Chapter 267: The Impoverished Miss Wraith
Dragging his weary body, Lorne finally returned to 69 Rose Street. Everything that happened tonight was simply unbelievable, leaving him feeling mentally exhausted.
He removed the Disguise Cufflink, reverting to his original appearance.
"Sigh… a woman's mind is truly unfathomable."
Sitting at his desk, Lorne couldn't help but sigh.
Fors's behavior tonight was definitely off. Lorne could only pray that it was due to the female Author's overly delicate and sensitive emotions, and not some damned mystical factor involved.
Thinking about the women he had encountered since transmigrating, he propped his chin and couldn't help but comment on each of them in his mind.
Hazel, that young lady, was the easiest to read; all her emotions were written on her face. As for Captain Edwina, she always seemed calm and unperturbed, but at least she didn't seem to have any ill intentions; she was a scholar one could communicate with as an equal. As for Tracy… forget it, Tracy wasn't an ordinary person at all. Just thinking of that beautiful face made Lorne shiver.
Although he hadn't spent much time with Xio, she was actually quite easy to understand, a righteous yet somewhat naive girl. Cattelya…
"Forget it, gossiping about others isn't a good habit. I should go to bed early, there's still a mess to clean up…" Just as Lorne was about to put aside these troubling thoughts and prepare for bed,
his movements woke Lachi, the Orange Cat, who was curled up in a ball, sound asleep on the bed.
"Meow~"
Lachi groggily opened her eyes, looked at her owner who had woken her up, and let out a dissatisfied meow.
"Whoosh whoosh—" But suddenly, her nose twitched vigorously.
"Meow!"
Lachi sharply lifted her head, her amber cat eyes filled with shock. She stared intently at her owner: "You—how are you covered in the scent of other females?!"
Accompanied by a faint silver-white glow, a tender yet somewhat ethereal voice reached Lorne's ears.
"Someone—was in your room—"
"What?!"
Lorne suddenly jolted awake from the bed, sitting upright. He glanced to the side and saw that Lachi, the Orange Cat, was still curled up in a ball, deep in her dreams.
He turned his head to look out the window, realizing that dawn was just breaking, and the sky outside was still a hazy gray.
"Who?"
His spiritual intuition was triggered! Something was nearby!
He subtly reached his hand under his pillow, tightly gripping a charm he had prepared long ago.
Lorne tightened his grip on the charm, held his breath, and quietly got out of bed, stepping out one by one.
"We meet again."
A phantom, ethereal voice came from behind him.
Lorne spun around sharply, discovering a graceful figure quietly floating in front of the window, her back to the dim light, her silhouette outlined somewhat indistinctly.
Lorne's hair instantly stood on end, but once he saw who it was, he slowly let out a breath, a helpless bitter smile appearing on his face: "Miss Sharon, can't you appear in a more normal way? Like knocking on the door—"
Sharon, dressed in a Gothic court gown and wearing a small black soft hat, was gently floating in mid-air, silently looking at him with her placid azure eyes.
"I am a Wraith," Sharon said without any emotional fluctuation, as if stating a fact.
Hiss—alright. Whether it was due to the need to act out her potion's characteristics or her own habits, this ghostly entrance certainly fit the characteristics of a "Wraith" very well.
"Are you looking for me for something?" Lorne asked.
—Sharon didn't speak, just stared at him quietly.
"Uh—" Lorne felt a little unnerved by her gaze, his brow slightly furrowed, and he joked, "Let me guess—it's probably not good news, right? You two—ran into trouble?"
"Mm." Sharon nodded with an extremely small movement, confirming his guess.
This—something really happened? The smile on Lorne's face froze.
Sharon slowly spoke: "Help—I need your help."
"Help—" Lorne chewed on the word.
Something that Sharon, a Sequence 5 Wraith, combined with Marich, a Sequence 6, couldn't resolve, actually required his help?
And it just so happened to be when he was recently having bad luck and was plagued by troubles.
Couldn't something good happen for once?
Sigh—honestly, Lorne didn't want to get involved in this mess.
But then again, she had indeed taken on his high-risk bodyguard commission back then, taking such a big risk for him.
Even if she did it for money, he still appreciated the favor.
"Heh." He chuckled self-deprecatingly, then said, "Alright, what is it? Let me guess—
Is it someone from the Rose School of Thought who came knocking?"
—Sharon didn't speak, but her azure eyes scanned him up and down again, her gaze seeming to linger on his face for an extra moment.
Lorne subconsciously touched his face. It was strange, many people had been looking at him like this recently.
"Your tone is strange. There's no one else here," Sharon said with a declarative tone, her cherry lips slightly parted.
"I—" Lorne was momentarily speechless. He had subconsciously slipped back into James Scott's state and couldn't switch back immediately.
"It is indeed someone from the Indulgence Faction who has arrived," Sharon said, not pressing further.
"Indulgence Faction—" Lorne lowered his head slightly, beginning to ponder. After a moment, he looked up and asked, "What kind of enemy?"
"We've cooperated before, and you know—" He spread his hands, setting expectations in advance, "Although my Sequence isn't low, my direct combat ability is—quite average."
Sharon, dressed in a black court gown, calmly replied, "You only need to be my assistant."
"To ambush and kill a Sequence 5 Beyonder."
"Sequence 5?" Lorne was slightly surprised. "With your strength, an ordinary Sequence 5 shouldn't be your match, right—"
"He has a Sealed Artifact that greatly restrains me," Sharon replied candidly, without much expression. "The one in charge of this matter is indeed a high-Sequence powerhouse.
But he has already been lured elsewhere by the arrangements Marich and I made in advance.
"So, the main threat now is only that Sequence 5 Beyonder."
"What kind of help do you think I can offer you?" Lorne asked curiously.
"You are very special," Sharon said concisely. "You can, to a certain extent, perceive my existence. And that Sequence 5 is also a Wraith."
"Wraith"—Lorne immediately thought of his experience dealing with Blood Admiral Senior.
His "Calamity Premonition" inherently possessed a certain degree of foresight. If combined with the enhanced perception brought by the Forced Calm Ring, he could barely be considered a "human radar."
"What's the reward?"
"What do you want?" Sharon countered.
"Money," Lorne said without hesitation.
He had encountered far too many troubles recently. But ultimately, tracing back to the root, many problems could be attributed to the same thing—poverty! If he had enough pounds, both the trouble at the gun factory and his promotion matters could be easily resolved.
Lorne looked at her attire; this exquisitely crafted and well-made Gothic court gown looked very valuable. Plus, with the 2000 pounds for the bodyguard fee last time, a Sequence 5 powerhouse who had long been active in the Beyonder domain shouldn't be short on money, right?
"…"
However, upon hearing Lorne's words, Sharon's delicate, doll-like face uncharacteristically showed a hint of collapse. Her gaze slightly lowered, seemingly a little embarrassed, even—with a touch of awkwardness.
Completely contrary to what Lorne thought, she didn't have much money. Or rather, she was actually—quite poor.
Although the Temperance Faction advocated a life of purity and few desires, she herself didn't need cosmetics, skincare products, or other miscellaneous items. It could be said that, apart from a few sets of Gothic court gowns kept in memory of her teacher, she basically had no other expenses.
But as a Beyonder constantly on the run, her funds were mostly left in the Southern Continent, or had been depleted during her escape. Her and Marich's current life could be described as quite tight.
Recently, to purchase a Mystical Item, she, who usually disliked appearing in public, even had to "work" out. This was also why she took on Lorne's high-risk commission.
Huh?
Meeting Lorne's questioning gaze, Sharon was a little awkward. She was silent for a moment before speaking softly in her still cold, but s