OBS Chapter 4152 An Unexpected Acquaintance
Chapter 4152 An Unexpected Acquaintance
Chapter 4152 An Unexpected Acquaintance
"Guests, please follow me to the third floor of the guild hall, which will be the last stop of our visit. The third floor is mainly the activity area for the leatherworkers in the guild hall and a small amount of office space, but its main function is still for enjoyment."
On the rumbling, vibrating elevator, the young woman addressed everyone:
"Once we reach the third floor, my duties will be over. You are free to tour the third floor as you please, or you may take a drink and join the never-ending banquet."
Soon after, someone will come to find you and take you to those secluded offices, meeting rooms, or reception rooms. Once your purpose has been achieved, you may leave the clubhouse if you wish.
Just as she finished speaking, the elevator arrived at the third floor. Looking out from the elevator, what lay before her was not a corridor, but a vast banquet hall.
Stylishly dressed men and women, all looking quite young, were passing the time in the banquet hall. Some were chatting and joking with their companions while holding wine glasses, others were playing chess or cards, and still others were dancing to the music.
The warm yellow lights cast a glow, tempting food was piled high on the long dining table, antique oil paintings that looked like they had been there for a long time covered the walls, and a rather huge crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling of the banquet hall.
This place looked no different from a banquet in the normal world, except that Shad was certain that everyone present was wearing leather.
"A small portion of the people in the banquet hall were leatherworkers who came to rest during their work breaks, but most were outsiders who came voluntarily and did not want to leave. They were both candidates for leatherworkers and raw materials."
The young woman smiled and gestured for everyone to leave the elevator and proceed to the third floor:
"The banquet hall has many doors on all four sides, and all the doors are interconnected, leading to other banquet halls. If you accidentally find yourself in an area that is not a banquet hall, please politely close the door and leave, so as not to disturb the cobbler who is resting."
She bowed to the group, but just as she was about to leave, Xia De called her back:
"So, what are you in this guild hall?"
Shad asked the question that everyone had:
"There are leatherworkers here, and there are people who volunteered to stay. So what about you? Are leatherworkers the only 'staff' in the guild hall?"
The information provided by Desire actually contained this information, but Shad wanted to hear it from the other party himself.
The young girl was still smiling:
"My identity? I am of course 'Miss Leather Stand'. I am dedicated to showcasing all kinds of leather goods to guests. Although leather goods can be worn by anyone, there will always be someone who is more suitable to show off their charm."
She looked at Wei Ge again:
"So, I especially like young and beautiful girls. I will also be wandering around the third floor. If you want to find me, tap your respective identity cards with your fingers, and I will come looking for you. Now, guests, enjoy your time in the club."
She turned and left, her figure quickly disappearing into the crowd in the banquet hall.
The people who were with Xia De and Wei Ge then scattered to various corners of the banquet hall and quickly disappeared. These people had no intention of staying together.
Xia De and Wei Ge shared the same thought, and the two remained hand in hand. Wei Ge didn't seem to care where they were going, but Xia De could still tell that Wei Ge was somewhat distracted.
So after everyone else disappeared, he led Wei Ge deeper into the banquet hall. He originally wanted to go to the window to talk to Wei Ge, but he found that he couldn't get close to the wall with the window no matter what he did, as if the space stretched infinitely when they approached.
However, the window itself was covered by vermilion curtains, so it didn't matter even if you didn't get close.
Finally, the two stopped at a long table in the banquet hall with a champagne tower on it, where their strange shadows were reflected in every glass of champagne.
"So far everything has been going well. What are you thinking? Shouldn't I have saved those two earlier?"
Xia De asked curiously, and Wei Ge gently shook her head, speaking directly to Xia De without any hesitation:
"Of course I won't object to you doing this. I'm not a completely good person, but I'm not a completely bad person either. I'm just thinking that my mother came here more than 20 years ago. She probably came alone back then."
Shad smiled:
"You're feeling quite sentimental, aren't you? Although you have various thoughts and feelings about your mother, you're still saddened because you've set foot in the same place as her. I can understand your perspective. When I first went to the college I attended, I also missed those girls who were on the other side of time."
Viggo understood what Shade was saying:
"I knew you understood me. But I just don't know, where is Mother? Could it be that our guesses are wrong, and Mother won't guide me at all? Or perhaps she's found things are going smoothly, so she doesn't plan to show herself easily?"
