Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 134

“If it weren’t for the Duke, you’d hardly see those ‘Foxes’ here,” Miss Ruby said with a mix of scorn and envy in a low voice, obviously mistaking the two as mere companions to the Duke, unaware that Yitzfa was actually a high-ranking member of the Fox Family. As a senior member of the Black Gold Families, Yitzfa didn’t need to rely on anyone to enter White Bridge.

In fact, if Shivers hadn’t had several encounters with him, he wouldn’t understand why Yitzfa, clearly inheriting the Fox name and able to live in luxury, always personally engaged in such misunderstandings. It’s one thing for Miss Ruby and others to look down on him, but dealing with the wealthy and influential was no easy task. No matter how elegantly Yitzfa danced through social events, he inevitably faced awkward and troublesome moments—and his younger brother, Sisi, with his naive and innocent appearance, obviously hadn’t experienced these complicated situations.

Given his abilities and access to classified information, his position within the Fox Family wasn’t minor.

Yitzfa, unaware of the thoughts quickly passing through Shivers’ mind from their last unpleasant parting, didn’t want to cozy up to him now. Thus, after casting a mocking glance at him, he reclined back on the sofa, pretending not to recognize him.

White Bridge operated a selective admission system, and typically, the artists and performers seen at court balls or private salons were hard to find at events like this. The few, like Yitzfa and the girl beside him, came as private companions of their employers. Despite their beauty and wit, skilled in music and poetry, and elegant in conversation, it took no more than two dances for many who covertly thought they were cheap call girls to completely change their impression, with the Duke’s sofa becoming the center of the entire ball.

This suited the middle-aged Duke just fine. He was accustomed to enjoying this level of attention. At his signal, barrels of mead and fig brandy were continuously served by the attendants on glass trays. As a guest invited by Miss Ruby, Shivers had no standing to act on a whim and ended up having one drink after another until, feeling on the verge of losing his senses due to excessive drinking, he barely excused himself from the dance floor and stepped out into the small garden adjacent to the banquet hall for some fresh air.

The night deepened, and the cold air, mixed with various perfumes lingering around him, finally refreshed Shivers a bit.

He stood under a camphor tree, staring at some rose bushes nearby, contemplating whether to induce vomiting to clear his head further.

It was a disgraceful and undignified act, but he felt so heavy-headed at the moment. Except for a small sandwich and two candied oranges, he hadn’t eaten much, which made his stomach churn even more.

The guests inside were mostly drunk by then, but other servants hadn’t indulged. Shivers wanted a few more minutes to talk to Awen about Jim.

His time was limited. Unlike Hall or Shiloh, he couldn’t use religion as a pretext to delve into Paradise Island and instill a spirit of rebellion among the natives. However, people like Awen, brought into the inner city, were also crucial. Fortunately, he met his target on the first evening. If he could further solidify that connection…

“What are you doing?” a voice suddenly asked, somewhat slurred due to the alcohol, startling Shivers. He turned too quickly, triggering a dizzy spell, and had to grab the camphor tree, blinking hard to recognize the figure by the ivory-colored satin shirt in the dim light.

“Yitzfa?” he sighed in relief.

Yitzfa didn’t approach but observed him from three steps away. “You’re drunk?”

Shivers thought for a moment. “Maybe a little.”

Then Yitzfa fell silent. When the atmosphere became somewhat awkward, he simply uttered an “Oh,” turned, and walked away.

Shivers instinctively felt something was wrong—but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was right away and reached out to stop him, missing and almost stumbling.

“Wait.” He had to call out, for Yitzfa was walking resolutely toward the light coming from a window.

Yitzfa turned around, arms folded, watching him.

“I’m sorry about last time,” Shivers said. “I shouldn’t have spoken that way. It wasn’t my intention.”

Seemingly surprised to hear this, Yitzfa took a couple of steps closer but remained silent.

Once he started, it became easier for Shivers to speak again. “I’m sorry.”

His body felt numb, and under the dim light, he couldn’t see the complexity in Yitzfa’s eyes.

“What do you mean? If you’re referring to me relying on looks and charm to manipulate people’s feelings for my own benefit, you’re right. The Foxes live off that, and that’s what I am,” Yitzfa said.

“No, that’s not it!” Shivers was a bit desperate, struggling to find the right words. “You don’t have to be that way.”

“But that’s what I am,” Yitzfa said, his expression somber.

