Chapter 272 Midsummer Night's Banquet

June 17, 1399, 7:10 pm.

An inconspicuous public taxi passed through the blockade on Lion Street in the eastern part of the Iris District.

Whenever a noble holds a large-scale event, the surrounding blocks will be blocked off by blue uniforms. This is a unique treatment in the Iris District, and it is different from banquets in other places. After all, the organizer and participants are all powerful nobles with status and titles. Those ordinary businessmen and even ordinary civilians are still incomparable in the heart of the Hall of Order.

The carriage drove straight to the door of the Earl's Mansion. Private detective Mr. Lynch Levy jumped out of the carriage. He turned around and stretched out his hand. A tall lady in a black dress, red feather hat, black stockings and red high heels took his hand. He also stepped out of the carriage.

Officer Natalie Angell.

His arm rested on Lynch's arm unnaturally, and the two looked at each other and walked towards the gate of the Earl's Mansion.

"Mr. Lynch Levy comes to visit with his female companion!"

Hearing this voice, there was a slight commotion from the vague figures lurking in the shadows inside and outside the gate, and then a message quietly spread out.

I'm coming.

Following the loud voice of the concierge, the door to the Earl's Mansion slowly opened. Lynch straightened his unmatched bow tie, raised his cane in front of him and put it down again. He smiled at Officer Natalie beside him and stood side by side. Step into the gate of Earl's Palace.

Sixteen gas torches were like sixteen giant bonfires that reflected the faint redness of the night sky, and the courtyard of the Earl's Mansion illuminated by sixty-four gas lamps was as bright as day.

In the evening breeze of early summer, the clothes are fragrant and the shadows on the temples are singing and dancing.

The courtyard of the Earl's Mansion has been decorated as a reception venue, and the fresh smell of flowers and grass is everywhere.

A band of dozens of people dressed neatly in black tuxedos played a symphony in a corner of the garden. More than twenty professional security guards in black formal suits appeared neatly around the venue, working with waiters to maintain order at the venue.

On the stone floor surrounding the fountain, the guests who arrived in advance were well-dressed and laughing softly amidst the melodious music.

"According to intelligence, Prince William hopes to take the gem away before we deliver it to Princess Chloe, at least before the princess comes to do anything. And I have been hiding in the Church of the Suffering for the past two days. Today They just left with you, so tonight is their only chance."

"Well, so there is a high chance that they will do something at the reception." Officer Natalie held Lynch's arm awkwardly, looked around the venue, and asked without looking back, "You really brought the gems? ?”

"Of course." Lynch patted his wrist and then patted the lining of his formal suit, "How can I tempt them to take action if I don't bring it with me."

"I don't understand. Do you want them to take away the gems? That's not..."

"Of course it cannot be taken away, remember, absolutely not." Lynch said with a serious face, "We must do our best to protect the gems. Once they are taken away, we will be in an extremely passive situation. As for the reason, I'm sorry, it's not that I don't trust you and I'm keeping it secret from you, but it's just that it's not appropriate for you to know the inside story now. You will know everything after the incident is over."

"I don't need you to promise these." Although she didn't understand the reason, Officer Natalie nodded and said softly: "I know what attitude I should have, but in fact, the safest way is to give the gem to Grams now. Princess Roy."

"If we want to deliver it quietly, there is no need for this cocktail party." Lynch smiled and explained, "I am a very greedy person. When delivering the gem, I also hope to gain reputation, so His Highness Chloe held a meeting This cocktail party provided me with a stage to publicly deliver the mission items. Oh, this was proactively revealed through the informants in Mr. Lorende’s family. This is why they would use today as the date of action from the beginning, otherwise. They should have started earlier."

Seeing Officer Natalie nod thoughtfully, Lynch continued to add: "As for her coming out early to contact us, this is inconsistent with etiquette and is frivolous and disrespectful. It is a serious stigma to the nobles. As a Princess, it is impossible for her to do this, no matter how important it is, she cannot lose etiquette."

"So we have to wait until she comes out."