Xia De was still smiling:
"It would be better if she didn't show up; the situation is already in complete chaos. The other seven people besides us all have their own agendas."
Wei Ge nodded:
"Alright, what should we do now? Wait for the people from the guild to come to us? Or, do you want to play cards with these people dressed in leather? They say you really like playing Rhodes."
"Even if you like it, you shouldn't be playing cards here. Come with me, I want to go somewhere."
The human skin scroll with Xia De's real name signed on it, along with Xia De, was now on the third floor, and its exact location could be perceived more clearly by him.
Although he didn't think he could easily find the agreement, or even the agreement that "Desire" had signed with the club back then, he figured he had nothing else to do, so he might as well wander around and maybe find some unexpected surprises.
The "core collection room" that the fake man wants to find, the agreement of desire, the power of the great sin mark that exists here, a quarter of Vigo's sister's body—thinking about it this way, there are really a lot of things to find this time. But if you stop in one place, you can't find them all.
"I wonder how Iluna and the others are doing with their investigation on the periphery."
Thinking to himself, Xia De took Wei Ge's hand and walked towards the wooden door by the wall. Behind the door was another lively banquet hall. The banquet halls were connected, filled with good-looking men and women. Many people even kindly and warmly invited Xia De and Wei Ge to stop by and join their gatherings.
But Xia De and Wei Ge did not stop. After Xia De pushed open another wooden door, no new music came out from behind it.
Behind the door was a huge suite. Shad, who had been to the witch's bedroom in the Fifth Age, could easily tell that this was a luxurious bedroom suite built in the style of the Fifth Age architecture.
The door is located on one side of a spacious living room with a fireplace, sofa, and coffee table, which connects to various functional areas such as bedrooms, dressing rooms, bathrooms, and private studies.
From the direction of the bedroom, out of Xia De and Wei Ge's sight, came the sounds of whips cracking and lashing.
After exchanging a glance, the two went inside. Upon entering the bedroom, they saw a middle-aged woman dressed in light gauze cracking a whip, while on the bed was another young woman who looked very pretty.
This wasn't punishment, but rather a form of... Hearing footsteps, the middle-aged woman cracking the whip temporarily stopped. Ignoring the young woman's complaints on the bed, she turned to the two of them, paused slightly, and then smiled at Wei Ge, saying:
“Miss Astley, it’s been a long time.”
Wei Ge was certain she didn't recognize the unremarkable middle-aged woman in front of her, and even more surprised that the woman had called her name so readily. But looking at the woman's smiling face, for some reason, a name suddenly came to mind:
"Mrs. Connaught?"
This is a middle-aged noblewoman whom Vigo and Xia De met at a charity gala. She was keeping a young lover after her husband's death. However, she was later discovered to be suspected of being related to mermaids. She shed her own skin to fake her death and escape. With the help of the "third female lead" in the theater troupe, she put on the old man's skin and temporarily lived in the troupe.
Now the opera troupe is also under close investigation by the church. Xia De and Wei Ge both thought that she would try to escape again, or that the church had obtained the clue from her when they sent people into the [Leather Goods Hall]. They never expected that she would have come here as well.
"Yes, it's me. I didn't expect someone as important as you to remember me."
The middle-aged woman stroked her cheek:
“I’m very different from before, but thankfully I’ve finally regained the appearance of a middle-aged woman. I think it won’t be long before I get a more youthful look, and then…”
She seemed to have thought of something, and a genuine smile appeared on her face.
Then she asked Wei Ge curiously:
"But what brings you here, Miss Astley? You are so beautiful that countless women in the city would love to skin you and wear your skin. Do you really need to come to the Guild Hall for help?"
This seemingly rational middle-aged woman, in Wei Ge's eyes, had probably gone completely insane. However, Wei Ge felt no pity for her; such stories played out in every corner of the world, and for ordinary people caught up in the supernatural, death was the most enviable fate.
"I came here for other reasons, but how did you recognize me?"
Viggo was very curious about this. Mrs. Connaught, holding the whip, nodded and glanced at Shad while talking to Viggo:
"Of course, your beauty, even if it's deliberately disguised, has a unique attraction for me. Although we 'skinless people' who have lost our original skin have a low status in the guild, we have a strong ability to appreciate and distinguish high-quality skin."
She laughed, her flesh jiggling with pleasure. Shad tried to avoid looking at her; the thin veil covering her was almost transparent, and Shad was afraid that looking too much would give him nightmares.