co anyti. Four guards have already fallen.”
“What’s this? He’s more interesting than I thought. Let him in. Tell him to eat with us and go.”
“H-however, his belongings are a bit… If the executives see it, it may put a crack in your dignity…”
The young butler working under Wilson trailed off.
Irene tilted her head, puzzled, and asked.
“What did he bring?”
“That—”
After hesitating for a long while, the butler finally spoke.
“A bouquet.”
“Flowers?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of bouquet?”
“Hundreds of roses. The kind one would only bring to propose.”
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