RNP Chapter 3460 Familiar Northern Suburbs
Chapter 3460 Familiar Northern Suburbs
Chapter 3460 Familiar Northern Suburbs
The snow didn't fall any heavier, and the two people waiting at the grave continued to wait. As the setting sun bathed the entire cemetery in a golden glow, a person, also without an umbrella, walked out of the cemetery entrance.
From a distance, Shad could see that the man was a middle-aged man of average height. As he got a little closer, Shad saw a symbol representing "humanity" on the top of his head. He was dressed entirely in black, his hair was neatly combed, but his face was effeminate, and he had no beard.
Before Shad could guess, Tifa whispered before the man got really close:
"A eunuch. He must have worked at the Yodl Palace."
The largest source of eunuchs for Tobesk was the eunuch servants of the Yodel Palace. They were often unknown, but they possessed secrets that others could hardly imagine, and some even wielded power.
The eunuch servants didn't necessarily serve at the Yodl Palace for their entire lives; as long as they weren't in classified positions, they could resign and leave. Whether they would subsequently attract the attention of MI6 was something only Director Anlos knew.
Regardless, the appearance of a eunuch servant who appears to have served in the Yordle Palace at this time is enough to illustrate the extent to which the House of Resurrection has developed.
The newcomer didn't introduce himself or his name to Shad. He seemed to know Shad and Tifa well, nodding slightly before speaking:
"Sir Hamilton, is everything packed?"
"The hair and photos are with me, and the Duke has also prepared the payment for everyone."
Tifa was carrying a briefcase filled with cash and banknotes. As for hair and photos, of course, there were none. Grey Hawk wouldn't leave any photos of himself, which was quite similar to Shad.
The stranger, whose voice was somewhat high-pitched, made an inviting gesture, but the movement was quite graceful and natural; he must have practiced it tens of thousands of times.
"Please follow me, my two distinguished guests."
Without even glancing at Sparrow Hamilton's tombstone, he led Shad and Tifa back out of the cemetery. As expected, a carriage that looked exactly like the rental carriages in town was parked at the cemetery entrance. The eunuch jumped into the driver's seat, Shad climbed into the carriage first, and then pulled Tifa in as well.
There was no "blindfolded" scene that Shad had imagined; the carriage immediately set off with the two of them, their destination being the city. The House of Resurrection being in the city was the worst-case scenario they had anticipated when formulating the plan, because it meant that many methods could no longer be used indiscriminately.
For example, Shad would never simply transform into a figure hundreds of meters tall in the city.
Fortunately, the carriage didn't head straight for the city center, but instead entered the northern part of Tobeskoye, the lower city. After passing the familiar Charming Square as the last rays of the setting sun lingered on the horizon, the carriage continued north. It passed the neighborhood where the dilapidated women's shelter, "Carnation House," was located, and finally stopped on the banks of the Osel River.
This river is one of the important rivers flowing through northern Tobesk, and during the high-water season, it can even be described as having a raging current. Although the new moon has not yet ended, the surface of the Oser River has thawed, and several boats are sailing on it.
The eunuch led Shad and Tifa off the carriage and towards a small boat moored on the riverbank. There he handed each of them a mask; Shad's was black, and Tifa's was white.
"This is to protect your privacy. Apart from myself and the high priest of the House of Resurrection, no one knows your identity."
He explained it this way, and Shad was naturally very satisfied. This was not only to protect his and Tifa's privacy, but also to protect the identity of the "fake person" who was about to be sent out, which was also within Shad's expectations.
So the steam engine was started, and the small boat, illuminated by the gradually brightening gas lamps on the embankment, slowly sailed further north into the suburbs until it was completely out of the city.
"So it's still outside the city."
As Shad put on his mask, he took Tifa's right hand in his left. The maid's black hair fluttered in the river breeze. She noticed Shad looking at her, and her beautiful eyes behind the mask met his gaze, showing no sign of nervousness.
The steamship eventually docked at a small pier outside the city that Shad had never seen before. Once ashore, Shad realized that the pier belonged to a rural estate.
The snow had stopped, and the three moons hung high overhead. With his darkvision, Shad saw vast stretches of farmland and wasteland all around him, with no sign of a town. Beside the brightly lit manor stood a small horse ranch.
A narrow country lane, wide enough for two people to walk side by side, extends from the horse farm and estate; presumably, it could be used as a racetrack during the racing season. With the moon and stars few, there was, of course, no one else to be seen except for the brightly lit estate.
