Chapter 657: Chapter 219: Master Merlin’s Old Friend_2
“Yes.”
Master Merlin listened to these words and had just responded when he felt something was not quite right.
His usually optimistic old friend seemed to be enveloped in a sad mood today.
He tentatively asked, “Miss, you…?”
The cloaked person knew he had noticed something and spoke calmly, “I’ve come here on some business this time. At the same time, I’ve also come to say goodbye to you.”
Upon hearing this, Master Merlin’s expression stiffened abruptly, “You…”
This “goodbye” moistened the legendary master’s eyes in an instant.
He realized this might be their last meeting.
The last goodbye in one’s lifetime.
Suddenly overcome with sadness, Merlin hastily said, “I… have some new research…”
But the cloaked person smiled and shook her head, “It’s no use. All the methods that could be used have been tried. I am very aware of my own situation.”
With that, she continued in the same calm and resolved tone, “My old friend, don’t be sad for me. My life has been wonderful. I also know where I am going. Death is never the end…”
Master Merlin fell into a long silence upon hearing these words.
In his wise eyes, there was only sorrow and sighs.
There were not many people left in this world that he cared about, and losing one would make those memories feel as light as a dream, just as she had said.
Suddenly, he thought of something and asked, “Miss… the person you were looking for, did you find them?”
At this, the cloaked person’s eyes became misty and distant, as if recalling something from the passage of years, and finally, her thoughts resulted in a relieved smile, “Yes. I’m really very lucky.”
Master Merlin looked at her expression, “You…”
Suddenly the sadness was diluted.
He knew what the person she was looking for meant to her,
After a lifetime of waiting and seeking, there was finally resolution, and he was glad for his old friend.
With this thought, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared in the corner of Merlin’s eyes as he changed the subject, “I haven’t seen you this happy in many years.”
Reminded of something, the cloaked person revealed a sincere smile, “Yes. Fate has been quite kind to me. I’ve had a brilliant career, sincere friendships, and a resolved obsession…”
“…”
Master Merlin smiled along, his eyes unwittingly moistening.
Looking at the radiant smile on his old friend’s face, he was reminded of the days of their youth.
But on closer reflection, those days were a hundred years ago.
….
Meanwhile, Leonard Churchill had left the laboratory and headed straight to Downing Street.
He had spent a considerable amount of time in Sinless City and knew exactly where to find reliable information.
Old Dock Tavern.
The restless patrons, under the blare of heavy metal music, exuded the fervor of life, with the scent of hormones thick in the air.
In a corner,
Leonard sat with a glass of Blackberry Wine, sipping intermittently.
After advancing to the Third Tier, he felt incredible.
Even if every tavern’s notice board on Downing Street prominently displayed his arrest warrant, and bounty hunters were all over the streets looking to capture him,
he sat there, undisturbed in his heart.
That was the confidence that comes with a surge in strength.
Now that he had stepped into the Third Tier, killing him wouldn’t be easy.
At least, card masters below the Fourth Tier had virtually no chance.
However, since leaving the laboratory, a question lingered in Leonard’s mind, “Why would Master Merlin avoid the topic? What is the situation with that ‘big shot’ in the Upper State Prison…”
A person of Master Merlin’s status should have no one he would avoid discussing.
Yet he had said nothing.
Leonard had heard of the “Upper State Prison” before but only knew it was a prison.
Sinless City was originally a place of exile, and all who arrived were criminals.
In theory, those exiled here were free to roam, with no further restrictions on their liberty.
But there were some exceptions,
like certain “felons” from the Federal Government.
Political prisoners, or some exiled nobility, officers…
People with sensitive identities, who could not legally be killed, only exiled.
Yet the high-ups didn’t want them causing trouble back home, so they continued to restrict their freedom, hence the creation of “Upper State Prison.”
That was all the information Leonard knew.
As he drank, a flamboyantly dressed woman walked in and directly sat down across the table from him.
This was the Information merchant, Sister Bonny from Downing Street in Sinless City, quite famous in the underworld.
Leonard had dealt with this woman more than once, and as soon as they met, he got straight to the point, “The information I requested?”
Sister Bonny calmly sized up her client, confirming this was the first meeting, and replied directly, “One hundred thousand.”
These information merchants didn’t just sell information.
At the same time, the identity of their clients buying the information was important intel for them as well.
Leonard purposely let a chill flicker in his eyes but didn’t fail to respect the rules, and promptly brought out the cash.
Sister Bonny recognized his demeanor, knew he was savvy about their world, and immediately set aside her probing thoughts. Accepting the money, she handed over an Oil Paper Bag, “The information is all in here.”
Cash in one hand, goods in the other.
The two professionals didn’t break their cool composure.
But Leonard had been away from Sinless City for a long time, and he wanted to inquire about some other information, casually asking, “Anything big been happening around here lately?”
Good information wasn’t cheap.
He took out another stack of bills as he spoke.