Shivers stood there for a while, waiting for the dizziness to pass, wanting to say that Yitzfa had great analytical and daring skills and could succeed without relying on anyone. But he vaguely felt that Yitzfa wasn’t softened by his apology, and was instead somewhat confrontational, which made him tread carefully with his words to avoid further mistakes.

“I think—” he started, but then the lights behind Yitzfa brightened, and both turned toward the light, where a tall, brown-haired man squinted at them.

“What are you doing?” he asked drunkenly. He had noticed some figures in the garden and bet with two women who were also inebriated that someone was having an affair in the bushes, but they thought the garden was too small and open for such an act. Wanting to prove his point, he had leaned out to look, only to see two men standing and talking, a few steps apart from each other.

Before Shivers could reply, Yitzfa suddenly stepped forward two steps and affectionately took his hand.

“Mr. Green was trying to escape,” he said sweetly. “I caught him.”

“That’s cowardly, sir!” The man immediately forgot his initial purpose and yelled at them. “We still have the best wine—no one is allowed to leave tonight!”

Shivers didn’t want to drink anymore. His body wasn’t one to handle intoxication well, and he wanted to speak further with Yitzfa, at least to clear up the misunderstanding.

But it seemed Yitzfa wasn’t inclined to forgive his earlier faux pas. Reluctantly pulled back into the banquet hall, Shivers forced a smile as he accepted a glass of wine handed to him by Yitzfa.

……

“When Porb returned home, he found his wife, son, and daughter waiting for him, with tea brewing on the stove and his favorite stew in the pot,” Aquinas said in a calm voice. “He had conquered evil and injustice, and his adventurous spirit and courage were seen by the gods, so he was rewarded. His family, like a broken mirror, was put back together—without even a crack, brand new and bright, just like his life.”

The devout listeners in the room paid serious attention. One timidly asked, “But, sir, couldn’t Porb have just worked hard and saved up offerings, and still be reborn in a better world with his family after death?”

“Yes, that’s true.” Aquinas, experienced in persuasion, quickly found the right words. “Porb could have done that, but then he would have had to endure many more years of suffering. His family had already been whipped to death by the Lord, and he would have had to return home alone each day—alone in his thoughts of his deceased loved ones.”

He smoothly added, “It’s a matter of choice. Would you rather reunite with your loved ones immediately or wait another ten or fifteen years?”

It wasn’t a difficult question, even for those present who had never learned to calculate.

The person who asked the question was convinced, and those around him started whispering among themselves.

“Let’s end today’s evening lesson here,” Aquinas continued in a drawling tone. “Last night, in my dreams, I heard a divine decree…”

As he spoke, the somewhat noisy crowd instantly quieted down. Shiloh, standing behind Aquinas and draped in a cloak, felt a shiver down his spine as he saw the sudden, almost pathological focus and fervor in people’s eyes through his veil—more terrifying than armed enemies on a battlefield.

“God says the scales of fate are slightly unbalanced, a precursor to increasing injustice,” Aquinas proclaimed. “Starting tonight, my assistant will help me delve into your homes to listen to your sufferings and wishes, which I will collect and offer to God.”

He glanced around with his eyes rolling slightly as if sensing something. The person behind him in a cloak jabbed Aquinas in the back, causing him to grimace and reluctantly add, “This is God’s grace and also His duty bestowed upon me. My followers need not pay anything—your only task is to speak and listen.”

This was somewhat different from Aquinas’s usual approach, but undoubtedly much more popular. The crowd cheered, their faces uniformly reverent and convinced. Seeing this, Aquinas felt somewhat placated. After all, he wasn’t personally required to do these strange tasks, and his stature only seemed to grow, which was harmless and beneficial.

So far, that wicked sorcerer hadn’t meddled with his private property or status. Though forced to follow others’ directives due to an unknown curse, cunning Aquinas chose to feign submission upon realizing the power gap between them. His life hadn’t been greatly affected.

Moreover, he vaguely felt that it was his status and followers that the others desired. So, he felt secure in the foreseeable future and might even gain additional support. However, he couldn’t figure out what these strange people wanted.

Aquinas cautiously left through a secret passage and consciously stayed away from the room “they” used as an office. They were all there, altering his doctrines and planning bizarre actions.

They showed an unusually keen interest in the residents of Paradise Island. Even the Wolf and Monkey Families usually didn’t bother to look this way (a key reason he had been able to grow over the years). If these were foreign demons, what could they possibly extract from Paradise Island? Faith? But this place was almost the poorest and most hopeless in the world, where people’s faith couldn’t even buy the cheapest piece of paper in today’s auction…

Aquinas was baffled.

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