"Yes, in forty-five minutes, that is, at eight o'clock, she will give a speech. After five minutes, she will end her speech and begin to welcome the most important guests. At this time, there is room for maneuver, so from now on, insist on five In ten minutes, everything can be over, but within these fifty minutes, we must remain vigilant at all times.”

"I understand, which means that these fifty minutes are their time window, and they will take the opportunity to use all means to take away the gems. I understand the style of the Rangers and the Hall of Order very well. They are not very useful against foreign enemies, but they are not very effective against foreign enemies. Very good when it comes to causing trouble.”

Officer Natalie looked around. Guests who had arrived early, servants coming and going, and security personnel dressed in black, more than a hundred people had gathered in the courtyard:

"There must be a group of their people ambushing in this courtyard. These people will blend in with the guests in various identities, so everyone around us may be an enemy."

Lin Qi's eyes flashed and he whispered: "Including those noble guests?"

"Yes, including." Speaking of her professional field, Officer Natalie answered in detail, "In this situation, they can't use overly conspicuous means to attack us, otherwise it would be a rebellion, so they must choose those covert means. There are not many professionals who actually implement these methods, but they need a lot of people to cooperate, just like when they train hounds to track and stalk. So the guests you mentioned are likely to be the ones who cooperate, and the real professionals are hidden among them."

"Haha, Mr. Leviv, see you again."

Before Officer Natalie finished speaking, a man's voice came from the side. Looking back, the two detectives of the Hall of Order were sitting in the corner smoking, surrounded by several guests dressed in civilian clothes. Seeing the two people coming over, he immediately waved with a smile on his face:

"Mr. Detective, I heard that your mission is progressing well. It's only been a few days and you have news. You are worthy of being our famous detective in Rhine City. You can make progress so quickly. Our entire Hall of Order is following you... Hey, Officer Angel is here too. I thought it was Miss Valente."

"The church has other things to do. Miss Valente can't attend. I can only ask Ms. Angel to accompany me."

Lin Qi was about to greet him when he heard Officer Natalie's secret signal on his arm. Knowing that something was wrong, he smiled and said a few perfunctory words and left the side of the few people. The two detectives did not stop him, but just glanced at Natalie with a meaningful look, and the two sides said goodbye to each other in a friendly manner.

As soon as they left, Lynch immediately asked, "Are there any problems with the two of them?"

"They may not be a problem, but the people around them are. One is a famous jewelry appraisal expert in the black market, and the other is a tracker, which is a profession that specializes in tracking treasures and is generally active in thieves' groups. These two people are not dangerous, but with them around, we cannot rule out the possibility that there are other "talents" that I don't know."

Lynch nodded and said, "I understand, it's no wonder, they may not be dispatched by the Rangers, but they are definitely influenced by the city government and Mayor Howard, it seems..."

"Mr. Detective, nice to meet you."

Another greeting interrupted the two people's private conversation. Looking over, it was a noble who attended the cocktail party last time, who seemed to be Baron Durham of the Ministry of Finance, and was followed by several nobles and their servants.

"Be careful, the gray-haired guy is a famous expert in Rhine. It's best not to get close to him easily."

Lin Qi frowned and said distressedly: "But in this kind of occasion, I can't find a place to hide and not socialize, especially when everyone knows that I'm here, otherwise it will have a huge impact on my reputation."

"That's right, I'll listen to you in this matter, then go, but wait a moment."

Officer Natalie bit her lip and thought for a moment, then suddenly waved to a waiter and took a glass of champagne from him.

A waiter with a face full of flesh and a big beard.

"Such a lively cocktail party can't be enjoyed only by the Rangers."

Taking the wine glass, Natalie winked at the bearded man, who chuckled and turned to disappear into the crowd. Officer Natalie sneered softly and stuffed the wine glass into Lynch's hand:

"It is indeed inconvenient for us Watchers to determine our position, but we have no psychological burden to cause trouble for the Rangers in private. Besides, this is to help Princess Salt escort the mysterious stolen items, which is the Watcher's duty."

So, as the bearded man left, many people at the venue quietly moved.