As the eunuch led Shad and Tifa to the mansion, Shad looked into the distance and vaguely saw another building in the distance with a pointed roof and a cross-shaped decorative spire, but it wasn't particularly close to them.
"That building over there looks familiar. Oh, I remember now, it's here. Coincidentally, I used Detective Sparrow as an excuse—is it a coincidence or fate?"
He knew where he was; he had been here once before. Tifa, however, stared intently at the manor building. The ninth-ringed witch apprentice hadn't sensed any particularly strong whispering elements from the building itself, meaning that while this manor might be the headquarters of the [House of Resurrection], it was definitely not the true form of the [House of False Humans].
"The estate of Earl Fick".
Tifa's voice echoed in Shad's mind, but Shad remained calm and continued to lead her by the hand, following the eunuch forward. The eunuch servant did not lead them to the main entrance, but instead guided them through the back door of the mansion.
At this moment, Shad squeezed Tifa's hand, indicating that he should try not to cast spells after this. Shad himself did not even use [Heart of Stone] to listen to his heartbeat, but he still instinctively felt that the manor, with all the gaslights on, was eerily empty.
No one greeted them at the mansion. The eunuch led them up the stairs to the entrance of the banquet hall on the top floor of the estate. After a gentle knock, the door creaked open a crack, revealing a completely dark interior.
The eunuch did not go in, but instead gestured for Shad and Tifa to enter again. Upon entering, they found the lights were indeed off, all the furniture in the banquet hall had vanished, and a stone platform had been erected in the center, upon which rested a stone coffin, as if on a shrine.
More than twenty strangers dressed in black robes stood on either side of the banquet hall wall. Xia De glanced at them, and each person's race was clearly displayed above their head. Only two-thirds of those present showed "human," one showed the mark of a vampire, and the rest showed nothing, clearly all pseudo-humans.
"Were vampires involved in this? Was it a coincidence, or was there some other reason?"
His worst fear—that everyone he arrived to be human—did not come true. However, these people not only had their heads bowed, but they were also all wearing masks. Furthermore, their black robes were loose, making it impossible for Shad to discern what stage these pseudo-humans were at.
The banquet hall floor was painted black, and then blood swirled around the platform where the sarcophagus rested, forming an inverted pentagram. A series of dark brown tapestries hung on the walls, covered with dense black runes resembling tombstone inscriptions. Even Shad couldn't decipher the runes, so they were clearly forged occult symbols.
It certainly looks impressive, but it's all just for show. The methods of the [House of Resurrection] are indeed quite good. If an ordinary person who knows nothing comes here and sees this scene, coupled with the mental power possessed by the second-stage pseudo-humans, it would be difficult for them to doubt the professionalism of this place.
The eunuch outside closed the door, plunging the room into complete darkness. Shad and Tifa pretended to be startled by their inability to see clearly for a moment, until the men in black robes lit their candles and gathered around the central platform. Only then did they calm down, and by then Shad had grabbed Tifa's hand again.
Then, from among the black-robed figures who had arrived below the platform, one approached Shad. She proactively lifted her hood and removed her mask, revealing a beautiful face and a head of fluffy brown hair. If it weren't for the black gills on her cheeks and her vertically slanted eyes, she would have been considered a very beautiful noblewoman.
“Guest, welcome to the House of Resurrection. I am the chief priest for this ceremony, please just call me ‘chief priest’. I know you value your privacy and don’t want to have much interaction with us.”
Shad simply nodded slightly, took the briefcase from Tifa's hand, and handed it to her.
"If it weren't for my uncle, I wouldn't have come to a place like this. Enough of the formalities, here's the payment. When shall we begin?"
He cleared his throat again, but this was a pre-arranged signal; Tifa had already begun contacting the others.
The lady smiled and took the box, handing it to the person behind her without opening it.
"Honorable guest, I know you miss your deceased loved ones, but please don't be anxious. Reversing the cycle of life and death is not an easy thing. Those who return must travel against the flow of the dead for a long time before they can reach their loved ones. Please be patient. I guarantee that you will be reunited with the loved ones you wish to call out to before midnight tonight."
Shad was certainly not in a hurry; he was even worried that the other side was moving too fast and that it would be over before Luvia and the others could arrive.
"So what do I need to do now?"
"Did you bring the photos and the hair?"
"of course."